Roundup While shy and retiring Elon Musk may have made a big noise with his big rocket, there was plenty other news for space fans to chew over in the last week.
Small-sat upstart RocketLab has set the date kind of for its ninth Electron launch. The mission, still from the company's New Zealand Launch Complex 1, is scheduled for lift-off during a 24-day window, which opens on 14 October (UTC).
The company is still some way from achieving the cadence it boasts of, with the launch window opening almost two months after the successful "Look Ma, No Hands" mission.
There have been some manifest shenanigans, however, with the original customer for this mission requesting a later launch date. The slip has allowed fellow upstart satellite operator Santa Clara-based Astro Digital to nab the Electron for its satellite.
The name of the mission is a nod to the operator's Corvus satellite platform. The Corvus genus of birds includes ravens, rooks and... crows. Geddit?
The launch announcement came as the company completed a major milestone toward erecting an Electron at its Launch Complex 2 in Virginia, USA.
Construction of the pad began in February 2019 and in recent weeks the launch platform was installed. The strongback, which lifts the Electron vertically, is due for installation imminently and the remaining work consists of fitting and testing connections ahead of completion in December 2019.
The first launch from US soil is expected in "early 2020".
While Elon Musk bragged about Starship, NASA's boffins continued their methodical plod toward a Space Launch System (SLS) launch with a full scale mock-up of the SLS arriving by barge to demonstrate that the functional version can be processed by the venerable space port.
Those with long memories will remember similar activities with Space Shuttle Enterprise and the External Tank ahead of Columbia's first launch.
The Pathfinder stage arrived on NASA's Pegasus barge and was moved into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for a month of testing. The team plans to practice stacking manoeuvres ahead of the long-awaited arrival of actual Artemis I hardware.
That core stage, which will send an uncrewed Orion capsule around the Moon, must first undergo a full test firing, with all flight hardware, at Stennis Space Center ahead of finally arriving at Kennedy in 2020.
Japan's HTV-8 was successfully bolted to the International Space Station (ISS) over the weekend with ground controllers dealing with the attachment after astronauts captured the thing with the station's robotic arm.
As well as a number of experiments on board the freighter, the Kounotori 8 H-II Transfer Vehicle also carries six new lithium-ion batteries and adapter plates to replace ageing nickel-hydrogen units on the ISS.
The arrival comes as the ISS prepares to see its existing nine-person crew reduced to six as Alexey Ovchinin, Nick Hague and spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori pack their bags for a return to Earth onboard Soyuz MS-12.
The trio are due to leave the station on Thursday ahead of a 5pm (Kazakhstan time) landing.
SpaceX continued its slow progress towards flying a crew to the ISS despite the NASA Administrator launching a toy or two from his pram at ongoing commercial crew delays.
Last week's test concerned getting astronauts away from the launch pad in the event of an emergency before lift-off.
Two evacuation exercises were demonstrated by astronauts Bob Behnken and Shannon Walker. The first was an "expedited non-emergency egress", which saw the 'nauts saunter back from the white room at the end of the crew access arm and descend by the launch tower's elevator.
The second was the altogether more exciting emergency egress, which involved clambering into the slidewire baskets which would whisk the crew to an armoured vehicle on the ground.
Sadly, although the crew demonstrated improvements made to those baskets since the Shuttle era, it was an empty, weighted basket that got to take the wild ride to the ground and show off the updated braking mechanisms.
There was also no Crew Dragon capsule present for the crew to actually escape from. SpaceX has yet to demonstrate an inflight abort for an uncrewed mission ahead of the first crewed mission from the launchpad since the days of the Space Shuttle.
Arianespace's next launcher, the Ariane 6, took a big step toward launch as the rocket's Vulcain 2.1 liquid-fuelled engine completed a 15-month test campaign at the DLR German Aerospace Center in Lampoldshausen.
The last firing of the engine (one of two demonstration models) lasted for nearly 11 minutes, bringing the total operation during testing to almost 11 hours. During a launch, the engine will be expected to fire for eight minutes, propelling the Ariane 6 to an altitude of 200km.
A refurbishment for vibration testing is next on the agenda along with combined tests with a fully representative main stage. The qualification of the Vinci upper stage engine was completed in October 2018 although a static firing of the final qualification model of Ariane 6's P120C solid-fuel booster in French Guiana is still pending.
Finally, as the 2024 boots-on-the-Moon date creeps closer, NASA is seeking proposals for getting humans there and back again, otherwise known as the Artemis programme.
