SpaceX
Re: SpaceX
Who would have thought there would be such a clusterphook after a simple launch failure?
Re: SpaceX
Just about everybody including Elon Musk?
Re: SpaceX
SpaceX's powerful Falcon Heavy rocket launch today after weather delays
By Mike Wall last updated about 4 hours ago
Liftoff is scheduled for 7:29 p.m. EDT (2329 GMT).
https://www.space.com/spacex-falcon-hea ... SmartBrief
SpaceX's powerful Falcon Heavy rocket will launch for the sixth time ever Friday (April 28), and you can watch the action live.
The Falcon Heavy is scheduled to lift off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:29 p.m. EDT (2329 GMT) on Friday, carrying three satellites toward distant geostationary orbit.
You can watch the liftoff live here at Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX, or directly via the company(opens in new tab).
The primary payload on Friday's mission is ViaSat-3 Americas, a 14,000-pound (6,400 kilograms) broadband satellite that will be operated by California-based company Viasat.
The second satellite flying Friday is Arcturus, a communications craft that will be operated by San Francisco-based Astranis Space Technologies.
"Although it only weighs 300 kg [660 pounds], the mighty communications satellite has the ability to provide data throughput up to 7.5 Gbps for ... Alaska and the surrounding region," EverydayAstronaut.com wrote(opens in new tab) of Arcturus in a description of today's flight.
The third payload is GS-1, a cubesat that will be operated by Washington-based Gravity Space. GS-1's primary mission involves providing communications for Internet of Things applications, though it will do some other things in orbit as well.
"The spacecraft is also designed to provide orbital slot reservation services (BIU) around the geosynchronous arc. The spacecraft features three wideband frequency bands," Gravity Space wrote in a description of the satellite(opens in new tab). "The spacecraft will also carry an imaging system capable of imaging both the Earth and spatial bodies, as well as an experimental rendezvous and docking payload."
The Falcon Heavy consists of three strapped-together first stages of SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket. The central booster is topped with an upper stage and the payload(s).
Falcon Heavy debuted in February 2018 with a memorable test flight flight that sent SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk's red Tesla Roadster into orbit around the sun with Starman, a spacesuit-clad mannequin, at the wheel.
The burly rocket has flown four more times since then, most recently in January of this year, when it launched the classified USSF-67 mission for the U.S. Space Force.
The Falcon Heavy's three first-stage boosters are designed to be reusable. However, none of the boosters will be recovered on today's mission, presumably because they won't have enough fuel left over to maneuver themselves safely back to Earth for a vertical touchdown.
For more than five years, the Falcon Heavy was SpaceX's most powerful rocket. But the company's gigantic Starship vehicle took that title with its debut liftoff on April 20, a test flight that reached a maximum altitude of 24 miles (39 kilometers) and ended in a commanded explosion high above the Gulf of Mexico for safety's sake.
Starship's 33 first-stage Raptor engines generate 16.7 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, according to SpaceX(opens in new tab). That's more than three times more than the Falcon Heavy produces, and nearly twice as much as the second-place vehicle, NASA's Space Launch System megarocket.
Friday's planned launch has been delayed several times by bad weather. An attempt was called off on Thursday (April 27), for example, as weather officials issued tornado warnings(opens in new tab) for Florida's Space Coast.
PP
By Mike Wall last updated about 4 hours ago
Liftoff is scheduled for 7:29 p.m. EDT (2329 GMT).
https://www.space.com/spacex-falcon-hea ... SmartBrief
SpaceX's powerful Falcon Heavy rocket will launch for the sixth time ever Friday (April 28), and you can watch the action live.
The Falcon Heavy is scheduled to lift off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:29 p.m. EDT (2329 GMT) on Friday, carrying three satellites toward distant geostationary orbit.
You can watch the liftoff live here at Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX, or directly via the company(opens in new tab).
The primary payload on Friday's mission is ViaSat-3 Americas, a 14,000-pound (6,400 kilograms) broadband satellite that will be operated by California-based company Viasat.
The second satellite flying Friday is Arcturus, a communications craft that will be operated by San Francisco-based Astranis Space Technologies.
"Although it only weighs 300 kg [660 pounds], the mighty communications satellite has the ability to provide data throughput up to 7.5 Gbps for ... Alaska and the surrounding region," EverydayAstronaut.com wrote(opens in new tab) of Arcturus in a description of today's flight.
The third payload is GS-1, a cubesat that will be operated by Washington-based Gravity Space. GS-1's primary mission involves providing communications for Internet of Things applications, though it will do some other things in orbit as well.
"The spacecraft is also designed to provide orbital slot reservation services (BIU) around the geosynchronous arc. The spacecraft features three wideband frequency bands," Gravity Space wrote in a description of the satellite(opens in new tab). "The spacecraft will also carry an imaging system capable of imaging both the Earth and spatial bodies, as well as an experimental rendezvous and docking payload."
The Falcon Heavy consists of three strapped-together first stages of SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket. The central booster is topped with an upper stage and the payload(s).
Falcon Heavy debuted in February 2018 with a memorable test flight flight that sent SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk's red Tesla Roadster into orbit around the sun with Starman, a spacesuit-clad mannequin, at the wheel.
The burly rocket has flown four more times since then, most recently in January of this year, when it launched the classified USSF-67 mission for the U.S. Space Force.
