We had all been here before—hundreds of reporters from around the globe, waiting for the world’s most powerful rocket to ignite and begin humanity’s journey back to the moon. It was a peaceful evening on the Florida coast, despite the hurricane that had passed through just days earlier.

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) had experienced setback after setback, from its initial rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to the last moments before liftoff.

Standing at 322 feet, taller than the Statue of Liberty, the SLS was designed to take humans farther than ever before. According to NASA, the rocket can send over 27 metric tons to the moon. In a single launch, it could carry the Orion spacecraft, with four astronauts and an abundance of supplies, to its lunar destination. 

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

If you’re not already a subscriber, what are you waiting for? Subscribe today to get the issue as soon as it is released in either Print or Digital formats.

Subscribe Now

Featured

To accomplish such a feat, NASA designed SLS’ Block 1 Crew configuration to produce 8.8 million pounds of thrust. Between the four RS-25 Core Stage engines and the two shuttle-derived solid rocket boosters, a mass of fuel is needed to send Orion to the moon. 

Fueling operations were nominal until around 9:17 p.m., with a little more than three hours left until launch. Then, the team found an intermittent liquid hydrogen leak at the bottom of the mobile launcher. 

While the leak initially stayed within operational limits, it grew enough to warrant remedial actions. With the rocket sitting with near-complete fuel levels, it can be exceedingly dangerous for personnel to approach it. For Red Crew, a team of engineers on standby, this was the moment they trained for.

According to launch control, Red Crew’s fix would take only about 15 minutes to complete. At this point, hope for a successful launch began to dwindle throughout the crowd.

At 11:04 p.m., nearly an hour later, Launch Control announced Red Crew’s departure from Launch Complex 39B—their repairs were successful. A sigh of relief rippled across the Cape.

“All I can say is that we were very excited,” said Trent Annis, one of the three deployed members of Red Crew. “We showed up today.”

Sadly, the relief wouldn’t last long. The U.S. Space Force’s 45th Space Wing assisted with launch operations, including the locational tracking of the rocket after liftoff. The Wing had lost radar connection with SLS. The rocket would not launch without it.

“This data is critical to satellite operators all over the world in achieving mission success as the space domain becomes more contested and congested,” said Col. Marc A. Brock, Space Delta 2 commander, in a statement. “Timely and accurate xGEO space object detection and tracking in conjunction with our traditional SDA operations closer to Earth will be essential to our support for human space flight safety from launch to lunar landing and return, to facilitate human exploration and to promote the peaceful and responsible use of space.”

The opening of the launch window had arrived, and launch control was working against the clock. 

In an interview with FLYING, NASA Astronaut Stan Love explained why the timing of the launch is paramount to the mission’s success. 

“We have to time the launch based on when we want to land, and we want to land in daylight so that we can recover the capsule,” Love said. “And it’s winter in the northern hemisphere, so there’s not as much daylight as there otherwise is.”

“And then we work backwards,” he continued. “If you want to land in daylight, you have to leave the lunar vicinity around this time. Then, you have to leave your high lunar orbit around that time. Then, you have to get into your high lunar orbit at this other time. Then, you have to fly past the moon to get into that orbit this other time, and then you have to launch now.”

At 11:37 p.m., Launch Control identified a faulty Ethernet switch as the cause of the radar disconnect, and a 70-minute changeout was ordered.

For what felt like eons, we waited for an update from Launch Control. Many of us had driven or flown in from around the country for the second time to see Artemis I liftoff. A single core stage engine and inclement weather had stopped Artemis before, and there was no telling if it would happen again.

“Once again, we have gathered the guests for the wedding,” Love said. “Perhaps the bride will make an appearance.”

At 1:28 a.m., NASA’s first woman to serve as Launch Director, Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, conducted the final readiness poll.

“On behalf of all the men and women across our great nation, who have worked to bring this hardware together, to make this day possible, and for the Artemis generation, this is for you. At this time, I give you a go to resume count and launch Artemis I.”

The wedding was on.

The countdown clock jumped to T-10 minutes. There was a mad dash to the shoreline—journalists scrambled to ensure their cameras were on and ready for the show.

All eyes were on Artemis I.

“Five… four… three… two… one…”

At 1:41 a.m., a blinding light sparked from below the rocket. The billowing smoke shook as shockwaves ripped through the atmosphere, and just like that, Artemis I was on its way to our moon.

Artemis I lit up Cape Canaveral like the morning sun, and the ground shook from sonic booms and cheering onlookers alike. 

This launch means the world to many. It marks the beginning of a new era, and becomes the foundation for future missions to stand on. Now, NASA is one step closer to landing the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface. The next generation of spaceflight has begun.

This article was originally published in the February 2023 Issue 934 of FLYING.

The post Artemis I: Against All Odds appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

One small step for SpaceX may represent one giant leap for commercial space travel.

The space tourism firm on Sunday launched Ax-2, its second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station in conjunction with Houston-based space infrastructure developer Axiom Space. 

The launch is SpaceX’s third fully commercial flight and its 10th crewed mission to space. And it’s backed by NASA, which has agreed to support two private space tourism missions per year. The collaborative team secured one of FLYING’s Editors’ Choice Awards in 2020.

Ax-2 launched from Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39A Sunday evening in Florida, sending four people—three paying customers and one longtime NASA astronaut—hurtling toward the space station aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule.

Crew Dragon took off on top of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, whose reusable lower stage booster separated from the capsule and landed vertically on the pad about eight minutes after launch.

“If SpaceX can perfect their launch infrastructure and produce a rapid-turnaround capability for these vehicles, it would greatly reduce the human effort and processing time required to fly space missions,” David Cunniff, a space strategist for national security firm Peraton, told FLYING. “Workforce labor is one of the largest cost elements in the space industry.”

The capsule then separated from Falcon 9’s upper stage as planned, arriving and docking at the space station Monday morning.

Now the crew will spend eight days aboard the satellite, conducting more than 20 experiments supporting research on cancer, DNA, the impact of gravity on inexperienced astronauts, and more. That will support Axiom’s goal of developing its own independent commercial space station when the ISS is retired at the end of the decade. Axiom will even begin adding its own rooms to the space station, with plans to later remove them and form a stand-alone outpost.

After learning from the space station’s current occupants, the crew will return to Earth, splashing down off the coast of Florida.

“This journey is the culmination of long hours of training, planning, and dedication from the crew and the entire Axiom Space team, our partners at SpaceX, and of course, a credit to NASA’s vision to develop a sustainable presence in low-Earth orbit,” said Michael Suffredini, president and CEO of Axiom.

The Ax-2 crew is led by Peggy Whitson, an Axiom employee and former NASA astronaut who has spent more time in space than any American or woman in history.

“Good to be here. It was a phenomenal ride!” Whitson radioed to SpaceX Chief Engineer Bill Gerstenmeier, who congratulated the crew from the ground after Crew Dragon separated from Falcon 9.

Three more crew members paid an undisclosed fee to Axiom for their seats: pilot John Shoffner, an American racecar driver, investor, and businessman; Ali al’Qarni, a fighter pilot in the Royal Saudi Air Force; and stem cell researcher Rayyanah Barnawi, the first Saudi Arabian woman in space.

“We are now living a dream that we did not expect to become a reality,” Barnawi said Sunday after reaching the space station. “This trip represents Saudis and the entire Arab world. It is also an opportunity to discover space.”

