The Rentals – Forgotten Astronaut
An evening pause: Or as the songwriters add, this is a song for Michael Collins.
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.
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April 29, 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.
- Japanese rocket startup Interstellar gets another government grant
It appears the grant is to develop technology for flying many satellites in formation
- China touts a 10m diameter stainless steel tank prototype
Supposedly for a heavy lift rocket.
- Russia now says its Spectr-UV space telescope will launch in 2031
It was originally supposed to launch in 1997.
- Russia re-confirms its unmanned lunar program previously outlined in 2023, except now it gives few specific target dates
Expect Russia to miss even these dates.
- A picture of Russia’s version of its own “Starlink” satellite
Supposedly going to begin launches in 2026, but if you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I can sell you cheap.
- New images of failed 1972 Soviet-era Venera lander whose Earth orbit is about to decay
The pictures don’t really show much, except that it appears smaller than a typical Starlink satellite (shown in comparison). Designed however to survive Venus’s thick and hot atmosphere, it will still likely hit the ground when its orbit decays in the second week of May.
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.
- Japanese rocket startup Interstellar gets another government grant
It appears the grant is to develop technology for flying many satellites in formation
- China touts a 10m diameter stainless steel tank prototype
Supposedly for a heavy lift rocket.
- Russia now says its Spectr-UV space telescope will launch in 2031
It was originally supposed to launch in 1997.
- Russia re-confirms its unmanned lunar program previously outlined in 2023, except now it gives few specific target dates
Expect Russia to miss even these dates.
- A picture of Russia’s version of its own “Starlink” satellite
Supposedly going to begin launches in 2026, but if you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I can sell you cheap.
- New images of failed 1972 Soviet-era Venera lander whose Earth orbit is about to decay
The pictures don’t really show much, except that it appears smaller than a typical Starlink satellite (shown in comparison). Designed however to survive Venus’s thick and hot atmosphere, it will still likely hit the ground when its orbit decays in the second week of May.
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, any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, 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
The American Geophysical Union: the privileges of government-paid scientists must come above the Constitution and the ordinary citizens who pay the bills
The American Geophysical Union, where
science is no longer practiced
In a public letter issued late yesterday, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) announced it has joined a lawsuit attempting to make the salaries, jobs, and various research grants of scientists immune from cancellation or the budget cuts that have been ordered by the elected president of the United States, Donald Trump.
Plaintiffs assert that such a sweeping Executive Order — which would impact hundreds of thousands of federal workers — goes far beyond the authority of the President to direct, and that such a massive reorganization of federal agencies must be planned in accordance with law and approved by Congress. AGU’s role in the case will involve illustrating the extensive ways in which scientists and the public will be irreparably harmed by the execution of the President’s order, in particular through proposed mass terminations at NOAA, the Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, the Environmental Protectional Agency, and the National Science Foundation.
“This Executive Order is demanding layoffs on such a massive scale that they will have drastic, cascading effects on our members, the global scientific community, and the public,” said Janice R. Lachance, Interim Executive Director and CEO of AGU. “From forecasting severe weather and ensuring healthy crops to preventing uncontrollable wildfires and preparing communities for sea level rise, fully functioning federal scientific agencies are critical.” [emphasis mine]
The highlighted phrases show the priorities. The public comes last. More important are “federal workers,” the “members” of the AGU, and “the global scientific community.” Moreover, the letter reeks of privilege and smug superiority. It assumes that the paychecks from the taxpayers must never end, no matter what. The very idea that the president — duly elected by the American people and whom the Constitution vests with the sole power to run the executive branch of the federal government — should actually do what he promised the voters during the campaign actually offends them. “We come first! To hell with what the public wants!”
None of this should surprise anyone. The AGU, along with most national scientific organizations, has been corrupted by leftist politics for decades. It threw out the fundamentals of objective science years ago when it declared that it will reject any paper that does not support the theory of human-caused global warming. Its PR department has consistently reinforced this unscientific bias, pushing global warming in practically every press release.
And if you still have doubts about its leftist agenda divorced from objective science, you need only read its own description at the end of yesterday’s letter, outlining the organization’s priorities:
» Read more
Firefly launch fails
In its first launch attempt in 2025, Firefly’s Alpha rocket had a problem shortly after the first stage separated from the upper stage and the upper stage’s engines began firing. The upper stage began swivel somewhat though it appeared to stablize after a few seconds.
Subsequent reports confirmed that the stage failed to reach orbit.
The launch of the FLTA0006 mission appeared to go as planned until stage separation about 2 minutes and 35 seconds after liftoff. A cloud suddenly formed between the two stages, and video showed what appeared to be debris falling away as the upper stage continued its ascent.
A camera on the upper stage also showed debris falling away from it seconds after separation. The nozzle for the single Lightning engine in the upper stage appeared to be seriously damaged, if not missing entirely.
In a statement four and a half hours after launch, Firefly confirmed that the upper stage and its payload failed to reach orbit because of the stage separation issue. “The rocket then experienced a mishap between stage separation and second stage ignition that led to the loss of the Lightning engine nozzle extension, substantially reducing the engine’s thrust,” the company stated.
Alpha has now launched a total of six times, but only two of those launches were completely successful. Two of the other launches got their payloads into orbit, but not at the proper positions. In all the failures but one, the problems were with the upper stage. Today’s failure is another example of this.
In its first launch attempt in 2025, Firefly’s Alpha rocket had a problem shortly after the first stage separated from the upper stage and the upper stage’s engines began firing. The upper stage began swivel somewhat though it appeared to stablize after a few seconds.
Subsequent reports confirmed that the stage failed to reach orbit.
The launch of the FLTA0006 mission appeared to go as planned until stage separation about 2 minutes and 35 seconds after liftoff. A cloud suddenly formed between the two stages, and video showed what appeared to be debris falling away as the upper stage continued its ascent.
A camera on the upper stage also showed debris falling away from it seconds after separation. The nozzle for the single Lightning engine in the upper stage appeared to be seriously damaged, if not missing entirely.
In a statement four and a half hours after launch, Firefly confirmed that the upper stage and its payload failed to reach orbit because of the stage separation issue. “The rocket then experienced a mishap between stage separation and second stage ignition that led to the loss of the Lightning engine nozzle extension, substantially reducing the engine’s thrust,” the company stated.
Alpha has now launched a total of six times, but only two of those launches were completely successful. Two of the other launches got their payloads into orbit, but not at the proper positions. In all the failures but one, the problems were with the upper stage. Today’s failure is another example of this.
Now available in hardback and paperback as well as ebook!
From the press release: In this ground-breaking new history of early America, historian Robert Zimmerman not only exposes the lie behind The New York Times 1619 Project that falsely claims slavery is central to the history of the United States, he also provides profound lessons about the nature of human societies, lessons important for Americans today as well as for all future settlers on Mars and elsewhere in space.
Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space, is a riveting page-turning story that documents how slavery slowly became pervasive in the southern British colonies of North America, colonies founded by a people and culture that not only did not allow slavery but in every way were hostile to the practice.
Conscious Choice does more however. In telling the tragic history of the Virginia colony and the rise of slavery there, Zimmerman lays out the proper path for creating healthy societies in places like the Moon and Mars.
