fisunov @fisunov@mastodon.online

ARTEMIS 1 TARGETS AUG. 29 LAUNCH DATE

NASA's moon megarocket is scheduled to fly its first mission as soon as late August, pending testing and reviews of all the components of Artemis 1.

The agency announced today (July 20) that it has three "placeholder" launch dates for the uncrewed test flight around the moon: Aug. 29, Sept. 2 and Sept. 5. 

https://www.space.com/news/live/nasa-artemis-1-moon-mission-updates
#space #moon #nasa #artemis

A SpaceX rocket caused this reddish glow captured over Maryland.

source: https://www.cnet.com/science/space/spacex-falcon-9-rocket-launches-can-cause-an-aurora-like-glow-in-the-sky/

Plasma can help to break carbon dioxide molecules, freeing plenty of the locked up element oxygen in the Martian atmosphere
https://www.space.com/mars-oxygen-production-plasma
#space #mars

NASA's Artemis 1 mission will carry 10 cubesats hitching a ride to space. one of them is headed to catch up to asteroid 2020 GE in 2023.

The Near-Earth Asteroid Scout will be traveling to asteroid 2020 GE, a small asteroid about 18 meters across that circles the sun once every 368 days.

The mission will mark the 1st time scientists have studied in detail any member of the smallest class of asteroids, which will help close gaps in knowledge about near-Earth asteroids.

https://www.space.com/artemis-1-asteroid-solar-sail-cubesat

NASA engineers are testing the Space Launch System moon rocket's flight termination system ahead of rollout.

which marks the final test before the megarocket rolls out to the pad later on Tuesday night (Aug. 16).

The SLS rocket is due to send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the moon and back on what is the Artemis 1 mission. The first launch window is scheduled for Aug. 29. Backup launch windows are set for Sept. 2 and 5. N

src: https://www.space.com/artemis-1-moon-rocket-flight-termination-system-tests
#space #moon #nasa #artemis

Commercial Lunar Payload Services program initiative will see quite a few machines, including rovers, delivered to the moon over the next few years.

One of those robots is NASA's Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, currently scheduled to land on the moon in late 2024. VIPER will search the moon's south pole for ice and other resources that may aid future human exploration. 

source: https://www.space.com/nasa-moon-rover-completes-obstacle-course
#space #moon

Curiosity marks 10 years on Mars as discoveries continue

After successfully landing on Mars on August 6, 2012, Curiosity continues to unlock the secrets of the Red Planet as the vehicle explores Gale Crater. Since landing, the rover has traveled over 28.1 km and made multiple scientific discoveries. Curiosity is now in the process of exploring and traversing Mount Sharp, the 5.5-kilometer-high mountain that lies in the center of Gale Crater.

source: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2022/08/curiosity-10-years/
#space #mars

Elon Musk on Saturday reaffirmed his unwavering focus on colonizing Mars and making human life multi-planetary.

I hope there is a self-sustaining city on Mars in 20 years, the Tesla CEO said in a tweet.

self-sustaining civilization on the Red Planet mean being self-sufficient in terms of supplies and not relying on the Earth for them.

The timeline is assuming about 100,000 people are transported per flight and about 2 million people are needed, he added.

src: benzinga.com
#space #mars

What Elon Musk's 42,000 Satellites Could Do To Earth
https://youtu.be/Aw3R-4UC4wI
#space #spacex #starlink #mars

#ThisWeekNASA – August 12, 2022 (4:11)
https://youtu.be/H1epJH9XIH8

SpaceX launches another 46 Starlink satellites on Friday (Aug. 12), lands rocket on drone ship

SpaceX's 36th launch of 2022 added to its ever-growing record for launches in a year. The company also concluded its 62nd consecutive landing of a first stage, and a 34th reflight of a booster in 2022.

Friday's flight was the 10th for this particular Falcon 9 first stage,

src: https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-group-3-3-launch-satellites
#space #spacex #starlink

SpaceX launch 46 Starlink satellites, land rocket today

SpaceX is set to launch another batch of its Starlink internet satellites on Friday (Aug. 12).

If the launch goes forward as planned, SpaceX will add to to its ever-growing record for launches in a year, which currently stands at 35. The company is also shooting for a record 62nd consecutive landing of a first stage, and a 34th reflight of a booster in 2022.

source: https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-group-3-3-launch-satellites
#space #spacex #starlink

SpaceX fires up Starship Super Heavy booster again in long engine test

Thursday's 'static fire' test lasted 20 seconds.

