Rockets

Space transport roundup – Dec.26.2019

A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find previous roundups here):

** China’s Long March 5 heavy lifter set to launch on Friday. The vehicle design has undergone major upgrades following the failed second launch in 2017.

A video report from CGTN about the Wenchang spaceport where the LM-5 will lift off:

Located in south China’s Hainan Province, Wenchang Space Launch Center is the fourth launch site in China, being specially selected for its low latitude. CGTN takes you on a tour the space site and China’s aerospace history.

The space center will witness the launch of China’s Long March 5 carrier rocket. In the next few days, the final checks and preparations for the launch will be carried out by the engineers. This year’s launch is the third after two unsuccessful launches in 2016 and 2017.

** A couple of Chinese commercial space items:

Hyperbola-2 orbital rocket with reusable first stage.

**  Taiwan’s TiSPACE plans to launch orbital Hapith-V rocket in 2020 powered by hybrid motors:

One of the company’s videos describes the company and its launch technology:

This article provides some background on the company: Firm sets sights on heavens as space industry develops – Taipai Times (pdf)

Based in Miaoli County, TiSPACE was established in 2016 by Chen Yen-sen (陳彥升), who served at the NSPO [National Space Organization] for 11 years after leaving his job as a researcher at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, where he had worked for 21 years.

After returning to Taiwan in 2005, Chen was responsible for directing sounding rocket projects at the NSPO.

Chen said that he left the NSPO to start the company because he hopes to pursue the commercial applications of hybrid rockets and he has become familiar with official procedures to receive approval to launch rockets.

The firm has 104 employees, averaging 34.5 years old, including many engineers who previously worked at information and communications technology firms, the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, or Australian rocket firms, he said.  The firm earlier this year improved the efficiency of hybrid rockets to achieve Class-I rocket propulsion as defined by NASA, while keeping the cost much lower than similar products, he added.

Find updates on TiSpace at tiSpace-Taiwanese commercial launch company – NASASpaceflight Forum.

** Boeing Starliner landed successfully last Sunday at White Sands after abbreviated test flight

Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft completed the first touchdown on land of a human-rated space capsule in U.S. history Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019, at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, wrapping up the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Starliner settled gently onto its air bags at 7:58 a.m. EST in a pre-dawn landing that helps set the stage for future crewed landings at the same site. The landing followed a deorbit burn at 7:23 a.m., separation of the spacecraft’s service module, and successful deployment of its three main parachutes and six airbags.

Post-landing briefing:

One hour after landing, NASA and Boeing held a news conference at NASA Johnson Space Center with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Jim Chilton, senior vice president of Boeing’s Space and Launch Division, and Steve Stich, deputy manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

The vehicle gets a name: Boeing’s first commercial crew capsule christened ‘Calypso’ – Spaceflight Now

Scott Manley’s discusses the return of the Starliner:

** Russian Proton rocket launched a new weathersat:

** Interview with Black Arrow Space Technologies executive director: Black Arrow is developing a seaborne small-sat launcher – Aerospace Engineering Blog

Paul Williams is the Executive Director of the British startup Black Arrow Space Technologies. Black Arrow is developing a sea-borne launch capability based on their current expertise in developing composite propellant tanks for satellites. The launching of rockets from ships has a previous history in America, and as an island nation, the concept is clearly suited for a UK launch provider. Paul and I talk about the heritage of the Black Arrow name, the advantages of a sea-borne launch approach, and the importance of audacious technical challenges in galvanising and inspiring the next generation of engineering talent.

(Item via the Rocketeers blog.)

A video animation of the Black Arrow plan:

Black Arrow Space Technologies is developing its own spaceship – a seaborne spaceport which will be used to launch satellites of up to, initially, 500 kg in to Low Earth Orbit. The “spaceship” will be based in a South Wales port, along with its support vessels, and will enable rockets to be launched North or South without overflying populated areas. We are creating a flexible British launch capability to support the thriving British satellite industry which will allow launches to take place from the best place to achieve the required orbit.

** SpaceX:

**** SpaceX completes successful series of parachute tests for Crew Dragon: SpaceX leaps closer to launching NASA astronauts after parachute testing milestone – Teslarati

Most recently, SpaceX announced on December 4th that it had completed the 7th consecutively successful multi-chute drop test, leaving three additional tests to go before reaching its goal of at least 10 consecutive successes.

Now, a bit less than three weeks after that 7th test, SpaceX says it has completed the 10th multi-chute drop test of Crew Dragon’s upgraded Mk3 parachutes, achieving the tentative goals set by CEO Elon Musk and NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine just two months ago. By the numbers, since Bridenstine first announced his expectation of “as many as 10 drop tests between now and the end of the year”, SpaceX alone has completed at least 20 successful tests in a row in the last eight weeks, averaging more than one test every three days.