“Zimmerman’s ground-breaking history provides every future generation the basic framework for establishing new societies on other worlds. We would be wise to heed what he says.” —Robert Zubrin, founder of the Mars Society.
All editions are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all book vendors, with the ebook priced at $5.99 before discount. All editions can also be purchased direct from the ebook publisher, ebookit, in which case you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
Autographed printed copies are also available at discount directly from the author (hardback $29.95; paperback $14.95; Shipping cost for either: $6.00). Just send an email to zimmerman @ nasw dot org.
Weather scrubs first test of experimental vertical take-off/landing rocket built by Middle Eastern startup
The Middle East, showing the location of
Oman’s proposed spaceport at Duqm.
The first test flight of Horus-4, an experimental vertical take-off/landing rocket built by the Middle Eastern startup Advanced Rocket Technologies, was scrubbed yesterday supposedly due to weather.
The launch had been part of the first public event at Oman’s proposed Etlaq spaceport near the coastal city of Duqm.
Oman’s Etlaq spaceport opened its doors to the public for the first time on Monday, hosting a three-day fan zone experience designed to spark interest in space exploration among the country’s youth.
The event had originally been scheduled to culminate with the launch of the Horus-4 experimental rocket, developed by London company Advanced Rocket Technologies (ART). But unsuitable weather forced the test flight to be delayed, with a new launch date to be announced soon.
Pupils from across Duqm – a coastal town about 550km from Oman’s capital city of Muscat – took part in a variety of educational activities. The fan zone, called Etlaq FX, included four tents that were placed about 3km from the spaceport’s operations team and launch pad, with the site overlooking the Arabian Sea.
At the moment the Duqm spaceport is mostly a launch site for small suborbital rockets. Oman however is pushing hard to sell it to rocket companies, with launches of such small rockets by a variety of startups and Middle Eastern nations scheduled throughout the rest of this year.
Of those launches the most ambitious is that of Advanced Rocket Technologies Horus-4. If it flies and lands successfully, it will be a major technological achievement for the company, and the Arab part of the Middle East.
The Middle East, showing the location of
Oman’s proposed spaceport at Duqm.
The first test flight of Horus-4, an experimental vertical take-off/landing rocket built by the Middle Eastern startup Advanced Rocket Technologies, was scrubbed yesterday supposedly due to weather.
The launch had been part of the first public event at Oman’s proposed Etlaq spaceport near the coastal city of Duqm.
Oman’s Etlaq spaceport opened its doors to the public for the first time on Monday, hosting a three-day fan zone experience designed to spark interest in space exploration among the country’s youth.
The event had originally been scheduled to culminate with the launch of the Horus-4 experimental rocket, developed by London company Advanced Rocket Technologies (ART). But unsuitable weather forced the test flight to be delayed, with a new launch date to be announced soon.
Pupils from across Duqm – a coastal town about 550km from Oman’s capital city of Muscat – took part in a variety of educational activities. The fan zone, called Etlaq FX, included four tents that were placed about 3km from the spaceport’s operations team and launch pad, with the site overlooking the Arabian Sea.
At the moment the Duqm spaceport is mostly a launch site for small suborbital rockets. Oman however is pushing hard to sell it to rocket companies, with launches of such small rockets by a variety of startups and Middle Eastern nations scheduled throughout the rest of this year.
Of those launches the most ambitious is that of Advanced Rocket Technologies Horus-4. If it flies and lands successfully, it will be a major technological achievement for the company, and the Arab part of the Middle East.
Astronaut Don Pettit, 70, wants to fly more missions in space
Despite his apparent significant discomfit upon landing last week after seven months in orbit, American astronaut Don Pettit is still eager to fly more times in space, despite celebrating his 70th birthday on the day he returned from ISS.
Pettit landed in Kazakhstan with his two Russian Soyuz MS-26 crewmates on April 20, 2025 local time in Kazakhstan, his 70th birthday. Cameras cut away as he was extracted from the capsule, raising concerns about his health. During a post-mission briefing today he explained that “I was right in the middle of emptying the contents of my stomach onto the steppes of Kazakhstan” and the cameraman kindly gave him the privacy he needed. He added that his body reacts to the return to Earth about the same way every time regardless of duration.
He looked fit today, just a week later.
At the briefing Pettit noted how returning to Earth can be very discomfiting, but with a little effort and time recovery occurs. He also noted how weightlessness is wonderful for older humans.
“I love being in space,” he said. “When you’re sleeping, you’re just floating, and your body, all those little aches and pains heal up. You feel like you’re 30 years old again and free of pain, free of everything. So I love being on orbit. It’s a great place to be for me and my physiology.”
Whether Pettit gets another flight is unclear. There are a lot of medical research reasons to fly an older individual like him in space. Whether NASA wants to do it is another question. The agency has generally been very timid about doing such things.
Pettit also claimed at this briefing that ISS could fly well past 2030, and shouldn’t be de-orbited then as planned. He however likely spent almost all his time in orbit on the American half, and likely has limited information about the stress fractures in the Russian Zvezda module.
Despite his apparent significant discomfit upon landing last week after seven months in orbit, American astronaut Don Pettit is still eager to fly more times in space, despite celebrating his 70th birthday on the day he returned from ISS.
Pettit landed in Kazakhstan with his two Russian Soyuz MS-26 crewmates on April 20, 2025 local time in Kazakhstan, his 70th birthday. Cameras cut away as he was extracted from the capsule, raising concerns about his health. During a post-mission briefing today he explained that “I was right in the middle of emptying the contents of my stomach onto the steppes of Kazakhstan” and the cameraman kindly gave him the privacy he needed. He added that his body reacts to the return to Earth about the same way every time regardless of duration.
He looked fit today, just a week later.
At the briefing Pettit noted how returning to Earth can be very discomfiting, but with a little effort and time recovery occurs. He also noted how weightlessness is wonderful for older humans.
“I love being in space,” he said. “When you’re sleeping, you’re just floating, and your body, all those little aches and pains heal up. You feel like you’re 30 years old again and free of pain, free of everything. So I love being on orbit. It’s a great place to be for me and my physiology.”
Whether Pettit gets another flight is unclear. There are a lot of medical research reasons to fly an older individual like him in space. Whether NASA wants to do it is another question. The agency has generally been very timid about doing such things.
Pettit also claimed at this briefing that ISS could fly well past 2030, and shouldn’t be de-orbited then as planned. He however likely spent almost all his time in orbit on the American half, and likely has limited information about the stress fractures in the Russian Zvezda module.
Leaving Earth: Space Stations, Rival Superpowers, and the Quest for Interplanetary Travel, can be purchased as an ebook everywhere for only $3.99 (before discount) at amazon, Barnes & Noble, all ebook vendors, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit.
If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big oppressive tech companies and I get a bigger cut much sooner.
Winner of the 2003 Eugene M. Emme Award of the American Astronautical Society.
"Leaving Earth is one of the best and certainly the most comprehensive summary of our drive into space that I have ever read. It will be invaluable to future scholars because it will tell them how the next chapter of human history opened." -- Arthur C. Clarke
Head of the FAA’s commercial space office takes Trump buy-out
Kelvin Coleman, the head of the FAA office that regulates and issues all launch licenses, has now decided to accept the buy-out offered by the Trump administration and retire.
