Month: March 2024
March 26, 2024 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
- Video of Soyuz-2 upper stage coming down over inhabited parts of Russia
The flight tract and impact location shown here. This stage spent almost two days in orbit. Most of it probably burnt up in the atmosphere.
- Largest version of Russia’s new Angara rocket, Angara-A5, now vertical on launchpad for the first time
The first test launch from Vostochny has an April 6-10 launch window. The rocket is comparable to China’s Long March 5, capable of putting about 24 tons in orbit.
- Boeing and Aurora (a Boeing subsidiary) sue Virgin Galactic for $26.4 million
Virgin had hired them to build a replacement for the WhiteKnight mother ship used to launch SpaceShipTwo. They submitted plans, but then decided to back out of the deal, saying they could not complete the ship as Virgin Galactic wanted. They are now suing for payment of work done.
- Hi-res video of Starship/Superheavy during launch
Quite spectacular. Hat tip to John Batchelor for sending me the link.
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
- Video of Soyuz-2 upper stage coming down over inhabited parts of Russia
The flight tract and impact location shown here. This stage spent almost two days in orbit. Most of it probably burnt up in the atmosphere.
- Largest version of Russia’s new Angara rocket, Angara-A5, now vertical on launchpad for the first time
The first test launch from Vostochny has an April 6-10 launch window. The rocket is comparable to China’s Long March 5, capable of putting about 24 tons in orbit.
- Boeing and Aurora (a Boeing subsidiary) sue Virgin Galactic for $26.4 million
Virgin had hired them to build a replacement for the WhiteKnight mother ship used to launch SpaceShipTwo. They submitted plans, but then decided to back out of the deal, saying they could not complete the ship as Virgin Galactic wanted. They are now suing for payment of work done.
- Hi-res video of Starship/Superheavy during launch
Quite spectacular. Hat tip to John Batchelor for sending me the link.
Part 2: A further list of upcoming Democratic Party election chaos
In part one of this series yesterday I outlined one Democratic Party scenario for stealing a Trump election victory, based on the possibility that they might regain control of both Houses of Congress this year due to Republican resignations, and use that power to interfere with the election result as a lame duck Congress.
To do this however will require some groundwork. Today I will to outline several of the far more likely tactics the Democratic Party will use in the coming months, before, during, and after the election, to make the first scenario above more doable, should it be necessary due to a Trump victory. These tactics are also intended to use fear and violence to supress the Republican vote while energizing Democrats.
» Read more
Bursting bubbles of water gas on Mars
Click for original image.
Cool image time! The picture to the right, cropped, reduced, and enhanced to post here, was taken on January 12, 2024 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Because of a technical issue that leaves a blank strip down the center of recent high-res MRO images, I have filled in that gap using a MRO context camera photo taken on January 12, 2015. The resolution is much less, but by doing so we can see the ground features as a unit.
What are we looking at? According to the scientists, this picture shows “fresh-looking ruptures,” referring to the broken line of sharp tears inside that meandering canyon that almost resemble a fresh wound in flesh. As this location is at 28 degrees south latitude, it lies on the edge of dry equatorial regions, where orbital images have sometimes found hints of a few remaining buried glaciers that are much more common closer to the poles.
In this case it appears the warmer equatorial climate has acted to heat up the buried ice so that it sublimated into gas. At some point the gas pressure caused the surface to burst, much like bubbles bursting on the surface of a pot of simmering tomato sauce, leaving behind these scars.
» Read more
Click for original image.
Cool image time! The picture to the right, cropped, reduced, and enhanced to post here, was taken on January 12, 2024 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Because of a technical issue that leaves a blank strip down the center of recent high-res MRO images, I have filled in that gap using a MRO context camera photo taken on January 12, 2015. The resolution is much less, but by doing so we can see the ground features as a unit.
What are we looking at? According to the scientists, this picture shows “fresh-looking ruptures,” referring to the broken line of sharp tears inside that meandering canyon that almost resemble a fresh wound in flesh. As this location is at 28 degrees south latitude, it lies on the edge of dry equatorial regions, where orbital images have sometimes found hints of a few remaining buried glaciers that are much more common closer to the poles.
In this case it appears the warmer equatorial climate has acted to heat up the buried ice so that it sublimated into gas. At some point the gas pressure caused the surface to burst, much like bubbles bursting on the surface of a pot of simmering tomato sauce, leaving behind these scars.
» Read more
Report: 3D printing in space
A new report released today [pdf] from the space think tank Intro-act provides a nice detailed summary of the economic and technological state of 3D printing industry in space.
The report first outlines the types of 3D printing presently available, using plastics and metals, and then outlines the advantages of printing things in orbit rather than carrying them up from Earth. Essentially, 3D printers are the real version of replicators seen in sci-fi movies, except that reality requires much more complexity, including a whole range of different machines designed for specific materials and final products.
The report lists four companies of note:
Made in Space (acquired by Redwire Corp.), Relativity Space, and AI SpaceFactory are the leading companies in the 3-D printing segment. With the addition of Vaya Space, the list provides a more comprehensive overview of the companies that are pioneering the use of 3-D printing technology in the realm of space exploration and development, showcasing the diverse applications and innovative strategies being employed in this exciting field.
Each company appears to have a different focus. Redwire is developing 3D printers for use on ISS, Relativity developing 3D printers for building rocket components, and AI Spacefactory developing 3D printed space colonies for Mars or the Moon.
If I had to choose which company to bet on, my pick would be Relativity followed by Redwire. The former’s large 3D printing technology for rockets can be very easily shifted to other uses and products, giving it a product of great value far beyond space. Redwire meanwhile has already launched and operated printers on ISS, proving it can provide that technology to future space stations.
