Suzie Dills| Special to Akron Beacon Journal

Although 2020 was a very difficult year for us, it gave us a chance to take time to observe astronomical highlights and night sky delights and view live broadcasts of historic launches. Many of us enjoyed the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn and the surprise visit of Comet NEOWISE. We watched the launch of the next Mars rover, Perseverance, in July. History was made with the NASA SpaceX Crew Dragon flight, the first American rocket launch since 2011 and the NASA SpaceX Crew-1 Mission.

Mars Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is scheduled to land inside the 28-mile Jezero Crater, on Feb. 18. Perseverance will search for signs of ancient life in Jezero Crater, which harbored a lake and river delta billions of years ago. The rover will collect and store samples for future return to Earth, along with demonstrating technology that could aid in future exploration. A tiny helicopter, namedIngenuity, hitched a ride on the belly of Perseverance. After the rover lands, it will find a place for Ingenuity to conduct test flights. Then Ingenuity will make a few short flights into the Martian skies. This will be the first ever flight by a rotorcraft on a planet beyond Earth.

SpaceX crew In May, the NASA SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts will return to Earth. Soon after the NASA SpaceX Crew-2 Mission with four astronauts aboard will head to the International Space Station. The Crew-2 astronauts will spend six months at the ISS.

Boeing crew Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 is targeted to launch March 29. The first crewed mission for Boeings CST-100 Starlinerwill be slated for June or later.

Moon The first stage of the Artemis program for the return to the moonby humanswill begin with the launch of Artemis Iin November 2021. The mission is designed to test the crew spacecraft Orion and the Space Launch System. Crewed Artemis missions will follow.

Space telescope The James Webb Telescope is still on track for launch on Oct. 31. The James Webb Telescope will be the largest and most powerful space telescope ever built and launched into space. With the Webb, we will be able see much closer to the beginning of time, when the first stars and galaxies started to form.

March 10 The thin crescent moon joins Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn in the morning twilight.

April 25 Mercury and Venus will be about a degree apart, low in the western sky after sunset.

April 26 Supermoon: closest full moon of the year.

May 12 Venus and the thin crescent moon, less than 1 degree apart, low in the west-northwest at dusk.

May 26 Partial lunar eclipse, begins at 5:44 a.m. with the moon setting at 6:02 a.m.

June 10 Partial solar eclipse, will be underway with the sunrise at 5:52 am. Maximum at 5:55 a.m., and eclipse will end at 6:35 a.m.

July 11 The thin crescent moon will be 5 degrees from Venus and Mars, which will be separated by 1 degree low in the western sky at dusk.

Aug. 22 Seasonal blue moon, occurs when we have four full moonsin one season. The third is called the blue moon. This is the original definition of a blue moon.

Nov. 19 Near-total lunar eclipse. Partial eclipse begins at 2:18 a.m., maximum at 4:02 a.m. and eclipse ends at 5:47 a.m.

Dec. 5 Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and the moon form a spectacular line in the western sky after sunset.

Planets and moon:Jupiter and Saturn start the month low in the southwestern sky, right after sunset. By mid-month, they drop from view, but will return to the morning sky next month. Mercury returns to the evening sky in January and creates a spectacular trio with Jupiter and Saturn, in the southwest, right after sunset Jan. 10. Mercury will continue to climb higher and remains visible through the end of the month. Mercury reaches greatest elongation Jan. 23, 19 degrees east of the sun. Mars shines brightly overhead all month but continues to move away from Earth. At the beginning of the month, Mars is 84.3 million miles from Earth, at months end it will be 111 million miles away. Brilliant Venus will be low in the predawn southeastern at the beginning of January but lost in the suns glare at months end. Jan. 18-22 will be a great time to spot Uranus. Mars will pass north of Uranus, with Jan. 21 as the best night, when Uranus is 1.7 degreesdue south of Mars. On Jan. 1, Neptune will be 1 degree east of Phi Aquarii in eastern Aquarius. On Jan.14, the moon pairs with Mercury, 35 minutes after sunset. Then on Jan. 17 the moon passes south of Neptune and on Jan. 21 passes south of Mars and Uranus. In the predawn sky, the moon pairs with Venus on Jan. 11.

Constellations:East Great star hopping in this part of the sky! Start with the most magnificent picture in our stars, Orion, the Hunter. Look for the three stars in a line, which make up the belt of Orion. The bright red-orange star up and to the left of the belt is Betelgeuse. The bright blue-white star down and to the right of the belt is Rigel. Draw a line up from the belt to a red, orange star, Aldebaran, which is the eye of Taurus, the Bull. The sideways V shape is the face of Taurus. Above Taurus, the small cluster of stars is the Pleiades or Seven Sisters. Making a counterclockwise loop from the Pleiades, the next bright star is Capella. Continuing down, the two stars you see are Gemini, the Twins.

North The Big Dipper is beginning to swing up on its handle. Following the two stars at the end of the cup to the next bright star, is Polaris, or the North Star. The constellation Cassiopeia is above and to the left of Polaris and resembles the letter M.

West There you will see four stars that form the Great Square of Pegasus.

Binocular highlights When facing north, locate the M shape of Cassiopeia. From the left point of the M shape, scan slowly up to the left. You will see a fuzzy circular shape. That is the Andromeda Galaxy. It is 2.5 million light years away. From the right point of the M,scan up slightly. You will come upon the Double Cluster in Perseus. High overhead, you will see the small cluster of stars, the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters. ThePleiades is a beautiful open star cluster. Head to Orion, the Hunter. Scan below the three stars of Orions belt. You will see fuzzy area with bright stars. This is the Orion Nebula, a hydrogen gas cloud where new stars are forming.

The peak of the Quadrantid Meteor Shower is Jan. 3.

For further night sky details, maps and audio, visit my website http://www.starrytrails.com.

Visit the Hoover Price Planetarium: Visit http://www.mckinleymuseum.org, for limited show dates and times. Planetarium shows are free with museum admission. Seating is limited and will be on a first-come, first-served basis. The planetarium is located inside the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum, 800 McKinley Monument DriveNWin Canton. For more information,call the museum at 330-455-7043.

Read more here:

What's Up in the Sky: Here's what to expect in 2021 - Akron Beacon Journal

The 100th launch carried a weather satellite for Argentina into orbit.

SpaceX successfully launched and landed yet another Falcon 9 rocket yesterday marking a couple of important milestones for the company.

The companys Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 7.18 P.M. Eastern Time with the SAOCOM-1B satellite on board, the company's 15th launch of 2020.

About eight minutes after the launch, the first stage of the Falcon 9 then returned to Cape Canaveral to touch down safely at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1). This was the fourth successful launch and landing for this booster.

Impressively, this was the 100th launch in total for Elon Musk's company since its first attempt in 2006, and its 96th successful flight. Those 100 launches comprise five Falcon 1 launches (with three failures), 92 Falcon 9 launches (one failure), and three Falcon Heavy launches (no failures).

The SAOCOM-1B satellite on board this mission was an Earth observation satellite for Argentinas space agency, the second of two satellites designed to use radar to look for potential disasters from an altitude of 620 kilometers. Also on board were two smaller satellites, GNOMES-1 and Tyvak-0172.

This launch not only marked a century of launches for SpaceX, but also 58 successful rocket landings for the company, both on its ocean barges and back on land, and the 42nd reflight of a first stage booster.

The launch was notable for another reason too. This was the first polar launch from Florida since 1969, with the Falcon 9 rocket performing a maneuver shortly after launch (called a dogleg maneuver) to turn right and head south along the eastern Florida coast.

The last polar launch from Florida was a weather satellite for the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA), the precursor to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Their satellite called ESSA-9 launched on February 26, 1969 and was operational until November 1972.

This was SpaceX's 15th flight of 2020.

Since then, polar launches from the U.S. have taken place from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. However, wildfires in California that can damage the launch site meant that alternatives were sought back in 2016.

Any polar launch from Florida would need to avoid dropping debris on inhabitated areas, such as Cuba, where a cow was supposedly killed by falling debris in 1960. SpaceX has been allowed to conduct such launches as their rockets have an automatic safety system that self-destructs the rocket in the event of a failures.

