Below are videos and images of the launch early this morning of the SpaceX Falcon 9 with the Crew Dragon for the Demonstration 1 mission (DM-1). (Will add more videos as they become available). The first stage landed successfully on a platform in the Atlantic. The Dragon is scheduled to dock with the ISS at around 6 am EST Sunday, Feb.3rd. Watch the rendezvous and docking live starting at 3:30 am EST (0830 UTC) on the SpaceX Webcast page.
[ Update: Post-launch briefing:
A second passenger aboard the Crew Dragon enjoys weightlessness:
Falcon 9 booster has landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship—SpaceX’s 35th successful landing of a rocket booster pic.twitter.com/cDvKpoOwrq
Crew Dragon will deliver about 400 pounds of supplies and equipment to the @Space_Station. Also on board is an anthropomorphic test device, which we call Ripley. pic.twitter.com/FuHewNb4UM
SpaceX and @NASA have completed thousands of hours of tests, analyses, and reviews in preparation for Crew Dragon’s first test flight to the @space_stationpic.twitter.com/JvJqeoLKVy
Some screen captures during the countdown and launch:
LiftoffJust after the first stage (left) and second stage (right) separated and the second stage engine began firing.Test dummy Riley in the Dragon interior.The Falcon 9 and the Crew Dragon on the pad before the launch.View of pad about 5 minutes before scheduled liftoff.
The most significant achievement in 2018 is clearly China’s rise as a space power. That nation had predicted it would complete 40 launches in 2018. That prediction turned out to be largely accurate. China completed 38 successful rocket launches, almost doubling its previous yearly launch record. It also fixed the issues with their biggest rocket, the Long March 5, laying the groundwork for the launch of their own space station. In addition, they launched Chang’e-4 to the Moon, aimed at being the first spacecraft to land softly on the Moon’s far side. While this is not their first lunar lander/rover, it likely initiates a much more aggressive and fast-paced planetary program for the coming years.
During a cabinet-level meeting that took place on Friday, Dec. 25th, the government of India announced that the Indian Space Research Organization‘s (ISRO) first crewed mission to space will consist of a three-astronaut team being sent to orbit. The government also announced that they had a approved a budget of $1.4 billion to fund the development of the requisite technology and infrastructure for the program.
The decisions to send astronauts to space was first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15th, during India’s Independence Day celebrations. At that time, Modi directed the ISRO to conduct a crewed mission to orbit by 2022, which would coincide with the 75th anniversary of India gaining its independence.
** Emily Lakdawalla of the Planetary Society, “takes us on a tour of the spacecraft currently exploring from within our solar system. All planets and spacecraft locations are shown at their location for January 1st, 2019.”
** Virgin Orbit, one of many companies around the world developing small rockets to orbit small satellites, highlights developments in 2018 that will lead to their first orbital flights in 2019:
** The Space Show – Tue, 10/30/2018 – Dean Cheng discussed “the issue of creating a separate US military force, The Space Force. We also focused on policy, the Chinese military & space programs and much more.”
The company Rocket Lab plans to launch an Electron rocket from the Mahia Peninsula on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island during a two week long launch window that opens on June 23rd. This will be the company’s third launch and, they hope, the second one to successfully put payloads into orbit. Here is a NZ TV news report on the company:
New Zealand has entered the space race. In just a few days, the Kiwis will launch their first commercial rocket, taking satellites into orbit. @MarkWBurrows#9Newspic.twitter.com/n1jB05fuuG
“Space solar power is the concept of harvesting solar energy in space, 24-7 and delivering it safely and economically via wireless power transmission to markets on Earth. This exciting new student competition will encourage the involvement of young engineers and scientists in this important field of energy and space research,”
The purpose of this new annual competition is to engender new, meaningful and credible student research projects in the broad field of Space Solar Power, and to support the presentation of the best of the various projects by students in an international forum.
“The projects proposed and the breadth of students participating is tremendously gratifying,”
said George Dietrich, President of SPACE Canada and sponsor of the competition.
During 2017, the first year of this new competition, 16 projects were proposed from 5 different countries (including China, the US, Japan, the Netherlands, and India) and involving some 14 academic institutions, 8 faculty advisors and 49 graduate and undergraduate students. From the submitted proposals, 7 have been selected as semi-finalists and have been invited to present (with support from SPACE Canada) at the upcoming NSS International Space Development Conference®, ISDC® 2017 (May 25-29) in St. Louis, Missouri USA during the Space Solar Power Track. NSS invites the public to attend this conference to view the presentations and see who wins.
The semi-finalist teams include students from the following institutions: Dalian University of Technology (China), Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands), Hampton University (USA), Harbin Institute of Technology (China), Hosei University (Japan), Indiana University (USA), Kitawato University (Japan), Princeton University (USA), Purdue University / Indianapolis (USA), Shizuoka University (Japan), The Graduate University of Advanced Studies (Japan), Tokai University (Japan), Tokyo University of Science (Japan), University of Colorado / Boulder (USA), and the University of Maryland (Baltimore County and College Park Campuses, USA).
Following their presentations at the ISDC 2017® Conference, winning teams will be invited (with travel support) to present technical papers summarizing their research at the Space Power Symposium at the 68th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2017) during 25-29 September in Adelaide, Australia.
About SPACE Canada: SPACE Canada is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Canada; the purpose of which is promotion of international dialogue on, and understanding of the topic of Space Solar Power. To learn more, visit the SPACE Canada Website (www.spacecanada.org) .
About the National Space Society (NSS): NSS is an independent nonprofit educational membership organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization. NSS is widely acknowledged as the preeminent citizen’s voice on space, with over 50 chapters in the United States and around the world. The Society publishes Ad Astra magazine, an award-winning periodical chronicling the most important developments in space. NSS thanks their ISDC 2016 Galaxy Sponsor, the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust. To learn more, visit www.nss.org.