Coleman has led the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation, known as AST, since 2022, after being named deputy associate administrator in 2017. During that time, the amount of commercial launch activity has grown enormously, from 23 licensed launches in 2017 to 157 in 2024.
That has put a strain on the office, which the FAA has responded to by seeking additional staff and other resources, as well as streamlining the licensing process. The latter included new launch and reentry licensing regulations, called Part 450, that took effect in 2021.
Industry, though, has complained about the implementation of Part 450, leading the FAA to create a space-related Aerospace Rulemaking Committee, or SpARC, to collect industry input on ways to improve Part 450. FAA officials said at the Commercial Space Conference in February that the SpARC was expected to complete its work by July, and that it was working on other improvements, such as a new electronic system for license applications.
It was apparently under Coleman’s leadership that Part 450 was created and implemented. The FAA claimed it would streamline the licensing process. Instead, it did the exact opposite. Under Coleman and Part 450, the red tape from the FAA actually increased significantly, to the point that it apparently caused the several rocket startups to close down.
It is quite possible therefore that Coleman decided to take the buy-out because he suspected his time at the FAA was limited anyway, that the Trump administration wanted him out.
Kelvin Coleman, the head of the FAA office that regulates and issues all launch licenses, has now decided to accept the buy-out offered by the Trump administration and retire.
Coleman has led the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation, known as AST, since 2022, after being named deputy associate administrator in 2017. During that time, the amount of commercial launch activity has grown enormously, from 23 licensed launches in 2017 to 157 in 2024.
That has put a strain on the office, which the FAA has responded to by seeking additional staff and other resources, as well as streamlining the licensing process. The latter included new launch and reentry licensing regulations, called Part 450, that took effect in 2021.
Industry, though, has complained about the implementation of Part 450, leading the FAA to create a space-related Aerospace Rulemaking Committee, or SpARC, to collect industry input on ways to improve Part 450. FAA officials said at the Commercial Space Conference in February that the SpARC was expected to complete its work by July, and that it was working on other improvements, such as a new electronic system for license applications.
It was apparently under Coleman’s leadership that Part 450 was created and implemented. The FAA claimed it would streamline the licensing process. Instead, it did the exact opposite. Under Coleman and Part 450, the red tape from the FAA actually increased significantly, to the point that it apparently caused the several rocket startups to close down.
It is quite possible therefore that Coleman decided to take the buy-out because he suspected his time at the FAA was limited anyway, that the Trump administration wanted him out.
Since last night four more launches globally
UPDATE: The Firefly launch was a failure. There was a problem during stage separation. See post above.
The worldwide pace of launches continues now relentlessly. Since my last launch post yesterday afternoon, there were four more launches across the global.
First, China launched a “group” of satellites for an “internet constellation,” its Long March 5B rocket lifting off from its coastal Wencheng spaceport. The rocket used a new upper stage which allowed its core stage to shut down sooner and thus not enter orbit to later crash uncontrolled (as earlier Long March 5B cores would do). Instead it fell back into the ocean after launch.
Next, SpaceX sent another 23 Starlink satellites into orbit, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The first stage, flying for the very first time, landed successfully on a drone ship in the Atlantic.
Third, Arianespace, the commercial division of the European Space Agency (ESA), used the Italian rocket company Avio’s Vega-C rocket to place an ESA Earth observation radar satellite dubbed Biomass into orbit, lifting off from French Guiana. This was Arianespace’s second launch in 2025. Though Arianespace managed the launch, it is being phased out. By next year all future launches of Vega-C will be sold and managed by Avio instead, cutting out this bureaucratic middle-man.
Fourth, the American rocket startup Firefly attempted to place a Lockheed Martin demo payload into orbit, its Alpha rocket lifting off from Vandenberg in California. The Lockheed Martin payload is part of a deal that could include as many as 25 launches over the next five years. This was Firefly’s first launch in 2025.
A scheduled launch by Russia of its Angara rocket on a classified military mission was apparently scrubbed, though no information at all has been released as to why the launch did not occur.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
50 SpaceX
23 China
5 Rocket Lab
5 Russia
SpaceX now leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 50 to 40.
UPDATE: The Firefly launch was a failure. There was a problem during stage separation. See post above.
The worldwide pace of launches continues now relentlessly. Since my last launch post yesterday afternoon, there were four more launches across the global.
First, China launched a “group” of satellites for an “internet constellation,” its Long March 5B rocket lifting off from its coastal Wencheng spaceport. The rocket used a new upper stage which allowed its core stage to shut down sooner and thus not enter orbit to later crash uncontrolled (as earlier Long March 5B cores would do). Instead it fell back into the ocean after launch.
Next, SpaceX sent another 23 Starlink satellites into orbit, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The first stage, flying for the very first time, landed successfully on a drone ship in the Atlantic.
Third, Arianespace, the commercial division of the European Space Agency (ESA), used the Italian rocket company Avio’s Vega-C rocket to place an ESA Earth observation radar satellite dubbed Biomass into orbit, lifting off from French Guiana. This was Arianespace’s second launch in 2025. Though Arianespace managed the launch, it is being phased out. By next year all future launches of Vega-C will be sold and managed by Avio instead, cutting out this bureaucratic middle-man.
Fourth, the American rocket startup Firefly attempted to place a Lockheed Martin demo payload into orbit, its Alpha rocket lifting off from Vandenberg in California. The Lockheed Martin payload is part of a deal that could include as many as 25 launches over the next five years. This was Firefly’s first launch in 2025.
A scheduled launch by Russia of its Angara rocket on a classified military mission was apparently scrubbed, though no information at all has been released as to why the launch did not occur.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
50 SpaceX
23 China
5 Rocket Lab
5 Russia
SpaceX now leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 50 to 40.
Texas legislators vote down bill giving SpaceX power to close Boca Chica roads
The House State Affairs Committee in the Texas state legislature yesterday voted 7 to 6 to reject a bill that would have given SpaceX the power to close the roads at Boca Chica rather than local county officials.
By a vote of seven “nays” to six “ayes,” members of the Texas House State Affairs Committee narrowly voted down Senate Bill 2188 — the companion to state Rep. Janie Lopez’s, R-San Benito, House Bill 4660. With the vote, the committee has declined to refer the bill to the House floor for a full vote.
The identical bills would shift control of road closures from Cameron County officials to SpaceX and the mayor of the likely new city of Starbase.
It appears there is still a chance the bill could get a vote in the full legislature this year, but that will require parliamentary maneuvers and deal making.
The bill lost because of a heavy campaign by a range of special interest activist groups, some of which have been working to block all of SpaceX’s activities in south Texas because they simply hate Elon Musk. At the same time, there are certainly valid reasons to question putting this power in the hands of a single private company.
The House State Affairs Committee in the Texas state legislature yesterday voted 7 to 6 to reject a bill that would have given SpaceX the power to close the roads at Boca Chica rather than local county officials.
By a vote of seven “nays” to six “ayes,” members of the Texas House State Affairs Committee narrowly voted down Senate Bill 2188 — the companion to state Rep. Janie Lopez’s, R-San Benito, House Bill 4660. With the vote, the committee has declined to refer the bill to the House floor for a full vote.
The identical bills would shift control of road closures from Cameron County officials to SpaceX and the mayor of the likely new city of Starbase.
