Category: Behind The Black

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.

• Free access to ESA Bulletin, their space magazine

• China’s present deep space timeline
• 2024 lunar sample return: Chang’e-6
• 2025 asteroid sample return: Tianwen-2
• 2026 lunar south pole: Chang’e-7
• 2028 Mars sample return: Tianwen-3
• 2030 lunar station: Chang’e-8
• 2030 Jupiter/Uranus: Tianwen-4

• Ten-minute video outlining the recent history of China’s planned large internet constellations

An excellent summary. If you want to understand why I call all of China’s so-called private companies “pseudo,” watch this video. The earlier constellations planned by two pseudo companies vanished when the government decided something else should be launched instead. Neither company was private, and both were always entirely owned by the government.

• Flapless Starship prototype #26 rolled out to suborbital Pad A at Boca Chica for tests

Some have labeled this prototype the “bullet” because it also lacks tiles. SpaceX is clearly designing this for orbital tests without any intention of bringing it back to Earth safely. For all we know, the company might send it on an interplanetary flight for PR purposes.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.

• In fourth quarter of 2022 SpaceX placed almost as much mass into orbit as the entire rest of the world combined

For those who think upload mass the important metric, the graph at the link will answer many questions.

• Sierra Space touts its Vortex upper stage hydrogen-fueled engine, built in partnership with the Air Force

It is unclear on what rocket or spacecraft this engine will be used. Several years ago, early in development, the company said it would be for its Dream Chaser reusable mini-shuttle, but would use “green” fuels. I am not sure if hydrogen fits that bill.

• Engineers/scientists from China’s Academy of Sciences (CAS) go to ESA facility to help complete final tests on joint CAS-ESA solar mission

The mission, dubbed SMILE, will study the solar wind and its interaction with the Earth’s magnetosphere.

• Chinese atmospheric monitoring satellite shoots green lasers over Hawaii

The link includes a video of some of those lasers shots. The satellite, Daqi-1, was launched in April 2022. China claims it has no surveillance objectives.

• Europe joins the UK in investigating Viasat’s purchase of Inmarsat

The UK opened its own investigation in August 2022. In both cases, a decision against Viasat will likely hurt both companies, who are struggling to meet the new competition from the giant low orbit smallsat constellations like OneWeb and Starlink.

• Russia resumes prepping next Soyuz for launch

An inspection of the outside of the spacecraft’s cooling system found no damage or drilled holes. Expect the launch to occur before the end of February, relative close to its previous launch date of February 19th. As this is the lifeboat for three occupants of ISS, delaying its launch increases other risks.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay, who also clued me into to the updates on the Russian spacecraft leak situation on ISS.

• Blue Origin says it has made both solar cells and electricity transmission wires from simulated lunar soil

The article claims this is a major breakthrough, but I am sincerely underwhelmed. Though eventually such technology might be important for lunar colonists, right now it makes no sense to spend private capital on it. For at least the next two decades, power on the Moon is going to from solar panels shipped there. Other companies such as Astrobotics are developing cheap and easy-to-ship-and-install panels for those first missions, and they, not Blue Origin, are going to reap the profits.

• Quick overview of first H3 rocket launch tomorrow from Japan

• Pseudo Chinese rocket startup Space Pioneer gearing up for first launch of Tianlong-2 rocket by end of March

If successful, it would be the first liquid fueled rocket by a Chinese pseudo company to reach orbit. Others have tried and failed.

• Graphic of Chinese pseudo-company DeepBlue Aerospace’s fleet of rockets under development

Jay sums this up well: “Names of the rockets: Copy#1, Copy#2, Copy#3, Copy-Heavy#4, and of course Super Heavy Copy#5.” I will add that this is all fantasy at this moment.

• China’s FAST radio telescope discovers 740 pulsars

The claim is made by the telescope’s chief engineer, which suggests China has still not found a high quality astronomer to manage its science operations.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.

• Blue Origin and the fast-food chain Shaq’s Big Chicken sign deal

When you read what this deal really entails, you will laugh. It is typical of the kind of engineering achievements we have come to expect from Blue Origin: Empty PR campaigns having nothing to do with actually building something that will fly in space.

• An update on the Epsilon F6 failure last October.

The release at the link is entirely in Japanese. According to Jay, “As of February 3 JAXA has now narrowed the cause of the RCS [reaction control system] failure to blockage of the diaphragm at the helium tank outlet.”

• Russian official claims his design bureau (part of Roscosmos) is beginning research on a single-stage-to-orbit rocket

The picture at the link is hilariously pure science fiction. This ain’t happening, ever.

No blacklist column today. Been too busy with personal matters.