SpaceX

[Sigmetnow]

—- Polaris Dawn launch attempt tonight
SpaceX
Targeting no earlier than Tuesday, September 10 for Falcon 9’s launch of the Polaris Dawn mission → spacex.com/launches/missi…
 
Weather is currently 40% favorable for liftoff, and conditions at the possible splashdown sites for Dragon’s return to Earth remain a watch item
9/8/24, 9:52 PM https://x.com/spacex/status/1832960331737653692

https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=polarisdawn
Webstream to start 12:05am ET.

Polaris Dawn is back on the FAA Ops Plan:
PLANNED LAUNCH/REENTRY:
SPACEX POLARIS DAWN, KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL
PRIMARY:   09/10/24   0733Z-1138Z
BACKUP:      09/11/24   0733Z-1138Z

Recovery teams are in refresher training:
 
Gav Cornwell
SpaceX Dragon recovery ship Megan delivered a training capsule to the Navy basin at Port Canaveral earlier.
 
I've seen this a few times and believe the capsule is borrowed by the military detachment responsible for emergency astronaut recovery for regular training purposes.
9/6/24, https://x.com/spaceoffshore/status/1832149976610435228
⬇️

====
 
Next Falcon Heavy Launch!  NET Oct 10.
 
@NASA will hold a media teleconference at 4 p.m. EDT, Monday, Sept. 9, to provide an update on Europa Clipper, a mission that will study whether Jupiter’s moon Europa could be hospitable to life. The teleconference will occur after a key decision point meeting earlier that day regarding next steps for the mission.
 
Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website at: nasa.gov/live 
 
Learn more: http://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-invites-media-to-discuss-europa-clipper-mission/

[Sigmetnow]

—- Polaris Dawn readying for launch tonight
SpaceX
Falcon 9 and Dragon are ready for flight. Weather is 40% favorable for liftoff and the webcast goes live ~3.5 hours ahead of launch → http://spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=polarisdawn
 
9/9/24, 8:46 PM https://x.com/spacex/status/1833306067238862941
⬇️ ⬇️

Polaris @PolarisProgram
Good L-8 hour weather brief: The Polaris Dawn crew is ready to step into suit-up and launch operations for liftoff early tomorrow morning
9/9/24, 9:05 PM https://x.com/polarisprogram/status/1833310849970163751
⬇️

SpaceX
The @PolarisProgram’s Polaris Dawn mission will be the first crew to perform a spacewalk from Dragon, fly higher in Earth’s orbit than anyone since the Apollo program, test laser-based @Starlink communications, and conduct research to help provide insight on human health during long-duration spaceflight missions → http://spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=polarisdawn 
 
8/22/24, https://x.com/spacex/status/1826756427668750821
 1 min render

[Sigmetnow]

—- Polaris Dawn launches after a two-hour delay for the weather, opening the next chapter of commercial spaceflight.
 

Kiko Dontchev
 
There are launches and then there are LAUNCHES!!! Hard to describe the blood, sweat and tears that got the @PolarisProgram crew to orbit today.
Pictured below are just a few of the @SpaceX team members who made the mission happen with @elonmusk, shortly after launch
All focus is now on safely completing the mission objectives, including the first ever commercial spacewalk, before bringing the astronauts home.
Go Falcon! Go Dragon! Go @SpaceX!!!

9/10/24, 8:00 AM ➡️ https://x.com/turkeybeaver/status/1833475622292885990
Pic at the link.
 
——
Max Evans
@rookisaacman, @KiddPoteet, @annawmenon, @Gillis_SarahE -✌🏻out girl scouts
 
As Falcon 9 lofts Dragon Resilience into the heavens, we are reminded of what the Polaris Dawn mission truly represents: we see the culmination of dreams, the courage and daring to explore uncharted territory, and the beginning of a program whose purpose is to have an impact far beyond low Earth orbit.
 
This mission is a testament to humanity's unyielding spirit, reminding us that our greatest adventures are still ahead, waiting among the stars.
 
📸 - @NASASpaceflight
 
📺 - https://www.youtube.com/live/qP8fbz_sVfU  [NSF livestream. 6 hours!]
 
9/10/24, 6:23 AM https://x.com/_mgde_/status/1833451184520073415
⬇️

—-
SpaceX
Falcon 9 launches @PolarisProgram's Polaris Dawn, Dragon’s 14th human spaceflight mission
9/10/24, 8:14 AM ➡️  https://x.com/spacex/status/1833479178269630697
35 sec. Slo-mo of launch, medium shot.

—-
Kyle Henry
Dawn jellyfish of Polaris Dawn lights up the skies over the Susquehanna River!
9/10/24, 6:38 AM https://x.com/kyle_lts/status/1833455029912506512
⬇️
 
—-
Elon Musk
The @PolarisProgram astronaut mission is headed for an altitude 3 times higher than the Space Station, the furthest that humans have been from Earth in over half a century!
9/10/24, 7:18 AM ➡️  https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1833465100809998513
25 sec.  Dragon separation confirmed. (The fixture on the lower right might be the special Starlink communications device.)

—-
SpaceX
Dragon will initiate a two-day pre-breathe process to prepare the crew for their upcoming spacewalk on Thursday, September 12.
9/10/24, 5:46 AM ➡️ https://x.com/spacex/status/1833442004732170714
18 sec from the SpaceX Polaris render vid

—-
Zero-G indicator
 
Polaris
We're excited to introduce Asteroid, our favorite Shiba, now floating with our crew in zero gravity. Here's the story behind her mission role and the how Liv Perrotto helped bring her to life for the crew.
9/10/24, 5:35 AM ➡️ https://x.com/polarisprogram/status/1833439195425108056
2 min

—-
Polaris
From the crew of Polaris Dawn
9/10/24, 7:00 AM https://x.com/polarisprogram/status/1833460602171240793
⬇️

—-
 
WHY WE MUST GO TO SPACE

Isaac Asimov: “The dinosaurs became extinct because they didn’t have a space program.”

Bill Nelson: “Exploration is in our DNA, and we’re now ready to go farther than ever before.”

@elonmusk: “I think it’s important to have a future that is inspiring and appealing…a future where we are a spacefaring civilization.”

Buzz Aldrin: “Mars is there, waiting to be reached.”

Stephen Hawking: “I don’t think the human race will survive the next thousand years unless we spread into space.”

JFK: “We choose to go to the moon…not because it is easy, but because it is hard.”

Carl Sagan: “The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time.”

Neil Armstrong: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Yuri Gagarin: “Orbiting Earth in the spaceship, I saw how beautiful our planet is. People, let us preserve and increase this beauty, not destroy it.”

Sally Ride: “The stars don’t look bigger, but they do look brighter.”

Chris Hadfield: “We are not machines exploring the universe; we are people doing the best we can to find out what’s out there.”

Gene Roddenberry: “The human adventure is just beginning.”

Sources: NASA, SpaceX, BBC, ESA
 
9/10/24, 5:59 AM ➡️ https://x.com/marionawfal/status/1833445244580348272
 29 sec. Launch, from the livestream

[Sigmetnow]

—- Polaris Dawn launches after a two-hour delay for the weather, opening the next chapter of commercial spaceflight.

And Jonathan McDowell makes it official:

Jonathan McDowell
⁦‪@planet4589‬⁩

Polaris Dawn cataloged as object 61042, in a 195 x 1200 km x 51.7 deg orbit.

9/10/24, 10:15 AM https://x.com/planet4589/status/1833509517839028397

[morganism]

(polaris over the capitol pic)

https://nitter.poast.org/pic/orig/media%2FGXGwObwWEAE0xSo.jpg

[Sigmetnow]

—- More Polaris Dawn

And Jonathan McDowell makes it official:

Jonathan McDowell
⁦‪@planet4589‬⁩
 
Polaris Dawn cataloged as object 61042, in a 195 x 1200 km x 51.7 deg orbit.

9/10/24, 10:15 AM https://x.com/planet4589/status/1833509517839028397

SpaceX
Falcon 9 will launch Dragon to an elliptical orbit of 190 x 1,200 km, where it will orbit the Earth ~eight times before raising itself to an apogee of 1,400 km. This will be the highest humans have traveled in Earth’s orbit since the completion of the Apollo program over 50 years ago
9/10/24, 1:59 AM ➡️  https://x.com/spacex/status/1833384693280158076
20 sec animation/graphic: some orbits ⬇️

Elon Musk
During this mission, Dragon will travel repeatedly through the orbital altitudes of over 10 thousand satellites and bits of space debris.
No room for error in our calculations.
9/10/24, 12:04 PM https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1833537136697741341

—
Scott Manley
Incidently, I'd previously guessed that the launch times were chosen to keep the spacecraft as far from the Long March 6A debris. Sure enough looking it up it'll be on the other side of the Earth at T-0.
This upper stage broke up soon after launch on August 6th.
9/10/24, 3:00 AM https://x.com/djsnm/status/1833400144316010991

—-
Here’s the SpaceX livestream.  You can start at about 4h15m in (T-30 minutes in the second countdown) for some cool videos, then watch the launch.
Go full screen to get video controls!
 
➡️ https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=polarisdawn
 
4h16m (~ T-30min) training vid. Training was mostly on the EVA, which has never been done before. “Suspension model” rather than a Neutral Buoyancy pool like the ISS uses for training and testing.
 
4h21m (T-24 min) EVA info >> THE SUIT VID. “A suit of armor made of fabric.”
New layer, the “Faraday layer” — inductive cage around the suit that shields it from external electric fields.
Improving the technology, while at the same time make it more manufacturable.  “The ultimate goal is to be able to put it on and go to work anywhere in the solar system and not feel that you are wearing anything more than you wear every day.”
 
4h24m T-20 About the EVA — 3 min vid.
 
4h28m45s T-16 … “we got the ‘OK to Go’ from the crew”…
At T-15 the three non-Jared members from the Inspiration 4 crew talk about how liftoff was for them.
LIFTOFF
Just before MECO: “we’re throttling down to hold a constant acceleration for the crew, just below 4 G’s.”
 
The atmosphere scrubs off about 70% of the booster velocity.
 
Forgive Kate Tice — she’s really, really tired. Flubs a lot of lines.  “Extra-curricular activity”  Calls out “our first view of earth” — it’s the sunlit engine bell on the second stage. …
Jessie Anderson.  John Insbrucker.

   ===
Nathan Commissariat
Seeing two rockstar engineers from your company wearing suits designed and built by your company, launching to orbit on a capsule designed and built by your company, taking a picture on a historic launchpad completely modernized by your company.
 
This is epic.
This is SpaceX.
9/10/24, 2:10 AM https://x.com/comminathan/status/1833387514150678739
 
—-
SpaceX
⬇️ View of Earth and Dragon’s Skywalker shortly after the Polaris Dawn crew launched into an orbit of ~190 x 1,216 km
    —
Dragon and the crew will remain at this altitude for ~eight orbits before the spacecraft raises itself to an altitude of 1,400 km later today
   —-
Once on-orbit, the crew started to conduct initial rounds of research and test @Starlink
9/10/24, 3:53 PM https://x.com/spacex/status/1833594722138374610

——
Jonathan McDowell @planet4589
Polaris Dawn in the same 51.6 deg inclination as ISS, but with orbital plane about 130 degrees different in longitude.
9/10/24, 5:46 PM https://x.com/planet4589/status/1833623219485483312
 
[Probably so they can use the existing abort/recovery logistics as are used for flights to the ISS.]
  —-
Polaris Dawn approaching apogee 8. Apogee raising burn likely at next perigee (2242 UTC) or the one after.
9/10/24, 5:45 PM
https://x.com/planet4589/status/1833622870783611035
 
< Haley Esparza
Approximately 12 hours of freedom until quarantine starts for Crew-9.
9/10/24, 10:04 AM ET

   —-
While you were sleeping, a historic private spacecraft mission launched on a five-day flight.
 
Polaris Dawn takes to the skies, setting the stage for a daring private spacewalk
Weather had confounded the launch attempt for nearly two weeks.
Eric Berger - 9/10/2024, 5:53 AM
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/09/bold-private-spaceflight-begins-early-tuesday-with-a-break-in-the-weather/

[Sigmetnow]

—- Polaris Dawn soars to new heights
SpaceX
Achievement unlocked - apogee 1,400.7 km
Forward bulkhead Draco firing during burn 🔥
9/10/24, 9:19 PM ET ➡️ https://x.com/spacex/status/1833676772157833486
 26 sec. Thrusters firing, Earth night lights pass below
 
SpaceX
Polaris Dawn and Dragon at 1,400 km above Earth – the farthest humans have traveled since the Apollo program over 50 years ago
9/11/24, 1:09 AM  ➡️  https://x.com/spacex/status/1833734681545879844
48 sec. Their more distant view!  A brief comms exchange between Dragon & SpaceX acknowledges the milestone.
   —-
SpaceX
Dragon and the Polaris Dawn crew have completed six orbits of Earth at ~1,400 km. Over the next five hours, Dragon will perform four burns to lower itself to an orbit of ~190 x 742 km in preparation for Thursday’s spacewalk
9/11/24, 6:29 AM https://x.com/spacex/status/1833815217123233966
 
====
 
—- SpaceX goes on the offensive, pushing for the FAA to move faster…

…saying "the licensing process has been repeatedly derailed by issues ranging from the frivolous to the patently absurd. At times, these roadblocks have been driven by false and misleading reporting, built on bad-faith hysterics from online detractors or special interest groups who have presented poorly constructed science as fact."

