April 14, 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.
Jay sent these to me when I didn’t have the wherewithal to post it. I am doing it now, a bit late.
- First flight of ugraded Angara-5M rocket, carrying a prototype of Russia’s new manned capsule is delayed until 2027-2028
A two to three year delay. Does anyone believe this?
- Russia cancels building a reusable version of Angara due to lack of funds
Russia should thank Putin and his incredibly stupid invasion of the Ukraine for bankrupting his country.
- Blue Origin touts its “scalable, modular system that creates purified oxygen … using Moon-extracted oxygen”
Once again, we could use less touting and more real hardware from Blue Origin.
- New comet might be visible to the naked eye this weekend
Comet C/2025 R3 (Pan-STARRS) is in an orbit that has it fly close to the Sun every 170,000 years. It will only be visible to people in the southern hemisphere.
- Vast touts its astronaut flight suit to be used on its Haven-1 single module space station launching next year.
It definitely looks more comfortable and nicer than SpaceX’s Dragon flight suits.
- Just released: NASA Moon Base User’s Guide [pdf]
Unlike past NASA releases like this — which try to paint NASA as having all the answers — this short summary is largely focused on the “gaps” in engineering and equipment needed for the Moon base. Thus, it is a guide for the private sector: “This is what we need! If you build it we will buy it!”
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.
Jay sent these to me when I didn’t have the wherewithal to post it. I am doing it now, a bit late.
- First flight of ugraded Angara-5M rocket, carrying a prototype of Russia’s new manned capsule is delayed until 2027-2028
A two to three year delay. Does anyone believe this?
- Russia cancels building a reusable version of Angara due to lack of funds
Russia should thank Putin and his incredibly stupid invasion of the Ukraine for bankrupting his country.
- Blue Origin touts its “scalable, modular system that creates purified oxygen … using Moon-extracted oxygen”
Once again, we could use less touting and more real hardware from Blue Origin.
- New comet might be visible to the naked eye this weekend
Comet C/2025 R3 (Pan-STARRS) is in an orbit that has it fly close to the Sun every 170,000 years. It will only be visible to people in the southern hemisphere.
- Vast touts its astronaut flight suit to be used on its Haven-1 single module space station launching next year.
It definitely looks more comfortable and nicer than SpaceX’s Dragon flight suits.
- Just released: NASA Moon Base User’s Guide [pdf]
Unlike past NASA releases like this — which try to paint NASA as having all the answers — this short summary is largely focused on the “gaps” in engineering and equipment needed for the Moon base. Thus, it is a guide for the private sector: “This is what we need! If you build it we will buy it!”
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
“Once again, we could use less touting and more real hardware from Blue Origin.”
“Talkin’ ain’t doin'” Zoe Washburn ‘Serenity’ 2005
Sad about Angara.
The individuals who want to attack spaceflight should be harshly dealt with.
Oh, and Putin needs to resign too.
“A two to three year delay. Does anyone believe this?”
Oh, certainly. But Roscosmos measures in Martian years, not Earth years.
Robert Zimmerman,
With all due respect to Vast, those are pretty much company uniforms. When I see the phrase “flight suit,” I expect to see something that is airtight and capable of preserving life in the event of depressurization. Such garments will, inevitably, be less comfortable than street clothes. But when not in pressure suits, astronauts on Dragons, ISS and even Artemis 2 dress in shorts and T-shirts which I would rate as being more comfortable yet.
Jeff Wright,
The decay of Russia continues apace – greatly accelerated by Ukraine. Anything delayed at this point might as well be considered dead. There is a quite reasonable probability that Russia will cease to exist before some of these delayed target dates actually arrive. Dead nations launch no rockets. I, for one, will not miss Russia at all when it is gone and I won’t miss any of its rockets either.
Richard M,
The Russians might just as well be talking in terms of Jovian years. Russia doesn’t have a lot of time left. Anything space-related and Russian now notionally scheduled for the 2030s is pretty much an exercise in whistling past the graveyard.
Interesting article on nuclear propulsion:
https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/14/1135848/nasa-nuclear-powered-spacecraft/?utm_source=the_download&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_download.unpaid.engagement&utm_term=&utm_content=04-15-2026&mc_cid=f8cc41cd19
Dick Eagleson wrote: “When I see the phrase ‘flight suit,’ I expect to see something that is airtight and capable of preserving life in the event of depressurization.”
NASA also has a blue flight suit (jumpsuit) that is not airtight and does not use a helmet, but they don’t seem to use it in space, just on the ground and maybe on certain aircraft. There are different flight suits for different purposes.
Vast uses other companies for launch, and it is during launch and reentry that the pressure suit is used. For the bulk of the mission, a more comfortable outfit is nice for the astronauts. I’m not sure why Vast chose a customized suit coat rather than add zippered pockets to a tee-shirt. Maybe they worry that the module could get cold.
Eager Space loves to dump on NTRs
On carbon fuels
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-bottled-lightning-cleaner-fuel.html
Hydrogen
https://techxplore.com/news/2026-04-phase-vo-methane-propane-hydrogen.html
Hi Dick,
“The Russians might just as well be talking in terms of Jovian years.”
I think their lunar program has shifted into Jovian years. Putin might even like the *sound* of that. “We move slowly, but we are gigantic, and we emit enormous amounts of gravity and radiation!”
