Tag: quick space links

Courtesy of stringer Jay, whose help is making BtB much better.

• SOFIA makes its final flight to Tucson to become exhibit at Pima museum

This 747 (configured to be an astronomy telescope) was always too costly for the relatively small amount of research it could produce.

 

• Landing system installed on Luna-25

This increases the chance that this much delayed lunar lander will actually launch in 2023.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.

• NASA begins testing of more SLS rocket engines

This story is certainly connected to the decision to buy more SLS’s from Boeing. The new rockets however won’t launch for years, so I suspect this testing is partly an effort to justify the high cost of SLS.

 

• Sierra Space successfully blows up a subscale inflatable station module

Video at the link. The press release is here. The test was to confirm the module’s ability to survive inflation in space.

 

• China’s space agency, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), completes more engine tests of high thrust engine

 

• First observations released from China’s Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S)

 

• India and Russia discussing sale of 10 Russian rocket engines to India

It would be puzzling if this deal went through, as India has made a very aggressive (and successful) effort in the past decade to replace all foreign engines on its rockets with homebuilt engines.

Courtesy of Jay, BtB’s stringer.

• ASTRA shares drop in one year from $8.78 down to $0.45

If the price does not increase to above one dollar by April, NASDAQ has said it would delist it. This price however is less than it was a month ago, so the trend has not been positive.

 

• A look at Chinese pseudo-company Landspace

The review treats all these Chinese companies like private American companies, without recognizing that they do nothing without the approval and full supervision of the government.

 

• French satellite antenna company Anywaves raises $3 million in investment capital

The company’s goal is to expand its business in the U.S.

 

• Video of Relativity engine test

The music track is quite annoying.

 

• Shenzhou-15 upper stage reentered atmosphere on December 11th, with some debris hitting the ocean

The debris landed southeast of Madagascar

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.

• Ham radio event celebrating 50th anniversary of Apollo 17

At the link do a search there for “Apollo 17”.

 

• China starts production of 20 Smart Dragon-3 rockets

This follows the rocket’s first successful launch earlier today.

 

• Hi-res satellite image of Landspace’s Zhuque-2 rocket vertical ahead of its maiden flight attempt

If this launches successfully as scheduled tomorrow, it will be the first rocket using methane to reach orbit, beating both SpaceX and Blue Origin.

 

• OneWeb reports it has successfully established communications with all 40 satellites launched by SpaceX

In its next tweet it thanks SpaceX for the launch.

 

• The next Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft are loaded for railroad shipment to launchsite

Courtesy of Jay, BtB’s Twitter stringer.

• Engineers lose contact with ICON satellite on November 25, 2022

Right now the situation does not look hopeful. The satellite was studying the interaction of the Sun with the Earth’s ionosphere, and completed its prime two-year mission a year ago.

 

• Satellites now ready for December 13th Ariane 5 launch

The launch will put into orbit two communications satellites and a weather satellite (the subject of the tweet above.) With this launch, there will only be two Ariane 5 launches left on Arianespace’s manifest.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.

• Chinese pseudo-company Landspace now targeting a December 10th launch of its Zhuque-2 rocket

If successful, it will be the first methane fueled rocket to reach orbit, beating both SpaceX and Blue Origin.

 

• Cubesats launched on most recent Cygnus deployed from ISS

Nice images of the deployment at the link.

 

• Startup Canadian company Stells touts its goal to provide wireless charging stations on the Moon

All the company has so far is a short animation, describing their concept. Nonetheless, such private companies to provide services to future lunar colonies are coming.

 

• Dawn Aerospace secures $20 million in private investment capital

The company previously flew five test flights of a small reusable spaceplane prototype (only slightly larger than a model airplane). The goal now, using the funds from its New Zealand investors, is to begin development of a full scale orbital version.

 

• Impulse Space tests new rocket thruster

As Jay notes, “You don’t hear much from this company, but they are doing work for other rocket companies.”

 

• Weather forces Rocket Lab to delay 1st launch from Wallops to December 13th

 

• Unidentified Oumuamua interstellar object is just now leaving the Solar System

I still think a mission could reach this object, but it would have to launch very soon, and thus is almost certain not to happen.

 

• Northrop Grumman lead bidding team for NASA manned lunar lander

This bid is in competition with Blue Origin’s bid, also announced today. Few details for either have been so far been revealed.

 

• Watch a 7 minute Chinese propaganda overview of its Tiangong-7 station

Propaganda aside, China has much to brag about here. The video provides a very nice overview of the station.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.