9/10/24, 11:26 AM https://x.com/wapodavenport/status/1833527492130283760

SpaceX
Starship's fully and rapidly reusable design will exponentially increase humanity’s ability to access and utilize outer space. To unlock its full potential, and do it rapidly enough to meet commitments to national priorities like NASA’s Artemis program, Starships need to fly → https://www.spacex.com/updates/#starships-fly

9/10/24, 11:22 AM https://x.com/spacex/status/1833526468514599373
 
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024
STARSHIPS ARE MEANT TO FLY

…
 
FLIGHT 5
The Starship and Super Heavy vehicles for Flight 5 have been ready to launch since the first week of August. The flight test will include our most ambitious objective yet: attempt to return the Super Heavy booster to the launch site and catch it in mid-air.
…
… instead of focusing resources on critical safety analysis and collaborating on rational safeguards to protect both the public and the environment, the licensing process has been repeatedly derailed by issues ranging from the frivolous to the patently absurd. At times, these roadblocks have been driven by false and misleading reporting, built on bad-faith hysterics from online detractors or special interest groups who have presented poorly constructed science as fact.
 
We recently received a launch license date estimate of late November from the FAA, the government agency responsible for licensing Starship flight tests. This is a more than two-month delay to the previously communicated date of mid-September.

This delay was not based on a new safety concern, but instead driven by superfluous environmental analysis. The four open environmental issues are illustrative of the difficulties launch companies face in the current regulatory environment for launch and reentry licensing.

STEEL AND WATER
Starship’s water-cooled steel flame deflector has been the target of false reporting, wrongly alleging that it pollutes the environment or has operated completely independent of regulation. This narrative omits fundamental facts that have either been ignored or intentionally misinterpreted.
 
 
At no time did SpaceX operate the deflector without a permit. SpaceX was operating in good faith under a Multi-Sector General Permit to cover deluge operations under the supervision of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). SpaceX worked closely with TCEQ to incorporate numerous mitigation measures prior to its use, including the installation of retention basins, construction of protective curbing, plugging of outfalls during operations, and use of only potable (drinking) water that does not come into contact with any industrial processes. A permit number was assigned and made active in July 2023. TCEQ officials were physically present at the first testing of the deluge system and given the opportunity to observe operations around launch.
 
The water-cooled steel flame deflector does not spray pollutants into the surrounding environment. Again, it uses literal drinking water. Outflow water has been sampled after every use of the system and consistently shows negligible traces of any contaminants, and specifically, that all levels have remained below standards for all state permits that would authorize discharge. TCEQ, the FAA, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service evaluated the use of the system prior to its initial use, and during tests and launch, and determined it would not cause environmental harm.
…
The subsequent fines levied on SpaceX by TCEQ and the EPA are entirely tied to disagreements over paperwork. We chose to settle so that we can focus our energy on completing the missions and commitments that we have made to the U.S. government, commercial customers, and ourselves. Paying fines is extremely disappointing when we fundamentally disagree with the allegations, and we are supported by the fact that EPA has agreed that nothing about the operation of our flame deflector will need to change. Only the name of the permit has changed.
…
Environmental regulations and mitigations serve a noble purpose, stemming from common-sense safeguards to enable progress while preventing undue impact to the environment. However, with the licensing process being drawn out for Flight 5, we find ourselves delayed for unreasonable and exasperating reasons.
 
On Starship’s fourth flight, the top of the Super Heavy booster, commonly known as the hot-stage, was jettisoned to splash down on its own in the Gulf of Mexico. The hot-stage plays an important part in protecting the booster during separation from Starship’s upper stage before detaching during the booster’s return flight. This operation was analyzed thoroughly ahead of Starship’s fourth flight, specifically focused on any potential impact to protected marine species. Given the distribution of marine animals in the specific landing area and comparatively small size of the hot-stage, the probability of a direct impact is essentially zero. This is something previously determined as standard practice by the FAA and the National Marine Fisheries Service for the launch industry at large, which disposes of rocket stages and other hardware in the ocean on every single launch, except of course, for our own Falcon rockets which land and are reused.
 
The only proposed modification for Starship’s fifth flight is a marginal change in the splashdown location of the hot-stage which produces no increase in likelihood for impacting marine life. Despite this, the FAA leadership approved a 60-day consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service. Furthermore, the mechanics of these types of consultations outline that any new questions raised during that time can reset the 60-day counter, over and over again. This single issue, which was already exhaustively analyzed, could indefinitely delay launch without addressing any plausible impact to the environment.
…

https://www.spacex.com/updates/#starships-fly
Emphasis added.

 
===
 
Other government stumbling blocks:
 
Underfunded, aging NASA may be on unsustainable path, report warns
NASA is not focused enough on the future, fails to think strategically and has a mismatch between ambitions and budget, says a sweeping report by aerospace experts.
Joel Achenbach. September 10, 2024
https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2024/09/10/nasa-unsustainable-aerospace-experts-warn-report/
Gift link (for a limited time) if needed: https://wapo.st/4gmS5rR

===
 
—- Upcoming F9 launches
 
> Launch 93! Thursday, 12th of September, at 4:52 a.m. ET, Falcon 9 BlueBird Block 1 will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral, Florida. This is the first of five commercial satellites in SpaceMobile's cellphone-compatible broadband constellation. In orbit, they will provide connectivity for smartphones outside cellular coverage in partnership with mobile network operators (MNOs). The booster will land at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

> Launch 94! Sunday, 15th of September, at 6:57 p.m. ET, Falcon 9 Galileo L13 (FOC FM26 & FM32) will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral, Florida. This is two satellites for Europe’s Galileo navigation system. Galileo provides Europe with an alternative to the American GPS and Russian GLONASS constellations, but will be interoperable with both systems. The booster will be expended in the Atlantic Ocean.
9/9/24, 4:06 PM https://x.com/serobinsonjr/status/1833235525945147526

[gerontocrat]

—- SpaceX goes on the offensive, pushing for the FAA to move faster…

…saying "the licensing process has been repeatedly derailed by issues ranging from the frivolous to the patently absurd. At times, these roadblocks have been driven by false and misleading reporting, built on bad-faith hysterics from online detractors or special interest groups who have presented poorly constructed science as fact."

FLIGHT 5
The Starship and Super Heavy vehicles for Flight 5 have been ready to launch since the first week of August.

We recently received a launch license date estimate of late November from the FAA, the government agency responsible for licensing Starship flight tests. This is a more than two-month delay to the previously communicated date of mid-September.

This delay was not based on a new safety concern, but instead driven by superfluous environmental analysis. The four open environmental issues are illustrative of the difficulties launch companies face in the current regulatory environment for launch and reentry licensing.

Having read Sigmetnow's post, and given how rapidly (for a Govt Agency) previous FAA approvals were forthcoming, and had a good think about it, one persistemt thought cpmes to mind, namely "dirty tricks".

I suspect the dead hand of someone very senior has let it be known that delays to the Starship program would not come amiss.
Has Musk really really upset someone with the power to throw a spanner in the works?
Has Boeing's Starliner failure (it was a failure) scared those who would hate SpaceX to have a virtual monopoly over the future of space travel? Maybe SpaceX is a victim of its success.

I am sure many people who have pushed the envelope on tech-based development have encountered the sudden appearance of obstacles to development, oftimes traceable back to those who see it as a threat to their established positions. It certainly happened to me (a long time ago).

[NeilT]

My current thinking gerontocrat is this is very like the SLS situation.  The FAA held SpaceX back time after time with review after review until SLS launched . Once SLS launched it was fairly simple for the FAA to give Starship a license to launch.

SLS had to claim it was the most powerful rocket ever built or it would have looked like a real white elephant and congress couldn't allow that.  Now it is the most powerful "Operational" rocket.

Blue Origin are on the cusp of launching their New Glenn rocket and they need to be able to claim that it is the second rocket to land it's booster but also they need to claim that it landed the booster on the first attempt which is "better" than SpaceX.  Otherwise they're going to look like what they are.  An old space also ran.

I believe once New Glenn launches (NET late October), the FAA will find it easy to approve the Starship 5 launch.

This thing about "changing the parameters" from launch 4 is BS and nothing other than BS.  They always knew that every launch would be different and should have started this process immediately after the last launch if they had concerns.

They are being called out on it and urgently as it will derail Artemis III if they don't keep getting clearance to launch.

[Sigmetnow]

—- Polaris Dawn EVA
 
SpaceX
Watch Dragon’s first spacewalk with the @PolarisProgram’s Polaris Dawn crew
  https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1OyJAZnwZqLxb
 
9/12/24, 4:56 AM ET ➡️ https://x.com/spacex/status/1834154037606056327
 
 3h14m.  EVA1 starts at ~38 min “EVA Elapsed Time” in upper left of screen.  Jared opens the hatch manually.
Suit temp while in the sun outside the cabin:  about 33°C. (91°F) [Apparently there was some concern it would be much higher.]
 
For the first time, Dragon is performing like an airlock.  Crew has been on a unique, slow pre-breathe regimen for days, since shortly after launch.
 
Note: Dragon Crew oxygen is an open-loop system:  oxygen flows into the suits, and air, including carbon dioxide, vents out of the suits into the cabin.  So the ship itself can scrub out the CO2 when the hatch is closed, and vent to vacuum when it is open.  Enough oxygen flows out of the suits that after the hatch is closed, cabin repressurization is done with pure nitrogen.  Suits are pressed to ~14 psi ahead of full cabin repress, and partial pressure of cabin O2 (ppO2) rises to about 2.6 psi.  When cabin is back to ~14psi and ppO2 is good, suits can be removed with little difference to the crew — the first time they’re breathing sea-level-like air since shortly after launch.
 
The secondary O2 loop is mostly for thermal purposes.
Dragon’s thrusters fired briefly before EVA2 to reorient the capsule’s attitude back to EVA pointing attitude.
Upon inspection, Sarah noted some seal pads were bulged; this was expected, and she pressed them back in.
Sarah closed the hatch.

—-
SpaceX vid clips.  (SpaceX loses video when out of range of TDRS ground stations.)
 
The first spacewalk from Dragon has begun!
➡️ https://x.com/spacex/status/1834173370319208473
45 sec. Jared relaxing sideways under the hatch.  Sarah floating over the pilot’s seat, operating the displays.  Kidd and Anna are strapped into the two outer seats. Verify your visors are closed and secondary O2 flow…

Dragon is at 4 psi, halfway to reaching vacuum
➡️ https://x.com/spacex/status/1834178843802042826
36 sec. Jared in position under the hatch. At ~1psi, he will unlatch the hatch manually and give it a push.  The hatch does have a motorized capability.
 
Dragon’s cabin is below 1 psi and the spacecraft has repositioned its trunk to face the sun ahead of hatch opening
    —-
Dragon is now in EVA pointing mode
   —-
Dragon’s hatch is open, marking the first time four humans are simultaneously exposed to the vacuum of space

—-
Commander @rookisaacman has egressed Dragon and is going through the first of three suit mobility tests that will test overall hand body control, vertical movement with Skywalker, and foot restraint
➡️ https://x.com/spacex/status/1834183614898241617
 24 sec
  —
The first test focuses on using a single hand to control body movement. The spacewalkers will evaluate their ability to move in all directions, hold a single position for 10-15 seconds, and hold position while the other arm is simulating tool use
   —
The second test assesses the crew’s ability to move up and down using Skywalker. @rookisaacman and @Gillis_SarahEwill use both the horizontal and vertical bars and gauge their maximum reach
   —-
The third test evaluates using a foot restraint. Jared and Sarah will gauge difficulty in getting in and out of the restraint, how easily they can move their body, the ease with which they can maintain position while hands free or using tools, and recovery from a single foot disengagement.

