Dawn Aerospace.
In case you have not heard of them, Dawn Aerospace is one of the fastest-growing private space companies in the world, with clients from Europe, Asia, and the United States. They call themselves a “green” in-space propulsion supplier, and they also, to date, have around 11 operational satellites currently in orbit.
There’s enough trouble on this planet already that we don’t need new problems coming here from the sun. Unfortunately, we can’t yet destroy this pitiless star, so we are at its mercy. But NASA at least may soon be able to let us know when one of its murderous flares is going to send our terrestrial systems into disarray.
Understanding and predicting space weather is a big part of NASA’s job. There’s no air up there, so no one can hear you scream, “Wow, how about this radiation!” Consequently, we rely on a set of satellites to detect and relay this important data to us.
One such measurement is of solar wind, “an unrelenting stream of material from the sun.” Even NASA can’t find anything nice to say about it! Normally this stream is absorbed or dissipated by our magnetosphere, but if there’s a solar storm, it may be intense enough that it overwhelms the local defenses.
Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit has filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. after an eleventh-hour scramble to secure further funding failed, the satellite company announced on Tuesday, marking the end of a sudden spiral that followed a botched high-profile launch attempt out of Britain in January.
Virgin Orbit has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, documents show.
Virgin Orbit said it had failed to secure sufficient funding to stay in business and the decision comes less than a week after it laid off most of its staff and ceased operations.
It is interesting to watch SpaceX continue to massively expand, with the goal of going from 61 launches last year to 100 launches this year.
SpaceX’s old record for a month was 7 launches, but in March they completed 8 launches, and almost did 9 but their latest launch had technical difficulties, and the closest they got to launch during the past two days was an abort with 2 seconds to go. They will try a 3rd time to launch this rocket tomorrow.
Continue reading “SpaceX aborts launch with initial satellites for Space Development Agency” »
Aurora Borealis can cause damage to satellites in severe solar storms. Scientists are experimenting to understand near-space weather better.
Some of the more well-known examples include retrievable and reusable rockets, retrieval at sea, mid-air retrieval, single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) rockets, and kinetic launch systems.
In addition, there are also efforts to develop propulsion systems that do not rely on conventional propellants. This technology offers many advantages, including lower mass and improved energy efficiency, ultimately lowering costs.
On June 10, 2023, an all-electrical propulsion system for satellites (the IVO Quantum Drive) will fly to space for the first time. The system was built by North Dakota-based wireless power company IVO, Ltd. and will serve as a testbed for an alternative theory of inertia that could have applications for propulsion.
OneWeb’s latest satellite launch gives it enough coverage to offer global broadband from space, putting it in direct competition with SpaceX’s Starlink service.
The company will charge $50 million per launch of its next-gen rocket, bringing it in line with SpaceX.
Rocket Lab is developing a larger, reusable rocket called Neutron to help it compete with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch capabilities.
Rocket Lab’s Neutron will “compete directly with the Falcon 9”.
Continue reading “Rocket Lab says reusable Neutron will ‘compete directly with Falcon 9’” »
SpaceX / Twitter.
The SpaceX CEO explained that some satellites would likely have to be deorbited to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.
(CNN) — Startup Relativity Space sent what it’s calling the “world’s first 3D-printed rocket” toward space on Wednesday, vaulting it into the upper reaches of the atmosphere. Though, it suffered an engine issue after launch and failed to reach orbit.
Terran 1, a 110-foot-tall (33.5-meter) vehicle designed to haul lightweight satellites into orbital space, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Florida’s eastern coast at just before 11:30 pm ET. The rocket, powered by super-chilled methane and oxygen, burned a bright blue-green against the night sky.
After the first stage of the rocket — the bottommost portion of the rocket that gives the initial thrust at liftoff — expended its fuel, it detached from the rocket’s upper stage. But the engine meant to propel that portion appeared to ignite only briefly, leaving the rocket without enough power to reach orbit.