Ax-2 follows Axiom’s 2022 Ax-1 mission, the first privately crewed launch to the ISS, which sent another former astronaut and three paying customers to space. It’s also a milestone for SpaceX, which is rapidly becoming the leader in commercial space travel and is currently evaluating last month’s Starship test launch to identify areas of improvement.

“SpaceX has often used ‘failures’ as valuable data gathering events,” Cunniff said of the attempt. “One might say that they have re-defined what a failure is for the industry, as any mission or launch activity can and does produce valuable data that can be useful for future successful attempts. Often, this data is obtained at much lower cost (and in less time) than otherwise required for a rigorous engineering analysis and test series.”

While it’s unclear how large of an impact Ax-2’s research efforts will have on the creation of a new space station, the mission undoubtedly will give NASA, SpaceX, and Axiom more information to use in future missions.

The post SpaceX Sends Paying Customers on Ax-2 Mission to ISS appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Aerospace company Stratolaunch LLC said it completed a test flight during which its Talon-A test vehicle, called TA-0, successfully separated from its Roc flying launch platform.

The flight, which took place over the Vandenberg Space Force Base’s western range off the central coast of California, was the 11th test sortie for Roc and the second time the group has carried out flight operations at Vandenberg.

• READ MORE: Stratolaunch Conducts Successful Captive Carry Test Flight

Stratolaunch said the flight lasted four hours and eight minutes and showed the Talon-A system “can cleanly and safely separate hypersonic vehicles from Roc’s center-wing pylon.” The test also confirmed communications between the test vehicles and the ground were working properly for data collection during planned hypersonic flights.

“Today’s test was exceptional,” said Dr. Zachary Krevor, Stratolaunch president and CEO. “It was exhilarating to see TA-0 release safely away from Roc, and I commend our team and partners. Our hardware and data collection systems performed as anticipated, and we now stand at the precipice of achieving hypersonic flight.”

With this test complete, according to Stratolaunch, its team will move toward its next major goal of achieving hypersonic flight with the TA-1 expendable testbed vehicle, progressing toward its first hypersonic flight of the TA-1 late this summer.

• READ MORE: The World’s Largest Airplane: By the Numbers

The post Stratolaunch Completes Vital Test of Launch System for Hypersonic Vehicles appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Ninety minutes of weightlessness, exhilaration, and panoramic views of the Earth for the price of $450,000 a head—that’s the vision Virgin Galactic wants to turn into reality next month.

Billionaire business mogul Richard Branson’s space tourism firm has been quiet since the founder’s highly publicized maiden voyage in 2021. But on Monday, the firm announced its return to space with a test flight later this month, which could finally clear the way for a commercial launch in June.

Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity and VMS Eve, the spacecraft and “mothership” that enabled Branson’s July 2021 flight, have been sidelined for years. At first it was because of a Federal Aviation Administration investigation—like the one currently grounding SpaceX’s Starship—which ended that September. Then it was due to delays in refurbishing its aircraft.

Last month, the firm finally got back in the air with an in-orbit test flight, the Unity 24 mission. But this month’s scheduled launch, Unity 25, would send VSS Unity into space for just the fifth time.

The test flight will serve as a “final assessment” of the company’s core offering, an hour-and-a-half-long jaunt to the edge of the atmosphere.

• READ MORE: Commercial Space Travel Is a Giant Leap for the One Percent

VSS Unity will ascend in tandem with VMS Eve until around 50,000 feet, when the spacecraft will separate from the mothership and continue its climb alone. After spending some time hovering in the heavens, it will adjust its trajectory back to Earth before descending and gliding into a landing.

Unity 25 is slated to be crewed by four astronauts: Beth Moses, who on a prior Virgin Galactic mission became the first woman to reach space on a commercially launched vehicle; Jamila Gilbert, who will join Moses as one of the first 100 women to reach space; Christopher Huie, who would become the 19th Black astronaut in the world; and Luke Mays, a 25-year NASA vet.

An additional two pilots will be onboard, while two others will be stationed at Spaceport America, Virgin Galactic’s launch site outside Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Founded in 2004, Virgin Galactic had initially expected to be flying commercially by 2007. Since then, that date has been pushed back on several occasions, each time accompanied by Branson’s promise that the service would be operational in a few months or years. But crashes and unhappy investors have so far derailed the billionaire’s efforts.

Could this time be for real, though? Branson will certainly hope so. Since 2018, Virgin Galactic has recorded $1.5 billion in operating losses, punctuated by a $150 million net loss in Q4 2022—a nearly 50 percent increase year over year.

A fresh test flight and subsequent commercial launch could smooth things over. If this month’s test run is successful, Virgin Galactic is expected to deliver four officers from the Italian Air Force to the edge of the atmosphere next month. Following that, the firm hopes to complete as many as 400 trips per year.

Virgin Galactic’s main space tourism rival is Jeff Bezos-backed Blue Origin, which flew Bezos to space just weeks after Branson’s trip (and William Shatner a few months after that). The company hasn’t had a launch since September 2022, when its New Shepard rocket exploded after minutes, though the spacecraft is expected to be back in action this year.

• READ MORE: Shatner Left Saddened by Space Travel

As of July 2021, Blue Origin had sold nearly $100 million in tickets. But Virgin Galactic may have it beat—as of Monday, it had sold around 800 tickets worth $210 million. It’s worth noting, however, that only 200 of those were bought at the current $450,000 price tag, and several were purchased a decade ago.

It will likely take decades for space travel to become affordable to the average person if it ever does. Until then, Virgin Galactic will make its money by courting the super-rich with promises of “breathtaking views” and “life-changing transformation,” per its website. Successful launches this month and next could help curry favor.

The post Virgin Galactic Plans Return to Space This Month appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Last month, SpaceX’s Starship rocket—the largest ever constructed—engulfed the company’s Boca Chica, Texas, launch pad in flames en route to its inaugural test flight. Now, the FAA, which signed off on the launch the weekend prior, is also under fire.

Figuratively, that is. On Monday, five environmental groups sued the FAA over its handling of the Starship launch, accusing the agency of making concessions to SpaceX that contributed to the test flight’s impact on surrounding areas.

Specifically, the groups criticized the FAA for not having conducted an environmental impact statement (EIS), which they claim would have mitigated damage from the launch and subsequent explosion. Per multiple reports, the test flight sent particulate matter and chunks of concrete flying six miles away and started a 3.5-acre brush fire on protected state land.

Five organizations comprise the case’s plaintiffs: the Center for Biological Diversity; Save RGV (Rio Grande Valley); the Carrizo-Comecrudo Nation of Texas; the American Bird Conservancy; and the Surfrider Foundation.

The FAA declined to comment on the suit.

In a court filing, the environmental groups accused the FAA of forgoing an EIS “based on SpaceX’s preference.” It’s unclear whether the firm swayed the FAA’s decision, but the agency instead relied on a programmatic environmental assessment (PEA), an analysis by SpaceX itself of the launch’s environmental impacts. A PEA is considered to have a lower standard than an EIS, which may have helped SpaceX launch sooner.

That PEA returned a mitigated finding of no significant impact (FONSI), which resulted in the FAA requiring SpaceX to take over 75 actions to reduce the launch’s impact. But that was enough for the Starship program to earn National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance, meaning an EIS was no longer required.

