April 13, 2026 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.
I have also scheduled it earlier in the day because I am presently asleep, recovering from knee surgery.
- Artemis-2 Orion capsule being examined by NASA engineers
The video really shows nothing of note, as the capsule is sitting on the heat shield so it can’t really be seen in any detail.
- India’s space agency ISRO completes tests of landing engine to be used on its Chandrayaan-5 lunar lander
The mission includes a Japanese-built rover, and is supposed to launch in 2028.
- Details about Chang’e-7’s mini-hopper probe designed to go into the permanently shadowed craters near the lunar south pole and drill for water-ice
If China gets any reliable evidence of ice back from this hopper it will be a real coup. It is scheduled to launch later this year.
- Roscosmos head tells Putin an “enemy attempted to attack the Plesetsk cosmodrome with drones”
Apparently the attack — likely from the Ukraine — occurred during the scrubbed first attempt to launch the first 16 satellites of Russia’s Russvet internet constellation in March.
- Starlink production is apparently moving from California to Texas
We know this because SpaceX is looking to hire someone to direct the new Texas operations. It is unclear if the company intends to shut down its California operations, though no one should be surprised if it does.
- Virgin Atlantic will begin making Starlink available on its planes sooner, in May
The original plan was July or later.
- On this day in 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to fly into space
He completed one orbit in his Vostok capsule.
- 45 years ago today, the space shuttle Columbia launched on its first orbital spaceflight
It flew 28 missions before being destroyed in 2003 during re-entry because falling foam from the external tank at launch damaged its thermal protection system.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
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.
I have also scheduled it earlier in the day because I am presently asleep, recovering from knee surgery.
- Artemis-2 Orion capsule being examined by NASA engineers
The video really shows nothing of note, as the capsule is sitting on the heat shield so it can’t really be seen in any detail.
- India’s space agency ISRO completes tests of landing engine to be used on its Chandrayaan-5 lunar lander
The mission includes a Japanese-built rover, and is supposed to launch in 2028.
- Details about Chang’e-7’s mini-hopper probe designed to go into the permanently shadowed craters near the lunar south pole and drill for water-ice
If China gets any reliable evidence of ice back from this hopper it will be a real coup. It is scheduled to launch later this year.
- Roscosmos head tells Putin an “enemy attempted to attack the Plesetsk cosmodrome with drones”
Apparently the attack — likely from the Ukraine — occurred during the scrubbed first attempt to launch the first 16 satellites of Russia’s Russvet internet constellation in March.
- Starlink production is apparently moving from California to Texas
We know this because SpaceX is looking to hire someone to direct the new Texas operations. It is unclear if the company intends to shut down its California operations, though no one should be surprised if it does.
- Virgin Atlantic will begin making Starlink available on its planes sooner, in May
The original plan was July or later.
- On this day in 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to fly into space
He completed one orbit in his Vostok capsule.
- 45 years ago today, the space shuttle Columbia launched on its first orbital spaceflight
It flew 28 missions before being destroyed in 2003 during re-entry because falling foam from the external tank at launch damaged its thermal protection system.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Mr. Z.:
You can see a part of the heat shield at 2:37 min. There are some wholes.
NASA has published their Moon base users guide: https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/moon-base-architecture-users-guide.pdf
The most dare devil stunt I could imagine today would be a paid recreation of a Vostok type trip.
Something like a MIRV setup inside the fairings of a Falcoln 9. One orbit then multiple reentry cones are released, where each person would eject and parachute at an altitude of 5000 feet. What a thrill and much safer than climbing K2.. Safer than cave diving. Revenue from ticket sales plus pay per view
On fluid wakes
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ship-soft-tissues-exploring-fluid.html
Waveguide for sound waves
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ghost-tunnels-staying-invisible.html
Perhaps such studies in fluids will have use in liquid rockets.
Riding the inside of a fairing till you can step off and parachute the rest of the way. What is that a 10 minute ride down?
higher than this
https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/interview-record-breaker-alan-eustace
Now that is a multi million dollar Red Bull ride down.
Robert Zimmerman,
Gagarin’s flight and the Columbia launch 20 years later actually both took place on April 12 of their respective years, not April 13.
All,
I suspect this meeting was the first time Putin had heard about the Ukrainian attempt to attack Plesetsk, though it was known in the West almost as soon as it happened. Tyrants live in bubbles as there are few who dare to bring them any bad news.
The Musk-iverse is increasingly Texas-centric. Given that Terafab will also be located in TX, it makes excellent sense to move satellite production there too. The Fremont Tesla works and the SpaceX Hawthorne Mothership may be wound down over the next few years as well. When all of that decamps to TX, I suspect the first-ever-landed F9 1st stage, that has been sitting out front of SpaceX HQ on Crenshaw Blvd., will be packed up and taken along. I will miss it when it’s gone. I also wonder if the scale-model Falcon Heavy that is part of one of the City of Hawthorne’s city limits signs will remain once SpaceX is gone?
Virgin Atlantic is probably making this move to steal at least a modest march on other carriers, even those that are also intending to use Starlink on their fleets. The Branson empire took some serious battle damage during the Covid Reich and every little advantage helps in recovering. Given that Elon and Branson are buddies of longstanding, it’s hardly a surprise that Virgin Atlantic went with Starlink in the first place.
Questioner,
Thanks for the tip. The heat shield erosion in that quick look seems to resemble what we saw on Artemis 1, but at a much lower level of severity. Preliminarily, at least, it looks as though the modified re-entry profile worked more or less as advertised.
George C,
I can’t see any reason SpaceX would be amenable to such a scheme, but kudos to you for thinking it up.
Perhaps something of the sort will eventually be an offering by one of the newer and hungrier launch providers.
My guess for most-likely-to would be Jim Cantrell’s Phantom Space – assuming, of course, that it ever actually gets to a point where it can launch anything at all and then lives long enough to develop the larger, 2nd-generation vehicle that would be needed. Cantrell is a publicity-seeker and grifter of longstanding so this would seem right up his alley should he ever have the means at hand to attempt it.
Today is World Quantum Day!
I hid all the prussic acid so cats would be safe.
I am just not feeling Quantum Day though. You are supposed to commence to jiggling….but I’m never gonna twerk again…these guilty buns have got no rhythm.
Blue Origin is getting a dedicated super heavy launch pad at Vandenberg — SLC-14, Space Force Col. Jim Horne tells reporters today. Press release here:
https://www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4459784/us-space-force-advances-heavy-launch-capability-development-at-vandenberg/
So, in addition to the recent filings in Florida, this would provide three New Glenn launch pads in the not-too-distant future.
– LC-36, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
– LC-11 (LC-36B?), Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
– SLC-14, Vandenberg Space Force Base
Of all the Forum commenters, Jeff Wright was far down my list of people to reference George Michael.
Richard M,
Blue is going to need all of those pads but, based on SLC-36’s gestation, I don’t think we will see either of the two new ones operational in less than 24 months. By that time, SpaceX will long since have had all five of its currently-in-the-works Starship pads operational and will likely be in various stages of work on anywhere up to five more.
Hello Dick,
“Blue is going to need all of those pads but, based on SLC-36’s gestation, I don’t think we will see either of the two new ones operational in less than 24 months. ”
Yes, that would not surprise me, either.
But I’d love it if Blue Origin could surprise me.