This industry is however in its infancy. As the private space stations presently under construction launch, their need for this technology will skyrocket, and thus there will be opportunities galore.
A new report released today [pdf] from the space think tank Intro-act provides a nice detailed summary of the economic and technological state of 3D printing industry in space.
The report first outlines the types of 3D printing presently available, using plastics and metals, and then outlines the advantages of printing things in orbit rather than carrying them up from Earth. Essentially, 3D printers are the real version of replicators seen in sci-fi movies, except that reality requires much more complexity, including a whole range of different machines designed for specific materials and final products.
The report lists four companies of note:
Made in Space (acquired by Redwire Corp.), Relativity Space, and AI SpaceFactory are the leading companies in the 3-D printing segment. With the addition of Vaya Space, the list provides a more comprehensive overview of the companies that are pioneering the use of 3-D printing technology in the realm of space exploration and development, showcasing the diverse applications and innovative strategies being employed in this exciting field.
Each company appears to have a different focus. Redwire is developing 3D printers for use on ISS, Relativity developing 3D printers for building rocket components, and AI Spacefactory developing 3D printed space colonies for Mars or the Moon.
If I had to choose which company to bet on, my pick would be Relativity followed by Redwire. The former’s large 3D printing technology for rockets can be very easily shifted to other uses and products, giving it a product of great value far beyond space. Redwire meanwhile has already launched and operated printers on ISS, proving it can provide that technology to future space stations.
This industry is however in its infancy. As the private space stations presently under construction launch, their need for this technology will skyrocket, and thus there will be opportunities galore.
Orbital tug startup ExLabs plans mission to asteroid Apophis in 2028
The orbital tug startup Exploration Labs (ExLabs) has announced it is planning to use its tug to deliver three cubesats on a rendezvous mission to asteroid Apophis in 2028, shortly before the asteroid does a close fly-by of Earth in April 2029.
The article at the link provides no other information about this mission. In searching the web I was unable to find anything further. It seems this mission is at present nothing more than a proposal, issued at this time mostly for public relations purposes to showcase the abilities of its proposed orbital tug, presently under development.
This conclusion does not mean the mission won’t happen, only that it is very far from a reality.
The orbital tug startup Exploration Labs (ExLabs) has announced it is planning to use its tug to deliver three cubesats on a rendezvous mission to asteroid Apophis in 2028, shortly before the asteroid does a close fly-by of Earth in April 2029.
The article at the link provides no other information about this mission. In searching the web I was unable to find anything further. It seems this mission is at present nothing more than a proposal, issued at this time mostly for public relations purposes to showcase the abilities of its proposed orbital tug, presently under development.
This conclusion does not mean the mission won’t happen, only that it is very far from a reality.
Intuitive Machines: Odysseus is dead
In a tweet on March 23, 2024 the company Intuitive Machines announced that the mission of its first lunar lander, Odysseus, is officially over with the spacecraft failing to come back to life after sunrise on the Moon.
As of March 23rd at 1030 A.M. Central Standard Time, flight controllers decided their projections were correct, and Odie’s power system would not complete another call home.
The engineers had begun listening for a signal on March 20th, when their computer models said enough sunlight would reach the solar panels to charge its communications system.
The failure of the lander to survive the lunar night is a disappointment, but it was never considered a strong possibility. Right now the company’s main task is to prevent the issues that caused Odysseus to land too fast and tip over, so that the next two missions, scheduled for either this year or next, each deliver their payloads properly on the Moon’s surface.
In a tweet on March 23, 2024 the company Intuitive Machines announced that the mission of its first lunar lander, Odysseus, is officially over with the spacecraft failing to come back to life after sunrise on the Moon.
As of March 23rd at 1030 A.M. Central Standard Time, flight controllers decided their projections were correct, and Odie’s power system would not complete another call home.
The engineers had begun listening for a signal on March 20th, when their computer models said enough sunlight would reach the solar panels to charge its communications system.
The failure of the lander to survive the lunar night is a disappointment, but it was never considered a strong possibility. Right now the company’s main task is to prevent the issues that caused Odysseus to land too fast and tip over, so that the next two missions, scheduled for either this year or next, each deliver their payloads properly on the Moon’s surface.
SpaceX launches 23 more Starlink satellites
The beat goes on and on and on and… SpaceX today successfully launched another 23 Starlink satellites, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Caneveral.
The first stage completed its eighth flight, landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic.
The leaders in the 2024 launch race:
30 SpaceX
12 China
4 Rocket Lab
4 Russia
American private enterprise now leads the rest of the world combined in successful launches 35 to 22, while SpaceX now leads the entire world, including American companies, 30 to 27.
The beat goes on and on and on and… SpaceX today successfully launched another 23 Starlink satellites, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Caneveral.
The first stage completed its eighth flight, landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic.
The leaders in the 2024 launch race:
30 SpaceX
12 China
4 Rocket Lab
4 Russia
American private enterprise now leads the rest of the world combined in successful launches 35 to 22, while SpaceX now leads the entire world, including American companies, 30 to 27.
Ricky Rialto & the Green Rats – Rockin’ Daddy
An evening pause: I’m not sure why, but the video makers and dancers all appear to be Italian.
Hat tip Judd Clark.
March 25, 2024 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
- Weather 30% for March 28, 2024 launch of ULA’s last Delta-4 Heavy
Launch is presently scheduled for 1:40 pm Eastern.
- China’s Queqiao-2 communications satellite is now in lunar orbit
Note that this is not its final orbit. Adjustments still have to be made. This short video (in Chinese) supposedly describes how the satellite will do its job.
- Buzz Aldrin wishes Jim Lovell a happy 96th birthday today
Of all the Apollo astronauts, these two were probably the biggest space cadets of them all.