• Blue Origin is testing a method of catching the fairings of its not-yet-launched New Glenn rocket with a net

Scroll down to see the picture of the ship with net. SpaceX tried this technique aggressively, and abandoned it.

 

• First Rocket Lab launch from Wallops set for December 9, 2022

Two years overdue, due delays caused by NASA’s bureaucracy.

 

• Video of the re-entry of China’s manned Shenzhou-14 this past weekend

 

• Next launch of China’s Smart Dragon sea-launched rocket is set for December 9, 2022

The drop zone for the first stage is just to the east of Taiwan.

Courtesy of Jay, BtB’s intrepid stringer, trolling Tweeter so we don’t have to.

• ULA CEO Tori Bruno claims Blue Origin is building one BE-4 engine per week

You need to scroll down and read the thread, from the bottom up, to reach this conclusion. Whether Bruno is right remains unknown. Nothing Blue Origin has done so far suggests they are yet capable of this.

 

• Russian private company S7 negotiates with government to finalize transfer of its ownership of Sea Launch

Putin and his stooges have been pressuring S7 for years to gain control of Sea Launch, essentially bankrupting this private operation with fees and taxes.

 

• Russia’s Sphere broadband satellite constellation gets international regulatory approval

Whether this 600 satellite constellation eventually launches remains unknown, due to the Ukraine War sanctions that prevent Russia from obtaining financing and many necessary components.

 

• JAXA notes delivery in October ’22 of the propulsion system for its upgraded HTV-X1 cargo freighter to the assembly factory

The second image at the link shows the propulsion system attached to an earlier version of the HTV, with solar panels attached to the spacecraft walls rather than as fold-out solar panels as planned for the HTV-X1.

 

• Shenzhou-14, with three astronauts, is now scheduled to return on December 4, 2022

This second tweet shows the primary and backup landing zones.

 

• Sierra Space touts its upper stage Vortex engine

 

• South Korea awards contract Hanwha Aerospace $212 million contract to build three Nuri rockets

It appears the government wants to transfer production from the South Korean space agency, KARI, to this private company, though it also appears the government is not ceding ownership to the private company.

 

• Major management organization at Astra

According to CEO Chris Kemp, the reorganization has four engineering and manufacturing managers reporting directly to him, reducing a layer of management. Of the four managers involved, two once worked at Blue Origin, one at SpaceX, and one at Google.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer, Jay.

• Next two OneWeb satellite launches will be by SpaceX

India will launch the one after that.

 

• Popular Science magazine gives NASAWeb an award!

Pure idiocy, and another embarrassment for Popular Science, after it awarded Boeing an award for its magnificent work on Starliner.

 

• AST SpaceMobile looks to raise more investment capital

It appears the company — which wants to launch a constellation that would provide service to ordinary cell phones — has been squeezed between supply chain delays and FCC deadlines, which could cause it to lose its rights to certain frequencies. The extra cash is aimed at speeding satellite development.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.

• Photo of docking port on Tiangong-3, taken from Shenzhou-15 capsule

Video of the docking can be seen here.

 

• Japanese astronaut that falsified research data will still fly his mission to ISS

In other words, according to Japan’s space agency JAXA, its okay for an astronaut to be dishonest and corrupt.

 

• Boeing says it achieved all goals during second Starliner unmanned demo mission

In making this statement Boeing also touted Popular Science giving it the 2022 “Best of What’s New” award. As Jay so correctly notes, “Talk about a rigged vote! Good thing I quit subscribing to PopSci five years ago.” Considering how behind schedule Starliner is, and considering the numerous other new rocket companies flying this year, this award is an embarrassment to Popular Science.

Thanks to BtB’s stringer Jay for digging these up.

• ULA installs engines on Centaur, the Vulcan upper stage

This Centaur will be on Vulcan’s inaugural launch, presently scheduled for next year.

 

• IAU issues statement complaining about the brightnees of AST Spacemobile’s BlueWalker-3 satellite

Essentially, astronomers are unhappy both about its brightness and its use of radio frequencies. The first could interfere with optical astronomy, the second with radio astronomy.

Once again, the solution is obvious: Stop building ground-based telescopes and build them in space, beyond Earth orbit, so these needed orbiting constellations won’t get in their way.

 

• South Korean leader pushes for unmanned landing on Moon by ’32, and on Mars by ’45

A decade to launch a lunar lander, eh? Both Israel and the UAE went from concept to launch in less than five years. South Korea should be able to do as well, if not better. If not, then this is really nothing more than a jobs program.