The Falcon Heavy's three first-stage boosters are designed to be reusable. However, none of the boosters will be recovered on today's mission, presumably because they won't have enough fuel left over to maneuver themselves safely back to Earth for a vertical touchdown.
For more than five years, the Falcon Heavy was SpaceX's most powerful rocket. But the company's gigantic Starship vehicle took that title with its debut liftoff on April 20, a test flight that reached a maximum altitude of 24 miles (39 kilometers) and ended in a commanded explosion high above the Gulf of Mexico for safety's sake.
Starship's 33 first-stage Raptor engines generate 16.7 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, according to SpaceX(opens in new tab). That's more than three times more than the Falcon Heavy produces, and nearly twice as much as the second-place vehicle, NASA's Space Launch System megarocket.
Friday's planned launch has been delayed several times by bad weather. An attempt was called off on Thursday (April 27), for example, as weather officials issued tornado warnings(opens in new tab) for Florida's Space Coast.
PP
Re: SpaceX
Starship could be ready to launch again in ‘six to eight weeks,’ Elon Musk says 
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/29/world/sp ... index.html
Since SpaceX’s inaugural test flight of the most powerful rocket ever constructed, the company’s engineers, federal regulators and environmentalists have been trying to assess the aftermath of the spacecraft’s explosion and what happens next.
“The outcome was roughly in (line) with what I expected and, maybe slightly exceeded my expectations,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said during a Twitter Spaces chat on Saturday evening.
The April 20 liftoff of Starship, as the vehicle is called, was tremendously powerful, causing some damage to SpaceX’s launchpad in South Texas.
Musk said he was “glad to report that the pad damage is actually quite small,” though it would take “six to eight weeks” to get the infrastructure prepared for another launch. He later added that when the rocket’s engines — 30 out of 33 of which fired on for the flight test — reached “full thrust,” it “probably shattered the concrete.”
The explosion in midair also prompted a federal investigation that could take weeks or months to complete.
In the test mission, SpaceX’s Starship launched toward space atop a Super Heavy rocket booster.
Was the SpaceX launch really a 'success'?
Minutes after liftoff, the spacecraft was expected to separate from the rocket booster, but the Super Heavy “vehicle experienced multiple engines out during the flight test, lost altitude, and began to tumble,” according to SpaceX.
The company described what happened as a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” — its oft-used euphemism for an explosive mishap.
The vehicle’s flight termination, or self-destruct, feature was triggered, exploding the spacecraft and booster over the Gulf of Mexico. Musk said that feature took longer than expected to blow up the rocket, ensuring it didn’t careen off course, and that the flight termination system would need to be re-certified. That could be the determining factor in how long it takes the company to get a new Starship on the launch pad.
But there was some good news: “The vehicle structural margins appear to be better than we expected,” Musk said. “As we can tell the vehicle is actually doing somersaults towards the end and still staying intact.”
Here’s what the Federal Aviation Administration, NASA and other agencies have had to say since then.
The FAA
The FAA is charged with overseeing the mishap investigation. The agency licenses commercial rocket launches and gave the green light for the launch attempt after more than a year of back-and-forth.
Such investigations are routine and have taken place after previous — but smaller-scale — Starship test launches in South Texas.
The FAA’s review “will determine the root cause of the event and identify corrective actions the operator must implement to avoid a recurrence,” the agency said in an emailed statement Friday.
SpaceX is not permitted to make another launch attempt of a Starship vehicle until that review is complete. And it’s not clear how long it will take.
“We aren’t going to speculate on timelines,” the FAA said. “Safety will dictate the timeline.”
Cameron County, Texas, which encompasses SpaceX’s facilities near Boca Chica Beach, the city of Brownsville, as well as South Padre Island and Port Isabel — alerted the public to contact SpaceX if any debris is found.
“If you believe you have found a piece of debris, please do not attempt to handle or retrieve the debris directly,” a notice on Cameron County’s website reads.
A hotline to report debris has been set up at 866-623-0234, or officials can be reached by email at recovery@spacex.com.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service
The US Fish and Wildlife Service said in a statement that it’s working with SpaceX, the FAA and other involved parties to “provide on-the-ground guidance to minimize further impacts and reduce long-term damages to natural resources.”
That activity includes ensuring that SpaceX is complying with the Endangered Species Act — which became the subject of concern after reports that debris from the launch or explosion may have reached nearby protected wildlife areas.
“Following the launch and mid-air explosion, Cameron County closed Boca Chica Beach and State Highway 4 for 48 hours due to launch pad safety concerns, which prevented Service staff from accessing refuge-owned and managed land,” the agency’s statement reads. “Once the closure ended, Service staff began their assessment of the launch impacts at 10 a.m. April 22, 2023.”
The agency also cataloged some of the impact:
“Numerous large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects hurled thousands of feet away along with a plume cloud of pulverized concrete that deposited material up to 6.5 miles northwest of the pad site,” according to the statement. Locals in Port Isabel reported a strange dust settling over the community after launch.
“Although no debris was documented on refuge fee-owned lands, staff documented approximately 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by the Service and managed as a component of the Lower Rio Grande National Wildlife Refuge,” the statement reads.
“Additionally, a 3.5-acre fire started south of the pad site on Boca Chica State Park land. At this time, no dead birds or wildlife have been found on refuge-owned or managed lands,” the agency said.
