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Next SpaceX Flight Test Scheduled for Launch this Month

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Starship was first launched on April 20, 2023.

Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images

SpaceX is preparing to launch its massive Starship rocket for the third time. However, the exact launch date will not be announced until the US government's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) completes its investigation into why the previous launch (November 2023) failed to reach orbit.

The Starship rocket's first test launch in April 2023 went out of control due to some engine problems. These failures triggered an automatic flight termination system designed to safely detonate the rocket. It failed, and the rocket continued to tumble until it collapsed. It didn't reach space.

The accident damaged the launch pad and scattered debris over a vast area. SpaceX will begin second Starship test launch in November 2023 after launch facility repairs and updates are made and the FAA certifies that sufficient work has been done to prevent similar damage from occurring again did.

That didn't work either. Everything seemed fine for a few minutes. The rocket reaches space, but then its engine begins to fail and it explodes. Now SpaceX has to build a new rocket, and the FAA has to give it permission to fly.

“We expect that license to be issued in February. So it will be [flight] The third time will happen in February of this year,” SpaceX official Jessica Jensen said at a press conference on January 9th.

Ultimately, Starship is intended to transport astronauts to and from the moon. NASA has selected this rocket for the Artemis III and IV missions planned for 2026 and 2028. The massive rocket could carry astronauts to Mars as early as 2029, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said. But first, Starship must reach space without exploding or breaking apart, and its third flight will be an important test.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

SpaceX and Intuitive Machines delay lunar lander launch to February

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intuitive machine The company announced earlier this week that it was working with launch provider SpaceX to postpone its first lunar lander mission to mid-February.

The Houston, Texas-based company said the new launch window “comes as a result of changes to SpaceX’s launch manifest due to adverse weather conditions.”

The new target launch date, one month later than the original January 12-16 date, is due to the mission profile. Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C spacecraft aims to land near the moon’s south pole and requires specific lighting conditions, including: There are only a few days each month.

The company is also constrained by launch infrastructure availability. The Lunar Module must be refueled with oxygen and methane propellant before liftoff, so it must launch from a specific launch site at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Launch Complex 39A. This pad is the only one equipped with a tower to provide access for refueling the lander.

In the original launch window, Nova-C was scheduled to land on the lunar surface on or shortly after January 19, as it was on a direct orbit to reach lunar orbit. Intuitive Machines has not disclosed the exact launch date, but it is increasingly likely that it will coincide with plans to land another privately developed lunar lander. The lander, Astrobotic’s Peregrine, aims to land on the moon on February 23rd. That means we could see two privately developed American spacecraft land on the moon in the same week.

Both landers were developed as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Lander Service (CLPS) program. This program is an effort to recruit commercial landers to transport science and research payloads to the lunar surface. Nova-C will carry her six payloads for NASA as part of this initial mission, and he has been awarded two additional CLPS contracts for her to deliver cargo to the Moon.

All in all, the new launch window is a negligible delay for Intuitive Machines, which aims to base its business on access to the moon’s surface.according to Presentation released last Septemberwhen the company announced it would go public through a merger with a blank check company, Intuitive Machines expected to generate $279 million in revenue from its lander services next year alone.

Intuitive Machines is also launching a business unit related to orbital services, such as maintaining and refueling satellites, providing data services to the moon, and selling other space products.

Source: techcrunch.com

SpaceX Dragon packed up by ISS crew for return to Earth

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< p >The SpaceX Dragon supply ship (photographed from the window of the SpaceX Dragon Freedom crew ship) carrying more than 5,800 pounds of new scientific experiments and crew supplies approaches the International Space Station in the South Atlantic Ocean in July 2022. Credit: NASA< /p >

< p >The crew of Expedition 70 finished packing the U.S. cargo ship before departure Wednesday. International space station. The seven orbiting residents also collaborated on various human studies to learn how to keep humans healthy in space.< /p >

< p >On Wednesday, the four astronauts worked together to coordinate the final cargo transport inside the spacecraft. Space X Dragon cargo spaceship. The Dragon had been berthed at the station since November 11 and was scheduled to unberth at 9:05 p.m. EST Wednesday from the forward port of the Harmony module’s orbital outpost. Due to weather conditions, we are scheduled to depart on Thursday, December 21st at 5:05pm ET.< /p >

< p >The agency will provide live coverage of Dragon’s undocking and departure starting at 8:45 p.m. NASA+via streaming services web or NASA app. The coverage will also be broadcast live on NASA Television. YouTubeand the agency’s Website.learn how Stream NASA TV Through various platforms including social media.< /p >