Commander @rookisaacman conducting suit mobility tests while Dragon flies between Australia and Antarctica
➡️ https://x.com/spacex/status/1834185100281741612
 11 sec
 
   —-
Mission Specialist @Gillis_SarahE is conducting the same series of suit mobility tests @rookisaacman completed
➡️ https://x.com/spacex/status/1834192238857126165
 12 sec

View of inside Dragon as the spacecraft continues to repress and conduct the hatch leak check
https://x.com/spacex/status/1834193799633142053
➡️ 12 sec. Over the shoulders view to the displays
 
 
=====
Jonathan McDowell @planet4589
FWIW my thoughts on 'what is a spacewalk?' are at
 
Jonathan's Space Pages
List of spacewalks
https://planet4589.org/space/astro/web/evas.html
 
9/12/24, 1:32 PM https://x.com/planet4589/status/1834284018462064961
  —-
The 4 SpaceX EVA suits, considered as (semi-)independent spacecraft, have been added to GCAT's aux catalog as entries A11310 - A11313, with provisional names SEV (for "SpaceX EV Suit") 01 to 04. I hope eventually @rookisaacman or @SpaceX will tell us more correct desigs and S/Ns
9/12/24, https://x.com/planet4589/status/1834332955621126217
 
< Even tho they remained attached and two remained inside?
JM: Yes. It's a corner case, I admit, but you already know I'm a completist. Mainly it's  a way to let GCAT track reuse of spacesuits by their serial numbers - although in fact this is the only EVA in history we don't currently have the suit serial numbers for.
   —-
Similarly for tethered satellites, I have separate GCAT entries for the objects on each end of the tether, even if the tether is never released. It's a place to put the separate metadata.

Jonathan McDowell @planet4589
The spacewalk time using my 5kPa rule was 33min 25s. The hatch open/close time was about 26m 40s. Isaacman was outside hatch for 7 min 56m; Gillis for about 7m15s.
9/12/24, 7:26 AM https://x.com/planet4589/status/1834191976746352680
 
< Seems like a lot of effort and risk for a very short "mission".
Jonathan McDowell
A test flight; you do what you need to do to learn what you need to learn, and no more. This verified the EVA suits and the cabin depress/repress procedures, and that will give confidence for more ambitious spacewalks in the future.
9/12/24, 7:30 AM https://x.com/planet4589/status/1834192928354324645

—-
Wayne Hale
Congratulations to the Polaris Dawn crew and the SpaceX team on a successful EVA!
I was a Flight Director who specialized in the launch/landing phases of the shuttle.
But I was also in charge during several EVAs. Let me tell you, those hazards and complexity terrified me !
9/12/24, 8:49 AM https://x.com/waynehale/status/1834212834562970040
 
—-
[NASA Administrator] Bill Nelson
Congratulations @PolarisProgram and @SpaceX on the first commercial spacewalk in history!
 
Today’s success represents a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry and @NASA's long-term goal to build a vibrant U.S. space economy.
9/12/24, 8:11 AM https://x.com/senbillnelson/status/1834203223520956547

—-
< It is interesting. But considering we have been doing this for six decades it seems overblown.
 
Eric Berger
It would not surprise me to see this attitude from many. Which is fine. But some perspective: When the Falcon 9 first launch in 2010, the same could be said. We've been launching into space forever, blah blah. But here's the difference. 14 years later SpaceX is launching 100+ times a year, something no government has ever done. One can imagine, 14 years from now, dozens of people launching on Starship and taking a similar EVA in space, then on the Moon, and eventually Mars. That's why this is not overblown. This is, potentially, a critical step on humanity's expansion into the Solar System.
9/12/24, 7:12 AM https://x.com/sciguyspace/status/1834188387680477565
 
< A private company has now done what only a handful of powerful countries have been able to do.
 
< If we are going to populate a base on the Moon or Mars, it won't be with a @NASA developed suit. It will be with a commercially-developed suit, that works well and can be reproduced at a reasonable cost.

 ====
 
Story updated with audio from an exclusive post-EVA interview with the crew (in which your correspondent gets quite the welcome):
 
SpaceX Polaris astronauts complete first spacewalk by private citizens [/quote]
In an exclusive interview, the crew told The Post the suits worked well and the first test in space will allow SpaceX to continue to innovate.
Christian Davenport
Updated September 12, 2024 at 3:57 p.m. EDT
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/09/12/spacex-polaris-dawn-spacewalk-astronauts/
 
Article link with token

====
 
Two private astronauts took a spacewalk Thursday morning—yes, it was historic
"Today’s success represents a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry."
Eric Berger - 9/12/2024, 8:40 AM
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/09/two-private-astronauts-took-a-spacewalk-thursday-morning-yes-it-was-historic/

[Sigmetnow]

Having read Sigmetnow's post, and given how rapidly (for a Govt Agency) previous FAA approvals were forthcoming, and had a good think about it, one persistemt thought cpmes to mind, namely "dirty tricks".

”It’s not paranoia if they really are out to get you.”

Another example of government anti-SpaceX attitude happened just yesterday:

NEWS: FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said today she wants to see more competition to @SpaceX's Starlink.
 
Rosenworcel: "Our economy doesn't benefit from monopolies. So we've got to invite many more space actors in, many more companies that can develop constellations and innovations in space."
 
Source: reuters.com/technology/spa…

9/11/24, 4:09 PM https://x.com/sawyermerritt/status/1833961127429955985

Reply from Brendan Carr — another FCC Commissioner!

2023 FCC: Claims that Starlink is not capable of providing high-speed Internet to thousands of people as the reason for revoking an $885M award to the company.
 
2024 FCC: Claims that Starlink provides so much high-speed Internet that the word monopoly should be tossed out there.

9/11/24, 7:21 PM https://x.com/brendancarrfcc/status/1834009499931463705

With all the different federal agencies’ investigations, claims and obstructions targeting Musk and his companies, the weaponization of the U.S. government against him is obvious.  President Biden himself has said, on camera, “I think Musk’s ties to other countries are worth looking into” — thus signaling the administration’s green light for any and all attacks.

Congress had mandated that the Europa Clipper satellite (to be launched next month) must use the SLS.  This was to "demonstrate" there were other uses for that rocket besides missions to the moon. Never mind the cost exceeded $2 billion. But NASA switched the launcher to SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, costing less than $200,000 — not because it made sense, rather because an internal study showed SLS’s solid rocket boosters would shake the satellite too violently. 
Imagine the promises Congressfolk had to make to soothe their Old Space constituents around the country after that.

[gerontocrat]

Having read Sigmetnow's post, and given how rapidly (for a Govt Agency) previous FAA approvals were forthcoming, and had a good think about it, one persistemt thought cpmes to mind, namely "dirty tricks".

”It’s not paranoia if they really are out to get you.”

Another example of government anti-SpaceX attitude happened just yesterday:

NEWS: FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said today she wants to see more competition to @SpaceX's Starlink.
 
Rosenworcel: "Our economy doesn't benefit from monopolies. So we've got to invite many more space actors in, many more companies that can develop constellations and innovations in space."
 
Source: reuters.com/technology/spa…

9/11/24, 4:09 PM https://x.com/sawyermerritt/status/1833961127429955985

Does the Government have a legitimate concern that SpaceX is beoming a de facto monopoly for many significant space activities?
YES.

Does this give them the right to throw unjustified roadblocks in the way of SpaceX?
NO

The villain here is not SpaceX, but the rest of the Aerospace industry.
Space X started as a rocket with one engine in a shed, plus the concept and ambition to make rockets reuseable.
Aerospace Industry had loads of money, technical abilities and political influence and dismissed SpaceX as impractical upstarts. (Reuseable rockets? They must be joking).

Aerospace lost.
Space X won.

The "Powers That Be" in the US should be wondering and worrying about the ongoing failures of established Aerospace. Is SpaceX becoming a monopoly because its competitors have systemic failure built in .
_________________________________________________
ps: I am talking about SpaceX, not Musk. His current politicking and speechifying is not doing SpaceX any favours

[Sigmetnow]

Polaris had teased us about a very special test they planned to do over the Starlink network during their mission.  And,  WOW!  🤯 🎶

Polaris
@PolarisProgram
HARMONY OF RESILIENCE: Recorded in space and sent to Earth via @SpaceX’s @Starlink constellation, Polaris Dawn crewmember and violinist @Gillis_SarahE invites you to enjoy this music moment in support of @StJude & @ElSistemaUSA → polarisprogram.com/music   
9/13/24, 7:40 AM ➡️ https://x.com/polarisprogram/status/1834557770374296010
 4:34 vid.  “Rey’s theme, by John Williams, brought to you from the stars” — Sarah with orchestras around the world.  Screencap below ⬇️

======
 
BREAKING: United Airlines has announced that they will be adding @SpaceX's Starlink internet on over 1,000 planes, increasing on-board WiFi speeds by up to 100x!
 
Starlink will be offered at no additional cost to passengers. United is now the largest airline to offer Starlink.
 
United expects to have Starlink on all United aircraft – more than 1,000 planes – over the next several years. Testing begins in early 2025 with the first passenger flights expected later that year.
9/13/24, 8:06 AM https://x.com/sawyermerritt/status/1834564270480048330
 

United Airlines
@united
The world's most advanced high-speed Wi-Fi is coming to United with @Starlink. For free.
 
You’ll be able to stream, game, shop and more on seatback screens and personal devices simultaneously. Expect the same internet you get on the ground… at 35,000 feet. We expect to have Starlink on all 1,000+ United planes over the next several years.
 
https://www.united.com/en/us/newsroom/announcements/cision-125346
 

9/13/24, 7:59 AM https://x.com/united/status/1834562645598302700
 
The Inflight Wi-Fi Revolution Now Arriving: United Signs Starlink Deal to Provide Industry-Leading Connectivity in the Sky - For Free
https://www.united.com/en/us/newsroom/announcements/cision-125346

Eric Berger
This is a pretty big deal.
"Starlink service on United aircraft will be free."
 
{I remember reading, years ago, that SpaceX contracts insisted Starlink in-flight service must be free for passengers.
 
But really, for airlines the cost of keeping the masses entertained (and not frustrated by a poor internet connection) certainly must be cheaper and better for publicity than dealing with unruly passengers with nothing to keep their minds otherwise occupied, especially during United’s typically long flights.}

====
 
Meanwhile… telecomms who thought they could use fewer satellites to add satellite-direct-to-cell service, are, like LOON, discovering the business case may not materialize any time soon.  The LOON balloon experience showed that low-end phones (common in developing countries) had difficulty connecting to it.  Recent projects by AT&T and Apple only work on new phones with new tech.

Tim Farrar
@TMFAssociates
AT&T starting to play down expectations: years & a dozen plus launches away from commercial service, no idea about business model (ie if it’s possible to charge extra), mostly texting & calling, and seamless handoff is a purely aspirational “best case…eventually”
9/12/24, https://x.com/tmfassociates/status/1834408102315094362
(Thread/discussion/graphics at the link.)
 
< Tend to agree, unless a major telco intends to just absorb it as a loss-leader to get customers, for places like North America. That’s why as a stand-alone business model I tend to like LynkGlobal’s focus on non-developed countries more; makes more sense.
 
Tim Farrar
Except that as Loon showed, cheap handsets have a huge impact on performance in developing countries. Lynk appears to be in process of pivoting to govt and defense

AT&T Shares What To Expect From AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird Satellites
AT&T's Head of Network Chris Sambar talks about the carrier's plan to use the BlueBird satellites to bring connectivity to phones. He also calls out SpaceX, a rival to AST SpaceMobile.
 https://www.pcmag.com/news/att-shares-what-to-expect-from-asts-bluebird-satellites

This Week: Verizon Innovates in Satellite Comms with Srini Kalapala - The Week with Roger
Podcast. 13 min.
https://the-week-with-roger.captivate.fm/episode/this-week-verizon-innovates-in-satellite-comms-with-srini-kalapala

[Sigmetnow]

—- Polaris Dawn
 
Eric Berger
Looks like Polaris and SpaceX are still considering splashdown locations in the Gulf of Mexico and off the east coast of Florida in the Atlantic. Potential splashdown times from about 3:30 ET-6:30 ET [early Sunday morning]. I petition we rename the mission Polaris Pre-Dawn given this week's schedule.
9/13/24, 4:15 PM https://x.com/sciguyspace/status/1834687357385146459
 
More at: https://x.com/spacetfrs

  —-
Polaris
@PolarisProgram
Polaris Dawn Flight Day 4 Update
After an exciting and historic spacewalk on Thursday, September 12, the crew spent the majority of their Flight Day 4 focused on science and research. Polaris Dawn partnered with 31 institutions from across the world to create a robust and diverse science research portfolio throughout their time in space. …
…
 
The crew also continued to test and demonstrate Starlink aboard Dragon. One of the biggest tests of connectivity includes the ability to quickly share files. Earlier in the week, the crew recorded Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis playing “Rey’s Theme” by John Williams on the violin. Once complete, the crew successfully sent the files down to Earth over Starlink to help create this special music event named "Harmony of Resilience."
 
Teams on Earth synced Gillis’s video and audio with various recorded orchestral performances around the globe, including in Los Angeles, which was attended by legendary composer John Williams and the entire Polaris Dawn crew. These performances were conducted from mid-2023 to early 2024.
 