It appears there is still a chance the bill could get a vote in the full legislature this year, but that will require parliamentary maneuvers and deal making.
The bill lost because of a heavy campaign by a range of special interest activist groups, some of which have been working to block all of SpaceX’s activities in south Texas because they simply hate Elon Musk. At the same time, there are certainly valid reasons to question putting this power in the hands of a single private company.
The Beach Boys – Fun Fun Fun
ULA launches Amazon’s first 27 Kuiper constellation satellites; SpaceX launches more Starlinks
Two more launches today. First, SpaceX completed another Starlink launch, placing 27 satellites into orbit, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Vandenberg in California, with its first stage completing its 25th flight, landing on a drone ship in the Pacific.
Next, ULA successfully launched the first 27 Kuiper internet constellation satellites for Amazon, its Atlas-5 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
As of posting the Kuiper satellites have not yet been deployed. As this was ULA’s first launch this year, the company is not included in the leader board for the 2025 launch race.
49 SpaceX
22 China
5 Rocket Lab
5 Russia
SpaceX now leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 49 to 38. Two more launches are still scheduled for today, one by SpaceX placing more Starlinks into orbit, and a second a classified Angara launch out of its Plesetsk spaceport in northeastern Russia.
Two more launches today. First, SpaceX completed another Starlink launch, placing 27 satellites into orbit, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Vandenberg in California, with its first stage completing its 25th flight, landing on a drone ship in the Pacific.
Next, ULA successfully launched the first 27 Kuiper internet constellation satellites for Amazon, its Atlas-5 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
As of posting the Kuiper satellites have not yet been deployed. As this was ULA’s first launch this year, the company is not included in the leader board for the 2025 launch race.
49 SpaceX
22 China
5 Rocket Lab
5 Russia
SpaceX now leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 49 to 38. Two more launches are still scheduled for today, one by SpaceX placing more Starlinks into orbit, and a second a classified Angara launch out of its Plesetsk spaceport in northeastern Russia.
Watch Atlas-5 launch of Amazon’s first 27 Kuiper satellties
I have embedded below the live stream of the launch today of ULA’s Atlas-5 rocket, carrying the first 27 satellites for Amazon’s planned 3,200 satellite Kuiper internet constellation designed to compete directly against SpaceX’s Starlink.
The first launch attempt several weeks ago was scrubbed due to weather. This is one of fifteen Atlas-5’s still in ULA’s inventory, eight of which are reserved for Kuiper launches, six of which are reserved for future missions of Boeing’s manned Starliner capsule, and one of which will place into geosynchronous orbit a communications satellite for Viasat.
After these launches ULA will rely entirely on its new Vulcan rocket.
I have embedded below the live stream of the launch today of ULA’s Atlas-5 rocket, carrying the first 27 satellites for Amazon’s planned 3,200 satellite Kuiper internet constellation designed to compete directly against SpaceX’s Starlink.
The first launch attempt several weeks ago was scrubbed due to weather. This is one of fifteen Atlas-5’s still in ULA’s inventory, eight of which are reserved for Kuiper launches, six of which are reserved for future missions of Boeing’s manned Starliner capsule, and one of which will place into geosynchronous orbit a communications satellite for Viasat.
After these launches ULA will rely entirely on its new Vulcan rocket.
April 27, 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.
- Soviet-era lander module from failed 1972 Venus mission to re-enter atmosphere in mid-May
Designed to survive Venus’s thick atmosphere, there is an excellent chance it will hit the ground intact when it comes down, with no way to control it. It is not a big object, and the risk to habitable areas remains small, but not zero. More updates to follow.
- ISRO engineers have undocked the two Spadex satellites after raising their orbit
More docking tests are expected.
- Lockheed Martin touts the successful pressure tests for its own inflatable station module
The company does not tell us the scale of this test item, but it does indicate it exceeded specififications.
- On this day in 2001 Dennis Tito became the first space tourist, launching as a paying passenger on a Russian Soyuz capsule to ISS
Tito paid the Russian’s $20 million for the flight, and NASA fought hard to stop this perfect example of freedom and capitalism. By the start of this century the U.S. government was no longer a big supporter of such things, something that sadly continues largely to this day.
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.
- Soviet-era lander module from failed 1972 Venus mission to re-enter atmosphere in mid-May
Designed to survive Venus’s thick atmosphere, there is an excellent chance it will hit the ground intact when it comes down, with no way to control it. It is not a big object, and the risk to habitable areas remains small, but not zero. More updates to follow.
- ISRO engineers have undocked the two Spadex satellites after raising their orbit
More docking tests are expected.
- Lockheed Martin touts the successful pressure tests for its own inflatable station module
The company does not tell us the scale of this test item, but it does indicate it exceeded specififications.
- On this day in 2001 Dennis Tito became the first space tourist, launching as a paying passenger on a Russian Soyuz capsule to ISS
Tito paid the Russian’s $20 million for the flight, and NASA fought hard to stop this perfect example of freedom and capitalism. By the start of this century the U.S. government was no longer a big supporter of such things, something that sadly continues largely to this day.
Hubble snaps picture of barred spiral galaxy
Click for original image.
Cool image time! While NASA celebrates the 35th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope with photos from its past, astronomers continue to use it to produce new wonders. The picture to the right, cropped, reduced, and sharpened to post here, was taken by Hubble recently and released today.
NGC 5335 is categorized as a flocculent spiral galaxy with patchy streamers of star formation across its disk. There is a striking lack of well-defined spiral arms that are commonly found among galaxies, including our Milky Way. A notable bar structure slices across the center of the galaxy. The bar channels gas inwards toward the galactic center, fueling star formation. Such bars are dynamic in galaxies and may come and go over two-billion-year intervals. They appear in about 30 percent of observed galaxies, including our Milky Way.
The theorized formation process of that bar is based on computer modeling using the limited data we presently have, and thus carries a great deal of uncertainty.
Click for original image.
Cool image time! While NASA celebrates the 35th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope with photos from its past, astronomers continue to use it to produce new wonders. The picture to the right, cropped, reduced, and sharpened to post here, was taken by Hubble recently and released today.
NGC 5335 is categorized as a flocculent spiral galaxy with patchy streamers of star formation across its disk. There is a striking lack of well-defined spiral arms that are commonly found among galaxies, including our Milky Way. A notable bar structure slices across the center of the galaxy. The bar channels gas inwards toward the galactic center, fueling star formation. Such bars are dynamic in galaxies and may come and go over two-billion-year intervals. They appear in about 30 percent of observed galaxies, including our Milky Way.
The theorized formation process of that bar is based on computer modeling using the limited data we presently have, and thus carries a great deal of uncertainty.
NASA re-releases a slew of Hubble images to celebrate its 35th anniversary
Eta Carina, in focus, after 1993 repair mission
As part of its celebration of the telescope’s 35th anniversary, NASA on April 25, 2025 re-released what it called 27 key images from the history of the Hubble Space Telescope.
More than half the images are historical, showing the telescope’s conception by astrophysicist Lyman Spitzer, its construction, its launch in 1990, and its repair in 1993 of its faulty optics. The subsequent sharp astronomical images include only a few of Hubble’s most famous and significant later photographs, including the first Hubble Deep Field, the Hourglass planetary nebula, and the Pillars of Creation snapshot.
