Last week Boeing and ULA rolled a Starliner spacecraft from the former’s facilities on Kennedy Space Center to the latter’s launch site on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. With that, final checkouts are underway before two NASA astronauts climb inside and fly it to the ISS and back.
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Managing Editor at Space Explored
Seth Kurkowski covers launches and general space news for Space Explored. He has been following launches from Florida since 2018.
Seth’s first launch was SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Demo in February of 2018 and has been hooked on them ever since.
He also helped start Space Coast Launch Ambassadors, an outreach group advocating for space exploration while helping the general public enjoy rocket launches from the Space Coast.
Seth co-hosts the Space Explored weekly podcast as well as the Rapid Unscheduled Discussions podcast both of which you can listen to here on SpaceExplored.com
Email tips, pitches, typos, and feedback to kurk@spaceexplored.com.
Follow: Twitter @SethKurk + Instagram @sethkurk.
This Week in Launch: A packed week of launches
This week we’re looking to be a rather busy one with a launch everyday from either SpaceX, China, and Rocket Lab up to Friday. China will be launching its next crew rotation to their space station and SpaceX might have a four launch week.
Expand Expanding CloseThe FAA will now require reentry licenses before launch for payloads intended to return
The FAA has made a new rule that any spacecraft that plans to reenter after launch must obtain its reentry license from the administration prior to launch. This was created out of safety concerns and experiences learned during granting Varda Space the first ever Part 450 reentry license.
Expand Expanding CloseIt’s been one year since we’ve entered the Starship era
One year ago SpaceX launched its first fully integrated Starship rocket, which in my opinion is the start of the Starship era of spaceflight. While that mission was far from 100% successful, this new era is truly changing the way people look at the future of heavy lift rockets.
Expand Expanding CloseHow many rockets has SpaceX launched in 2024?
SpaceX is aiming for 148 launches in 2024, once again another increase over the 98 it completed the year before. This cadence would mean the company would have to launch once every two and a half days. Keep track below of all of SpaceX’s 2024 launches.
Expand Expanding CloseSpace Explored Podcast 74: Trying to put the eclipse into words with astronaut Terry Virts
This week Seth is joined with former NASA astronaut Terry Virts to discuss their experiences witnessing April’s total solar eclipse. To finish the discussion, Virts goes into detail about what it’s like taking photos from space and the workflow of getting them to NASA and out on social media.
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Expand Expanding CloseNASA is looking for new ways to get its Martian samples back home
In what I’ve always viewed as a bold move by NASA, since 2021 Perseverance has been collecting Martian core samples for future return. The issue is a return plan wasn’t finalized or paid for before launch, which in recent years has been under attack by Congress who wants a lighter budget. On Monday NASA conceded to complaints that it’s too expensive.
Expand Expanding CloseThis Week in Launch: A lonely SpaceX week
This week we’re only seeing three launches, all of which are from SpaceX and two of those are for Starlink missions out of Florida. About what we expect from a company doing the majority of Earth’s launch capability.
Expand Expanding CloseDon’t throw away those eclipse glasses! Put them to better use
You’ve probably had those eclipse glasses laying around for the last week, unsure of what to do with them and inching them closer and closer to the trash bin. But don’t! There’s a much better place to send them if you don’t plan on using them again.
Expand Expanding ClosePolaris Dawn is getting closer and closer to being launch ready
Things are slowly falling into place for the Polaris Program‘s first mission, Polaris Dawn. The mission is nearing milestones that might finally give it a launch date that will actually hold.
Expand Expanding CloseSo, you missed last week’s eclipse, when is the next one?
Last Monday North America got to witness the most unique solar event that can ever happen, a total solar eclipse. If you didn’t get to travel to, or be lucky and just live in, the path of totality, you most likely missed out on the fun. So if you are determined to not miss the next one, where do you have to be and when is the next total solar eclipse?
Expand Expanding CloseSpaceX launches the first Falcon booster 20 times
Friday evening SpaceX launched a Starlink mission that while not newsworthy anymore, the booster it launched on was. B1062, first launched in 2020, has now reached the big 20 mission milestone.