 

• Engineers continue efforts to communication with IceCube, launched on SLS

The cubesat was designed to go into lunar orbit, but engineers have so far failed to communicate with it since deployment.

Courtesy of Jay, BtB’s stringer.

• Shenzhou-15, with three astronauts, scheduled to launch at 10:08 am (Eastern) tomorrow

This will be the first time the Tiangong-3 station will be occupied by two three-person crews, performing its first crew rotation.

 

• Relativity touts 4-second video of one of its 3D printers

 

• Chinese government appears to prefer “Chinese Space Station” over “Tiangong-3”

I suspect officials decided they get more propaganda bang-for-the-buck with the more generic name. And on that note:

 

• China touts 9 international research projects to launch next year to its “China Space Station.”

Jay notes, with surprise, that this Twitter feed, China ‘N Asia Spaceflight, which mostly plugs China’s space achievements and thus should want to stay on that government’s good side, still tweeted about the lockdown riots in China.

Courtesy of Jay, BtB’s stringer, trolling Tweeter so you don’t have to.

• Another update on the space junk remaining in orbit from Russia’s destruction of Cosmos 1408 in 2021

There is uncertainty here. An earlier update said only 18 pieces of debris would still be in orbit in three years. This update predicts 44 pieces in three years.

 

• Some unusual visitors tour SpaceX’s Starship facility

I think, but cannot prove it, that those are retired early Starship/Superheavy prototypes, not active ships.

 

• Chinese pseudo-company Landspace sets December 3rd for first launch of its Zhuque-2 rocket

This is a liquid fueled methane-oxygen smallsat orbital rocket.

 

• Ground-based images of ISS and Tiangong-3, side-by-side

Jay correctly notes, “The scale is off, the picture shows Tiangong-3 as larger than what it is.” Comparing the Russian modules on ISS with Tiangong-3’s modules, I estimate that Tiangong-3 is about 30% smaller than shown.

 

• China plans a DART-copycat mission in ’25, impacting an asteroid

The tweet provides no information in English on the asteroid being targeted.

 

• SpaceX has begun attaching OneWeb satellites in preparation for Falcon 9 launch

This will be the first SpaceX launch of satellites for its competitor OneWeb, picking up the business the Russians intentionally abandoned.

 

• UK to build the new lander for ESA’s Franklin Mars rover

The launch of this long delayed rover is now targeting ’28. It was originally supposed to launch in ’20, was first delayed until ’22 because of parachute issues, then was delayed again when Europe and Russia ended their space partnership due to the Ukraine War.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.

• Damage to mobile launcher from SLS launch

More damage can be seen here. NASA apparently considers this damage no big deal, other than demonstrating how powerful SLS is.

 

• Blue Origin touts cooperative agreement with Space Force.

The deal is a first step toward becoming a launch provider for the Space Force. As Jay noted to me, “Wait, how many rockets does Blue Origin have again? How many have made it to orbit? How is that BE-4 going?”

 

• Next Shenzhou manned capsule on Long March 2F rolled to launchpad

Launch is scheduled for November 29th, and will facilitate the first on-station crew rotation on Tiangong-3.

 

• Chinese pseudo-company Orienspace says it will launch its solid rocket Gravitation-1 three times by early ’24

It also says it had ten more launches planned through ’25.

 

• Chinese pseudo-company Ispace lays off half its workforce

This reduction follows a failed rocket launch in May, the third in four attempts.

 

• ISRO preparing PSLV rocket for November 26th launch

The launch will place one Earth observation satellite and eight smallsats in orbit.

Courtesy of Jay, BtB’s stringer.

• Debris from “acoustic blanket” now thought to have caused Cygnus solar panel deployment failure

From the tweet: “Probably got snagged on the array when the fairing separated.” This conclusion is based on the images released two days ago.

 

• Anthony Zak at RussianSpaceWeb asks for donations & subscribers to keep his website going

 

• Video of a test article of Centaur, Vulcan’s upper stage, being inserted for testing

This was posted by ULA’s CEO, Tory Bruno. He does not say when this was done, nor provide clarity on a test or launch schedule.

 

• NASA declares inflatable heat shield test flown on Atlas-5 launch a success

And as the agency does so often, it now shuts things down, having no plans to fly it again. It could be scaled up for future Mars missions, but no such mission is presently planned. ULA, which partnered with NASA on the test, is likely to take this technology and use it to recover the 1st stage engines on Vulcan.

