Zac covers Apple news for 9to5Mac and hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast.
Rocket Lab ended its streak of 11 successful Electron rocket launches in a row on Saturday, July 4. The 13th flight of Electron resulted in a loss of vehicle about 10 minutes after what appeared to be a successful launch.
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The window for launching from Earth to Mars opens on July 17. NASA planned to use the date to launch its newest Mars rover Perseverance tasked with finding signs of past life on Mars.
NASA associate administrator Steve Jurczyk shared on June 9, however, that the earliest date launch partner United Launch Alliance can lift off is July 20. The launch date slipped back another two days on June 24 following a “ground support systems issue identified during the packing of the spacecraft into protective fairings that go on top of the rocket.”
As of June 30, however, the current launch target is no earlier than July 30. The original launch target extended through August 5, although NASA and ULA believe they can launch as late as August 15 if needed.
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NASA is preparing to send the first woman and the next man to the Moon by 2024 under the Artemis program. The program currently includes three Artemis missions including two uncrewed lunar flight tests and one mission to send astronauts to the Moon. Today NASA shared an Artemis program update supporting up to six additional missions under the program.
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SpaceX will attempt to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station this afternoon at 3:55 p.m. EDT. SpaceX is sending the GPS III Space Vehicle 3 to space to join a constellation of 31 existing global positioning system satellites operated by the United States.
Falcon 9’s first stage will attempt to land on the SpaceX droneship “Just Read the Instructions” in the Atlantic Ocean 8 minutes 30 seconds after liftoff. The GPS III satellite payload will be deployed in space 1 hour and 29 minutes after liftoff.
Watch the launch, landing, and deployment below.
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Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters is now the official name of the space agency’s headquarters in Washington D.C., NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine announced on Wednesday. Jackson, who died in 2005, made history at NASA in 1958 as the agency’s first Black female engineer.
Expand Expanding CloseJackson started her NASA career in the segregated West Area Computing Unit of the agency’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Jackson, a mathematician and aerospace engineer, went on to lead programs influencing the hiring and promotion of women in NASA’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. […]
NASA has named the team tasked with developing the process for sending agency scientists, engineers, operators, and trainers on suborbital spaceflight missions. The effort will allow NASA to purchase seats on suborbital spaceflight missions from commercial companies including Virgin Orbit and Blue Origin in the future.
The Suborbital Crew office lead by Scott Colloredo will operate within the Commercial Crew Program at Kennedy Space Center. Kathy Lueders will oversee the program from NASA HQ as recently named associate administrator of Human Exploration and Operations.
Colloredo previously served as the Deputy Director of Engineering at Kennedy Space Center. Lueders, who previously managed NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, was recently promoted to serve as the first female head of human spaceflight at NASA. Steve Stich succeeded Lueders as Commercial Crew Program Manager.
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We’ve seen a detailed view of what it looks like to be inside a Starlink fairing before the broadband internet satellites are deployed in space. Now it’s time to see what the Starlink ground infrastructure looks like back on Earth.
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NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine unveiled plans to create a process for opening astronaut spaceflight to more commercial companies on Friday.
NASA is developing the process to fly astronauts on commercial suborbital spacecraft. Whether it’s suborbital, orbital, or deep space, NASA will utilize our nation’s innovative commercial capabilities.
Virgin Galactic followed up with its own announcement on Monday regarding plans to develop a “new private orbital astronaut readiness program.”
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American rocket companies will soon have new spaceports to launch from in the United Kingdom thanks to a new Technology Safeguard Agreement signed by the US and UK today. Here’s the announcement:
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Bob Behnken arrived at the International Space Station two weeks ago on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. Now the NASA astronaut is about to leave the confines of the space station for the first time since arriving.
NASA shared today that astronauts Bob Behnken and Chris Cassidy will complete two spacewalks outside of the space station.
SpaceX has published a new web form for signing up for updates on its Starlink satellite broadband internet service. Potential Starlink customers can provide an email address and a ZIP code to be notified when testing opportunities open in local areas.
Both U.S. and Canadian ZIP codes are accepted, and it’s possible more countries around the world can register for updates as well.