The final call to industry comes after two earlier drafts, and NASA expects proposals by 1 November because, well, the clock is ticking.
The agency plans to make multiple awards to industry for development and demonstration of a human landing system. The first company selected will handle the 2024 landing. The second company will take care of a landing in 2025.
It's going to be a challenge. As NASA acknowledges: "Typical spaceflight hardware can take six to eight years to develop." There is less than five years to go before the agency hopes to get the humans back on the lunar surface.
To that end, NASA has cut the number of contract deliverables to just 37.
While the agency still hopes that a lander and Orion capsule will launch separately and meet at the Lunar Gateway space station, NASA is "open to alternative, innovative approaches".
However, dropped is NASA's desire to make its lunar lander refuelable. In order to give industry a fighting chance of making that 2024 date, the requirement, originally set when the goal was 2028, has been removed.
Although NASA would really like to have the option at some point in the future.
Otherwise Artemis risks losing much of its much-vaunted sustainability in favour of another Apollo-style rush to the Moon.
For those wondering about the challenge of building a lunar lander, we'd recommend the "Spider" episode of HBO's From The Earth To The Moon series.
Sponsored: What next after Netezza?
Link:
- Armadillo’s Level 2 LLC attempt coming soon? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Decisions, decisions - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Armadillo versus the weather - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Photos from Armadillo’s Saturday flights - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Armadillo Level 2 Flight 1 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Meanwhile, elsewhere in the LLC race - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Masten gets halfway there - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Xombie photos (finally!) - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Is the media clowning around? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Galactic Suite “on schedule”? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Scientist Guest Column: Using Commercial Suborbital Spacecraft for Microgravity Chemistry Research - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Building Spaceport Infrastructure: An Overview of the STIM-Grants Program - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Five Years After SpaceShipOne’s Historic X PRIZE Flight, New Challenges Await - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Masten Space Systems Makes Successful Flights to Qualify for $150K NASA Lunar Lander Prize Level 1 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Distinguished Former NASA Astronauts Endorse Commercial Spaceflight in Wall Street Journal Op-Ed - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- NASA Chief Praises Commercial Spaceflight, Suborbital Science, & Innovation Prizes in Speech - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- CSF Welcomes Strong Support for Commercial Human Spaceflight in White House Panel’s Report - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Commercial Spaceflight Federation President Bretton Alexander Appointed to the NASA Advisory Council - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- In November 5th Public Ceremony, NASA to Award $1.65 Million In Prizes for Commercial Spaceflight Successes - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- CSF Congratulates Winners of NASA’s $2 Million Lunar Lander Challenge - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Welcome to the NewSpace Journal - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Some things even Virgin can’t control - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- While you’re waiting for the rollout… - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- SpaceShipTwo rollout: initial impressions - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- A couple of pics - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- SpaceShipTwo slideshow - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- The Virgin party’s aftermath - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Investment in Commercial Spaceflight Grows to $1.46 Billion, Updated Industry Study Reveals - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Former Astronaut-Astronomer, Sam Durrance, Joins the CSF Suborbital Researchers Group - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Commercial Spaceflight Federation Announces Creation and Initial Membership of Spaceports Council - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- CSF President Bretton Alexander Testifies Before House Science Committee on Spaceflight Safety - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- CSF Vice-Chairman Jeff Greason Testifies Before House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Commercial Spaceflight Regulation - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Virgin Galactic Unveils SpaceShipTwo - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- So that’s why Aabar invested in Virgin? - December 15th, 2009 [December 15th, 2009]
