{"id":21273,"date":"2020-02-26T13:48:15","date_gmt":"2020-02-26T18:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=21273"},"modified":"2020-02-26T13:48:15","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T18:48:15","slug":"space-transport-roundup-feb-26-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=21273","title":{"rendered":"Space transport roundup &#8211; Feb.26.2020"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find <a href=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=5\">previous roundups here<\/a>):<\/p>\n<p>** <strong>First orbital <a href=\"https:\/\/astra.com\/\">Astra<\/a> orbital rocket launch<\/strong> is currently set for liftoff from the <a href=\"https:\/\/akaerospace.com\/capabilities\/pacific-spaceport-complex-alaska-psca\">Pacific Spaceport Complex &#8211; Alaska (PSCA)<\/a> on Kodiak Island during the window 3:30-6:30 pm EST ( 2030-2330 GMT)on February 27th: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/2020\/02\/astra-darpa-launch-challenge\/\">Astra, DARPA prepare for upcoming launch challenge &#8211; NASASpaceFlight.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Thursday\u2019s launch will be the third for Astra, coming after two launches in July and November 2018. Both launched from the PSCA in Alaska. These were originally believed to be failures. However, Astra stated that the first was successful, and the second was only \u201cshorter than planned\u201d. Neither were designed to reach orbit, as they didn\u2019t have functioning second stages.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The company was known for operating in almost complete secrecy. Very little was known about their rockets, tests, and launch attempts. The only public sighting of an Astra rocket was by a news helicopter in early 2018. Their first rocket, named \u201cRocket 1.0\u201d, was spotted being readied for a test at the former Naval Air Station Alameda in Alameda, California \u2013 just down the street from their factory.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>However, Astra recently came out of the shadows, and has released some information about their operations.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Their current rocket, named \u201cRocket 3.0\u201d, is a two-stage, five-engine, kerosene and liquid oxygen-powered rocket. The pumps of the first stage engines are powered by electric motors, similar to the Rutherford engines on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/?s=electron+rocket\">Rocket Lab\u2019s Electron rocket.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>A DARPA video about Astra:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LUW5rIYsSYk?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>More about <a href=\"https:\/\/astra.com\/\">Astra<\/a>&#8216;s rockets from Scott Manley:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>About 18 Months ago I covered Astra, a small rocket startup based only a few miles from my home. They were still a &#8216;Stealth&#8217; company, and would not publicly acknowledge what they were doing, even after a pair of suborbital tests which failed due to engine problems. However they&#8217;re now speaking publicly, and making a lot of noise about their smallsat launcher and their first orbital launch attempt only a few days from now.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GUzDTV1JEWQ?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>See also <a href=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/2020\/02\/24\/fresh-out-of-stealth-mode-astra-gearing-up-for-orbital-launch-from-alaska\/\">Fresh out of stealth mode, Astra gearing up for orbital launch from Alaska \u2013 Spaceflight Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>** <strong>SpaceX sets March 6th for Falcon 9 launch of Cargo Dragon mission CRS-20<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.nasa.gov\/spacex\/2020\/02\/25\/spacex-crs-20-launch-targeted-for-march-6\/\">SpaceX CRS-20 Launch Targeted for March 6 \u2013 SpaceX\/NASA<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.nasa.gov\/spacestation\/2020\/02\/25\/dragon-launch-set-for-march-6-station-bone-research-benefits-earth\/\">Dragon Launch Set for March 6, Station Bone Research Benefits Earth \u2013 Space Station\/NASA<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>SpaceX is now targeting March 6 at 11:50 p.m. EST for launch of its 20th commercial resupply services mission (CRS-20) to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/station\">International Space Station<\/a>. During standard preflight inspections, SpaceX identified a valve motor on the second stage engine behaving not as expected and determined the safest and most expedient path to launch is to utilize the next second stage in line that was already at the Cape and ready for flight. The new second stage has already completed the same preflight inspections with all hardware behaving as expected. The updated target launch date provides the time required to complete preflight integration and final checkouts.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The cargo Dragon will lift off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying more than 5,600 pounds of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/news\/spx-20-research-highlights\">science investigations<\/a> and cargo to the station, including research on particle foam manufacturing, water droplet formation, the human intestine and other cutting-edge investigations.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>The next Falcon 9 launch of 60 Starlink satellites<\/strong> is set for March 11 from LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida.<\/p>\n<p>More <a href=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=5#SpaceX\">SpaceX items below<\/a><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>Soyuz 2-1a rocket launches Meridian M satellite<\/strong> from the Plesetsk cosmodrome on Feb. 20th: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/2020\/02\/soyuz-2-1a-launches-ninth-meridian-satellite\/\">Soyuz 2-1a launches ninth Meridian satellite &#8211; NASASpaceFlight.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Russia\u2019s Soyuz-2-1a rocket made its first launch of 2020 on Thursday, carrying the ninth Meridian communications satellite into orbit. Having lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia at 08:24 UTC, Soyuz deployed its Fregat-M upper stage about nine minutes later to carry the satellite to its final elliptical orbit. Spacecraft separation occurred two hours and twenty minutes after launch.<\/em><br \/>\n<span id=\"more-64908\"><\/span><br \/>\n<em>Meridian is a network of satellites that provide the Russian Government with communications for military and installations in the country\u2019s far northern regions. The Meridian constellation forms part of Russia\u2019s Integrated Satellite Communications System, complimenting the geostationary Globus \u2013 or Raduga \u2013 series of communications satellites.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/z3vPRuFVbAA?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>China launches four technology demonstrator satellites on Long March-2D<\/strong> rocket: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/2020\/02\/long-march-2d-maiden-launch-xichang-four-satellites\/\">Long March-2D conducts maiden launch from Xichang with four satellites &#8211; NASASpaceFlight.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Taking precautions with the coronavirus outbreak in all orbital and space launch centers, China returned to its launch activities after the Chinese New Year festivities with a new launch from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.<\/em><br \/>\n<span id=\"more-65268\"><\/span><br \/>\n<em>This was the first use of a Long March-2D (Chang Zheng-2D) launch vehicle from Xichang. The mission orbited four satellites that will be used to carry out inter-satellite link networking and new ground observation technology tests in orbit. The launch took place from the LC3 Launch Complex at 21:07UTC.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Named Xinjishu Shiyan-C to F, XJS-C and D were made by SAST, XJS-E by the Harbin Inst of Tech. and XJS-F by CAST\u2019s DFH Satellite Co., Ltd. (DFHSat).<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hyR5_DYnfOQ?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>** <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/pldspace.com\">PLD Space<\/a> of Spain carries out full duration test firing of the TEPREL-B engine<\/strong> for the <a href=\"http:\/\/pldspace.com\/new\/miura-1\/\">MIURA 1<\/a> suborbital rocket.<a href=\"http:\/\/pldspace.com\/new\/2020\/02\/26\/pld-space-successfully-achieved-a-full-rocket-engine-test-for-miura-1-mission\/\"> PLD Space successfully achieved a full rocket engine test for MIURA 1 mission \u2013 PLD Space<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>In May 2019 PLD Space suffered a catastrophic engine failure, which provoked material damage, including the loss of the first flight version of the TEPREL-B liquid rocket engine, developed by PLD Space for MIURA 1 launch vehicle. Therefore, the company decided to pause the qualification process and analyse the root causes of the failure to solve the problems found.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>After eight months of hard work, PLD Space successfully achieved a full mission duration hot test of the flight engine. This allowed the company to validate the nominal engine performance during the full mission duration burn of two minutes, the necessary time to boost MIURA 1 launch vehicle into space.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>\u201cThis milestone is a huge step forward for PLD Space, for the Spanish space sector and the European small launcher competitiveness, and allow us to be one of the few companies in the world that has successfully developed, tested and qualified propulsion technologies for space launch vehicles. Achieving this important milestone implies a turning point in the commercial space race and take us a step closer for launching MIURA 1 into space. With this result, PLD Space has a rocket engine capable of reaching space soon\u201d, Ra\u00fal Torres, CEO and co-founder of PLD Space.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Og1xzSF3dlE?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>** <a href=\"https:\/\/www.relativityspace.com\/\"><strong>Relativity Space<\/strong><\/a><strong> shows off a 3D printed upper stage propellant tank<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Good afternoon from Los Angeles &#8211; this is our Stage 2 Iron Bird, which will be the first additively manufactured tank to feed propellants to a rocket engine. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WJiDUKF5WV\">pic.twitter.com\/WJiDUKF5WV<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Relativity Space (@relativityspace) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/relativityspace\/status\/1230991324280606720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 21, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>** <a href=\"http:\/\/www.venture-orbital.com\/index.html\" target=\"_d\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">V<strong>enture Orbital Systems<\/strong><\/a><strong> of Europe aims to launch the small <a href=\"http:\/\/www.venture-orbital.com\/zephyr.html\" target=\"_d\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zephyr<\/a> orbital rocket<\/strong> up to 40 times per year. First flight is targeted for 2024:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Our nano-launcher Zephyr looks absolutely majestic, but it is actually quite small. Only 11 meters tall !<\/p>\n<p>Our 7 fully 3D-printed Navier Mk1 &#8211; ASL liquid rocket engines will propel Zephyr at the edge of space, while a single Navier Mk1 &#8211; Vacc engine will put 35 kg in SSO ! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/vos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#vos<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dFUOP6Sg2T\">pic.twitter.com\/dFUOP6Sg2T<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Venture Orbital Systems (@Venture_Orbital) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Venture_Orbital\/status\/1231231964562251778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 22, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>An article about Venture Orbita: <a href=\"https:\/\/translate.google.com\/translate?sl=fr&amp;tl=en&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lachroniquespatiale.com%2F2020%2F02%2Fcubesats-le-zephyr-se-positionne.html\" target=\"_d\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CubeSat Market, The Zephyr is Positioned &#8211; Space Chronicle (Google Translate)<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em><span class=\"notranslate\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria, serif;\">To start its activity, Venture Orbital needs an initial fundraising of 2.5 million euros.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"notranslate\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria, serif;\">Depending on the information available, Zephyr can launch a payload of 35 kg in sun synchronous orbit (SSO) and 40 kg in low orbit (LEO) at an altitude of 500 km.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"notranslate\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria, serif;\">This represents approximately the equivalent of three 6 U satellites. The launcher is ideal for placing small payloads into orbit intended in particular for Earth observation (EO), crop improvement, studying climate change or to improve access to emergency services in the event of crises.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"notranslate\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria, serif;\">The company is not afraid to display its ambitions and has set itself the goal of arriving at up to 40 launches per year from the Guyana Space Center (CSG).<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"notranslate\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria, serif;\">The small structure also aims\u00a0to offer its future availability of the Zephyr in a range of times ranging from three to six months.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"notranslate\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria, serif;\">Launch price: around 1 million euros per mission.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"notranslate\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Cambria, serif;\">The company announces that it already has several contacts.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>**<strong> Elevating Unity &#8211; Episode 6: SpaceShipTwo Relocation to Spaceport America<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em><span class=\"style-scope yt-formatted-string\" dir=\"auto\">Want to fly to space with us? Register to stay up to date with the latest from the world\u2019s first commercial spaceline <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/virgingalactic.com\/join-us\/\">https:\/\/virgingalactic.com\/join-us\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-ejJhCZqBo8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>An update on Indian reusable space transport development<\/strong>: <a href=\"http:\/\/delhidefencereview.com\/2020\/02\/24\/a-deep-dive-into-isros-reusable-launch-vehicle-technology-part-i\/\" target=\"_d\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A Deep Dive Into ISRO&#8217;s Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology \u2013 Part I | Delhi Defence Review<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has long sought to lower the cost of access to space. In keeping with this goal, ISRO embarked on the Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstration (RLV-TD) Program more than decade ago. As part of the RLV-TD program, it has been developing various technologies that will serve as building blocks for a future Two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) reusable launch vehicle. Importantly, these technologies are being developed in phases through a series of experimental flights. While the first flight of the RLV-TD, dubbed the \u2018hypersonic flight experiment\u2019 (HEX), was successfully executed on May 23, 2016, the stage is now set for the return flight experiment (REX) and scramjet propulsion experiment (SPEX) missions, respectively. LEX, in particular, is expected to be performed in the coming months.