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.

• Rocket startup ABL experiences pad fire following static test firing

Apparently the rocket suffered ” irrecoverable damage”. This company did its first launch (a failure) in January 2023, completed the investigation and design changes required to fix the issues by October 2023. Since then little has happened.

 

• NASA expands its ground-based antenna network for communications beyond Earth orbit

Three antenna dishes to be added in New Mexico, South Africa, and Australia.

 

• Long article describing various nuclear powered rocket engines under development

Jay’s comment says it all: “I will believe it when I see it. Every time they put money into a NERVA program, all it does is produce a report with the same data as the first project or the money gets moved into another project. I have seen it twice before.”

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.

• China touts new system for holding down stages during static test fires

It is (surprise!) a copy of the collar and hold-down guide wires that SpaceX used previously.

 

• China’s X-37B copy spaceplane lowered its orbit sometime around July 18-19

It might be preparing to return to Earth, or not.

 

• Today in 1994 the broken pieces of Comet Shoemaker-Levy collided with Jupiter

Fortunately Hubble’s fuzzy vision had been repaired a year earlier, and its produced some spectacular pictures and amazing data.

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.

• Vaya and Scorpius sign deal to work together to build cryogenic oxidizer tank

Lots of blather in the press release, with little concrete information.

 

• Blue Origin releases video of test deployment of New Glenn’s first stage landing legs

Unlike the Falcon 9’s four legs, New Glenn will have six, and they are stored inside the stage until deployment.

 

• Rocket Lab touts the production line of HASTE, the suborbital version of its Electron rocket

The picture shows at least seven stages, but only two have the “HASTE” logo, so it isn’t clear how many are for suborbital or orbital flights.

 

• China touts test success of “key cabin segment” of Lijiuan-2 (Kinetica-2) liquid-fueled rocket

I have no idea from this tweet what exactly they did or tested.

 

• Today in 1966 John Young and Michael Collins launched on Gemini 10

This mission completed the first entirely successful docking, followed by a rendezvous with a second target spacecraft. Gemini 8 had docked but had to abort shortly thereafter due to out-of-control thruster, and Gemini 9 couldn’t dock because the shroud did not release properly from the target spacecraft.

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.

• SpaceX touts an artist’s illustration of its proposed ISS de-orbit spacecrat

The tweet notes the vehicle will have ” 6x more propellant and 4x the power of today’s Dragon spacecraft.”

 


• Rocket Factory Augsburg releases video of full duration static fire test of its rocket’s third stage engine

The test duplicated the two firings that would occur on the flight, with a 40 minute coasting phase in between. It is now ready for launch.

One thing I found fascinating was that the engineers doing the test did it in English, even though this is a German company working in Germany.

 


• On this day in 1975 an Apollo capsule docked with a Soviet Soyuz capsule during the first American-Soviet joint mission

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay, who has now returned from a business trip to the People’s Republic of California. 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 CEO accused of “inappropriate relationship” with female employee

The allegations are less significant than the indications that there has been an exodus of “multiple executives in the last six months due to problems with the company’s leadership.”

 

• New artist renderings of Stoke Space’s proposed Nova rocket

More info here. The tweet above suggests the rocket has changed significantly from earlier versions.

 

• New Chinese pseudo-company, Cosmoleap, proposes catching its rockets with tower chopsticks

I wonder where they stole that idea.

 

• On this day in 1969 Apollo 11 was launched

Armstrong and Aldrin would land on the Moon five days later.

 

• On this day in 1945 the U.S. detonated its first nuclear weapon near Alamogordo, New Mexico

Since the fall of the Soviet Unioni, people seem to forget that we are still living with the threat of nuclear war capable of destroying all life on Earth.

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.

• The stock value of South Korean rocket startup Innospace tumbles on first day of public trading

The company has done one suborbital test launch in Brazil, and hopes to do an orbital test launch in the first half of 2025.

 

• Rocket Lab touts its ability to deliver smallsats to their planned orbit, within meters

• Radar images of two asteroids during close fly-by of Earth

One zipped past on June 27th at a distance of 4.1 million miles, and the second on June 29th at a distance of 184,000 miles.

 

• New drone video looking down at Tianlong-3’s unplanned launch during static fire test

The footage suggests an engine explosion might have broken the clamps holding the stage in place.

