August 11, 2023 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Exolaunch gets new deal from smallsat company Muon to broker its launches
Exolaunch finds and manages launch services for satellite companies. With this deal Muon agrees to let it manage launches for at least another three satellites.
- Russia says by ’30 it will launch a nuclear-powered orbital tug to clean up space junk
This is simply another paper proposal by Roscosmos. The odds of it actually getting built are from slim to none.
- Firefly will donate any excess capacity on its rocket launches to student cubesat projects
The company is now accepting student or university proposals, contingent of course on when its Alpha rocket finally becomes operational. It has attempted two launches, the first a failure and the second reaching orbit but underperforming. Its next orbital launch attempt is presently scheduled for later this month.
- JPL touts its Mars sample return lander
As Jay notes, “The damn thing is not even assembled and it is still over budget.”
- New Horizons will look back at Uranus and Neptune in September, in conjunction with simultaneous Hubble observations
The science team is asking amateur astronomers to help by making their own observations of these two planets, at the same time.
Readers!
Every February I run a fund-raising drive during my birthday month. This year I celebrate my 72nd birthday, and hope and plan to continue writing and posting on Behind the Black for as long as I am able.
I hope my readers will support this effort. As I did in my November fund-raising drive, I am offering autographed copies of my books for large donations. Donate $250 and you can have a choice of the hardback of either Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8 or Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space. Donate $200 and you can get an autographed paperback copy of either. IMPORTANT! If you donate enough to get a book, please email me separately to tell me which book you want and the address to mail it to.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Exolaunch gets new deal from smallsat company Muon to broker its launches
Exolaunch finds and manages launch services for satellite companies. With this deal Muon agrees to let it manage launches for at least another three satellites.
- Russia says by ’30 it will launch a nuclear-powered orbital tug to clean up space junk
This is simply another paper proposal by Roscosmos. The odds of it actually getting built are from slim to none.
- Firefly will donate any excess capacity on its rocket launches to student cubesat projects
The company is now accepting student or university proposals, contingent of course on when its Alpha rocket finally becomes operational. It has attempted two launches, the first a failure and the second reaching orbit but underperforming. Its next orbital launch attempt is presently scheduled for later this month.
- JPL touts its Mars sample return lander
As Jay notes, “The damn thing is not even assembled and it is still over budget.”
- New Horizons will look back at Uranus and Neptune in September, in conjunction with simultaneous Hubble observations
The science team is asking amateur astronomers to help by making their own observations of these two planets, at the same time.
Readers!
Every February I run a fund-raising drive during my birthday month. This year I celebrate my 72nd birthday, and hope and plan to continue writing and posting on Behind the Black for as long as I am able.
I hope my readers will support this effort. As I did in my November fund-raising drive, I am offering autographed copies of my books for large donations. Donate $250 and you can have a choice of the hardback of either Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8 or Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space. Donate $200 and you can get an autographed paperback copy of either. IMPORTANT! If you donate enough to get a book, please email me separately to tell me which book you want and the address to mail it to.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
FYI: The refresh problem appears to have been fixed.
mkent: Thank you for the feedback. I hope others chime in as well.
All seems good on my end. No refresh needed last two days.
I know a few people including myself mentioned on another post that we’re not having any issues now, but I’ll repeat it here. Everything is working fine now for me.
Some thoughts on Starship losing four engines:
https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/spacex-general-discussion.13774/page-154#post-614523
For windows:
https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/spacex-general-discussion.13774/page-153#post-605315