SpaceX was also close to hitting yet another milestone on Sunday, with a launch of another batch of 60 Starlink satellites in the companies space internet mega constellation. This would have been the first double launch since 1966, but the mission was postponed until tomorrow, Tuesday, September 1.

Link:

SpaceX Just Launched Its 100th Rocket In A Major Milestone For The Company - Forbes

$69.1 billion

$188 billion

2002

2000

Google

Courtesy of Google

NASA

Courtesy of NASA

The Starship rocket, which will launch asmany as 100 people into space at a time.

NEXT BIG THING

Successfully launching a crewed mission.

The Foundation book series by Isaac Asimov.

SENT HUMANS TO SPACE?

Yes, two.

SENT HUMANS TO SPACE?

Nope.

Falcon 9, which is taller than the LeaningTower of Pisa (229.6 ft.).

MOST IMPRESSIVE MEMBER

New Glenn, which is a bit taller than the Statue ofLiberty (313 ft).

CREWED SHIP

ESTIMATED TICKET PRICE

$500,000 for a trip to Mars.

ESTIMATED TICKET PRICE

Between $200,000 and $300,000 for a suborbital cruise.

When Bezos tweeted a video of a rare reused rocket from Blue Origin, Musk was quick to point out that the SpaceXGrasshopper had already completed six suborbital flights.

FRIENDLY RIVALRY

After SpaceX launched a rocket into space and brought the booster back to Earth, Bezos tweeted,Welcome to the club!

235,000

Tony Stark

Courtesy of Adobe Stock

Lex Luthor

Courtesy of Adobe Stock

Elon is absolutely fixated on going to Mars.

Were both neck and neck as to who will put peopleinto space first.

Read the original here:

Elon Musks SpaceX vs Jeff Bezoss Blue Origin: Which Space Project Will Dominate the Cosmos? - Robb Report

SN5 blasts off earlier in August.

If you missed it the first time around, there may be another opportunity, in the coming days, to see an early version of Elon Musk's Mars rocket take a very short flight.

SpaceX has been working at its Boca Chica, Texas, site to develop Starship, its next-generation spacecraft designed to eventually take people to the moon, Mars and even farther.

Subscribe to the CNET Now newsletter for our editors' picks of the most important stories of the day.

Earlier this month a single-engine Starship prototype labeled SN5 successfully made its first "hop," which was a short flight of nearly 500 feet in altitude, followed by a controlled landing not far from the launch pad.

Now playing: Watch this: SpaceX Starship prototype takes first 'hop'

1:01

We saw the same feat performed by a smaller prototype dubbed Starhopperin 2019, but the far larger SN series is designed to be capable of orbital flight. It's not clear when we might see that, but Musk has said the plan is to do a series of hops in order to work up to higher altitude flights.

Cameron County, Texas, where the development site is located, has issued an all-day road closure for this Sunday, with backup dates on Monday and Tuesday, suggesting that SpaceX hopes to hop SN6, its next prototype, as soon as this weekend.

The closures were originally set for Friday through Sunday and it's possible they could slip further. Musk recently acknowledged the company has a very busy Sunday planned, with a pair of launches from Florida set for the same day.

Link:

SpaceX hopes to 'hop' another Starship prototype this weekend - CNET

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Pending United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy launch early Saturday morning and the Eastern Range approval, SpaceX mightjust pull off a one-of-a-kind performance this Sunday.

The aerospace company is currently scheduling back-to-back launches on Aug. 30.

If SpaceX is granted approval, it will attempt to launch its 12th batch of Starlink satellites at 10:12 a.m. Sunday from Kennedy Space Center pad 39A.

More: SpaceX secures even more contracts with SES for launches from Cape Canaveral

Upon success of the mission, SpaceX would have about 700 Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit.

Weather is currently 50% "go" for the Sunday morning attempt with the primary concern being thick cloud coverage, according to the 45th Space Wing.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 58 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral on the 11th mission for the constellation on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. Florida Today

In the event of a delay, SpaceX will try again two days later on Tuesday.

But that's not all happening that day,

Later in the evening, the aerospace company will once again launch its Falcon 9 rocket, only this time, it will be from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 40 and it will send an Earth-observation satellite for the Argentinian space agency to low-Earth orbit.

Scheduled to launch at 7:18 p.m., the SAOCOM 1B mission will mark the first polar orbit launch from the Cape since the 1960s. That means all along the south coast of Florida, spectators will be able to see the launch.

More: NASA adds astronaut Jeanette Epps to Boeing's Starliner first operational crewed flight

And if that weren't cool enough, SpaceX is also planning on returning its booster to Landing Zone 1 at the Cape, marking the first booster landing on land since March.

Those along the Space Coast should expect to hear sonic booms approximately eight minutes after liftoff.

Weather for Sunday evening's launch is currently 40% "go" with the primary concern being thick cloud coverage and storm showers, according to the 45th Space Wing.

Contact Antonia Jaramillo at321-242-3668or antoniaj@floridatoday.com. Follow her onTwitterat@AntoniaJ_11.

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Read or Share this story: https://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2020/08/28/spacex-pull-back-back-launches-sunday-kennedy-space-center-cape-canaveral-florida/5661853002/

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Three launches this weekend? SpaceX to try back-to-back launches this Sunday - Florida Today

Barstool Sports founder turned day trader Dave Portnoy has made a big splash in the world of finance in 2020. Hes called the Oracle of Omaha Warren Buffett washed up and set the crypto industry on fire when he bought his first Bitcoin. But unfortunately, hes already panic sold.

But Portnoy has already let the cat out of the bag on some important subjects. His 1.7 million Twitter followers now know what Bitcoin is, and thanks to his recent guests the Winklevoss twins, Cameron and Tyler, his followers also know how scarce the digital asset is compared to gold.

Finally, the public now knows that there are asteroids filled with gold floating around in space. Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk plans to infiltrate and extract the precious metals from the floating space mass. Portnoy gawked at the claim, laughing it off as a joke. But the Winklevoss twins explain just how serious this is. Later Portnoy took to Twitter and confirmed the comment himself with Musk who concurred.

Yes, Theres An Asteroid Filled With Gold: SpaceX Next Mission

It sounds ridiculous, but it is entirely true: there are asteroids orbiting in space, filled with various rare earth metals like gold, silver, platinum, and others. Here on earth, these metals are considered assets due to their scarcity. In space, however, these metals are in abundance.

So what happens then, when someone like Elon Musk with the capability, creativity, and curiosity, partners with NASA on a mission to the metal-filled asteroid called Psyche. A press release from NASA reads:

The Psyche mission will journey to a unique metal-rich asteroid, also named Psyche, which orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.

Musk and NASAs goal is to learn more about the planets nickel-iron core, but the glimmer of gold could be too alluring to pass up. The SpaceX mission will be visiting Psyche for the first time. This time the intent is to explore, but perhaps the next time is to extract.

Winklevoss Twins To Barstools Davey Day Trader: We Think Of Bitcoin As Internet Gold

As part of the segment of Davey Day Trader, the Winklevoss twins convinced Portnoy to buy Bitcoin, and he began raving about cryptocurrencies to his massive following on social media.

Eventually, Portnoy claims to have sold his Bitcoin holdings after a short drawdown, but it was made extremely clear to the masses that Bitcoin is an important asset for all investors to consider.

The assets 21 million BTC hard cap and digital scarcity was explained in detail, along with why and how it has become money over the course of its ten year history. Knowing exactly how many Bitcoin exist was said to be one of the cryptocurrencys most attractive attributes, making it far rarer and finite than gold.

Theres no telling how much gold is still ready to be mined in the Earth, and theres potentially trillions of gold floating around in space, ripe for the picking. If that gold makes its way back to Earth, golds scarcity goes immediately out the window.

The safe haven asset is no longer safe. Bitcoins existence in cyber space means outerspace poses almost no threat to the cryptocurrency. The only thing capable of taking it out, is an extreme solar flare causing electromagnetic shockwaves that knock out internet infrastructure and power grids completely.

But if that were ever to happen, investments would be the last thing anyone was worried about. The modern world would be in pure chaos without smartphones, social media, the internet, or computers. Still, the risk space poses against gold, and an archaic asset starting to show its age in the digital era has put a spotlight on Bitcoin recently.