9/13/24, 8:12 PM https://x.com/polarisprogram/status/1834747047872020550

—-
CBS Saturday Morning
@cbssaturday
Polaris Dawn astronaut Sarah Gillis performed the first known violin solo in space, playing "Rey's Theme," from the "Star Wars" series. The violinist shares how she prepared for the out-of-this-world moment to inspire the world.
9/14/24, 8:42 AM ➡️  https://x.com/cbssaturday/status/1834935776997486635
3 min.  Includes SW clips, and a view of the vacuum chamber where the violin was tested.


—-
John Kraus
@johnkrausphotos
 
The Polaris Program team is incredibly honored to share this global music moment with the world!
 
@Gillis_SarahE played a space-qualified violin* on board the Dragon spacecraft and sent us the footage and audio back via Starlink. We mixed this footage alongside a set of beautiful orchestra performances, both from a dedicated assembly of professional performers in the United States — as well as youth players from around the world.
 
Joining us in this moment is John Williams, the legendary composer who is responsible for some of the most iconic scores in the history of film and music. I had the honor of photographing him alongside the crew in Los Angeles. His soft and gentle presence is unlike that of anyone I've ever met, and it was a unique privilege to watch him share this moment with Sarah and the entire crew.
 
In addition to being an engineer at SpaceX, Sarah is a remarkably talented classically-trained violinist who has been playing since a young age. As access to space continues to expand through commercial missions like Polaris Dawn, it is high time that we send more and more artists, poets, and creative individuals to space. This is one big step toward that future.
 
Enjoy the music from space and around the world!
 
9/13/24, 8:05 AM https://x.com/johnkrausphotos/status/1834563970021179665

* This implies that the violin was specially treated or designed to function in the space environment, which includes exposure to vacuum conditions, extreme temperatures, and microgravity. “Given SpaceX's approach to materials in space (like the bake-out process for the Crew Dragon to remove toxins), it's plausible that similar rigorous testing or treatments were applied to the violin to ensure it wouldn't compromise the mission or the astronauts' health.”
 
Scott Manley: I want to do a story on what it takes to space qualify a violin.
John Kraus
We will share more details in the weeks ahead about the music moment
9/13/24, 10:44 AM https://x.com/johnkrausphotos/status/1834603988408217635
 
 
—-
Polaris
@PolarisProgram
Join the Polaris Dawn crew to learn details behind some of the ~40 science and research experiments being conducted during the mission. Many of these experiments will provide valuable data regarding human health in space ahead of future long-duration space missions
9/13/24, 7:14 PM ➡️ https://x.com/polarisprogram/status/1834732495071318136
 7 min.  From space.

—-
⬇️ SpaceX: “Making the impossible merely late.”
 
Top: SpaceX Starship render from years ago.
Bottom: Polaris Dawn this week.
  —-
Sarah Gillis and John Williams

[Sigmetnow]

Soyuz MS-26/72S: Contact and capture! At 3:32 EDT (1932 UTC) as the Soyuz and ISS were passing 260 miles above eastern Europe
9/11/24, 3:33 PM

A new record has been set for the most people in Earth orbit at one time: 19
 
International Space Station:
 
Matthew Dominick
Michael Barratt
Jeanette Epps
Alexander Grebenkin
Oleg Kononenko
Tracy Caldwell Dyson
Nikolai Chub
Butch Wilmore
Suni Williams

Soyuz MS-26
 
Don Pettit
Aleksey Ovchinin
Ivan Vagner

Dragon Resilience, free-flying Polaris Dawn mission:
 
Jared Isaacman
Scott Poteet
Sarah Gillis
Anna Menon

Tiangong Space Station:
 
Ye Guangfu
Li Cong
Li Guangsu

9/11/24, 12:34 PM https://x.com/johnkrausphotos/status/1833906864280477801
 
 < Is it true that Anna and Sarah are the farthest woman have ever flown from earth?
<< Yes

—-
In the Soyuz!
 
A. Pettit
My ~70 year old father just flew to space for a 4th time.
Age is just a number. Health is the true measure of time’s passage, and he might as well be timeless.
Don’t let anything slow you down.
 
9/12/24, https://x.com/pettitfrontiers/status/1834218417764602228
⬇️ photo below.
 
Don Pettit's first spaceflight was wild:
He was a replacement for the original astronaut.
The Columbia disaster grounded his ride home.
Stayed longer in space, rationing supplies.
Returned home on Soyuz TMA-1, a new evolution of the Soyuz with marginally more room for crew.
TMA-1 had been the Soyuz that was supposed to carry Lance Bass, member of the boy band *NSYNC, that never happened because funding fell through.
And then, he smuggled stuff back from space that almost killed him....
 
Oh and he made 'Saturday Morning Science' which is one of the best videos about messing around with simple experiments in zero-G.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i959ThPiuRE&feature=youtu.be
 
9/13/24, https://x.com/djsnm/status/1834646782288216258

 
—-
 
NASA
LIVE: From the @Space_Station, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams discuss their ongoing mission and answer questions from the media
NASA Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams News Conference From Space Station
41 min Sept 13, 2024
 

 
Suni Williams has been named station commander, for Expedition 72!
Yes, NASA makes it easy for them to vote, via absentee ballot.

—-
Navy captains don’t like abandoning ship—but with Starliner, the ship left them
"As the commander or pilot of your spacecraft, you don’t want to see it go off without you."
Stephen Clark - 9/13/2024, 6:40 PM
https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/09/navy-captains-dont-like-abandoning-ship-but-with-starliner-the-ship-left-them/
 
< With Boeing, Spacecraft Abandons YOU !

News —
Boeing strike 2024: IAM union members begin strike | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/13/business/strike-boeing-vote-iam-751-hnk-intl/index.html
 
Already burdened with $45 billion in debt, Boeing Co. is at risk of losing its investment-grade credit rating as it faces the prospect of a drawn-out strike by workers that will further disrupt production and cash flow. The company’s rating is is now one step above speculative grade known as junk.
   —-
At the bottom of this article is a lengthy and disturbing list of “Key moments in Boeing's recent history,” which includes the Starliner debacles.

—-
“It’s most important to prevent a ‘gap’ in LEO access.”
Link to interview is below.
 
VAST is building a small LEO space station module*, to be launched in late 2025 by a Falcon 9, and visited by 4 crews on SpaceX Dragons.  They want to gather expertise to assure they are the top choice for NASA’s LEO station partnership contracts in 2026.  They are self-funded through that point, and can then build a bigger station.
 
- “Working with SpaceX is friendly.  We can sign a contract for Dragon within two weeks, and fly within a year, including training.  That’s critical in order to have an operational space station.”
 
- Launching a module on a reusable Falcon 9 gives us a lower cost.  What would that cost be in the rest of the industry? No one really knows.
 
- Starship lowering the cost of launching larger station modules, and then people. 

VΛST
@vast
Vast CEO, @maxhaot, spoke with @washingtonpost’s @wapodavenport about the future of the ISS and Vast’s role in creating the first commercial space station at the @USChamber 2024 Global Aerospace Summit. As NASA plans the ISS’s retirement, we’re excited to partner with innovators to build on their legacy in low Earth orbit and beyond.
 
9/12/24, 5:05 PM ➡️  https://x.com/vast/status/1834337552645665260
16 min

EDIT:*
A space station module that fits inside a Falcon 9 fairing may seem small — Haven-1 is 10 meters long (and 3.8 meters in diameter).
 
But compare the first Lunar Gateway section, planned for Artemis 4.  It will be launched on a Falcon Heavy, and its HALO module is only about 7.5 meters long, because it will share the fairing with the Power and Propulsion module.

[Sigmetnow]

SpaceX
Dragon and the @PolarisProgram Polaris Dawn astronauts are set to return to Earth and splash down off the coast of Dry Tortugas, Florida on Sunday, September 15 at 03:22 a.m. ET (07:22 UTC) → https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=polarisdawn
9/14/24, 4:33 PM https://x.com/spacex/status/1835054184892448779
  Gulf of Mexico.  Northwest of Key West
  
➡️ see: https://x.com/spacetfrs/status/1834686004726227245
 
4/5190 NOTAM Details
https://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_4_5190.html

    ——
 
NEWS: Starlink, via space lasers, enabled a 40+ minute uninterrupted video call between Polaris Dawn crew and SpaceX team
– Starlink maintained the laser link connection while the Dragon spacecraft completed half an Earth orbit and performed 16 Draco thruster firings.

SpaceX
Early this morning via @Starlink space lasers, the Polaris Dawn crew chatted with SpaceX teams over coffee and donuts 🍩🛰️
9/14/24, 2:25 PM https://x.com/spacex/status/1835022140384722965
  —
During the 40+ minute uninterrupted video call, Dragon completed half an orbit over the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S., cutting southeast over the Atlantic Ocean and rounding the Cape of Good Hope
  —
The plaser in Dragon’s trunk and the partner Starlink satellite for the event maintained their laser link during 16 Draco thruster firings

Abhi Tripathi @SpaceAbhi
The plasers enable a global mesh network which is a game changer in LEO. Eventually Starlink may try and extend that mesh to higher altitudes and even the Moon and Mars.
9/14/24, 5:07 PM https://x.com/spaceabhi/status/1835062920327413889
 
Jessica Jensen
I had the privilege of talking to the Polaris Dawn crew this morning!
They shared insights about the temperature feelings during the spacewalk, the great food they ate (made by SpaceX food services!), and space hair
9/14/24, 3:03 PM  https://x.com/jjfactorykat/status/1835031746146189383
⬇️ pic below; another at the link.
 
——
 
Jenny Hautmann @JennyHPhoto
Falcon 9 B1083 returns to Cape Canaveral after supporting Polaris Dawn. This was the 4th mission for this rocket. If you look closely, you'll see the signatures of @rookisaacman, @KiddPoteet, @Gillis_SarahE, and @annawmenon! …
9/12/24, https://x.com/jennyhphoto/status/1834231578127442247
 
⬇️ Inside the finger-painted rectangle.  Pics: in the hangar from August, and Sept 12 upon the Booster’s return.

   ———
 
SpaceX, an American company, just completed the first-ever commercial spacewalk, the farthest from Earth in over 50 years. Yet, no recognition or appreciation from the President. …
9/13/24, https://x.com/cb_doge/status/1834623325559238681

  —-
 
Matt Lowne
A great clip from the recent Space & Aeronautics Subcommittee Hearing regarding #SpaceX #Superheavy& Flight 5.
Specifically, McCormick criticised that the FAA's excessive red tape surrounding launch licensing is having a detrimental affect on American spaceflight innovation. 
9/11/24, ➡️ https://x.com/matt_lowne/status/1833922840451522960
   —-
Here's the full thing. The clip I posted is at ~1hr34.
Reading back, the first post in this 🧵 implied the whole hearing was about SpaceX, it wasn't, I was just referring to the highlighted clip specifically. Though Starship was the elephant in the room.
9/11/24 ➡️  youtu.be/1PyRw2OTcZw&feature=youtu.be  

===
 
SpaceX have made human mass to orbit go exponential like Moores law. 
 
⬇️ graph from: 9/14/24, https://x.com/peterrhague/status/1834928315792007292
 
 
===
 
Re airlines adding Starlink:
 
The birth of an interplanetary civilisation will be paid for by your inability to sit for 9 hours without Netflix.
Here's to galloping technological entitlement!
9/13/24, https://x.com/peterrhague/status/1834572498060403156

[nadir]

Wow the amount of garbage accumulating at LEO due to the mostly Military system Starlink.

Thank you Elon Musk!

[cognitivebias2]

Wow the amount of garbage accumulating at LEO due to the mostly Military system Starlink.

Thank you Elon Musk!

Starlink satellites are neither mostly military nor LEO garbage.  There are 3 million civilian users and the satellites do not break up into space junk, but deorbit intact. 


For largest contributors to space junk see China and Russia ASAT testing.

https://swfound.org/media/9550/chinese_asat_fact_sheet_updated_2012.pdf

https://www.spacecom.mil/Newsroom/News/Article-Display/Article/2842957/russian-direct-ascent-anti-satellite-missile-test-creates-significant-long-last/

[nadir]

Wow the amount of garbage accumulating at LEO due to the mostly Military system Starlink.

Thank you Elon Musk!

Starlink satellites are neither mostly military nor LEO garbage.  There are 3 million civilian users and the satellites do not break up into space junk, but deorbit intact. 


For largest contributors to space junk see China and Russia ASAT testing.

https://swfound.org/media/9550/chinese_asat_fact_sheet_updated_2012.pdf

https://www.spacecom.mil/Newsroom/News/Article-Display/Article/2842957/russian-direct-ascent-anti-satellite-missile-test-creates-significant-long-last/

There are about 6000 starlink satellites currently. You’re telling me that there are 500 users per satellite with a straight face. A satellite that only lasts a few years, developed, manufactured, put in orbit by 500 lovely users paying each a few tens of dollars a momth. And you want me to believe Starlink is so paid by commercial civilian users.