NASA
The US space agency was not directly involved in the Starship flight test, but it has a major stake in Starship’s overall success. NASA is counting on Starship to provide transportation for its astronauts to the lunar surface on a mission dubbed Artemis III, slated to take off as soon as 2025.
“I have asked so I could report to you as of today that SpaceX is still saying that they think it will take about at least two months to rebuild the launchpad,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said during a Thursday budget hearing before a House committee. “And concurrently about two months to have their second vehicle ready to launch.”
Nelson noted the test flight “blew a hole in that launchpad,” referring to SpaceX’s infrastructure near Boca Chica Beach.
Nelson also admitted that “a lot of work needs to be done” if NASA and SpaceX are to attempt to hit their 2025 launch date for Artemis III.
PP
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/29/world/sp ... index.html
Since SpaceX’s inaugural test flight of the most powerful rocket ever constructed, the company’s engineers, federal regulators and environmentalists have been trying to assess the aftermath of the spacecraft’s explosion and what happens next.
“The outcome was roughly in (line) with what I expected and, maybe slightly exceeded my expectations,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said during a Twitter Spaces chat on Saturday evening.
The April 20 liftoff of Starship, as the vehicle is called, was tremendously powerful, causing some damage to SpaceX’s launchpad in South Texas.
Musk said he was “glad to report that the pad damage is actually quite small,” though it would take “six to eight weeks” to get the infrastructure prepared for another launch. He later added that when the rocket’s engines — 30 out of 33 of which fired on for the flight test — reached “full thrust,” it “probably shattered the concrete.”
The explosion in midair also prompted a federal investigation that could take weeks or months to complete.
In the test mission, SpaceX’s Starship launched toward space atop a Super Heavy rocket booster.
Was the SpaceX launch really a 'success'?
Minutes after liftoff, the spacecraft was expected to separate from the rocket booster, but the Super Heavy “vehicle experienced multiple engines out during the flight test, lost altitude, and began to tumble,” according to SpaceX.
The company described what happened as a “rapid unscheduled disassembly” — its oft-used euphemism for an explosive mishap.
The vehicle’s flight termination, or self-destruct, feature was triggered, exploding the spacecraft and booster over the Gulf of Mexico. Musk said that feature took longer than expected to blow up the rocket, ensuring it didn’t careen off course, and that the flight termination system would need to be re-certified. That could be the determining factor in how long it takes the company to get a new Starship on the launch pad.
But there was some good news: “The vehicle structural margins appear to be better than we expected,” Musk said. “As we can tell the vehicle is actually doing somersaults towards the end and still staying intact.”
Here’s what the Federal Aviation Administration, NASA and other agencies have had to say since then.
The FAA
The FAA is charged with overseeing the mishap investigation. The agency licenses commercial rocket launches and gave the green light for the launch attempt after more than a year of back-and-forth.
Such investigations are routine and have taken place after previous — but smaller-scale — Starship test launches in South Texas.
The FAA’s review “will determine the root cause of the event and identify corrective actions the operator must implement to avoid a recurrence,” the agency said in an emailed statement Friday.
SpaceX is not permitted to make another launch attempt of a Starship vehicle until that review is complete. And it’s not clear how long it will take.
“We aren’t going to speculate on timelines,” the FAA said. “Safety will dictate the timeline.”
Cameron County, Texas, which encompasses SpaceX’s facilities near Boca Chica Beach, the city of Brownsville, as well as South Padre Island and Port Isabel — alerted the public to contact SpaceX if any debris is found.
“If you believe you have found a piece of debris, please do not attempt to handle or retrieve the debris directly,” a notice on Cameron County’s website reads.
A hotline to report debris has been set up at 866-623-0234, or officials can be reached by email at recovery@spacex.com.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service
The US Fish and Wildlife Service said in a statement that it’s working with SpaceX, the FAA and other involved parties to “provide on-the-ground guidance to minimize further impacts and reduce long-term damages to natural resources.”
That activity includes ensuring that SpaceX is complying with the Endangered Species Act — which became the subject of concern after reports that debris from the launch or explosion may have reached nearby protected wildlife areas.
“Following the launch and mid-air explosion, Cameron County closed Boca Chica Beach and State Highway 4 for 48 hours due to launch pad safety concerns, which prevented Service staff from accessing refuge-owned and managed land,” the agency’s statement reads. “Once the closure ended, Service staff began their assessment of the launch impacts at 10 a.m. April 22, 2023.”
The agency also cataloged some of the impact:
“Numerous large concrete chunks, stainless steel sheets, metal and other objects hurled thousands of feet away along with a plume cloud of pulverized concrete that deposited material up to 6.5 miles northwest of the pad site,” according to the statement. Locals in Port Isabel reported a strange dust settling over the community after launch.
“Although no debris was documented on refuge fee-owned lands, staff documented approximately 385 acres of debris on SpaceX’s facility and at Boca Chica State Park, which is leased by the Service and managed as a component of the Lower Rio Grande National Wildlife Refuge,” the statement reads.
“Additionally, a 3.5-acre fire started south of the pad site on Boca Chica State Park land. At this time, no dead birds or wildlife have been found on refuge-owned or managed lands,” the agency said.
NASA
The US space agency was not directly involved in the Starship flight test, but it has a major stake in Starship’s overall success. NASA is counting on Starship to provide transportation for its astronauts to the lunar surface on a mission dubbed Artemis III, slated to take off as soon as 2025.