Expand Expanding Close2024 Total Solar Eclipse: No photos, videos, or words can do it justice
After a short nap in a Walmart parking lot, a wildlife refuge, and then a quick realization our planned viewing location would be closed, we witnessed something most people never get to see, a total solar eclipse. However, time continues to move forward and what is done is done. For those that witnessed it, what do we do next?
Expand Expanding CloseThis Week in Launch: ULA is back again to reattempt its final Delta IV launch
After some delay due to technical issue, ULA is back to attempting to get its final Delta IV Heavy off the ground and firmly into retirement. Russia is also launching a decade old rocket that is still in development for some reason.
Expand Expanding CloseWhy is ULA retiring the Delta IV Heavy?
Later today we expect to see the Delta IV launch its final mission. About two weeks ago ULA was forced to scrub its last attempt after issues with a pumping system arose in the final minutes of the countdown. A question I’ve seen popping up in a few groups was “Why is ULA retiring the Delta IV?” It’s a valid question, the large capable rocket seems like it should have a long life ahead still but alas, ULA has other plans.
Expand Expanding CloseHow to check if clouds will ruin your eclipse viewing today
This afternoon for most Americans there will be a partial solar eclipse. For a small part of the country, the Moon will completely blocks out the Sun from view, forming a total eclipse. If you’re in the area hoping to see it (like myself), here’s the best tool to see if clouds will ruin depending on where you are.
Expand Expanding CloseNASA astronaut Terry Virts’ top tips for viewing Monday’s Total Solar Eclipse
On Thursday, April 8 the Moon will block out the Sun across a large part of Central and Eastern United States. For many of us it will be your first total solar eclipse and you probably don’t know what to do or how to enjoy it. Former NASA astronaut Terry Virts has a few key tips for what to do during next week’s eclipse.
Expand Expanding CloseThe space launch industry is surprisingly no longer just about rockets
We’ve seen a lot of changes to the space launch market over the last decade, from hopeful underdogs to defacto monopolies. Now we’re going through another large shift in the companies launching rockets, not launching rockets. Payload spoke with the top executives about the change and here’s what they said.
Expand Expanding CloseThis Week in Launch: All aboard the SpaceX Bandwagon!
This week SpaceX will be launching as many as four Falcon 9s, mostly for its internal programs like Starlink. One, however, will be for its rideshare program with a new name, Bandwagon. Although Monday’s Starlink mission out of California has potential to be an amazing twilight launch for local residents.
Expand Expanding CloseThis Week in Launch: Get ready to say farewell to the Delta IV
The Original Big Orange Rocket, ULA‘s Delta IV Heavy, is set to have its final mission as soon as this week if weather holds. Along side ULA’s second launch of the year, SpaceX has four missions scheduled with Chinese and Russian rockets launching to give us a launch every day except Sunday.
Expand Expanding CloseHow many rockets has Rocket Lab launched in 2024?
Rocket Lab set this year up for great success as it hopes to both bring a new vehicle closer to operation by the end of 2024 while also launching up to 22 Electron rockets. Between the regular old electron and the HASTE test vehicle flavors, here’s a list of all rockets Rocket Lab has launched so far in 2024.
Expand Expanding CloseThis company wants to help more people experience the ‘overview effect’
If you have ever been interested in seeing Earth from the upper reaches of our atmosphere but can’t afford it, then you should be keeping Halo Space on your radar. The company, similar to other new space tourism companies, have been working on a high altitude balloon system to ferry customers up to the jar dropping views of “almost space.”
The catch is, on each flight they will send someone up there for free!
Expand Expanding CloseThis Week in Launch: Super Thursday? Rocket Lab, SpaceX, Russia, and China prepare for launches on the same day
On Thursday of this week we have a total of four planned launches from around the world from the biggest players in the space launch market. They include Rocket Lab’s first LC-2 mission in 2024, a crew rotation to the ISS by Russia, and a cargo resupply mission to the ISS by SpaceX.
Expand Expanding CloseAstra founders taking company private in last chance deal before bankruptcy
After being faced with a decision to be taken private or face bankruptcy, Astra Space‘s board decided to accept the co-founder’s proposal to purchase the remaining shares at a extreme discount to its original SPAC valuation. After years of struggles, its fate is still unknown.
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