If so, Starlink program should go bankrupt. Instead, they say they are considering an IPO…

And no, 6000 sats, no garbage. Well, you are right, not for Military operations, with drones, AI autonomous devices, etc. Starlink seems to me to have a lot of XXI Century Warfare applications.

But no, keep on believing that 500 users are paying for each Starlink satellite.

[cognitivebias2]

Wow the amount of garbage accumulating at LEO due to the mostly Military system Starlink.

Thank you Elon Musk!

Starlink satellites are neither mostly military nor LEO garbage.  There are 3 million civilian users and the satellites do not break up into space junk, but deorbit intact. 


For largest contributors to space junk see China and Russia ASAT testing.

https://swfound.org/media/9550/chinese_asat_fact_sheet_updated_2012.pdf

https://www.spacecom.mil/Newsroom/News/Article-Display/Article/2842957/russian-direct-ascent-anti-satellite-missile-test-creates-significant-long-last/

There are about 6000 starlink satellites currently. You’re telling me that there are 500 users per satellite with a straight face. A satellite that only lasts a few years, developed, manufactured, put in orbit by 500 lovely users paying each a few tens of dollars a momth. And you want me to believe Starlink is so paid by commercial civilian users.

If so, Starlink program should go bankrupt. Instead, they say they are considering an IPO…

And no, 6000 sats, no garbage. Well, you are right, not for Military operations, with drones, AI autonomous devices, etc. Starlink seems to me to have a lot of XXI Century Warfare applications.

But no, keep on believing that 500 users are paying for each Starlink satellite.

It's not users per satellite...  the constellation is required for coverage, not managing the users, although there is a limit on each sat (88Tbps, v2 165Tbps)  How many concurrent users is that?.

Even so, 3M x a nominal 1K per user is $3B/year. 
Costs for replenishing the constellation (12 K satellites/ 5 year life) using Falcon 9, ignoring Starship and new satellite versions would be on the order of 40 F9's x 50M = $2B/year.  Current size constellation, $1B/year to replenish.  Plus development and manufacture cost of the satellites.  In 2018 total cost (design, develop, deploy) was estimated at $10B.  Call it $50B, and $5B/year maintenance.  Target revenue is ~$25B/year.  Let's say they get to $15B/year.   ~10B/year profits should be worth $300B valuation.  All using very conservative numbers, and before Starship.

Starship may/should/could reduce launch costs further.  New sat versions will be more powerful.

Yeah, I think there is a viable business.  The IPO should be very successful.

[Sigmetnow]

—- SpaceX's Starlink is being used by:
 
• Over 2.5% of all homes in Australia
• Over 10% of all households in Alaska
• 400,000 users in Canada
• 150,000 users in Mexico
• 1.4 million people in the U.S.
• On contract to connect more than 1,000 aircraft all around the world, including commercial airlines
• And many more people around the world
 
9/9/24, 12:29 AM https://x.com/sawyermerritt/status/1832999841133134004
 
NEWS: SpaceX has announced that over 3% of all homes in Australia now use Starlink, up from 2.5% of all homes just 7 weeks ago!
9/13/24, 6:41 PM https://x.com/sawyermerritt/status/1834724028172337543
 
https://x.com/starlink/status/1834723305074704731

—-
Starlink Zimbabwe prices now available
➡️ https://x.com/willarshoko/status/1832143445609345288

—-
The cost to provide every single Canadian with high speed internet:
 
Trudeau government contract cost: $2,140,000,000
Elon Musk's Starlink cost: under $1,000,000,000
 

Globalnews.ca
The Canadian government announced a loan of $2.14 billion to help a Quebec company build a broadband satellite network that will connect more remote communities to the internet.
READ MORE: trib.al/q2xdf0q 
 
9/13/24, https://x.com/globalnews/status/1834731071860060533
 
Michael Barrett
< Hey @elonmusk - how much would it cost to provide @Starlink to every Canadian household that doesn’t have high speed?
 
Elon Musk
Less than half that amount
9/14/24, 4:00 PM https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1835045977008619564

 
——
Eric Berger
Good luck.
9/9/24, https://x.com/sciguyspace/status/1833133480953475271

Blockchain can Break Starlink's Monopoly
 
Hi Eric,
 
Starlink owns nearly 66% of active satellites in orbit, giving Elon Musk a grip over a vital constellation of broadband routers. With a large market share of communication services, Musk can promote his own political priorities, blocking access to Ukraine to operate drones, and worrying countries like Taiwan that service could be cutoff at his whim.
 
Private companies have entered the sector, but without guarantee that service would be truly accessible, ultimately controlled by a select pool of investors. Spacecoin is flipping the industry on its head, establishing a global 5G network with LEO satellites to democratize access to broadband, as well as investment, through a decentralized model that allows any individual to become an investor in the growing satellite communications sector.

 
< Whenever someone starts to throw out buzzwords like “democratize” and “decentralize” you need to run for the hills.
EB: They forgot demonitize
 
<< Always hilarious to see the language they use to try to demonize the fact that someone made a satellite constellation.
Bonus points for suggesting the solution is that they should make a satellite constellation.

 
—-
Elon Musk
Starlink is the only high-bandwidth Internet system that covers all of Earth.
It will probably deliver over 90% of all space-based Internet traffic next year.
9/1/24, 7:34 PM https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1830388762079101011

 ——

NEWS: T-Mobile today announced that it has successfully completed the first ever wireless emergency alert via @SpaceX's direct-to-cell Starlink satellites.
 
Emergency alerts will work for everyone – even Verizon, AT&T and other wireless provider customers will receive critical emergency alerts in the US during events like forest fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, and Amber alerts.
 
This breakthrough opens up the 500,000 square miles of lightly populated, mountainous and/or uninhabitable land across the country to critical, life-saving emergency alerts.
 
On Thursday, September 5th, T-Mobile initiated a test alert for a hypothetical evacuation notice.  The alert was sent 217 miles into space where it was received by one of the more than 175 Starlink direct-to-smartphone satellites currently in low earth orbit that effectively function as cell towers in space. The alert was then broadcast to a geographic area impacted by the hypothetical evacuation notice and received by a T-Mobile smartphone.
 
In total, it took emergency operators just seconds to queue up an emergency message and deliver that message via Starlink satellites to users on the ground.

T-Mobile Conducts the First Ever Wireless Emergency Alert Via Satellite
September 04, 2024
https://www.t-mobile.com/news/network/t-mobile-first-satellite-wea
⬇️ ⬇️  Images below.

 
Starlink direct to mobile phone Internet is exclusively with @TMobile in the US for the first year, then other carriers thereafter.
We are starting off working with one carrier in each country, but ultimately hope to serve all carriers.
8/31/24, https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1829961053327016314

Ben Longmier
Double F9 launch last night from both coasts!
The @SpaceX Direct to Cell program just added 26 sats, bringing our total to 168 sats. @TMobile will have no more dead zones in the US later this year.

 
—-
SpaceX's Starlink constellation contains 9,000+ lasers transmitting 10Pb+ of daily data traffic. These lasers can sustain a 100Gbps connection per link, can connect up to 3,300+ miles apart, and maintain a mesh network with 99.99% uptime.
Starlink has now been provided on over 33,000 flights.
9/8/24, https://x.com/sawyermerritt/status/1832649970937201061

 
——
SpaceX Satellites Conduct First Laser Data Exchange for US Military
Two SpaceX satellites with Tesat terminals have successfully exchanged data, marking a major milestone for the US Space Development Agency (SDA), according to the agency’s director, Derek Tournear.
The satellites are part of SDA’s Tranche 0 low-Earth orbit experimental spacecraft. They used laser terminals manufactured by Tesat-Spacecom to communicate. This is the first time the agency has demonstrated laser communications in space using the military-grade optical terminals required for SDA satellites, according to Space News.
“We had not previously demonstrated laser communications,” Tournear said at a DefenseNews conference. …
 
https://driveteslacanada.ca/news/spacex-satellites-conduct-first-laser-data-exchange-for-us-military/

—-
Starlink was successfully used to perform the world's first LEO satellite telesurgery in Japan!
 
The demonstration experiment simulated a 3-hour lung cancer surgery using a pig – The surgeon was in Fukuoka City while the "patient" was 1,000 km away in Fukushima.
https://news.ntv.co.jp/n/fbs/category/life/fs582baa3c91184b8997a86dbc47dae23b
 
9/9/24 https://x.com/ajtourville/status/1833131753378099640

 
—-
SpaceX gonna have to ramp up production of Starlink kits!
9/7/24, https://x.com/ajtourville/status/1832285114048409636
⬇️
—-
Starlink Gen3 kits aplenty in Dubai, UAE pic.x.com/vggm2z4o8n
9/15/24, ➡️ https://x.com/ajtourville/status/1835359816904307172
17 sec. 
 
—-
Starlink
Just 10 months after opening our factory in Bastrop, Texas, the Starlink team there has built 1 million Starlink Standard kits!
The team is ramping production to meet the surging demand for high-speed internet around the world 🛰️🌎❤️
9/9/24, https://x.com/starlink/status/1833213876135203265
 
—-
Via @MorganStanley Research's newest memo about SpaceX:
"We forecast total SpaceX revenue reaches $13.5bn in FY24, rising to $32.5bn by 2027 and $63bn by 2030."
9/4/24, https://x.com/spaceabhi/status/1831464741207994717

[Sigmetnow]

—- Polaris Dawn returns to earth
 
Eric Ralph
SpaceX astronauts, launched on a reused SpaceX rocket, orbiting Earth in a reused SpaceX Dragon, talking to SpaceX employees over a world-spanning ~6500-satellite SpaceX megaconstellation's laser mesh network! This would have seemed like corny fanfiction just ~5 years ago
9/14/24, 4:59 PM https://x.com/13ericralph31/status/1835060925701013711

  ——
The Polaris Dawn recovery operations included new views of the operation, courtesy of a drone with a Starlink connection.
 
➡️ https://x.com/spaceoffshore/status/1835223226248536438
 
And the Polaris crew had some fun invoking “Back to the Future” with stickers on their seats.
 
Watch: ➡️  http://spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=polarisdawn
(Click on the top photo)
 
Or on 𝕏:
➡️  https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1vOxwrBvbRVJB
 
9/15/24, 2:20 AM https://x.com/spacex/status/1835202095781495050
 2hr 12min

  —-
The new splashdown location near Dry Tortugas, Florida, was selected after nearly two weeks of launch delays due to unfavorable weather forecasts for each of Dragon’s seven return sites off the coast of Florida
Dry Tortugas adds greater geographic diversity for Dragon’s return and helps increase the odds of having acceptable return weather forecasts for missions such as Polaris Dawn
https://x.com/spacex/status/1835204672086589650
 
[But the plan is to switch ISS reentry operations to the US west coast, after Crew-8.]

—-
Dragon’s return path, captured from Key West, FL
➡️  https://x.com/kmreed/status/1835235201271656613
1:30

Dragon’s return path, captured from the ISS:
➡️ https://x.com/astro_pettit/status/1835430176941117701
“Matthew Dominick
So many of us were packed into the Cupola this morning to watch Polaris Dawn come back to earth. It was fun watching @astro_Pettit make this shot happen amongst five human bodies jammed in the cupola. Actually . . . I think having lots of folks jammed in helped him stabilize his body and thus the camera for the shot.”

[Sigmetnow]

Jared Isaacman
@rookisaacman

We are back on Earth and look forward to sharing the results and our experiences with all of you. The scientists and doctors rightfully own all of our time for the next few days, but I did want to share a few thoughts as I reflect on our mission and what we set out to accomplish.

We deeply care about the world we live in today and making it better. That’s why we wear the @Stjude patch on our flight suit and why we dedicate so much time to raising funds and awareness for their vital work. It’s why we partnered with @ElSistemaUSA to show how the beauty of music can bring people together all over the world. It is why we’ve brought Starlinks to various corners of the world to help connect people and provide access to information—building blocks for solving many of the world’s challenges.

As we work to address today’s problems, we must also look to the future we want our children to grow up in. As a crew, we have always believed in humanity's destiny among the stars—a belief that’s only been reinforced by our recent journey. We had very specific mission objectives, some familiar from the past, but in many ways, they were different today.

We took our spaceship farther than any human has gone since the last Apollo mission over 50 years ago, and along the way, two of our crewmates became the women who have journeyed farthest from this planet. Now, if we have been there before, why is it significant? The better question might be: Why haven’t we gone back? It’s not easy to travel that far into space. It requires immense energy to send a human-rated spaceship to such a height, and if a rapid deorbit is required, dissipating that energy is not easy. The environment is harsh, with increased radiation, more micrometeoroid debris, and no nearby safe havens in case of trouble. We went there to study the radiation environment, gather data on its impact on systems and human health, and to explore areas we know less about, where we can learn new problem-solving methods that will help in future missions. Records are meant to be broken, and we are so excited for @Artemis to take us ALL to even greater heights.