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_21282\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21282\" style=\"width: 460px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/delhidefencereview.com\/2020\/02\/24\/a-deep-dive-into-isros-reusable-launch-vehicle-technology-part-i\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21282\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=21282\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/DiagramReusableSpaceplane.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"487,529\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Diagram Reusable Spaceplane\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A diagram of the Indian uncrewed reusable spaceplane.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/DiagramReusableSpaceplane.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-21282 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/DiagramReusableSpaceplane-460x500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/DiagramReusableSpaceplane-460x500.jpg 460w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/DiagramReusableSpaceplane.jpg 487w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21282\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A diagram of the Indian uncrewed reusable spaceplane.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a id=\"SpaceX\"><\/a>** <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.spacex.com\">SpaceX<\/a><\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>** <strong>First SpaceX crew mission may last longer than initially planned<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Yep, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DJSnM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@DJSnM<\/a> , <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Astro_Doug?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Astro_Doug<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AstroBehnken?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AstroBehnken<\/a> are being trained for a long-duration mission as <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ISS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ISS<\/a> crewmembers. This is a change from the original plan to do a min duration test flight, driven by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NASA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NASA<\/a> needs to staff the ISS.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Garrett Reisman (@astro_g_dogg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/astro_g_dogg\/status\/1231644054095425536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 23, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>Upcoming Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral to send Argentine satellite into a polar orbit<\/strong>:\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teslarati.com\/spacex-florida-first-polar-launch-half-a-century\/\">SpaceX sets date for first Florida launch of its kind in more than half a century &#8211; Teslarati<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Argentinian space agency CONAE says that both its SAOCOM 1B satellite and SpaceX are on track for a type of launch that the United States\u2019 East Coast hasn\u2019t supported in more than half a century.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>CONAE has revealed that SpaceX aims to launch the ~2800\u00a0kg\u00a0(6200 lb) radar Earth observation satellite into orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket as early as March 30th, 2020 \u2013 late next month. With such a light payload, the Falcon 9 booster \u2013 presumably reused \u2013 will be able to perform a Return to Launch Site (RTLS) recovery, touching down at one of SpaceX\u2019s two Landing Zone (LZ) pads located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS). While Landing Zone rocket recoveries have become increasingly rare for SpaceX, that\u2019s not actually why the SAOCOM 1B mission is so unique.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Instead, it\u2019s exceptional because it will be the United States\u2019 first East Coast polar launch in nearly six decades. The mission\u2019s \u201cpolar\u201d launch profile refers to the fact that the Argentinian radar satellite will ultimately orbit Earth\u2019s poles, effectively perpendicular to more common equatorial orbits. If successful and repeatable, the mission could ultimately spark a new era for CCAFS and Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and raises big questions about the future of California\u2019s Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) \u2014 or at least SpaceX\u2019s presence there.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>**<strong> Falcon 9 first stage will attempt a landing during an operational launch of a military satellite<\/strong> for the first time: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teslarati.com\/spacex-next-military-launch-historic-rocket-landing\/\">SpaceX&#8217;s next military launch cleared for historic rocket landing attempt &#8211; Teslarati<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Effectively confirming that B1054\u2019s demise was was a contrivance and by no means a technical necessity, the SMC announced on February 20th that SpaceX\u2019s GPS III SV03 mission is officially \u201cthe first time a booster is planned to land on a drone ship during a NSS [National Security Space] launch.\u201d Effectively identical to B1054 aside from the addition of grid fins and landing legs, this means that Falcon 9 booster B1060 will be able to attempt a landing aboard a SpaceX drone ship shortly after launch.