 

• On this day in 1989 Voyager-2 sent back an image of Neptune and its moon Triton

It was still 47 million miles from Neptune, with the closest approach of 3,000 miles to occur in two months, on August 25, 1989.

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.

• FCC says it’s impractical for satellite constellations to block coverage to specific nations

Proves the incompetence of these bureaucrats. Satellite operators have done this for years, with only minor issues.

 

• English translation of Space Pioneer’s apology letter to nearby residents for its failed static fire test on June 30th

You can feel the Chicoms breathing down the pseudo-company’s neck.

 

• Roscosmos approves schedule for building new Russian space station

First module is supposed to launch in 2027. You wanna bet?

 

• India’s Aditya solar telescope just completed its halo orbit around Lagrange 1

The orbit took 178 days, and involved three engine burns to maintain its position.

 

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 conducts rapid launch operation, transporting payload fairing to pad and mating it to Alpha rocket just 14 hours before launch

That liftoff is scheduled for 9:03 pm (Pacific) tonight. The live stream is here.

 

• Axiom to put a prototype data center unit on ISS this year for software testing

Four quick links in connection to Space Pioneer’s static fire test catastrophe yesterday:

• According to specs, stand stage “load limit” is 600 tons, while the thrust in test is 820 tons and rocket weight is <590t. If “load limit” is for thrust, it’s a basic mistake

• Space Pioneer’s own report: “Connection structure failure of the test stand with the first stage. Personnel evacuated before the test & no casualty”

• Picture of crash site of Tianlong-3 test first stage

• Company say it will continue rocket tests, but no large-scale ones in the near future

I think the company is going to have to explain itself to the Chinese government, which is likely to take a much closer interest in what these pseudo-companies are doing. This will not be to prevent dangerous accidents, but to use this most recent accident as a ploy to gain full control of these pseudo-companies.

 

• Next Cygnus cargo mission will be named after astronaut Dick Scobee, who died in the 1986 Challenger failure

The freighter will be launched by a Falcon 9 sometime in August.

 

• Mars Odyssey just completed its 100,000th orbit around Mars

It was launched in 2001, and has been in orbit for more than two decades. Nowadays it mostly serves as a communications satellite, relaying data from the rovers/landers back to Earth.

 

• ISRO head says design of first module for India’s space station is complete

ISRO hopes to launch that module by 2028.

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.

• Ham radio operator detects change in Chang’e-6 orbit around Moon

It isn’t clear whether this was the previous orbit adjustment, a new one, or the burn that would send the sample return capsule back to Earth.

 

• Webb detects aligned jets in protostars

This was a press release that I thought vastly overstated what was detected by Webb. I thought however if Jay wants to provide a link, why not?

 

• NASA again touts the wonders of its not-yet-launched and behind schedule Lunar Gateway space station

You can usually measure the budget needs of a NASA project by the number of press releases like this. The more there are, the more the project is overbudget, behind schedule, and desperate to convince everyone it must get fully funded, no matter what.

 

• Ariane-6 successfully completes full dress reheasal countdown

The launch is still scheduled for July 9, 2024, only four-plus years behind schedule.

 

• On this day 20 years ago SpaceShipOne became the first privately funded and built spaceship to reach space

And as they say, the rest is history.

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.

• Starlab space station partners with AI software company Palantir

They will use the AI software to operate the station once in orbit.

 

• Blue Origin touts a picture of its BE-7 rocket engine

The engine is to be used on the company’s proposed Blue Moon manned lunar landers

 

• Hawaii-based International Lunar Observator (ILO) signs deal with China to put telescope on Chang’e-7 lunar mission

ILO has been around for awhile, trying repeatedly to get a private optical telescope on the Moon.

 

• NASA touts the planned mass of Lunar Gateway at 63 metric tons

The tweet notes that this mass is equivalent to “100 cows, 10 elephants, or 10 Webb telescopes!” Nice to know that the $10 billion-plus Webb equals 1 elephant in weight.

 

• Yesterday marked the 48th anniversary of Viking 1’s arrival in Mars 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.

• Space Force awards contracts to Blue Origin, CACI International Inc., General Atomics, and Viasat to develop space laser terminals [pdf]

These are small contracts to begin design work on using lasers for satellite communications.

 

• ULA CEO touts photos of new Vulcan launchpad under construction at Vandenberg

The first launch at this pad is scheduled sometime next year.