NASA replaced its spaceflight lead Doug Leverro in charge of human exploration just days before SpaceX sent astronauts to the space station for the first time last month. Kenneth Bowersox temporarily took the position in an acting role during the Demo-2 mission on May 30.
Today, NASA has filled the position of Human Exploration & Operations Mission Directorate in an official capacity. Kathy Leuders, who has managed Commercial Crew and Commercial Cargo programs for NASA since 2014, will now lead Human Explorations & Operations.
The Perseverance Mars rover isn’t the only new rover in NASA’s collection of robots that will explore celestial bodies in space. The slightly more aggressively named VIPER rover will be Moon-bound in 2023.
Today NASA unveiled which company has been awarded the contract to transport VIPER to the Moon using a lunar landing system: Astrobotic. The company will receive $199.5 million for the service.
Updates June 10-June 12:
Rocket Lab plans to launch payloads into space for three customers including NASA this week from its launch site in New Zealand. The small satellite launch service provider will use its Electron rocket to deploy satellites in Earth orbit on a mission called “Don’t Stop Me Now” as soon as Thursday, June 11.
The James Webb Space Telescope will be the “largest, most powerful and complex space telescope ever built and launched into space,” NASA says.
But preparing the giant space telescope for launch requires people, and COVID-19 severely limited the workforce at NASA for the last three months.
Given recent remote work requirements, NASA no longer believes it can launch the James Webb Space Telescope by March 2021 as previously planned.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX company regularly deploys dozens of satellites into space every few weeks. The satellites are launched on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets and sent to Earth orbit.
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The newly formed United States Space Force is currently in the process of recruiting talent from the Air Force to build out the newest military branch. Between now and 2023, Space Force will consolidate and absorb all space-related roles from the Air Force, Army, and Navy.
Update June 11: Livestream for Starlink launch on May 13 at 5:21 a.m. now available.
SpaceX is flexing its rocket-launching muscles in June. Four days after its historic crewed launch on May 30, SpaceX prepared the next Falcon 9 rocket for liftoff on June 3.
If the rest of the month goes as planned, SpaceX will have hit a new company record with four launches in a single month. SpaceX first hit three launches in a single month in June 2017, a launch cadence not seen since January 2020.
NASA astronaut and US Navy SEAL Chris Cassidy recently returned to Twitter after an 18-month hiatus, and one of his first tweets since returning to the International Space Station is a unique perspective of something happening on Earth.
SpaceX terminated plans to lease a site to develop Starship launch systems at the Port of Los Angeles in March, the LA Times reports. The withdrawal notice from SpaceX marks the second time in two years a development site was approved by city officials before being cancelled.
Netflix isn’t kidding around when it comes to securing the trademark for its new “Space Force” comedy. What could that mean for the sixth branch of the US Armed Forces that shares the same name?
Current launch target:Thursday, July 30, at 750 a.m. EDT with August 15 deadline extension
Mars 2020 is the next big mission for NASA after sending the first astronauts to the space station on a SpaceX rocket. In July, NASA’s newest Mars rover named ‘Perseverance’ will launch for Mars from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
From studying signs of past life on Mars to preparing for human life, the new Mars rover will have four long-term science goals once it reaches Martian soil:
What’s next for SpaceX after sending NASA astronauts to the International Space Station? Returning Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley home safely in a few months is top priority for the team working for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
For the rest of SpaceX, CEO Elon Musk wants as many hands on deck working on the next big rocket: Starship. CNBC first reported on a companywide email Musk fired off on Saturday night. In the memo, the SpaceX founder pushed employees to “dramatically and immediately” speed up Starship development.
The Starship system is SpaceX’s next-generation rocket and spacecraft designed to be a “fully reusable transportation system.” Starship will send crew and cargo to Earth orbit and the Moon. SpaceX also intends for Starship reach Mars and other planets.
Have a burning question to ask SpaceX? Six software engineers who worked on the technology inside the Crew Dragon capsule will be hosting an Ask Me Anything Q&A session on Reddit on Saturday.