While SpaceX followed the FAA’s instructions, the suit alleges that they were not significant enough to prevent future mishaps, adding that the FAA did not properly explain how the measures would mitigate impacts on the environment. It also argues that so-called “anomalies”—like the Starship explosion—are a feature of the program rather than a bug, claiming the FAA has acknowledged there will be more to come over the next five years.

Further, environmental groups claim the FAA violated NEPA by failing to consider alternatives to SpaceX’s proposal. According to the suit, the agency considered only SpaceX’s proposal and a “no action” alternative rather than examining, for instance, a plan with fewer launches.

Can They Win?

If past lawsuits against the FAA are any indication, the five environmental groups could win their case—or at least get what they want. 

In 2017, the city of Santa Monica, California, settled a suit with the agency, laying the path for the closure of the Santa Monica Airport (KSMO) after 2028. That same year, the courts sided with the city of Phoenix in another suit, requiring the FAA to conduct an environmental study on flight paths and revert to previous routing into Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (KPHX).

• READ MORE: City Council Votes To Close Santa Monica Airport

And in a 2010 case brought against the FAA by families of passengers who died in the Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash, a settlement resulted in updated FAA rules concerning airline transport pilot training, certification, and rest requirements that are still under debate.  

So, there is precedent for lawsuits brought against the agency ending in varying degrees of change, even if through settlement. And if the environmental groups get their way in this case, it could be a while before Starship is back in the sky.

An EIS Could Spell Trouble

According to a timeline on the FAA’s official site, to launch a new EIS for Starship would take a minimum of 75 days, or a little more than two months. That accounts for mandatory waiting periods during the scoping and public comment processes and does not include the time required to research, review, and draft the final statement.

All told, the process would likely extend significantly beyond the 75-day minimum timeline. For context, nearly a year passed between the draft of SpaceX’s PEA and the release of the final proposal. An EIS is considered to be even more thorough than a PEA and could therefore take even longer.

An EIS would represent a third major hurdle SpaceX must clear before its next test flight. Already, the firm is contending with an FAA investigation into the safety of the project and the arduous task of rebuilding its Boca Chica launch pad, both of which could take months.

Still, as of April 20, the date of last month’s launch, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk remained confident in the firm’s ability to get back in the air soon:

Congrats @SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship!

Learned a lot for next test launch in a few months. pic.twitter.com/gswdFut1dK

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 20, 2023

Is it possible we see another Starship launch by June? Absolutely. But considering the FAA’s ongoing investigation, and now a lawsuit, Musk’s assessment may be a bit optimistic.

The post FAA Faces Lawsuit Over Handling of SpaceX Starship Program appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

For all of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s enthusiasm about the orbital test flight of Starship, last week’s launch has sidelined the project for the time being.

Shortly after Thursday’s test flight concluded in a ball of flames, reports emerged that the FAA has grounded Starship as it conducts an investigation into the reason behind the explosion—and as others examine the potential health and safety hazards it created.

The FAA confirmed this in an April 20 statement: “An anomaly occurred during the ascent and prior to stage separation resulting in a loss of the vehicle. No injuries or public property damage have been reported. The FAA will oversee the mishap investigation of the Starship / Super Heavy test mission.”

An FAA spokesperson told FLYING that mishap investigations, which are standard in cases such as this, “might conclude in a matter of weeks,” but more complex investigations “might take several months.”

It’s unclear where the Starship explosion falls on this spectrum. But we’re beginning to get an idea of the launch’s effects on the surrounding area.

Though Musk warned prior to the launch that Starship would likely explode, telling listeners in an April 16 Twitter Spaces that it would be “a success” if it did not destroy the company’s Boca Chica, Texas launchpad, the test flight’s impact appears to be greater than SpaceX expected.

Broken windows and ash-like particulate matter from the launch have been reported as far away as Port Isabel, a town of about 5,000 people six miles away from the launchpad, and South Padre Island, where onlookers watched the test flight from about five miles away. Port Isabel residents also reported shaking buildings, resembling the aftermath of a Starship explosion in 2022.

The debris field was expected to span 700 acres, or a radius of about one mile, equivalent to the size of the debris field resulting from Starship’s largest explosion to date.

Getting reports from multiple people now of “particulates” raining down in areas of Port Isabel after the nearby explosion of the SpaceX rocket stack Starship/Superheavy, 4 minutes after liftoff this morning from Boca Chica in the Rio Grande Valley. pic.twitter.com/Vb9ritd7JE

— Pablo De La Rosa (@pblodlr) April 20, 2023

The City of Port Isabel said that there is no “immediate concern for people’s health,” but environmental groups are holding judgment until a full investigation can be completed. 

Spokespeople for the Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity noted that the particulate emissions may be unsafe to touch or breathe in, and samples will need to be collected and examined to dispel any concerns. 

Experts also worry about the impact on the surrounding environment and ecosystem, which is home to several endangered species. These animals could be vulnerable not just to debris, but also to the noise of the launch. Reporter Lavie Ohana, who was present for the test flight, called it “one of the loudest launches I’ve ever been at.”

Particles falling in Port Isabel minutes after launch. @elonmusk #SpaceX #Starship #Starbase #TLPNetwork #TLPCrew pic.twitter.com/mu5hKmbih6

— The Launch Pad (@TLPN_Official) April 20, 2023

Eric Roesch, an environmental engineer and former regulator who runs the blog ESGHound, noted that the launch tower sits just a few hundred feet away from a protected habitat owned by Texas Parks and Wildlife. 

And per data Roesch obtained from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via a Freedom of Information Act request, a February static fire test—essentially a test run for the test flight—produced far more noise than SpaceX projected. Intensity readings three miles from the test site reached 110 decibels, the equivalent of standing next to a jackhammer, according to the agency. That test was conducted at 50 percent of total thrust.

Roesch also pointed out that the Boca Chica launchpad does not have a flame trench or water deluge system, features present at most other large sites that help to suppress heat and sound from launches. NASA’s Space Shuttle orbiter, for example, took off over a flame trench.

Some, like Roesch, have criticized the FAA’s willingness to go ahead with the launch given these concerns. Though the agency required SpaceX to take more than 75 actions to mitigate the environmental impact of the test flight, Roesch predicted that the launch would be more severe than anticipated, and it appears he was not far off.

As the FAA dives deeper into the safety of Starship’s operation, SpaceX has another hurdle to overcome. While it appeared that the infrastructure supporting Starship avoided the same fate as the rocket itself, it later became clear that the launchpad suffered major damage.

The force of the rocket and the lack of a trench beneath it created a massive crater under the launcher, which could render it unusable for months. Musk on Twitter speculated that “the force of the engines when they throttled up may have shattered the concrete, rather than simply eroding it.”

Musk also said that SpaceX had previously planned to install a water-cooled steel plate beneath the launcher, but scrapped it because it “wasn’t ready in time,” adding that, “we wrongly thought, based on static fire data, that Fondag [concrete] would make it through 1 launch.”

Musk also offered a timetable for the next launch: one to two months. But even if SpaceX is able to repair the launchpad in that time, it will still need the FAA’s signoff to run another test.

The good news for SpaceX is that the relationship between the space exploration firm and government regulators appears to be intact. On Tuesday, the company won approval from the U.S. Space Force to add a fifth U.S. launch site, signaling the government’s continued interest in working with Musk and SpaceX.