< p >SpaceX’s Dragon supply ship approached the International Space Station in April 2023 carrying more than 6,200 pounds of scientific experiments, crew supplies, and other cargo to replenish the crew for Expedition 68. At the time this photo was taken, both spacecraft were flying 429 miles above the Indian Ocean near Madagascar. Credit: NASA< /p >

< p >Astronauts Jasmine Mogberg and Andreas Mogensen began their science return mission in the morning, transferring frozen research samples from the station’s science freezer to an insulated Dragon science transport bag. Astronauts Loral O’Hara and Satoshi Furukawa continued handing over samples in the Destiny, Kibo, and Columbus experimental modules and packed them into Dragon. NASA aeronautical engineers O’Hara and Mogbeli concluded their study by storing fresh astronaut blood samples inside Dragon for recovery and analysis on Earth. Mogbeli will be the last crew member to leave the Dragon and close the hatch several hours before departure.< /p >

< p >Seven Expedition 70 crew members take portraits inside the Kibo laboratory module on the International Space Station. Front row (from left) are ESA (European Space Agency) Commander Andreas Mogensen, NASA flight engineers Jasmine Moghberg and Loral O’Hara. Behind him are Roscosmos aeronautical engineers Nikolai Chubut, Konstantin Borisov and Oleg Kononenko. Satoshi Furukawa, flight engineer at JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). Credit: NASA< /p >

< p >All four crew members went to work and had blood and saliva samples taken. Cryptography A suite of 14 experiments examining how living in zero gravity affects the human body. O’Hara also took cognitive tests to understand how the brain works in space. Moghbeli downloaded the medical data stored on the health monitoring vest and headband. After all, Furukawa and Mogensen JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and ESA (european space agency) Each used an ultrasound 2 machine to scan the veins in each other’s necks, shoulders, and legs.< /p >

< p >The three astronauts lived and worked on the station, but remained focused on their mission. Roscosmos-Based scientific experiments and laboratory maintenance. Aviation engineers Konstantin Borisov and Nikolai Chubut participated in two different fitness evaluations. Borisov started pedaling on an exercise cycle, while Chubb jogged on a treadmill with a sensor attached to measure aerobic activity. Aeronautical engineer Oleg Kononenko conducted another of his 3D printing sessions to demonstrate manufacturing tools and consumables in microgravity.< /p >

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Source: scitechdaily.com

NASA schedules live coverage of SpaceX Dragon departure from space station on Wednesday

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The SpaceX Dragon Cargo Mission

The SpaceX Dragon cargo ship approaches the International Space Station while orbiting 461 miles above Indonesia’s sub-sea coastline on the company’s 29th commercial resupply mission to NASA. Credit: NASA

After a series of delays due to bad weather, NASA and SpaceX are currently targeting until 5:05 p.m. EST Wednesday, Dec. 20, for the company’s 29th Dragon Commercial Supply Service Mission undocking from the International Space Station (ISS). The integrated team continues to assess weather conditions as the cold front passes through the splashdown zone off the coast of Florida to determine optimal opportunities for autonomous shore departure. Coverage of Wednesday’s Dragon departure begins at 4:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service, NASA app, NASA Television, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through various platforms including social media. After re-entering the atmosphere, the spacecraft will fly off the coast of Florida, but the event will not be broadcast on NASA TV.

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft, developed by SpaceX, represents a major advancement in commercial spaceflight. The spacecraft is designed to transport cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) and return cargo to Earth. The Dragon spaceship has two versions: Cargo Dragon and Crew Dragon (Dragon 2). Cargo Dragon, in particular, is an unmanned vehicle that plays a key role in resupply missions. The Dragon spacecraft is known for its ability to carry critical payloads, with a pressurized capsule for sensitive scientific experiments and an unpressurized “trunk” for additional cargo. It is one of the few spacecraft capable of returning to Earth large amounts of cargo essential for ISS research and experiments. Due to Dragon’s versatility and reusability, it plays a critical role in maintaining a continuous flow of supplies and scientific research within the ISS.

The International Space Station (ISS) is a marvel of modern space technology and international cooperation. As the Space Environment Research Institute, scientific research is conducted in areas such as astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, and physics. The ISS is a joint project with NASA, Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada). The ISS, which orbits the Earth approximately every 90 minutes, serves as a microgravity and space environment laboratory where crew members conduct experiments in fields such as biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, and meteorology. The space station is also suitable for testing spacecraft systems and equipment needed for long-term missions to and from the moon and Mars. The ISS has been continuously occupied since November 2000 and represents the pinnacle of human achievement, both in terms of international cooperation and humanity’s continued presence in space.


Source: scitechdaily.com