October 21, 2025 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.
- NASA’s administrator touts the installation of Orion to SLS for next year’s Artemis II mission
I wonder if Duffy is even aware of the heat shield issues or the lack of testing of the capsule’s environmental system. That NASA is poo-pooing both makes this manned mission around the Moon essentially a repeat of Challenger and Columbia, placing schedule above engineering.
- On board video from Dawn Aerospace’s Mk-II Aurora record-breaking flight in November 2024
On the flight this small scale unmanned prototype was the first commercial plane to break the sound barrier since the Concorde.
- Video of a Chinese rocket booster crashing into a ranch in Guinan County, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai province on October 13, 2025
This was the launch that day of a Long March 2D rocket from China’s northwest Jiquan spaceport. The rocket uses very toxic hypergolic fuels (note the red clouds) that can dissolve skin. Bad news for this ranch.
- Video of launchpad static fire test of China’s Zhuque-3 rocket
It is a copy of SpaceX’s Falcon 9, with a tentative launch date of November 3, 2025, according to Jay. It is built by the pseudo-company Landspace, which won’t try recovering the first stage until later launches in 2026.
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.
- NASA’s administrator touts the installation of Orion to SLS for next year’s Artemis II mission
I wonder if Duffy is even aware of the heat shield issues or the lack of testing of the capsule’s environmental system. That NASA is poo-pooing both makes this manned mission around the Moon essentially a repeat of Challenger and Columbia, placing schedule above engineering.
- On board video from Dawn Aerospace’s Mk-II Aurora record-breaking flight in November 2024
On the flight this small scale unmanned prototype was the first commercial plane to break the sound barrier since the Concorde.
- Video of a Chinese rocket booster crashing into a ranch in Guinan County, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai province on October 13, 2025
This was the launch that day of a Long March 2D rocket from China’s northwest Jiquan spaceport. The rocket uses very toxic hypergolic fuels (note the red clouds) that can dissolve skin. Bad news for this ranch.
- Video of launchpad static fire test of China’s Zhuque-3 rocket
It is a copy of SpaceX’s Falcon 9, with a tentative launch date of November 3, 2025, according to Jay. It is built by the pseudo-company Landspace, which won’t try recovering the first stage until later launches in 2026.
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
Orion will have a less demanding trajectory. And where is Starship ‘s abort capability?
Well Jeff, I suppose that logic completely validates Artemis II.
I’ve said before that China has a trashy space capability, from rockets shedding parts on liftoff, to parts of rockets falling out of the sky. If the enviros want a relevant environmental problem, there you are. It would seem, though, that dying satellites over oceans are of greater concern than crashing stages on people’s heads.
It appears the stage crashed ~550 km from the launch site. From Canaveral, that would endanger Charleston and Nassau, Bahamas. From Vandenburg, Las Vegas and Yuma, AZ would be in the area (or Mexicali, if Trump wanted to ‘send a message’). Las Vegas might be acceptable; you could certainly make money from watching stages crash in the desert. They used to sell above-ground nuclear tests as tourist attractions, so not much of a stretch, and there would be action on whether a stage hit the Trump casino.
Orion’s revised reentry profile may be adequate; the ECLSS system may perform properly. But the point is, neither is getting flight tested before humans go on board. Because NASA simply doesn’t have the hardware to do it – not if they want to attempt a landing in this decade.
As Bob says, it’s another case of schedule over engineering.
Still puzzled why proven Dragon with abort capability should not be used to ferry crew to / from Starship!
Ray, I think we’ll very likely see that happen.
It’s just taking longer for NASA to concede to that capability than it should.
And I should have said Dragon with “integrated” abort capability! One that provides escape on the way up, and parachute failure insurance on the way down! All reusable too.
And while we’re on the delusional thinking of Elon’s competitors, GM’s CEO Mary Barra has announced they will offer self driving by 2028! LIDAR-based of course!
Oooh my eyes are sore from rolling! They didn’t mention who will lead the project, but I figure it has to be Hunter Biden.
I want that technology banned.
Everything will wind up being a cab/cubical/cell
The goal of villains controlling entertainment was to influence the kids of the monied. It doesn’t matter if populism makes a return if big money does to you what government Greens can’t. Ironically for us to keep freedom–you will have to abandon libertarian religion and admit that–yes–it is government’s job to make sure we as citizens have a voice.
You can fire Biden–but you can’t very well fire Bill Gates–who I see as a far worse threat–being a Malthusian misrablist.
If I try to point this out I get Red Baited.
Once again, people are blinded by binaries.
Some love their country and hate their government
Others love their government and hate their country.
I love my country enough that I want laws and government to keep Americas enemies Foreign (China) or Domestic (Wall Street) in check.