There’s that, plus the company’s collaborations with NASA on other missions, like resupply trips to the International Space Station using SpaceX’s Dragon. Chances are that NASA and SpaceX will continue to work together for the foreseeable future. What remains to be seen, though, is how long of a leash the FAA will give them.

The post SpaceX Starship Grounded Indefinitely By FAA appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

SpaceX’s long-awaited test launch of Starship—the largest and most powerful rocket ever constructed—both started and ended in flames.

The 400-foot-tall rocket and booster departed the company’s Starbase launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas, bombastically, leaving a trail of ignited propellant in its wake.

But a few minutes into the orbital test flight, as Starship’s super heavy booster was preparing to separate from the rocket, the spacecraft exploded, sending a ball of fiery debris hurtling into the Gulf of Mexico. The mission was uncrewed, so no humans were on board.

My Autotrack software captures the moment that Starship lost control. Excitement was very much guaranteed. Great first attempt by the SpaceX team!

Tune in to hear our live reaction! @NASASpaceflight https://t.co/uutBwWSABz pic.twitter.com/in201JaOiU

— Michael Baylor (@nextspaceflight) April 20, 2023

According to SpaceX spokeswoman Kate Tice, it’s still unclear what caused the explosion. 

For about four minutes, Starship traveled along its expected path, though reports suggest some of the rocket’s 33 first-stage engines failed to ignite. It’s possible the rocket’s flight termination system, sensing the vehicle was going off course, triggered the explosion at the point of separation. Or, it could just be that natural forces tore it apart.

SpaceX called the event a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.”

As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly before stage separation

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 20, 2023

By SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s standards, though, the test flight was a success. While Starship did not complete its more ambitious goals, it did comfortably clear the launch pad, and Musk on Sunday said he “would consider that to be a success.”

“Just don’t blow up the launchpad,” he half-jokingly told thousands of listeners during a Twitter Spaces that evening.

By Musk’s estimation, the launchpad would take “months” to repair, sidelining test flights for the foreseeable future. So despite the explosion, the launch will give the SpaceX team valuable data for future missions without incurring rebuilding costs.

Plus, this isn’t unusual. Starship prototypes have crashed or exploded in several previous missions, and the company has been known to embrace such incidents as progress toward a greater goal.

“Success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multi-planetary,” it said in a Tweet.

Even agencies like NASA experience explosions. The most infamous, of course, was the Challenger explosion, but similar incidents are not exactly uncommon.

Bill Nelson, the former Democratic senator from Florida and current NASA administrator, congratulated SpaceX for a successful test flight on Twitter: “Looking forward to all that SpaceX learns, to the next flight test—and beyond.”

Speaking of the next test flight, Musk dropped a hint at when that may take place.

Congrats @SpaceX team on an exciting test launch of Starship!

Learned a lot for next test launch in a few months. pic.twitter.com/gswdFut1dK

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 20, 2023

Barring an unanticipated rift, SpaceX will have NASA’s full backing for its next test. The two have already completed several successful resupply missions to the International Space Station using SpaceX’s Dragon, the most recent of which concluded over the weekend.

Now, they want to go deeper into the unknown. Starship was designed to do more than just orbit the Earth—its eventual purpose, SpaceX and NASA say, is to ferry hundreds of humans at a time to the moon, Mars, and beyond.

As it stands, the plan is for SpaceX to help NASA astronauts land on the moon in 2025, which would mark humanity’s first return to its surface in over 50 years. And Musk has claimed that the firm will land humans on Mars by 2029, but he’ll look to beat out a pair of private spaceflight firms that are each targeting rover landings sometime in 2024.

All of those projects will rely on a successful Starship orbital test flight. But despite Thursday’s explosion, Musk and SpaceX have time to iron out the kinks.

The post SpaceX’s Starship Rocket Explodes Minutes After Launch appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Space junk, or orbital debris left by humans in space, including satellite fragments, is a problem. 

Currently, Earth’s orbit contains hundreds of millions, and by some estimates, trillions of pieces of debris—see for yourself. The vast majority of these are tiny and pose no threat. But a speck of debris just 10 centimeters in diameter can cause significant damage to spacecraft, and there are at least 36,000 objects that fit that description.

When you add the threat of asteroids and comets (also referred to as near-Earth objects, or NEOs) to the conversation, things get even more dicey for agencies like the Department of Defense and the U.S. Space Force.

On Wednesday, the DOD launched a new “effort” to foster collaboration between the off-Earth commercial and defense sectors, building on the Commercial Integration Office it established earlier this month and the Commercial Integration Strategy it introduced in January. The Space Force, meanwhile, has hinted at adding offensive capabilities in space by 2026.

Both plans promise a future where the U.S. establishes itself as the top dog in outer space. But without a plan to address the growing debris field orbiting the planet, those efforts are likely to face major hitches.

Take, for example, a near-miss that occurred in 2021. When a Russian anti-satellite test destroyed the country’s Cosmos 1408 satellite and sent 1,500 pieces of trackable debris on a collision course with the International Space Station (ISS), crew members were forced to seek shelter— and the spacecraft narrowly dodged the debris field. Other spacecraft haven’t fared as well.

Had evasive maneuvers not been taken by the ISS, the incident could have ended in calamity. And it didn’t even take place where the majority of collisions and near-collisions do—en route to orbit, where tens of thousands of satellites circle the globe at lower altitudes.

According to experts, space is only going to get more crowded. Per consultancy McKinsey and Company, there could be close to 70,000 satellites added to Earth’s orbit if plans from companies like SpaceX come to fruition. Already, the firm has more than 1,600 Starlink satellites in space, with plans to launch tens of thousands more.

• READ MORE: SpaceX Starship Orbital Launch Scrapped Minutes Before Go

If that happens, the problem could escalate exponentially. Each year, there are dozens of near-collisions between active satellites and space junk, and the more spacecraft that enter orbit, the likelier it is that a crash will occur—which creates even more debris.

The U.S. has taken some steps to address the issue. In September, the Federal Communications Commission limited new satellites to a five-year lifetime, a measure that would reduce crowding in orbit. The agency earlier this month created a Space Bureau that will propose new “satellite and orbital debris rules.”

Meanwhile, a collection of other agencies and startups in the U.S. and abroad are attempting to remove debris and deorbit satellites with robotic spacecraft. But it could all be for naught – a study by NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy found that rather than removing debris, it would be exponentially cheaper to build technology that allows spacecraft to avoid it.

However, the agency is hoping to wrangle the NEO problem before it gets out of hand. On Wednesday, NASA presented its strategy for planetary defense, a response to the White House’s updated National Preparedness Strategy and Action Plan for Near-Earth Object Hazards and Planetary Defense released earlier in the month.

While the strategy is designed to protect the Earth itself from impact, it calls for measures like enhanced tracking of NEOs, which could mitigate the chance of an orbital collision. It also describes tactics to predict the paths of asteroids and comets and communicate potential hazards quickly.

But even if NASA and other agencies are able to prevent NEO collisions, the problem of space junk remains. And by some estimations, we’re nearing the point of no return. 

