{"id":23804,"date":"2021-05-18T16:21:31","date_gmt":"2021-05-18T20:21:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=23804"},"modified":"2021-05-19T00:13:14","modified_gmt":"2021-05-19T04:13:14","slug":"space-transport-roundup-part-1-spacex-may-18-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=23804","title":{"rendered":"Space transport roundup &#8211; Part 1: SpaceX &#8211; May.18.2021"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Here is a sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find <a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=5\">previous roundups here<\/a>). Here Part 1 focuses on\u00a0 SpaceX. <a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=23898\">Part 2 reports<\/a> on news from other space transportation companies and organizations around the world.<\/p>\n<p>** <strong>Multiple developments across the board at SpaceX<\/strong> since the <a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=23707\">last roundup on April 8th<\/a>. Here is a list of some of the highlights:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Five Falcon 9 launches<\/strong>:\n<ol>\n<li>April 23:\u00a0 SpaceX Crew-2 mission sent Dragon Endeavor with four astronauts to the ISS. Both the Dragon and the F9 booster had flown previously.<\/li>\n<li>April 28: Starlink V1.0 L24 &#8211; 60 satellites to orbit and booster recovered after its 7th flight.<\/li>\n<li>May 4:\u00a0 Starlink V1.0 L25 &#8211; 60 satellites to orbit. Booster lands safely after 9th flight. This was the 100th successful mission since the last in-flight F9 failure.<\/li>\n<li>May 9: Starlink V1.0 L27 &#8211; 60 satellites to orbit.\u00a0 First stage booster flies for 10th time and lands safely.<\/li>\n<li>May.15: Starlink V1.0 L26 &#8211; 52 Starlink satellites to orbit plus rideshare for Capella radarsat and Tyvek smallsat with miniature telescope. Booster lands for 8th time.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dragon reentry<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>May 2: SpaceX Crew-1 mission astronauts return from ISS aboard Dragon <em>Resilience<\/em> for a rare night time splashdown at a spot near Florida&#8217;s Gulf coast.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Starship milestones<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>April 16: NASA selects SpaceX Starship proposal as single winner for Artemis Human Landing System (HLS) funding. The $2.9B program would support development of the Lunar version of the Starship and fund two missions (uncrewed and crewed) to the Moon&#8217;s surface.<\/li>\n<li>May 5: First successful landing of a Starship prototype after a flight to a high altitude.<\/li>\n<li>May 14: Plan released showing primary features of the first &#8220;orbital&#8221; Starship mission, which could happen as early as this summer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Other developments<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li>Construction of the orbital launch facilities, including a huge service tower, has been progressing rapidly.<\/li>\n<li>Conversion of two oil drilling platforms into off-shore launch\/landing facilities for the Starship\/Super Heavy is well underway.<\/li>\n<li>[ <strong>Update<\/strong>: Forgot to mention that a nose cone, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gBNk97u3ENo\">enmeshed in an elaborate rig<\/a> to simulate the stresses of launch and the Max-Q phase, was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NBAhjatJOhk\">moved to the launch area<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bLutbCpGcPo\">tested<\/a>, and then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gpkd6-8Akxo\">moved back<\/a> to the production area.]<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#MoreSpaceX\">Find links to news about Starlink and other projects in list below<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>** <strong>May 14: Outline of Starship &#8220;orbital&#8221; mission released in FCC filing<\/strong>. Perhaps within a few months, the first launch of a Starship atop a Super Heavy Booster will lift off from Boca Chica Beach, ala Starbase, Texas. The primary goals of the mission are provided in a filing with the FCC, <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.fcc.gov\/els\/GetAtt.html?id=273481&amp;x=\">Starship Orbital &#8211; First Flight FCC Exhibit &#8211; FCC (pdf)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em><strong>Flight Profile<\/strong><br \/>\nThe Starship Orbital test flight will originate from Starbase, TX. The Booster stage will separate approximately 170 seconds into flight. The Booster will then perform a partial return and land in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 20 miles from the shore. The Orbital Starship will continue on flying between the Florida Straits. It will achieve orbit until performing a powered, targeted landing approximately 100km (~62 miles) off the northwest coast of Kauai in a soft ocean landing.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23923\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23923\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"23923\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=23923\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OrbitalStageLaunch-FCC-filing.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"913,593\" 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=\"Orbital Stage Launch\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The launch will thread the Starship &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OrbitalStageLaunch-FCC-filing.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-23923\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OrbitalStageLaunch-FCC-filing-500x325.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"325\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OrbitalStageLaunch-FCC-filing-500x325.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OrbitalStageLaunch-FCC-filing-768x499.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OrbitalStageLaunch-FCC-filing.jpg 913w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23923\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The launch will thread the Starship between Cuba and other Caribbean islands while the Super Heavy will return for a water landing off the coast of Texas. Credits: SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>So the Starship (SN20?) will reach orbital velocity but will fire its engines for reentry before completing a complete orbit.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><strong><em>Objectives<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<em>SpaceX intends to collect as much data as possible during flight to quantify entry dynamics and better understand what the vehicle experiences in a flight regime that is extremely difficult\u00a0 to accurately predict or replicate computationally. This data will anchor any changes in vehicle design or CONOPs after the first flight and build better models for us to use in our internal simulations.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23922\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23922\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"23922\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=23922\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OrbitalStageLanding-FCC-filing.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"896,617\" 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=\"Orbital Stage Landing\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The Starship will fire its de-orbit burn before a complete circle of the Earth. Its trajectory will put it near Hawaii.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OrbitalStageLanding-FCC-filing.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-23922\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OrbitalStageLanding-FCC-filing-500x344.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OrbitalStageLanding-FCC-filing-500x344.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OrbitalStageLanding-FCC-filing-768x529.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/OrbitalStageLanding-FCC-filing.jpg 896w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23922\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Starship will fire make its de-orbit burn before completing a full circle of the Earth. The reentry trajectory will put the ship into the ocean near Hawaii. Credits: SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Unfortunately, the 28 Raptors on the booster and the 6 on the Starship (including 3 with large vacuum optimized nozzles) will likely be lost on this mission.