August 3, 2023 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Northrop Grumman to upgrade Cygnus freighter
The changes will increase its payload capacity, allow it to dock directly to a port rather than being berthed by a robot arm, and — most importantly — refine is ability to raise ISS’s orbit using its engines. This last capability replaces the Russians, and will be a need that future commercial stations will require.
- Rumors suggest Blue Origin is considering buying Ball Aerospace
Considering the other rumors that suggest it also is interested in buying ULA, it increasingly appears Blue Origin needs to buy other companies to get anything built.
- ESA will not live stream the long duration static fire engine test of Ariane-6 on the launchpad
The reporter is disappointed because he says NASA, SpaceX, and ULA “have live-streamed comparable tests.” It think he is overstating the number of such tests that have been aired live.
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.
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Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Northrop Grumman to upgrade Cygnus freighter
The changes will increase its payload capacity, allow it to dock directly to a port rather than being berthed by a robot arm, and — most importantly — refine is ability to raise ISS’s orbit using its engines. This last capability replaces the Russians, and will be a need that future commercial stations will require.
- Rumors suggest Blue Origin is considering buying Ball Aerospace
Considering the other rumors that suggest it also is interested in buying ULA, it increasingly appears Blue Origin needs to buy other companies to get anything built.
- ESA will not live stream the long duration static fire engine test of Ariane-6 on the launchpad
The reporter is disappointed because he says NASA, SpaceX, and ULA “have live-streamed comparable tests.” It think he is overstating the number of such tests that have been aired live.
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.
If Jeffey ends up buying a rocket instead of trying to build one, what’s going to happen to all the people and infrastructure already in place working on NG?
Maybe this is what was meant by the rumor I heard that he was throwing in the towel. No more NG. Of course it will be properly spun. Synergy or some such corpspeak.
Meanwhile NS is grounded which is good because it won’t kill anybody. Hopefully the people with more money than sense learned a lesson recently.
That is one bizarre rumor. ULA has always been a bastard and now it seems NASA and Boeing are breaking up since they started seeing SpaceX.
I don’t think Ball has enough flash to satisfy his ego.
Anybody got any links?
Pawn,
The rumors are going around that B.O. will buy ULA so it will get Vulcan. As for New Glenn, they are building it, but I don’t see them launching it in two years. I willing to bet that the first New Glenn rockets will be disposable before they start attempting to make them reusable.
Another reason to get the Vulcan is Kuiper is very behind on schedule. They have to get 1600 birds up by 2026. I am sure they are courting SpaceX now for launches.
“Another reason to get the Vulcan is Kuiper is very behind on schedule. They have to get 1600 birds up by 2026. I am sure they are courting SpaceX now for launches.”
My wife says it’s okay if I court Taylor Swift for about 1600 dates. She doesn’t seem too worried, though!
“The reporter is disappointed because he says NASA, SpaceX, and ULA ‘have live-streamed comparable tests.’ It think he is overstating the number of such tests that have been aired live.”
I think that NASASpaceFlight dot com live-streams the SpaceX engine tests, not SpaceX itself. The live-stream of the recent water deluge at Starbase was from NSF, but SpaceX gave another view via Twitter — post test.
We often think of SpaceX as being very open and forthcoming, but it is not really that accommodating. Other than launches and landings, most of what we see live comes from third-party viewers. Some of these third-parties even present updates on the other space companies, but mostly updates on what can be seen from public spaces. Starbase and McGregor are very visible. The space companies themselves, even SpaceX, do not present a whole lot of information on what they plan to do or what they are actually doing.
Elon Musk is not the only person who gives interviews of what is happening at the various companies. Other companies are also somewhat open and forthcoming. ULA and Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck have also given YouTube interviews, and various other companies have too. Several of the companies founded this past quarter century give such interviews. I’m not sure how many people are asking for interviews from the older companies, and if they aren’t, then that explains why there are so few from those companies. However, these interviews are not to be confused with live-streamed engine tests.