Kessler Syndrome was first introduced by researcher Donald Kessler in 1978. Kessler proposed a hypothetical scenario wherein one large collision—like the near-miss between the ISS and Russian satellite debris—results in a cascade of smaller impacts, rendering Earth’s orbit inescapable due to debris. The inactive but still-orbiting Envisat satellite may represent another potential trigger.

Kessler also hypothesized that such an event would become inevitable if we reach a critical mass of objects in low-Earth orbit. In other words, if humans continue to launch satellites while leaving defunct spacecraft in orbit, cascading crashes could sideline future space activities.

With all of that being said, we haven’t quite reached that point, and we may never. Initiatives like the FCC’s could remove a sufficient number of satellites, with an array of agencies and startups pitching in to remove other junk.

But if stakeholders tend to agree with NASA’s assessment—that avoiding space junk is cheaper than removing it—countries like the U.S. will need to put incentives in place to clean up Earth’s orbit and avoid a Kessler disaster.

The post Could a Bunch of Junk Derail U.S. Activities in Space? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Space travel enthusiasts had a lot to be excited about to start the week after the Federal Aviation Administration cleared the way for the inaugural launch of SpaceX’s Starship—the largest rocket ever constructed—on Monday.

But less than 10 minutes before the historic flight, SpaceX called it off, delivering the disappointing news that Starship would not take off for at least 48 hours. So what happened? The firm’s head honcho provided some clarity:

“A pressurant valve appears to be frozen, so unless it starts operating soon, no launch today,” tweeted Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX (and chief executive of Twitter).

A pressurant valve appears to be frozen, so unless it starts operating soon, no launch today

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2023

The frozen valve created pressurization issues with the rocket’s booster, forcing Musk and SpaceX to scrub the uncrewed launch.

However, despite the postponement, SpaceX performed what is called a “wet dress rehearsal,” treating the launch as real until the countdown reached 10 seconds. As previously planned, the 400-foot-tall rocket and booster were loaded with about 10 million pounds of icy-cold (minus-272 degrees Fahrenheit) liquid methane propellant.

The wet rehearsal also allowed SpaceX to collect data that could ensure the real deal goes smoothly.

“Learned a lot today, now offloading propellant, retrying in a few days …” Musk noted in a follow-up Tweet.

SpaceX added that its team is “working towards the next available opportunity” for a flight test, though it did not specify a date. The company has another launch window reserved for Tuesday morning, but Wednesday is the earliest it can attempt another launch.

However, Musk saw this coming. In a live discussion on Twitter Spaces Sunday evening, the SpaceX founder warned that “if we see anything that gives us concern, we will postpone the launch.”

Musk also cautioned that Starship could explode, a familiar outcome of the company’s other tests, including those of this particular model. But so long as the launchpad—which would take months to rebuild, according to Musk – remains intact, the SpaceX CEO “would consider that to be a success.”

“Just don’t blow up the launchpad,” he mused to thousands of listeners.

Starship prototype crashes have been well-documented. But that hasn’t kept NASA, which has suffered multiple explosions to its Space Launch System, from maintaining a tight partnership with SpaceX. 

Most notably, the agency enlisted the space exploration company and aerospace and defense firm Northrop Grumman to resupply the International Space Station, and SpaceX’s Dragon has already completed several successful trips—including one that concluded over the weekend.

But NASA and SpaceX have a different plan for Starship: the moon, Mars, and beyond. The rocket’s design includes a large cabin and airlocks to enable moonwalks, as well as a maximum payload of 165 tons to facilitate deliveries of cargo and other equipment. 

Eventually, SpaceX says, it will be able to carry as many as 100 people on long-term missions, including to the moon and other planets. 

The company also envisions Starship being used to establish a lunar base, which would serve as a waypoint for future missions. Musk himself has teased the concept, envisaging “hundreds of thousands” of staffers on the moon.

SpaceX is thinking years, if not decades, in advance. But in order to turn those voyages to the stars into a reality, the firm will first need to prove its next-generation aircraft can escape the Earth. In short, there’s a lot riding on Monday’s postponed launch—and all eyes will be on Musk and SpaceX.

The post SpaceX Starship Orbital Launch Scrapped Minutes Before Go appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Space Race is long over. But in the decades since that prolonged competition, North America has led the way.

Since 1973, there have been nine missions to the outer solar system, and the U.S. has had a hand in all of them. European agencies have also reached the outer planets a pair of times, but those voyages—the Ulysses and Cassini-Hudgens missions—had heavy NASA involvement.

This week, however, the European Space Agency (ESA) will finally have a deep space mission it can call its own.

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) will lift off Friday and spend the next eight years on a voyage to study the gas giant and three of its water-bearing moons, Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa.

Originally slated to launch Thursday at 1:14pm U.K. time (8:14 a.m. EST) but postponed because of inclement weather, the spacecraft will take off from an Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher and encircle the massive planet for several months, completing flybys of the three moons as it orbits. 

The mission will conclude with an orbital tour of Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system and the only one with its own magnetic field. No spacecraft has ever orbited a moon besides our own.

According to ESA, the goal of the mission, which is expected to reach Jupiter in July 2031, is to explore the possibility of life in the solar system beyond Earth. In particular, researchers are looking to answer five questions:

• How has Jupiter’s environment shaped its moons, and vice versa?
• How do gas giants form, and what are they like?
• Is there—or has there ever been—life in the Jupiter system?
• What makes Ganymede unique?
• And what are ocean worlds like?

Olivier Witasse, an ESA planetary scientist who has worked on JUICE since 2015, provided more details during an April 6 press briefing.

“The main goal,” he explained, “is to understand whether there are habitable environments among those icy moons and around a giant planet like Jupiter. We will characterize, in particular, the liquid water oceans which are inside the icy moons.”

Witasse said researchers will examine the location, depth, and makeup of each saltwater ocean, which only exist in liquid form deep below the surface. They’ll also look at the rotation, composition, weather conditions, and magnetic field of Jupiter’s atmosphere, to determine whether conditions are suitable for life.

To do so, they’ll rely on 10 state-of-the-art instruments aboard the launcher. They include remote sensors with spectral imaging capabilities, tools like altimeters and radar sounders to map surfaces, and a suite of equipment to measure atmospheric characteristics like magnetic fields. 

Coordinating all of them will be quite the undertaking: “We’re talking about a very large spacecraft with many key features that are striking…just after launch, there will be a lot of work to make sure that everything gets deployed properly,” said Alessandro Atzei, payload systems engineer for the mission.

In addition, JUICE will feature a powerful antenna to transmit data back to Earth, shields to protect against radiation, massive solar panels for energy collection, and a layer of insulation to shelter equipment from harsh temperatures.

To succeed, the spacecraft will also need to test out a new trick. En route to Jupiter, the spacecraft will perform what is referred to as a Lunar-Earth gravity assist, leveraging the gravity of the moon and Earth to propel it to higher speeds. Expected to take place around January 2029, it will be the world’s first attempt at such a maneuver.

As JUICE navigates the lonely vacuum of space, it’ll have at least some company. Another spacecraft, NASA’s Lucy, embarked on its 12-year sojourn to the Jupiter system in 2021, while the U.S.-backed Europa Clipper mission is slated for launch in October 2024. It too will spend several years orbiting the gas giant.

Outside of Lucy and Europa Clipper, the U.S. is eyeing several other projects. In 2024, NASA will send four astronauts to orbit the moon in the Artemis II spacecraft, while Elon Musk’s SpaceX is now an FAA approval away from an orbital launch attempt.

