July 24, 2023 Quick space linksCourtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Photos of GalaxySpace’s Starlink copy-cat satellites
As Jay says, “Talk about lazy.”
- A graphic comparison of the different rockets launching in the U.S. vs China
Eric Berger notes the greater variety in China, but fails to note that it is all government-built or controlled. In the U.S. everything is privately owned and built. While the variety in the U.S. is not yet there, give a few more years.
- Details on recently awarded NASA unfunded agreements with seven companies
Jay notes, “Only two of the seven companies have anything physical: SpaceX and Northup-Grumman.” I must add however that Northrop Grumman’s proposal has to do with things it hasn’t built yet. SpaceX as usual has the most compelling idea: reconfiguring Starship as an orbital space station.
Since NASA is providing no funds, I am not sure what the companies are getting from the agency in winning these contracts. Its engineers can provide some technical advice for sure, but in the end all they really can do is provide a second pair of eyes to review the work. Or to put it another way, someone whose only job will be to say “no.”
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.
- Photos of GalaxySpace’s Starlink copy-cat satellites
As Jay says, “Talk about lazy.”
- A graphic comparison of the different rockets launching in the U.S. vs China
Eric Berger notes the greater variety in China, but fails to note that it is all government-built or controlled. In the U.S. everything is privately owned and built. While the variety in the U.S. is not yet there, give a few more years.
- Details on recently awarded NASA unfunded agreements with seven companies
Jay notes, “Only two of the seven companies have anything physical: SpaceX and Northup-Grumman.” I must add however that Northrop Grumman’s proposal has to do with things it hasn’t built yet. SpaceX as usual has the most compelling idea: reconfiguring Starship as an orbital space station.
Since NASA is providing no funds, I am not sure what the companies are getting from the agency in winning these contracts. Its engineers can provide some technical advice for sure, but in the end all they really can do is provide a second pair of eyes to review the work. Or to put it another way, someone whose only job will be to say “no.”
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
“Since NASA is providing no funds, I am not sure what the companies are getting from the agency in winning these contracts.”
It has to be said that all these companies (including SpaceX) think it has value, or they wouldn’t have bothered to apply for it!
But that said, long duration closed loop life support probably IS one of the few areas where NASA still has more institutional knowledge and data than SpaceX has, so they may well be getting something very tangible in that regard.
But I think the most important takeaway from this story is the one you identified, Bob: that SpaceX now seems to be taking the idea of adapting Starship as a LEO space station much more seriously than they had been before.
China wisely sees overall rocketry development as a good in its own right.
I wish more people here thought that way.
More on the graph
Capitalism vs. Nationalism
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F1vRCoQXwAEurCk?format=jpg&name=large
While part of me is happy for this state of affairs—a monopoly allows better funding for Starship—-China’s graph is healthier. If any one outfit bites the dust, there are plenty of others to take up the slack. China as a nation has a zeal for spaceflight that Elon alone has here. Tory can’t do anything on his own.
. Neutron and Terran WILL launch—-but if our field becomes more diverse….then SpaceX may be less able to fund Starship—-thus his concern for getting it flying.
A lot could be said for this graph, as modern day tea leaves. What could it mean?
Thus–a third LV provider is being looked at:
https://spacenews.com/ula-has-concerns-about-a-third-competitor-in-national-security-space-launch/