 

• Local officials in Cameron County praise SpaceX for bring billions in economic growth to region

Who cares? Elon Musk is evil and all his efforts must be shut down! That’s the rule when someone famous won’t vote for Democrats!

 

• On this day in 1983 Sally Ride became the first American woman in space

• Russia hopes to revive its Molniya satellite constellation, this time using Chinese parts

The original Molniya communications satellites — first launched in the 1960s — used a clever very eccentric orbit to get the best coverage of Russia, which sits at a high latitude. Traditional geosynchronous communications satellites don’t see those high latitudes that well.

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.

• Redwire wins DARPA contract for testing its proposed very low orbit satellite design

The key technology to be tested will be an “air-breathing” propulsion system that will take advantage of the thicker atmosphere at altitudes of 50 to 100 miles to provide the power to keep the satellite in orbit.

 

• Webb observes the most distant Type 1a supernova yet discovered

Type 1a supernovae were used to discover dark energy, based on the assumption that their brightness is always the same. Thus, the dimmer they are, the farther away they are. The data from this supernovae doesn’t break that assumption, according to the abstract, but it uncovered some pecularities that need explaining.

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.

• Chang’e-6’s orbit was raised to an altitude of 246km sometime between June 11th and 12th

It will likely send its sample return capsule back to Earth in about a week.

 

• China’s new Long March 10 rocket successfully completed a three-engine static fire test on June 14, 2024

The rocket is to be used for China’s planned manned lunar missions.

 

• On this day in 1967, Mariner 5 launched to do the second fly-by of Venus

NASA had built it as a backup for its Mariner 4 Mars fly-by mission, and repurposed it for Venus, adding a sunshield. It zipped past Venus on October 19, 1967, one day after the Soviet Venera lander made the first attempt to soft land there. Both confirmed that Venus was a hot hellhole with an atmospheric temperature of 800 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

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.

• Another test LIFE inflatable test module passes preliminary tests

Built by Sierra Space, the flight version of LIFE will be used first on the Orbital Reef station, but will also be made available for purchase by others.

 

• Blue Origin gets FCC communications license for its first New Glenn launch

This is not a launch license. It provides the company a window for communications on that launch lasting until October 31, 2024.

 

• ULA accepts delivery on what appears to be the fifth BE-4 engine provided by Blue Origin

ULA’s CEO says in the tweet that they need just one more engine for their 2024 launch manifest, which optimistically hopes to launch three times (2 engines for each launch). It took two months for this new engine to arrive after delivery of the last two.

 

• Chinese pseudo-company Space Pioneer readies first stage of its Tiangong-3 Falcon 9 copy for 9-engine static fire test in July

If successful, it is now targeting a September maiden orbital launch, marking a two month delay from previous announcements.

 

• China’s X-37B copy does very close proximity maneuvers near object it released on May 24th

It is at present unclear whether the object was retrieved and then re-released.

 

• ESA’s partnership with China on its Moon missions appears about to end

The break-up is because of China’s partnership with Russia, and ESA has broken all ties with Russia due to its Ukraine invasion. The article at the link also notes that Turkey has applied to joint China’s moonbase alliance.

 

• Virgin Galactic announces 1 to 20 reverse stock split

This action means 20 shares will suddenly be worth only one, even as the stock price tumbles to under a dollar per share. This company is dying, and Wall Street know it.

 

• Soviet cosmonaut Vyacheslav Zudov dies at 82

He commanded Soyuz 23 in 1976, which because of a failed antenna was unable to dock with Salyut-5 and returned to Earth after only two days in space, crashing through the ice on Lake Tengiz and thus becoming the USSR’s first and only manned splashdown.

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 CEO marks the last Atlas-5 rocket moving through its factory

There are only 16 Atlas-5 launches left, with all the rockets now built and ready, leaving room for the assembly of Vulcan rockets.

 

• Scientist discovers another type of aurora

This phenomenon is similar to another new aurora type that scientists claim to have discovered in 2017 and stupidly dubbed “Steve,” a name so asinine I have found it impossible to take the whole thing seriously.

 

• SpaceX celebrates the 100th country that has approved Starlink for use by its citizens

The tweet does not say the country, but Jay says it is Sierra Leone.

 

• Chinese company OneLinQ launches civilian satellite internet terminal for high-speed connectivity via Asia-Pacific 6D satellite

Jay notes that their subscription price is $4,000 a month, gigantic compared to Starlink or any other similar service.

