August 17, 2023 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- New images of the floor of Blue Origin’s BE4 rocket engine production facility in Alabama
Jay sent me a video of this same production facility in April. Compare the visuals in that video at around 42 seconds with today’s image. That nozzle on the platform appears to be the same nozzle in both shots, unmoved in four months. Moreover, the floor seems as inactive now as then. If I was ULA this data would make me very very worried about getting the engines I need for Vulcan on the scheduled required.
- China releases a photograph of part of Valles Marineris, taken by its Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter
The image covers a very large area. For high resolution close-up images of various features within this picture, see these cool images from July 2021, September 2021, May 2022, and July 2022.
- SpaceX lifted nearly 10 times as much mass to orbit as China in the second quarter 2023
The graph illustrates how false the notion has always been that you must have a heavy lift rocket to get a large amount of mass to orbit. All you really need is a cost-effective and efficient reusable rocket that can launch frequently, such as the Falcon 9. Heavy lift would be nice, but if it isn’t reusable and cost effective, it just won’t do the job.
- Russia and ESA are negotiating a new agreement for the use of Europe’s robot arm on Russia’s part of ISS
The arm is there already and installed. I wonder what they are negotiating.
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Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the 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. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
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.
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Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- New images of the floor of Blue Origin’s BE4 rocket engine production facility in Alabama
Jay sent me a video of this same production facility in April. Compare the visuals in that video at around 42 seconds with today’s image. That nozzle on the platform appears to be the same nozzle in both shots, unmoved in four months. Moreover, the floor seems as inactive now as then. If I was ULA this data would make me very very worried about getting the engines I need for Vulcan on the scheduled required.
- China releases a photograph of part of Valles Marineris, taken by its Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter
The image covers a very large area. For high resolution close-up images of various features within this picture, see these cool images from July 2021, September 2021, May 2022, and July 2022.
- SpaceX lifted nearly 10 times as much mass to orbit as China in the second quarter 2023
The graph illustrates how false the notion has always been that you must have a heavy lift rocket to get a large amount of mass to orbit. All you really need is a cost-effective and efficient reusable rocket that can launch frequently, such as the Falcon 9. Heavy lift would be nice, but if it isn’t reusable and cost effective, it just won’t do the job.
- Russia and ESA are negotiating a new agreement for the use of Europe’s robot arm on Russia’s part of ISS
The arm is there already and installed. I wonder what they are negotiating.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the 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. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
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.
Musk himself thinks HLLVs are necessary…bigger volume and more savings.
Jeff,
A very smart an successful man still doesn’t have all the answers all the time. I remember the ravings about the FH before it flew, and the flight rate clearly doesn’t match those expectations. The SH/SS may or may not meet expectations as it becomes operational.
Robert wrote: “Heavy lift would be nice, but if it isn’t reusable and cost effective, it just won’t do the job.”
This has always been the case. The Saturn V was not reusable, was expensive, thus not cost effective, and was why Congress decided we couldn’t afford the Apollo missions any more nor most of the follow-on Apollo Applications Program.
With the renewed popularity of the small satellite (popular in the 1960s), Heavy launchers are not necessarily better. However, if we want to build a large space station or haul a lot of propellant into low Earth orbit for a mission to the planets, then Heavy Lift may be more than just nice, it may be the better way to go.
Starship may seem like it will take over everything, but I suspect that we will still need other sizes of reusable, cost effective launch vehicles, too.
_______________
John hare,
I suspect that a limiting factor for both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy is the fairing size. Falcon Heavy is not used for Starlink launches even though it can carry more mass to orbit, because SpaceX cannot fit more of this second generation of Starlink into the fairing. SpaceX even has a reduced-size Starlink in order to launch on Falcon 9. A larger version is slated to fly on Starship.
“The arm is there already and installed. I wonder what they are negotiating.”
The arm was provided under an agreement controlling it’s use in various ways, for example it couldn’t be used for military purposes. And ESA has the ability to shut the arm down remotely. Operations of the arm are supposed to be coordinated through ESA ground controllers, and they haven’t been made available because of the Ukraine issues. Russia has claimed it’s’ hackers can override this if necessary, but that would be a stupid thing to do assuming they actually can, so they’re trying to negotiate first.
Edward,
It is odd to me that in the years of development of the FH, and more years of operational service that a larger fairing has not been developed. If hat is the absolute limiting factor, skipping it seems shortsighted.
John hare,
The Falcons are not supposed to launch this generation of Starlink. SpaceX had intended for Starship to do this job.
My recollection is that SpaceX was going to enlarge the fairing for some mission, but I haven’t heard whether that is coming along. I found this old article on the topic:
https://spaceexplored.com/2021/08/22/spacexs-new-falcon-heavy-extended-payload-fairing-will-not-be-recovered/
Space Explored is a good site…not just propaganda
O/T Vacuum testing
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hrLyzpTV7GU&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fforum.nasaspaceflight.com%2F&source_ve_path=OTY3MTQ&feature=emb_imp_woyt