“I have asked so I could report to you as of today that SpaceX is still saying that they think it will take about at least two months to rebuild the launchpad,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said during a Thursday budget hearing before a House committee. “And concurrently about two months to have their second vehicle ready to launch.”
Nelson noted the test flight “blew a hole in that launchpad,” referring to SpaceX’s infrastructure near Boca Chica Beach.
Nelson also admitted that “a lot of work needs to be done” if NASA and SpaceX are to attempt to hit their 2025 launch date for Artemis III.
PP
Re: SpaceX
FAA sued over SpaceX Starship launch program following April explosion
Five environmental and cultural heritage groups are suing the Federal Aviation Administration over the agency’s dealings with SpaceX.
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/f ... -rcna82289
Five environmental and cultural heritage groups are suing the Federal Aviation Administration, alleging that the agency violated the National Environment Policy Act when it allowed SpaceX to launch the largest rocket ever built from its Boca Chica, Texas facility without a comprehensive environmental review, according to court filings obtained by CNBC.
SpaceX’s Starship Super Heavy test flight on April 20 blew up the company’s launch pad, hurling chunks of concrete and metal sheets thousands of feet away into sensitive habitat, spreading particulate matter including pulverized concrete for miles, and sparking a 3.5-acre fire on state park lands near the launch site.
The lawsuit against the FAA was filed in a district court in Washington D.C. on Monday by plaintiffs including: The Center for Biological Diversity, the American Bird Conservancy, SurfRider Foundation, Save Rio Grande Valley (Save RGV) and a cultural heritage organization, the Carrizo-Comecrudo Nation of Texas.
The groups argue that the FAA should have conducted an in-depth environmental report, known as an environmental impact statement (EIS), before ever allowing SpaceX to move ahead with its Starship Super Heavy plans in Boca Chica.
They wrote, “The FAA failed to take the requisite hard look at the proposed project and has concluded that significant adverse effects will not occur due to purported mitigation measures.”
The plaintiffs argue that the agency waived the need for more thorough analysis based on proposed “environmental mitigations.” But the mitigations the FAA actually required of SpaceX were woefully insufficient to offset environmental damages from launch events, construction and increased traffic in the area, as well as “anomalies” like the destruction of the launch pad and mid-air explosion in April.
In their complaint, the attorneys note that the FAA’s own Chief of Staff for the Office of Commercial Space Transportation in June 2020 said the agency was planning an EIS. Later, “based on SpaceX’s preference,” the lawyers wrote, the federal agency settled on using “a considerably less thorough analysis,” which enabled SpaceX to launch sooner.
Despite the particulate matter, heavier debris and fire, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said this weekend on Twitter Spaces, “To the best of our knowledge there has not been any meaningful damage to the environment that we’re aware of.”
The exact impacts of the launch on the people, habitat and wildlife are still being evaluated by federal and state agencies, and other environmental researchers, alongside and independently from SpaceX.
National Wildlife Refuge lands and beaches of Boca Chica, which are near the SpaceX Starbase facility, provide essential habitat for endangered species including the piping plover, the red knot, jaguarundi, northern aplomado falcon, and sea turtles including the Kemp’s Ridley. Kemp’s Ridley is the most endangered sea turtle in the world, and the National Wildlife Refuge contains designated critical habitat for the piping plover.
Boca Chica land and wildlife there, namely ocelots, are also sacred to the Carrizo-Comecrudo tribe of Texas.
As of last Wednesday, researchers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had not found any carcasses of animals protected by the Endangered Species Act on the land that they own or manage in the area. However, the researchers were not able to access the site for two days after the launch, leaving open the possibility that carcasses could have been eaten by predators, washed away or even removed from the site.
Access to the state parks, beaches and the National Wildlife Refuge area near Starbase, by tribes, researchers and the public, are of particular concern to the groups challenging the FAA.
The plaintiff’s attorneys noted that in 2021, Boca Chica Beach was closed or inaccessible for approximately 500 hours or more, based on the notices of closure provided by Cameron County, with a “beach or access point closure occurring on over 100 separate days.” That high rate of closure, which the FAA allowed, “infringes upon the ability of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas to access lands and waters that are part of their ancestral heritage,” the groups argued.
A spokesperson for the federal agency said, “The FAA does not comment on ongoing litigation matters.”
PP
Five environmental and cultural heritage groups are suing the Federal Aviation Administration over the agency’s dealings with SpaceX.
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/f ... -rcna82289
Five environmental and cultural heritage groups are suing the Federal Aviation Administration, alleging that the agency violated the National Environment Policy Act when it allowed SpaceX to launch the largest rocket ever built from its Boca Chica, Texas facility without a comprehensive environmental review, according to court filings obtained by CNBC.
SpaceX’s Starship Super Heavy test flight on April 20 blew up the company’s launch pad, hurling chunks of concrete and metal sheets thousands of feet away into sensitive habitat, spreading particulate matter including pulverized concrete for miles, and sparking a 3.5-acre fire on state park lands near the launch site.
The lawsuit against the FAA was filed in a district court in Washington D.C. on Monday by plaintiffs including: The Center for Biological Diversity, the American Bird Conservancy, SurfRider Foundation, Save Rio Grande Valley (Save RGV) and a cultural heritage organization, the Carrizo-Comecrudo Nation of Texas.