Modern Day Gold Rush: Investors To FOMO Into Bitcoin As The Best Insurance Policy

Bitcoin is often called digital gold, because it shares many benefits with the precious metal. Where Bitcoin wins, is in its portability, durability, scarcity, and inability to be counterfeited. Bitcoin loses, however, in historic precedent. But thats all about to change.

Recently, the gold rush has spilled into digital assets. The market cap of commodity-backed gold tokens have been growing nearly as rapidly as gold prices have. But after setting a new all-time high, capital began to pour into cryptocurrencies.

Like precious metals, crypto assets like Bitcoin have a scarce supply, making them a great hedge against inflation and safe haven assets even better than gold or silver. The chart XAUBTC above shows just how far gold has fallen, priced in Bitcoin. Currently, a full ounce of gold trading against Bitcoin can only buy 0.17 BTC. Early in Bitcoins lifecycle, it took hundreds of BTC to afford an ounce of gold. But times have changed in just ten years.

As mentioned previously, gold extracted from space means the gold supply is no longer so scarce. And because theres only 21 million BTC, and the Bitcoin market cap is only $200 billion compared to $11 trillion in gold, Bitcoins growth will always be the fastest for the least amount of capital.

Investors who deeply look into the decentralized financial technology can clearly see how the asset could be set to appreciate in value significantly against other assets, especially the dollar with inflation coming.

Hedge funds have been moving gold holdings into Bitcoin, and major business firms have begun adding Bitcoin holdings to their reserve treasuries to prepare and hedge against inflation or the unknown.

One of those unknowns, lies in the final frontier: space. Thanks to SpaceXs mission to the precious metal-filled Psyche, the cat is already out of the bag, and golds status as a safe haven has already been damaged. The information is now out there that there could be far more gold coming than ever before.

This confirmation could be responsible for golds recent pullback, as investors have begun dumping the safe haven asset before any asteroid-mining begins.

Why Not Profit From Both? Trade Bitcoin, Gold, Stock Indices, Oil, And More With PrimeXBT

Regardless of what gold or Bitcoin does, theres a way to profit from the trend whichever way things turn with PrimeXBTs long and short positions.

The award-winning Bitcoin margin trading platform bases all accounts in Bitcoin, but offers CFDs for a wide range of assets like gold, silver, oil, gas, the S&P 500, Nasdaq, forex, and cryptocurrencies.

Rather than invest and risk losing money if one outperforms the other, trading allows for strategic hedge positions, or building a portfolio that consists of positions on both assets. Another way to take advantage of the coming change in gold and Bitcoin trends, is to let other traders worry about it for you. With PrimeXBTs Covesting, followers can earn passive income off skilled strategy managers, trading gold and Bicoin on their own using years worth of real market experience and natural talent.

DOWNLOAD THE PUNCH NEWS APP NOW ON

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SpaceX & NASA To Explore Gold-Filled Asteroid: Where Do Investors Flee If The Main Safe Haven Becomes Worthless? - The Punch

Elon Musk

Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg

Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg

Elon Musks Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is close to finalizing $2 billion in new funding after the company increased the size of the round due to strong demand, according to people familiar with the matter.

Fidelity Investments, an existing investor, is one of the biggest participants in the round, one of the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter is private.

A representative for Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. A representative for Fidelity declined to comment.

The company had been in discussions to raise about $1 billion at a price of $270 a share, Bloomberg News previously reported. Not including the new funds, that wouldve valued SpaceX at $44 billion.

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Hyperdrive

When the transaction is finalized, the company will have an equity value of $46 billion, including the fresh $2 billion in capital. This ranks SpaceX as one of the most valuable U.S. venture-backed companies.

The $2 billion round, which was oversubscribed, would be the largest fundraising so far for SpaceX, according to PitchBook. It also comes just as SpaceX pulled off its most highest-profile mission.

SpaceXs Dragon capsule returned to earth safely this month, the first mission in which U.S. astronauts flew to the International Space Station on American spacecraft since the shuttle program ended in 2011.

For SpaceX, the flight was a signature achievement 18 years after Musk founded the company with the ultimate goal of populating other planets. The mission also cements SpaceXs spot as the most valuable firm in the New Space industry.

SpaceXs previous investors include Peter Thiels Founders Fund, Alphabet Inc., Baillie Gifford and Valor Equity Partners.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been a key partner and customer for SpaceX. It said on Friday that it was targeting Oct. 23 for its first operational mission with SpaceX.

With assistance by Annie Massa, and Dana Hull

Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal.

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SpaceX Increases Latest Funding Round to $2 Billion - Bloomberg

We can expect a lot more Starship action out of SpaceX in the near future.

Last week, Elon Musk's company flew a full-size prototype of its Mars-colonizing Starship spacecraft for the first time ever, sending a vehicle called the SN5 ("Serial No. 5") about 500 feet (150 meters) into the sky above the South Texas village of Boca Chica.

More such uncrewed test hops are coming from the company, and not just from the SN5. Indeed, the SN6 prototype is already at the launch pad at SpaceX's facilities near Boca Chica, and it may be the next Starship vehicle to get off the ground.

Video: Watch SpaceX's Starship SN5 prototype's 1st flightRelated: SpaceX's Starship and Super Heavy Mars rocket in pictures

"Not sure yet, but hopefully. Will need leg & other repairs. Probably SN6 flies before SN5. We need to make flights simple & easy many per day," Musk said via Twitter on Saturday (Aug. 8), responding to a follower who asked if SN5 will fly again.

SN5 and SN6 both have a single Raptor engine and will likely fly only on short test hops, similar to the one SN5 performed last week.

The SN7 was a test tank that SpaceX burst on purpose in a pressure test this past June. But the SN8 will be another flying prototype one with body flaps and a nosecone, Musk said in a tweet on Tuesday.

That suggests the SN8 will fly relatively high likely to a target altitude of about 12 miles (20 kilometers), if Musk's previous statements about the Starship test campaign are any guide. The SN8 will therefore likely sport three Raptors, SpaceX's powerful next-generation engine. (SpaceX's currently operational rockets, the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, are powered by Merlin engines.)

The final version of the 100-passenger, 165-foot-tall (50 m) Starship will feature six Raptors and be powerful enough to blast itself off the moon and Mars, Musk has said. But it will need help to get off Earth. Starship will launch from our planet atop a giant first-stage booster known as Super Heavy, which will have 31 Raptors of its own.

Starship and Super Heavy will both be fully and rapidly reusable. The duo will therefore be relatively cheap to fly, Musk has said cheap enough to make crewed Mars missions and a variety of other exploration feats economically feasible, if all goes according to plan.

SpaceX is already starting to flesh out ancillary aspects of this bold vision. For example, the company recently put out a hiring call for offshore operations engineers to help develop floating spaceports for Starship vehicles.

The company is also looking to hire a resort development manager, who will be in charge of transforming Boca Chica Village into a suitable jumping-off point for Starship passengers.

"Boca Chica Village is our latest launch site dedicated to Starship, our next-generation launch vehicle. SpaceX is committed to developing this town into a 21st-century spaceport," a new SpaceX job notice reads. "We are looking for a talented Resort Development Manager to oversee the development of SpaceX's first resort from inception to completion."

That resort will likely be lavish, given that Starship trips will be quite expensive. (Musk has said that the cost of a seat aboard a Mars-bound Starship could eventually drop below $100,000.) Indeed, one of the preferred qualifications for the posted job is "experience working for high-end brand luxury development."

"Aiming to make it super fun!" Musk said in another Tuesday tweet, referring to the resort.

Though Starship is still in the early testing stages, SpaceX already has a mission on the books for the vehicle: Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa booked Starship for a round-the-moon trip, with a target launch date of 2023.

Mike Wall is the author of "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book about the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.

Excerpt from:

SpaceX ramping up Starship prototype tests in Texas (and looking for a resort manager) - Space.com

[8/11/2020] Virgin Galactic Q2 Earnings & Other Updates

Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group Ltd., waves after ringing the opening bell during Virgin ... [+] Galactic Holdings Inc.'s initial public offering (IPO) on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 28, 2019. Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

Virgin Galactic (NYSE:SPCE), an aerospace company focused on suborbital spaceflight for space tourists, published Q2 earnings last week. While the companys financials are not very relevant yet, given that it has yet to begin commercial operations, there have been a couple of noteworthy developments in recent weeks.

