Gaither Vocal Band & Jake Hess – Cool Water
An evening pause: The intro is long, but stick with it, it will all be worthwhile.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
Tag: commercial
Today’s Ariane 5 launch NOT a failure
Arianespace’s first launch attempt in 2018 appears to have gotten the satellites into orbit, even though contact was lost during launch.
From the reports, it appears that contact was lost when the second stage began firing.
Before this, the Ariane 5 had completed 83 straight successful launches, a track record that Arianespace repeatedly touted as justification for its higher rates.
Update: Arianespace is now saying that though they had entirely lost contact with the rocket after the second stage fired, the satellite’s themselves reached orbit.
A few seconds after ignition of the upper stage, the second tracking station located in Natal, Brazil, did not acquire the launcher telemetry. This lack of telemetry lasted throughout the rest of powered flight.
Subsequently, both satellites were confirmed separated, acquired and they are on orbit. SES-14 and Al Yah 3 are communicating with their respective control centers. Both missions are continuing.
It appears that the SES-14 satellite can reach its planned orbit using its own engines. Al Yah 3’s status is less certain.
If these results hold up, I will then declare, for the purpose of my 2018 launch standings, that this launch is a success for Arianespace. Arianespace however will certainly not consider it so, and will need to figure out why it lost contact with its rocket and why the upper stage did not function as planned.
Video of Falcon Heavy static fire test
I have embedded below the fold the video that SpaceX has released of yesterday’s Falcon Heavy static fire test. This is the first footage I have seen that allows one to make a good estimate of the test’s length, though because the video has one edit during the firing the time length could have been edited.
The video makes it appear that the firing lasted seven seconds. Witnesses however suggest it lasted about twelve seconds, which was the length expected. The difference raises some questions. If the video was edited and the actual test lasted twelve seconds, one has to ask why SpaceX edited their video. Was there some proprietary information that SpaceX was protecting that would have been revealed had it kept the view locked on the close-up camera for the full twelve seconds? Or was there some issue that occurred during the test that they do not yet wish the public to see?
If the test did last only seven seconds, not twelve as planned, was there instead an issue that caused them to shut down early?
I’m not sure what to think. I am also of the mind that I might be over-analyzing this. Other footage from farther away suggests the test was for twelve seconds, as described by witnesses. The footage however is also not definitive. The trees prevent one from seeing exactly when the firing starts and stops.
We will have to wait and see what SpaceX does. If it schedules a launch relatively quickly, then all this analysis is what I suspect, mere junk. If not, or if they schedule a second static fire test, which was always an option, then this analysis is brilliant.
Personally, I prefer the former, not the latter.
John Anderson – Seminole Wind
An evening pause: Hat tip Jeff Poplin.
Falcon Heavy static fire test completed
SpaceX has apparently completed its static fire test of the first stage of its Falcon Heavy rocket.
You can see the test here, with the static fire beginning at about 37:00 minutes. From the video it is difficult to judge exactly how long the rocket fired, but it might have been longer than predicted. What is important is that all appeared to function as planned.
The Falcon Heavy vs the Saturn 5
As SpaceX prepares for what it hopes will be the first static fire test of its Falcon Heavy rocket today, this article provides a nice detailed comparison between the new heavy lift rocket and the Saturn 5, the biggest rocket ever built and successfully launched.
But where the Falcon Heavy comes out ahead is in economy. The estimated cost of a Saturn V launch in today’s dollars is a whopping US$1.16 billion. Meanwhile, the upper estimate for Falcon heavy is US$90 million. That’s million with an “M.”
So, which rocket comes out ahead? In terms of sheer numbers, the Saturn V wins hands down, but the contest is a bit unfair. Saturn V was a Cold War project with a main objective to put a man on the Moon as part of the struggle to prove the superiority of the Free World over the Soviet Union. It was a cost-is-no-object machine intended to win a bloodless battle for world supremacy.
Falcon Heavy, on the other hand, is a business venture. Its job is to make a profit for SpaceX’s investors and its development always had one eye on the ledger at all times. Its design is different, its function is different. To compare it with the Saturn V is a bit like comparing a nuclear strike carrier with the Queen Mary 2. Beyond a certain point, the exercise becomes meaningless.
Read it all. The comparison is quite fun, especially if you are an American and proud of our country’s history in space. To date, no one has built a rocket that truly compares with the Saturn 5. And now, today, an American company is proving that such rockets can be built in the future, for an affordable price.
ArianeGroup successfully completes first engine test of Ariane 6 rocket
ArianeGroup has successfully completed the first static fire engine test of the first stage main engine for its Ariane 6 rocket, scheduled for its first launch in 2020.
They have already been testing of the rocket’s upper stage engine now for several months. The article also notes that this main stage engine just tested is essentially a more efficient upgrade of an Ariane 5’s engine, which explains how they were able to develop it so quickly.
Falcon Heavy static fire test now set for January 24
Capitalism in space: SpaceX now hopes to do the Falcon Heavy static fire test during a window tomorrow from 12 noon to 6 pm.
Google Lunar X-Prize announces that it will award no winners
The Google Lunar X-Prize announced today that none of its five finalists will be able to fly a mission to the Moon before the March 31, 2018 deadline, and thus the prize will be awarded to no one.