\u00a0 Even if production is nearing Elon&#8217;s goal of $1M per engine, it will be a significant loss down the ocean drain. For perspective, though, consider that each of the four Shuttle engines (de-rated from reusable to expendable) on a throwaway Space Launch System, <a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/science\/2020\/05\/nasa-will-pay-a-staggering-146-million-for-each-sls-rocket-engine\/\">will cost $146M<\/a>, several times more than the combined cost of all those Raptors.<\/p>\n<p>See also:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/2021\/05\/13\/spacex-outlines-plans-for-around-the-world-starship-test-flight\/\">SpaceX outlines plans for Starship orbital test flight \u2013 Spaceflight Now<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2021\/05\/13\/spacex-first-orbital-starship-rocket-flight-plan-revealed.html\">Elon Musk&#8217;s SpaceX first Starship rocket orbital flight plan revealed &#8211; CNBC<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/2021\/05\/starship-sn15-reflight-road-orbit\/\">Starship SN15 patiently awaits a decision &#8211; The Road to Orbit &#8211; NASASpaceFlight.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>** <strong>May.5: SN15 becomes first SpaceX Starship prototype to fly to high altitude and survive landing<\/strong>. A small fire flared at the base for a few minutes after touchdown but did not lead to the destruction of the vehicle as happened with SN10.\u00a0 Much of the flight was hidden from view by thick clouds but the takeoff and landing were visible to the thousands watching in person and via the various webcasts. SpaceX provided live video views from a camera in the rocket engine compartment and from one of a flap near the front.\u00a0 While there were long breaks in the video transmission, telemetry indicated the flight was going well. Elon Musk tweeted after the fire was out, &#8220;<em>Starship landing nominal!<\/em>&#8221;<\/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\/unKvMC3Y1kI?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>Here is a highlights video released by SpaceX on May 13th:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>On Wednesday, May 5, Starship serial number 15 (SN15) successfully completed SpaceX\u2019s fifth high-altitude flight test of a Starship prototype from Starbase in Texas. SN15 ascended, transitioned propellant, and reoriented itself for reentry and a controlled aerodynamic descent. The Raptor engines reignited to perform the landing flip maneuver before touching down for a nominal landing on the pad. These Starship test flights improve our understanding and development of a fully reusable transportation system designed to carry crew and cargo on long-duration interplanetary flights, help humanity return to the Moon, and travel to Mars and beyond.<\/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\/7CZTLogln34?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<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Starship?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Starship<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SN15?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SN15<\/a> &#8212; SpaceX&#8217;s fifth full-scale prototype &#8212; launching into a low cloud deck and re-emerging mid way through the flip maneuver just minutes later, performing a historic first successful landing&#x1f680;<br \/>\nCongrats <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SpaceX<\/a>!&#x1f1fa;&#x1f1f8;<\/p>\n<p>&#x2699;&#xfe0f;\/&#x2b07;&#xfe0f;\/&#x1f5bc;: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gb3ACD5zIS\">https:\/\/t.co\/gb3ACD5zIS<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kIbHTwQDyc\">pic.twitter.com\/kIbHTwQDyc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 &#x1f4f8;Trevor Mahlmann (@TrevorMahlmann) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TrevorMahlmann\/status\/1390324369000472582?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 6, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>High-res views from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCh3jrub_0od3EFoUtiIG4jQ\">Cosmic Perspective<\/a>:<\/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\/Y_9FZDnCaoU?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.spacex.com\/vehicles\/starship\/\">Starship<\/a> development is moving forward roughly in blocks of 5. The early prototypes SN1-SN4 had only the propellant tank sections and were used primarily for structural pressure tests. This involved implementing the various ground support systems and interfaces to the vehicle and gaining experience with preparing a vehicle for flight. SN5 and SN6 also had no nosecones but carried out short hop flights. The SN7 tag\u00a0 was assigned to modules for testing the propellant tanks. The SN8 vehicle included the nosecone section and was the first vehicle to go to high altitude (~12km).\u00a0 It and vehicles SN9-SN11 all flew to the 12 km range but either failed during landing attempts or, in SN10&#8217;s case, blew up a few minutes after landing. Some components and assembly steps\u00a0 were observed for SN12 and SN13 but these were eventually junked in favor of jumping to the SN15 block.<\/p>\n<p>SN15 reportedly involved many improvements over the previous vehicles, making it a significant step up from the SN8-13 design. Most of these improvements are internal and have not been detailed publicly. (<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/fael097\/status\/1324479821997608960\">Here is a guess at changes<\/a> in the piping to the engines.)\u00a0 However, to the outside observer the three Raptor engines installed on SN15 display a much neater and uniform arrangement of piping and cabling, indicating that the engines are transitioning from developmental prototypes to operational units.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after the landing, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/elonmusk\/status\/1390569345361883136\">Elon said<\/a> that the SN15 might fly again soon. It was later moved to the second suborbital launch platform. The SN16 prototype appears to be complete but no word on when and if it will be moved from the High Bay hangar to the launch site.<\/p>\n<p>Some articles about the SN15:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/2021\/05\/sn15s-success-spacex-next-steps-orbital-goals\/\">Following Starship SN15&#8217;s success, SpaceX evaluating next steps toward orbital goals &#8211; NASASpaceFlight.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/science\/2021\/05\/spacex-successfully-lands-a-starship-test-flight\/\">SpaceX successfully lands a Starship test flight | Ars Technica<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spectator.org\/spacex-starship-sn-15\/\">SpaceX Starship Ushers in New Era of Space Travel &#8211; The American Spectator<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>**** <em><strong><a href=\"#Starship\">More Starship related items below<\/a><\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Falcon 9\/Dragon<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>May.15: Falcon 9 launches from Kennedy Space Center with 52 Starlinks plus two rideshare satellites<\/strong>. The booster landed successfully on platform at sea for the 8th time. The\u00a0 rideshare satellites included a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tyvak.com\/\">Tyvak<\/a> smallsat with a miniature space telescope and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.capellaspace.com\/\">Capella Space<\/a> small <a href=\"https:\/\/www.capellaspace.com\/data\/why-sar\/\">synthetic aperture radar<\/a> imaging satellite.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/2021\/05\/spacex-starlink-rideshare-milestone-nears\/\">SpaceX launches Starlink rideshare mission as constellation deployment milestone nears &#8211; NASASpaceFlight.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/2021\/05\/16\/spacex-ramps-up-launch-rate-fifth-falcon-9-mission-in-three-weeks\/\">SpaceX ramps up launch rate with fifth Falcon 9 mission in three weeks \u2013 Spaceflight Now<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/tyvak-satellite-on-spacex-rideshare-mission-carries-tiny-space-telescope\/\">Tyvak satellite on SpaceX rideshare mission carries tiny space telescope &#8211; SpaceNews<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/satellitenewsnetwork.com\/2020\/07\/16\/lawrence-livermore-national-laboratory-and-tyvak-nano-satellite-systems-announce-agreement-to-develop-innovative-telescopes-for-nanosatellites\/\">Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems Announce Agreement to Develop Innovative Telescopes for Nanosatellites &#8211; SNN<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\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\/fa2B_ep7fVg?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>May.9.2021: Falcon 9 launches 60 Starlink satellites and booster successfully flies for 10th time<\/strong> on Starlink V1.0 L27. The original goal of 10 booster flights and landings before a major refurbishment was reached with this mission. It appears, in fact, that refurbishment between flights is sufficient to keep a booster flying so this one will probably do another flight within the usual 1 to 2 month gap between booster flights.