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
- Weather 30% for March 28, 2024 launch of ULA’s last Delta-4 Heavy
Launch is presently scheduled for 1:40 pm Eastern.
- China’s Queqiao-2 communications satellite is now in lunar orbit
Note that this is not its final orbit. Adjustments still have to be made. This short video (in Chinese) supposedly describes how the satellite will do its job.
- Buzz Aldrin wishes Jim Lovell a happy 96th birthday today
Of all the Apollo astronauts, these two were probably the biggest space cadets of them all.
Pushback: Smithsonian to pay Catholic students $50K and publicly apologize for ejecting them from Air & Space for wearing pro-life hats
The evil hat that Air & Space officials banned
Bring a gun to a knife fight: The Smithsonian has agreed to pay twelve Catholic students $50K and publicly apologize to them for ejecting them from the Air & Space museum last January because they were wearing pro-life hats.
That hat is to the right. Though many others were wearing t-shirts and hats with other political statements, museum officials singled these students out for harassment and ejection. According to their lawyer,
Once in the museum, they were accosted several times and told they would be forced to leave unless they removed their pro-life hats. The group all wore the same blue hat that simply said, “Rosary PRO-LIFE.” Other individuals in the museum were wearing hats of all kinds without issue.
The museum staff mocked the students, called them expletives, and made comments that the museum was a “neutral zone” where they could not express such statements. The employee who ultimately forced the students to leave the museum was rubbing his hands together in glee as they exited the building.
According to the settlement deal [pdf]:
» Read more
The evil hat that Air & Space officials banned
Bring a gun to a knife fight: The Smithsonian has agreed to pay twelve Catholic students $50K and publicly apologize to them for ejecting them from the Air & Space museum last January because they were wearing pro-life hats.
That hat is to the right. Though many others were wearing t-shirts and hats with other political statements, museum officials singled these students out for harassment and ejection. According to their lawyer,
Once in the museum, they were accosted several times and told they would be forced to leave unless they removed their pro-life hats. The group all wore the same blue hat that simply said, “Rosary PRO-LIFE.” Other individuals in the museum were wearing hats of all kinds without issue.
The museum staff mocked the students, called them expletives, and made comments that the museum was a “neutral zone” where they could not express such statements. The employee who ultimately forced the students to leave the museum was rubbing his hands together in glee as they exited the building.
According to the settlement deal [pdf]:
» Read more
Part 1: The expected upcoming election chaos caused by the left’s hatred of any opposition
The kerfuffle this week at MSNBC because NBC had hired former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is important not because of what eventually happened (MSNBC quickly announced McDaniel was banned though she would still appear on NBC), but by what it reveals of the left’s political class.
Democrat politicians everywhere, both pretending to be journalists at MSNBC as well as within the leaders of the Democratic Party, complained that it was unacceptable to hire a former Republican Party leader, simply because she had dared express opinions and conclusions they disagreed with.
“The free and independent press is fundamental to our democracy and has and continues to face unprecedented attacks by Donald Trump and his lackeys – including Ronna McDaniel – to chip away at its credibility and allow space for MAGA lies and deceit,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison fumed in a statement. “There should be no debate about the truth in our political discourse. Ronna McDaniel is a proven liar, and has no place in an honest and objective conversation about the future of this country.”
Gee, I don’t remember anyone complaining when NBC hired Chuck Todd, who hosted fund-raising events for Hillary Clinton and whose wife is a major leftist strategist who did campaign work for Bernie Sanders. Nor did anyone complain when ABC hired George Stephanopoulos, a longtime Democratic Party campaign worker who was a major player in Bill Clinton’s campaign. Nor did any of these so-called journalists complain about these hires:
» Read more
France to award four rocket startups launch contracts worth as much as 400 million euros
Capitalism in space: According to a story today at the European Spaceflight website, the French government will later this week announce contract awards to four different rocket startups worth as much as 400 million euros.
The four launch startups that will receive a combined €400 million in subsidies are HyPrSpace, Latitude, Sirius Space Services, and the ArianeGroup subsidiary MaiaSpace.
The HyPrSpace OB-1 and Latitude Zephyr rockets will be the smallest of the lot and will be capable of delivering between 100 and 200 kilograms to low Earth orbit. The Sirius 1, Sirius 13, and Sirius 15 rockets will be capable of delivering between 175 and 1,100 kilograms to orbit. The Prometheus-powered Maia rocket is expected to be the most powerful, with a payload capacity of up to three tonnes when launched in its expendable configuration.
All four companies however will only receive a small upfront payment, with the bulk of the award only paid if a company achieves a maiden launch by 2028.
That the French government is now signing deals with new private and independent launch companies and not with Arianespace, the commercial arm of the European Space Agency (ESA) that has always been dominated by the French, is a major development. Up until now most of the action encouraging independent rocket companies has come from Germany and Spain. That France has now joined the party signals the almost certain death knell to the failed two decade-long effort by Arianespace to make a profit, even when it controlled about 50% of the launch market.
Expect the government monopoly of Arianespace to fade away in the next five years. Expect it to be replaced with a thriving industry of mulitple rocket companies, all charging less and coming up with new ways to lower cost.
Capitalism in space: According to a story today at the European Spaceflight website, the French government will later this week announce contract awards to four different rocket startups worth as much as 400 million euros.
The four launch startups that will receive a combined €400 million in subsidies are HyPrSpace, Latitude, Sirius Space Services, and the ArianeGroup subsidiary MaiaSpace.
The HyPrSpace OB-1 and Latitude Zephyr rockets will be the smallest of the lot and will be capable of delivering between 100 and 200 kilograms to low Earth orbit. The Sirius 1, Sirius 13, and Sirius 15 rockets will be capable of delivering between 175 and 1,100 kilograms to orbit. The Prometheus-powered Maia rocket is expected to be the most powerful, with a payload capacity of up to three tonnes when launched in its expendable configuration.
