Tag: 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.

• Airbus planning a giant module for the private Starlab space station that will require Starship to launch

More details here [pdf]. They are targeting a 2028 launch.

 

• Washington Post article helping astronomers push to save Chandra

It is all a lobbying game. As part of typical budget negotiations, NASA has proposed terminating Chandra, in order to force Congress to give it more money. Articles like this are part of the game.

 

• China’s own GPS-type constellation almost certainly provided Iran the location data for its Israel drone attack

The tweet suggests if so it will hurt China’s space reputation. I say the only ones who will be surprised by this are the utterly naive, or China’s fellow travelers.

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.

• Firefly touts new software available to its customers in orbit

They already have a new customer who will demonstrate this new software for them.

 

• Chinese pseudo-company Ispace to build a rocket assembly facility at China’s coastal Wenchang spaceport

Including Ispace, four pseudo-companies have similar plans at Wenchang, but the government is building only one pad for their use. Since it appears the governement is retaining control over launches, it will either have to build more pads, or decide at some point more to shutdown some of these pseudo-companies. Since this is China, the companies aren’t real, and can be confiscated or shuttered at will by the communists.

 

• FAA denies stories that it plans to tax commercial space launches

The NYTimes had reported that the Biden administration was considering these taxes. I guarantee it still is, and will push for them should it remain in power after November.

 

• On this day in 1970 Apollo 13 launched

The mission became a desperate rescue mission, not a lunar mission, when an explosion in the Apollo capsule’s service module occurred on the way to the Moon. It took some amazing improvisions in space and on the ground to get the crew home safely.

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.

Note also that your host today is under the weather, so no culture/political column. I’m posting the quick links early also so I can hit the sack.

• View of the solar eclipse from a Starlink satellite on orbit

• Vast’s Haven-1 announces its Haven-1 commercial space station will use Starlink for internet communications

Vast hopes to launch this first station module by August 2025, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Two manned missions are supposedly already scheduled to follow.

 

• Video of Angara launch abort early today

The abort was caused by “a center core oxidizer tank pressurization system anomaly,” according to Roscosmos head Yuri Borisov. You can hear some sound burst at T-2:43, but there is nothing visible, so the sound could simply be some expected venting. They are going to try again tomorrow.

 

• Astrobotic’s own mini-rover, CubeRover, is now going to fly on the company’s Griffin lunar lander

To me, this suggests they have unsold payload space. They might as well fly this rover to demonstrate its capabilities.

 

• On this day 55 years ago NASA introduced the seven astronauts it had selected for its Mercury manned space program

They were Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, Gordon Cooper, Wally Schirra, Deke Slayton, John Glenn, and Scott Carpenter.

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 astronaut Koichi Wakata joins Axiom Space

• Sierra Space developing heat shield system designed to return small payloads from space

They are doing drop tests now. The goal is to place orbital supplies in orbit that can be delivered precisely on command to soldiers on the ground.

 

• Chinese factory set to begin producing 1,000 satellites yearly

The satellites are likely intended to compete with Starlink.

 

• China building a launchpad at its Jinquan spaceport in northwest China for pseudo-commerical companies

Related tweet here. The obvious goal is to isolate the commercial rockets from the military ones, while maintaining a tight control over the pseudo-companies. The commercial pads being built in two places in China will be where they are required to launch from, and if they don’t do as told launch access will be denied.

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.

• ULA releases 28-page comic book about the origins of the Vulcan rocket

The link lets you download or view a pdf of the comic book.

 

• Space Force reiterates its requirement that ULA fly Vulcan twice before awarding it any launch contracts

According to Jay, rumors are now suggesting that the delay for the next Vulcan launch is not due to preparing Sierra’s Tenacity Dream Chaser cargo ship, but Blue Origin’s BE-4 engines that Vulcan requires. I doubt this. Tenacity only started its environmental testing a few weeks ago, and this testing can take at minimum two months, and more if anything goes wrong and needs fixing.

 

• One of the two test smallsats launched to lunar orbit with China’s Quequao-2 communications relay satellite, Tiandu-2, has now completed two of its engineering tests

The satellite has tested “key propulsion techniques [and using] a 3D printed storage box.” That’s all they tell us.