Space Tourism Updates

The company indicated that it could begin commercial service of its spaceflight by early 2021, flying its founder Richard Branson. While this is behind the companys previous 2020 timeline, the delay was largely expected due to the Covid-19 related disruption. The company continues to test its space flights and noted that it had now cleared 27 out of 29 Federal Aviation Administration milestones. The FAA clearance is key to receiving final approval to begin flights with commercial customers.

New Projects

The company also provided updates on some new projects. The company is working with Rolls-Royce to develop a supersonic aircraft that would be able to carry between 9 to 19 passengers, capable of traveling at about 3x the speed of sound. Separately, the company is also looking to expand its services to start flying customers to orbital destinations such as the International Space Station. The orbital flight is typically much more expensive and currently costs about roughly $50 million today (versus suborbital flights that are priced at $250k per ticket) [1]

Recent Fundraising

On Monday, the company raised about $460 million by selling 23.6 million equity shares in a secondary offering priced at $19.50 per share. The should considerably boost Virgins cash balance, which stood at about $360 million at the end of Q2 2020.

Interested in investing in Space-related stocks? Check out our theme The Final Frontier: Space Stocks To Watch, which includes publicly listed space companies such as Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Aerojet Rocketdyne (NYSE: AJRD), and Iridium (NASDAQ: IRDM)

[7/16/2020] Valuing Virgin Galactic Stock

Virgin Galactic is an aerospace company focused on suborbital spaceflight for private individuals and researchers. The company hasnt been able to generate much buzz, unlike the Elon Musk-backed SpaceX, considering that it is still in the test phases and doesnt generate meaningful revenues as of yet. That said, things are likely to change in the next few quarters, as it likely begins commercial space flights carrying paying space tourists from 2021, charging each passenger about $250,000. The stock currently trades at about $19 per share, translating into a market cap of under $4 billion. So what exactly are the factors driving Virgin Galactics Revenues And Valuation?

How Does Virgin Galactic Make Money?

Trefis

Virgin Galactics Outlook And Valuation

While Virgin Galactic might offer significant upside, it comes with a fair bit of risk. If youre interested in larger-cap stocks that look set to outperform, check out our 5 In S&P 500 Thatll Beat The Index: TWTR, ISRG, NFLX, NOW, V

See allTrefis Price EstimatesandDownloadTrefis Datahere

Whats behind Trefis? See How Its Powering New Collaboration and What-Ifs ForCFOs and Finance Teams |Product, R&D, and Marketing Teams

Link:

Virgin Galactic Updates: Whats Happening With SpaceX Rival - Forbes

SpaceX's prototype Starship launches in a short first flight test at the company's facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

SpaceX

The fifth prototype of SpaceX's next-generation Starship rocket passed its most critical test yet, taking off and landing in a short flight on Tuesday at the company's facility in Texas.

Starship prototype Serial Number 5, standing at about 100 feet tall, launched gradually and rose to about 500 feet above the ground before returning back to land on a concrete area near the launchpad.

"Progress is accelerating," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted after the flight.

SpaceX's prototype Starship launches in a short first flight test at the company's facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

SpaceX

SpaceX has a fleet of rockets that it uses to launch satellites and astronauts, anchored by its Falcon 9 series that has launched 87 times and landed its booster after 48 of those launches.ButStarship represents the company's aim to make obsolete even the cost-saving advances of its Falcon 9 rockets. While Falcon 9 rockets are partially reusable, Musk's goal is to make Starship fully reusable envisioning a rocket that is more akin to a commercial airplane, with short turnaround times between flights where the only major cost is fuel.

Musk last yearunveiled the Starship prototype, built of stainless steel and dwarfing the company's existing spacecraft. SpaceX is developing Starship with the goal of launching as many as 100 peopleat a time on missionsto the moon and Mars.

SpaceX's Starship prototype SN5 on the company's landing pad after completing its flight test.

SpaceX

After SpaceX in May launched a pair of NASA astronauts in its first crewed mission, Musk pivoted the company's attention, declaring that the top SpaceX priority is now development of Starship. Musk said in an email obtained by CNBC that Starship's program must accelerate"dramatically and immediately,"

SpaceX released video of the flight test captured by an aerial drone, as well as a camera underneath the rocket that showed the Raptor engine and the legs deploy for landing.

President Donald Trump also shared video of SpaceX's SN5 flight, although he appeared to confuse the company with NASA in a tweet.

Although it wasn't a NASA test, leaders of the agency were notably paying attention to the SpaceX flight. NASA associate administrator Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen offered his congratulations to Musk's company on the successful flight.

Starship is one of SpaceX's ambitious programs, for which the company has raised about $3.5 billion in private capital to fund. But after a successful test flight a year ago completed by a previous iteration, known as Starhopper, the Starship program suffered several explosive setbacks in development. Those setbacks are part of Musk's motivation for asking more of SpaceX's about 8,000 employees to spend more time in Texas, even offering use of the company's private jet if people are willing to move from the company's facilities in California and Florida.

The extraordinary relocation offer underlines how crucial Musk sees the Starship project. SpaceX is already bidding for NASA contracts with Starship, most recently winning $135 million to compete against Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to deliver astronauts to the Moon. The company's Boca Chica team is already working nearly around the clock but Musk wants more, urging SpaceX employees to help Starship development progress even more quickly.

A look at the Raptor engine underneath SpaceX's prototype Starship rocket and the small legs that deployed for landing.

SpaceX

Musk revealed in a series of tweets what the next steps for Starship's development will be. He said the company will conduct "several short hops to smooth out launch process" before adding more pieces to the rocket for high altitude flights. Additionally, the stubby legs underneath the rocket won't remain as Musk said the next version will be about "60% longer," with later iterations being "much wider & taller."

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SpaceX launches and lands prototype of its Mars rocket Starship in key short flight test - CNBC

By: Explained Desk | New Delhi | Updated: August 7, 2020 8:08:15 am Starship is launched on Tuesday in south Texas. (SpaceX via AP)

On Tuesday (August 4), just two days after SpaceXs Crew Dragon capsule landed in the Gulf of Mexico, a prototype of the companys uncrewed Mars ship, a stainless steel test vehicle called SN5, and which is a part of the Starship spacecraft, successfully flew to an altitude of over 500 feet for a little less than 60 seconds. The test flight was carried out at Boca Chica in Southern Texas, SpaceXs commercial launch site designed for orbital missions.

What is Starship?

Designed by SpaceX, Starship is a spacecraft and super-heavy booster rocket meant to act as a reusable transportation system for crew and cargo to the Earths orbit, Moon and Mars. SpaceX has described Starship as the worlds most powerful launch vehicle with an ability to carry over 100 metric tonnes to the Earths orbit.

What is the idea behind developing this spacecraft?

Starship has been under development since 2012 and is a part of Space Xs central mission to make interplanetary travel accessible and affordable and to become the first private company to do so. Therefore, the company is working on building a fleet of reusable launch vehicles, capable of carrying humans to Mars and other destinations in the solar system.

Reusability is at the heart of making interplanetary travel accessible, SpaceX believes, since a majority of the launch cost is attributed to the expense of building a rocket which is ultimately designed to burn up during re-entry. Following the commercial model, a rapidly reusable space launch vehicle could reduce the cost of traveling to space by a hundredfold, SpaceX mentions on its website.

Once functional, the Starship spacecraft will enter Mars atmosphere at a speed of 7.5 km per second and will be designed to withstand multiple entries. While no human being has set foot on Mars yet, the planet continues to intrigue scientists and researchers because of the possibility that life existed there once. SpaceX is planning its first cargo mission to the red planet by 2022 and by 2024, the company wants to fly four ships including two cargo and two crewed ones to Mars.

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Late last month, a series of unmanned missions to Mars were launched by the US, China and the first one for the middle-eastern world called Hope.

So what all can Starship do?

Starship can deliver satellites further and at lower marginal costs than SpaceXs Falcon vehicles and it can ferry both cargo and crew to the International Space Station (ISS). Once developed, Starship is also expected to help carry large amounts of cargo to the Moon, for human spaceflight development and research. Beyond the Moon, the spacecraft is being designed for carrying crew and cargo for interplanetary missions as well.