All four companies however will only receive a small upfront payment, with the bulk of the award only paid if a company achieves a maiden launch by 2028.
That the French government is now signing deals with new private and independent launch companies and not with Arianespace, the commercial arm of the European Space Agency (ESA) that has always been dominated by the French, is a major development. Up until now most of the action encouraging independent rocket companies has come from Germany and Spain. That France has now joined the party signals the almost certain death knell to the failed two decade-long effort by Arianespace to make a profit, even when it controlled about 50% of the launch market.
Expect the government monopoly of Arianespace to fade away in the next five years. Expect it to be replaced with a thriving industry of mulitple rocket companies, all charging less and coming up with new ways to lower cost.
South Texas booming due to arrival of SpaceX
Link here. The article details the major tourism and industry dollars that have come into existence in the Brownsville region since SpaceX established its Boca Chica launch facility, including major development now underway to cater to the tourist business of travelers eager to get a close look at a Starship/Superheavy launch.
The article gives a sense of the reality on the ground. While the anti-Musk activist groups sue SpaceX in their attempt to shut down Starship/Superheavy development, claiming it is harming the region, stories like this put the lie to those claims.
Hat tip to Robert Pratt of Pratt on Texas.
Link here. The article details the major tourism and industry dollars that have come into existence in the Brownsville region since SpaceX established its Boca Chica launch facility, including major development now underway to cater to the tourist business of travelers eager to get a close look at a Starship/Superheavy launch.
The article gives a sense of the reality on the ground. While the anti-Musk activist groups sue SpaceX in their attempt to shut down Starship/Superheavy development, claiming it is harming the region, stories like this put the lie to those claims.
Hat tip to Robert Pratt of Pratt on Texas.
The tangled view of astronomers
Click for original image.
The uncertainty of science: The picture to the right, cropped, reduced, and sharpened to post here, was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope as part of a survey of young stars surrounded by an edge-on dust disk. From the caption:
FS Tau is a multi-star system made up of FS Tau A, the bright star-like object near the middle of the image, and FS Tau B (Haro 6-5B), the bright object to the far right that is partially obscured by a dark, vertical lane of dust. The young objects are surrounded by softly illuminated gas and dust of this stellar nursery. The system is only about 2.8 million years old, very young for a star system. Our Sun, by contrast, is about 4.6 billion years old.
The blue lines on either side of that vertical dust lane are jets moving out from FS Tau B. The caption says their asymetrical lengths are likely due to ” mass is being expelled from the object at different rates,” but it just as easily be caused by the angle in which we see this object, making the nearer jet seem longer than the one behind.
That astronomers cannot move around such an object and see it from many angles explains the headline of this post. We can only see astronomical objects from one angle, and when they are complex objects such as this one, a large part of the research problem is disentangling the shapes we see into a coherent picture. Spectroscopy helps a lot, as it provides information about the speed and direction of different parts of the object, but even this can be enormously complicated and difficult to interpret.
Remember these facts when you read news reports about astronomical research. No matter how certain the press release sounds, its certainty is always tempered by many unknowns, some very pedestrian but fundamental.
Click for original image.
The uncertainty of science: The picture to the right, cropped, reduced, and sharpened to post here, was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope as part of a survey of young stars surrounded by an edge-on dust disk. From the caption:
FS Tau is a multi-star system made up of FS Tau A, the bright star-like object near the middle of the image, and FS Tau B (Haro 6-5B), the bright object to the far right that is partially obscured by a dark, vertical lane of dust. The young objects are surrounded by softly illuminated gas and dust of this stellar nursery. The system is only about 2.8 million years old, very young for a star system. Our Sun, by contrast, is about 4.6 billion years old.
The blue lines on either side of that vertical dust lane are jets moving out from FS Tau B. The caption says their asymetrical lengths are likely due to ” mass is being expelled from the object at different rates,” but it just as easily be caused by the angle in which we see this object, making the nearer jet seem longer than the one behind.
That astronomers cannot move around such an object and see it from many angles explains the headline of this post. We can only see astronomical objects from one angle, and when they are complex objects such as this one, a large part of the research problem is disentangling the shapes we see into a coherent picture. Spectroscopy helps a lot, as it provides information about the speed and direction of different parts of the object, but even this can be enormously complicated and difficult to interpret.
Remember these facts when you read news reports about astronomical research. No matter how certain the press release sounds, its certainty is always tempered by many unknowns, some very pedestrian but fundamental.
UK Space Agency proudly grows
The United Kingdom Space Agency today announced that it is opening four new offices in four different cities, giving it a brand new headquarters as well as a total of five regional offices.
The new HQ at Harwell is due to open in June, while offices at William Morgan House in Cardiff and Space Park Leicester will open in April, with the office at Queen Elizabeth House, in Edinburgh, opening later in the summer.
In addition, the agency will retain its offices in London and Swindon.
Will this expansion alleviate the serious red-tape issues in the United Kingdom that killed Virgin Orbit and have delayed launches at its two new spaceports in Scotland? I have my doubts. The licensing problems in the UK have centered on the number of different agencies and offices that must issue approvals to private space companies. While it might make sense for the UK Space Agency to hire more people, if anything it should be streamlining its operations to one central place.
It appears instead that this bureaucracy is doing what all government bureaucracies do, expanding and growing at the cost of private enterprise. I don’t see how opening many different small offices can possibly help make the licensing procedure faster or easier.
The United Kingdom Space Agency today announced that it is opening four new offices in four different cities, giving it a brand new headquarters as well as a total of five regional offices.
