December 15, 2025 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.
- Walk through of the Zhuque-3 landing site & debris field
Though in Chinese, it provides a very good close look. The stage missed the center of the landing zone by only a bit, and that’s likely because the engines failed. The tweet suggests the next attempt will be in six months.
- Skyroot’s Vikram-1 orbital rocket is presently being assembled at India’s Sriharikota spaceport
Lift-off is now scheduled in two months, and will be the first orbital launch by a private Indian rocket startup.
- On this day in 1962 Mariner 2 flew past Venus, the first fully successful planetary flyby in human history
It was also the first time we beat the Soviets in something in space.
- On this day 1972 the lunar module rendezvoused and docked with the Apollo 17 command module
The tweet shows the magnificent 16mm film of that event, taken from the command module.
- On this day in 1986 Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager took off on the Rutan Voyager
They completed the first nonstop and non-refueled airplane flight around the world.
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.
- Walk through of the Zhuque-3 landing site & debris field
Though in Chinese, it provides a very good close look. The stage missed the center of the landing zone by only a bit, and that’s likely because the engines failed. The tweet suggests the next attempt will be in six months.
- Skyroot’s Vikram-1 orbital rocket is presently being assembled at India’s Sriharikota spaceport
Lift-off is now scheduled in two months, and will be the first orbital launch by a private Indian rocket startup.
- On this day in 1962 Mariner 2 flew past Venus, the first fully successful planetary flyby in human history
It was also the first time we beat the Soviets in something in space.
- On this day 1972 the lunar module rendezvoused and docked with the Apollo 17 command module
The tweet shows the magnificent 16mm film of that event, taken from the command module.
- On this day in 1986 Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager took off on the Rutan Voyager
They completed the first nonstop and non-refueled airplane flight around the world.
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


Re Zhuque-3: “Missed it by that much.”
Take 2 for Rocket Labs “Bridging the Swarm”
https://x.com/RocketLab/status/2000718200066203688
Aaaand abort at T-0.00
Although ‘rocket’ and ‘debris field’ are unwelcome in the same sentence, the video does give a very good view of the impact site. A little surprised China allowed that out. Well, SpaceX set the precedent for biffing the landing, too. Of note, including test launches, Falcon 9 has a 98% first-stage launch recovery rate.