 

• Virgin Galactic counter-sues Boeing over broken deal

A true battle of insects. Boeing had been hired by Virgin to build a new mother airplane for its suborbital flights. After doing some work, Boeing decided the job couldn’t be done, withdrew, but then sued to get paid. Virgin is now claiming Boeing’s work was “shoddy and incomplete” and so poor it doesn’t deserve any payments.

 

• SpaceX’s head Gwynne Shotwell says the federal bureaucracy is slowing their work significantly

She thus confirms what I have been saying now for several years, since Biden took power. The federal government is now a major obstacle to private enterprise and innovation.

 

• On this day in 1990, Orbital Sciences flew its air-launched Pegasus rocket for the first time

Pegasus was intended to reduce orbital costs, but it never did so, and is now defunct because its cost can’t compete with SpaceX and others.

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.

• Starlink soon to be approved for Indonesia

There appears to be a lot of red tape still in the way, but it is expected the service will be available by the end of the year.

 

• Sierra Space once again touts the environmental testing its Tenacity Dream Chaser mini-shuttle is undergoing in prepartion for launch

Meanwhile, there are rumors this testing is delaying the launch until the fall, and that ULA wants to bump Tenacity from its second Vulcan launch because of these delays. ULA needs that second launch quickly in order to begin doing military launches.

 

• Chinese pseudo-company Landspace moves up first launch of its Zhuque-3 rocket six months to mid-2025

Officials also say it might recover the first stage before the end of ’25 if “they get lucky.”

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.

• Rumors are that Blue Origin’s purchase of ULA will be announced next week

• CURIE two cubesat mission will launch on Ariane 6’s first flight

CURIE is a student-built probe and is part of a cubesat initiative funded partly by NASA.

 

• Video from North Korea of a test launch of what it claims is a “mid-to long-range solid-fuel, hypersonic missile”

The explosive burst at launch makes me wonder if the solid-fuel wasn’t evenly installed. North Korea’s claims about this missile are also unsubstantiated.

 

• On this day in 1984 the first Indian flew in space, on a Soyuz heading to the Salyut-7 space station

When this crew arrived, the Soviets for the first time had two crews of three on a space station.

 

• Rocket Factory Augsburg touts completion of five engines for installation on its RFA-1 rocket

It hopes to launch sometime this year from the Saxavord spaceport in the Shetland Islands, Scotland, assuming the UK’s bureaucracy finally issues launch permits.

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.

• Head of France’s space agency visits Axiom

In recent weeks France has suddenly discovered the wonders of capitalism. This visit likely involves its recognition that ISS is soon going away, and that it will have to then deal with private commercial station operators.

 

• Canadian government loans Telesat C$2.14 billion to build its own low orbit satellite constellation to compete with Starlink

More details here. The deal was finalized when Telesat switched from a European satellite manufacturer to a Canadian one.

 

• Chinese pseudo-company Space Pioneer touts the nine engine confirguration of its proposed Tianlong-3 rocket

Hot fire tests are to start this month.

 

• On April 1, 1960 Tiros-1, the first weather satellite, was launched

It had two cameras, operated for about 2.5 months, and produced just under 23,000 pictures. It also provided meteorologists their first global view of cloud structures.

 

• The movie 2001 A Space Odyssey premiered on this day in 1968

Too bad most of what it predicted in space for the rest of the 20th century never happened, and is only now beginning to come true.

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.

• Pipeline issue in ground systems caused Delta-4 Heavy scrub last week

Launch is now scheduled for April 8, 2024.

 

• Video of Russian Soyuz-2 launch this past weekend

I’ve cued to about T-30 seconds. Some beautiful footage.

 

• US court asks India to pay $132 million to Deutsche Telekom in Devas Antrix case

Don’t ask me to explain this. The Devas Antrix legal case has been wandering through various international courts since 2005, and I have never been able to find a clear explanation for the court battles. What I do know is that it involves Antrix, what was then the commercial arm of India’s ISRO space agency, and a number of international companies, all of which have sued when the project was canceled.

 

• China touts a facility supposedly developing and testing electric satellite propulsion

Commercial satellites have been using this technology now for probably two-plus decades.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay, who also tipped me off to the China and Japan stories immediately below. 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.

• China touts some of the scientific discoveries from lunar samples brought back by Chang’e-5

In this case nothing significantly new, but good data nonetheless.