The new HQ at Harwell is due to open in June, while offices at William Morgan House in Cardiff and Space Park Leicester will open in April, with the office at Queen Elizabeth House, in Edinburgh, opening later in the summer.
In addition, the agency will retain its offices in London and Swindon.
Will this expansion alleviate the serious red-tape issues in the United Kingdom that killed Virgin Orbit and have delayed launches at its two new spaceports in Scotland? I have my doubts. The licensing problems in the UK have centered on the number of different agencies and offices that must issue approvals to private space companies. While it might make sense for the UK Space Agency to hire more people, if anything it should be streamlining its operations to one central place.
It appears instead that this bureaucracy is doing what all government bureaucracies do, expanding and growing at the cost of private enterprise. I don’t see how opening many different small offices can possibly help make the licensing procedure faster or easier.
Boom’s one-third-scale prototype supersonic jet finally takes off
The private startup Boom has finally flown its third-scale prototype supersonic jet, dubbed XB-1, on its first short flight, taking off on March 22, 2024 from the flight test facility in Mojave, California.
Following behind was Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg in a T-38 chase plane to observe the flight and confirm altitude and speed. With a length of 62.6 feet (19 m) and a wingspan of 21 ft (6 m) , the XB-1 achieved an altitude of 7,120 ft (2,170 m) and speeds up to 238 knots (273 mph, 440 km/h) under the force of its three GE J85-15 engines generating a maximum thrust of 12,300 lbs.
According to Boom, once its aerodynamic characteristics and flight worthiness are confirmed, the XB-1 will increase speed until it is flying on later tests in excess of Mach 1.
This prototype supersonic test plane was first unveiled in 2020, four years ago, but runway taxi tests did not begin until 2023. I suspect the Wuhan panic contributed to the three year delay between unveiling and first tests, though this is speculation.
The goal is to build the first commercial superonic passenger plane since the Concorde. At present Boom has a contract from United for fifteen Boom 12-passenger planes, plus development deals with Boeing, and Japan Airlines.
The private startup Boom has finally flown its third-scale prototype supersonic jet, dubbed XB-1, on its first short flight, taking off on March 22, 2024 from the flight test facility in Mojave, California.
Following behind was Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg in a T-38 chase plane to observe the flight and confirm altitude and speed. With a length of 62.6 feet (19 m) and a wingspan of 21 ft (6 m) , the XB-1 achieved an altitude of 7,120 ft (2,170 m) and speeds up to 238 knots (273 mph, 440 km/h) under the force of its three GE J85-15 engines generating a maximum thrust of 12,300 lbs.
According to Boom, once its aerodynamic characteristics and flight worthiness are confirmed, the XB-1 will increase speed until it is flying on later tests in excess of Mach 1.
This prototype supersonic test plane was first unveiled in 2020, four years ago, but runway taxi tests did not begin until 2023. I suspect the Wuhan panic contributed to the three year delay between unveiling and first tests, though this is speculation.
The goal is to build the first commercial superonic passenger plane since the Concorde. At present Boom has a contract from United for fifteen Boom 12-passenger planes, plus development deals with Boeing, and Japan Airlines.
Antenna for joint NASA-ISRO radar satellite needs fix, delaying launch
The large deployable antenna for a joint NASA-ISRO radar satellite, dubbed NISAR, that was targeting a spring launch will require an extra coat of reflective material, thus delaying the satellite’s launch until the second half of this year.
In a March 22 statement, NASA said a new launch date for the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission will be set at the end of April because of work to protect the spacecraft’s reflector, an antenna that is 12 meters across when fully deployed, from temperatures when in its stowed configuration. “Testing and analysis identified a potential for the reflector to experience higher-than-previously-anticipated temperatures in its stowed configuration in flight,” NASA said in the statement. To prevent those increased temperatures, a “special coating” will be applied to the antenna so that it reflects more sunlight.
That work, NASA said, requires shipping the antenna, currently with the rest of the NISAR spacecraft in India, to a facility in California that can apply the coating. NASA did not state how long the process of applying the coating, as well as shipping the antenna to California and then back to India, will take.
It appears that the need for this additional coat was discovered during environmental testing by ISRO engineers in India as part of its preparation for launch on India’s GSLV rocket. Based on the JPL website for this mission, it appears this antenna system was built by JPL.
NASA is providing the mission’s L-band synthetic aperture radar, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder and payload data subsystem. ISRO is providing the spacecraft bus, the S-band radar, the launch vehicle and associated launch services.
Though the purpose of the final environmental testing prior to launch is specifically to find such issues and correct them, the question remains why this issue occurred. One can’t help wondering if the many management problems detailed at JPL in several reports (here, herej, here) might have contributed, including the organization’s total commitment since 2022 to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion quotas, making skin color and sex the primary qualifications for hiring, rather than skill, education, or talent.
The large deployable antenna for a joint NASA-ISRO radar satellite, dubbed NISAR, that was targeting a spring launch will require an extra coat of reflective material, thus delaying the satellite’s launch until the second half of this year.
In a March 22 statement, NASA said a new launch date for the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission will be set at the end of April because of work to protect the spacecraft’s reflector, an antenna that is 12 meters across when fully deployed, from temperatures when in its stowed configuration. “Testing and analysis identified a potential for the reflector to experience higher-than-previously-anticipated temperatures in its stowed configuration in flight,” NASA said in the statement. To prevent those increased temperatures, a “special coating” will be applied to the antenna so that it reflects more sunlight.
That work, NASA said, requires shipping the antenna, currently with the rest of the NISAR spacecraft in India, to a facility in California that can apply the coating. NASA did not state how long the process of applying the coating, as well as shipping the antenna to California and then back to India, will take.
It appears that the need for this additional coat was discovered during environmental testing by ISRO engineers in India as part of its preparation for launch on India’s GSLV rocket. Based on the JPL website for this mission, it appears this antenna system was built by JPL.