What NASA did not include in this collection however was without doubt to those alive at the time after Hubble was finally repaired its most historically significant photo. That picture is to the right. It shows the exploding star Eta Carina as taken by Hubble in 1993 right after its repair.
For the very first time, we had a telescope above the Earth’s fuzzy atmosphere capable of taking sharp in-focus images of the mysteries of the heavens. And for the first time, we could see in this star its actual nature. It wasn’t simply surrounded by a pretty cloud — as all previous ground-based images had suggested — that cloud was formed by eruptions from the star itself. Those earlier eruptions, which had occurred in the previous century, had spewed from the star’s poles, forming two bi-polar clouds that were expanding away from the star most dramatically.
In the three decades since astronomers have used Hubble and its later upgraded cameras to track those expanding clouds, with the most recent photo taken in 2019. Hubble has shown that such massive heavenly objects are not static, but evolving, and with the right high resolution telescopes in space we can track that evolution, in real time.
At the moment no comparable replacement of Hubble is planned, or even on the drawing board. The Einstein space telescope, just launched, will provide magnificent optical images at a slight lower resolution. So will China’s planned Xuntian space telescope, set for launch in 2027. Neither however matches Hubble’s capabilities.
And Hubble is now long past its original lifespan of fifteen years. Though engineers say it is in good shape, this is not true. It presently has only two trustworthy working gyroscopes. To extend its lift, the telescope is operated on only one gyroscope, with a second held back in reserve. When these go, however, so will Hubble.
Meanwhile, the astronomy community continues to put most of its energy in building giant ground-based telescopes that not only cannot match Hubble but are threatened by the coming wave of new communication constellations. Do they rethink their approach and shift to orbital astronomy?
Nah. Instead, the astronomical community demands new powers to to ban those constellations!
Of all people, one would think astronomers more than anyone else would not put their head in the sand. But that’s what they continue to do.
Eta Carina, in focus, after 1993 repair mission
As part of its celebration of the telescope’s 35th anniversary, NASA on April 25, 2025 re-released what it called 27 key images from the history of the Hubble Space Telescope.
More than half the images are historical, showing the telescope’s conception by astrophysicist Lyman Spitzer, its construction, its launch in 1990, and its repair in 1993 of its faulty optics. The subsequent sharp astronomical images include only a few of Hubble’s most famous and significant later photographs, including the first Hubble Deep Field, the Hourglass planetary nebula, and the Pillars of Creation snapshot.
What NASA did not include in this collection however was without doubt to those alive at the time after Hubble was finally repaired its most historically significant photo. That picture is to the right. It shows the exploding star Eta Carina as taken by Hubble in 1993 right after its repair.
For the very first time, we had a telescope above the Earth’s fuzzy atmosphere capable of taking sharp in-focus images of the mysteries of the heavens. And for the first time, we could see in this star its actual nature. It wasn’t simply surrounded by a pretty cloud — as all previous ground-based images had suggested — that cloud was formed by eruptions from the star itself. Those earlier eruptions, which had occurred in the previous century, had spewed from the star’s poles, forming two bi-polar clouds that were expanding away from the star most dramatically.
In the three decades since astronomers have used Hubble and its later upgraded cameras to track those expanding clouds, with the most recent photo taken in 2019. Hubble has shown that such massive heavenly objects are not static, but evolving, and with the right high resolution telescopes in space we can track that evolution, in real time.
At the moment no comparable replacement of Hubble is planned, or even on the drawing board. The Einstein space telescope, just launched, will provide magnificent optical images at a slight lower resolution. So will China’s planned Xuntian space telescope, set for launch in 2027. Neither however matches Hubble’s capabilities.
And Hubble is now long past its original lifespan of fifteen years. Though engineers say it is in good shape, this is not true. It presently has only two trustworthy working gyroscopes. To extend its lift, the telescope is operated on only one gyroscope, with a second held back in reserve. When these go, however, so will Hubble.
Meanwhile, the astronomy community continues to put most of its energy in building giant ground-based telescopes that not only cannot match Hubble but are threatened by the coming wave of new communication constellations. Do they rethink their approach and shift to orbital astronomy?
Nah. Instead, the astronomical community demands new powers to to ban those constellations!
Of all people, one would think astronomers more than anyone else would not put their head in the sand. But that’s what they continue to do.
China and SpaceX complete launches
Both China and SpaceX completed launches yesterday. First, China placed what its state-run press called “a data relay” satellite into orbit, its Long March 3B rocket lifting off from its Xichang spaceport in southwest China.
No word on where there rocket’s lower stages and four strap-on boosters crashed inside China. All use very toxic hypergolic fuels.
Next SpaceX launched 23 more Starlink satellites, including 13 configured for cell-to-satellite service, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The first stage completed its 20th flight, landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
48 SpaceX
22 China
5 Rocket Lab
5 Russia
SpaceX now leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 48 to 37, with three more launches scheduled for later today. China will use its Long March 5B, its largest rocket, to launch a set of communications satellites, SpaceX will launch another set of Starlink satellites, and ULA will make its second attempt to launch Amazon’s first set of Kuiper internet satellites, the first launch scrubbed due to weather.
Both China and SpaceX completed launches yesterday. First, China placed what its state-run press called “a data relay” satellite into orbit, its Long March 3B rocket lifting off from its Xichang spaceport in southwest China.
No word on where there rocket’s lower stages and four strap-on boosters crashed inside China. All use very toxic hypergolic fuels.
Next SpaceX launched 23 more Starlink satellites, including 13 configured for cell-to-satellite service, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The first stage completed its 20th flight, landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
48 SpaceX
22 China
5 Rocket Lab
5 Russia
SpaceX now leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 48 to 37, with three more launches scheduled for later today. China will use its Long March 5B, its largest rocket, to launch a set of communications satellites, SpaceX will launch another set of Starlink satellites, and ULA will make its second attempt to launch Amazon’s first set of Kuiper internet satellites, the first launch scrubbed due to weather.
Axiom replaces its CEO
In a move that apparently promotes one of its most productive managers, space station startup Axiom has now picked Tejpaul Bhatia, its chief financial officer for the past four years, to take over as the company’s CEO.
The choice seems sound, considering what Bhatia has done already for the company.
Ghaffarian cited Bhatia’s work as chief revenue officer at Axiom as a key reason to make him CEO. Axiom noted in a statement that Bhatia secured more than $1 billion in contracts since joining Axiom, including overseeing the company’s series of private astronaut missions to the International Space Station.
…Bhatia came to Axiom from Google, where he was involved in its cloud computing business. He earlier founded and led several startups and worked on ESPN’s video streaming business.
Considering other rumors that suggest the company has been experiencing cash flow issues, this pick might be aimed at alleviating those issues.
In a move that apparently promotes one of its most productive managers, space station startup Axiom has now picked Tejpaul Bhatia, its chief financial officer for the past four years, to take over as the company’s CEO.
The choice seems sound, considering what Bhatia has done already for the company.
Ghaffarian cited Bhatia’s work as chief revenue officer at Axiom as a key reason to make him CEO. Axiom noted in a statement that Bhatia secured more than $1 billion in contracts since joining Axiom, including overseeing the company’s series of private astronaut missions to the International Space Station.