 

• China unveils a method using a net to capture the first stage of its proposed Long March 5G rocket

The tweet shows a picture of a small scale prototype test. An animation of the idea can be seen here. If built it would be a rare thing for China, a new concept not copied from others.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay, who trolls Twitter so we don’t have to.

• South Africa signs deal with NASA to build a communications ground station for Artemis Moon missions

The plan is for the dish to become operative in ’25. It remains a puzzle. Shouldn’t the recently upgraded Deep Space Network provide this service?

 

• First test launch of Russia’s new manned Oryol capsule delayed until ’25

Wanna bet they won’t meet this date either?

 

• Spacewalk on Tiangong-3 to install handrails and other hardware to facilitate future EVAs

The work was done yesterday, and was the third for the Shenzhou-14 crew.

 

• China publishes new five-year-plan covering 2021 to 2025, with a chapter outlining its space plans

The link goes to the Chinese language version, with only a small excerpt translated into English.

 

• Rocket Lab about to roll its Electron rocket to Wallops launchpad

The launch, set for December 7th, will the the company’s first from Wallops.

Courtesy of Jay, BtB’s stringer.

• A picture of Astrobotic’s almost completed Peregrine lunar lander

The tweet implies the company is about to ship this to ULA for launch on the first Vulcan launch, in the spring.

 

• Pictures comparing Cygnus on two different flights suggests debris caused the recent solar array deployment failure

It looks almost like an insulation blanket or tarp got caught there.

 

• Rocket Lab touts the solar cells it provide for Orion, now on the way to the Moon

Apparently Rocket Lab was a subcontractor for Europe’s service module.

Note that I have embedded NASA’s live stream of the SLS countdown to a 1:04 am (Eastern) launch tonight here:

Watching the first SLS launch tonight

As I also noted before, I advise waiting until after midnight before watching. Before that everything will be either NASA blather or watching paint dry.

The following quick links are courtesy of Jay, BtB’s stringer.

• Sierra Space touts a ’23 inaugaral launch of Dream Chaser

The picture of Tenacity, the first Dream Chaser cargo spacecraft, is certainly encouraging.

 

• Europe to begin drop tests in ’23 of small scale prototypes of its own reusable unmanned mini-shuttle, dubbed Space Rider

This spacecraft is comparable in concept to Dream Chaser. It takes off on a rocket and lands on a runway. Its development however is far behind, with the first orbital flight not until the end of ’24, but probably much later. It is also intended for two month orbital missions only, not as a freighter for anyone’s space station.

 

• Space Perspective buys ship to use as an ocean launch platform for its high altitude balloons

The company claims the ship will give them greater flexibility on where and when to launch their stratospheric balloon flights.

 

• Today is the anniversary of the only flight of Buran, the Soviet Union’s version of a space shuttle

It completed only two orbits, landed safely, and never flew again. There is a short video at the link showing the liftoff.

Courtesy of Jay, BtB’s on-the-ball stringer.

• Starlink now has a website allowing anyone to donate a terminal to charity

While you can pick some categories for where you’d like your donation to go, you cannot pick a specific charity. The final donation destination remains Starlink’s decision.

 

• Apple to soon provide emergency SOS service to phone customers

Initially it will only be available in the U.S. and Canada.

 

• A picture of a New Glenn fairing

The photographer says its a new fairing. Maybe. Either way, my heart be still.

 

• SpaceX Superheavy booster test apparently planned for tomorrow in Boca Chica

The company sent residents a warning notice.

 

• A six-second video of three exterior experimental payloads on the Tianzhou freighter docked to Tiangong-3

One of the payloads is a hydrogen-oxygen fuel-cell being developed for lunar manned missions.

 

• VERITAS managers lobby for reprieve from NASA decision to delay mission

There is a lot of political lobbying going on at NASA and at JPL right now for more cash from Congress (including a report that practically demands the taxpayers give JPL more, and give a lot), and this delay appears to be one of NASA’s bargaining chips. “Give us more and VERITAS won’t be delayed!”

 

• A new Chinese sea launch platform is experiencing a “significant delay.”

It was supposed to begin operations this year. Now construction is not expected to begin until next year.

 

• AST SpaceMobile has successfully deployed the largest orbital communications array ever

This deployment is a test satellite, dubbed BlueWalker-3, designed to demonstrate technology enabling standard cell phones to use satellites for broadband access in remote areas.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.

• The present state of the space insurance business

A very interesting and informative article on the state of the insurance business for rockets and satellites

 

• Images of China’s Tiangong-3 station, from in space and from the ground

Here, here, and here. The first was taken from the Tianzhou-4 cargo ship after it undocked. The second is a nice short movie. The third’s ground-based telescope was a bit unsteady, to put it mildly.

