Space Explored

This week the FAA announced new fines against SpaceX for violating its launch license during Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches back in 2023. However, the company states that the FAA was a part of the decision-making for moving forward with one of the violations, and allowed it to continue with its launch.

It’s been over three months since Starship last flew a rather successful mission from South Texas. In what was a big breakthrough in the red tape, SpaceX was granted a multi-launch contract, so where are the launches?

China is leading this week in launches, but SpaceX is set (already has by publishing this) to launch yet another major ESA mission over using domestic options. Rocket Lab will also make a showing this week with a… family-specific mission name.

The Polaris Program, led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, is a series of three private space flights designed to push the boundaries of human space exploration. These missions aim to explore new frontiers while advancing technologies, reaching higher orbits, and preparing for deep space missions to destinations like the Moon and Mars. Central to the program’s vision are values like diversity, sustainability, and inspiration, all of which have become hallmarks of private space exploration.

Early Thursday morning, the crew of the Polaris Dawn mission completed its second major milestone with the completion of SpaceX‘s first commercial spacewalk. This marks another step towards SpaceX’s goal to colonize Mars using their own tech.

Early this morning, the Polaris Dawn mission reached 1,400 km above Earth’s surface. This marks the highest spaceflight since the Apollo missions and beats the records set during NASA’s Gemini program in the 1960s.

This week we’re discussing Polaris Dawn’s return to the launch pad, with a hopeful launch this time, and Blue Origin’s delay in its ESCAPADE mission. But for now, eyes are on Polaris Dawn as it attempts to launch and fight off poor weather forecasts on its historic mission.

NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, set to launch in October, is designed to investigate Jupiter’s moon Europa and its potential to harbor life. Europa is of particular interest to scientists because beneath its thick ice shell lies a massive saltwater ocean, which could contain the necessary ingredients for life: water, chemical elements, and energy sources.

The Wall Street Journal reports that SpaceX emailed employees not to travel to Brazil for business or leisure as it continues to be entangled in an X ban by the nation’s supreme court. Non-Brazilian employees were also reportedly relocated quietly.

SpaceXers have been hard at work the last few months, not just getting a second launch tower in place, but making modifications to the company’s first tower. All this is planned for SpaceX‘s next Starship launch, which we expect will feature the first “catch” of a rocket booster.

Blue Origin‘s newly constructed landing barge arrived at Port Canaveral earlier today. Named after Jeff Bezos’ mother, Jacklyn, it will support at-sea landings and recoveries of the company’s New Glenn rocket.

NASA announced in a short statement that the Europa Clipper mission will be able to move past its transistor issue and move on towards launch. The mission will have its next major development milestone next Monday before finally saying “yes” to launch.

UPDATE: The FAA has cleared SpaceX to resume Falcon 9 launches while the mishap investigation continues.

For the second time this year, SpaceX‘s workhorse rocket, and the most launched rocket in the world, is grounded after the booster failed to successfully land on its drone ship out in the ocean. This triggered a mishap investigation by the FAA, which means SpaceX won’t be able to launch again until it can show it won’t cause any risk to public safety.

Over the weekend, NASA made its decision that Boeing’s Starliner would not be safe enough to risk returning its crew from space. Instead, the agency has decided the two astronauts who flew up to space on it will return with Crew-9 on SpaceX’s Dragon early next year.

Rocket Lab, under the leadership of its founder and CEO Peter Beck, continues to expand its influence and capabilities in the global space industry. Known for its Electron rocket, a leading small satellite launch vehicle, the company is now venturing into more ambitious territories with the development of the Neutron rocket and the upcoming Venus Life Finder mission. 

It’s a busy week for us here following the spaceflight industry. Polaris Dawn‘s rocket and crew are ready for launch, SpaceX has three Starlink missions lined up, and Blue Origin plans to fly its NS-26 rocket with customers out of Texas.

Maritime Launch Services (MLS) recently announced a partnership with Voyager Space, which has been named the first “Owner Authorized Representative” for Spaceport Nova Scotia. This collaboration appears to signal a new phase in the development of Canada’s first commercial spaceport, potentially opening doors for expanded cooperation in the space industry.

This week, SpaceX is set to launch the first mission of the Polaris Program, named “Polaris Dawn,” marking a significant milestone in the evolution of human space exploration. This Crew Dragon mission, funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, who previously commanded the private all-civilian Inspiration4 mission, is designed to push the boundaries of what is possible in space. The Polaris Program is a series of human spaceflight missions focused on advancing technology, conducting cutting-edge scientific research, and preparing for future deep space missions. 

SpaceX finished construction of its second launch tower down at Starbase, Texas for its Starship rocket. This comes hopefully a few weeks out from the next launch of the company’s next generation rocket.

On Monday, the four members of the Polaris Dawn crew arrived at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center ahead of its launch next week. The crew will finish up their training at SpaceX’s facilities at the cape as they prepare to push what is possible by commercial spaceflight.

In what was believed to be the final strand of tests before attempting its first orbital launch, Rocket Factory Augsburg suffered an anomaly during a hot fire test of its first stage and a loss of the vehicle. So what happens now for European launch?

This week will be another week of Starlink launches from SpaceX after a short break from the company to launch some missions commercially, how nice of them. With that, according to the current launch manifest, two Starlink missions are scheduled to lift off from the same launch pad in less than three days.

In an update to the media this week, NASA reiterated many points it said in an earlier update as it works through more data before making a final decision on the Starliner CFT spacecraft. For now, Starliner’s crew are in limbo as to what how and when they will return home.