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.

• Instrument for China’s Chang’e-7 lunar orbiter to be developed jointly by Egypt and Bahrain

While Egypt is a partner in China’s lunar base project, Bahrain is not, and has instead signed the Artemis Accords to partner with the U.S. Bahrain’s participation here suggests the U.S. alliance isn’t doing much for Bahrain.

 

• China picks its fourth class of astronauts

Ten candidates were chosen.

 

• Two French citizens tried to sneak into Baikonur, with one dying of dehydration

Jay notes, “They were too cheap to pay for an unofficial or official guide. You need to pay for a special tourist permit to visit that part of the country.” I wonder about what really happened, as it is dangerous to take any report from a state-run press outlet at face value.

 

• The first service module for India’s Gaganyaan manned capsule has been completed

The three-day orbital mission is still targeting a 2025 launch.

 

• Rocket Factory Augsburg touts video of first stage static fire engine test

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.

• ABL gets cubesat payload for its RS1 rocket

The cubesat will fly on the launch following the next launch attempt, set for June 2024. RS1 has had one failed launch attempt so far, in January 2023.

 

• Boeing releases audio of crew during Starliner launch

Only a minute long, showing just a few snippets.

 

• Video showing Blue Origin’s effort to make a reusable 2nd stage, based on its patents

What is most interesting is that it appears Stoke Space is doing similar stuff, but is farther long in actual development and testing.

 

• NASA awards seven companies $1.5 million each for 90-day studies to come up with new concepts for recovering Perseverance’s core samples on Mars

The companies are Aerojet Rocketdyne, Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Quantum Space, SpaceX and Whittinghill Aerospace.

 

• ESA will pay Arianespace 340 million euros per year to operate Ariane-6

ESA will also give Arianespace 21 million euros to operate the Vega family of rockets. Why ESA is giving Arianespace anything is beyond sensible, since ArianeGroup supposedly builds and owns Ariane-6 and Avio supposedly now builds and owns the Vega rocket family. France meanwhile has retaken ownership of the French Guiana spaceport. Arianespace really has nothing left for it to do.

 

• ISRO planning third flight landing test of its X-37B copy for first half of June

This would be another drop test from a helicopter, with the prototype then gliding to a runway landing.

 

• Chinese pseudo-company postpones vertical hop test of its first stage prototype

The hop was supposed to go up to 10 kilometers.

 

• China’s next unmanned lunar probe, Chang’e-7, will go to the south pole, and release a hopper

Launch is targeting 2026.

 

• Rocket/satellite startup Phantom Space signs Arizona company to build communications payloads for its satellites

• On this day in 2003 the Mars rover Spirit was launched

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.

• China completes construction on first commercial launchpad at its Wenchang coastal spaceport

They dub this “Pad 2,” even though it will be where the first commercial launch will take place at Wenchang, presently scheduled for August 28, 2024.

 

• NASA inspector general issues report on agency’s commercial unmanned lunar lander program

The report can be downloaded here [pdf]. It is generally critical of the entire program, suggesting that NASA’s management has been inconsistent even as it also micromanaged the building of some commercial landers, thus causing delays and budget overruns despite the contracts being fixed price (If NASA demands a change, the company has an equal right to bill NASA for it).

 

• On this day three years ago Juno flew within 645 miles of the Jupiter moon Ganymede, the closest since the Galileo mission fly-by in 2000

See this post for some pictures.

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. Sorry this is late. Life got in the way.

• Axiom, NASA, and SpaceX tout the completion of a simulated test using Axiom’s spacesuit

The test included working with Starship components (though not a full Starship).

 

• China touts images of Mars’ north and south poles, taken by its Tianwen-1 orbiter

Nothing ground-breaking in terms of science, but in terms of engineering this orbiter remains a feather in China’s cap.

 

• Russian astronaut Oleg Kononenko has now accumulated more than 1,000 days in space over five missions to ISS

He is presently on a year-long mission, due to return in September.

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.

• DARPA awards small contract to startup Momentus to study how to build large structures in space

Momentus will fly small experiments that will be flown the company’s Vigoride orbital tugs.

 

• Video of the docking on June 1st of a Progress to ISS

• Chinese pseudo-company Deep Blue touts video of leg deployment and drop test of the first stage of its proposed Nebula-1 rocket

The drop was from about 3-5 feet off the ground.