 

• NASA decides to continue Lunar Trailblazer, despite cost overruns

This might be throwing good money after bad, but then, that is what the government does routinely.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay, who also clued me into the two previous posts, which I decided to give more attention to. Thanks Jay!

• Chinese pseudo-company AAEngine tests landing legs for suborbital rocket

This sounding rocket is apparently based on the 2nd stage of an orbital version the company is building.

 

• Thales Alenia Space completes next Cygnus, ready for shipment to U.S.

I am not sure if Thales installs the solar panels. If so, I suspect they will want to wait before shipment in order get a report on why one panel did not deploy on the Cygnus now in orbit. It is also possible that Northrop Grumman installs the panels, and will handle any revisions after delivery.

 

• A closer look at Virgin Orbit’s financial picture

Apparently, the delays in the UK are seriously hurting the company. Because they only have one 747 carrier plane, Cosmic Girl, they can only do one launch at a time, which means later launches — and the revenue they produce — are pushed back. The company thus desperately needs a second 747 so the delays on one launch don’t impact others.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.

• OneWeb signs deal to build ground station in Angola

It will become operational in the second half of ’23, and will provide internet service to several nearby African nations. It also is planned as the first of several in Africa.

 

• SpaceX celebrates completion of 200th Raptor-2 engine

Just to get a little perspective, SpaceX built these 200 engines in about two years. In that same time, Blue Origin has struggled to build two BE-4 engines for ULA.

 

• Spain panics and shuts its airport in fear of Long March 5B core stage

Though I mince no words in my criticism of China for letting this stage crash uncontrolled, Spain’s action to shut down its airport was absurd.

There remains some uncertainty about the final impact point, which might actually be two, suggesting the stage broke in half early.

 

• China shows off its Merlin engine knockoff

Obviously, China’s ability to build this gives their space effort great capabilities, even if they steal the work of others.

 

Courtesy of Jay, BtB’s stringer.

• SpaceX celebrates completion of the 200th Falcon 9 second stage

Jay also notes that according to Elon Musk, “Falcon 9 now holds record for most launches of a single vehicle type in a year.”

 

• Rocket Lab completes solar panels for NASA’s Lunar Gateway space station

The panels were built by the company’s “New Mexico team.”

 

• SLS’s rollout to the launchpad for its first test launch to begin on November 4th at noon

The launch is still scheduled for November 14th, sending an Orion capsule around the Moon for a multi-week mission.

 

• Orbital sensors built by HEO Robotics capture images of China’s out-of-control Long March 5B core stage

There is a two frame movie at the link, made from that imagery.

 

• Roscosmos shuts down the Russian Space magazine

It appears this magazine began publication in 2006, and was financed by Roscosmos. It also appears that the Russians no longer have the funds to pay for it.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay.

• Chinese pseudo-company Space Pioneer shows illustration of proposed rocket spaceplane for point-to-point transportation

This is one I’ll believe when I see something real, not an illustration.

 

• Last Ariane-5 launch delayed until June 2023 due to issues with payload

“The delays are the result of Covid-caused business slowdowns and the lingering effects of an arsonist attack at prime contractor OHB SE in Bremen, Germany.”

 

• Long March 3B launch window opens tomorrow

The payload is a Chinese communications satellite.

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay, who reads Twitter so we don’t have to.

• Recent image of Tenacity, Sierra Space’s first Dream Chaser cargo spaceship

Maybe finally this spacecraft is getting close to launch, years late.

 

• Watching the November 6th launch of Antares carrying Cygnus cargo freighter

Jay says it succinctly: “This will be the second to the last flight of the Antares 220 rocket. After that, the next three flights of Cygnus be on Falcon 9 rockets, and then the new Antares 330 rocket powered by Firefly engines.” Antares 330 is targeting 2025 for first launch.

 

• ULA CEO Tori Bruno posts image of both flightworthy BE-4 engines, about to be mounted on Vulcan

Better late than never I guess. And these engines were certainly late.

 

• Chinese X-37B-copy spaceplane releases an object, suggesting an upcoming deorbit burn

Apparently on its previous flight it released an object also just prior to its return to Earth. No guarantee the same thing will happen this time, but the event is noted.

 

• Roscosmos official admits loss of foreign commercial business, creating budget shortfall

Gee, ya think maybe screwing OneWeb might not have been wise, from a business standpoint?