The groups argue that the FAA should have conducted an in-depth environmental report, known as an environmental impact statement (EIS), before ever allowing SpaceX to move ahead with its Starship Super Heavy plans in Boca Chica.
They wrote, “The FAA failed to take the requisite hard look at the proposed project and has concluded that significant adverse effects will not occur due to purported mitigation measures.”
The plaintiffs argue that the agency waived the need for more thorough analysis based on proposed “environmental mitigations.” But the mitigations the FAA actually required of SpaceX were woefully insufficient to offset environmental damages from launch events, construction and increased traffic in the area, as well as “anomalies” like the destruction of the launch pad and mid-air explosion in April.
In their complaint, the attorneys note that the FAA’s own Chief of Staff for the Office of Commercial Space Transportation in June 2020 said the agency was planning an EIS. Later, “based on SpaceX’s preference,” the lawyers wrote, the federal agency settled on using “a considerably less thorough analysis,” which enabled SpaceX to launch sooner.
Despite the particulate matter, heavier debris and fire, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said this weekend on Twitter Spaces, “To the best of our knowledge there has not been any meaningful damage to the environment that we’re aware of.”
The exact impacts of the launch on the people, habitat and wildlife are still being evaluated by federal and state agencies, and other environmental researchers, alongside and independently from SpaceX.
National Wildlife Refuge lands and beaches of Boca Chica, which are near the SpaceX Starbase facility, provide essential habitat for endangered species including the piping plover, the red knot, jaguarundi, northern aplomado falcon, and sea turtles including the Kemp’s Ridley. Kemp’s Ridley is the most endangered sea turtle in the world, and the National Wildlife Refuge contains designated critical habitat for the piping plover.
Boca Chica land and wildlife there, namely ocelots, are also sacred to the Carrizo-Comecrudo tribe of Texas.
As of last Wednesday, researchers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had not found any carcasses of animals protected by the Endangered Species Act on the land that they own or manage in the area. However, the researchers were not able to access the site for two days after the launch, leaving open the possibility that carcasses could have been eaten by predators, washed away or even removed from the site.
Access to the state parks, beaches and the National Wildlife Refuge area near Starbase, by tribes, researchers and the public, are of particular concern to the groups challenging the FAA.
The plaintiff’s attorneys noted that in 2021, Boca Chica Beach was closed or inaccessible for approximately 500 hours or more, based on the notices of closure provided by Cameron County, with a “beach or access point closure occurring on over 100 separate days.” That high rate of closure, which the FAA allowed, “infringes upon the ability of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas to access lands and waters that are part of their ancestral heritage,” the groups argued.
A spokesperson for the federal agency said, “The FAA does not comment on ongoing litigation matters.”
PP
Re: SpaceX
SpaceX and startup Vast hope to put the world’s first private space station in orbit
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/10/world/sp ... index.html
Vast — a California-based startup and one of the newest entrants in the world of privatized spaceflight — plans to use a SpaceX rocket to launch what it hopes to be the world’s first commercial space station and ferry passengers to and from the orbiting outpost.
It’s not clear how much the agreement, announced by Vast on Wednesday, will cost. Company leadership declined to comment on the matter to CNN. Nor is it clear how much a trip to the proposed space station would cost visitors, which could include professional astronauts or tourists.
Jed McCaleb, the founder and CEO of Vast who previously made a fortune in the cryptocurrency business, said in a statement that the company is “thrilled to embark on this journey of launching the world’s first commercial space station, Haven-1, and its first crew, Vast-1.”
McCaleb said he is investing $300 million of his own money into the effort, and he does not plan to seek outside investment for Vast until the company has its proposed space station built and can generate revenue. He added that he acknowledges the overall project will likely cost him more than $300 million.
It is not certain that Vast will indeed become the first company to put a private space station in orbit. Vast says it’s aiming for a launch date as early as August 2025. Developing a space station, however, is an exceedingly complex endeavor, requiring extensive testing and key technology such as life support systems.
McCaleb said Vast will have an advantage because it can leverage the life support systems already developed for SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which the company plans to use to carry passengers to its space station.
Vast will equip its Haven-1 space station with the necessary consumables — such as oxygen and other life-sustaining materials — but the company won’t have to develop a life support system from scratch, McCaleb told CNN.
Other companies — including several with backing from NASA — are also working to develop private space stations. NASA, along with its global partners, is seeking to use a privately developed space station to replace the aging International Space Station, which has been continuously inhabited in low-Earth orbit since 2000.
The Biden-Harris administration and officials in Canada, Japan and participating countries of the European Space Agency authorized the ISS to stay in operation through 2030. But the other key partner on the International Space Station, Russia, has said it will only guarantee participation through 2028.
It’s not clear how much of the $300 million McCaleb has allocated to the Haven-1 project will go to SpaceX for launch services. Vast did not share financial details about its agreement with the company.
“The Dragon team and the team and leadership (at SpaceX) really want to build a Falcon 9-based space station,” said Max Haot, Vast’s president. Haot led the aerospace company Launcher before it was acquired by Vast in February. “So we’re very, very aligned.”
Vast’s simple, single-structure Haven-1 space station will be able to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the workhorse vehicle that SpaceX has been launching for more than a decade.