Mars could also be on the horizon—in June, NASA will begin an experiment where four humans spend a year inside a 3D-printed box designed to mimic conditions on the Red Planet. NASA currently has two Martian missions in development and several more under proposal.

But like all good things, the findings of JUICE and other missions will take time to arrive. Curious observers can follow along as the ESA tracks the spacecraft’s early movements by checking out this interactive tool, or by keeping an eye on the mission’s website or Twitter feed for updates.

The post When it Comes to Space Travel, NASA has the Juice—But ESA has JUICE appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The James Webb Space Telescope Team will receive the 2022 Robert J. Collier Award, the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) announced Wednesday.

For more than a century, the Collier Award has been awarded to recognize the previous year’s greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in the U.S. Collier recipients include Orville Wright in 1913, Chuck Yeager in 1947, and the NASA/Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) Ingenuity Team in 2021. 

“The James Webb Space Telescope is appropriately placed among these history makers for its unprecedented discovery mission to explore, identify and photograph what lies beyond what is currently known and to seek what is unknown,” NAA said in a statement.

The $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope is the largest and most complex space observatory in history. It was built by a team led by Northrop Grumman in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

• READ MORE: NASA Reveals First Full-Color Image from James Webb Space Telescope

“The James Webb Space Telescope is nothing short of a scientific feat, and is a shining example of what NASA can accomplish when we push the boundaries of space exploration,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. “From discovering some of the earliest galaxies ever observed to delivering a more detailed view of exoplanet atmospheres than ever before, it’s all due to the hard work and dedication of the exceptional Webb team. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor!”

Last summer, its first images were released, showing a deep field view taken by the telescope’s Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam). It’s a composite made from images at different wavelengths, totaling 12.5 hours— achieving depths at infrared wavelengths beyond the Hubble Space Telescope’s deepest fields, NASA said at the time.

“The James Webb Space Telescope is one of the greatest achievements in aerospace history,” Kathy Warden, chair, CEO, and president of Northrop Grumman, said in a statement. “In a matter of months, Webb has changed our understanding of the universe, and many more discoveries lie ahead.

• READ MORE: All You Need To Know About JWST

“We dedicate the Collier Trophy to the Northrop Grumman employees and our industry partners who delivered humanity an extraordinary observatory to explore the universe and inspire future generations,” Warden added.

The Collier Trophy will be presented during the NAA Gala in Washington, D.C. on June 15, 2023.

The post James Webb Space Telescope Team To Receive Collier Award appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Virgin Orbit Holdings, Inc., the satellite launch and service company, said it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy law protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court in the District of Delaware. The filing is part of a plan “to effectuate a sale of the business,” the company said.

The Chapter 11 announcement follows the revelation last week that Virgin Orbit was cutting most of its staff because of its inability to raise enough capital to continue operations. The company apparently was not able to recover following a failed satellite launch in January from its Spaceport Cornwall base in England.

• READ MORE: Virgin Orbit Cuts Most of its Workforce, Cites Lack of Funding

The company, which Virgin Group founder Richard Branson started in 2017, developed a system called LauncherOne that uses a modified Boeing 747 to carry its rockets aloft before launching, essentially giving them a head start into orbit. This method contrasts with the traditional large, pad-launched rockets that rivals like SpaceX use to carry satellites.

“The team at Virgin Orbit has developed and brought into operation a new and innovative method of launching satellites into orbit, introducing new technology and managing great challenges and great risks along the way as we proved the system and performed several successful space flights—including successfully launching 33 satellites into their precise orbit,” said Virgin Orbit CEO.Dan Hart. “While we have taken great efforts to address our financial position and secure additional financing, we ultimately must do what is best for the business,” he said.

The company said Virgin Investment Ltd. has committed to provide $31.6 million in financing expected to give Virgin Orbit the liquidity it needs to continue operating as it pursues a sale transaction “that positions our company and our technology for future opportunities and missions.”

The post Virgin Orbit Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

NASA announced the four astronauts set to crew Artemis II, the first crewed flight in the vicinity of the moon in more than 50 years.

The crew roster, which was announced in a ceremony Monday morning at NASA Johnson Space Center’s Ellington Field in Houston, also included the first Canadian Space Agency astronaut.

The 10-day Artemis II mission is set to launch on the Space Launch System rocket in November 2024 and will be the first crewed flight test for the space program. The flight will validate the life-support systems of the Orion’s spacecraft, as well as what is needed for humans to live and work in deep space. It is considered to be a critical step toward establishing a long-term human presence on the moon, according to NASA.

Artemis II Crew members:

• Mission Specialist Christina Hammock Koch, engineer
• Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, F-18 pilot and Canadian astronaut
• Artemis II Pilot Victor J. Glover, Jr., Naval aviator and test pilot
• Artemis II Commander G. Reid Wiseman, Naval aviator and test 

“The Artemis II crew represents thousands of people working tirelessly to bring us to the stars. This is their crew, this is our crew, this is humanity’s crew,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said during the ceremony. “NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Hammock Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen; each has their own story, but together, they represent our creed: E pluribus unum – out of many, one. Together, we are ushering in a new era of exploration for a new generation of star sailors and dreamers—the Artemis Generation.” 

Hours before the crew unveiling Monday morning, Nelson described the high stakes behind the mission, and getting to the moon’s resource-rich South Pole before China, which has launched an aggressive space program.

“We want to get to the South Pole before they do,” he told CNN. Water is located at the moon’s South Pole, and “if you have water, you have rocket fuel,” he said.

• READ MORE: Artemis I, the Rocket That Could

Building on Artemis I

In December, NASA’s Orion spacecraft—the agency’s newest human-rated spacecraft—concluded its 1.4 million mile journey around the moon and back, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. During the 26-day mission, Orion performed two lunar flybys within 80 miles of the moon’s surface, traveling nearly 270,000 miles away from Earth.

Over Orion’s nearly 26-day journey, the spacecraft performed two lunar flybys within 80 miles of the moon’s surface and traveled nearly 270,000 miles away from Earth—the farthest any human-rated spacecraft has flown. 

• READ MORE: Artemis I: Orion Completes Journey Around the Moon

“With Orion safely returned to Earth, we can begin to see our next mission on the horizon, which will fly crew to the Moon for the first time as a part of the next era of exploration,” said Jim Free, NASA associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. “This begins our path to a regular cadence of missions and a sustained human presence at the Moon for scientific discovery and to prepare for human missions to Mars.”

The post NASA Unveils 4-Member Artemis II Crew appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Virgin Orbit, a satellite launch and services company, is ceasing operations and laying off staff due to its “inability to secure meaningful funding,” the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Yesterday, in an 8-K filing, the company announced a plan to cut its workforce by about 675 employees, or about 85 percent of its total staff. Virgin said the affected workers “are in all areas of the company.”

• READ MORE: Virgin Orbit’s First Satellite Launch From British Soil Fails

The company, which grew out of Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, went public in late 2021 through a merger with NextGen Acquisition Corp. II, a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC.

The announcement follows a high-profile failure earlier this year of the company’s LauncherOne system, which includes a rocket that carries satellites into orbit after being released from a high-flying Boeing 747. Following the launch, which initially seemed to proceed normally, “the system experienced an anomaly, ending the mission prematurely,” the company said at the time.