SpaceX aims to conduct that debut orbital leap from Starbase, its South Texas facility, between Sept. 1 and March 1 using the Booster 7 Super Heavy prototype and the Ship 24 Starship vehicle.

Presumably, SpaceX will fire up more and more of the vehicles' engines simultaneously as the test campaign proceeds.

source: https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-super-heavy-booster-7-long-static-fire
#space #spacex

China launches 16 commercial remote sensing and weather satellites

China has carried out its ninth orbital mission in the last 30 days, sending 16 new commercial satellites into orbit with a Long March 6 rocket on Wednesday (Aug. 10).

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) plans more than 50 launches across 2022, with commercial companies like Galactic Energy, CAS Space and Expace planning to further add to Chinese launch activity.

src: https://www.space.com/china-launches-16-commercial-satellites-august-2022
#space

SpaceX fires up Starship and Super Heavy Booster 7 ahead of test flight

The static fire tests, which took place Tuesday, involved one of Super Heavy's 33 Raptor engines and two of Starship 24's six Raptors.

Starship upper-stage prototypes have launched before, on test flights that reached a maximum altitude of 10 kilometers or so. Those jaunts involved vehicles with three engines, half of what the final Starship spacecraft will sport.

src: https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-super-heavy-first-static-fire
#space #spacex #starship

China launches 16 more Jilin-1 satellites atop Chang Zheng 6

Early on August 10, Earth observation satellites for the Jilin-1 Earth observation satellite constellation and six additional payloads were launched atop a Chinese Chang Zheng 6 rocket. The target orbit for the 16 satellites was a 535 km sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).

The Jilin-1 constellation is China’s first remote-sensing satellite constellation

source: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2022/08/cz6-launches-16-jilin-1/
#space #china

SpaceX fired up a Super Heavy booster on the launch pad today (Aug. 9) for the first time ever, notching a big milestone

The test involved just one of Super Heavy's 33 Raptor engines

A Super Heavy Booster 7 is scheduled to launch on the Starship program's first orbital test flight in the coming months.

The Starship system consists of Super Heavy and an upper-stage spacecraft called Starship. 

No Super Heavy vehicle has yet left the ground

src: space.com
#space #moon #mars #spacex #starship

Starlink is SpaceX's internet megaconstellation, which beams broadband service to hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Elon Musk's company has already launched more than 2,950 Starlink satellites to orbit, but many more will likely go up; SpaceX has permission to loft 12,000 of the craft and has applied for approval to launch 30,000 more on top of that.

source: https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-group-4-26-launch-rocket-landing
#space #spacex #starlink

SpaceX launch 53 Starlink satellites and land a rocket at sea tonight

Liftoff is scheduled for 6:57 p.m. ET on Tuesday (Aug. 9).

SpaceX will launch another big batch of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit and land a rocket on a ship at sea on Tuesday (Aug. 9).

A two-stage Falcon 9 rocket topped with 53 Starlink spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida Tuesday at 6:57 p.m. EDT (2257 GMT).

source: https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-group-4-26-launch-rocket-landing
#space #spacex #starlink

Chinese company's rocket launches 3 satellites into orbit

Galactic Energy of China launched the Ceres-1 solid rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Tuesday (Aug. 9), successfully placing three commercial satellites into a solar synchronous orbit of 500 km [310 miles].

It is the third successful launch for Galactic Energy.

source: https://www.space.com/chinese-rocket-galactic-energy-3rd-launch
#space #china

Russia launches sharp-eyed spy satellite for Iran

The Khayyam satellite lifted off early Monday morning (Aug. 9).

Iran will soon have access to sharp orbital imagery, thanks to a newly launched spy satellite.

That spacecraft, called Khayyam, lifted off atop a Russian Soyuz rocket today (Aug. 9) at 1:52 a.m. EDT (0552 GMT) from the Russia-run Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. 

source: https://www.space.com/russia-launches-khayyam-spy-satellite-iran
#space #russia

Starship includes a first-stage booster, Super Heavy, and an upper stage vehicle called Starship that is 50 meters tall. 

When fully stacked, Starship and Super Heavy stand 120 m tall, making the combination the world's tallest rocket. SpaceX plans to use the stacked system to send humans and cargo to the moon for NASA, then move on to Mars. 

src: https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-super-heavy-rocket-rollout-august-2022