…Bhatia came to Axiom from Google, where he was involved in its cloud computing business. He earlier founded and led several startups and worked on ESPN’s video streaming business.
Considering other rumors that suggest the company has been experiencing cash flow issues, this pick might be aimed at alleviating those issues.
April 25, 2025 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast
Embedded below the fold in two parts.
To listen to all of John Batchelor’s podcasts, go here.
» Read more
Embedded below the fold in two parts.
To listen to all of John Batchelor’s podcasts, go here.
» Read more
Nigel Stanford – Automatica (Robots Vs. Music)
An evening pause: This is really one man using tools to play music creatively, but then the video transitions to something that simply might not be real. Or is it?
Enjoy your weekend!
Hat tip Rex Ridenoure.
April 25, 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.
- Startup Radian Aerospace announces its development of a spacecraft coating that can be used “operate repeatedly without degradation”
The company claims this coating surpasses the thermal tiles presently used by SpaceX.
- NASA Dragonfly mission to Titan passes its critical design review
All this means that construction can now begin.
- In answering further questions by science committee senators, Jared Isaacman calls proposed budget cuts to NASA not “optimal”
Of course he did. Congress critters never want any budget cuts, no matter which party they belong to. He needs their votes to get confirmed. He is therefore always going to tell them what they want to hear. What he actually believes remains unknown.
- China touts a pseudo-commercial new cargo ferry for its space station
It is scheduled for its first flight later this year. Jay notes that it is not reusable.
- On this day in 1967 Vladimir Komarov died when the parachutes on the first Soyuz capsule tangled during re-entry and the capsule crashed
The Soyuz really wasn’t ready, and Komarov was having serious technical problems almost immediately after reaching orbit.
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.
- Startup Radian Aerospace announces its development of a spacecraft coating that can be used “operate repeatedly without degradation”
The company claims this coating surpasses the thermal tiles presently used by SpaceX.
- NASA Dragonfly mission to Titan passes its critical design review
All this means that construction can now begin.
- In answering further questions by science committee senators, Jared Isaacman calls proposed budget cuts to NASA not “optimal”
Of course he did. Congress critters never want any budget cuts, no matter which party they belong to. He needs their votes to get confirmed. He is therefore always going to tell them what they want to hear. What he actually believes remains unknown.
- China touts a pseudo-commercial new cargo ferry for its space station
It is scheduled for its first flight later this year. Jay notes that it is not reusable.
- On this day in 1967 Vladimir Komarov died when the parachutes on the first Soyuz capsule tangled during re-entry and the capsule crashed
The Soyuz really wasn’t ready, and Komarov was having serious technical problems almost immediately after reaching orbit.
Axiom signs deal with medical company to do diabetes monitor research on its next manned mission to ISS
Axiom today announced it has signed a deal with the medical company Burjeel Holdings to fly and test a glucose monitor during its May 2025 AX-4 manned mission to ISS.
The Ax-4 mission will utilize Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs), which have become the standard for glucose monitoring in individuals with diabetes. These devices will be tested to ensure their accuracy in microgravity, providing real-time data that will ultimately support the health of astronauts with insulin-dependent diabetes.The comprehensive preflight, inflight, and post flight protocols will employ various testing methods to validate these technologies. The Ax-4 mission also plans to look at insulin exposure in microgravity to assess the potency and stability of the drug product upon its return to Earth.
Testing the behavior of CGMs and insulin delivery technologies in microgravity and with circadian rhythm disruption is expected to advance the understanding of how such innovations can improve diabetes monitoring and care in remote or under served areas on Earth. Experts say this research will lay the groundwork for managing diabetes in isolated locations, such as oil rigs, deserts, or rural regions.
These tests will also make it possible for people who have diabetes to go into space. For Axiom, this will help widen its customer base. For Burjeel it proves its monitors can work in many remote and hostile environments, also widening its customer base.
Hat tip BtB’s stringer Jay, who adds that “This is cool since this is two companies and no NASA/government involvement.”
Axiom today announced it has signed a deal with the medical company Burjeel Holdings to fly and test a glucose monitor during its May 2025 AX-4 manned mission to ISS.
The Ax-4 mission will utilize Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs), which have become the standard for glucose monitoring in individuals with diabetes. These devices will be tested to ensure their accuracy in microgravity, providing real-time data that will ultimately support the health of astronauts with insulin-dependent diabetes.The comprehensive preflight, inflight, and post flight protocols will employ various testing methods to validate these technologies. The Ax-4 mission also plans to look at insulin exposure in microgravity to assess the potency and stability of the drug product upon its return to Earth.
Testing the behavior of CGMs and insulin delivery technologies in microgravity and with circadian rhythm disruption is expected to advance the understanding of how such innovations can improve diabetes monitoring and care in remote or under served areas on Earth. Experts say this research will lay the groundwork for managing diabetes in isolated locations, such as oil rigs, deserts, or rural regions.
These tests will also make it possible for people who have diabetes to go into space. For Axiom, this will help widen its customer base. For Burjeel it proves its monitors can work in many remote and hostile environments, also widening its customer base.
Hat tip BtB’s stringer Jay, who adds that “This is cool since this is two companies and no NASA/government involvement.”
Curiosity’s recent travels as seen from orbit
Click for original image.
Click for interactive map.
Cool image time! Using Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), scientists have captured a very cool image of Curiosity in its recent travels on Mars. That picture is above, reduced and sharpened to post here.
Taken by the HiRISE (High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the image shows Curiosity as a dark speck at the front of a long trail of rover tracks. Likely to last for months before being erased by wind, the tracks span about 1,050 feet (320 meters). They represent roughly 11 drives starting on Feb. 2 as Curiosity trucked along at a top speed of 0.1 mph (0.16 kph) from Gediz Vallis channel on the journey to its next science stop: a region with potential boxwork formations, possibly made by groundwater billions of years ago.
The overview map to the right provides some context. Curiosity’s present position is indicated by the blue dot. The yellow lines indicate the approximate section of its past travels photographed by the picture above.
According to the press release at the link, the science team is now estimating the rover will arrive at the boxwork geology in about a month.
Click for original image.
Click for interactive map.
Cool image time! Using Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), scientists have captured a very cool image of Curiosity in its recent travels on Mars. That picture is above, reduced and sharpened to post here.
Taken by the HiRISE (High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the image shows Curiosity as a dark speck at the front of a long trail of rover tracks. Likely to last for months before being erased by wind, the tracks span about 1,050 feet (320 meters). They represent roughly 11 drives starting on Feb. 2 as Curiosity trucked along at a top speed of 0.1 mph (0.16 kph) from Gediz Vallis channel on the journey to its next science stop: a region with potential boxwork formations, possibly made by groundwater billions of years ago.
The overview map to the right provides some context. Curiosity’s present position is indicated by the blue dot. The yellow lines indicate the approximate section of its past travels photographed by the picture above.
According to the press release at the link, the science team is now estimating the rover will arrive at the boxwork geology in about a month.
Your smartphone apps are tracking you
The smart phone: A proven tool for spying
Just one more reason I don’t own a smartphone: Researchers have now found that though there is no evidence that big software companies like Facebook and Google are tracking your smartphone conversations, the data instead shows that the many apps you routinely install on your phone are spying on you quite extensively by periodically taking screenshots of things you look at and sending those images to third parties.
