April 8, 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 developing heat shield system designed to return small payloads from space
They are doing drop tests now. The goal is to place orbital supplies in orbit that can be delivered precisely on command to soldiers on the ground.
- Chinese factory set to begin producing 1,000 satellites yearly
The satellites are likely intended to compete with Starlink.
- China building a launchpad at its Jinquan spaceport in northwest China for pseudo-commerical companies
Related tweet here. The obvious goal is to isolate the commercial rockets from the military ones, while maintaining a tight control over the pseudo-companies. The commercial pads being built in two places in China will be where they are required to launch from, and if they don’t do as told launch access will be denied.
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 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.
- Sierra Space developing heat shield system designed to return small payloads from space
They are doing drop tests now. The goal is to place orbital supplies in orbit that can be delivered precisely on command to soldiers on the ground.
- Chinese factory set to begin producing 1,000 satellites yearly
The satellites are likely intended to compete with Starlink.
- China building a launchpad at its Jinquan spaceport in northwest China for pseudo-commerical companies
Related tweet here. The obvious goal is to isolate the commercial rockets from the military ones, while maintaining a tight control over the pseudo-companies. The commercial pads being built in two places in China will be where they are required to launch from, and if they don’t do as told launch access will be denied.
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 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
What are the chances the nations in China’s Belt and Road Initiative will favor China’s satellite system, or be forced to do so?
RE: Sierra Space’s small payload return system.
A year or two ago, the Space Force thought that Starship may be what they need, but Sierra Space found a way to compete with Starship. Good for them!
I thought that Sierra Nevada was a good company to watch, but their Sierra Space division is doing very well.