Space Explored

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.

A new study has shown that the once “near-term” collision between Andromeda and our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is now only a 50-50 chance in the next 10 billion years. So if you were preparing an intergalactic bug out to avoid such a disaster, it might not be needed.

On August 6, China launched a Long March 6A rocket, which successfully deployed 18 satellites as part of the country’s “Thousand Sails” megaconstellation project. However, shortly after completing its mission, the rocket’s upper stage experienced an anomaly that led to a significant debris event. 

SpaceX announced Monday that a Chinese crypto entrepreneur purchased a flight on Dragon that will fly around Earth’s poles. The mission will feature crew members from three other countries, none from the US, and could launch as soon as late 2024.

Capella Space, a U.S. company established in 2016, has played a role advancing Synthetic Aperture Radar, or SAR, satellite technology. SAR is widely regarded for its capability to provide high-resolution Earth observation even under challenging conditions such as cloud cover or darkness, where traditional optical satellites may struggle. The company’s focus on this technology looks to position it as a leader in the growing market for continuous, all-weather Earth monitoring.

CNBC reported the industry leading commercial launcher has violated basic water treatment regulations with its Starship deluge system in Starbase, Texas. While SpaceX has denied the report, the FAA has postponed its environmental review public meetings for an unknown reason, and both Texas and Federal agencies have reported violations per CNBC.

We have a total for four launches this week currently on the schedule, we’ll see if that changes. Two of those are from SpaceX and shocking, even myself, neither are for the company’s Starlink constellation. The headliner this week will be Russia‘s Progress MS-28 resupply mission to the ISS on Wednesday.

NASA‘s mood toward’s the safety of returning Boeing‘s Crewed Flight Test crew back on Starliner has switched from steadfast support to plans to use SpaceX Dragon for a return flight. However, this has caused drastic changes to both SpaceX‘s and NASA’s launched schedules using its Crew Dragon spacecraft.

The U.S. Army is exploring the establishment of a specialized space career field for enlisted soldiers, a move that could significantly enhance national security by bolstering the military’s space expertise. This initiative, endorsed by Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, commander of the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command, was highlighted during the Space and Missile Defense Conference in Huntsville, Alabama. 

SpaceX showed off its new version of Starship‘s methane powered rocket engines over the weekend. The new Raptor 3 engine is dramatically cleaner and more powerful then what SpaceX was using on its first Starship missions.

Former NASA astronaut and now Arizona senator, Mark Kelly, is on the short list to potentially become Vice President Harris’ running mate. As head of the National Space Council, his potential nomination has spurred some excitement in the spaceflight community.

This week SpaceX is looking at launching three Falcon 9 rockets, two of those will be for the company’s Starlink constellation. Another payload is a multi-payload satellite that will host missions for the Space Force, Norwegian’s Ministry of Defense, and ViaSat.

Rocket Factory Augsburg is gearing up for its first orbital launch attempt of its RFA One rocket. Its spaceport, a set of Islands north of mainland Scotland, is also ready for the company’s launch, the first from the UK’s soil.

The agency announced this week that it will phase out its NASA TV over the air broadcast service in favor of its digital NASA+ streaming service. Still free, the agency promises all the same great content, just in a new location.

ULA launched an Atlas V rocket early this morning carrying a classified payload. This was the Atlas V’s final national security payload, with the remaining NSSL missions being carried out by the company’s new Vulcan rocket.

SpaceX announced last week that the company will be moving its Dragon recovery operations to the West Coast of the United States due to trunk debris surviving reentry, even though computer models said it wouldn’t. This will be a return to form as the company started out recovering its Dragons from California.