 

• Another Chinese pseudo-company touts a proposed new rocket

The company is called Fancy Space, and it apparently has nothing at this point but a cool video.

 

• On this day in 1965, Ed White performed the first American spacewalk during the Gemini-4 mission

White died in the Apollo-1 launchpad fire in 1967.

 

• On this day in 1966, the Gemini-9 mission launched, crewed by Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan

The goal was to achieve the first completely successful docking in space, but the shroud on the target spacecraft only partly released, preventing the docking. Instead, Stafford and Cernan flew in formation, taking great pictures of that spacecraft, looking like “an angry alligator.”

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 SpaceX Raptor engine exploding during test today at McGregor facility

This could have been a test-to-failure, or an unexpected engine failure. No further information is known.

 

• New Glenn engineering dummy rolled to launchpad for more fueling tests

These tests suggest the scheduled launch later this year is actually getting real.

 

• Short video showing grid fin working as Long March 2D first stage descends

It appears China has done these tests now on five launches, reusing the grid fins at least once. The goal is to more precisely bring the stage down within a confined target zone so that inhabited areas are not threatened by its toxic hypergolic fuels.

 

• China picks a female Hong Kong police officer as new astronaut

The choice is probably to reward her for helping to squelch pro-democracy demonstrations, while also attempting to pander to the now imprisoned Hong Kong populace.

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.

• Amazon touts the completion of its Kuiper satellite demo mission

As Jay notes, the company still has to launch more than 1,600 satellites by July 2026. So far they have launched two, but those don’t count in the total as they are being de-orbited.

 

• Astrobotic wins two NASA studay contracts for developing a lunar electrical grid

The company in 2022 proposed such a system. I guess NASA has decided to help fund its development.

 

• Intelsat and Northrop Grumman agree to an extended satellite servicing deal

The deal means Northrop’s two MEV robots will continue to serve Intelsat satellites for an additional four years, keeping them functional by providing fuel and power.

 

• ULA’s CEO claims the company is now receiving two BE-4 engines per month from Blue Origin, and expects the pace to rise to 1.5 per week shortly

No pictures included with the tweet, and as Jay notes, “I would like to see pictures.”

 

• Viasat looking to partner with LEO constellations like Starlink and OneWeb

The company thinks the capabilities of its geosynchronous satellites complement those LEO constellations, and think a partnership would be a win-win for all. We shall see if any LEO constellations agree.

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 Factory Augsburg touts its proposed Argo cargo capsule

Note that RFA did NOT win a contract for developing this capsule from ESA, as announced today, suggesting ESA rejected it.

 

• ULA’s CEO shows off images of 21 Vulcan rockets in production

Only one appears to have any engines. All are in various states of assembly.

 

• Dominican Republic looking into building its own spaceport

Article at the link includes a nice map of the world’s existing and planned spaceports.

 

• Video of Kuaizhou-11 launch yesterday

Only covers the first 12 seconds. Jay asks, “Anyone else notice the weird gassing at nose cone?”

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 to study using blimps to transport rocket sections from factory to launchsite

It signed a deal with the airship company Aeros.

 

• RFA touts video of its first static fire test of the first stage of its RFA-1 rocket

The test went off perfectly. However, one local news report stated that the company hopes to launch “by the end of the year”, which suggests a delay, caused either by development issues or red tape from the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority. Previously the word had been the launch would happen by June.

 

• China to expand its commercial launchpad facilities at its Wenchang coastal spaceport

The expansion indicates the continuing growth in China’s pseudo-private launch industry. It also illustates another way the Chinese government maintains control over those pseudo-companies, which have to launch from government-run sites.

 

• On this day 50 years ago the Soviet Union ended its Moon rocket program

The rocket was the N1, which never launched successfully.

 

• On this day in 1927 Charles Lindbergh landed the Spirit of St. Louis near Paris, completing the first solo nonstop across the Atlantic

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.

• Georgia governor signs law dissolving Camden spaceport plan

The spaceport had been dead due to a voter referendum, but this seals the deal.

 

• PLD team working with French Space Agency in French Guiana, planning future launches

The Spanish company plans to launch its orbital Miura-5 rocket from there. France, which owns and now runs the spaceport, apparently wants to open it to other independent European companies.