 

• European company Thales Athenia touts the hulls it is building for Northrop Grumman’s next generation Cygnus capsule

The new modules will allow Cygnus to carry almost double the cargo from the first Cygnus freighters.

 

• Starlink now available in Argentina

This is the seventh country in South American and 72nd worldwide that has signed on.

 

• Indian rocket startup Skyroot successfully tests the 2nd stage engine for its proposed Vikram-1 rocket

No word on when the other Indian rocket startup, Agnikul, will do its first suborbital test launch, which it scrubbed last week.

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.

• Rocket Lab touts its achievements and puts out a call for new people to join it

• Chinese pseudo-company Land Space starts manufacturing its stainless steel rocket body

Gee, I wonder where they got the idea to go back to steel?

 

• NASA official expects problem with Voyager-1 to be resolved

There is no story here, as this bureaucrat is simply repeating what the engineering team has already told us.

 

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.

• Video of Soyuz-2 upper stage coming down over inhabited parts of Russia

The flight tract and impact location shown here. This stage spent almost two days in orbit. Most of it probably burnt up in the atmosphere.

 

• Largest version of Russia’s new Angara rocket, Angara-A5, now vertical on launchpad for the first time

The first test launch from Vostochny has an April 6-10 launch window. The rocket is comparable to China’s Long March 5, capable of putting about 24 tons in orbit.

 

• Boeing and Aurora (a Boeing subsidiary) sue Virgin Galactic for $26.4 million

Virgin had hired them to build a replacement for the WhiteKnight mother ship used to launch SpaceShipTwo. They submitted plans, but then decided to back out of the deal, saying they could not complete the ship as Virgin Galactic wanted. They are now suing for payment of work done.

 

• Hi-res video of Starship/Superheavy during launch

Quite spectacular. Hat tip to John Batchelor for sending me the link.

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.

• Weather 30% for March 28, 2024 launch of ULA’s last Delta-4 Heavy

Launch is presently scheduled for 1:40 pm Eastern.

 

• China’s Queqiao-2 communications satellite is now in lunar orbit

Note that this is not its final orbit. Adjustments still have to be made. This short video (in Chinese) supposedly describes how the satellite will do its job.

 

• Soyuz-2 capsule docks with ISS

• Buzz Aldrin wishes Jim Lovell a happy 96th birthday today

Of all the Apollo astronauts, these two were probably the biggest space cadets of them all.

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.

• Chinese pseudo-company Space Pioneer touts its carbon fiber fairings

• Sierra Space’s first Dream Chaser mini-shuttle, Tenacity, begins environmental testing

These tests will confirm that the spacecraft can resist the harsh environment of space.

 

• Roscosmos approves new March 23, 2024 launch date for manned Soyuz after launch abort

It will dock with ISS two days later.

 

• On this day in 1982 the third flight of the space shuttle Columbia took place

As the tweet notes, this was the first flight where NASA did not paint the external tank, saving 600 pounds in weight. It was the third of four manned test flights of Columbia, after which NASA declared the shuttle operational.

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.

• Space Force awards three contracts for developing orbital servicing technologies

The contracts went to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, and a new startup Spacebilt.

 

• Rocket Factory Augsburg touts its proposed Argo cargo freighter

The link provides a detailed description of this new spacecraft, clearly intended to provide ferrying services to the upcoming future space stations, with its most likely customer the Starlab station being built by Voyager Space, which is partnering with ESA and Airbus. This German company hopes to launch it by 2028.

 

• Chinese pseudo-company delivers 1st stage engines for another Chinese pseudo-company

The engines are for Space Pioneer’s Tianlong-3 rocket, which is essentially a copy of Falcon 9, and hopes to do a first launch in July.

 

• Astronomers complain about budget cuts to Hubble and Chandra

Hey, if you are going to push for expensive, overbudget, and behind-schedule boondoggles like the Roman Space Telescope, you better recognize that real telescopes will suffer to pay for them.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay, who has finally returned from the Solomon Islands after his DX ham expedition (a week late). As he wrote me,

Flights got cancelled on my last week and we were stuck for another week in the Solomons. One of the reasons why we got flown off was it is election time next month, so all the politicians are flying as well. Never fly Fiji Airlines and Solomon Airlines.