“There were no audio leaks at all – not a single app activated the microphone,” said Christo Wilson, a computer scientist working on the project. “Then we started seeing things we didn’t expect. Apps were automatically taking screenshots of themselves and sending them to third parties. In one case, the app took video of the screen activity and sent that information to a third party.”
Out of over 17,000 Android apps examined, more than 9,000 had potential permissions to take screenshots. And a number of apps were found to actively be doing so, taking screenshots and sending them to third-party sources. “That has the potential to be much worse than having the camera taking pictures of the ceiling or the microphone recording pointless conversations,” said David Choffnes, another computer scientists working on the project. “There is no easy way to close this privacy opening.”
Doing this kind of spying is simply unethical, but it is also now routine in our increasingly unethical culture. What makes it worse is that I expect few will react in any way to this information. People will shrug and continue to install apps casually, accepting the fact that they are now merely a tool that someone else can manipulate.
The smart phone: A proven tool for spying
Just one more reason I don’t own a smartphone: Researchers have now found that though there is no evidence that big software companies like Facebook and Google are tracking your smartphone conversations, the data instead shows that the many apps you routinely install on your phone are spying on you quite extensively by periodically taking screenshots of things you look at and sending those images to third parties.
“There were no audio leaks at all – not a single app activated the microphone,” said Christo Wilson, a computer scientist working on the project. “Then we started seeing things we didn’t expect. Apps were automatically taking screenshots of themselves and sending them to third parties. In one case, the app took video of the screen activity and sent that information to a third party.”
Out of over 17,000 Android apps examined, more than 9,000 had potential permissions to take screenshots. And a number of apps were found to actively be doing so, taking screenshots and sending them to third-party sources. “That has the potential to be much worse than having the camera taking pictures of the ceiling or the microphone recording pointless conversations,” said David Choffnes, another computer scientists working on the project. “There is no easy way to close this privacy opening.”
Doing this kind of spying is simply unethical, but it is also now routine in our increasingly unethical culture. What makes it worse is that I expect few will react in any way to this information. People will shrug and continue to install apps casually, accepting the fact that they are now merely a tool that someone else can manipulate.
Rocket startup MaiaSpace picks Polish institute to build its rocket’s upper stage engine
The smallsat rocket startup MaiaSpace has selected Poland’s Łukasiewicz Research Network’s Institute of Aviation to develop the engine that will power its Maia rocket’s top stage, used to put satellites into their final orbit.
In a 23 April update, the Łukasiewicz Research Network’s Institute of Aviation (Łukasiewicz–ILOT) announced that it had been selected by MaiaSpace to develop a rocket engine to power Maia’s Colibri kick stage. According to the announcement, the engine will be based on technology developed by Łukasiewicz–ILOT as part of its Green Bipropellant Apogee Rocket Engine (GRACE) initiative, a project financed by the European Space Agency under the Future Launchers Preparatory Programme.
Each new engine will be capable of producing 420 newtons of thrust, with a cluster of these engines powering the Colibri kick stage. However, the update did not specify how many engines would make up the cluster
MaiaSpace had previously indicated it was building its own Colibri kick stage engine. It appears that it has now decided to hire Lukasiewicz to do it instead.
The significance here is not this specific decision, but how it involves two different European commercial entities with no managerial input from the European Space Agency or any government agency. It really does appear that Europe’s aerospace industry has completely freed itself from the dictates of those government apparachiks.
MaiaSpace hopes to complete the first launch of Maia in 2026.
The smallsat rocket startup MaiaSpace has selected Poland’s Łukasiewicz Research Network’s Institute of Aviation to develop the engine that will power its Maia rocket’s top stage, used to put satellites into their final orbit.
In a 23 April update, the Łukasiewicz Research Network’s Institute of Aviation (Łukasiewicz–ILOT) announced that it had been selected by MaiaSpace to develop a rocket engine to power Maia’s Colibri kick stage. According to the announcement, the engine will be based on technology developed by Łukasiewicz–ILOT as part of its Green Bipropellant Apogee Rocket Engine (GRACE) initiative, a project financed by the European Space Agency under the Future Launchers Preparatory Programme.
Each new engine will be capable of producing 420 newtons of thrust, with a cluster of these engines powering the Colibri kick stage. However, the update did not specify how many engines would make up the cluster
MaiaSpace had previously indicated it was building its own Colibri kick stage engine. It appears that it has now decided to hire Lukasiewicz to do it instead.
The significance here is not this specific decision, but how it involves two different European commercial entities with no managerial input from the European Space Agency or any government agency. It really does appear that Europe’s aerospace industry has completely freed itself from the dictates of those government apparachiks.
MaiaSpace hopes to complete the first launch of Maia in 2026.
Trump cuts apparently shutting down NASA’s climate office in New York
Schmidt’s data tampering, as documented in 2016.
As part of the Trump administration’s aggressive effort to trim the federal budget as well as shift the research focus at the federal government’s many science agencies, on April 24, 2025 it revealed that it has canceled the building lease for the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York that has existed since 1961 and in 2016 and 2017 was found to be tampering with past climate data with no explanation, lowering past temperature numbers while raising more recent ones in order to make the data fit the as-yet unproven theory that human activity is causing global warming.
Those “adjustments” have never been justified in any way. Nor has Gavin Schmidt, the man who heads GISS, ever done anything to correct them. Moreover, when his office was accused of this tampering in 2016 he not only refused to fix or justify the changes, he responded by claiming “planetary warming does not care about the election.” In the years since it has been his office that annually declares each year “the hottest on record,” using these tampered numbers to do so and demonstrating that he has been acting not as a real researcher but as a political operative of the global warming crowd.
Though the office lease is being canceled, GISS has not been shut down, as of now.
While NASA is terminating the lease on the GISS offices, it is not closing the institute itself. Lystrup said in the email that it will help employees move “to remote work agreements in the short-term as the agency seeks a new, permanent space for the team.”
I suspect this statement is merely designed by Trump officials to dampen the screams of opposition against its actions. It is very likely GISS is going away, and most of its employees will have to find new jobs.
The hope is that new scientists can be hired to review these tampered numbers and get them fixed so that climate research in the future can proceed with reliable data.
Schmidt’s data tampering, as documented in 2016.
As part of the Trump administration’s aggressive effort to trim the federal budget as well as shift the research focus at the federal government’s many science agencies, on April 24, 2025 it revealed that it has canceled the building lease for the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York that has existed since 1961 and in 2016 and 2017 was found to be tampering with past climate data with no explanation, lowering past temperature numbers while raising more recent ones in order to make the data fit the as-yet unproven theory that human activity is causing global warming.
Those “adjustments” have never been justified in any way. Nor has Gavin Schmidt, the man who heads GISS, ever done anything to correct them. Moreover, when his office was accused of this tampering in 2016 he not only refused to fix or justify the changes, he responded by claiming “planetary warming does not care about the election.” In the years since it has been his office that annually declares each year “the hottest on record,” using these tampered numbers to do so and demonstrating that he has been acting not as a real researcher but as a political operative of the global warming crowd.
Though the office lease is being canceled, GISS has not been shut down, as of now.
