June 13, 2024 Quick space linksCourtesy 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.
- Another test LIFE inflatable test module passes preliminary tests
Built by Sierra Space, the flight version of LIFE will be used first on the Orbital Reef station, but will also be made available for purchase by others.
- Blue Origin gets FCC communications license for its first New Glenn launch
This is not a launch license. It provides the company a window for communications on that launch lasting until October 31, 2024.
- ULA accepts delivery on what appears to be the fifth BE-4 engine provided by Blue Origin
ULA’s CEO says in the tweet that they need just one more engine for their 2024 launch manifest, which optimistically hopes to launch three times (2 engines for each launch). It took two months for this new engine to arrive after delivery of the last two.
- Chinese pseudo-company Space Pioneer readies first stage of its Tiangong-3 Falcon 9 copy for 9-engine static fire test in July
If successful, it is now targeting a September maiden orbital launch, marking a two month delay from previous announcements.
- China’s X-37B copy does very close proximity maneuvers near object it released on May 24th
It is at present unclear whether the object was retrieved and then re-released.
- ESA’s partnership with China on its Moon missions appears about to end
The break-up is because of China’s partnership with Russia, and ESA has broken all ties with Russia due to its Ukraine invasion. The article at the link also notes that Turkey has applied to joint China’s moonbase alliance.
- Virgin Galactic announces 1 to 20 reverse stock split
This action means 20 shares will suddenly be worth only one, even as the stock price tumbles to under a dollar per share. This company is dying, and Wall Street know it.
- Soviet cosmonaut Vyacheslav Zudov dies at 82
He commanded Soyuz 23 in 1976, which because of a failed antenna was unable to dock with Salyut-5 and returned to Earth after only two days in space, crashing through the ice on Lake Tengiz and thus becoming the USSR’s first and only manned splashdown.
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.
- Another test LIFE inflatable test module passes preliminary tests
Built by Sierra Space, the flight version of LIFE will be used first on the Orbital Reef station, but will also be made available for purchase by others.
- Blue Origin gets FCC communications license for its first New Glenn launch
This is not a launch license. It provides the company a window for communications on that launch lasting until October 31, 2024.
- ULA accepts delivery on what appears to be the fifth BE-4 engine provided by Blue Origin
ULA’s CEO says in the tweet that they need just one more engine for their 2024 launch manifest, which optimistically hopes to launch three times (2 engines for each launch). It took two months for this new engine to arrive after delivery of the last two.
- Chinese pseudo-company Space Pioneer readies first stage of its Tiangong-3 Falcon 9 copy for 9-engine static fire test in July
If successful, it is now targeting a September maiden orbital launch, marking a two month delay from previous announcements.
- China’s X-37B copy does very close proximity maneuvers near object it released on May 24th
It is at present unclear whether the object was retrieved and then re-released.
- ESA’s partnership with China on its Moon missions appears about to end
The break-up is because of China’s partnership with Russia, and ESA has broken all ties with Russia due to its Ukraine invasion. The article at the link also notes that Turkey has applied to joint China’s moonbase alliance.
- Virgin Galactic announces 1 to 20 reverse stock split
This action means 20 shares will suddenly be worth only one, even as the stock price tumbles to under a dollar per share. This company is dying, and Wall Street know it.
- Soviet cosmonaut Vyacheslav Zudov dies at 82
He commanded Soyuz 23 in 1976, which because of a failed antenna was unable to dock with Salyut-5 and returned to Earth after only two days in space, crashing through the ice on Lake Tengiz and thus becoming the USSR’s first and only manned splashdown.
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
Latinos For Trump
“Trump Latinos” (Aug. 31, 2023)
https://youtu.be/jLWewH0-Lgk
2:46
”ULA accepts delivery on what appears to be the fifth BE-4 engine provided by Blue Origin.”
This is the seventh flight BE-4 engine delivered to ULA by Blue Origin. It is planned to be used on the fourth Vulcan to launch the GPS 3-7 satellite into orbit.
”It took two months for this new engine to arrive after delivery of the last two.”
No, it didn’t. Engine 5 (for the third Vulcan (to be used to launch the USSF-106 satellite for the Space Force)) was delivered in mid-May and engine 6 (also for the third Vulcan) was delivered in late May. Tory Bruno says Blue is delivering BE-4s on a two-week cadence, and for the last two months they have been.
mkent: I am disagreeing or doubting you, but could you give your sources for this information? I searched BtB and found earlier references for determining the count as I reported it. I could have missed some reports, but if so I’d like to have links.
Bob,
My source is the same one you used: Tory Bruno’s Twitter feed. Engine 5 was announced on 14 May and engine 6 on 29 May.
Note also that he has shared a picture of Vulcan s/n 2 (for the Cert-2 DreamChaser flight) with its engines installed along with its Centaur V on the Delta Mariner on their way to the Cape.
mkent: Thank you. This is helpful. I don’t do X. I depend on Jay and the quick links, but he was on business trips those weeks so those Bruno May 14 and May 29 tweets never got posted here.
BE-4 production is so low, they could employ The Count:
“Six! Six engines! Ha! Ha! Ha!”