NASA is providing the mission’s L-band synthetic aperture radar, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder and payload data subsystem. ISRO is providing the spacecraft bus, the S-band radar, the launch vehicle and associated launch services.
Though the purpose of the final environmental testing prior to launch is specifically to find such issues and correct them, the question remains why this issue occurred. One can’t help wondering if the many management problems detailed at JPL in several reports (here, herej, here) might have contributed, including the organization’s total commitment since 2022 to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion quotas, making skin color and sex the primary qualifications for hiring, rather than skill, education, or talent.
SpaceX launches more Starlink satellites
The beat never ends: SpaceX last night successfully launched another 23 Starlink satellites, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral.
The first stage successfully completed its nineteenth flight, landing successfully on a drone ship in the Atlantic. This stage is now the third that has completed a record nineteen flights. One wonders when a stage will reach twenty.
The leaders in the 2024 launch race:
29 SpaceX
12 China
4 Rocket Lab
4 Russia
American private enterprise now leads the rest of the world combined in successful launches 34 to 22, while SpaceX now leads the entire world, including American companies, 29 to 27.
The beat never ends: SpaceX last night successfully launched another 23 Starlink satellites, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral.
The first stage successfully completed its nineteenth flight, landing successfully on a drone ship in the Atlantic. This stage is now the third that has completed a record nineteen flights. One wonders when a stage will reach twenty.
The leaders in the 2024 launch race:
29 SpaceX
12 China
4 Rocket Lab
4 Russia
American private enterprise now leads the rest of the world combined in successful launches 34 to 22, while SpaceX now leads the entire world, including American companies, 29 to 27.
Russians launch three astronauts to ISS
The Russians today successfully launched three astronauts to ISS, its Soyuz-2 rocket lifting off from Baikonur in Kazakhstan.
The Soyuz is scheduled to dock with ISS on March 25, 2024. The Russian and Belarus astronauts will stay on board ISS for about two weeks, returning to Earth on an Soyuz-2 capsule that is presently docked to ISS, taking with them an American who has just completed six months in space. The American on today’s launch will now start her own six month mission, and will return in September with two Russian astronauts who are presently on a year long mission, one of whom will likely set a new duration record for a woman.
The leaders in the 2024 launch race:
28 SpaceX
12 China
4 Rocket Lab
4 Russia
American private enterprise still leads the rest of the world combined in successful launches 33 to 22, while SpaceX remains ahead of the entire world, including American companies, 28 to 27.
The Russians today successfully launched three astronauts to ISS, its Soyuz-2 rocket lifting off from Baikonur in Kazakhstan.
The Soyuz is scheduled to dock with ISS on March 25, 2024. The Russian and Belarus astronauts will stay on board ISS for about two weeks, returning to Earth on an Soyuz-2 capsule that is presently docked to ISS, taking with them an American who has just completed six months in space. The American on today’s launch will now start her own six month mission, and will return in September with two Russian astronauts who are presently on a year long mission, one of whom will likely set a new duration record for a woman.
The leaders in the 2024 launch race:
28 SpaceX
12 China
4 Rocket Lab
4 Russia
American private enterprise still leads the rest of the world combined in successful launches 33 to 22, while SpaceX remains ahead of the entire world, including American companies, 28 to 27.
March 22, 2024 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast
Embedded below the fold in two parts.
To listen to all of John Batchelor’s podcasts, go here.
» Read more
Embedded below the fold in two parts.
To listen to all of John Batchelor’s podcasts, go here.
» Read more
Vivaldi – Spring
An evening pause: Seems the perfect piece of music to herald in the first weekend of spring. This is first movement of Vivaldi’s The Seasons. Performed here by Alana Youssefian and the Voices of Music.
March 22, 2024 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
- Sierra Space’s first Dream Chaser mini-shuttle, Tenacity, begins environmental testing
These tests will confirm that the spacecraft can resist the harsh environment of space.
- Roscosmos approves new March 23, 2024 launch date for manned Soyuz after launch abort
It will dock with ISS two days later.
- On this day in 1982 the third flight of the space shuttle Columbia took place
As the tweet notes, this was the first flight where NASA did not paint the external tank, saving 600 pounds in weight. It was the third of four manned test flights of Columbia, after which NASA declared the shuttle operational.
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
- Sierra Space’s first Dream Chaser mini-shuttle, Tenacity, begins environmental testing
These tests will confirm that the spacecraft can resist the harsh environment of space.
- Roscosmos approves new March 23, 2024 launch date for manned Soyuz after launch abort
It will dock with ISS two days later.
- On this day in 1982 the third flight of the space shuttle Columbia took place
As the tweet notes, this was the first flight where NASA did not paint the external tank, saving 600 pounds in weight. It was the third of four manned test flights of Columbia, after which NASA declared the shuttle operational.
Martian vent or sink?
Click for original image.
Cool image time! The picture to the right, rotated, cropped, reduced, and enhanced to post here, was taken on January 29, 2024 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).
Though the scientists label this image showing “channels”, what I see is either a vent or a sink, with the channels to the south indicating past flows either coming out of the depression or into it. The uncertainty exists because the surface grade in this region is essentially flat. There is a lot of small up and down variations, but overall it is very difficult to determine the general trend, suggesting that when the depression and channels formed the grade was different, and there is no way from this data to determine the angle at that time.
Were the flows that created the channels lava or water or ice? Knowing the grade when these channels formed would help answer this question, but other research now suggests the latter.
» Read more
Click for original image.
Cool image time! The picture to the right, rotated, cropped, reduced, and enhanced to post here, was taken on January 29, 2024 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).