After the spacecraft is sent into orbit, SpaceX would provide training to four members of the as-yet-unnamed crew for a mission dubbed Vast-1.
“Vast is selling up to four crewed seats on the inaugural mission to Haven-1,” the company said in a news release. “Expected customers include domestic and international space agencies and private individuals involved in science and philanthropic projects.”
Initially, the company plans for Haven-1 to operate independently, free-floating in Earth’s orbit. Later, the company plans to attach the spacecraft as a module to a larger space station.
Vast said its ultimate goal is to create a massive orbiting space station with artificial gravity that could be launched atop a SpaceX Starship vehicle, a rocket still in the development stages that exploded midair during its inaugural test flight in April.
PP
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/10/world/sp ... index.html
Vast — a California-based startup and one of the newest entrants in the world of privatized spaceflight — plans to use a SpaceX rocket to launch what it hopes to be the world’s first commercial space station and ferry passengers to and from the orbiting outpost.
It’s not clear how much the agreement, announced by Vast on Wednesday, will cost. Company leadership declined to comment on the matter to CNN. Nor is it clear how much a trip to the proposed space station would cost visitors, which could include professional astronauts or tourists.
Jed McCaleb, the founder and CEO of Vast who previously made a fortune in the cryptocurrency business, said in a statement that the company is “thrilled to embark on this journey of launching the world’s first commercial space station, Haven-1, and its first crew, Vast-1.”
McCaleb said he is investing $300 million of his own money into the effort, and he does not plan to seek outside investment for Vast until the company has its proposed space station built and can generate revenue. He added that he acknowledges the overall project will likely cost him more than $300 million.
It is not certain that Vast will indeed become the first company to put a private space station in orbit. Vast says it’s aiming for a launch date as early as August 2025. Developing a space station, however, is an exceedingly complex endeavor, requiring extensive testing and key technology such as life support systems.
McCaleb said Vast will have an advantage because it can leverage the life support systems already developed for SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which the company plans to use to carry passengers to its space station.
Vast will equip its Haven-1 space station with the necessary consumables — such as oxygen and other life-sustaining materials — but the company won’t have to develop a life support system from scratch, McCaleb told CNN.
Other companies — including several with backing from NASA — are also working to develop private space stations. NASA, along with its global partners, is seeking to use a privately developed space station to replace the aging International Space Station, which has been continuously inhabited in low-Earth orbit since 2000.
The Biden-Harris administration and officials in Canada, Japan and participating countries of the European Space Agency authorized the ISS to stay in operation through 2030. But the other key partner on the International Space Station, Russia, has said it will only guarantee participation through 2028.
It’s not clear how much of the $300 million McCaleb has allocated to the Haven-1 project will go to SpaceX for launch services. Vast did not share financial details about its agreement with the company.
“The Dragon team and the team and leadership (at SpaceX) really want to build a Falcon 9-based space station,” said Max Haot, Vast’s president. Haot led the aerospace company Launcher before it was acquired by Vast in February. “So we’re very, very aligned.”
Vast’s simple, single-structure Haven-1 space station will be able to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the workhorse vehicle that SpaceX has been launching for more than a decade.
After the spacecraft is sent into orbit, SpaceX would provide training to four members of the as-yet-unnamed crew for a mission dubbed Vast-1.
“Vast is selling up to four crewed seats on the inaugural mission to Haven-1,” the company said in a news release. “Expected customers include domestic and international space agencies and private individuals involved in science and philanthropic projects.”
Initially, the company plans for Haven-1 to operate independently, free-floating in Earth’s orbit. Later, the company plans to attach the spacecraft as a module to a larger space station.
Vast said its ultimate goal is to create a massive orbiting space station with artificial gravity that could be launched atop a SpaceX Starship vehicle, a rocket still in the development stages that exploded midair during its inaugural test flight in April.
PP
Re: SpaceX
SpaceX launches 51 Starlink satellites, lands rocket on ship at sea
It was SpaceX's 30th orbital mission of 2023 already.
https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-l ... SmartBrief
SpaceX launched another big batch of its Starlink internet satellites toward orbit and landed the returning rocket on a ship at sea today (May 10).
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 51 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on schedule today at 4:09 p.m. ET (2009 GMT; 1:09 p.m. local California time).
The Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth about 8.5 minutes after liftoff as planned. It touched down on SpaceX's Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast.
It was the third launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description(opens in new tab).
The Falcon 9's upper stage, meanwhile, continued making its way to low Earth orbit, where it deployed the 51 Starlink satellites(opens in new tab) as planned about 17.5 minutes after liftoff.
SpaceX has already launched more than 4,300 satellites(opens in new tab) for Starlink, its broadband megaconstellation. But many more are expected to go up: The company has permission to deploy 12,000 Starlink spacecraft and has applied for approval to loft 30,000 more on top of that.
Today's launch was the 28th Falcon 9 flight of the year already. SpaceX has also launched two missions with its powerful Falcon Heavy rocket in 2023, and the company sent a fully stacked Starship — its huge, next-generation spaceflight system — skyward for the first time on April 20.
PP
It was SpaceX's 30th orbital mission of 2023 already.
https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-l ... SmartBrief
SpaceX launched another big batch of its Starlink internet satellites toward orbit and landed the returning rocket on a ship at sea today (May 10).
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 51 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on schedule today at 4:09 p.m. ET (2009 GMT; 1:09 p.m. local California time).
The Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth about 8.5 minutes after liftoff as planned. It touched down on SpaceX's Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which was stationed in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast.
It was the third launch and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description(opens in new tab).
The Falcon 9's upper stage, meanwhile, continued making its way to low Earth orbit, where it deployed the 51 Starlink satellites(opens in new tab) as planned about 17.5 minutes after liftoff.
SpaceX has already launched more than 4,300 satellites(opens in new tab) for Starlink, its broadband megaconstellation. But many more are expected to go up: The company has permission to deploy 12,000 Starlink spacecraft and has applied for approval to loft 30,000 more on top of that.
Today's launch was the 28th Falcon 9 flight of the year already. SpaceX has also launched two missions with its powerful Falcon Heavy rocket in 2023, and the company sent a fully stacked Starship — its huge, next-generation spaceflight system — skyward for the first time on April 20.
PP
Re: SpaceX
Ax-2 private astronauts can't wait for their May 21 SpaceX launch to the space station
By Mike Wall published 3 days ago
'To say I'm excited to be here would be a gross understatement.'
https://www.space.com/ax-2-astronauts-e ... SmartBrief
The four crewmembers of the second-ever private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) are eager to leave their home planet behind, at least for a little while.
That mission, known as Ax-2, is scheduled to launch toward the ISS atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday afternoon (May 21) — and the four astronauts who will fly it are counting down the days.
"To say I'm excited to be here would be a gross understatement," Ax-2 pilot John Shoffner said during a press conference on Tuesday (May 16).
"I feel like I've been preparing for this my entire life," Shoffner added. "I've been a fan of space since I was a child — I grew up in the age of the early space race — so getting here now and having a chance to fulfill that excitement is very, very powerful to me."
Shoffner is a paying customer on Ax-2, which will be the second flight to the orbiting lab organized by Houston-based company Axiom Space. The first, the pioneering Ax-1, launched and landed in April 2022.
Ax-2 will be commanded by Peggy Whitson, a record-breaking former NASA astronaut who now flies for Axiom Space. The other two crewmates are Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, mission specialists who are members of Saudi Arabia's first astronaut class.
Alqarni and Barnawi will become the first Saudis ever to visit the ISS, and Barnawi will be the first woman from the kingdom to reach space. (The first, and so far only, Saudi to make it to the final frontier was Sultan bin Salman Al Saud, who flew on the STS-51-G mission of the space shuttle Discovery in 1985.)
"We are really honored and privileged to have you guys and to be part of this amazing mission," Alqarni said during Tuesday's press conference.
He and Barnawi, Alqarni added, "are really thrilled and excited for our mission and to represent Saudi Arabia on this journey."
RELATED STORIES:
— SpaceX launch of Ax-2 private astronaut mission now targeted for May 21
— Axiom Space: Building the off-Earth economy
— SpaceX gearing up to launch 2 private astronaut missions
If all goes according to plan, that journey will take the Ax-2 quartet to the ISS in a SpaceX Dragon capsule. The Dragon will dock on Monday morning (May 22) and spend eight days attached to the orbiting lab before returning home for an ocean splashdown.
The four Ax-2 crewmembers will spend their time in orbit conducting more than 20 different scientific experiments, including one that will grow stem cells in microgravity.
They'll also do a variety of educational and outreach work, especially activities designed to spark a love of science, technology, engineering and math in students around the world.
"We're very excited for the part that will be engaging with kids from all over Saudi Arabia and all over the world, talking about our experiments, talking about space and having them trigger their curiosity towards space," Barnawi said.
"I'm sure that we're gonna enjoy this mission," she added. "We're almost five days away, so our excitement is above the limits!"
PP
By Mike Wall published 3 days ago
'To say I'm excited to be here would be a gross understatement.'
https://www.space.com/ax-2-astronauts-e ... SmartBrief
The four crewmembers of the second-ever private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) are eager to leave their home planet behind, at least for a little while.
That mission, known as Ax-2, is scheduled to launch toward the ISS atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday afternoon (May 21) — and the four astronauts who will fly it are counting down the days.
"To say I'm excited to be here would be a gross understatement," Ax-2 pilot John Shoffner said during a press conference on Tuesday (May 16).
"I feel like I've been preparing for this my entire life," Shoffner added. "I've been a fan of space since I was a child — I grew up in the age of the early space race — so getting here now and having a chance to fulfill that excitement is very, very powerful to me."
Shoffner is a paying customer on Ax-2, which will be the second flight to the orbiting lab organized by Houston-based company Axiom Space. The first, the pioneering Ax-1, launched and landed in April 2022.
Ax-2 will be commanded by Peggy Whitson, a record-breaking former NASA astronaut who now flies for Axiom Space. The other two crewmates are Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, mission specialists who are members of Saudi Arabia's first astronaut class.
Alqarni and Barnawi will become the first Saudis ever to visit the ISS, and Barnawi will be the first woman from the kingdom to reach space. (The first, and so far only, Saudi to make it to the final frontier was Sultan bin Salman Al Saud, who flew on the STS-51-G mission of the space shuttle Discovery in 1985.)
"We are really honored and privileged to have you guys and to be part of this amazing mission," Alqarni said during Tuesday's press conference.
He and Barnawi, Alqarni added, "are really thrilled and excited for our mission and to represent Saudi Arabia on this journey."
