Main Engine Cut OffA good bit of insight into the changes going on over at ULA that I had not heard before. I still have concerns about the roadmap to get Vulcan up and operating, but there are clearly some good strides being taken to get there.
Some interesting insight into SSL’s inner-workings, as well as some good follow-up on the discussion Logan and I had about chemical vs. electric satellites.
To me, Mars is where all the interesting discoveries live and our future awaits, but lunar missions are much better suited for a governmental space program—or at least for a governmental space program that is run like NASA has been run for decades.
I’ve been harping on three things in particular as the most important aspects of SpaceX’s 2016 work: schedule certainty, flight rate, and reuse. Last night was filled with good signs for SpaceX’s future.
Some interesting-looking sessions on the agenda for today over at the ISS R&D conference—specifically with appearances by Tory Bruno of ULA, Frank Culbertson of Orbital ATK, Peter Diamandis of XPRIZE, and more.
History will not be kind to the AR1 program. It’s a fairly expensive development program focused on building an American alternative to the RD-180, an engine used on a launch vehicle that will be phased out within 3-ish years of when the AR1 would be completed.
France says they’re interested in backing ISS until 2024. And they continue to hope reusability doesn’t work out so that Ariane 6 can be competitive.
Jalopnik posted a gearhead-focused feature on the Roush Fenway Racing-built internal combustion engine that will be used on ULA’s upcoming ACES upper stage.
Anatoly Zak, writing for Popular Mechanics, outlines the Soyuz-MS upgrade.
We’re witnessing an incredible moment of change in all aspects of spaceflight—from the way payloads are launched, to the way exploration and settlement in space are planned. It’s going to be quite a ride.