We conducted an EVA (spacewalk) and tested a new-generation spacesuit. There have been over 300 spacewalks in the 60-year history of human spaceflight, the most famous being those of the Apollo moonwalkers. By any standard, what we did was basic in comparison. The difference is that those spacewalks were conducted by government agencies—NASA, ESA, Russian Cosmonauts, Chinese Taikonauts—with the full backing of their nations' resources. In the future, tens of thousands of people will be working in space on multiple space stations, lunar bases, and Mars outposts and not all of them will be government astronauts. Space belongs to everyone, and it’s essential that both commercial and government efforts work together to make that future a reality. It is critical for the commercial industry to have the tools and experience for spacewalk operations and the suit we tested is just the first step in that journey. By opening up new frontiers, we’re building a future for all of humanity, not just a select few. Along the way, we’ve learned a lot about the technical disciplines related to EVA operations, which will only accelerate the iterative design process that @SpaceX executes so masterfully. I will personally treasure the experience my crew and I shared, but I am most excited about future generations of the suit and where they might be used someday.

We tested new laser-based Starlink communications, using it primarily as an alternative communication pathway to Mission Control, but also to put together a very special moment: my crewmate @Gillis_SarahE playing the violin in space. This wasn’t about being first at something, but about showing the world a different perspective through the power of music. To maybe think a bit less about the differences that dominate daily discourse and a bit more about our shared humanity and what we can achieve through some measure of unity.

Beyond what we hope to learn from these technical objectives or the ~40 science and research experiments, there is always a fundamental requirement of any space mission: to cast the widest possible inspirational message. There were many firsts on our mission, but just as important were the things that were simply different from what people are used to seeing. These differences can spark all sorts of creative thinking and maybe inspire the next generation to dream about what they can accomplish among the stars. Because if we’re going to realize humanity’s destiny to reach out and unlock the mysteries of the universe, we are going to need a lot of inspired dreamers to join this grand endeavor.

I want to close by thanking everyone who worked so hard to make this mission safe and successful. Of course, that starts with the 14,000+ @SpaceX employees, from top leadership like @elonmusk, @Gwynne_Shotwell, @jjfactorykat ,@skeech412 and @TurkeyBeaver to the SpaceX technicians inspecting our booster before flight. Special thanks to all the @PolarisProgram team that supported us throughout this journey over the last 2.5 years of training to the 24x7 on-orbit operations. I also want to thank @NASA for their foresight in creating the commercial crew program, which breathes life into initiatives like @PolarisProgram ..not to mention NASA's direct mission support and EVA suit testing. Thanks to the weather teams, recovery teams (including the @USCG), all the researchers, and everyone of our supporters that cheered us on and dreams of a brighter future✨. With our deepest appreciation and gratitude, THANK YOU!
 
9/16/24, 7:23 AM https://x.com/rookisaacman/status/1835640597631103173

[NeilT]

But no, keep on believing that 500 users are paying for each Starlink satellite.

Sig gave you a fleet number.  Now let's go down to 1 satellite launch and 500 user per satellite.

Now let's take 1 launch with 21 satellites of which each satellite will support 500 users at an average monthly subscription of $100 for each user.

That one launch over a 5 year period nets $63m.  A launch to SpaceX costs around $30m with user boosters and the satellite costs 0.2m to make.

So SpaceX is looking at around $29.8m on each launch over the 5 years.  But these are old numbers.  Customers are going up fast and manufacturing of kits is expanding massively.  By the end of this year it will be over 4m. By the end of next over 6m.

Yes, this is making SpaceX HUGE sums of money.

[Sigmetnow]

And most Starlinks in orbit today are the original version.  Newer Starlinks are the V2.0 “mini” and handle more traffic — and have laser inter-links.
 
The Starlink satellites that will launch on Starship are even larger and more capable, will launch in greater numbers per launch, and then for even lower launch cost.  (The loader and deployment mechanisms have already been built and have been seen in NSF update videos.)

[nadir]

But no, keep on believing that 500 users are paying for each Starlink satellite.

Sig gave you a fleet number.  Now let's go down to 1 satellite launch and 500 user per satellite.

Now let's take 1 launch with 21 satellites of which each satellite will support 500 users at an average monthly subscription of $100 for each user.

That one launch over a 5 year period nets $63m.  A launch to SpaceX costs around $30m with user boosters and the satellite costs 0.2m to make.

So SpaceX is looking at around $29.8m on each launch over the 5 years.  But these are old numbers.  Customers are going up fast and manufacturing of kits is expanding massively.  By the end of this year it will be over 4m. By the end of next over 6m.

Yes, this is making SpaceX HUGE sums of money.

I guess the comms, datalinks, the lasers that Sig mentions, all that doesn’t need to be paid. Its manufacturing and integration is for free, like sats are cheap!. Satellites monitoring, orbit determination and control is just Space X interns in their free time, right?

And all it delivers is an internet connection, so-so compared to anything else, but very useful when there’s nothing else. And certainly very useful for military operations.

[NeilT]

And all it delivers is an internet connection, so-so compared to anything else, but very useful when there’s nothing else. And certainly very useful for military operations.

There is a lot of nothing else.  Even the 10% of the western hemisphere for which the Telco's have decided "too difficult to connect for the price" make a massive market.  Nearly 100m alone.  Then there are the roughly 2bn in the 3rd world who have no hope of getting any decent internet, let alone broadband, any time in the next 2 decades.

Starlink has demand larger than most large telco's will ever see.  Once speeds start to rise to the gigabit level they will compete with all non fibre offerings even at a higher price.

[Sigmetnow]

And all it delivers is an internet connection

😂 🤣 😆

[Sigmetnow]

< Suddenly, everybody and their moms now want their very own LEO internet satellite constellation. 😂
   Must be easy given Elon made a very successful one.

Elon Musk
Seriously 😂
 
The reason Starlink is the only global high-bandwidth Internet system of any kind, terrestrial or space-based, is that it is a staggeringly difficult technology problem.
 
We had to invent so much technology from scratch! There is no supplier to whom one can go to buy the pieces needed to build something like Starlink, because they don’t exist!
 
9/17/24, 2:32 PM https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1836111028700221785
 
< As easy as developing reusable rockets; everybody is doing it

 
No country’s space program. No other company. No other system.

[Sigmetnow]

SpaceX
Propellant load is underway for today’s Falcon 9 launch of the Galileo L13 mission from pad 40 in Florida. Weather is currently 60% favorable for liftoff
9/17/24, 6:17 PM
https://x.com/spacex/status/1836167646892691585
 
6:50 PM EDT (~half-hour from now)

Notable because it is one of the few times SpaceX has launched European navigation satellites.
This launch was under a contract between ESA (European Space Agency) and SpaceX, reflecting a strategic shift in launch providers for Europe after issues with previous options like Soyuz and Ariane 6.

F9/Galileo L13: The latest forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of acceptable weather; SpaceX said earlier today "teams are keeping an eye on recovery weather" where the 1st stage booster will attempt to land on an off-shore droneship landing.
 
This will be Booster B1067’s 22nd flight — pushing the limits of booster recovery due to the intense re-entry conditions.
 
SpaceX's 1st launch of 2 Galileo satellites last April required the 1st stage booster to use all of its propellant and no recovery was attempted; this time around booster B1067, making its 22nd flight, will attempt a droneship landing thanks to trajectory tweaks and weight reductions; even so, SpaceX says it will experience higher-than-usual heating and dynamic pressure during its descent

https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=galileol13

[Sigmetnow]

< Nice going, sweetheart! >

B1067’s 22nd launch and landing — pushing the limits of booster recovery due to the intense re-entry conditions.

SpaceX
The booster reentry trajectory will result in higher heating and dynamic pressure on the booster than many of our historical landings. Although the reentry conditions are on the higher end of past missions, they are still acceptable. This landing attempt will test the bounds of recovery, giving us valuable data on the design of the vehicle in these elevated entry conditions. This in turn will help us innovate on future vehicle designs to make our vehicles more robust and rapidly reusable while expanding into more challenging reentry conditions. 
9/17/24, 6:44 PM https://x.com/spacex/status/1836174515002552623
 
Gav Cornwell
@SpaceOffshore
Bounds of Falcon 9 recovery tested to the limit... no problem. ✅
9/17/24, 6:59 PM https://x.com/spaceoffshore/status/1836178257407852842
⬇️

[NeilT]

It was very smooth actually.  Better than some with a lower velocity coming in.  They clearly spend a lot of work in making sure it would be a success.  Two failures in close succession would not have been a good look and the FAA would jump on it unless SpaceX specifically stated a failed landing was within the scope of the mission parameters.

[Sigmetnow]

The booster reached over 8700 km/h and 68km altitude at MECO, coasting to over 88km!
 
That’s about 1500 km/h (and 8km) more than a typical flight.
 
   —-
 
SpaceX
Deployment of Galileo L13 confirmed
9/17/24, 10:26 PM ET https://x.com/spacex/status/1836230345462616405
 
Unlike the prior launch, this time ESA acknowledges SpaceX’s partnership.

Jeff Foust
 
No anonymous "launcher" for this Galileo launch.

9/18/24, 5:29 AM ET https://x.com/jeff_foust/status/1836336641037709779
⬇️

[vox_mundi]

Second-gen Starlink Satellites Leak 30 Times More Radio Interference, Threatening Astronomical Observations
https://phys.org/news/2024-09-gen-starlink-satellites-leak-radio.html

Observations with the LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) radio telescope last year showed that first generation Starlink satellites emit unintended radio waves that can hinder astronomical observations.

New observations with the LOFAR radio telescope, the biggest radio telescope on Earth observing at low frequencies, have shown that the second generation V2-mini Starlink satellites emit up to 32 times brighter unintended radio waves than satellites from the previous generation, potentially blinding radio telescopes and crippling vital research of the universe.

The study is published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Plans show that the number of satellites launched into orbit could surpass 100,000 by the end of the decade. The escalation in radio wave emissions from satellites in LEO raises serious concerns for the future of astronomical research.

This study was conducted using the LOFAR radio telescope, which involved two extensive one-hour observation sessions on July 19, 2024, covering radio frequencies above and below the FM broadcast band used by radio stations that you receive with your household radio.

During these observations, the team detected unintended electromagnetic radiation (UEMR) from almost all the Starlink satellites observed, including both first-generation and second-generation satellites.

The analysis revealed that these newer satellites emit up to 32 times brighter unintended radio waves compared to the first generation, with levels potentially exceeding internationally regulated thresholds for interference set for intentional emissions and even more relaxed terrestrial electromagnetic compatibility standards.

"Compared to the faintest astrophysical sources that we observe with LOFAR, UEMR from Starlink satellites is 10 million times brighter. This difference is similar to the faintest stars visible to the naked eye and the brightness of the full moon. Since SpaceX is launching about 40 second-generation Starlink satellites every week, this problem is becoming increasingly worse," adds Cees Bassa."



C. G. Bassa et al, Bright unintended electromagnetic radiation from second-generation Starlink satellites, Astronomy & Astrophysics (2024)
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2024/09/aa51856-24/aa51856-24.html

------------------------------------------------------

Chinese Researchers: Starlink Signals Could Help Detect Stealth Aircraft
https://www.extremetech.com/aerospace/chinese-researchers-starlink-signals-could-help-detect-stealth-aircraft

Help the enemy: China adapts Starlink to detect stealth fighters
https://www.eurasiantimes.com/china-can-detect-f-22-f-35-stealth-jets/

A research team in China says that Starlink signals are now so pervasive that they can be used to identify stealth aircraft.

The 20th century saw warfare expand to the skies with the advent of military aircraft, the radar used to detect them, and expensive stealth systems that aim to prevent that. For decades, the US, China, Russia, and other military heavyweights have developed vehicles that can reflect and absorb radio waves to reduce their observable radar signature. If the study team from Wuhan University is right, this active detection scheme could be supplanted by a passive one based on the signals emanating from orbiting satellites.

This research was overseen by the Chinese government's State Radio Monitoring Centre, which is undoubtedly very interested in the possibility of detecting stealth aircraft. The team theorized that the omnipresence of Starlink signals could point the way to stealth aircraft due to forward scatter. When a Starlink satellite is overhead (which is common these days), an aircraft could produce a small disruption in the signal as it flies between the satellite and the ground.

According to the study, which was published in the Journal of Signal Processing, using "third-party" electromagnetic signals to detect aircraft is surprisingly effective. The team claims to have detected detailed features of the drone using this method, including the effects of rotor movement. This could provide a way to track stealth objects without revealing your location with active radar pings.

The Wuhan University team didn't come up with the idea on its own. Russian researchers proposed this approach in 2015, but Starlink didn't exist then. Now, the rapid expansion of megaconstellations could make it feasible to spot even the most advanced stealth aircraft. While the basic research has been published openly, China and other governments may be already working on more advanced non-public implementations of the technology for military use.