If the in-flight abort test set for January 11th is successful, the Crew Dragon will be ready to carry astronauts to the ISS.

**** Latest  landed booster returned and sent to hangar in record time: SpaceX wraps up a decade of reusable rocketry with fastest booster recovery yet- Teslarati

SpaceX has completed its 13th and final launch and landing of the year and decade, marked by a Falcon 9 booster’s successful return to Port Canaveral and subsequent processing to prepare it for another orbital-class mission.

Over the course of that recovery, SpaceX broke the record for the fastest Falcon 9 processing by several hours, a small but significant step towards the company’s ultimate goal of launching and landing the same Falcon 9 booster in less than 24 hours. Additionally, SpaceX appears to have finished processing booster B1056 on December 21st, the 4th anniversary of Falcon 9’s first successful landing after an orbital-class launch.

Video of the processing of B1056:

Booster 56 has retracted and loaded with landing legs on, three times in a row. SpaceX redesigned the struts on each leg to collapse under equal pressure beginning with B1056. This puts SpaceX much closer to the 24hr turnaround. Amazing engineering! Thanks for Subscribing! We are a US disabled veteran run, non-profit video production company whose mission is to bring other disabled US Veterans to witness a launch, experience US Space History and become part of our report. Our nonprofit 501(c)(3) is 100% tax deductible, just go to our webpage www.USLaunchReport.com which is merged with www.VeteransSpaceReport.com and find our Donate button. You can help change the life of a US Veteran.

**** SpaceX – CRS 19 – Remote narrow & wide cameras w/ high fidelity audio – NASASpaceflight.com

Filmed by Chris Gebhardt using Jay DeShetler’s specialist remove camera and audio set up, Falcon powered the CRS-19 Dragon into the Florida sky. Launch article: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/…

**** Next Falcon 9 launch of Starlink satellites set for Jan. 3. Two more Starlink launches planned for January: SpaceX poised to accelerate launch cadence with series of Starlink missions – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX teams across the United States are readying for what the company’s chief operating officer predicts will be a record number of launches in 2020.

Before the end of January, SpaceX aims to perform four Falcon 9 launches from Florida’s Space Coast — three for the company’s Starlink broadband network, and a crucial in-flight abort test for the Crew Dragon spacecraft no earlier than Jan. 11.

SpaceX has performed its final launch of 2019, finishing the year with 13 missions — 11 using the “single-stick” Falcon 9 and two employing the Falcon Heavy with three booster core connected together. All 13 of the missions were successful.

The company accomplished 21 launches in 2018, and 18 in 2017.

**** Starship

****** Recent scenes at Boca Chica:

As numerous deliveries continue into SpaceX Boca Chica, the expansion of the new production facility is still taking place. This will give birth to Starship Mk3, before being assembled and welded into the tall windbreak building. Footage and photos from Mary (@bocachicagal) for NSF.

Starship’s bulkhead was flying again, but this time on the end of a crane at SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility as more Steel rings are being produced. Footage and photos from Mary (@bocachicagal) for NSF.

****** Structural components for the Mk.3 vehicle arrived via ship from Florida: SpaceX ships Starship hardware from Florida to Texas to speed up production – Teslarati

After appearing unexpectedly at SpaceX’s Port Canaveral docks last month, several large pieces of Starship flight and manufacturing hardware were successfully shipped from Florida to Texas, arriving at the company’s Boca Chica build and launch site two weeks ago.

Previously discussed on Teslarati, the hardware transfer signals a significant shift in the development strategy for SpaceX’s next-generation Starship-Super Heavy launch vehicle. Most notably, SpaceX has chosen to prioritize Texas in the near term while the company’s Florida facilities instead aim for longer-tail milestones like the first Super Heavy-capable launch site and a new production facility located much closer to that launch site.

While the hardware SpaceX has sent over is relatively minor in the scope of producing a brand new Starship prototype, it will at least somewhat expedite the process thanks to the inclusion of what appears to be a completed propellant tank dome. Additionally, it’s possible that this December 8th hardware delivery will not be the last – a large amount of hardware remains at SpaceX’s Cocoa, Florida Starship production facility, including several ring sections and a nearly finished nose section, among a number of other parts.

****** Activity at the Florida Starship assembly facility has scaled down substantially:

Not much happening. The MK2 remains virtually untouched. The grey header tank (removed from MK2 a while ago) has been moved outside into the elements. Site has almost been cleared of all extra parts, moving pipes and fixtures now.

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