SpaceX (general discussion)

may 30 2022
no news or statement by FAA that deadline is push again
i hope this good sign...

acegif-com-sweating-73.gif
 
As they're covering over on NSF, SpaceX's Boca Chica EA seems to be (finally) reaching the finish line. And their Starship prototype license got a 1-year extension. Looks good for flights to resume this summer if they get a launch license.
 
NASA said this week that it plans to purchase five additional Crew Dragon missions from SpaceX to carry astronauts to the International Space Station.

Although the space agency's news release does not specifically say so, these may be the final flights NASA needs to keep the space station fully occupied into the year 2030. As of now, there is no signed international agreement to keep the station flying until then, but this new procurement sends a strong signal that the space agency expects the orbital outpost to keep flying that long.

Ars Trending Video
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arstechnica.com

NASA just bought the rest of the space station crew flights from SpaceX

“We will need additional missions from SpaceX to implement our strategy.”…
arstechnica.com arstechnica.com
 
Flyaway said:
NASA said this week that it plans to purchase five additional Crew Dragon missions from SpaceX to carry astronauts to the International Space Station.

Although the space agency's news release does not specifically say so, these may be the final flights NASA needs to keep the space station fully occupied into the year 2030. As of now, there is no signed international agreement to keep the station flying until then, but this new procurement sends a strong signal that the space agency expects the orbital outpost to keep flying that long.

Ars Trending Video
Click to expand...
arstechnica.com

NASA just bought the rest of the space station crew flights from SpaceX

“We will need additional missions from SpaceX to implement our strategy.”…
arstechnica.com arstechnica.com
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SpaceX got another contract from NASA. Aaaaand...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmPhaG1ud38


...there was much rejoicing !
 
Look out for a mystery Falcon 9 launch in mid month from SLC-40. It doesn’t appear to be for Starlink but instead an unidentified US government costumer. It's a northeast trajectory that would lead to a ~54º inclination orbit.
 
Flyaway said:
It doesn’t appear to be for Starlink but instead an unidentified US government costumer. It's a northeast trajectory that would lead to a ~54º inclination orbit.
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odd what ever this is, they launch it together with Globalstar-2 satellite into 52° orbit.
could be our usual suspect: NRO, CIA, NSA, USSF



Progress at Robert Road and Pad 39A: they speed thing up
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZEnbZN8D58


current plan for what NASA Spaceflight Forum call now "KSC Starbase"

FUt7jPGaIAEr4AX
 
This doesn’t completely resolve the mystery as it seems that there are other undisclosed national security related payloads on this launch. I imagine you’ll hear about this payload but probably not anything else.

A spare satellite for Globalstar’s data relay and messaging constellation will launch from Cape Canaveral on a Falcon 9 rocket later this month, multiple sources said, in a previously-undisclosed mission on SpaceX’s schedule.
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Sources told Spaceflight Now the spacecraft, designated Globalstar FM15, is booked to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket as soon as mid-June. The mission will be the next Falcon 9 launch from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral after the liftoff of the Egyptian Nilesat 301 geostationary communications satellite Wednesday.
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SpaceX and Globalstar have not confirmed if the upcoming launch will be a dedicated ride for the Globalstar payload, or if other satellites might be on-board the Falcon 9.
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JUNE 9, 2022
Polaris Dawn Mission Updates

Over the past three months, SpaceX and Polaris teams have been hard at work in preparation for Polaris Dawn’s targeted launch, scheduled for no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2022.

Development is underway on multiple fronts as teams continue to identify scientific research and experiments; design, build, and test the spacesuit required for the first commercial spacewalk; develop technological firsts for Starlink; fundraise with Polaris Program partners to raise awareness of the mission’s purpose with St. Jude; and more.

Below is a quick overview of some recent mission updates:

Highest Altitude

Targeting an apogee of ~1,400 kilometers, this Dragon mission will take advantage of Falcon 9 and Dragon’s maximum performance, endeavoring to fly higher than any Dragon mission to date and farther than humans have traveled since the end of the Apollo program in 1972. Falcon 9 will launch Dragon and the crew from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to an elliptical orbit with an apogee of ~1,200 kilometers and perigee of 190 kilometers (1,200 x 190 km). After verification of a healthy vehicle, Dragon’s Draco engines will fire to raise the spacecraft’s apogee to an altitude of ~1,400 kilometers, where Dragon will remain for several orbits before lowering to a coasting elliptical orbit of ~700 x 190 km for the remainder of the mission.