Starlink radiation makes stealth target glow on Chinese radar
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3278209/starlink-radiation-makes-stealth-target-glow-chinese-radar

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9872553

[NeilT]

Now the genie is out of the bottle on LEO comms satellites everyone is going to be doing it.  My bet is that non SpaceX sats will transmit a hell of a lot more than Starlink and make the pattern easier to detect.

[Sigmetnow]

—- More on United adopting Starlink internet for their 1,000 planes
 
NEWS: United Airlines wishes they could have installed Starlink on all their airplanes sooner.
 
“We first started looking at it for our regional fleet to see if we were going to try it out. And we quickly said, ‘there’s nothing to try out here. We can see that it’s going to work."
 
The company went on to say: "The actual satellite terminal is much smaller and easier to set up than the ones United currently uses. It’s another great example of where Starlink is pretty incredible. It’s really well-engineered. It’s a very simple product. It’s much simpler than what we already have on the airplane; The [satellite systems that use] geosynchronous orbits have moving parts inside. The antennas track the satellites as the plane is flying. Starlink doesn’t need that. There’s no more moving parts inside the Starlink modules. It’s very modular.”
 
United plans to get the Starlink retrofits done within two days for each plane, but it will take years to outfit the entire fleet.
 
9/17/24, https://x.com/sawyermerritt/status/1836213160371523681
 
Why United chose SpaceX’s Starlink to power its free Wi-Fi
https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/17/why-united-chose-spacexs-starlink-to-power-its-free-wifi/

——
NEWS: Regent Seven Seas Cruises, the world’s leading ultra luxury cruise line, has announced that they have finished installing @SpaceX's Starlink on all six ships in its fleet, providing guests with high-speed, unlimited WiFi as part of the voyage fare.
9/17/24, https://x.com/sawyermerritt/status/1836210822680301573
 
< You can play real-time video games on Starlink, whereas that is impossible with geostationary satellites that are ~50 times further away.
Speed of light is the law.
9/18/24, https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1836270588085866990


—- Polaris Dawn & their Dragon trunk

Jonathan McDowell @planet4589
The trunk from Polaris Dawn was jettisoned into a 215 x 451 km x 51.7 deg orbit and has been cataloged as 61073. It will make an uncontrolled reentry in a couple of months.
 
Jared Isaacman
It was a good trunk.
 
Jonathan McDowell
I'm sure it was!
    —-
Jonathan McDowell
Jared, real nitpick question: is the Polaris Program a company, a nonprofit, or some other kind of thing? In my listings I am wrestling with how to represent y'all in a way that distinguishes you from 'space tourist' - currently putting you in the 'business traveller' category!
9/17/24, https://x.com/planet4589/status/1836242396335497459
 
Jared Isaacman
Polaris is a partnership org with SpaceX that exists to assist in the development and testing of new technology that furthers humankind’s ambitions to explore among the stars. As for what we are called, I feel like that’s a topic people have wasted a lot of brainpower debating.
 
Jonathan McDowell
I exist to waste brainpower in that way, but ok. Thanks for the answer.

9/15/24, https://x.com/planet4589/status/1835378221355037001

 
—- Starbase Update
Tower 2 Quick Disconnect Arm Hinge Arrives | SpaceX Boca Chica
 
“Welcome to Whose Launch is it, Anyway?  The show where the comments are made up and the time stamps don’t matter.”
— John Galloway
 
A ship LOX header tank was spotted, parts were removed from Starhopper, Ship 33 had its second aft flap installed, and a Ship QD Arm hinge for Tower 2 arrived in Starbase.
Sept 18, 2024.  14 min

 

—- Happening now:
 
🔴 LIVE: SpaceX Static Fires Ship 31 - Upper Stage of the Sixth Starship Flight

[Sigmetnow]

SpaceX is continually improving its launch capability.  The FAA can’t keep up.
 
The FAA is fining SpaceX $633,009 for allegedly failing to follow launch regs in two 2023 Falcon 9 launches; looks like procedural failures to update changes in launch procedures and facilities.
 
FAA Proposes $633,009 in Civil Penalties Against SpaceX
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-proposes-633009-civil-penalties-against-spacex
 

Adrian Beil
 
FAA has published the enforcement letters for the F9/FH fines. Notes:
[See the thread for excerpts of the FAA response, and links to the original.]
 
Regarding Falcon 9:
FAA was informed on May 2, 2023 that there is a revised comms plan.
FAA responded on June 15, that a change for the June 18 launch would not be approved in time.
Textpic at the link.
 
< So, [the FAA] waited SIX weeks, just to notify SpaceX within 72 hours of the launch that the changes wouldn't be approved?
< SpaceX can manage to accomplish 12 - 13 launches in 1 month.  The FAA seems to not be able to accomplish a review of some minor communications changes or a tank farm change in a 3 - 4 week period.  I'm sure it's not like SpaceX was able to actually "build" the tanks farm in that time.  So... the FAA knew it was being implemented and that all they needed to do was sign off on it.  Local regulations at KSP likely reviewed the construction plans way before it was even built.
< Wow, Spacex used an unapproved modified control room?!? Those reckless fools! I'm just glad we're still alive after that!
 
SpaceX went ahead with conducting the launch on June 18, which included the changed operations plan, without permission. It also included the modified launch control room at Hangar X, which was not permitted.
 
   —-
Regarding Falcon Heavy (The non approved tank farm):
SpaceX submitted an updated plan on July 19, 2023, which included the new rocket propellant farm.
  —-
Seven days later, on July 26, 2023, the FAA informed SpaceX that the FAA would not be able to approve in time for the July 28 launch.
SpaceX launched on July 28, using the new tank farm.

9/17/24, https://x.com/bccarcounters/status/1836127644741701992
   —-

< Why the fuck are you being so difficult, FAA? SpaceX's top priority is safety and all this guy wants to do is make life multi-planetary for the future of humanity and you are making it difficult by 1/ fining him $633,009 for two Falcon 9 launches that were launched last year for license requirements and 2/ delaying the Starship 5 launch 2 months back bc of paperwork when the SpaceX team is ready to launch today? This threatens America's position as the leader in space! 
9/17/24, https://x.com/teslaconomics/status/1836090226521051489
 
Elon Musk
NASA puts their faith in @SpaceX for all astronaut transport to and from the @Space_Station, but somehow @FAANews leadership thinks they know better …

9/17/24, https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1836115994751672809

—- So then this happened:

Elon Musk
 
SpaceX will be filing suit against the FAA for regulatory overreach

9/17/24, https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1836097185395666955

Although SpaceX should not be allowed to simply ignore FAA regulations, these incidents seem to be more a fault of FAA foot-dragging than an attempt by SpaceX to bypass safety standards.  Huge fines won’t solve the problem.

 
====
 

Texas Republican Congressman Keith Self today sent a letter strongly encouraging the FAA to accelerate the agency’s environmental review of @SpaceX’s project in Texas.
 
Keith: "I am disappointed that the FAA appears to have been swayed by false narratives from the national media despite the FAA's own environmental assessment that makes clear that 25 annual launches and landings of its Starship/Super Heavy launch vehicle at Starbase will result in no harm to the environment. Our national security cannot afford to let incorrect information delay American innovation, and I strongly encourage your agency to quickly approve SpaceX's proposal to increase their launch cadence at Starbase from 5 to 25 launches a year. Thank you for your time and consideration."

9/17/24, https://x.com/sawyermerritt/status/1836157390724673935
 Image of the entire letter at the link.

====
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr:

NEW
 
Senators write Vice President Kamala Harris over her mismanagement of a $42 billion program to expand Internet.
 
After 1️⃣,0️⃣3️⃣8️⃣ days “not a single person has been connected to the internet using the $42.45 billion.”

9/18/24, ➡️ https://x.com/brendancarrfcc/status/1836435062994121053
Two big textpics of the letter are at the link. Ouch. Excerpt:

… “Instead of focusing on delivering broadband services to unserved areas, your administration has used the BEAD program to add partisan, extralegal requirements that were never envisioned by Congress and have obstructed broadband deployment. By imposing burdensome climate change mandates on infrastructure projects, prioritizing government-owned networks over private investment, mandating the use of unionized labor in states, and seeking to regulate broadband rates, your administration has caused unnecessary delays leaving millions of Americans unconnected.

The administration's lack of focus on truly connecting the unconnected has failed the American people and represents a gross misuse of limited taxpayer dollars. The American public deserves better.”

[Sigmetnow]

—- Intuitive Machines announces NASA has awarded the Company a Near Space Network (“NSN”) contract for communication and navigation services for missions in the near space region, which extends from Earth’s surface to beyond the Moon.

IM’s lunar lander launched on a Falcon 9.  Gotta wonder how much collaboration between the two companies might be involved in this project. 
And no, this is not a competitor to Starlink.  It’s for communications between Earth and the Moon, and around the Moon — although tying into Starlink’s world-wide high-bandwidth network at this end would certainly seem to make sense.

NASA Awards Intuitive Machines Near Space Network Contract with a Maximum Potential Value of $4.82 Billion

Intuitive Machines, Inc. (Nasdaq: LUNR, LUNRW) (“Intuitive Machines”) (“Company”), a leading space exploration, infrastructure, and services company, today announced NASA has awarded the Company a Near Space Network (“NSN”) contract for communication and navigation services for missions in the near space region, which extends from Earth’s surface to beyond the Moon.

This Subcategory 2.2 Geostationary Orbit to Cislunar Relay Services is a new Firm-Fixed-Price, Multiple Award, Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (“IDIQ”) Task Order Contract. The contract has a base period of five years with an additional five-year option period, with a maximum potential value of $4.82 billion. The incrementally funded base ordering period begins Tuesday, October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2029, with the option period potentially extending the contract through September 30, 2034.

“This contract marks an inflection point in Intuitive Machines’ leadership in space communications and navigation,” said Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus. “We’re pleased to partner with NASA, as one team, to support the Artemis campaign and endeavors to expand the lunar economy.”

A key highlight of this contract is the debut of Intuitive Machines’ lunar satellite constellation, a service the Company believes is a strategic element in its vision to commercialize lunar activities. The constellation will provide enhanced data and transmission services and autonomous operations, creating a robust infrastructure in line with Intuitive Machines’ three pillars to commercialize a celestial body.

Delivery: Scaling lunar lander capabilities to support cargo and infrastructure delivery.

Data Transmission Services: Establishing a network of satellites capable of delivering 4K resolution video data and navigation services, assisting in landing site selection and resource prospecting.

Autonomous Operations: Developing infrastructure, logistics, and mapping solutions on the Moon to facilitate exploration and operations.

As part of this contract, the Company will deploy lunar relay satellites and provide communication and navigation services that play an essential role in NASA’s Artemis campaign to establish a long-term presence on the Moon.

https://www.intuitivemachines.com/post/nasa-awards-intuitive-machines-near-space-network-contract-with-a-maximum-potential-value-of-4-82-b

No wonder IM’s $LUNR stock price has jumped this week!

3/3

[nadir]

Easy to blame the FAA. Last time they did, SpaceX was three months late after FAA permit.

Is SpaceX really ready for ITF-5? And will the go round the Moon this time? No & no.

[Sigmetnow]

Easy to blame the FAA. Last time they did, SpaceX was three months late after FAA permit.

Is SpaceX really ready for ITF-5? And will the go round the Moon this time? No & no.

Ship 31 had what looked like a successful static fire earlier tonight.
 
And Flight 5 is not supposed to go around the Moon. Duh.

FAA is preventing a more rapid flight cadence that is required for learnings before lunar flights are attempted.

The fines discussed above were for Falcon and Falcon Heavy flights.

[Sigmetnow]

Second-gen Starlink Satellites Leak 30 Times More Radio Interference, Threatening Astronomical Observations

Welcome to astronomy in the 21st century!

1. Satellite improvements:
 
Starlink satellites now redirect their beams away from radio telescope array in New Mexico

Starlink
 
The Starlink team and @TheNRAO worked together to enable Starlink satellites to avoid transmissions into the line-of-sight of radio telescopes, leveraging our advanced phased array antenna technology to dynamically steer beams away from telescopes → starlink.com/updates

8/9/24, https://x.com/starlink/status/1822026233938686422
30 sec: map, cones; Starlink cones adjust to avoid the telescope.
 
One-page dense pdf: https://api.starlink.com/public-files/Telescope_Boresight_Avoidance.pdf

 
2. Astronomers are already in discussions with SpaceX about putting large telescopes in space using Starship.  Such telescopes will benefit by not only being above Earth’s radio “noise” from the multitude of sources (not just Starlink), but above atmospheric visible interference, (i.e., clouds) as well.

EDIT:
3.  Deal with it.  Earth is the brightest of all the inner planets in our solar system, when observed in the radio spectrum.  Starliner’s OFT-1 flight failed so miserably in part because “cell tower interference” blocked control signals from the ground.  We’ll develop new ways to filter out human-caused radiation, just as astronomers now have to rule out old rocket bodies and defunct satellites before declaring a potential threatening asteroid.