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Explained: What is SpaceXs SN5 Starship prototype that completed its first test flight? - The Indian Express

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule cruised into its home port Friday evening (Aug. 7), secured to one of the companys recovery vessels.

Onlookers gathered at Jetty Park (while social distancing) in anticipation of the Crew Dragons arrival after the capsule's historic splashdown on Aug. 2 that returned NASA astronauts Bob Benken and Doug Hurley to Earth. The mission, SpaceX's first crewed flight, was NASA's first orbital crewed flight from U.S. soil since 2011.

Jetty Park a popular launch viewing location is located at the mouth of the port, and all marine traffic comes through this point. Typically packed with excited space fans waiting to see a launch, Jetty Park has been closed during most of the pandemic, but recently reopened in phases.

Related: 'It sounds like an animal': NASA astronauts describe Crew Dragon reentry

The SpaceX recovery ship carrying Crew Dragon, named GO Navigator, pulled into port just after 5:30 p.m. EST (2130 GMT) on Friday. Crew members on board the ship waved at onlookers as the vessel made its short trek through the channel.

The ship and Crew Dragon were quickly moved into a U.S. Navy submarine basin, where the vehicle would be offloaded and transported to SpaceX's Cape Canaveral facilities. (Typically, when SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket first stages arrive in port after landing on one of the companys drone ships, the boosters are towed to SpaceX's dock, further into the port).

Friday's arrival wrapped up SpaceXs historic first crewed mission, that began when astronauts Behnken and Hurley blasted off from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on May 30. Just over two months ago, a shiny new Falcon 9 rocket, adorned with NASA's retro worm logo, lofted the capsule into orbit. Crew Dragon then spent about a day chasing down the International Space Station, before delivering Behnken and Hurley to the orbiting outpost.

Full coverage: SpaceX's historic Demo-2 Crew Dragon astronaut test flight

The duo spent a total of 63 days on station, assisting fellow NASA astronaut, Chris Cassidy, with station maintenance, research experiments, and even a series of spacewalks.

Crew Dragon departed the space station Saturday evening (Aug. 1), splashing down off the coast of Pensacola, in the Gulf of Mexico at 2:48 p.m. EST (1848 GMT) on Sunday (Aug. 2). Recovery crews were waiting to pluck the capsule its previous stark white exterior now resembling a toasted marshmallow out of the water and haul it back to shore.

GO Navigator met the Dragon and hoisted the capsule aboard shortly after splashdown. After a series of checkouts, recovery teams opened the crafts hatch at 3:59 p.m. EDT (1959 GMT), extracting the two astronauts about 10 minutes later.

Once the astronauts were safely offloaded, GO Navigator began its journey back to Port Canaveral. The craft sailed around the Florida peninsula, arriving back at its home dock five days later. With the help of marine traffic sites, space enthusiasts were able to track Dragon on its journey home.

In photos: A behind-the-scenes look at SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship

It was a bright, beautiful Florida afternoon as SpaceX's Dragon-toting vessel appeared on the horizon, it' white paint gleaming in the sunlight. As the distance between GO Navigator and her awaiting fans closed, Crew Dragon came into view. Peeking out from the stern of the ship, Dragon's scorched appearance was visible as the vessel approached the Navy basin.

Once Dragon is offloaded, SpaceX engineers will take it apart so they can analyze how it performed. The craft is scheduled to fly again next spring, and this time with a crew of four. NASA officials expect to certify the craft for regular astronaut flights as soon as the end of this month. That certification will greenlight SpaceX's next crew of astronauts to fly on a long-duration mission to the space station.

In the meantime, SpaceX's drone ship, Of Course I Still Love You, is expected to return to port in a few days. Early Friday (Aug. 7), the company launched one of its Falcon 9 rockets, carrying a stack of Starlink satellites into space along with two small satellites for Black Sky Global.

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SpaceX's toasted Crew Dragon returns home after historic NASA astronaut splashdown - Space.com

SpaceX made history over the weekend when it launched two U.S. astronauts into space, the first crewed space launch from U.S. soil in nearly a decade. It was a remarkable accomplishment, and one that should usher in a new era of space cooperation between private companies and NASA.

It also was largely a nonevent for investors, as SpaceX is a private company and founder Elon Musk has expressed an interest in keeping it that way. SpaceX has big dreams, including colonizing Mars, and those sorts of ambitions, and research expenses, don't usually sync well with Wall Street's quarter-to-quarter tracking.

But even if SpaceX isn't publicly traded, there are some options for investors who want to buy into the new space race. Here's a look at some of the options available to those who are interested.

There aren't a lot of large public companies focused solely on space; I'll get into why that is, and what it might suggest for investors later on. But there are a few options. Virgin Galactic (NYSE:SPCE), Richard Branson's space tourism venture, went public last year and has been the primary publicly traded beneficiary of SpaceX's recent success.

Image source: Getty Images.

Virgin Galactic has yet to launch a human into space, and the company is very much in its development phase. Virgin Galactic generated just $238,000 in revenue in the first quarter, but it can boast a reservation list of more than 1,000 people who have signed up to eventually pay $250,000 to briefly go into space.

The company hopes to begin service this year and believes that with repetition it can bring down the cost of its launches and become profitable. It had better, because even if the entire reservation list is converted into full-paying customers, the money raised wouldn't go much further than covering the $200 million Virgin Galactic burned through in 2019.

Another option is Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR), which is focused on satellites, digital imagery, and analytics tools. The company is a rollup of a number of small satellite providers perhaps best known as the source of many of the satellite images used by Alphabet's Google Maps product, but it gets most of its revenue from government and commercial customers.

Finally, Aerojet Rocketdyne (NYSE:AJRD) is focused on providing the rocket engines needed to get astronauts and satellites into orbit and beyond.

All of the space pure plays tend to be smaller, niche companies. There is a reason for that. Space by its nature is risky, and expensive. SpaceX has experienced a number of high-profile mishaps on its way to getting an astronaut into orbit. Testing and failure are parts of the development process, and that can be hard for smaller companies to manage and finance.

A significant portion of the revenue related to space is soaked up by larger, more diversified defense contractors. Most defense titans have space units, with Boeing (NYSE:BA) and Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) in a joint venture called United Launch Alliance (ULA) focused on lift and Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) making rockets via its Orbital ATK acquisition. Those companies, as well as others, includingRaytheon Technologies (NYSE:RTX) andL3Harris Technologies(NYSE:LHX), also make satellites and sensors that are launched into orbit.

Image source: Lockheed Martin.

Although SpaceX is best known for its crewed efforts, the company so far has made its most significant impact in the launch business. Because it is private, we don't know the exact numbers, but SpaceX has succeeded in bringing down launch costs for government and commercial operators and has put pressure on incumbents including ULA and Northrop.

The real money in space comes from the manufacture of satellites, probes, and other objects designed to fly through space, and specifically the high-tech sensors and electronics on those objects, and not the rockets that get them there. That's a tough business to break into, especially since many of the launches are shrouded intelligence efforts that require employees with clearances, and at least for now are left largely to defense companies with strong ties to the Pentagon.

SpaceX appears to have no interest in going public, but management has in the past discussed eventually spinning off its planned Starlink internet service provider as a publicly traded entity. Starlink in the coming years plans to launch 12,000 small, low-orbiting satellites that can beam internet service to areas that are hard to reach by terrestrial offerings.

They aren't the first to try the plan: Viasat (NASDAQ:VSAT) and EchoStar's (NASDAQ:SATS) Hughes Network Systems currently offer satellite internet with various levels of success. Starlink is one of a number of next-generation companies that want to use an armada of small, inexpensive satellites instead of a couple of larger, more complex ones to provide service.

SpaceX in the past has predicted Starlink could generate upward of $30 billion in annual sales by 2025, though that appears to just be based on assuming all 12,000 satellites are utilized at maximum capacity. It could be a challenge to get to those sales numbers. The business will have to compete against incumbent satellite vendors, similar efforts funded by Amazon.comand others, traditional Earth-based providers, and new technologies including 5G wireless networking technologythat could solve the same problems without the costs and complexity of going into space.