I did go to the sites of the battles during the Guadal Canal campaigns during WW2, those are bloody battles that you do not hear or read about.

The Solomon Islands is a third world country and they hate the Chinese. The people are pissed off that their elected officials sold their fishing rights to the Chinese for $85,000. Yes, you read that correctly, a multi-million dollar industry for $85,000 USD. Lots of graft and corruption there. They have so much potential, and they squander it. Only a three hour jump to the west is Fiji, and it enjoys a huge booming tourist economy.

On to the quick links. 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.

• ULA’s CEO touts the Vulcan upper stages now ready in its manufacturing building

Three are shown in the image, suggesting ULA is ready for at least that many launches, assuming Blue Origin delivers the necessary first stage engines.

 

• Boeing has begun fueling Starliner for launch

Takes about two weeks. Once completed the capsule will be sent to ULA’s assembly building for stacking on the rocket. This loading however says they are now committed to the May launch.

 

• Video of the flight crew preparing in Kazakhstan for launch to ISS this week

The launch is scheduled for March 21, 2024 on a Soyuz-2 rocket.

 

• Image of China’s Queqiao-2 lunar relay satellite

It will be used to relay signals from China’s next mission to the far side of the Moon. Launch is expected later today.

 

• On this day in 1965, Aleksei Leonov did the first spacewalk in history

The spacewalk had been hurriedly put together to beat the planned U.S. spacewalk on an upcoming Gemini mission. As such, Leonov’s spacesuit was not ideal for the task. It expanded so much in space that he had great difficulty getting back inside the capsule.

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.

This will be Jay’s last quick space links post until March 11th, as he is off to the Solomon Islands as part of a ham radio DX expedition. For those other hams who want to try to make contact with him during this expedition, the call sign is H40WA.

Note too that posting has been light today because of software issue that prevents me from uploading images. I hope it will be fixed momentarily.

• Intuitive Machines Odysseus lunar lander is in good shape on its way to the Moon

Arrival is now in seven days.

 

• Launch by India of its GSLV rocket carrying Insat satellite two days away

Launch time will be on February 17, 2023 at 4:04 am (Pacific).

 

• Europe’s Euclid orbiting space telescope now operational and is beginning its survey of billions of galaxies

Astronomers hope the data will help solve the mystery of both dark energy and dark matter.

 

• On this date in 1990, Voyager-1 looked back and took a picture of Earth as seen from the outer edge of the solar system

Environmentalists dubbed this “The pale blue dot image.”

 

• On this date in 1973 Pioneer 10 became the first human spacecraft to pass through the asteroid belt

It would fly past Jupiter in December 1973, and operate until 1997 on its journey outward beyond the solar system.

 

• On this date in 1564 Galileo Galilei was born

He invented the telescope, discovered the Galilean moons of Jupiter, and proved that Copernicus was right, the Sun is the center of the solar system.

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.

• Thales Alenia touts its work building Axiom’s first module of its private space station

Axiom hopes to launch that module and attach it to ISS in 2026.

 

• Pan across 2004 Cassini high resolution photo of the Saturn moon Phoebe

Shows in detail this moon’s rough and cratered surface. The moon, irregularly shaped, has a retrograde orbit around Saturn, suggesting it is a captured asteroid.

 

• First observation from India’s Xposat X-ray telescope, launched in January

The data shows the X-ray pulse of the pulsar at the center of he Crab nebula.

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.

• Video of factory deployment test of solar sail

The test, in partnership with Redwire and NASA, deployed one quarter of the full sail, which would cover almost 18,000 square feet.

 

• Stop-action video from Sierra Space showing assembly of Tenacity and its Shooting Star cargo capsule

Launch had been targeting the first half of this year, but at present no launch date has been scheduled.

 

• SpaceX to de-orbit about 100 early Starlink satellites

The company is concerned a failure might make it impossible to de-orbit them properly, leaving them in orbit as space junk.

 

• Progress undocks from ISS

This undocking today clears the Zvezda port for a new Progress launching on February 15, 2024. Note the use of Zvezda. When stress fractures were found in that module, Russia had said it would no longer dock there. Apparently the Russians are now satisfied that the repairs done by their astronauts are sufficient to prevent further fractures and leaks. Or maybe the Russians are willing to deal with the risk for the few years left before ISS is retired.

