November 23, 2022 Quick space links
Courtesy of Jay, BtB’s stringer, trolling Tweeter so you don’t have to.
- Another update on the space junk remaining in orbit from Russia’s destruction of Cosmos 1408 in 2021
There is uncertainty here. An earlier update said only 18 pieces of debris would still be in orbit in three years. This update predicts 44 pieces in three years.
- Some unusual visitors tour SpaceX’s Starship facility
I think, but cannot prove it, that those are retired early Starship/Superheavy prototypes, not active ships.
- Chinese pseudo-company Landspace sets December 3rd for first launch of its Zhuque-2 rocket
This is a liquid fueled methane-oxygen smallsat orbital rocket.
- Ground-based images of ISS and Tiangong-3, side-by-side
Jay correctly notes, “The scale is off, the picture shows Tiangong-3 as larger than what it is.” Comparing the Russian modules on ISS with Tiangong-3’s modules, I estimate that Tiangong-3 is about 30% smaller than shown.
- China plans a DART-copycat mission in ’25, impacting an asteroid
The tweet provides no information in English on the asteroid being targeted.
- SpaceX has begun attaching OneWeb satellites in preparation for Falcon 9 launch
This will be the first SpaceX launch of satellites for its competitor OneWeb, picking up the business the Russians intentionally abandoned.
- UK to build the new lander for ESA’s Franklin Mars rover
The launch of this long delayed rover is now targeting ’28. It was originally supposed to launch in ’20, was first delayed until ’22 because of parachute issues, then was delayed again when Europe and Russia ended their space partnership due to the Ukraine War.
Readers!
My annual February birthday fund-raising drive for Behind the Black is now over. Thank you to everyone who donated or subscribed. While not a record-setter, the donations were more than sufficient and slightly above average.
As I have said many times before, I can’t express what it means to me to get such support, especially as no one is required to pay anything to read my work. Thank you all again!
For those readers who like my work here at Behind the Black and haven't contributed so far, please consider donating or subscribing. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID 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. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
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 Jay, BtB’s stringer, trolling Tweeter so you don’t have to.
- Another update on the space junk remaining in orbit from Russia’s destruction of Cosmos 1408 in 2021
There is uncertainty here. An earlier update said only 18 pieces of debris would still be in orbit in three years. This update predicts 44 pieces in three years.
- Some unusual visitors tour SpaceX’s Starship facility
I think, but cannot prove it, that those are retired early Starship/Superheavy prototypes, not active ships.
- Chinese pseudo-company Landspace sets December 3rd for first launch of its Zhuque-2 rocket
This is a liquid fueled methane-oxygen smallsat orbital rocket.
- Ground-based images of ISS and Tiangong-3, side-by-side
Jay correctly notes, “The scale is off, the picture shows Tiangong-3 as larger than what it is.” Comparing the Russian modules on ISS with Tiangong-3’s modules, I estimate that Tiangong-3 is about 30% smaller than shown.
- China plans a DART-copycat mission in ’25, impacting an asteroid
The tweet provides no information in English on the asteroid being targeted.
- SpaceX has begun attaching OneWeb satellites in preparation for Falcon 9 launch
This will be the first SpaceX launch of satellites for its competitor OneWeb, picking up the business the Russians intentionally abandoned.
- UK to build the new lander for ESA’s Franklin Mars rover
The launch of this long delayed rover is now targeting ’28. It was originally supposed to launch in ’20, was first delayed until ’22 because of parachute issues, then was delayed again when Europe and Russia ended their space partnership due to the Ukraine War.
Readers!
My annual February birthday fund-raising drive for Behind the Black is now over. Thank you to everyone who donated or subscribed. While not a record-setter, the donations were more than sufficient and slightly above average.
As I have said many times before, I can’t express what it means to me to get such support, especially as no one is required to pay anything to read my work. Thank you all again!
For those readers who like my work here at Behind the Black and haven't contributed so far, please consider donating or subscribing. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID 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. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
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.
“Donkey-hote'” is clearly GSE Hound with squire who used the Boring Co. to burrow through the Burough for their borrowed burro…
signed-Victor Borga:-)
Considering that every Starship and booster that SpaceX has built has been a prototype, yes, they are all prototypes. I believe that the Starship on the left is number 15, the one that landed. The others are numbers 20 (static fired, but not flown) and 21 (never tested, may have parts from 22). The booster is Booster 5, never tested and never fitted with engines. Booster 8 will probably be there soon (also untested). I’m not sure where booster 4 is now, unless 5 got scrapped and that’s 4 on the rocket garden.
They will probably get scrapped at some point, but SpaceX doesn’t seem to put a priority on scrapping old prototypes, until they run out of places to park them.