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/2021\/05\/historic-10th-falcon9-reflight\/\">SpaceX flies historic 10th mission of a Falcon 9 as Starlink constellation expands &#8211; NASASpaceFlight.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/spacex-sets-booster-reuse-milestone-on-starlink-launch\/\">SpaceX sets booster reuse milestone on Starlink launch &#8211; SpaceNews<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/science\/2021\/05\/spacex-hits-major-reuse-milestone-with-rockets-10th-flight\/\">A SpaceX booster now trails only 4 space shuttles in flight experience | Ars Technica<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\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\/J71s2KmkSrc?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>May.4: SpaceX launches 60 more Starlink satellites on Starlink V1.0 L25 mission. <\/strong>Booster lands after its 9th flight.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/2021\/05\/04\/starlink-launch-marks-100-straight-missions-since-an-in-flight-falcon-rocket-failure\/\">Starlink launch marks 100 missions since an in-flight Falcon rocket failure \u2013 Spaceflight Now<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/2021\/05\/spacex-parallel-operations-starlink-l25\/\">SpaceX resumes parallel pad operations with Starlink v1.0 L25 mission &#8211; NASASpaceFlight.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\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\/xpl_JnG7rcg?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>May.2: SpaceX Dragon &#8220;Resilience&#8221; splashes down in darkness with Crew-1 astronauts from the ISS<\/strong>. The SpaceX Crew-1 mission members &#8211; NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguch &#8211; completed their 6 month stay aboard the station and, after a few days delay due to bad weather in the recovery area in the Gulf of Mexico near the Florida panhandle, departed from the station on the evening of May 1st. This was only the third nighttime water landing in spaceflight history.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23852\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23852\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/crew-1-astronauts-safely-splash-down-after-space-station-mission\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"23852\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=23852\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Crew1-DragonReturn-May2-2021.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"985,602\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;(NASA\/Bill Ingalls)&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D5&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, left, Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi, right are seen inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft onboard the SpaceX GO Navigator recovery ship shortly after having landed in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Panama City, Florida, Sunday, May 2, 2021.  NASA\\u2019s SpaceX Crew-1 mission was the first crew rotation flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket with astronauts to the International Space Station as part of the agency\\u2019s Commercial Crew Program. Photo Credit: (NASA\/Bill Ingalls)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1619922988&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;(NASA\/Bill Ingalls)\\r\\rFor copyright and restrictions refer to -\\u00a0http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/multimedia\/guidelines\/index.html&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;14&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;6400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;NASA\\u2019s SpaceX Crew-1 Splashdown&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-1 Splashdown\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, left, Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi, right are seen inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft onboard the SpaceX GO Navigator recovery ship shortly after having landed in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Panama City, Florida, Sunday, May 2, 2021.  NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-1 mission was the first crew rotation flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket with astronauts to the International Space Station as part of the agency\u2019s Commercial Crew Program. Photo Credit: (NASA\/Bill Ingalls)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Crew1-DragonReturn-May2-2021.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-23852\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Crew1-DragonReturn-May2-2021-500x306.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"306\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Crew1-DragonReturn-May2-2021-500x306.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Crew1-DragonReturn-May2-2021-768x469.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Crew1-DragonReturn-May2-2021.jpg 985w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23852\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, left, Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi, right are seen inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft onboard the SpaceX GO Navigator recovery ship shortly after having landed in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Panama City, Florida, Sunday, May 2, 2021. NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-1 mission was the first crew rotation flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket with astronauts to the International Space Station as part of the agency\u2019s Commercial Crew Program. Photo Credit: (NASA\/Bill Ingalls)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/crew-1-astronauts-safely-splash-down-after-space-station-mission\">Crew-1 Astronauts Safely Splash Down After Space Station Mission | NASA<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/2021\/05\/02\/crew-dragon-brings-four-astronauts-back-to-nighttime-splashdown\/\">Crew Dragon brings four astronauts back to nighttime splashdown \u2013 Spaceflight Now\/CBS News<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/2021\/05\/dragon-resilience-return-first-operational\/\">Dragon Resilience returns to Earth, completing first operational Commercial Crew mission &#8211; NASASpaceFlight.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/crew-dragon-splashes-down-to-end-crew-1-mission\/\">Crew Dragon splashes down to end Crew-1 mission &#8211; SpaceNews<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\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\/QPk4V6-nWSY?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><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\/yKVcDu7vv4w?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>Apr. 28: SpaceX Falcon 9 launches 60 more Starlink satellites.<\/strong> The first stage booster landed safely on its seventh flight.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/2021\/04\/29\/spacex-launches-60-more-starlink-spacecraft-fcc-clears-spacex-to-fly-satellites-at-lower-altitudes\/\">SpaceX launches 60 more Starlink spacecraft; FCC clears SpaceX to fly satellites at lower altitudes \u2013 Spaceflight Now<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/2021\/04\/starlink-l24-launch-starlink-modifications\/\">Starlink v1.0 L24 launches as SpaceX receives permission for Starlink modifications &#8211; NASASpaceFlight.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\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\/RBxkRKZ34yo?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> Apr.23: <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/SpaceX_Dragon_2\">SpaceX Crew Dragon<\/a> launched with 4 new crew members for the ISS<\/strong>. The Falcon 9, with a previously flown first stage, lifted off early in the morning of April 23rd with a previously flown Dragon. The Crew-2 flight is the second operational Crew Dragon flight and the third Dragon flight with astronauts on board counting the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Crew_Dragon_Demo-2\">Demo 2 mission<\/a> that launched on May 30, 2020. The Crew-2 astronauts rode the same <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Crew_Dragon_Endeavour\">Crew Dragon Endeavour <\/a>that flew on the Demo-2 mission. The F9 booster propelled the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/SpaceX_Crew-1\">Crew-1 mission<\/a> last November. The booster landed safely again on a floating platform in the Atlantic.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/2021\/04\/crew2_launch_endeavour\/\">Off the Earth, for the Earth; Endeavour lifts off with international crew for six month mission &#8211; NASASpaceFlight.