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Starship Dec 22
SpaceX Boca Chica: Starship SN9 Rolls Out to the Launch Pad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFXQS01U4Eo&feature=youtu.be—-
SN9 rolls to the launch pad ahead of test campaign. SpaceX engineers and technicians in South Texas rolled the next Starship prototype, SN9, to the launch pad on Tuesday. This time, three Raptor engines were already attached to the vehicle, as well as a nose cone and flaps—one of which was replaced after the SN9 vehicle leaned over in its high bay.
Fewer tests this time ... According to a report in NASASpaceflight.com, this vehicle is likely to undergo a more streamlined ground-test campaign than SN8, perhaps requiring only a single cryo-proof testing run with liquid nitrogen, followed by a triple-Raptor static-fire test. If those tests go well, and SpaceX obtains regulatory approval, SN9 could make a test flight before the end of the year or possibly in early 2021.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/12/rocket-report-sn9-rolls-to-the-launch-pad-sls-wet-dress-test-ends-early/—-
Florida SpaceX closes out record-setting year of launches from Florida’s Space CoastDecember 19, 2020 Stephen Clark
“The future for this industry is no longer conjecture, prognostication and wishful thinking,” said Wayne Monteith, the FAA’s associate administrator for space transportation. “It is demonstrated an accelerated growth. It is an increase in cadence on steroids.”
“We’ve launched more commercial space launches in just the last four years than we did in the previous 15 years combined
,” Monteith said Tuesday in virtual presentation at the Space Foundation’s Space Symposium 365 forum. “In 2011, we only had a single commercial space launch.”
“Next year, we should easily surpass 50 commercial launches, and potentially over 100 shortly thereafter,” Monteith said. …
https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/12/19/spacex-closes-out-record-year-of-launches-from-floridas-space-coast/—-
About that first F9 RTLS landing, vid in #1021 above… Elon actually ran outside to watch the rocket return. The sonic boom from the returning rocket hit him just as the rocket was landing (behind the trees), so he thought it had exploded, but when he got back inside, everyone was freaking out and there it was on the monitors, standing up just fine!
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The Final FY2021 congressional NASA budget was just released The total is more than last year, but it cuts NASA’s funding request for Artemis in a way that pretty much rules out a moon landing happening in 2024.
Human Landing System only gets $850M. In February, NASA is due to select one or two HLS projects to proceed. Although the three companies’ funding requests are being revised, original proposals were for a total of:
SpaceX: $2.2B
Dynetics: $5.2B
National Team: $10B
SpaceX being the lowest cost and actually flying a Starship prototype would seem to give it an edge. But the SpaceX Moonship proposal was to work with Orion, SLS and the Gateway…. Moonship is designed to spend its time on and near the moon; it cannot withstand earth reentry forces, so astronauts will need another way to get home.
Casey Dreier (@CaseyDreier) 12/21/20, 2:01 PM
Final FY2021 congressional NASA budget just released: $23.2B for NASA, $7.3B for Science, $850M for HLS.
https://twitter.com/caseydreier/status/1341096413745201153
textpic at the link: breakdown of $ for NASA.
Jeff Foust (@jeff_foust) 12/21/20, 3:05 PM
SLS/Orion/ground systems were funded at or above request. The House and Senate effectively split the difference on the Human Landing System, providing $850 million—just a quarter of the administration’s request. Will make this spring’s downselect… interesting.
https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1341112457838931970
Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight)12/21/20, 3:08 PM
… Interesting indeed if the National Team bid is a lot more money than SpaceX's. SpaceX always tends to be highly competitive on price. …
https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1341113388110385159
Eric Berger: My understanding is that the National Team has been told, essentially, to never again submit a ludicrously high bid in comparison to its HLS competitors.
Eric Berger: However, Congress does relent on use of SLS for the Europa Clipper rocket. Says if SLS is not available, or if a "torsional loading analysis" confirms SLS shakes too much for Clipper, then NASA can launch it on a commercial vehicle.
rules.house.gov/sites/democrat…
Toby Li: Flying Clipper on Falcon Heavy rather than SLS would save ~$700 million
Eric Berger: The budget also provides NASA $850 million for a human landing system. This amount entirely extinguishes the chance of a 2024 human landing on the Moon.
> How much was requested?
Eric Berger: More than $3 billion.
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Jan. 4/5: Falcon 9 • Turksat 5A Launch window: 0127-0529 GMT on 5th (8:27 p.m.-12:29 a.m. EST on 4th/5th)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Stationi, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Turksat 5A communications satellite for Turksat, a Turkish satellite operator. Built by Airbus Defense and Space with significant Turkish contributions, the Turkish 5A satellite will provide Ku-band television broadcast services over Turkey, the Middle East, Europe and Africa. Delayed from Nov. 30 and December.
https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/