 

• Another instrument installed on Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander

The launch is presently targeting a launch this year.

 

• China’s Long March 2D launch today tested grid fins on first stage

This apparently was the third such test, aimed at simply narrowing the crash sites for these stages, not recovering the stages.

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 Factory Augsburg completes successful static fire test of first stage of its RFA-1 rocket

The test took place at the Saxaford spaceport on the Shetland Islands, which also suggests a launch licence from the UK bureaucracy is imminent.

 

• Eurepean company Aerospacelab breaks ground on new satellite factory in Belgium

The company says it will begin production by 2026, but it is unclear who it will be building the satellites for.

 

• China proposes mission to Jupiter and beyond by 2029

No real details, other than a single powerpoint graphic.

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.

• China touts a proposed New Shepard suborbital copycat

Tourist flights to begin in 2028.

 

• NASA touts the future assembly of its Lunar Gateway space station

Lots of details and promises here, last updated June 2023.

 

• ISRO finalizes design of its Shukrayaan Venus orbiter

They are targeting the 2026 launch window.

 

• On this day in 2011 the space shuttle Endeavour launched on its 25th and last flight

The final shuttle flight followed two months later.

 

• On this day in 1987 the Soviet Union’s Energia heavy lift rocket launched for the first time

The launch was supposed to put a large module into orbit, but failed to do so when that module’s engines got the wrong software command.

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.

• Voyager Space to work with Marshall to develop new airlock concept

The company already has a new design working on ISS. This is to develop something even better.

 

• France’s The Exploration Company hires Blue Origin’s director of human spaceflight, Mark Kirasich, to head up its US operations

Kirasich had a 40-year career at NASA, so they are possibly hiring him to help grease the wheels with the agency.

 

• Rocket Lab wants to celebrate its up-coming 50th launch by awarding three launch photographers an all-expenses paid trip to capture it

The launch is presently targeting a June launch.

 

• The launch of China’s Xuntian Hubble-class optical telescope appears delayed until 2027

This is a two year delay. Once launched the plan is to fly it near China’s space station, so that astronauts can easily go to it to do repairs or upgrades.

 

• Managers in China propose building its lunar research station in three stages

The first stage would be short-term tech development, the second mid-term expansion and collaboration, and the third long-term leadership in lunar resource utilization.

 

• China touts a new vertical static fire test stand

• OneWeb faces regulatory delays in India

Very puzzling as the company is half owned by an Indian. Jay suggests, “They forgot to pay off someone.”

Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay, who also tipped me off to the Starliner and Ispace stories earlier today.

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.

• Astrobotic touts its fully reusable suborbital rocket, Xogdor, scheduled for first flight in 2025

This is technology developed by Masten Space Systems and bought and absorbed into Astrobotic in 2022.

 

• ULA’s CEO shows off picture of upper stage for the second Vulcan flight, now being assembled

Launch date is still targeting the fall.

 

• Raw images from Juno’s 61st close fly-by of Jupiter this past weekend

It will take a week or so for citizen scientists to begin posting processed images that cull the good data from these raw pictures.

 

• Europe’s second generation Galileo GPS-type satellite design passes design review

The satellite is being built by the European company Thales Alenia.

 

• The completed hull of Northrop Grumman’s next Cygnus cargo freighter ready to final assembly and launch to ISS

Thales Alenia builds the spacecraft’s basic structure.

 

• On this day in 1973 the last Saturn-5 launched, carrying the first American space station Skylab

That was more than fifty years ago. Had we harnessed that technology then, Americans would already have viable colonies on the Moon, Mars, and the asteroids.

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.

• GOES-East weather satellite not working, possibly due to solar storm

• Op-Ed advocates giving the UN more power over everyone in space

Jay says it best, “No. Not only no, but hell no.” Sadly, I fear that the globalists running things will get what they want.

 

• ISRO tweets some proposed details about its next Mars mission

A relay communications satellite will launch first. The lander will use a sky crane like Curiosity and Perseverance, and might include a helicopter. Targeting a 2031 launch.

 

• Four-hour video on the work of ISRO’s Space Applications Centre

Have no idea if this is worth watching. Jay writes it describes “what ISRO has accomplished and all the future programs they want to do.”

 

• On this day in 1982 the first crew to U.S.S.R.’s Salyut-7 station launched

The two astronauts would set a then record of 211 days in space.