With Rocket Lab’s successful Electron launch this past weekend, I thought there might be chance Moon Express might get off the ground by the end of March. They were the only finalist that had any shot at making the deadline. However, the timing of this announcement today suggests to me that Moon Express probably consulted with Rocket Lab after the launch, and probably learned that it was unwise to push for a quick launch. Moon Express then probably contacted the Google Lunar X-Prize to say they wouldn’t be able to win, which in turn resulted in today’s announcement.
The contest however was not a failure. Several of the contestants, most especially Moon Express, have said that they are moving forward as private companies offering the scientific community inexpensive planetary missions. I hope that the foundation these companies laid during the competition will result in real missions in the near future.
Maria Muldaur- Midnight At The Oasis
An evening pause: Recorded live 1974.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
ULA takes over Atlas 5 commercial marketing from Lockheed Martin
Capitalism in space: ULA has now taken over the marketing of Atlas 5 commercial launches from Lockheed Martin.
I was actually surprised when I saw this story today. I had assumed that with the merger of the launch divisions of Boeing and Lockheed Martin into the ULA joint venture in 2005 ULA had been handling this marketing already. This announcement reveals that this merger had apparently only shifted the government Atlas 5 launches to ULA’s control, and only now has the rocket’s entire business been handed to ULA.
I wonder what political in-fighting was required by ULA’s CEO Tory Bruno to get this to happen.
The man behind Rush Limbaugh and the alternative news revolution
Link here. R.I.P. Ed McLaughlin, the man who made Rush Limbaugh and the entire conservative news revolution happen.
Rocket Lab succeeds in placing three satellites in orbit on second test launch
Capitalism in space: The small rocket company Rocket Lab successfully placed three smallsats in orbit on the second test launch of its Electron rocket yesterday.
I have posted the video of the launch below the fold. Everything unfolded smoothly and without any issues, including the video feed. This success bodes well for Moon Express’s effort to win the Google Lunar X-Prize, which has a deadline the end of March. Though Rocket Lab had said it wants to do three test launches before initiating commercial services, they have already initiated those services with the placement of three satellites by two customers on this launch yesterday. They have also hinted that if this launch was a success they might accelerate commercial operations.
In addition, ULA successfully launched a military satellite on two days ago with its Atlas 5 rocket. The 2018 launch stands are thus as follows:
4 China
2 ULA
1 SpaceX
1 Rocket Lab
1 Japan
1 India
I should add that though the U.S.’s total matches China at the moment, the government shut down prevents any further U.S. launches. It also prevents SpaceX from doing its Falcon Heavy static fire test. (I wonder: would this be an issue if SpaceX was launching from its private launchsite at Boca Chica?)
» Read more
Diana Krall – The Look Of Love
An evening pause: Hat tip Edward Thelen.
China successfully launches six satellites
China today successfully launched two Earth observation satellites and four cubesats using its Long March 11 rocket.
This was the third launch of this four-stage solid-fuelled rocket, designed for quick scheduling. They also hope to use it later this year to launch from the ocean.
The 2018 launch standings:
4 China
1 ULA
1 SpaceX
1 India
1 Japan
Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell – Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight
An evening pause: They are having so much fun doing this. Hat tip Jeff Poplin.
Just an ordinary story about the way things go,
Round and round nobody knows.
But the highway
Goes on forever.
That ol’ highway
Goes on forever.
Republican introduces bill to end California space tax
A state Republican legislator has introduced a bill that would end the special taxes that California’s Franchise Tax Board imposed on space companies last year.
The bill would repeal the space tax formula and exempt space flight income from state taxes, which Lackey contends would give companies like SpaceX, Virgin Galactic and United Launch Alliance an incentive to stay in the state. For example, Moon Express, a startup working to mine the moon for natural resources, moved from Mountain View to Florida in 2016, Lackey said.
In an email, Moon Express CEO and founder Bob Richard reiterated a statement he made last year that the decision to move was “in part due to the state of Florida’s progressive economic development incentives designed to attract commercial space companies.”
Since California has rigged its elections in a way that makes it impossible for Republicans to win, Republicans have little power in the state legislature. I therefore don’t expect this bill to pass.
Jack Johnson – Flake
An evening pause: Performed live 2010.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
Japan’s Epsilon rocket successfully launches radar satellite
Japan today successfully completed its first launch of 2018, placing an experimental radar satellite into orbit that was built under a new cost saving approach.
The ASNARO satellites are designed to be small, lightweight spacecraft with masses around 900-1,300 pounds (400-600 kilograms) with a common spacecraft bus largely built from commercial-off-the-shelf parts and interchangeable payload sections. This commonality is designed to reduce cost and simplify mission planning and preparation.
Epsilon itself is also designed under the same approach. Both are part of Japan’s effort to streamline its space industry to make it more competitive.
The launch standings:
3 China
1 SpaceX
1 ULA
1 India
1 Japan
Falcon Heavy static fire now set for January 19
SpaceX has now scheduled its next attempt complete a static fire test of its Falcon Heavy rocket for Friday, January 19, with a window beginning at 3:30 pm.