Main Engine Cut OffSpaceX is set to make an announcement next week at the IAC 2016 regarding their Mars colonization architecture. I talk about what we know, what I expect to see, and what I hope is included in their plans.
Blue Origin surprised us all by previewing their massive next rocket, New Glenn. I discuss the few details we know, how New Glenn could fit into the market, what questions need to be answered, and many other things to consider in the wake of the announcement. I also touch on some plans I’ve got to cover SpaceX’s upcoming Mars announcement in tandem with Jake from WeMartians.
I’m not going to talk about Amos-6 specifically (or any fallout thereof) until the cause has been found and announced, but I do want to talk about the things that are said about SpaceX after an event like this.
Today, Jeff Bezos gave us a nice preview of their next launch vehicle: New Glenn.
Absolutely fascinating read about the work done by the 45th last week in response to the Amos-6 incident.
With each tweet from Elon Musk, it seems less and less likely to me that the Amos-6 incident was triggered from within the Falcon 9. If it’s discovered that there was an issue with the TE, now would be the best time to discover that.
Excellent table from /u/Kona314 showing every Falcon 9 launch with information about its static fire. Since Amos-6, it’s been going around that SpaceX has only just started doing static fires with the payload attached, and that’s absolutely false.
That’s a fine strategy for the here and now, but it isn’t a viable long-term strategy by any means. SpaceX isn’t the only one coming for Arianespace’s market share by way of reusability.
Absolutely fantastic read, and a great pick-me-up after SpaceX’s rough week. There are an incredible amount of parallels to the age that launched Boeing.
It’s been a rough day or two for spaceflight: SpaceX’s incident on the pad, China’s Long March 4C failure, and an earthquake near Rocket Lab’s launch site (everything is fine there for Rocket Lab).