June 16, 2023 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.
- Sierra Space awarded a Space Act Agreement by NASA commercial space development program
It was one of seven companies receiving similar unfunded support grants, including SpaceX, Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, Vast, and others.
- China announces it will allow NASA and others to use its Queqiao lunar relay communications satellites
That’s nice, but U.S. law forbids NASA or any countries it works with to work with China. This announcement is simply a PR effort by China to make believe it works with others selflessly.
- Graphic showing all of China’s different pseudo-commercial rockets and engines, as of this date
Many of these have not yet launched, though most I expect will with time.
- Russia celebrates the 60th anniversary of the first female flight in space by Valentina Tereshkova by honoring her
According to Jay, she is still a member of Russia’s Duma (its congress), and voted for the Ukraine invasion. No wonder Putin gave her this award.
May everyone have a great weekend!
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
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P.O.Box 1262
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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.
- Sierra Space awarded a Space Act Agreement by NASA commercial space development program
It was one of seven companies receiving similar unfunded support grants, including SpaceX, Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, Vast, and others.
- China announces it will allow NASA and others to use its Queqiao lunar relay communications satellites
That’s nice, but U.S. law forbids NASA or any countries it works with to work with China. This announcement is simply a PR effort by China to make believe it works with others selflessly.
- Graphic showing all of China’s different pseudo-commercial rockets and engines, as of this date
Many of these have not yet launched, though most I expect will with time.
- Russia celebrates the 60th anniversary of the first female flight in space by Valentina Tereshkova by honoring her
According to Jay, she is still a member of Russia’s Duma (its congress), and voted for the Ukraine invasion. No wonder Putin gave her this award.
May everyone have a great weekend!
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.
SpaceX’s role in NASA Space Act Agreement:
“SpaceX is collaborating with NASA on an integrated low Earth orbit architecture to provide a growing portfolio of technology with near-term Dragon evolution and concurrent Starship development. This architecture includes Starship as a transportation and in-space low-Earth orbit destination element supported by Super Heavy, Dragon, and Starlink, and constituent capabilities including crew and cargo transportation, communications, and operational and ground support.”
Read that carefully. If NASA is worried about SpaceX delivering on time, they sure aren’t showing it! Everybody else is tidbits in this banquet, but SpaceX is the meat and potatoes!
Oh, and guess who’s NOT on the list… Axiom.
Ps. “Ellie in Space” did a nice job summarizing this announcement. A narrow minded old guy like me can hardly help but assuming someone so pretty is a lightweight, but I think I was wrong!
“We inviting NASA, and NSA, and CIA, and FBI to use our completely secure satellite not at all part of CCP regime!”