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/spacex-launches-nasa-crew-2-mission\/\">SpaceX launches NASA Crew-2 mission &#8211; SpaceNews<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/2021\/04\/23\/spacex-launches-astronauts-on-refurbished-capsule-and-flight-proven-rocket\/\">SpaceX launches astronauts on recycled capsule and \u2018flight-proven\u2019 rocket \u2013 Spaceflight Now<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-s-spacex-crew-2-astronauts-headed-to-international-space-station\">NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-2 Astronauts Headed to International Space Station | NASA<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/spacex-astronauts-crew-dragon-space-station\/\">Astronauts describe &#8220;pure acceleration&#8221; of SpaceX Crew Dragon launch to space station &#8211; CBS News<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\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\/_hq0pR0T11A?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>The Dragon rendezvoused and docked to the station early on April 24th:<\/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\/Nl2NORwJZnk?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>An overview of the mission:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>NASA\u2019s SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station is ready to launch. Join NASA\u2019s Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, Aki Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) as they talk about the prospect of flying on a new spaceship, the six-month space mission they\u2019ve been preparing for, and the future in space they\u2019re helping to build.<\/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\/2E3ufO03FWw?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 ends effort to catch Falcon 9 fairings in nets atop ships at sea<\/strong>. As explained by Scott Manley in this video, the percentage of successful catches was quite low while recovering the fairings from the water and refurbishing them for flight has become quite doable.<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>SpaceX has dismantled the massive nets on Ms Tree and Ms Chief which were used for catching fairings falling from space, but, they still have a large fleet of ships used for ocean recovery operations so this seems like a perfect opportunity to talk about this: More info on SpaceX&#8217;s Ships <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/spacexfleet.com\/\u200b\"><em>https:\/\/spacexfleet.com\/<\/em> <\/a><\/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\/8wdo6P84TGA?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:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/150924\/spacex-has-given-up-trying-to-catch-rocket-fairings-fishing-them-out-of-the-ocean-is-fine\/\">SpaceX has Given up Trying to Catch Rocket Fairings. Fishing Them out of the Ocean is Fine &#8211; Universe Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>** <strong>A new Falcon 9 first stage arrives at Cape Canaveral<\/strong>. With the number of flights per booster steadily increasing, the demand for first stages has dropped significantly. The arrival of a new one has become an unusual event. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teslarati.com\/spacex-delivers-new-falcon-9-booster-for-the-first-time-in-8-months\/\">SpaceX delivers new Falcon 9 booster for the first time in 8 months &#8211; Teslarati<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Now arriving at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station&#8230;CRS-22&#8217;s ride to space, B1067! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/J1BdPDRJf0\">pic.twitter.com\/J1BdPDRJf0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Julia (@julia_bergeron) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/julia_bergeron\/status\/1394076512710766595?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 16, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>Eric Berger, Early Days of SpaceX<\/strong> &#8211; Here is a video of a presentation given at the symposium titled, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers\/marshall\/history\/nasa-and-the-rise-of-commercial-space.html\"><em>NASA and the Rise of Commercial Space: A Symposium to Examine the Meaning(s) and Context(s) of Commercial Space<\/em><\/a>. Berger is the author of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0062979973\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0062979973&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=hobbyspace&amp;linkId=5305a6da9e3c3e6c4bbc2baaa02b3aa1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days<\/em><em> That Launched SpaceX<\/em> [Amazon commission link]<\/a>. The<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>From activities in low-Earth orbit to the Artemis program, the commercial space industry is beginning to take on an increased role as innovator in both space access, commerce, and exploration. This growth of commercial space over the past decades offers the potential for a new paradigm for space exploration\u2014one in which industry transitioned from supplier to partner. Still, many questions remain spanning from the most seemingly consequential \u201cHow will humanity explore the Moon and Mars?\u201d to the more basic, \u201cWhat is Commercial Space?\u201d This virtually hosted symposium explores this transformation and examines the historical context for answering these questions.<\/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\/0IvcCsdK2tQ?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:\/\/thespaceshow.com\/show\/27-apr-2021\/broadcast-3678-eric-berger\"><strong>The Space Show &#8211; Tuesday, Apr.27.2021<\/strong><\/a><strong> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/thespaceshow.com\/guest\/eric-berger\">Eric Berger<\/a><\/strong> of <a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/author\/ericberger\/\">Ars Technica<\/a> discussed<\/p>\n<p><em>his new book about the beginning phase of SpaceX, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0062979973\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0062979973&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=hobbyspace&amp;linkId=5305a6da9e3c3e6c4bbc2baaa02b3aa1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX<\/a> [Amazon commission link]. Eric responded to multiple questions about Artemis, the recent NASA Human Lander Award and what might come next plus general Elon Musk and SpaceX questions.<\/em><\/p>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-23804-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/thespaceshow.com\/sites\/default\/files\/shows\/3678-BWB-2021-04-27.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/thespaceshow.com\/sites\/default\/files\/shows\/3678-BWB-2021-04-27.mp3\">https:\/\/thespaceshow.com\/sites\/default\/files\/shows\/3678-BWB-2021-04-27.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>** <a href=\"https:\/\/mainenginecutoff.com\/podcast\/187\"><strong>T+187: Eric Berger on Artemis, Starship, Amazon\u2019s Atlas V Rides, and the State of Blue Origin<\/strong> &#8211; Main Engine Cut Off<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SciGuySpace\">Eric Berger<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/author\/ericberger\/\">Ars Technica<\/a> returns to the show to talk about <a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/science\/2021\/04\/five-reasons-why-nasas-starship-award-is-a-watershed-moment-in-spaceflight\/\">NASA selecting SpaceX\u2019s Starship<\/a> for its Artemis landings, <a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/science\/2021\/04\/bill-nelson-backs-nasa-decision-on-lunar-lander-in-confirmation-hearing\/\">Bill Nelson\u2019s nomination hearing<\/a>, Amazon <a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/science\/2021\/04\/amazons-first-internet-satellites-will-not-launch-on-blue-origin-rockets\/\">buying 9 Atlas V launches<\/a> for Kuiper, and <a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/science\/2021\/03\/so-what-really-happened-with-blue-origins-new-glenn-rocket\/\">the state of Blue Origin<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-23804-2\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.simplecast.com\/audio\/232ec5f9-c8b1-4198-a24e-3a96d4edfad7\/episodes\/8ebd78ab-d275-4117-b725-0f31a5d34b85\/audio\/4219bc14-4c48-4478-9dbe-3ed114471651\/default_tc.mp3?_=2\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.simplecast.com\/audio\/232ec5f9-c8b1-4198-a24e-3a96d4edfad7\/episodes\/8ebd78ab-d275-4117-b725-0f31a5d34b85\/audio\/4219bc14-4c48-4478-9dbe-3ed114471651\/default_tc.mp3\">https:\/\/cdn.simplecast.com\/audio\/232ec5f9-c8b1-4198-a24e-3a96d4edfad7\/episodes\/8ebd78ab-d275-4117-b725-0f31a5d34b85\/audio\/4219bc14-4c48-4478-9dbe-3ed114471651\/default_tc.