• READ MORE: Virgin Orbit Satellite Launch Company Set to Go Public

Virgin estimated it would take charges totaling about $15 million, including $8.8 million in severance and benefit costs and $6.5 million largely related to outplacement expenses and effects of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN Act. The company said it expects to take most of the charges in this year’s first quarter and to “substantially complete” the layoffs by April 3.

The post Virgin Orbit Cuts Most of its Workforce, Cites Lack of Funding appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

What do former United States presidents and cast members from Star Trek, the original series, have in common? They are all heading to space together.

According to Texas-based Celestis Memorial Space Flights, this spring it plans to launch what it believes to be the authenticated DNA of Presidents George Washington, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan on the upcoming Enterprise Flight, described as “humanity’s first deep space time capsule.” According to the Celestis blog, the presidential DNA was culled from hair samples.

• READ MORE: Remains of Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols To Launch into Space

“These hair samples, which were originally from the Louis Mushro collection, along with the associated Certificates of Authenticity, were gifted to Celestis by an anonymous donor for the purpose of being included on a deep space mission,” the blog states. “Louis Mushro was a well-known celebrity hair collector and appraiser who built a global reputation as the expert in this field before his passing in 2014.”

Celestis noted that the hair samples had been stored in a climate-controlled facility for several years in preparation for the mission.

Washington, known as the founding father of the nation, was the first president of the United States.

Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Reagan were instrumental in the development of the American space program.

Eisenhower, who held office from 1953 until 1961, was the driving force behind the creation of NASA.

John F. Kennedy, whose presidency was cut short by assassination, famously announced during a speech in 1962 at Rice University that by the end of the decade, America would land an astronaut on the moon.

Ronald Reagan, president from 1981 until 1989, held office during the development of the American Space Shuttle program. In 1986 Reagan postponed a scheduled presidential address to comfort the nation in the wake of the Challenger Disaster and created the Rogers Commission to investigate the accident.

Also on board the flight, the DNA of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, his wife Majel Barrett Roddenberry, who starred in the pilot episode of the original series as Number 1, then went on to play Nurse Chapel, then Luxwana Troi in The Next Generation and Deep Space 9 as well as providing her voice for the computer interface from 1966 until 2009. 

The DNA of their son Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry is also aboard; as is the DNA of Nichelle Nichols who starred as Lt. Uhura the communications officer aboard the starship Enterprise, then after the series ended, became a spokesperson for NASA to help them recruit more women; the DNA of her son Kyle Johnson; and the DNA of actor DeForest Kelley who played Dr. McCoy, aka Bones, the chief surgeon of the starship Enterprise; and James Doohan, who played Mr. Scott aka Scotty, the chief engineer. In addition, DNA of former astronaut Dr. Philip Chapman makes a second trip into space, having previously flown on Celestis Aurora Flight.

According to Celestis, the Enterprise Flight window is May 4th to 8th. The Vulcan rocket will travel beyond the moon and establish a solar orbit some 150 to 300 million miles in deep space.

The post DNA of Four Presidents, Cast of Star Trek Headed Into Space appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Virgin Orbit said its first attempt to launch satellites from Britain using its LauncherOne system failed to reach orbit as planned. However, the company started by Richard Branson in 2017 said the flight accomplished enough to be considered, “an important step forward.”

The company said that its custom Boeing 747, called Cosmic Girl, took off from Spaceport Cornwall, carried the LauncherOne rocket aloft, and successfully released it. The rocket fired its engines and flew at hypersonic speed into space, separated from its first stage, and began to ignite the second-stage engine.

“However, at some point during the firing of the rocket’s second stage engine and with the rocket traveling at a speed of more than 11,000 mph, the system experienced an anomaly, ending the mission prematurely,” the company said.

• READ MORE: Virgin Orbit Satellite Launch Company Set to Go Public

Virgin said it has conducted five missions carrying payloads for private companies and government agencies using its LauncherOne system, and that the latest attempt marks the first time the system has failed to deliver the satellites properly into orbit. However, the mission did succeed in establishing collaboration with several entities, including the UK Space Agency, Royal Air Force, Civil Aviation Authority, and the FAA in the U.S.

“While we are very proud of the many things that we successfully achieved as part of this mission, we are mindful that we failed to provide our customers with the launch service they deserve,” said Dan Hart, Virgin Orbit’s CEO. “We will work tirelessly to understand the nature of the failure, make corrective actions, and return to orbit as soon as we have completed a full investigation and mission assurance process.”

The company said it is continuing with its plan to become the leading provider of commercial small satellite launches in Europe by 2030.

The post Virgin Orbit’s First Satellite Launch From British Soil Fails appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The consolidation of the aerospace industry continues with the recent announcement that L3Harris Technologies [NYSE: LHX] has signed an agreement to acquire propulsion-system expert Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings [NYSE: AJRD].

The deal, based on a $58-per-share stock price, all-cash transaction, will be valued at $4.7 billion. Aerojet Rocketdyne currently generates about $2.3 billion annually in revenue. The deal is expected to close in 2023, financed with existing cash alongside the issuance of new debt.

“We’ve heard the [Department of Defense] leadership loud and clear: they want high-quality, innovative and cost-effective solutions to meet both current and emerging threats, and they’re relying upon a strong, competitive industrial base to deliver those solutions,” said Christopher E. Kubasik, L3Harris’ CEO and chair. “With this acquisition, we will use the combined talents of more than 50,000 employees to drive continuous process improvement, enhance business operations and elevate the performance of this crucial national asset.”

Aerojet Rocketdyne brings 100 years of experience delivering propulsion systems and energetics to the DoD, NASA, and other partners around the world, including both rocket systems for space exploration and those propulsion systems supporting warfighters and other deterrent weapons systems.

For L3Harris, “The acquisition will ensure the defense industrial base and our customers will have a strengthened merchant supplier to effectively address both current and emerging threats—and promote scientific discovery and innovation—through targeted investment in advanced missile technologies, hypersonics and more,” according to a company statement.

“This agreement will accelerate innovation for national security propulsion solutions while providing a premium cash value for our shareholders and tremendous benefits for our employees, customers, partners and the communities in which we operate,” said Eileen P. Drake, CEO and president of Aerojet Rocketdyne. 

“Joining L3Harris is a testament to the world-class organization and team we’ve built and represents a natural next phase of our evolution,” Drake said. “As part of L3Harris, we will bring our advanced technologies together with their substantial expertise and resources to accelerate our shared purpose: enabling the defense of our nation and space exploration. This is an exciting new chapter for Aerojet Rocketdyne and our over 5,200 dedicated team members, providing them with additional opportunities, and we look forward to working closely with L3Harris to complete this transaction.”

The post L3Harris Snaps Up Aerojet Rocketdyne in Planned Deal appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

NASA’s Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean Sunday afternoon, returning from its trip around the Moon.

The Artemis program, set to take humans back to the lunar surface, successfully completed its first major mission by testing Orion—NASA’s newest human-rated spacecraft.

According to NASA, the Artemis I flight test broke several records, which included launching the world’s most powerful rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS).

Over Orion’s nearly 26-day journey, the spacecraft performed two lunar flybys within 80 miles of the moon’s surface and traveled nearly 270,000 miles away from Earth—the farthest any human-rated spacecraft has flown. In total, Orion traveled more than 1.4 million miles during its trip.