<\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">No audio, but no less dramatic watching this full duration static fire test of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SpaceX<\/a>\u2019s Falcon 9 first stage rocket booster that will support <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USSPACEFORCEDOD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@USSpaceForceDoD<\/a>&#8216;s and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AF_SMC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AF_SMC<\/a>&#8216;s next GPS III mission (Video courtesy <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SpaceX<\/a>). <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SpaceStartsHere?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SpaceStartsHere<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SMC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SMC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bNGpPSiDfs\">pic.twitter.com\/bNGpPSiDfs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 SMC (@AF_SMC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AF_SMC\/status\/1230635850397970432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 20, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>**** <strong>Everyday Astronaut Tim Dodd captures some of the sound and flame-y fury of a Falcon 9 launch<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wMtn4nECOcg?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>**** <strong>Starship<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>**** <strong>Reports and commentary<\/strong> on the Starship program:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/2020\/02\/mars-elon-musk-plan-to-settle-red-planet\/\">Mars: Elon Musk\u2019s Plan to Settle the Red Planet &#8211; Robert Zubrin\/National Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/science\/2020\/02\/elon-musk-says-spacex-driving-toward-orbital-starship-flight-in-2020\/\" target=\"_d\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SpaceX pushing iterative design process, accepting failure to go fast &#8211; Eric Berger\/Ars Technica<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/2020\/02\/spacex-final-assembly-starship-sn1-roll-pad\/\">SpaceX beginning final assembly of Starship SN1 ahead of roll to the pad &#8211; NASASpaceFlight.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teslarati.com\/spacex-first-starship-test-flight-imminent-nosecone-production\/\">SpaceX\u2019s first Starship test flight imminent as rocket nosecone nears completion &#8211; Teslarati<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Eric Berger <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SciGuySpace\/status\/1230900812047699971\">tweets<\/a>::<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Some details on Starship&#8217;s first orbital flight:<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>\u2022 Pushing hard for this year<\/em><br \/>\n<em>\u2022 Six-engine Starship<\/em><br \/>\n<em>\u2022 Likely from Boca Chica, but also pursuing Florida and sea-based platform<\/em><br \/>\n<em>\u2022 SN3, SN4, or SN5 probably will make flight<\/em><\/p>\n<p>***** <strong>Some recent Tweets from Elon Musk<\/strong> about the Starships:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Rocket nosecone production in Texas <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KLWewja9Gn\">pic.twitter.com\/KLWewja9Gn<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1230276876930863105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 19, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">These problems are fundamentally intertwined. Building many rockets allows for successive approximation. Progress in any given technology is simply # of iterations * progress between iterations.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1230636014001061891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 20, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">F9 iteration slowed down as payloads became too important to risk. Little change is expected going forward with F9\/FH or Dragon. Starship production &amp; thus iterative improvement will be much faster than Falcon. Driving hard for fully reusable orbital flight this year!<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1230642008257069056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 20, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">It\u2019s mostly to balance the ship during entry. After delivering satellites, the front is light &amp; back is heavy due to engines &amp; landing legs.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1230639384699002880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 20, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">High bay for stacking Starship engine bay, propellant tanks &amp; fairing (fka nosecone) sections is almost done! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/G9h0430ns2\">pic.twitter.com\/G9h0430ns2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1230439298874343424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 20, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Header tanks are only ~2% of main tank volume, so not a big deal. Pressurized volume is still ~1000 cubic meters.