March 26, 2026 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.
- Vast issues a statement supporting NASA new space station plans
Not surprising, as their module development program can easily fit with NASA’s own core module proposal.
- JAXA posts update on the most recent launch failure of its H3 rocket
Engineers have “almost pinpointed” the failure to a honeycomb panel, a failure apparently noted previously. Two solutions are being considered.
- Astroforge touts its precision laser mining system that extracts material without the need for a drill
Still needs to be tested in space or on the Moon.
- Namibia rejects Starlink because SpaceX refused to give it ownership rights
And like South Africa, SpaceX said nope! And so Namibia remains in the dark age.
- In 1999, NASA’s Mars Climate Orbiter was lost when one team used imperial units (pounds) and another used metric units (newtons)
One of the most egregious failures by NASA ever.
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.
- Vast issues a statement supporting NASA new space station plans
Not surprising, as their module development program can easily fit with NASA’s own core module proposal.
- JAXA posts update on the most recent launch failure of its H3 rocket
Engineers have “almost pinpointed” the failure to a honeycomb panel, a failure apparently noted previously. Two solutions are being considered.
- Astroforge touts its precision laser mining system that extracts material without the need for a drill
Still needs to be tested in space or on the Moon.
- Namibia rejects Starlink because SpaceX refused to give it ownership rights
And like South Africa, SpaceX said nope! And so Namibia remains in the dark age.
- In 1999, NASA’s Mars Climate Orbiter was lost when one team used imperial units (pounds) and another used metric units (newtons)
One of the most egregious failures by NASA ever.
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
Namibia, not Nambia.
At least slightly surprising that the Namibians had their hands out quite so baldly seeking baksheesh. Namibia has – or had – the reputation of having one of the less dysfunctional governments in Sub-Saharan Africa. Perhaps the pervasive rot from its next-door neighbor is setting in. The Dark Continent continues to disappoint but not, sadly, to surprise.
Dick Eagleson: Thank you. Fixed. It appears you are becoming one of my best copy-editors. Very much appreciated.
Units are problem even in metric.
You have mks, cgs, rationalized mks, and SI, just to name a few.
So having to name a unit in a specification document is 100% best practice.
Their endorsement of the July 31, 2025 program revision was more explicit than this; they are a little more equivocal here (“We look forward to learning more details about NASA’s proposed approach.”) I do tend to think they’d prefer the existing commercial space station program, which would give them more funding and more flexibility. But it is also true that they are the most flexible and adaptable (and probably, lowest cost) of all the commercial space stations architectures in development, so they likely could have the best chance of succeeding under this new proposal, too.
Robert Zimmerman,
Happy to oblige. I’m increasingly thumb-fingered these days so I have to make multiple passes over my own stuff and, even so, the occasional typo still gets through. It helps that copy editing was among my duties at several points in my checkered employment history – can’t really dignify it by calling it a career. I’ll continue to sing out whenever I spot anything.
Richard M,
The biggest problem with the Core Module idea that Jared spitballed at the Ignition presentation is the little matter of where NASA can get such a thing on the very tight schedule that must be met if the project is to have any chance of success – however defined. The other would-be providers of post-ISS LEO (Low-Earth Orbit) crewed space stations all hire their metal-bending done by others. So none of them can realistically take on the design and construction of the Core Module themselves at the double-time pace required.
But Vast can because it’s full of SpaceX alums who built the outfit with a high degree of vertical integration from the get-go. If, as seems to be the case, the notional Core Module is to have ISS re-boost as one of its duties when initially attached to the venerable station, Vast is also in very good shape anent designing in such capability were it to get the Core Module contract – assuming there turns out to be one. Most of the notional Core Module can probably be constructed from Haven parts with only modest new design effort.
Vast also has a very close relationship with Impulse Space – another very SpaceX-y outfit given its founder and CEO’s history – from whom it buys all of its thrusters for the Havens. Impulse could certainly supply Vast a thruster complex capable of re-boosting ISS in jig time. Thus, Vast is all but certain to be in good shape whichever way NASA decides to go with the revised CLD (Commercial LEO Destinations) program.