In the meantime, the Starlink launches are providing a steady stream of business for SpaceX and helping advance the company's goal of establishing a space-based communications network that could be used in future efforts to get to the moon and beyond. But as a stand-alone business, Starlink still has a lot to prove.

As mentioned above, space is hard. It is also exciting, and over time, as these technologies develop, could be lucrative. Bankers at Morgan Stanleyin 2017 predicted the space industry could grow to as much as $1.75 trillion in annual revenue by 2040.

Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner likes to say, "make your portfolio reflect your best vision for our future," and it's easy to fit a world with space tourism, improved communications, and even moon colonies into that vision. Unfortunately, the complex engineering challenges needed to be tackled every day to launch people, and objects, into space inevitably lead to high costs and some business failures.

As an investor, it's OK to devote a small percentage of your portfolio to some of these pure-play space companies and hope for the best. But, as always, diversification is key. Given the risks associated with these businesses, it's dangerous to make space a key part of your retirement portfolio.

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Novosibirsk(GMT+07:00) Asia, Phnom Penh(GMT+07:00) Asia, Pontianak(GMT+07:00) Asia, Tomsk(GMT+07:00) Asia, Vientiane(GMT+07:00) Indian, Christmas(GMT+08:00) Antarctica, Casey(GMT+08:00) Asia, Brunei(GMT+08:00) Asia, Choibalsan(GMT+08:00) Asia, Hong Kong(GMT+08:00) Asia, Irkutsk(GMT+08:00) Asia, Kuala Lumpur(GMT+08:00) Asia, Kuching(GMT+08:00) Asia, Macau(GMT+08:00) Asia, Makassar(GMT+08:00) Asia, Manila(GMT+08:00) Asia, Shanghai(GMT+08:00) Asia, Singapore(GMT+08:00) Asia, Taipei(GMT+08:00) Asia, Ulaanbaatar(GMT+08:00) Australia, Perth(GMT+08:45) Australia, Eucla(GMT+09:00) Asia, Chita(GMT+09:00) Asia, Dili(GMT+09:00) Asia, Jayapura(GMT+09:00) Asia, Khandyga(GMT+09:00) Asia, Pyongyang(GMT+09:00) Asia, Seoul(GMT+09:00) Asia, Tokyo(GMT+09:00) Asia, Yakutsk(GMT+09:00) Pacific, Palau(GMT+09:30) Australia, Adelaide(GMT+09:30) Australia, Broken Hill(GMT+09:30) Australia, Darwin(GMT+10:00) Antarctica, DumontDUrville(GMT+10:00) Asia, Ust-Nera(GMT+10:00) Asia, Vladivostok(GMT+10:00) Australia, Brisbane(GMT+10:00) Australia, Currie(GMT+10:00) Australia, Hobart(GMT+10:00) Australia, Lindeman(GMT+10:00) Australia, Melbourne(GMT+10:00) Australia, Sydney(GMT+10:00) Pacific, Chuuk(GMT+10:00) Pacific, Guam(GMT+10:00) Pacific, Port Moresby(GMT+10:00) Pacific, Saipan(GMT+10:30) Australia, Lord Howe(GMT+11:00) Antarctica, Macquarie(GMT+11:00) Asia, Magadan(GMT+11:00) Asia, Sakhalin(GMT+11:00) Asia, Srednekolymsk(GMT+11:00) Pacific, Bougainville(GMT+11:00) Pacific, Efate(GMT+11:00) Pacific, Guadalcanal(GMT+11:00) Pacific, Kosrae(GMT+11:00) Pacific, Norfolk(GMT+11:00) Pacific, Noumea(GMT+11:00) Pacific, Pohnpei(GMT+12:00) Antarctica, McMurdo(GMT+12:00) Asia, Anadyr(GMT+12:00) Asia, Kamchatka(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Auckland(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Fiji(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Funafuti(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Kwajalein(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Majuro(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Nauru(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Tarawa(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Wake(GMT+12:00) Pacific, Wallis(GMT+12:45) Pacific, Chatham(GMT+13:00) Pacific, Apia(GMT+13:00) Pacific, Enderbury(GMT+13:00) Pacific, Fakaofo(GMT+13:00) Pacific, Tongatapu(GMT+14:00) Pacific, Kiritimati

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SpaceX Launch Schedule

A relieved SpaceX CEO Elon Musk welcomed home the first NASA astronauts to fly to space on his company's Crew Dragon vehicle.

Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken returned to Earth after two months in orbit and safely splashed down in the Gulf Coast waters off Florida on Sunday (Aug. 2). The astronauts, finally back on their home planet, then caught a plane ride home to Houston, where NASA's astronaut corps is based. There, Musk joined NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine to welcome the pair home from the test flight and share his excitement about what comes next.

"I do think what this heralds really is fundamentally a new era in spaceflight," Musk said. "We're going to go to the moon, we're going to have a base on the moon, we're going to send people to Mars and make life multiplanetary and I think this day heralds a new age of space exploration. That's what it's all about."

In photos: SpaceX's historic Demo-2 test flight with astronauts

Hurley and Behnken's flight, dubbed Demo-2, was the first crewed flight in NASA's commercial crew program to outsource astronaut rides to the space station to companies, an initiative that began in 2014. A second company, Boeing, also holds a contract with the program and is expected to refly an uncrewed test flight of its Starliner vehicle after a mishap in December left the capsule unable to reach the space station.

Spaceflight is always risky, but particularly so during a test flight, a fact that astronauts and mission leaders alike have acknowledged throughout the lead-up to the Demo-2 flight. Musk referenced the riskiness obliquely in his welcoming remarks.

"I think, like, my entire adrenaline just dumped, you know? Like, thank God," Musk said. "I'm not very religious, but I prayed for this one."

Musk also pointed to the context in which Hurley and Behnken made their flight. The pair flew to and from space as a pandemic ravaged the country, among other ongoing crises.

"I think this is something that the whole world can take some pleasure in and can really look at this as an achievement of humanity," Musk said. "These are difficult times, when there's not that much good news. I think this is one of those things that is universally good, no matter where you are on planet Earth. This is a good thing, and I hope it brightens your day."

Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her on Twitter @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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'I prayed for this one - Space.com