Though the scientists label this image showing “channels”, what I see is either a vent or a sink, with the channels to the south indicating past flows either coming out of the depression or into it. The uncertainty exists because the surface grade in this region is essentially flat. There is a lot of small up and down variations, but overall it is very difficult to determine the general trend, suggesting that when the depression and channels formed the grade was different, and there is no way from this data to determine the angle at that time.
Were the flows that created the channels lava or water or ice? Knowing the grade when these channels formed would help answer this question, but other research now suggests the latter.
» Read more
Australia moves to make skin color and sex more important in hiring space engineers than skill or knowledge
A new industry group, established with full support of the Australian government, has been formed to encourage the hiring of minorities and women in that nation’s space industry, merely because they are minorities and women.
The Australian Space Diversity Alliance (ASDA) said it aims to support senior leaders and minimise the barriers that marginalised groups face. It comes after a series of reports have shown the sector is lagging behind others in regard to gender disparity, and alongside a talent shortage critics say can only be overcome with a more diverse intake.
ASDA was founded by eight industry figures, including Defence Council of Victoria’s Anntonette Dailey, ANU’s Dr Cassandra Steer, and Raytheon’s Linda Spurr. Defence Connect is one of the group’s industry partners, alongside five state governments, the iLAuNCH Trailblazer initiative, and communications agency The Write Space.
It makes the typical and very bogus claims of these Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs that because woman comprise only 20% of the people in the space industry and minorities only 5%, bigotry must be involved. And the only solution is more bigotry, by favoring applicants from those groups even it they are less qualified than others.
The possibility that women and minorities might simply not be interested in doing this work is a reality that these race hustlers simply can’t tolerate. No, if women and minorities aren’t represented at a level we believe appropriate, we will make it so, regardless of skills, talent, knowledge or experience.
Expect the entire Australian space industry to suffer because of this effort.
A new industry group, established with full support of the Australian government, has been formed to encourage the hiring of minorities and women in that nation’s space industry, merely because they are minorities and women.
The Australian Space Diversity Alliance (ASDA) said it aims to support senior leaders and minimise the barriers that marginalised groups face. It comes after a series of reports have shown the sector is lagging behind others in regard to gender disparity, and alongside a talent shortage critics say can only be overcome with a more diverse intake.
ASDA was founded by eight industry figures, including Defence Council of Victoria’s Anntonette Dailey, ANU’s Dr Cassandra Steer, and Raytheon’s Linda Spurr. Defence Connect is one of the group’s industry partners, alongside five state governments, the iLAuNCH Trailblazer initiative, and communications agency The Write Space.
It makes the typical and very bogus claims of these Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs that because woman comprise only 20% of the people in the space industry and minorities only 5%, bigotry must be involved. And the only solution is more bigotry, by favoring applicants from those groups even it they are less qualified than others.
The possibility that women and minorities might simply not be interested in doing this work is a reality that these race hustlers simply can’t tolerate. No, if women and minorities aren’t represented at a level we believe appropriate, we will make it so, regardless of skills, talent, knowledge or experience.
Expect the entire Australian space industry to suffer because of this effort.
Private Indian company scrubs suborbital test launch
The private Indian company Agnikul yesterday scrubbed its first suborbital test launch from its privately owned spaceport on the east coast of India when it detected issues during a dress rehearsal countdown.
On Friday, Agnikul Cosmos Private Limited’s Agnibaan was slated to launch from the company-owned launchpad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) located inside Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) facility at Sriharikota.
“Agnikul is holding the launch out of an abundance of caution based on certain minor observations from the full countdown rehearsals last night,” it said in a statement. The company will announce a new date and time for the launch. The IIT-Madras incubated start-up is 3-D printing its space vehicle – Agnibaan, with single piece 3D-printed engine.
My post earlier this week about the location of this private launchpad was in error. The launchpad might be privately owned, but it is not at a different location from ISRO’s main Sriharikota spaceport. It is located within that spaceport, and exists because the Modi government several years ago required ISRO to let private companies use its facilities. Agnikul decided to use this to its advantage, building a whole launchpad within the Sriharikota site.
The private Indian company Agnikul yesterday scrubbed its first suborbital test launch from its privately owned spaceport on the east coast of India when it detected issues during a dress rehearsal countdown.
On Friday, Agnikul Cosmos Private Limited’s Agnibaan was slated to launch from the company-owned launchpad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) located inside Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) facility at Sriharikota.
“Agnikul is holding the launch out of an abundance of caution based on certain minor observations from the full countdown rehearsals last night,” it said in a statement. The company will announce a new date and time for the launch. The IIT-Madras incubated start-up is 3-D printing its space vehicle – Agnibaan, with single piece 3D-printed engine.
My post earlier this week about the location of this private launchpad was in error. The launchpad might be privately owned, but it is not at a different location from ISRO’s main Sriharikota spaceport. It is located within that spaceport, and exists because the Modi government several years ago required ISRO to let private companies use its facilities. Agnikul decided to use this to its advantage, building a whole launchpad within the Sriharikota site.
ISRO completes second drop test runway landing of its own mini-reusable shuttle
Click for original image
India’s space agency ISRO yesterday successfully completed the second runway landing of its own mini-reusable shuttle, dubbed Pushpak, after the vehicle was dropped from a helicopter at an altitude of 2.8 miles.
This mission successfully simulated the approach and high-speed landing conditions of RLV returning from space. With this second mission, ISRO has re-validated the indigenously developed technologies in the areas of navigation, control systems, landing gear and deceleration systems essential for performing a high-speed autonomous landing of a space-returning vehicle. The winged body and all flight systems used in RLV-LEX-01 were reused in the RLV-LEX-02 mission after due certification/clearances. Hence reuse capability of flight hardware and flight systems is also demonstrated in this mission. Based on the observations from RLV-LEX-01, the airframe structure and landing gear were strengthened to tolerate higher landing loads. [emphasis mine]
The highlighted sentences I think are the most significant. ISRO is pushing hard for reusability.