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">==================<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Check out the<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thelurioreport.com\/\"><strong>The Lurio Report<\/strong><\/a><br \/>\nfor news and analysis of key developments in NewSpace<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">The latest issue:<br \/>\n<em><strong>Starships and Luna, Commercial LEO, Sen. Nelson<br \/>\nVol. 16, No. 3, April 3, 2021<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Space Frontier Foundation Award for NewSpace Journalism<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">==================<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"Starship\"><\/a><strong><u>Starship\/Super Heavy Booster<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>** Latest diagram showing status of Starship and Super Heavy Booster prototypes<\/strong> in construction and operation:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Starbase Production Diagram &#8211; 15th May 2021 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2qfuzFykGa\">pic.twitter.com\/2qfuzFykGa<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Brendan (@_brendan_lewis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_brendan_lewis\/status\/1393330640519458817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 14, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>[ <strong>Update<\/strong>: The status and fates of all the prototypes so far:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Starbase Testing Diagram &#8211; 2020 &amp; 2021. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9crS9XWrtV\">pic.twitter.com\/9crS9XWrtV<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Brendan (@_brendan_lewis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_brendan_lewis\/status\/1394787098150854659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 18, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>]<\/p>\n<p>*** <strong>SpaceX wins NASA contract for human missions to the Moon<\/strong>. NASA surprised the space world with the announcement that SpaceX was the sole winner of the initial <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/nextstep\/humanlander2\">Human Lander System contract<\/a>. The company will get $2.9B for two StarShip missions to the Moon. The first will demonstrate a landing of an uncrewed Starship on the lunar surface and then lift off and return to orbit. The second mission will send a US crew to the surface for the first time since the Apollo 17 lunar excursion module left in 1972. Elon Musk believes these missions can be accomplished by 2024, the original date of the Artemis program, which many had come to believe was impossible with current funding for the program.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/science\/2021\/04\/five-reasons-why-nasas-starship-award-is-a-watershed-moment-in-spaceflight\/?utm_brand=arstechnica&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_social-type=owned&amp;utm_medium=social\" target=\"_d\" rel=\"noopener\">NASA\u2019s bold bet on Starship for the Moon may change spaceflight forever | Ars Technica<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caseyhandmer.wordpress.com\/2021\/03\/24\/artemis-can-succeed-using-starship\/\">Artemis can succeed using Starship \u2013 Casey Handmer&#8217;s blog<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/as-artemis-moves-forward-nasa-picks-spacex-to-land-next-americans-on-moon\">NASA Picks SpaceX to Land Next Americans on Moon | NASA<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/atoms\/files\/option-a-source-selection-statement-final.pdf\">Source Selection Statement &#8211; NASA (pdf) <\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/nasa-selects-spacex-to-develop-crewed-lunar-lander\/\">NASA selects SpaceX to develop crewed lunar lander &#8211; SpaceNews<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/2021\/04\/starship-sn15-flight-major-nasa-vindication\/\">Starship SN15 prepares for flight following major NASA vindication &#8211; NASASpaceFlight.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spacepolicyonline.com\/news\/spacex-wins-nasa-contract-to-put-astronauts-back-on-the-moon\/\">SpaceX Wins NASA Contract to Put Astronauts Back on the Moon \u2013 SpacePolicyOnline.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/2021\/04\/17\/nasa-chooses-spacex-to-land-next-astronauts-on-the-moon\/\">NASA chooses SpaceX to land next astronauts on the Moon \u2013 Spaceflight Now<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/op-eds\/by-choosing-spacex-nasa-proves-it-is-serious-about-returning-to-the-moon?fbclid=IwAR0z7X-sCYEoXJZe0MF9QsqyJi-Lrexgk71RKGIUMrt3UEIJZLeUMR1ZVMU\" target=\"_d\" rel=\"noopener\">By choosing SpaceX, NASA proves it is serious about returning to the moon | Washington Examiner<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Contract response:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/nasa-delays-starting-contract-with-spacex-for-gateway-cargo-services\/\">NASA delays starting contract with SpaceX for Gateway cargo services &#8211; SpaceNews<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2021\/5\/12\/22432236\/cantwell-authorization-bill-nasa-moon-lander-bezos-blue-origin\">Proposed bill aims to toss a new wrench in NASA\u2019s Moon lander plan &#8211; The Verge<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">NASA has selected Starship to land the first astronauts on the lunar surface since the Apollo program! We are humbled to help <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NASAArtemis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NASAArtemis<\/a> usher in a new era of human space exploration \u2192 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Qcuop33Ryz\">https:\/\/t.co\/Qcuop33Ryz<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GN9Tcfqlfp\">pic.twitter.com\/GN9Tcfqlfp<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SpaceX\/status\/1383160370248896512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 16, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The contract was subsequently suspended until resolution of the award protests by HLS program competitors Blue Origin and Dynetics. The successful flight and landing of Starship prototype SN15 (see top item) boosts the claims by NASA and SpaceX that the development of the Starship systems are well ahead of the other bidders and on track for reaching the Moon by the mid-2020s if not by 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Here is the Human Landing System Announcement Media Teleconference where the announcement of the selection was made. (The event starts at the 9:30 point into the video):<\/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\/y6BqZrs0x4E?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>The Magic of SpaceX w\/ Eric Berger\u00a0 &#8211; David Lee on Investing (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCi2G5aQTN0YwGIfnt1u7Nbg\">Ep. 310<\/a>)\u00a0 &#8211;<\/strong> An informative interview with Eric Berger about\u00a0 Elon Musk and SpaceX on the day the company won the HLS contract:<\/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\/oF_oEvjm1XQ?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>Independent analyses of Starship\/Super Heavy performance<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/exrocketman.blogspot.com\/\">An Ex Rocket Man&#8217;s Take On It<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/exrocketman.blogspot.com\/2021\/05\/evaluations-of-spacex-starshipsuperheavy.html\">Evaluations of the Spacex Starship\/Superheavy<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/exrocketman.blogspot.com\/2021\/03\/spacex-tanker-investigation.html\">An Ex Rocket Man&#8217;s Take On It: Spacex Tanker Investigation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/exrocketman.blogspot.com\/2021\/03\/reverse-engineering-estimates-starship.html\">Reverse-Engineering Estimates: Starship Lunar Landings<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caseyhandmer.wordpress.com\/\">Casey Handmer&#8217;s blog<\/a>:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caseyhandmer.wordpress.com\/2021\/03\/26\/lunar-starship-and-unnecessary-operational-complexity\/\">Lunar Starship and unnecessary operational complexity<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caseyhandmer.wordpress.com\/2021\/04\/09\/the-martian-starship\/\">\u201cThe Martian\u201d + Starship<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/caseyhandmer.wordpress.com\/2021\/03\/24\/artemis-can-succeed-using-starship\/\">Artemis can succeed using Starship <\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Casey Handmer discussed his studies of the Starship\/Super Heavy capabilities in a recent interview on The Space Show: <a href=\"https:\/\/thespaceshow.com\/show\/09-may-2021\/broadcast-3686-dr.