It sounds like the Space Force is getting *really* fed up with United Launch Alliance, according to Stephen Clark’s new article today:
“The Vulcan rocket is many months from returning to flight for the US military. One industry source told Ars that the Space Force may not fly another mission on Vulcan before the end of the year.”
This has the SF looking at a number of possible payload swaps with SpaceX, and even trying to lighten planned military payloads on Vulcan to the point where solid rocket boosters are not necessary. It’s not a happy situation.
https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/04/space-force-looks-at-moving-significant-number-of-launches-from-ula-to-spacex/
Just in: Voyager (the company behind the proposed Starlab commercial space station) gets the 7th private astronaut mission to the ISS, joining Axiom Space and Vast Space. Launching NET 2028.
https://x.com/i/status/2044509869705703821
I was reading about the very small bit of land linking the Elphinstone Inlet with Malcolm’s Inlet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elphinstone_Inlet
https://pippasperegrinations.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/going-round-the-bend-elphinstone-inlet-musandam-oman/#:~:text=A%20British%20repeater%20station%20was,lots%20and%20lots%20of%20goats!
I wonder if a small asteroid or heavy Starship just laden with concrete could blow that clear so as to have ships avoid Iran.
Edward writes:
“NASA also has a blue flight suit (jumpsuit) that is not airtight and does not use a helmet, but they don’t seem to use it in space, just on the ground and maybe on certain aircraft.”
You’re talking about the “look at me I am an astronaut” blue jumpsuits whose only purpose is PR. They wear those everywhere, whether in public appearances, internal NASA meetings, or running to HEB for a gallon of milk.
“For the bulk of the mission, a more comfortable outfit is nice for the astronauts.”
I don’t care whether it’s T-shirts or jumpsuits; doesn’t even have to be the same for all. God help us all if the astronauts ever discover dressing in pajamas like the passengers on discount airlines.
MOL was to use blue suits…natch
https://www.coffeeordie.com/article/manned-orbiting-laboratory
A big story…a directed energy beam has been fired for 8 hours straight
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-laser-plasma-free-electron-hours.html
NASA has a new press release about the ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover mission to Mars, which NASA has a major role with now. There is a very noteworthy tidbit:
“NASA has selected SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket to launch the Rosalind Franklin mission.”
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/mars-rosa/2026/04/16/nasa-begins-implementation-for-esas-rosalind-franklin-mission-to-mars/
So far, I can find no announcement from ESA, but I assume if NASA is saying it, it is legit. No word on what ESA is paying for the launch.
P.S. Notably, this would be: 1) SpaceX’s first ever launch of a payload intended to land on Mars. 2) Falcon Heavy’s second ever awarded launch of a nuclear payload, after Dragonfly (Titan aircraft) which is also targeted for launch on FH in 2028.
Craig,
“You’re talking about the ‘look at me I am an astronaut’ blue jumpsuits whose only purpose is PR.”
Yes, that’s the one.
A couple of decades ago, a colleague and friend of mine flew a mission for SETI on a NASA plane out of Ames Research Center, just about the time of a SETI-members ice cream social (back when I was a donor or member or whatever it was — by the way, I was served ice cream from Dr. Drake himself, one of my few close brushes with fame) so they paraded him and his fellow experimenters on that flight in front of us all. I guess it was to see where our money was going, or something, but the point is that my friend felt foolish just standing there in a NASA jump suit in front of a bunch of people.
So, yes, the jumpsuits were “look at them, they are virtual astronauts for we here at SETI” for public relations.
Following up on my last comment: the European Space Agency (ESA) finally has tweeted out a confirmation of NASA’s announcement about Rosalind Franklin/ExoMars:
https://x.com/i/status/2045058362404909106
Curiously, in what is becoming a pattern for ESA, they are silent on what rocket is launching the mission, and that has not gone unnoticed…
As I understand it, by the way, NASA bought the launch, and selected the launcher (presumably in consultation with ESA). That was part of what NASA was bringing to the mission, which got derailed when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. As the May 16 2024 NASA press release puts it: “With this memorandum of understanding, the NASA Launch Services Program will procure a U.S. commercial launch provider for the Rosalind Franklin rover. The agency will also provide heater units and elements of the propulsion system needed to land on Mars.”
It has to be galling that despite the billions they’ve spent on Ariane 6, SpaceX keeps getting selected for European launches-though they shouldn’t complain too much, they got JWST on an Ariane 5.
The fact that ESA won’t have to pay for the launch undoubtedly makes the pill easier to swallow.
ESA has continually sought a major foreign partner (first NASA, then Roscosmos, and now NASA again) for ExoMars precisely because they really couldn’t afford to do the entire mission on their own.
Update from Stephen Clark: “NASA confirms the launch contract for Rosalind Franklin on Falcon Heavy is valued at $175.7 million.”
I’m assuming that’s a fully expended Falcon Heavy.
Something I want to kick around with you….
I just saw this cute video where a small slip of paper acted as a governor…a brake:
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/YKny2kmx3YM
So my mind immediately went to the Moon.
“Oh, but there is no air up there…”
I know that….but hear me out.
Some lunar lava caves are huge.
Now…imagine them filled with air and these mechanisms.
A cable is fished out and towards a passing asteroid…so as to slow it down, and generate power.
In the past I have written about two solar statites attached to two elevator cables in the form of an “X”
A flying windlass is at the intersection, perhaps holding a net and a cable attached to this massive Jake Brake.
Thoughts?