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1230369131066773504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 20, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Attach wheels to the landing legs &amp; tow Starship to the launch pad<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1230445151035805696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 20, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>***** <strong>A diagram showing the latest assembled sections of the SN1 Starship<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Last week&#8217;s space news summarized &#8211; FLORIDA SPACErePORT &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IVFQbziBzb\">https:\/\/t.co\/IVFQbziBzb<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JgZr91vny4\">pic.twitter.com\/JgZr91vny4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \u01ddp\u028d\u0250rp \u01ddll\u01dd\u0183oop (@FLSPACErePORT) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FLSPACErePORT\/status\/1231738008765976580?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 24, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>**** V<strong>ideos of recent activities at the Boca Chica Beach facility<\/strong> in South Texas &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCSUu1lih2RifWkKtDOJdsBA\">NASASpaceflight &#8211; YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n<p>****** <strong>SpaceX Progress With Maria Pointer<\/strong> &#8211; Feb.23.2020<strong> &#8211; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/LabPadre\/videos\">LabPadre<\/a><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em> Spacex is in full gear at Boca Chica, Texas. New buildings. New cranes. New ground being broken. Employees have grown exponentially. Video credit @BocaChicaMaria1<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/X1bXZjKkm-k?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>****** SpaceX Boca Chica &#8211; Starship SN1 Night Ops to Downcomer Checks &#8211; Feb.23.2020 &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCSUu1lih2RifWkKtDOJdsBA\">NASASpaceflight &#8211; YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>24 hours a day operations at SpaceX Boca Chica as workers prepare SN1 for the upcoming rollover to the launch site. Video runs from Night Ops through to Sunday work. Videos and Photos from Mary (@bocachicagal) for NSF.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BidGNmZK0M4?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>***** <strong>SpaceX Mega Stack Highlights W\/ Maria Pointer<\/strong> &#8211; Feb 24, 2020 &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/LabPadre\/videos\">LabPadre<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Close up Mega stack highlights and other progressions at SpaceX BocaChica, Texas. Video Credit: @BocaChicaMaria1<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OUYngvnpSbY?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>****** SpaceX Boca Chica &#8211; Starship SN1 moved to the launch site &#8211; Feb.25.2020 &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCSUu1lih2RifWkKtDOJdsBA\">NASASpaceflight &#8211; YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>In Boca Chica, SpaceX&#8217;s Starship SN1 was transported to the launch site on Tuesday ahead of proof testing and a static fire test which will be conducted over the coming days. Videos and Photos from Mary (@bocachicagal) for NSF.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sYYbK__uTiI?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>****** <strong>SpaceX Starship SN1 Loaded Up On Test Stand Time Lapse<\/strong> &#8211; Feb.25.2020 &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/LabPadre\/videos\">LabPadre<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>SN1 was load up onto the test stand at Boca Chica Launch Pad. My apologies on the low quality video. All images are explicitly owned by LabPadre Media. Filmed live on location with Maria Pointer. @BocaChicaMaria1<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WUcpGstD_ok?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>****<strong> SpaceX granted permit to open facility at Port of LA<\/strong> for Starship related manufacturing:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-space-spacex-port-idUSKBN20K01N\">Musk&#8217;s SpaceX rocket production facility approved by Port of Los Angeles &#8211; Reuters<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teslarati.com\/spacex-los-angeles-mars-rocket-factory-go-for-launch\/\">SpaceX&#8217;s Los Angeles Mars rocket factory go for launch after cresting last big hurdle &#8211; Teslarati<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">==<strong><em> Amazon Ad<\/em><\/strong> ==<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1633885348\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1633885348&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=hobbyspace&amp;linkId=7ec96ebea81491302a758ed76d152d6a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Case for Space:<br \/>\nHow the Revolution in Spaceflight Opens Up<br \/>\na Future of Limitless Possibility<\/a><\/strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=hobbyspace&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1633885348\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe style=\"width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ac&amp;ref=tf_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=hobbyspace&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=1633885348&amp;asins=1633885348&amp;linkId=dc008bd5d89e31bff68df4b9cbebab8a&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true&amp;price_color=333333&amp;title_color=0066c0&amp;bg_color=ffffff\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><span style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find previous roundups here): ** First orbital Astra orbital rocket launch is currently set for liftoff from the Pacific Spaceport Complex &#8211; Alaska (PSCA) on Kodiak Island during the window 3:30-6:30 