-casey-handmer\">Broadcast 3686 Dr. Casey Handmer | The Space Show<\/a><\/p>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-23804-3\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/thespaceshow.com\/sites\/default\/files\/shows\/3686-BWB-2021-05-09.mp3?_=3\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/thespaceshow.com\/sites\/default\/files\/shows\/3686-BWB-2021-05-09.mp3\">https:\/\/thespaceshow.com\/sites\/default\/files\/shows\/3686-BWB-2021-05-09.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p><strong>Starship enables lunar activities and settlement on a sci-fi scale<\/strong>. Handmer shows that Starships could deliver hundreds of tons of cargo to the Moon per year at a cost well within NASA&#8217;s current budget: <a href=\"https:\/\/caseyhandmer.wordpress.com\/2021\/03\/26\/lunar-starship-and-unnecessary-operational-complexity\/\">Lunar Starship and unnecessary operational complexity \u2013 Casey Handmer&#8217;s blog<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>It\u2019s worth stating at the outset that Starship is in a <a href=\"https:\/\/caseyhandmer.wordpress.com\/2021\/03\/24\/artemis-can-succeed-using-starship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">league of its own in the current field of lunar landers<\/a>. Within the HLS program, the NASA spec called for a capacity of at least 9 T, ideally 12 T, to the Lunar surface. Starship in its most basic configuration can do more than 200 T. One of these is not like the others.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The real strength of Starship is not in its transformationally large cargo capacity, but in its low cost of operations. Why fly 200 T once when we could fly it a few dozen times for less than the cost of the next cheapest vehicle?<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>A single Starship flight to the Moon can transport 25 [Tons] of mission-related cargo there and back, which is more than enough to support a crew of 10 for weeks, and give them a Moon rover each. Add to this the beginnings of an enormous lunar space station built inside an expendable Starship-based lander and not only is the Artemis program affordable, it\u2019s also achieving something like an exciting science-fiction based vision for what a Moon base should look and feel like.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>No NRHO [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Near-rectilinear_halo_orbit\">Near-rectilinear halo orbit<\/a>] phasing requirements, no launch windows, no decades-long roll out of incredibly expensive deep space infrastructure. Just a vehicle built around the given task and committed to achieving it without compromises. A mission architecture capable of deploying a large lunar base for a cost comparable to the NSF\u2019s new(ish) <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Amundsen%E2%80%93Scott_South_Pole_Station\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">South Pole Station<\/a>. With a budget of $1b\/year, NASA could fly this mission (or variations on the theme) every 90 days \u2013 a big step change improvement over space access with the ISS.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>More about the impact Starships will have on space exploration and development<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nautil.us\/issue\/100\/outsiders\/the-profound-potential-of-elon-musks-new-rocket\">The Profound Potential of Elon Musk\u2019s New Rocket &#8211; Issue 100: Outsiders &#8211; Robert Zubrin\/Nautilus<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/science\/2021\/04\/five-reasons-why-nasas-starship-award-is-a-watershed-moment-in-spaceflight\/\" target=\"_d\" rel=\"noopener\">NASA\u2019s bold bet on Starship for the Moon may change spaceflight forever | Ars Technica<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thespacereview.com\/article\/4160\/1\" target=\"_d\" rel=\"noopener\">Putting SpaceX\u2019s Starship program in the proper context &#8211; The Space Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>** <strong>A vivid perspective<\/strong> illustrating the relative distance between the production area and the launch\/landing facilities at Boca Chica Beach:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Gateway to Mars! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vZvDpWrIKK\">pic.twitter.com\/vZvDpWrIKK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 RGVAerialPhotography (@RGVaerialphotos) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RGVaerialphotos\/status\/1391068864381956099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 8, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>NASA funding for SpaceX in-space cryogenic propellant transfer demo<\/strong>: Last year NASA announced plans to award $370M in funding for demonstrations of various &#8220;Tipping Point&#8221; technologies. The term tipping point here implies that a technology has reached an advanced level of development but needs one final demo boost to prove that it is ready for operational use.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/spacetech\/solicitations\/tipping_points\/2020_selections\">2020 NASA Tipping Point Selections | NASA<\/a><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-announces-partners-to-advance-tipping-point-technologies-for-the-moon-mars\">NASA Announces Partners to Advance 2020 \u2018Tipping Point\u2019 Technologies | NASA<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>SpaceX was one of several companies awarded funding for projects involving propellant transfer and storage in space. The $50M for SpaceX has now arrived, which will enable the company to carry out a demonstration in orbit of cryogenic propellant transfer by the end of 2022:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/forum.nasaspaceflight.com\/index.php?topic=53849.0\">NASA contract for in-orbit cryogenic transfer demo May 2021 &#8211; NASASpaceFlight.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teslarati.com\/spacex-starship-orbital-propellant-transfer-nasa\/\">SpaceX begins work on Starship orbital propellant transfer test for NASA &#8211; Teslarati<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Transferring liquid methane and oxygen in orbit is a key factor in the Starship architecture. A Starship can reach low earth orbit from Earth but to go on to the Moon, Mars, and other deep space destinations, it will need to fill up on propellants delivered from earth.<\/p>\n<p>** <strong>Some videos from Boca Chica Beach\/Starbase, Texas:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>*** <strong>May 7<\/strong>: <em><strong>SpaceX Starship SN15 &amp; Starbase Tx Flyover<\/strong><\/em> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/RGVAerialPhotography\/videos\" target=\"_d\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">RGV Aerial Photography<\/a><\/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\/l2r8bGFOYYc?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>May.15: <em>New Starbase Sign Unveiled | SpaceX Boca Chica<\/em><\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCSUu1lih2RifWkKtDOJdsBA\">NASASpaceflight &#8211; YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>SpaceX unveils a new Starbase sign outside of the Propellant Production Site. SpaceX aims to incorporate the area as Starbase, TX as they push toward the first orbital launch. Video &amp; Photos from Mary (@BocaChicaGal) and the NSF Robotic Camera Team. Edited by Brady Kenniston (@TheFavoritist)<\/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\/VOo6YVz4FMA?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> May.16<\/strong>: <em><strong>Two Massive Cranes Assembled | SpaceX Boca Chica<\/strong><\/em> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCSUu1lih2RifWkKtDOJdsBA\">NASASpaceflight &#8211; YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>As Starship SN15 is inspected for a potential second flight, SpaceX crews assemble two new massive cranes to assist in Orbital Launch Site construction. Video &amp; Photos from Mary (@BocaChicaGal). Edited by Brady Kenniston (@TheFavoritist)<\/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\/tPqF_2xULrE?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> May.17<\/strong>:\u00a0<em><strong>New Crane for Orbital Site Construction Comes Together | SpaceX Boca Chica<\/strong><\/em> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCSUu1lih2RifWkKtDOJdsBA\">NASASpaceflight &#8211; YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"title style-scope ytd-video-primary-info-renderer\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The new Liebherr LR 11000 crane has the rest of its large components assembled, minus its full boom. Once complete it will assist Frankencrane in Orbital Launch Site construction. Video &amp; Photos from Mary (@BocaChicaGal). Edited by Brady Kenniston (@TheFavoritist)<\/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\/MHP8ADl8GJY?