THIS PRODUCT COVERS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA**TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS WILL BRING HEAVY RAIN AND TROPICAL STORM FORCEWINDS TO EASTERN NC THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING**NEW INFORMATION---------------* CHANGES TO WATCHES AND WARNINGS:- THE TROPICAL STORM WATCH HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO A TROPICAL STORMWARNING FOR FRANKLIN, HARNETT, HOKE, WAKE, AND WARREN- THE TROPICAL STORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR SCOTLAND* CURRENT WATCHES AND WARNINGS:- A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR CUMBERLAND,EDGECOMBE, FRANKLIN, HALIFAX, HARNETT, HOKE, JOHNSTON, NASH,SAMPSON, WAKE, WARREN, WAYNE, AND WILSON* STORM INFORMATION:- ABOUT 360 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF RALEIGH NC- 30.7N 80.1W- STORM INTENSITY 70 MPH- MOVEMENT NORTH OR 360 DEGREES AT 13 MPHSITUATION OVERVIEW------------------TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE GEORGIA AND SOUTHEASTSOUTH CAROLINA COASTS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ISAIAS IS THENFORECAST TO MAKE LANDFALL NEAR THE NORTH CAROLINA/SOUTH CAROLINABORDER AND MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CAROLINASTONIGHT THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY. CONDITIONS SHOULD BEGIN TODETERIORATE THIS EVENING, WITH THE GREATEST IMPACTS EXPECTED TONIGHTTHROUGH EARLY TUESDAY.TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS, HEAVY RAINFALL AND ASSOCIATED FLOODINGARE THE MAIN THREATS. DUE TO SATURATED SOILS AND STRONG WINDS,EXPECT NUMEROUS DOWNED TREES AND POWER LINES. ISOLATED TORNADOES AREALSO POSSIBLE. CONDITIONS SHOULD BEGIN TO IMPROVE SOUTH TO NORTHLATE TUESDAY MORNING AND INTO THE AFTERNOON.POTENTIAL IMPACTS-----------------* WIND:PROTECT AGAINST DANGEROUS WIND HAVING POSSIBLE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTSALONG AND EAST OF US 1. POTENTIAL IMPACTS IN THIS AREA INCLUDE:- SOME DAMAGE TO ROOFING AND SIDING MATERIALS, ALONG WITH DAMAGETO PORCHES, AWNINGS, CARPORTS, AND SHEDS. A FEW BUILDINGSEXPERIENCING WINDOW, DOOR, AND GARAGE DOOR FAILURES. MOBILEHOMES DAMAGED, ESPECIALLY IF UNANCHORED. UNSECURED LIGHTWEIGHTOBJECTS BECOME DANGEROUS PROJECTILES.- SEVERAL LARGE TREES SNAPPED OR UPROOTED, BUT WITH GREATERNUMBERS IN PLACES WHERE TREES ARE SHALLOW ROOTED. SEVERALFENCES AND ROADWAY SIGNS BLOWN OVER.- A FEW ROADS IMPASSABLE FROM LARGE DEBRIS, AND MORE WITHIN URBANOR HEAVILY WOODED PLACES. A FEW BRIDGES, CAUSEWAYS, AND ACCESSROUTES IMPASSABLE.- SCATTERED POWER AND COMMUNICATIONS OUTAGES, BUT MORE PREVALENTIN AREAS WITH ABOVE GROUND LINES.ALSO, PROTECT AGAINST HAZARDOUS WIND HAVING POSSIBLE LIMITED IMPACTSACROSS THE WESTERN PIEDMONT AND WESTERN SANDHILLS.* FLOODING RAIN:PROTECT AGAINST DANGEROUS RAINFALL FLOODING HAVING POSSIBLESIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. POTENTIAL IMPACTSINCLUDE:- MODERATE RAINFALL FLOODING MAY PROMPT SEVERAL EVACUATIONS ANDRESCUES.- RIVERS AND TRIBUTARIES MAY QUICKLY BECOME SWOLLEN WITH SWIFTERCURRENTS AND OVERSPILL THEIR BANKS IN A FEW PLACES, ESPECIALLYIN USUALLY VULNERABLE SPOTS. SMALL STREAMS, CREEKS, AND DITCHESOVERFLOW.- FLOOD WATERS CAN ENTER SOME STRUCTURES OR WEAKEN FOUNDATIONS.SEVERAL PLACES MAY EXPERIENCE EXPANDED AREAS OF RAPIDINUNDATION AT UNDERPASSES, LOW-LYING SPOTS, AND POOR DRAINAGEAREAS. SOME STREETS AND PARKING LOTS TAKE ON MOVING WATER ASSTORM DRAINS AND RETENTION PONDS OVERFLOW. DRIVING CONDITIONSBECOME HAZARDOUS. SOME ROAD AND BRIDGE CLOSURES.* TORNADOES:PROTECT AGAINST A DANGEROUS TORNADO EVENT HAVING POSSIBLE SIGNIFICANTIMPACTS ALONG AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 95. POTENTIAL IMPACTS INCLUDE:- THE OCCURRENCE OF SCATTERED TORNADOES CAN HINDER THE EXECUTIONOF EMERGENCY PLANS DURING TROPICAL EVENTS.- SEVERAL PLACES MAY EXPERIENCE TORNADO DAMAGE WITH A FEW SPOTSOF CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE, POWER LOSS, AND COMMUNICATIONS FAILURES.- LOCATIONS COULD REALIZE ROOFS TORN OFF FRAME HOUSES, MOBILEHOMES DEMOLISHED, BOXCARS OVERTURNED, LARGE TREES SNAPPED ORUPROOTED, VEHICLES TUMBLED, AND SMALL BOATS TOSSED ABOUT.DANGEROUS PROJECTILES CAN ADD TO THE TOLL.ELSEWHERE ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA, LITTLE TO NO IMPACT ISANTICIPATED.PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS----------------------------------NOW IS THE TIME TO CHECK YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN AND EMERGENCY SUPPLIESKIT AND TAKE NECESSARY ACTIONS TO PROTECT YOUR FAMILY AND SECURE YOURHOME OR BUSINESS.WHEN MAKING SAFETY AND PREPAREDNESS DECISIONS, DO NOT FOCUS ON THEEXACT FORECAST TRACK SINCE HAZARDS SUCH AS FLOODING RAIN, DAMAGINGWIND GUSTS, STORM SURGE, AND TORNADOES EXTEND WELL AWAY FROM THECENTER OF THE STORM.ALWAYS HEED THE ADVICE OF LOCAL OFFICIALS AND COMPLY WITH ORDERS THATARE ISSUED. DO NOT NEEDLESSLY JEOPARDIZE YOUR LIFE OR THE LIVES OFOTHERS.* ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION:- FOR INFORMATION ON APPROPRIATE PREPARATIONS SEE READYNC.ORG- FOR INFORMATION ON CREATING AN EMERGENCY PLAN SEE GETAGAMEPLAN.ORG- FOR ADDITIONAL DISASTER PREPAREDNESS INFORMATION SEE REDCROSS.ORGNEXT UPDATE-----------THE NEXT LOCAL STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHERSERVICE IN RALEIGH NC AROUND 5 PM EDT, OR SOONER IF CONDITIONSWARRANT.

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SpaceX crew returned to Earth and other space news you missed - Winston-Salem Journal

Whats Streaming

CONNECTED Stream on Netflix. As the director of research for Radiolab, Latif Nasser has covered all sorts of fascinating stories for the science podcast, like that of a Guantnamo Bay detainee who shares his name, or what the 2016 N.H.L. All-Star Game can teach us about democracy. Now, as the host of this new Netflix show, Nasser will uncover the surprising ways humans are connected to one another, the world and the universe at large. Its a fascinating topic one that highlights how a law of numerical probability applies to classical music, social media and tax fraud, or how a shipwreck laid the ground work for weather forecasting and cloud computing.

SPACE LAUNCH LIVE: SPLASHDOWN 1 p.m. on Discovery and Science Channel. Back in May, millions of people turned their eyes to the skies (and their screens) to witness the launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. The mission, which was a partnership between NASA and Elon Musks company SpaceX, marked the first time U.S. astronauts were sent into orbit onboard a private spacecraft. Now, after spending two months docked at the International Space Station, the astronauts, Robert L. Behnken and Douglas O. Hurley, will make their journey home. The host Chris Jacobs will be joined by current and former astronauts, engineers and other special guests, before the spacecrafts scheduled landing in the Atlantic Ocean.

HIROSHIMA: 75 YEARS LATER 9 p.m. on History. This two-hour documentary looks back at the development, detonation and aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, featuring the perspectives of leaders, physicists, soldiers and survivors who witnessed its catastrophic destruction. Featuring archival footage, color film from the aftermath and audio testimony from victims, the film takes a hard look at one of the most devastating moments in human history through a moral and scientific lens.

TASKMASTER 9 p.m. on the CW. This widely entertaining series assigns a group of comedians with a number of creatively vague tasks such as make the most exotic sandwich or fill an egg cup with tears" leaving the host, Greg Davies, and the task devisor, Alex Horne, to choose a winner. Its a clever take on the classic British panel show format that doubles as a devious way to torture its celebrity guests with hilarious, and occasionally genius, results.

ILL BE GONE IN THE DARK 10 p.m. on HBO. In April 2018, the decades-long search for the sexual predator known as the Golden State Killer, concluded in the arrest of Joseph James DeAngelo. But the true crime writer Michelle McNamara, who spent years investigating the case, died before she could see the man who terrorized California in the 1970s and 80s brought to justice. This six-part series traces the evolution of the case, as well as McNamaras remarkable life and work, as an adaptation of her book, which was published posthumously. In the finale, McNamaras husband, the comedian Patton Oswalt, connects with survivors of DeAngelos crimes and reflects on McNamaras absence.

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Whats on TV Sunday: Connected and the SpaceX Landing - The New York Times

Welcome to the r/SpaceX Starship SN5 150 Meter Hop Official Hop Discussion & Updates Thread!

Hi, this is your host team bringing you live updates on this test.