 

• Cassini’s first good picture of the Saturn moon Mimas, taken on this day in 2010

As Han Solo said in Star Wars, “That’s no moon.”

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.

• Next Progress cargo ship to resupply ISS arrives at launchpad at Baikonur

Launch is scheduled for 10:25 pm (Eastern) on February 14, 2024.

 

• ULA CEO Tory Bruno touts success of first Vulcan launch

He has every right to brag. While not out of the woods quite yet, he took a dying compnay and revitalized it.

 

• New Glenn first stage test vehicle now at launchpad

This is not an actual first stage, but a dummy used to test and rehearse fueling and countdown procedures prior to that first launch, now four years late.

 

• On this date in 2001 the NEAR probe landed on Eros

The landing ended the mission, as the spacecraft was built as an orbiter. It however was able to get a last picture just before its relatively soft impact.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.

• NASA installs experimental optical antenna for receiving laser communications from space

Located at Goldstone in California, it is being used to prove that NASA’s Deep Space Network can be modified for receiving and sending data from and to planetary probes.

 

• Scientists propose hidden moon of 155-mile-wide asteroid could be sheparding its rings

The theory is based solely on computer simulations, and thus should be treated with skepticism.

 

• On this day in 1828 Jules Verne was born

Verne is considered by most to be the first modern science fiction writer.

Posted early because I am off to be a volunteer at this year’s annual Night to Shine event, founded by Tim Tebow.

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.

• BE-4 engine rolled out for installation on ULA’s next Vulcan rocket

Jay writes, “Rumor is that there are only five BE4 engines built after the last two were used.” If so, there will be serious shortage once ULA starts launching Vulcans at the rate it plans, twice a month.

 

• Webb detects two exoplanets orbiting two different white dwarfs

Neither detection is as yet confirmed.

 

• Russian proposal to fly a “Kosmoplan space plane (a kind of BOR-4/Fat Spiral) for the future Russian space station”

This is essentially their version of Dream Chaser. It is also nothing more than a powerpoint presentation. Based on past Russian performance, the odds of it getting built are slim to none.

 

• Japanese lunar lander company Ispace unveils its micro-rover

It is named Resilience, and will fly on their second lunar landing mission, Hakuto-R2.

 

• Six years ago today the Falcon Heavy launched successfully

My 2018 post on that launch can be read here.

• Today in 1984 astronaut Bruce McCandless performed the first untethered spacewalk using a jetpack

While neat, NASA found the jetpack impractical and abandoned it. It was simpler to do ordinary tethered spacewalks then deal with the jetpack’s added weight and complexity

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.

• Lynk Global finalizes SPAC investment deal merger

The company presently has a 3-satellite constellation providing internet access to a number of remote locations.

 

• Chinese pseudo-company is considering launching its rockets using “an electromagnetic catapult system”

They say it would increase the rocket’s payload capacity, but so would anti-gravity. We should believe this only when we see it.

 

• Russia proposes new plan for its post-ISS space station infrastructure

Even less likely than the Chinese proposal above. Or if it does happen, it will not happen for at least ten years from now. Got to keep those jobs funded for as long as possible, whether or not Roscosmos builds anything.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.

• Axiom’s commercial passenger flight to ISS targeting an undocking and return to Earth tomorrow.

Undocking will be at 9:05 am (Eastern), depending on weather conditions at the splashdown point.

 

• Chinese pseudo-company planning G60 satellite constellation competitive with Starlink raises about $1 billion

Clearly Chinese investors expect to make money on this constellation. They of course must hope the communists don’t decide to confisicate it at any point.

 

• Spaceport America in New Mexico tries to convince everyone to launch rockets from its inland location

A dumb article and a dumb idea. No one is going to approve orbital launches from an inland spaceport until rockets become a lot more reliable landing their first stages.

 

• Oleg Kononenko sets new record for the most time spent, exceeding 878 days over five flights

In June he will exceed 1000 days.

 

• Teasing details about India’s proposed space station

First module will fly uninhabited and will be used to practice rendezvous and docking technologies.

 

• On this day in 1971 Apollo 14 landed on the Moon

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.

• Blue Origin boasts about its proposed Blue Ring orbital tug

As always, company officials make a lot of promises. As always, the only thing that counts is actual achievement, something that Blue Origin has so far lacked.

