Main Engine Cut OffFederatsiya, Angara, and Soyuz-5
There’s quite a bit of shuffling going on in Russia.
452 results for “NASA”
LC-39A and SLC-40 Operating in Parallel
This info from Koenigsmann means one of two things: they can complete the work while continuing to fly missions from 39A, or they plan to push the work to the end of the year to give themselves some time with two east coast pads operational.
T+48: Rand Simberg
Rand Simberg joins me to talk about his recent trip to the Space Tech Expo, the dawning of the age of in-space manufacturing, the future of SLS and Orion, the National Space Council, and a lot more.
Thoughts on XS-1
Overall, I’m quite disappointed at the missed opportunity XS-1 presented to widen the industry. It’ll take a lot to convince me that a Boeing project of this sort will ever be affordable. Boeing doesn’t have the best reputation for cost-efficiency when it comes to launch vehicles—Delta IV and SLS being the two most recent examples—and their last small launch DARPA project didn’t end well.
Psyche to Launch One Year Earlier, Arrive Four Years Earlier
A four-year difference in arrival is a huge deal, for both the scientific timeline as well as the management of the program. This change cuts five years of fixed costs out of the budget. Hopefully that money can go to other parts of the mission to increase its capability or duration.
Chris Gebhardt on Vector’s Minimal-Infrastructure Pads
I love seeing the breadth of approaches being taken by small launch companies. Just about every entrant has a unique component to their architecture: Rocket Lab with their electric turbopumps, Virgin Orbit with air launch, Vector with mobile pad systems, to name a few.
NASA OIG Questions Marshall Test Stands
Things people usually shout “Pork!” about are usually defensible in some way. The prime contractors for SLS are the same old insiders, the work is centralized in the same old districts, but the vehicle itself is still politically defensible as a unique capability the market does not (yet) provide.
But this situation is a pretty blatant, indefensible example of the North Alabama Space Agency.
SpaceX Improving Launch Tempo, Moving Forward on Block Upgrades
Yesterday was a great day for SpaceX, with the beautiful and seemingly-flawless launch of Inmarsat–5 Flight 4.
T+47: Uncrewed EM-1 Delayed to 2019
Last week was rough for the Space Launch System. An issue with weld tooling was discovered, with some serious consequences, and then a LOX tank dome was dropped and damaged beyond repair. To top it off, NASA announced that EM-1 will fly without crew, and is delayed until 2019.
Masten Making Progress on Broadsword, New Lander
Masten has successfully fired their newest and largest rocket engine six times. In the lander department, they recently lost Xaero-B during a flight, but have something in the works at Marshall Space Flight Center—interesting choice of location—which sounds quite intriguing:.