[NeilT]

The fines discussed above were for Falcon and Falcon Heavy flights.

And a really important point to note in all of this.  There was ONE and ONE ONLY violation in each case.

You know what that means don't you.  That the FAA Approved the comms strategy, the new launch centre and the tank farm, BEFORE the next launch took place.  Which means that they were approved, there was never any question that they were going to be approved, only that the FAA were not going to get the paperwork in place in time for the launch.

Notably the FAA took no action at all on these "technical" violations until SpaceX and Elon complained about them holding up IFT 5 with politics.

Sit there and think about that for a moment.

[Sigmetnow]

Elon Musk
 
Flight 5 is built and ready to fly.
 
Flight 6 will be ready to fly before Flight 5 even gets approved by FAA!

9/19/24, 1:31 AM https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1836639170300666277
 

SpaceX
 
Six engine static fire of Flight 6 Starship

9/18/24, 11:22 PM ➡️ https://x.com/spacex/status/1836606716282311166
Pic, 11-sec clip, and 5 min super slo-mo engines close-up at the link.  Easy to see when the second three engines light!

 
—- NEWS: SpaceX's legal team has sent a multi-page letter to Congress about the FAA.
 
"It is SpaceX's understanding that it is highly irregular, and perhaps unprecedented, for a (FAA) Chief Counsel to be quoted on an enforcement matter. SpaceX forcefully rejects the FAA's assertion that it violated any regulations. SpaceX is absolutely committed to safety in all operations."

SpaceX
 
For nearly two years, SpaceX has voiced its concerns with the FAA’s inability to keep pace with the commercial spaceflight industry. It is clear that the Agency lacks the resources to timely review licensing materials, but also focuses its limited resources on areas unrelated to public safety.

These distractions continue to directly threaten national priorities and undercut American industry's ability to innovate.

9/19/24, 9:51 AM https://x.com/spacex/status/1836765012855287937
⬇️  The four-page letter is attached below.
 
“Despite the Federal Range's approval, AST elected to involve itself and now proposes penalties against SpaceX because AST was unable to do its job in an efficient manner.”
 
“FAA is on console prior to launch operations and did not stop launch operations because of this matter, indicating no public hazard or public safety risk.”
 
“(2) T-2 Hour Polling
     a) The FAA alleges that SpaceX should have conducted a T-2 hour readiness poll prior to the PSN MSF launch, per its Communications Plan, and that such a readiness poll should have been in SpaceX's launch procedures. There is no requirement in the regulations for a T-2 hour readiness poll.
     b) Importantly, SpaceX conducts a poll prior to propellant loading, later in the count, consistent with safe operations.”

< It's frustrating that SpaceX can build a giant Rocket faster than FAA does a paperwork.
<< It’s not FAA red-tape, bureaucracy or insufficient resources.
   It’s political malice.

⬇️ Click to enhance.

[NeilT]

You note that this document says that the FAA were "on console".  During the launch polling each console is polled for a GO. The FAA said GO and therefore authorised the launches.

This is a technical documentation issue for two single launches.

This isn't going to go well for the FAA in court. They sat on it for a year and only pulled it out when they were in trouble.

[nadir]

Easy to blame the FAA. Last time they did, SpaceX was three months late after FAA permit.

Is SpaceX really ready for ITF-5? And will the go round the Moon this time? No & no.

And Flight 5 is not supposed to go around the Moon. Duh.

Right, that was the 5th flight of Saturn V (Apollo X).

[Sigmetnow]

Easy to blame the FAA. Last time they did, SpaceX was three months late after FAA permit.

Is SpaceX really ready for ITF-5? And will the go round the Moon this time? No & no.

And Flight 5 is not supposed to go around the Moon. Duh.

Right, that was the 5th flight of Saturn V (Apollo X).

The Saturn V rocket never got anywhere near the Moon.  Starship HLS will land on it.

[Sigmetnow]

Elon Musk
 
SpaceX letter to Congress.
 
The @FAANews leadership spends their resources attacking @SpaceX for petty matters that have nothing to do with safety, while neglecting real safety issues at Boeing. This is deeply wrong and puts human lives at risk.
 
NASA deemed the Boeing capsule unsafe for astronaut return, turning, out of necessity, to SpaceX, yet instead of fining Boeing for putting astronauts at risk, the FAA is fining SpaceX for trivia!
 
Enough is enough.

9/19/24, https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1836923457960919224
 
< Christian Davenport
This is *somewhat* reminiscent of the bare-knuckled fight over national security launch contracts when SpaceX sued the Air Force for the right to compete. Will be interesting to see how it plays out and if there’s Congressional support. At any rate, Elon is digging in.
9/19/24, https://x.com/wapodavenport/status/1836932951457546607
 
   —-
 
"We'll try to catch the world's largest rocket with chopstick arms. It's bananas."
 
➡️ https://x.com/elon_docs/status/1837167561152073994
30 sec.  Lex Fridman podcast, 2021.

—- Mechazilla Dance
 
Some more catch testing was just performed at the top of the tower! Have some more wibble wobble for the faint hearted of folks 😆
9/19/24, ➡️ https://x.com/iniallanderson/status/1836805001735250308
9 sec

Additional view from Lab which also showcases where SpaceX reinforced the carriageway connecting to the tower 
9/19/24, ➡️ https://x.com/iniallanderson/status/1836812502786584673
9 sec. Timelapse. 😳

   —-
SpaceX
Starbase tower lifts the Super Heavy booster for Flight 5 to expected catch height
9/20/24, 12:28 PM https://x.com/spacex/status/1837167076340863419
2 pics below; more at the link.
 
< Chris Bergin - NSF
Nice! There are the SpaceX drone shots! It was very cool to see Booster 12 at catch height. It's now on the OLM, so they can add the Hot Staging Ring, which rolled with B12 last night, and maybe send Ship 30 out there, too.
 
Full stack testing, like a WDR, would be the ultimate "We're ready to launch, but we're still waiting for regulatory approval" flex.
9/20/24, https://x.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1837168435521823202

[Sigmetnow]

—- BOEING DEFENSE, SPACE & SECURITY PRESIDENT & CEO TED COLBERT LEAVING COMPANY

Jon Ostrower
 
BREAKING: Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg announces the departure of Ted Colbert, head of its ailing Defense & Space unit, effective immediately, according to an internal copy memo reviewed by @theaircurrent.
  —
Ironically enough, I am currently wrapping a story right now that (prior to this news) included this line verbatim:
 
 “Ortberg, who took the reins of the company on Aug. 8, has not yet established his own leadership team, though heavy turnover in the company's Executive Council is widely anticipated over the next six months, according to multiple senior company officials.”

https://x.com/jonostrower/status/1837232402600743228
 
< Boy that was quick. Ted Colbert has already been deleted from the official Boeing company executive bios page.
boeing.com/company/bios
 

Eric Berger
 
Well this is an interesting Friday news development. For what it's worth, Boeing still has not publicly committed to the Starliner program since the vehicle's return two weeks ago.

9/20/24, 5:23 PM https://x.com/sciguyspace/status/1837241305988022308
 
 
Boeing head of troubled defense, space unit to depart immediately
Fri, September 20, 2024

… Starliner has cost Boeing $1.6 billion in overruns since 2016, according to a Reuters analysis of securities filings.
 
"Historically, Boeing held a superior reputation for our ability to manage programs, and we need to ensure it remains a key differentiator for us in the future," Ortberg wrote in an email to employees.
…
Boeing's defense, space and security unit, one of its three main businesses, has lost billions of dollars in 2023 and 2022, which executives attributed in large part to cost overruns on fixed-price contracts.
…
Colbert's departure comes at a time when Boeing has been trying to save cash by announcing furloughs amid a strike by more than 32,000 of its workers. …

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/boeing-defense-head-ted-colbert-205610696.html

Boeing starts furloughs for thousands as strike continues
Sept 20

… With no signs that negotiators for Boeing and the union would return imminently to the bargaining table, the two sides took early steps to prepare for a lengthy strike.
…
Ortberg told employees this week that the company would initiate temporary furloughs for a large number of U.S.-based employees who are not part of the strike.
…
The extensive furloughs show Ortberg is preparing the company to weather a prolonged strike that may not be easily resolved given the anger among rank-and-file workers who want 40% higher pay and a performance bonus restored. …

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/boeing-furloughs-begin-friday-thousands-190641023.html/

[Sigmetnow]

India charts a path to become the world’s third-largest space power.
 
India approves development of reusable launcher, space station module
The Indian government has approved $2.7 billion in new spending for its space program.
Stephen Clark - 9/19/2024

All at once, India's government has approved plans to develop a new reusable rocket, the centerpiece of an Indian space station, a robotic sample return mission to the Moon, and a science probe to explore Venus.
 
"Great news for the space sector!" Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X. Collectively, the projects authorized by India's union cabinet will cost an estimated $2.7 billion. Most of the funding will go toward the country's space station and a reusable launch vehicle.
 
If the projects reach their goals, the approvals announced by Modi on Wednesday will put India on a trajectory to become the third-largest space power in the 2030s, after the United States and China. V. Narayanan, director of India's Liquid Propulsion Systems Center, stated this was the objective in a recent presentation, writing that India's space initiatives will catapult the country to a place "among the three important space powers in the world."
 
This suggests India aspires to surpass Russia's space program, which is experiencing a financial crisis largely due to the country's war against Ukraine. Russia still has a reliable crew capsule, the Soyuz, and will maintain a robust human spaceflight program as long as the International Space Station remains in orbit. But there are serious questions about whether Russia's government can support a standalone national space station, a replacement for the Soyuz crew spacecraft, or a heavy-lift reusable rocket.
 
Aiming high
If India succeeds with its space station and reusable rocket and continues to make progress in lunar and interplanetary exploration, there's reason to believe the South Asian power will do more in space than Russia over the next 15 years. Europe and Japan do a lot in space, too, but they lack independent human spaceflight programs, and their governments have not taken the step to significantly support the development of a reusable rocket.
 
As soon as next year, India aims to become the fourth country to launch its astronauts into orbit with the Gaganyaan human spaceflight program. …
 
An Indian space station
The approvals by India's union cabinet Wednesday chart the next phase of the country's space program. Once the Gaganyaan spacecraft starts flying with astronauts, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will focus on completing a space station in low-Earth orbit by 2035.
…
Next year, an Indian astronaut selected to train for Gaganyaan missions will launch to the International Space Station (ISS) on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. NASA helped arrange the deal through Axiom Space, which brokers short-duration flights of two to three weeks to the ISS for commercial astronauts. …
 
A recoverable next-gen rocket
India's union cabinet also approved $1 billion for the development of the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), a heavy-lift rocket with a reusable first stage booster that ISRO wants operational by around 2033.
 
The NGLV, also known as the Soorya launcher, is a three-stage design capable of delivering payloads up to 30 metric tons (66,000 pounds) into a 500-kilometer (310-mile) orbit. The rocket's payload capacity will be somewhat less when the first stage reserves propellant for recovery. It will come in two configurations, one with a core liquid-fueled launch vehicle, and another version augmented by two strap-on solid rocket boosters. The next-generation rocket will outclass the LVM3, India's heaviest rocket flying today. …
 
Exploring other worlds
India's robotic exploration program also received support from India's cabinet, which approved roughly $251 million for the Chandrayaan 4 lunar sample return mission and approximately $155 million for ISRO's Venus Orbiter Mission.
 
Chandrayaan 4 could launch as soon as 2027 and test "foundational technologies" eventually needed for an Indian astronaut landing on the Moon, the press bureau said. A complex sample return mission is the "natural successor" to the successful Chandrayaan 3 landing in August 2023. …

https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/09/india-is-on-a-path-to-become-the-worlds-third-largest-space-power/

[Sigmetnow]

Jonathan McDowell @planet4589
LAUNCH at 2301 UTC Sep 20 of [Rocket Lab’s] Electron from Mahia, New Zealand with five Kineis IoT satellites
9/20/24, 7:03 PM https://x.com/planet4589/status/1837266239204315159
   —-
That makes 4 orbital launches today (Sep 20), with 35 satellites deployed.
9/20/24, 8:13 PM https://x.com/planet4589/status/1837283950789624233
 
China | Jilin-1 Wideband 02B-01 to 06
Earth observation satellites for the Jilin-1 commercial Earth observation satellites constellation.

China | Tianqi 29-32
4 small satellites for LEO Internet of Things (IoT) communication purposes.

SpaceX | Starlink Group 9-17
20 sats: 13 Direct-to-Cell and 7 normal v2-Mini Starlink satellites.

Rocket Lab | Kinéis 6-10
Second batch of five satellites for the French Kinéis IoT constellation designed to operate with 25 nanosatellites of 30 kg each