 

• Related: Video of Blue Origin engine test in Huntsville of a BE-4 engine

To speed production the company is now doing static fire engine tests in Huntsville and at its Texas facility.

 

• SpaceX experiences engine failure during Merlin static fire test at its Texas facility

The company has been working to upgrade Merlin so that it can fly as many as 30 times. This might have been a test-to-failure as part of that program. Or not.

 

• 40 members of Congress send letter to NASA, complaining about cuts to Mars Sample Return mission

It’s all a game. NASA makes the cuts to generate protests. Congress screams and protests. The two get together and fund everything, then claiming they saved the world. In this game however no one ever asks: “Is the project as designed worth the money? Can this be done a better way?” To ask such questions would suggest maybe the money shouldn’t be spent, and that concept is wholly alien to these swamp players.

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. I also apologize for the lack of posting today, as I have been dealing with eye doctors.

• Flight path over the ocean for Chinese launch from ocean barge tonight

The rocket is the Jielong-3, or Smart Dragon-3, on its third launch, lifting off at 7 pm (Pacific) tonight but tomorrow in China.

 

• Video of Cygnus freighter being berthed to ISS today

• On this day in 2003 the space shuttle Columbia broke up while returning from orbit

• Gaganyaan test capsule used for launch abort flight to be refurbished for future launchpad abort test

The launch abort test was in October 2023. The launchpad abort test is expected later this year.

 

• Full production of Russia’s new Angara rocket won’t begin for at least one to one-and-a-half years

That’s at least a six month delay from previous promises. It also means Russia will take more than two decades to design and build this rocket.

 

• New section of second Starship launch tower ready for shipment from Cape Canaveral to Boca Chica by barge

I could be wrong, but it appears SpaceX finds building the tower sections in Florida for all of its Starship/Superheavy launchpads (in both Florida and Texas) is more efficient than building tower sections in both places.

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.

• Video of Sierra Space’s Tenacity Dream Chaser mini-shuttle being mounted on test vibration table

This is part of final testing prior to its launch on a Vulcan rocket later this year.

 

• Another rocky exoplanet discovered orbiting its star in only days

It is slightly larger than the Earth but has a mass 2.5 times greater. With an orbital year only 13. 7 hours long, it will be a very hot place to live, estimated to average about 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

• First launch of Ariane-6 remains on schedule for a June 15 to July 31, 2024 window

They expect to ship the rocket to French Guiana next month.

 

• On this day in 1958 the U.S. launched its first satellite

• On this day in 1971 Apollo 14 was launched to the Moon

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.

• Ingenuity’s use of off-the-shelf commercial products will be a game-changer for space engineering

The article provides a nice summary of Ingenuity’s overall future impact, but notes that its use of such products might be its biggest legacy. Their use would significantly reduce the cost of future government space probes, and based on its experience with the helicopter NASA might be more willing to accept their use in the future.

 

• Explosion heard yesterday in Shanghai was due to a test-to-failure tank test by a Chinese pseudo-company

At least, that is what China is telling us.

 

• China ignites and operates its first 50-kilowatt nested Hall thruster, proving the ability of two-ring ignition

Jay notes that the University of Michigan tested a 3-channel ion thruster some years ago, suggesting that though China has done good work here, it is still years behind.

 

• Weather looks good for Rocket Lab’s next launch tomorrow

Right now the launch is targeting a 1:15 am (Eastern) launch tonight. Live stream available here.

 

• On this date in 1964 Ranger 6 was launched, hitting the Moon as planned but failing to transmit any images during its plunge to the surface

It was the third spacecraft to impact the Moon, and the first in the Ranger program to do so. It wasn’t until Ranger 7 six months later that a mission succeeded in sending pictures back before crashing.

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.

• Rocket startup Stoke Space files permit for building launch pad at Cape Canaveral

Stoke is the company with the radical engine design, involving a ring of tiny thrust outlets instead of a main engine with one big nozzle. It has raised $100 million in investment capital, and hopes to use this design to produce a completely reusable rocket.

 

• Possible explosion at Shanghai facility for Chinese pseudo-company Landspace

This is not confirmed, there are no details available, and the video at the link only provides audio of a boom while showing nothing but a quiet street scene. The tweet cites “leaked documents,” whatever that signifies.