Crew Training

The Polaris Dawn crew began training in May in California, kicking off the start of their mission with two days of basic medical and scuba training to learn skills that will help the crew communicate during the first commercial space walk. Non-verbal communication and buddy support skills used in scuba are comparable to communication skills used during extravehicular activities (EVAs). The crew spent the first day in a pool refreshing themselves on basic diving skills before completing off-shore dives at Catalina, where they started to get comfortable with uncomfortable situations while also adapting to physiological responses due to changes in the pressure.

Scuba is only one element of the SpaceX training program planned for the Polaris Dawn crew. To continue to build team dynamics and trust, the crew completed multiple high-altitude climbs in Ecuador, including Cotopaxi, an active volcano in the Andes Mountains. At 5,897 meters (19,347 ft), Cotopaxi is the second-highest peak in Ecuador. This expedition required the crew to not only acclimate to different altitudes throughout the climbs but rely upon basic technical mountaineering and glacier-crossing skills. Stay tuned to this site for more details to come on the team’s exciting trip to Ecuador.

In the months ahead, the crew will complete extensive Dragon simulations, participate in centrifuge and hypoxia exercises, and receive hands-on medical training.

polarisprogram.com

Polaris Dawn Mission Updates - Polaris Program

Over the past three months, SpaceX and Polaris teams have been hard at work in preparation for Polaris Dawn’s targeted launch, scheduled for no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2022. Development is underway on multiple fronts as teams continue to identify scientific research and experiments...
polarisprogram.com polarisprogram.com
 
As noted on the NSF stream, a few of these mitigations are already being done by SpaceX. They likely have a roadmap for many/most of the rest already based on the conversations they've been having with the FAA.
 
SpaceX will Not build

Extension of power production by wind turbines
desalination plant
Natural gas liquefier

installation of
five waring signs
Wildlife crossings between Brownsville and Starbase
additional cameras to monitor wildlife
A no go zone around Launch site and Beach.
 
Michel Van said:
SpaceX will Not build

Extension of power production by wind turbines
desalination plant
Natural gas liquefier

installation of
five waring signs
Wildlife crossings between Brownsville and Starbase
additional cameras to monitor wildlife
A no go zone around Launch site and Beach.
Click to expand...
They don’t seem that overly onerous to me.

edition.cnn.com

SpaceX gets key environmental approval for Mars rocket — if it complies with some terms

Federal regulators made a key decision on SpaceX's plans to launch its gargantuan Mars rocket, called Starship, into orbit from Texas — saying Monday that, as long as the company complies with 75 "mitigating actions," the rocket launches should clear federal standards for environmental impact.
edition.cnn.com edition.cnn.com
 
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1536789096655253504
View: https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1536789096655253504


Zurbuchen: taking lessons learned from JWST. An example is development of large rockets with bigger payload fairings, simplifying design. (There was a talk here yesterday on how Starship could simplify large telescopes and reduce their costs.) #AAS240
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1537273330201350144
View: https://twitter.com/Dr_ThomasZ/status/1537273330201350144


Gave a talk this week at #AAS240, in part, about the transformative impact of “big launch” for the future of astrophysics. Having both @NASA_SLS and @SpaceX starship getting closer to launch at @NASAKennedy opens that new era. Super excited!
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Flyaway said:
Three Falcon 9 launches are scheduled for this weekend!

Friday: Starlink 4-19 (12:08 EDT)
Saturday: SARAH1 + others (06:50 PDT)
Sunday: Globalstar-2 + others (TBD)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1537106489944465410
View: https://twitter.com/spacex360/status/1537106489944465410
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Wow three launches for SpaceX in one weekend. That must be a new record for SpaceX and spaceflight in general, I have never heard of this before where there has been that many lunches in one go. Let's hope that they are all successful.
 
SpaceX conducted it 125th successful landing...

...hey competition, its now seven years now SpaceX do reuse, wen you start likewise ???
 

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