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>** More SpaceX related reports<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>***<strong> May.18: SpaceX Starship SN20 Orbital Flight Analyzed &#8211; Flight Plan released!<\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC1XvxnHFtWruS9egyFasP1Q\">What about it!?<\/a><\/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\/-s_0fu-jEWA?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> May.15<\/strong>: <strong>SpaceX Starship development shifts focus to orbital flight with Super Heavy<\/strong> &#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCBNHHEoiSF8pcLgqLKVugOw\"> Marcus House<\/a><\/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\/9-9k513UIVw?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>Apr.17: <em>NASA Will Spend $2,941,394,557 On SpaceX&#8217;s Massive Lunar Starship Lander!!!<\/em><\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCxzC4EngIsMrPmbm6Nxvb-A\">Scott Manley<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Many people were surprised yesterday when news leaked that NASA was awarding all the funding from the Artemis Human Landing System program to SpaceX with its massive Lunar Starship project. SpaceX&#8217;s price tag is about $2.9 billion with a commitment to fund half of it themselves. While most space watchers could see why SpaceX had made it to the final round most of us didn&#8217;t expect it to be the only choice because it was so unlike what NASA was asking for. However the HLS program only got 1\/3 of the money it needed from Congress and with time marching on NASA had to make a decision and the only option with a price tag that fit was SpaceX.<\/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\/GuSM_-Aw5HM?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 id=\"MoreSpaceX\"><\/a>**<strong> More SpaceX news &amp; resources<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/elon-musk-mars-spacex-risks-astronauts-die\">Elon Musk reminds us all that &#8216;a bunch of people will probably die&#8217; going to Mars | Space.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/technology\/2021\/05\/02\/spacex-private-space-plans\/\">Splashdown in Gulf of Mexico moves SpaceX closer to private human spaceflight &#8211; The Washington Post<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bloomberglaw.com\/business-and-practice\/spacex-general-counsel-exits-as-elon-musks-legal-teams-shuffle\">SpaceX General Counsel Exits as Musk\u2019s Legal Teams Shuffle &#8211; BloombergLaw.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/singularityhub.com\/2021\/05\/17\/spacex-milestone-signals-reusable-rockets-are-becoming-mainstream\/?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SingularityHub+%28Singularity+Hub%29\">SpaceX Milestone Signals Reusable Rockets Are Becoming Mainstream &#8211; SingularityHub.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Software:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/stackoverflow.blog\/tag\/software-in-space\/\">Software in space Archives &#8211; Stack Overflow Blog<\/a> &#8211; Four part series on SpaceX software design\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/stackoverflow.blog\/2021\/05\/10\/dont-push-that-button-exploring-the-software-that-flies-spacex-starships\/\">Don\u2019t push that button: Exploring the software that flies SpaceX rockets and Starships &#8211; Stack Overflow Blog<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/stackoverflow.blog\/2021\/05\/11\/building-a-space-based-isp\/\">Network protocols in orbit: Building a space-based ISP &#8211; Stack Overflow Blog<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/stackoverflow.blog\/2021\/05\/11\/testing-software-so-its-reliable-enough-for-space\/\">Testing software so it&#8217;s reliable enough for space &#8211; Stack Overflow Blog<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/stackoverflow.blog\/2021\/05\/13\/building-the-software-that-helps-build-spacex\/\">Building the software that helps build SpaceX &#8211; Stack Overflow Blog<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Facilities:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.presstelegram.com\/2021\/04\/26\/spacex-to-open-new-port-of-long-beach-facility\/\">SpaceX to open new Port of Long Beach facility \u2013 Press Telegram<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/news\/spacex-to-occupy-6-5-acres-port-long-beach-elon-musk\">SpaceX to occupy 6.5 acres at Port of Long Beach, mayor says &#8211;\u00a0 Long Beach Post News<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mysanantonio.com\/sa-inc\/article\/SpaceX-s-Boca-Chica-venture-South-Texas-16133753.php\">SpaceX&#8217;s Boca Chica venture has all the &#8216;versus&#8217; categories covered &#8211; MySanAntonio.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tpr.org\/border-immigration\/2021-05-12\/spacex-rio-grande-valley-local-concerns-grow\">As SpaceX Ramps Up Activity In The Rio Grande Valley, Local Concerns Grow | TPR<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasmonthly.com\/news-politics\/elon-musk-boca-chica-starbase-texas\/\">Elon Musk is Turning Boca Chica Into a Space-Travel Hub. Not Everyone is Starstruck. \u2013 Texas Monthly<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/proposed-base-for-elon-musks-spacex-project-threatens-lands-and-livelihoods-in-biak-papua-160110\">Proposed base for Elon Musk&#8217;s SpaceX project threatens lands and livelihoods in Biak, Papua &#8211; The Conversation<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Activity at SpaceX&#8217;s facility in Cocoa, Florida:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/John_Winkopp\/status\/1394057595485315077\"><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">Something new at <\/span><span class=\"r-18u37iz\">#SpaceX<\/span> <span class=\"r-18u37iz\">#CidcoRoad<\/span><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">. Without speculation, just want to point out that the size of the new piece of equipment <\/span>&#8230;<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Production of the thermal protection tiles for the Starship is said also to be happening at the Florida site.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Finance:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/amp\/2021\/04\/14\/elon-musks-spacex-amends-february-equity-raise-to-nearly-1point2-billion.html\">Elon Musk&#8217;s SpaceX amends February equity raise to nearly $1.2 billion &#8211; CNBC<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/technology\/spacex-raises-116-bln-equity-financing-2021-04-14\/\" target=\"_d\" rel=\"noopener\">Elon Musk&#8217;s SpaceX raises $1.16 bln in equity financing | Reuters<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>FAA:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/lifestyle\/science\/us-faa-authorizes-next-three-spacex-launches-2021-04-29\/\">U.S. FAA authorizes next three SpaceX launches | Reuters<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Defense launch:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/space-force-to-clear-reused-falcon-9-booster-for-upcoming-gps-launch\/\">Space Force to clear refurbished Falcon 9 booster for upcoming GPS launch &#8211; SpaceNews<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\u00a0Starlink:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/2021\/05\/spacex-starlink-rideshare-milestone-nears\/\">SpaceX launches Starlink rideshare mission as constellation deployment milestone nears &#8211; NASASpaceFlight.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/starlink-teams-up-with-google-for-ground-infrastructure\/\" target=\"_d\" rel=\"noopener\">Starlink teams up with Google for ground infrastructure &#8211; SpaceNews<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2021\/05\/04\/spacex-over-500000-orders-for-starlink-satellite-internet-service.html\">SpaceX: Over 500,000 orders for Starlink satellite internet service &#8211; CNBC<\/a><\/li>\n<li>\u00a0FCC:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/fcc-approves-starlink-license-modification\/\">FCC approves Starlink license modification &#8211; SpaceNews<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-space-internet-spacex-idUSKBN2CE1Q4\">FCC votes to approve SpaceX satellite plan: official &#8211; Reuters<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>And OneWeb:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/information-technology\/2021\/04\/spacex-says-oneweb-spread-false-story-of-near-miss-satellite-collision\/\">SpaceX denies claim that Starlink and OneWeb satellites almost collided | Ars Technica<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teslarati.com\/spacex-starlink-oneweb-false-near-miss-claim\/\">SpaceX Starlink competitor OneWeb misled the FCC, media with false &#8220;near-miss&#8221; narrative &#8211; Teslarati<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Service:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spaceq.ca\/starlink-hype-and-marketing-outpaces-reality-in-getting-service-to-customers-in-canada\/\">Starlink