While NASA is terminating the lease on the GISS offices, it is not closing the institute itself. Lystrup said in the email that it will help employees move “to remote work agreements in the short-term as the agency seeks a new, permanent space for the team.”
I suspect this statement is merely designed by Trump officials to dampen the screams of opposition against its actions. It is very likely GISS is going away, and most of its employees will have to find new jobs.
The hope is that new scientists can be hired to review these tampered numbers and get them fixed so that climate research in the future can proceed with reliable data.
SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites
SpaceX tonight successfully launched another 28 Starlink satellites, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The first stage completed its 23 flight, landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
47 SpaceX
21 China
5 Rocket Lab
5 Russia
SpaceX now leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 47 to 36.
SpaceX tonight successfully launched another 28 Starlink satellites, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The first stage completed its 23 flight, landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
47 SpaceX
21 China
5 Rocket Lab
5 Russia
SpaceX now leads the rest of the world in successful launches, 47 to 36.
April 23, 2025 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast
Embedded below the fold in two parts.
To listen to all of John Batchelor’s podcasts, go here.
» Read more
Embedded below the fold in two parts.
To listen to all of John Batchelor’s podcasts, go here.
» Read more
The Beatles – Twist And Shout
April 24, 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.
- Senate committee schedules April 30, 2025 for its vote on Jared Isaacman’s nomination for NASA administrator
If approved, his nomination will then advance to the full Senate for a vote. Expect this to proceed with little opposition.
- Sierra Space touts the micrometeorite impact testing it is doing for its LIFE inflatable manned modules
Unlike its Orbital Reef space station partner, Blue Origin, Sierra Space continues to cut metal and do testing of hardware in developing its part of that proposed station.
- Boeing reports progress on Starliner
Not really. This article as well as the company’s conference call provided little real information, other than the company does appear to be committed to getting Starliner finally operational.
- Rocket Lab wins another contract for its HASTE suborbital version of its Electron rocket
The contract is for doing a hypersonic test for the Defense Department, and I suspect it is part of a larger Pentagon award announced earlier this week.
- Blue Origin touts a successful 15-second static fire test of an upgraded New Glenn upper stage
This is in preparation for the second New Glenn launch, tentatively scheduled for May.
- China touts a viewgraph outlining the plan for its Mars sample return mission
An additional propaganda video provides more information in the text on the screen. All this is part of the PR push China initiated today in conjunction with the launch of three astronauts to its Tiangong-3 station.
- FAA reschedules virtual meeting for public comment on SpaceX’s request to increase launches in Florida from 50 to 120 per year
The previous meeting was scrubbed due to a major Zoom outage. The meeting relates to the FAA’s environmental reassessment, which though still delaying things somehow seems to be less of a threat with Trump in office. At a minimum the FAA is no longer delaying things simply because it needs to fill out some paperwork.
- ESA/NASA release some new Hubble Space Telescope images to celebrate the telescope’s 35 anniversay in space
Some very cool images at the link. However, in truth the telescope didn’t start to really do its thing until three years later, after astronauts installed equipment to correct its out-of-focus mirror.
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.
- Senate committee schedules April 30, 2025 for its vote on Jared Isaacman’s nomination for NASA administrator
If approved, his nomination will then advance to the full Senate for a vote. Expect this to proceed with little opposition.
- Sierra Space touts the micrometeorite impact testing it is doing for its LIFE inflatable manned modules
Unlike its Orbital Reef space station partner, Blue Origin, Sierra Space continues to cut metal and do testing of hardware in developing its part of that proposed station.
- Boeing reports progress on Starliner
Not really. This article as well as the company’s conference call provided little real information, other than the company does appear to be committed to getting Starliner finally operational.
- Rocket Lab wins another contract for its HASTE suborbital version of its Electron rocket
The contract is for doing a hypersonic test for the Defense Department, and I suspect it is part of a larger Pentagon award announced earlier this week.
- Blue Origin touts a successful 15-second static fire test of an upgraded New Glenn upper stage
This is in preparation for the second New Glenn launch, tentatively scheduled for May.
- China touts a viewgraph outlining the plan for its Mars sample return mission
An additional propaganda video provides more information in the text on the screen. All this is part of the PR push China initiated today in conjunction with the launch of three astronauts to its Tiangong-3 station.
- FAA reschedules virtual meeting for public comment on SpaceX’s request to increase launches in Florida from 50 to 120 per year
The previous meeting was scrubbed due to a major Zoom outage. The meeting relates to the FAA’s environmental reassessment, which though still delaying things somehow seems to be less of a threat with Trump in office. At a minimum the FAA is no longer delaying things simply because it needs to fill out some paperwork.
- ESA/NASA release some new Hubble Space Telescope images to celebrate the telescope’s 35 anniversay in space
Some very cool images at the link. However, in truth the telescope didn’t start to really do its thing until three years later, after astronauts installed equipment to correct its out-of-focus mirror.
A telescope picture of blackness
Click for original image.
Cool image time! The picture to the right, cropped, reduced, and sharpened to post here, was released today by the science team running the Dark Energy Camera on the Blanco 4-meter telescope in Chile.
This winding, shadowy form, accentuated by a densely-packed starry background, is the Circinus West molecular cloud — a region rich in gas and dust and known for its host of newly formed stars. Molecular Clouds, the cradles of star formation, are interstellar clouds that are so dense and cold that atoms within them bond with each other to form molecules. Some, such as Circinus West, are so dense that light cannot pass through, giving them a dark, mottled appearance and earning them the name dark nebulae. The cloud’s flourishing population of young stars has offered astronomers a wealth of insight into the processes driving star formation and molecular cloud evolution.
…Circinus West is known for harboring dozens of young stellar objects — stars that are in their early stages of development. Despite being shrouded in dense gas and dust, these infant stars make themselves known. Zooming in, various clues to their presence can be seen dotted throughout Circinus West’s snaking tendrils.
The cloud is about 2,500 light years away and is estimated to be about 180 light years across. Scientists estimate the mass in the cloud to be about 250,000 times that of the Sun.
No one however would ever even know this cloud existed if it wasn’t back dropped by thick field of stars behind it.
Click for original image.
Cool image time! The picture to the right, cropped, reduced, and sharpened to post here, was released today by the science team running the Dark Energy Camera on the Blanco 4-meter telescope in Chile.
This winding, shadowy form, accentuated by a densely-packed starry background, is the Circinus West molecular cloud — a region rich in gas and dust and known for its host of newly formed stars. Molecular Clouds, the cradles of star formation, are interstellar clouds that are so dense and cold that atoms within them bond with each other to form molecules. Some, such as Circinus West, are so dense that light cannot pass through, giving them a dark, mottled appearance and earning them the name dark nebulae. The cloud’s flourishing population of young stars has offered astronomers a wealth of insight into the processes driving star formation and molecular cloud evolution.
…Circinus West is known for harboring dozens of young stellar objects — stars that are in their early stages of development. Despite being shrouded in dense gas and dust, these infant stars make themselves known. Zooming in, various clues to their presence can be seen dotted throughout Circinus West’s snaking tendrils.
The cloud is about 2,500 light years away and is estimated to be about 180 light years across. Scientists estimate the mass in the cloud to be about 250,000 times that of the Sun.
No one however would ever even know this cloud existed if it wasn’t back dropped by thick field of stars behind it.