The concept of this spacecraft is somewhat comparable to the X-37B, though all the engineering can be applied to larger shuttles that can carry cargo and humans in and out of orbit. At the moment however Pushpak is simply an engineering test prototype, not yet ready for orbital flights. For example, the landing gears are too large and cannot be retracted, something unacceptable for orbital flights.
Click for original image
India’s space agency ISRO yesterday successfully completed the second runway landing of its own mini-reusable shuttle, dubbed Pushpak, after the vehicle was dropped from a helicopter at an altitude of 2.8 miles.
This mission successfully simulated the approach and high-speed landing conditions of RLV returning from space. With this second mission, ISRO has re-validated the indigenously developed technologies in the areas of navigation, control systems, landing gear and deceleration systems essential for performing a high-speed autonomous landing of a space-returning vehicle. The winged body and all flight systems used in RLV-LEX-01 were reused in the RLV-LEX-02 mission after due certification/clearances. Hence reuse capability of flight hardware and flight systems is also demonstrated in this mission. Based on the observations from RLV-LEX-01, the airframe structure and landing gear were strengthened to tolerate higher landing loads. [emphasis mine]
The highlighted sentences I think are the most significant. ISRO is pushing hard for reusability.
The concept of this spacecraft is somewhat comparable to the X-37B, though all the engineering can be applied to larger shuttles that can carry cargo and humans in and out of orbit. At the moment however Pushpak is simply an engineering test prototype, not yet ready for orbital flights. For example, the landing gears are too large and cannot be retracted, something unacceptable for orbital flights.
Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – Tijuana Brass Medley
March 21, 2024 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
- Space Force awards three contracts for developing orbital servicing technologies
The contracts went to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, and a new startup Spacebilt.
- Rocket Factory Augsburg touts its proposed Argo cargo freighter
The link provides a detailed description of this new spacecraft, clearly intended to provide ferrying services to the upcoming future space stations, with its most likely customer the Starlab station being built by Voyager Space, which is partnering with ESA and Airbus. This German company hopes to launch it by 2028.
- Chinese pseudo-company delivers 1st stage engines for another Chinese pseudo-company
The engines are for Space Pioneer’s Tianlong-3 rocket, which is essentially a copy of Falcon 9, and hopes to do a first launch in July.
- Astronomers complain about budget cuts to Hubble and Chandra
Hey, if you are going to push for expensive, overbudget, and behind-schedule boondoggles like the Roman Space Telescope, you better recognize that real telescopes will suffer to pay for them.
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
- Space Force awards three contracts for developing orbital servicing technologies
The contracts went to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, and a new startup Spacebilt.
- Rocket Factory Augsburg touts its proposed Argo cargo freighter
The link provides a detailed description of this new spacecraft, clearly intended to provide ferrying services to the upcoming future space stations, with its most likely customer the Starlab station being built by Voyager Space, which is partnering with ESA and Airbus. This German company hopes to launch it by 2028.
- Chinese pseudo-company delivers 1st stage engines for another Chinese pseudo-company
The engines are for Space Pioneer’s Tianlong-3 rocket, which is essentially a copy of Falcon 9, and hopes to do a first launch in July.
- Astronomers complain about budget cuts to Hubble and Chandra
Hey, if you are going to push for expensive, overbudget, and behind-schedule boondoggles like the Roman Space Telescope, you better recognize that real telescopes will suffer to pay for them.
SpaceX launches a cargo Dragon to ISS
SpaceX today successfully launched a Dragon freighter to ISS, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The cargo Dragon was flying for the fourth time. It will dock with ISS on March 23, 2024. The first stage completed its sixth flight, landing back at one of SpaceX’s landing pads at Cape Canaveral.
This was also the first Dragon launch from this particular SpaceX launchpad in four years. The company only recently reconfigured it for Dragon flights, both manned and unmanned, so that it has two options for launching NASA manned missions. NASA had demanded this before it would give SpaceX permission to launch Superheavy/Starship from that rocket’s new launchpad in Florida. The agency thought it was too close to SpaceX’s first manned launchpad, and wanted an option in case a Superheavy launch failure damaged the Dragon launchsite. With this success SpaceX is one step closer to flying operational Superheavy/Starship flights out of Cape Canaveral.
The leaders in the 2024 launch race:
28 SpaceX
12 China
4 Rocket Lab
3 Russia
American private enterprise now leads the rest of the world combined in successful launches 33 to 21, while SpaceX now leads the entire world, including American companies, 28 to 26.
SpaceX today successfully launched a Dragon freighter to ISS, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The cargo Dragon was flying for the fourth time. It will dock with ISS on March 23, 2024. The first stage completed its sixth flight, landing back at one of SpaceX’s landing pads at Cape Canaveral.
This was also the first Dragon launch from this particular SpaceX launchpad in four years. The company only recently reconfigured it for Dragon flights, both manned and unmanned, so that it has two options for launching NASA manned missions. NASA had demanded this before it would give SpaceX permission to launch Superheavy/Starship from that rocket’s new launchpad in Florida. The agency thought it was too close to SpaceX’s first manned launchpad, and wanted an option in case a Superheavy launch failure damaged the Dragon launchsite. With this success SpaceX is one step closer to flying operational Superheavy/Starship flights out of Cape Canaveral.
The leaders in the 2024 launch race:
28 SpaceX
12 China
4 Rocket Lab
3 Russia
American private enterprise now leads the rest of the world combined in successful launches 33 to 21, while SpaceX now leads the entire world, including American companies, 28 to 26.