- More about the Virgin rollout aftermath - December 17th, 2009 [December 17th, 2009]
- Space tourism as “the final undiscovered frontier”? - December 17th, 2009 [December 17th, 2009]
- Orion Propulsion acquired - December 17th, 2009 [December 17th, 2009]
- Spaceport America developments - December 18th, 2009 [December 18th, 2009]
- XCOR wins a major customer - December 19th, 2009 [December 19th, 2009]
- Centennial Challenges, Spaceport Infrastructure Grants, and Suborbital Science to Receive Funds from NASA and FAA - December 22nd, 2009 [December 22nd, 2009]
- Video tour of Spaceport America - December 24th, 2009 [December 24th, 2009]
- Virgin’s web traffic planning - December 24th, 2009 [December 24th, 2009]
- List of Speakers Announced for the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference in February - December 31st, 2009 [December 31st, 2009]
- Popular Science Features Commercial Spaceflight on January Cover, Discusses NASA Partnerships - January 4th, 2010 [January 4th, 2010]
- Aviation Week honors the “Space Entrepreneur” - January 5th, 2010 [January 5th, 2010]
- “The Space Entrepreneur” Named by Aviation Week Magazine As Its 2009 Person of the Year - January 5th, 2010 [January 5th, 2010]
- Additional notes about Olsen’s book - January 6th, 2010 [January 6th, 2010]
- Registration deadline approaching for suborbital science conference - January 8th, 2010 [January 8th, 2010]
- NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver to Keynote the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference in February - January 11th, 2010 [January 11th, 2010]
- Cecil Field gets spaceport license – but will anyone use it? - January 12th, 2010 [January 12th, 2010]
- Training begins for suborbital scientist-astronauts - January 12th, 2010 [January 12th, 2010]
- First Class of Suborbital Scientist-Astronauts Successfully Complete NASTAR Training Program - January 14th, 2010 [January 14th, 2010]
- Is “space tour guide” in your professional future? - January 17th, 2010 [January 17th, 2010]
- What can Florida, Indiana, and others learn from Oklahoma? - January 17th, 2010 [January 17th, 2010]
- Virginia wants money, New Mexico wants laws - January 21st, 2010 [January 21st, 2010]
- Commercial Spaceflight Federation Responds to the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel’s 2009 Annual Report - January 21st, 2010 [January 21st, 2010]
- CSF Statement on NASA’s Anticipated Announcement of a $6 Billion Commercial Crew Program and NASA Budget Increase - January 29th, 2010 [January 29th, 2010]
- CSF Welcomes New NASA Human Spaceflight Plan, Congratulates Commercial Crew Development Winners - February 1st, 2010 [February 1st, 2010]
- NASA Unveils Commercial Human Spaceflight Development Agreements and Announces $50 Million in Seed Funding for Commercial Crew - February 3rd, 2010 [February 3rd, 2010]
- James Cameron Endorses Commercial Spaceflight, New NASA Plan - February 4th, 2010 [February 4th, 2010]
- Newt Gingrich and Bob Walker Endorse Obama’s New NASA Plan, Urge Bipartisan Support - February 13th, 2010 [February 13th, 2010]
- Blue Origin proposes orbital vehicle - February 18th, 2010 [February 18th, 2010]
- CSF Announces New Research and Education Affiliates Program, Initial Participating Universities - February 18th, 2010 [February 18th, 2010]
- CSF Welcomes Historic NASA Commitment of $75 Million for Commercial Suborbital Flights, Payloads - February 18th, 2010 [February 18th, 2010]
- Suborbital vehicle development updates - February 19th, 2010 [February 19th, 2010]
- Other conference announcements - February 21st, 2010 [February 21st, 2010]
- Bigger prizes to come? - February 23rd, 2010 [February 23rd, 2010]
- Gov. Bill Richardson Endorses Commercial Spaceflight, Obama’s New NASA Plan - February 23rd, 2010 [February 23rd, 2010]
- Over 250 People Attend Next-Gen Suborbital Researchers Conference, 2011 Meeting Planned for Florida - February 24th, 2010 [February 24th, 2010]
- Boston Globe, Nature, New York Times Editorial Boards Among Others Welcoming New NASA Plan - February 25th, 2010 [February 25th, 2010]
- Commercial Spaceflight Federation Commends New Mexico for Passage of Key Liability Legislation - March 2nd, 2010 [March 2nd, 2010]
- Burt Rutan’s BigThink - March 3rd, 2010 [March 3rd, 2010]
- Brief notes: Soyuz, Virgin, and… iCarly? - March 5th, 2010 [March 5th, 2010]
- Commercial Spaceflight Federation 2009 Annual Report Highlights Industry Progress - March 8th, 2010 [March 8th, 2010]
- SpaceShipTwo flies, on schedule - March 23rd, 2010 [March 23rd, 2010]
- SpaceShipTwo captive carry flight video - March 23rd, 2010 [March 23rd, 2010]
- Over the Mojave Desert, Suborbital Vehicles Take Flight - March 28th, 2010 [March 28th, 2010]
- See WK2 and SS2 fly in New Mexico this October - March 29th, 2010 [March 29th, 2010]
- SA10: Commercial RLV Technology Roadmap update - April 9th, 2010 [April 9th, 2010]
- An evolving Armadillo - April 11th, 2010 [April 11th, 2010]