July 26, 2023 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Intuitive Machines gets $15 million NASA contractor to help develop radioisotobe power for lunar bases
This award was one of the eleven NASA contracts announced yesterday, and is in partnership with Zeno Power Systems
- Redwire touts its contract award to develop construction technology for lunar bases
Another one of the eleven NAS contracts awarded yesterday.
- Boeing: Starliner lost $257 million in 2nd quarter of 2023, part of a total $527 million loss
Other analysis says the total write-offs Boeing has had from Starliner now exceeds $1 billion, numbers that match reports over the last few years here at BtB.
- Chinese pseudo-company Orienspace completes testing of various engines and parts of its solid-fueled Gravitation-1 rocket
The company claims it will launch before the end of the year.
- Video of vertical landing test by Chinese pseudo-company Galactic Energy, using a jet engine
The company claims the flight allowed it to test its landing software.
- NASA and DARPA select Lockheed Martin to build spacecraft to test nuclear thermal propulsion in space
More PR info here. Jay notes that he has seen many comments expressing doubt this will ever be built.
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.
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Intuitive Machines gets $15 million NASA contractor to help develop radioisotobe power for lunar bases
This award was one of the eleven NASA contracts announced yesterday, and is in partnership with Zeno Power Systems
- Redwire touts its contract award to develop construction technology for lunar bases
Another one of the eleven NAS contracts awarded yesterday.
- Boeing: Starliner lost $257 million in 2nd quarter of 2023, part of a total $527 million loss
Other analysis says the total write-offs Boeing has had from Starliner now exceeds $1 billion, numbers that match reports over the last few years here at BtB.
- Chinese pseudo-company Orienspace completes testing of various engines and parts of its solid-fueled Gravitation-1 rocket
The company claims it will launch before the end of the year.
- Video of vertical landing test by Chinese pseudo-company Galactic Energy, using a jet engine
The company claims the flight allowed it to test its landing software.
- NASA and DARPA select Lockheed Martin to build spacecraft to test nuclear thermal propulsion in space
More PR info here. Jay notes that he has seen many comments expressing doubt this will ever be built.
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.
Anyone here want to comment on this testimony before Congress today on the subject of UFO’s / UAP’s?
https://youtu.be/qbaKB2kpKGU
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12339997/ufo-hearing-tictac-whistleblower-house-oversight-committee-congress.html
Zman?
Cotour, I hate watching this UFO media stuff. Looks like artifacts of signal processing and multi sensor integration to me. Why would fractional light speed capable beings want to hang out with goverment hacks and military industrial complex types when they could sit in as pick up players in a jazz band?
Still I am a fan of Avi Loeb of Harvard.
I don’t buy any of the alien crud.
Kudos for China to use jets for landing assist.
I hope Starship will have that as a back-up.
Pardon if you already have reported Travis, but on tonight’s Batchelor Show, David Livingston had a guest who said the Senate is going to make the FAA report on SpaceX before allowing approval of the next launch. The guest said he’d never heard of this before.
Instead is “on this” iPhone changed above to “Travis” for some reason.
Gary: The Senate introduced language in the FAA bill that required more investigation from the FAA of SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility, but that bill has not yet been passed.
No matter. I agree, the Senate will work with the Biden administration to stall SpaceX. I predicted it and it is happening. That launch will not happen in August. I fear now it might not happen this year.
LOOK!!!! A UFO!!!
Quick!!! Grab the worst camera we have!!!!!
(Expect more UFO red herrings the more Biden and DC corruption is exposed)