RELATED STORIES:
— SpaceX launch of Ax-2 private astronaut mission now targeted for May 21
— Axiom Space: Building the off-Earth economy
— SpaceX gearing up to launch 2 private astronaut missions
If all goes according to plan, that journey will take the Ax-2 quartet to the ISS in a SpaceX Dragon capsule. The Dragon will dock on Monday morning (May 22) and spend eight days attached to the orbiting lab before returning home for an ocean splashdown.
The four Ax-2 crewmembers will spend their time in orbit conducting more than 20 different scientific experiments, including one that will grow stem cells in microgravity.
They'll also do a variety of educational and outreach work, especially activities designed to spark a love of science, technology, engineering and math in students around the world.
"We're very excited for the part that will be engaging with kids from all over Saudi Arabia and all over the world, talking about our experiments, talking about space and having them trigger their curiosity towards space," Barnawi said.
"I'm sure that we're gonna enjoy this mission," she added. "We're almost five days away, so our excitement is above the limits!"
PP
Re: SpaceX
35 minutes to go.
Re: SpaceX
A very faint orbital 'something' just went over the south of the UK eastbound. IF that was Dragon, that was memorable!
-
Woody
- Chief Pilot
- Posts: 10281
- Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 6:33 pm
- Location: Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand
- Age: 59
Re: SpaceX
Was the Saudi female astronaut allowed to drive to the launch 
When all else fails, read the instructions.
Re: SpaceX
The launch was from the USA, Woody.
-
Wodrick
- Chief Pilot
- Posts: 8382
- Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 8:23 am
- Location: Torrox Campo, Andalucia.
- Gender:
- Age: 74
Re: SpaceX
Thought struck as I watched last night, where did their wellies come from ?
Re: SpaceX
If you find out, I'd like a pair too.
Re: SpaceX
I read that the planned 'test' flight of the (Spacex) Lunar Lander will not include getting airborne again from the moon. I think if I was going to fly on it eventually I would like that bit tested in case they get a "Weee-Phutt" event when they try to come back. 
-
Woody
- Chief Pilot
- Posts: 10281
- Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 6:33 pm
- Location: Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand
- Age: 59
Re: SpaceX
When all else fails, read the instructions.
-
OneHungLow
- Chief Pilot
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:28 pm
- Location: Johannesburg
- Gender:
Re: SpaceX
One of the worst experiences of profound futility in my meagre life occurred when talking to the SA Telkom help desk while trying to address the enormously slow download rate I experienced in Simons Town. I might as well have been talking to a sea anemone for all the good it did me or my bit rate. In fact talking to a sea anemone might have been more useful, in that they are pretty to imagine and very calming at least, i.e. the antithesis of my state of mind after talking to the script reciter on the other end of the phone!
Thus I can see why Musk's expensive satellite broadband system might be attractive to some punters, but getting official clearance to legally use this service will never come about for the following reasons:
Employ 100% sea anemones say I!While several third-party satellite tracking maps show multiple Starlink satellites covering the country at any point during the day, the company has said roaming availability would be subject to regulatory approvals.
“It can be ordered in any country where Starlink is available on the Starlink Availability Map,” it explains in an FAQ on its website.
On that map, South Africa’s Starlink availability still says, “Service date is unknown at this time”.
Icasa previously told MyBroadband SpaceX would require various licences to operate legally in South Africa — but cast doubts about whether it would be able to get all of these if it did not meet a 30% black ownership requirement for Internet service providers (ISPs).
South Africa’s estimated availability date for Starlink has been pushed back repeatedly, initially going from 2022 to 2023 before being updated to “unknown”. Icasa and SpaceX have remained silent on whether this was due to regulatory delays.
The observer of fools in military south and north...
Re: SpaceX
In my simple mind I assumed that if one purchased a Starlink dish etc and paid the nice Mr Musk an appropriate amount one simple pointed the dish upwards and connected? At what point does 'regulatory approval' inject into the transmission sequence? The satellites are there, able to receive the handshakes and presumably fire back. Will black cars arrive and seize your illegal equipment. Will one be imprisoned?
-
OneHungLow
- Chief Pilot
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:28 pm
- Location: Johannesburg
- Gender:
Re: SpaceX
No you are quite right. The service will probably be very popular, despite the fact that it will never officially be cleared to operate by the government. Sensible people tend to ignore the ridiculous laws and bureaucracy that the SA government puts in the way of almost any reasonable endeavour. The multiplicity of unenforceable legislation just makes an ass of the law and wastes time and energy and the only reason the place still partially functions is that it is essentially lawless despite the boxes of useless legislation, rules and sundry other official foolishness.Boac wrote: ↑Thu May 25, 2023 9:46 amIn my simple mind I assumed that if one purchased a Starlink dish etc and paid the nice Mr Musk an appropriate amount one simple pointed the dish upwards and connected? At what point does 'regulatory approval' inject into the transmission sequence? The satellites are there, able to receive the handshakes and presumably fire back. Will black cars arrive and seize your illegal equipment. Will one be imprisoned?
Don't get me started on the time and effort one needs to invest to make a simple purchase of a cell/mobile phone for example! Talk about the 7th circle of Rico legislative hell.
Edited - to say that the corollary also applies and the reason it only partially functions is because it is lawless! Therein lies the conundrum!
The observer of fools in military south and north...