pm EST ( 2030-2330 GMT)on February 27th: Astra, DARPA prepare for upcoming &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=21273\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Space transport roundup &#8211; Feb.26.2020<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[106],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-space-transport-roundup"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-5x7","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":22709,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=22709","url_meta":{"origin":21273,"position":0},"title":"Space transport roundup &#8211; Sept.15.2020","author":"TopSpacer","date":"September 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find previous roundups here): ** Astra Space attempts orbital launch but fails during first stage boost phase. Following several scrubbed attempts over the past few months to launch Rocket 3.1, the vehicle lifted off from the pad at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Rockets&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Rockets","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Launch-Photo-2-1024x5761-1-500x281.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":24572,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=24572","url_meta":{"origin":21273,"position":1},"title":"Space transport roundup: Part 1 &#8211; Orbital Launches &#8211; Oct.27.2021","author":"TopSpacer","date":"October 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport from late July till today (find previous roundups here). The roundup is split into three postings: Part 1 Orbital launches Part 2: Light orbital lift development, suborbital, space transport articles, news, videos, etc. Part 3 SpaceX Falcon 9, Dragon,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Rockets&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Rockets","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/LV0007_11.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/LV0007_11.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/LV0007_11.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/LV0007_11.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/LV0007_11.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/LV0007_11.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":23285,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=23285","url_meta":{"origin":21273,"position":2},"title":"Space transport roundup &#8211; Dec.16.2020","author":"TopSpacer","date":"December 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find previous roundups here): ** Dec.9: First high altitude flight test of a SpaceX Starship prototype successfully demonstrated two key requirements for returning from orbit: (1) controlled stable flight while in a horizontal orientation during unpowered descent and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Rockets&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Rockets","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/0-1024x5761-1-500x281.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21504,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=21504","url_meta":{"origin":21273,"position":3},"title":"Space transport roundup &#8211; Mar.25.2020","author":"TopSpacer","date":"March 25, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find previous roundups here): ** ULA Atlas V set to launch the sixth AEHF (Advanced Extremely High Frequency) communications satellite for the Air Force. The two hour launch window on Thursday opens at 2:57 pm EDT (1857 GMT).\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Rockets&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Rockets","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/AtlasVForAEHF6MissionBeforeRollout_1000x1333-375x500.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22473,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=22473","url_meta":{"origin":21273,"position":4},"title":"Space transport roundup &#8211; Aug.7.2020","author":"TopSpacer","date":"August 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find previous roundups here): ** A big week for SpaceX.\u00a0 On Sunday the Crew Dragon returned safely to earth.\u00a0 On Tuesday the SN5 Starship Prototype flew up and down at Boca Chica Beach, Texas. And early Friday morning,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Rockets&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Rockets","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"Starship SN5 Hop","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/50192510273_472b0531f7.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22251,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=22251","url_meta":{"origin":21273,"position":5},"title":"Space transport roundup &#8211; July.22.2020","author":"TopSpacer","date":"July 22, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find previous roundups here): ** SpaceX Falcon 9 launches S. Korean ANASIS-II milcomm sat with same booster used for ISS crew mission. The booster landed safely on an ocean platform. The 51 day turnaround time was the fastest\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Rockets&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Rockets","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/SweatShirt-large-line-item-2776701-e1591812922810-497x500.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21273"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21284,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21273\/revisions\/21284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}