• READ MORE: Artemis I, the Rocket That Could

“With Orion safely returned to Earth we can begin to see our next mission on the horizon which will fly crew to the Moon for the first time as a part of the next era of exploration,” said Jim Free, NASA associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. “This begins our path to a regular cadence of missions and a sustained human presence at the Moon for scientific discovery and to prepare for human missions to Mars.”

Onboard the spacecraft sat Commander Moonikin Campos, a sensor-laiden mannequin, biology experiments, and a Snoopy doll, to measure the various conditions future astronauts may face on later missions to the moon and Mars.

Astronauts will be onboard the next mission, Artemis II, currently scheduled for May 2024. However, Artemis astronauts will not touch down on the lunar surface until Artemis III the following year.

Orion’s splashdown also marked a special anniversary for the agency.

“The splashdown of the Orion spacecraft—which occurred 50 years to the day of the Apollo 17 Moon landing—is the crowning achievement of Artemis I. From the launch of the world’s most powerful rocket to the exceptional journey around the Moon and back to Earth, this flight test is a major step forward in the Artemis Generation of lunar exploration,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. 

“It wouldn’t be possible without the incredible NASA team. For years, thousands of individuals have poured themselves into this mission, which is inspiring the world to work together to reach untouched cosmic shores,” Nelson said. “Today is a huge win for NASA, the United States, our international partners, and all of humanity.”

• READ MORE: Liftoff: NASA’s Artemis I Launches Into Space, History

Splashdown.

After traveling 1.4 million miles through space, orbiting the Moon, and collecting data that will prepare us to send astronauts on future #Artemis missions, the @NASA_Orion spacecraft is home. pic.twitter.com/ORxCtGa9v7

— NASA (@NASA) December 11, 2022

According to NASA, Orion approached Earth’s atmosphere at almost 25,000 miles per hour—nearly 32 times the speed of sound. The spacecraft was also the first to complete a skip maneuver, where the spacecraft dipped into Earth’s atmosphere to reduce its speed, then reentered to make its final approach.

“Orion has returned from the Moon and is safely back on planet Earth,” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager. “With splashdown we have successfully operated Orion in the deep space environment, where it exceeded our expectations, and demonstrated that Orion can withstand the extreme conditions of returning through Earth’s atmosphere from lunar velocities.”

The post Artemis I: Orion Completes Journey Around the Moon appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Blue Origin said it has joined Lockheed Martin and Boeing in a proposal to build a lunar landing vehicle for NASA’s Artemis program to transport people to the moon.

The space company founded by Jeff Bezos is leading the proposal, which is its second attempt at winning a NASA contract to build a lander. Last year Blue Origin lost out to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which the agency chose to run the first Artemis moon landings during the next several years. The agency later began a new competition for a second lander  to back up the SpaceX vehicle.

“The National Team has submitted its proposal for NASA’s SLD program to help the US establish a sustained lunar presence,” Blue Origin said in a tweet announcing its entry.

Ever skip stones across a pond? Imagine doing it with a spacecraft.

When @NASA_Orion returns to Earth at the end of the #Artemis I mission, it will attempt a never-been-done guidance and control maneuver called a skip-entry. Here's how it works:

— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) December 7, 2022

Tuesday was the deadline for proposals and NASA is expected to name a winner in June. Blue Origin’s team also named the engineering company Draper, and robotics companies Astrobotic and Honeybee Robotics as partners in the latest proposal. Blue Origin acquired Honeybee earlier this year.

The NASA program’s first mission, Artemis I, is an uncrewed test flight around the moon that launched last month after numerous delays. Artemis II is to be the program’s first crewed mission, flying astronauts around the moon and returning them to Earth without landing on the surface.

• READ MORE: Artemis I, the Rocket That Could

The planned mission to land people on the moon has also experienced snags and earlier this year was pushed back to sometime in 2026, following a number of problems including delays in developing spacesuits. The mission had previously been rescheduled from 2024 to 2025.

The post Blue Origin, Partners Pitch To Build NASA Artemis Moon Lander appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLORIDA —It was a nervous night at Kennedy Space Center. Thousands from across the country, and across the world, had their hopes set on Artemis I.

As the clock ticked from T-6 hours, journalists and members of the public swarmed the Florida coast to see NASA’s most powerful rocket yet—the Space Launch System (SLS).

Through the eye of my camera, I could see the freezing cold liquid oxygen venting from the rocket. Fueling it had proven troublesome in previous attempts. Every update from Launch Control silenced the journalists huddled in the bullpen, myself included.

• READ MORE: Liftoff: NASA’s Artemis I Launches Into Space, History

NASA astronaut Stanley Love shared his connection to the Artemis program with FLYING.

“I’ve been working on Artemis since 2004, with some brief breaks, including one to go fly in space,” Love said. “So basically, this is my 18-year-old baby that we’re getting ready to send off to college.”

There are so many things that must go right for a rocket launch, and one small problem can determine a go or no-go on nights such as this one. Around the press site, conversations between onlookers echoed the same phrase.

“Don’t jinx it.”

Unfortunately, no launch day is complete without its fair share of suspense.

The night grew more worrisome with each update—about three hours before launch, a liquid hydrogen leak was detected on a valve towards the bottom of the mobile launcher. Artemis Mission Control then deployed three members of Red Crew, an emergency repair team trained for moments like this.

What was supposed to be a simple 15-minute repair turned into an hour-long ordeal. During the fix, Artemis Mission Control received word that a radar sight lost connection with the rocket, putting the entire launch in jeopardy. Luckily, team members identified a faulty ethernet switch as the cause of the connection loss, and the device was replaced within an hour.

By that time, Red Crew left the launch complex, having completed their task to secure the liquid hydrogen leak, saving the launch.

“All I can say is that we were very excited,” said Trent Annis, one of the three deployed members of Red Crew. “We showed up today.”

On Wednesday, November 16, at 1:41 a.m. EST, Artemis I took off and began its journey to the moon with a fanfare of applause and sonic booms. The plume of fire spouting from underneath the rocket lit up the night sky like the sun.

My first launch, definitely won't be the last #GoArtemis pic.twitter.com/3SMxJjwmHw

— Jeremy Kariuki (@TheAfrikid) November 16, 2022

Any other launch may not garner the same attention as Artemis, and that’s for a good reason. For the first time in a generation, NASA is sending a human-rated spacecraft to the moon and back as a practice run for humanity’s crewed exploration of the solar system.

The Artemis missions are poised to attain a grand achievement of diversity—sending the first woman and person of color to step foot on the moon, resuming humanity’s presence on the celestial body for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972.

In a previous interview with FLYING, NASA astronaut Capt. Victor Glover shared his thoughts on potentially becoming the first person of color to set foot on the lunar surface.

“I actually try hard not to think about that. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a dream of mine to walk on and work on the surface of the moon,” Glover said. “Right now, what I’m focused on is my job, which is working on the hardware, to develop the Human Landing System, to support events like this, and then, to make sure that I’m healthy and technically ready in case my boss does want to assign me to one of those missions. But, if that day does come—man, it would be truly amazing.”

• READ MORE: ‘World’s Most Powerful Rocket’ Rolls Out Toward Launch Pad

The post Artemis I, the Rocket That Could appeared first on FLYING Magazine.