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SPADRE LIVE | LABPADRE LIVE | SPACEX on YOUTUBE | NSF on YOUTUBE

Starship Serial Number 5 - 150 Meter Hop Test

Starship SN5, equipped with a single Raptor engine (SN27), will attempt a hop at SpaceX's development and launch site at Boca Chica, Texas. The test article will rise to a maximum altitude of about 150 meters and translate a similar distance downrange to the landing pad. The flight should last approximately one minute and follow a trajectory very similar to Starhopper's 150 meter hop in August of 2019. The Raptor engine is offset slightly from the vehicle's vertical axis, so some unusual motion is to be expected as SN5 lifts off, reorients the engine beneath the vehicle's center of mass, and lands. SN5 has six legs stowed inside the skirt which will be deployed in flight for landing. The exact launch time may not be known until just a few minutes before launch, and will be preceded by a local siren about 10 minutes ahead of time.

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r/SpaceX, the premier SpaceX discussion community

Two astronauts who took the first commercial trip to orbit have left the International Space Station. They are scheduled to return home on Sunday.

The astronauts, Robert L. Behnken and Douglas G. Hurley, traveled to the space station in May aboard a Crew Dragon capsule built and run by SpaceX, the private rocket company started by Elon Musk.

The Crew Dragon undocked from the space station at 7:35 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, with brief thruster firings pushing the spacecraft back.

As the capsule backed away from the station, Mr. Hurley thanked the current crew of the space station and the teams on the ground that helped manage their mission.

We look forward to splashdown tomorrow, he said.

If the weather conditions remain favorable, it will splash down in the Gulf of Mexico off Pensacola, Fla., at 2:48 p.m. on Sunday, NASA announced.

A safe return would open up more trips to and from orbit for future astronaut crews, and possibly space tourists, aboard the spacecraft.

Isaias is forecast to sweep up along the Atlantic coast of Florida over the weekend. NASA and SpaceX have seven splashdown sites in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, but the track of the storm ruled out the three in the Atlantic.

We have confidence that the teams on the ground are, of course, watching that much more closely than we are, Mr. Behnken said during a news conference on Friday, and we wont leave the space station without some good landing opportunities in front of us, good splashdown weather in front of us.

NASA Televisions coverage of the undocking will continue through splashdown. You can watch it in the video player below.

The capsule is now performing a series of burns to move away from the station and then line up with the splashdown site.

For much of the trip, Mr. Behnken and Mr. Hurley will be sleeping. Their schedule sets aside a full night of rest.

Any return journey that exceeds six hours has to be long enough for the crew to get some sleep between undocking and splashdown, Daniel Huot, a NASA spokesman, said in an email.

Otherwise, because of the extended process that leads up to undocking, the crew would end up working more than 20 hours straight, which is not safe for dynamic operations like water splashdown and recovery, Mr. Huot said.

Just before a final burn that will drop the Crew Dragon out of orbit on Sunday afternoon, it will jettison the bottom part of the spacecraft, known as the trunk, which will then burn up in the atmosphere.

At re-entry, the Crew Dragon will be traveling at about 17,500 miles per hour. Two small parachutes will deploy at an altitude of 18,000 feet when the spacecraft has already been slowed by Earths atmosphere to about 350 miles per hour. The four main parachutes deploy at an altitude of about 6,000 feet.

Once the capsule splashes in the water, it is expected to take 45 to 60 minutes to pluck them out.

The storm complicated where splashdown could take place. At the splashdown site, winds must be less than 10 miles per hour for the capsule to land safely. There are additional constraints on waves, rain and lightning. In addition, helicopters that take part in the recovery of the capsule must be able to fly and land safely.

The first landing opportunity will aim for only the primary site, Pensacola. If weather there is inconsistent with the rules, the capsule and the astronauts will remain in orbit for another day or two, and managers will consider the backup site, which is Panama City.

Spacecraft can safely return to Earth in either environment.

During the 1960s and 1970s, NASAs Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsules all splashed down in the ocean while Soviet capsules all ended their trips on land. Russias current Soyuz capsules continue to make ground landings, as do Chinas astronaut-carrying Shenzhou capsules.

When Boeings Starliner capsule begins carrying crews to the space station, it will return on land, in New Mexico. SpaceX had originally planned for the Crew Dragon to do ground landings, but decided that water landings, employed for the earlier version of Dragon for taking cargo, simplified the development of the capsule.

After launch, re-entry through Earths atmosphere is the second most dangerous phase of spaceflight. Friction of air rushing past will heat the bottom of the capsule to about 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit. A test flight of the Crew Dragon last year successfully splashed down, so engineers know the system works.

A successful conclusion to the trip opens the door to more people flying to space. Some companies have already announced plans to use Crew Dragons to lift wealthy tourists to orbit.

In the past, NASA astronauts launched on spacecraft like the Saturn 5 moon rocket and the space shuttles that NASA itself operated. After the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011, NASA had to rely on Russia, buying seats on the Soyuz capsules for trips to and from orbit.

Under the Obama administration, NASA hired two companies, SpaceX and Boeing, to build spacecraft to take astronauts to the space station. NASA financed much of the work to develop the spacecraft but will now buy rides at fixed prices. For SpaceX, the trip by Mr. Behnken and Mr. Hurley the first launch of astronauts from American soil since the last space shuttle flight was the last major demonstration needed before NASA officially certifies that the Crew Dragon is ready to begin regular flights.

The astronauts are Robert L. Behnken and Douglas G. Hurley, who have been friends and colleagues since both were selected by NASA to be astronauts in 2000.

Both men have backgrounds as military test pilots and each has flown twice before on space shuttle missions, although this is the first time they have worked together on a mission. Mr. Hurley flew on the space shuttles final mission in 2011.

In 2015, they were among the astronauts chosen to work with Boeing and SpaceX on the commercial space vehicles that the companies were developing. In 2018, they were assigned to the first SpaceX flight.

Originally, the mission was to last only up to two weeks, but Mr. Behnken and Mr. Hurley ended up with a longer and busier stay at the space station. Because of repeated delays by SpaceX and Boeing, NASA ended up short-handed, with only one astronaut, Christopher J. Cassidy, aboard the space station when the Crew Dragon and its two passengers docked.

They stayed two months, helping Mr. Cassidy with space station chores. Mr. Behnken and Mr. Cassidy performed four spacewalks to complete the installation of new batteries on the space station. Mr. Hurley helped by operating the stations robotic arm.

The men have also been contributing to science experiments in low earth orbit. They assisted in a study of water droplet formation in the low gravity environment of the space station using a shower head, and another that used fruit punch and foam to look at how to manage fluids in space. They also helped install new equipment inside the station that will be used in future scientific research.

Mr. Cassidy will remain aboard the station with two Russian astronauts, Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner. All three are to stay on board through October when another crew of one American and two Russian astronauts will replace them.

The first operational flight of the Crew Dragon will launch no earlier than late September. It will take three NASA astronauts Michael S. Hopkins, Victor J. Glover and Shannon Walker and one Japanese astronaut, Soichi Noguchi, to the space station.

The second operational flight, tentatively scheduled for February 2021, will carry two NASA astronauts, Robert S. Kimbrough and K. Megan McArthur; Akihiko Hoshide of Japan; and Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency.

Ms. McArthur is married to Mr. Behnken.

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SpaceX Crew Dragon Departs, Carrying NASA Astronauts Toward Home - The New York Times

WASHINGTON: Amazon.com Inc said on Thursday it will invest more than $10 billion to build a network of 3,236 satellites that will provide high-speed broadband internet services to people around the world who lack such access.

The announcement follows the Federal Communications Commission's approval of the plan, called "Project Kuiper", for the constellation of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites that will compete with the Starlink network being built out by Elon Musk's SpaceX. It also comes on the heels of Amazon posting its biggest profit in its 26-year history.

"A project of this scale requires significant effort and resources, and, due to the nature of LEO constellations, it is not the kind of initiative that can start small. You have to commit," the company said in a blog post.

The project will also benefit wireless carriers deploying 5G and other wireless service to new regions, Amazon said. By comparison, SpaceX has launched over 500 satellites of the roughly 12,000 expected for its Starlink constellation in low Earth orbit and plans to offer broadband service in the United States and Canada by the year's end. The FCC approved SpaceX's request in 2018.

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Taking on SpaceX, Amazon to invest $10 billion in satellite broadband plan - Economic Times