This week Seth and Derek discuss the possibility Tesla Bots have with working with SpaceX here on Earth and in space. They also talk about Blue Origin’s lawsuit against NASA’s HLS contract and upcoming launches from the US.
Updated as Starlink surpasses 100k user terminals shipped.
SpaceX has been launching so many Starlink missions they have become a regular occurrence on Florida’s Space Coast. With this many launches, it has become hard to keep track of all the important moments from the Starlink program. We have both a timeline of major events; and a table of every Starlink launch at the bottom of the article.
Expand Expanding Close
This week Seth and Daryl go on a banter about Tesla’s new AI-powered robot, SpaceX’s new ships being built in Port Fourchon, and end with a comprehensive review of Boeing’s Space store.
The smallsat launcher owned by Richard Branson announced it will be joining the trend of other space companies and merging with a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC). This also comes with some new future plans for Virgin Orbit like turning LauncherOne into a reusable rocket and developing a new LauncherTwo vehicle.
Expand Expanding Close
Last week Tesla pulled a “One more thing” and announced they are working on an autonomous robot powered by their Full Self Driving neural net. Many have questioned the companies choice but there could be a clever reason for Elon’s madness. Yes, it includes Tesla Bots on Mars, it’s always about Mars.
Expand Expanding Close
Update: Blue Origin is pushing back the mission target by 24 hours.
Blue Origin has announced its next New Shepard rocket mission called NS-17 will take place on Wednesday, August 25. The mission carrying NASA technology and a special art installation will be an uncrewed spaceflight following founder Jeff Bezos’ trip to space on NS-16.
Expand Expanding Close
In SpaceX’s most recent Falcon user’s guide, they released more detailed information about the long-awaited extended payload fairings was released; and it seems that these larger fairing halves will not be recovered.
Expand Expanding Close
Caspar Stanley is known in the Space Twitter community for creating detailed 3D models of various launch vehicles. Now you can view them up-close and personal in Rocket Explorer, a VR and Desktop rocket viewing experience that is in early access!
Expand Expanding Close
This week, SpaceX has continued their work at Starbase, 34 more OneWeb satellites were launched into orbit, and SLS has gained its Orion mass simulator.
Expand Expanding Close
This week on the Space Explored Podcast Seth Kurkowski and Zac Hall discuss SpaceX’s acquisition of new ships for fairing recovery and most likely droneship operations, Boeing’s continued issues with Starliner, and NASA’s Artemis program progression.
This week, Tesla has been a mainstay of the news. Their AI day served as a recruitment tool as they unveiled their Dojo super-computer and a Tesla robot.
Expand Expanding Close
Relativity Space is one of a growing number of private spaceflight companies that hope to bring a rocket to market soon. They plan to conduct the first launch of their Terran 1 rocket early next year.
Expand Expanding Close
Earlier today, 34 more OneWeb satellites were lifted into orbit on a Soyuz rocket that launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, this being the company’s 9th launch.
Expand Expanding Close
Since Elon first tweeted about a larger high-bay coming to SpaceX’s Starbase we’ve been waiting for construction to begin. At last, the ground has been broken to start construction of the largest building yet at Starbase.
Expand Expanding Close
At Tesla’s AI day yesterday, they shared a first look at a new Humanoid Tesla robot. Currently, in Boca Chica, Texas, they make use of two Boston Dynamics Spot robots to augment their work while developing Starship. This raises the question: could this new Tesla robot take the place of Spot down in Starbase?
Expand Expanding Close
Next month, Walt Disney World will open Space 220, a brand new restaurant in Epcot. Dubbed the “ultimate culinary exploration” by Disney, guests enter a space elevator and travel 220 miles up to a space station to enjoy their meal.
Expand Expanding Close
A few weeks back the US Government Accountability Office denied Blue Origin and Dynetic’s protest of NASA’s Human Landing System contract. Since then Blue Origin has been on a PR campaign to throw mud at the winner, SpaceX, and has started a lawsuit against NASA.
Expand Expanding Close
Just on the edge of their first launch, Firefly finally conducts a static fire on their Alpha rocket out in Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Expand Expanding Close
The Colorado-based launch provider United Launch Alliance has reportedly required its employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of October, according to an internal email to ULA employees.
Expand Expanding Close
NASA Astronaut Victor Glover visited NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to get a tour of the SLS rocket being stacked in the VAB.
Expand Expanding Close
NASA’s Perseverance landed on Mars six months ago and has been chronicling its mission with good imagery and video. Google is marking the anniversary with a very fun ad that imagines if the Mars rover used Google Photos.
Read More
While Blue Origin continues to attack SpaceX’s award of the Human Lander System contract for Artemis, SpaceX remains hard at work towards the first orbital launch from their “non-existent” spaceport. More so, Elon has criticized Bezos for holding back the Artemis program in the very ways that Bezos has previously spoken against.
Expand Expanding Close
The dedicated smallsat launcher, Rocket Lab, announced last Tuesday that they will try to push their launch schedule with a rapid succession of missions starting later this month.
Expand Expanding Close
Update: In a press conference Boeing and NASA detailed why they will be moving Starliner back to their factory and the next possible launch opportunities.
The ongoing saga that is Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft takes another unfortunate turn today. Boeing has announced that it will return Starliner to its factory after experiencing hardware issues that prevented a launch attempt.
Expand Expanding Close