hype and marketing outpaces reality in getting service to customers in Canada &#8211; SpaceQ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alaskapublic.org\/2021\/04\/19\/spacex-considers-alaska-stations-for-satellite-network-to-improve-internet-access-worldwide\/\">SpaceX considers Alaska-based stations to improve worldwide internet satellite network &#8211; Alaska Public Media<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2021\/04\/15\/spacexs-starlink-early-users-review-service-internet-speed-price.html\" target=\"_d\" rel=\"noopener\">SpaceX&#8217;s Starlink: Early users review service, internet speed, price &#8211; CNBC<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Facilities:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/elon-musk-spacex-rocket-boca-chica-texas-starbase-11620353687\">Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX Is Buying Up a Texas Village. Homeowners Cry Foul. &#8211; WSJ<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/business\/boeing-aerospace\/spacex-expands-its-satellite-operation-in-redmond\/\">SpaceX expands its satellite operation in Redmond | The Seattle Times<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geekwire.com\/2021\/spacex-leases-new-125000-square-foot-complex-seattle-area-starlink-satellite-operation-grows\/\">SpaceX to expand Seattle area\u2019s Starlink satellite complex &#8211; Geekwire<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Payload contracts:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/spacex-to-launch-doge-1-to-the-moon-301287016.html\">SpaceX to Launch DOGE-1 to the Moon! &#8211; Geometric Energy Corporation (GEC)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2021\/5\/9\/22427588\/spacex-dogecoin-satellite-doge-1-to-the-moon\">Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX is literally launching a Dogecoin-funded satellite to the Moon &#8211; The Verge<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2021\/05\/09\/spacex-accepts-dogecoin-payment-for-doge-1-mission-to-the-moon.html\">SpaceX accepts Dogecoin payment for DOGE-1 mission to the moon &#8211; CNBC<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astrobotic-selects-falcon-heavy-to-launch-nasas-viper-lunar-rover\/\">Astrobotic selects Falcon Heavy to launch NASA\u2019s VIPER lunar rover &#8211; SpaceNews<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Now proceed to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=23898\">Space transport roundup &#8211; Part 2: Everybody Else &#8211; May.18.2021<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>===<\/em><strong><em> Amazon Ads <\/em><\/strong><em>===<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1250229758\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1250229758&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=hobbyspace&amp;linkId=5144ab5b6bc66b8f508661e6d8c8f464\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Test Gods:<br \/>\nVirgin Galactic and the Making of a Modern Astronaut<\/a><\/strong><\/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=1250229758&amp;asins=1250229758&amp;linkId=b36e08ffaef638e8a34a4ba0907d9e14&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\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>===<\/em><strong><em> Amazon Ad <\/em><\/strong><em>===<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0062979973\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0062979973&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=hobbyspace&amp;linkId=5305a6da9e3c3e6c4bbc2baaa02b3aa1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days<br \/>\nThat Launched SpaceX<\/a><\/strong><\/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=0062979973&amp;asins=0062979973&amp;linkId=a3aa52cc12ee9dab96103a5e6374001a&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\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here is a sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find previous roundups here). Here Part 1 focuses on\u00a0 SpaceX. Part 2 reports on news from other space transportation companies and organizations around the world. ** Multiple developments across the board at SpaceX since the last roundup on April 8th. Here &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=23804\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Space transport roundup &#8211; Part 1: SpaceX &#8211; May.18.2021<\/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":[5,106],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rockets","category-space-transport-roundup"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-6bW","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":24176,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=24176","url_meta":{"origin":23804,"position":0},"title":"Space transport roundup: Part 2 &#8211; SpaceX &#8211; July.28.2021","author":"TopSpacer","date":"July 28, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"This roundup provides a sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find previous roundups here). Part 2 here focuses on SpaceX while Part 1 reports on activities and news of other space transportation companies and organizations around the world. There were no Starship prototype flights since\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\/06\/eVTOL-logistics-supply-equip-troop-handling1-500x281.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":18617,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=18617","url_meta":{"origin":23804,"position":1},"title":"Space transport roundup &#8211; Apr.30.2019","author":"TopSpacer","date":"April 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport: ** SpaceX Cargo Dragon launch delayed from Wednesday to at least Friday due to power problems on the ISS. SpaceX resupply launch delayed by malfunction on space station \u2013 Spaceflight Now Electrical issue on Station delays Dragon launch\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\/2019\/04\/138023575_15566104405081n1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":20279,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=20279","url_meta":{"origin":23804,"position":2},"title":"Space transport roundup &#8211; Nov.16.2019","author":"TopSpacer","date":"November 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find previous roundups here): ** SpaceX executes successful static firing of Crew Dragon launch escape system.\u00a0 A similar firing last April led to an explosion caused by leaks and other problems in the propellant plumbing. Assuming the data\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\/2019\/11\/E2Card2Final-2x-500x287.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":20678,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=20678","url_meta":{"origin":23804,"position":3},"title":"Space transport roundup &#8211; Jan.3.2020","author":"TopSpacer","date":"January 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find previous roundups here): [ Update Jan.4.2019 #2: SpaceX confirms the static test went well and they are on track for Monday's launch: Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched a Starlink mission, the Iridium-8\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\/01\/MOMO5_OnPad-InstellarTech-380x500.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21981,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=21981","url_meta":{"origin":23804,"position":4},"title":"Space transport roundup &#8211; June.10.2020","author":"TopSpacer","date":"June 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport (find previous roundups here): ** SpaceX to launch another batch of Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket this week, the second such launch in June. Liftoff at Cape Canaveral is set for 5:42 am EDT (0942 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\/2019\/02\/Prometheus_powering_future_launchers_node_full_image_2-220x300.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":18434,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=18434","url_meta":{"origin":23804,"position":5},"title":"Space transport roundup &#8211; April.9.2019","author":"TopSpacer","date":"April 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images dealing with space transport: ** SpaceX; **** Second Falcon Heavy launch now set for Wednesday, April 11th from Kennedy Space Center: Now targeting Falcon Heavy launch of Arabsat-6A on Wednesday, April 10 \u2013 weather forecast improves to 80% favorable \u2014 SpaceX (@SpaceX)\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\/2019\/04\/EngineView-April2019-1024x688.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23804","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=23804"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23931,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23804\/revisions\/23931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}