September 16, 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.
- Axiom touts the testing of the thrusters it wants to use on its first station module
This is their eighth iteration of the thrusters.
- Space Pioneer also touts successful static fire test of the Tianlong-3 first stage
This company had a first stage launch itself during a static fire test in 2024. Jay says they doubled the number of hold-down clamps for this test.
- Satellite startup Astranis signs Impulse Space to use its Helios tug for a 2027 launch
SpaceX will put both into orbit on a Falcon 9, and then Helios will put the six satellites into their final orbits.
- Amazon touts its Kuiper manufacturing process in Washington state and in Florida
It claims it is now producing five satellites a day.
- An attempt to compare the re-entry and landing burn timings between China’s Long March 10 rocket and SpaceX’s Falcon-9
Speculative. They used the timings during the Long March 10 static fires.
- On this day in 2017 Cassini orbiter ended its mission, burning up in Saturn’s atmosphere
The video at the link has some nice imagery from the mission, along with sci-fi-style graphics, dramatic music, and overheated narration.
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.
- Axiom touts the testing of the thrusters it wants to use on its first station module
This is their eighth iteration of the thrusters.
- Space Pioneer also touts successful static fire test of the Tianlong-3 first stage
This company had a first stage launch itself during a static fire test in 2024. Jay says they doubled the number of hold-down clamps for this test.
- Satellite startup Astranis signs Impulse Space to use its Helios tug for a 2027 launch
SpaceX will put both into orbit on a Falcon 9, and then Helios will put the six satellites into their final orbits.
- Amazon touts its Kuiper manufacturing process in Washington state and in Florida
It claims it is now producing five satellites a day.
- An attempt to compare the re-entry and landing burn timings between China’s Long March 10 rocket and SpaceX’s Falcon-9
Speculative. They used the timings during the Long March 10 static fires.
- On this day in 2017 Cassini orbiter ended its mission, burning up in Saturn’s atmosphere
The video at the link has some nice imagery from the mission, along with sci-fi-style graphics, dramatic music, and overheated narration.
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
If Amazon is producing 5 sats a da, that means they are filling up a New Glenn every week. How much of a backlog do they think they are going to clear with their launch history? I sure hope the batteries on those sats have trickle charge on them.
Joe, as you know they need to get half their birds (about 1,600) up by next July. It’s not going to happen, but I bet Amazon will pay to get an extension. I can see them reaching the half way goal in two more years if they contract more flights with SpaceX.
So far they have about 100 up with the four flights: two by Atlas-V and two by Falcon-9. Two more launches by those rockets this year, along with Ariane-6 is supposed to put up 30, Vulcan 40, and New Glenn’s capacity is 50.
I don’t think the next New Glenn flight is hauling up any Kuiper sats.