Space News thread

[Takeovers]

There was an anomaly with testing a Raptor engine at the SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas. Quite impressive if you like clouds of fire.

https://x.com/Cphillips_03/status/1793763364889604537

Possibly some damage to the test stand. Though the white propellant tanks are still white, after the fire engulfing them. The paint remained intact.

[Neverna]

Just had an email from my daughter who lives in LA and works for Space X. We have a confirmed private tour of the main building in Hawthorne scheduled for June 1. I am so excited, we have been to the Johnson Space Center before, but this will be even better I reckon. Just my daughter my wife and I, she will lead the tour.

Enjoy, AO. Let us know how it went.

[Simon43]

Received 2 nice 'QSL cards' from Russia today which confirm my reception of the data telemetry signals from a couple of their cubesat satellites, (built by college students). The cubesats are Umka-1 and Orbitron-Zorkiy

[helge]

I hear that Boeing cancelled some rocket launch.

Again

[aging one]

On the way to Hawthorne and Space X. Stoked.

[Takeovers]

I hear that Boeing cancelled some rocket launch.

Again

Actually not Boeings fault this time. The second time that there was a fault with the ULA Atlas V rocket. Some launch control computer stopped the launch cadence 3 minutes before launch. Reason not yet known.

As an outsider I think, ULA had too few launches recently. Their launch crews are no longer well trained.

[Takeovers]

On the way to Hawthorne and Space X. Stoked.

[misskit]

China probe successfully lands on far side of Moon

China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe successfully landed Sunday on the far side of the Moon to collect samples, state media reported -- the latest leap for Beijing's decades-old space programme.


The Chang'e-6 set down in the immense South Pole-Aitken Basin, one of the largest known impact craters in the solar system, state news agency Xinhua said, citing the China National Space Administration.


It marks the first time that samples will be collected from the rarely explored area of the Moon, according to the agency.


The Chang'e-6 is on a technically complex 53-day mission that began on May 3.


On Sunday, it descended from its orbit about 200 kilometres (124 miles) above the Moon to scour the surface for a landing site, Huang Wu, an official at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, told state broadcaster CCTV.


"The (descent to a lower) orbit carried a few risks, so we needed precise control procedures to put (the probe) onto its preset trajectory," Huang said.


After that, "we had to rapidly reduce the probe's relative speed to the Moon... to zero within 15 minutes, requiring a huge amount of propellant, basically half the probe's entire weight," he said.


Now that the probe has landed, it will attempt to scoop up lunar soil and rocks and carry out other experiments in the landing zone.


That process should be complete within two days, Xinhua said. The probe will use two methods of collection: a drill to collect samples under the surface and a robotic arm to grab specimens from the surface.


Then it must attempt an unprecedented launch from the side of the Moon that always faces away from Earth.


Scientists say the Moon's dark side -- so-called because it is invisible from Earth, not because it never catches the sun's rays -- holds great promise for research because its craters are less covered by ancient lava flows than the near side.


Material collected from the dark side may better shed light on how the Moon formed in the first place.


- China's space ambitions -


Plans for China's "space dream" have been put into overdrive under President Xi Jinping.


Beijing has poured huge resources into its space programme over the past decade, targeting a string of ambitious undertakings in an effort to close the gap with the two traditional space powers -- the United States and Russia.


It has notched several notable achievements, including building a space station called Tiangong, or "heavenly palace".


Beijing has landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon, and China is only the third country to independently put humans in orbit.


But Washington has warned that China's space programme is being used to mask military objectives and an effort to establish dominance in space.


China aims to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030 and plans to build a base on the lunar surface.


The United States is also planning to put astronauts back on the Moon by 2026 with its Artemis 3 mission.

China probe successfully lands on far side of Moon

[harrybarracuda]

Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus are aligning overnight on 3 June - but if you want to see it, you will need stargazing equipment.
The planets will line up in a diagonal arrangement across the sky. Saturn will appear at the top, followed by Neptune, then Mars, Uranus and Mercury, with Jupiter appearing closest to the horizon.
However, some of the planets will be easier to spot than others.
"Try looking east-southeast around an hour before sunrise at a location with a very low horizon," says Gregory Brown, astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich.
"Mars and Saturn will be visible by eye, Mars with a distinctly orange tint to it, while Neptune will only be visible through a pair of binoculars or a telescope if you are lucky," said Mr Brown.
Jupiter, Venus and Uranus may be more difficult to see as they are very close to the sun, meaning they are trickier to spot in the morning twilight.
"Even under ideal conditions, a dark sky, free from light pollution, Uranus is very dim and challenging to spot," said NASA-JPL science communicator Ian O'Neill.

'Parade of planets' appearing in tonight's night sky - what you need to know | Science & Tech News | Sky News

[misskit]

China's lunar probe could return with answer to origins of solar system

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe looks set to begin its historic journey back to Earth from the moon's far side after collecting samples that scientists expect will help answer key questions about the early evolution of the solar system.


Chang'e-6, named after the mythical Chinese moon goddess, was launched on May 3 from the southern Chinese island province of Hainan.


The fully robotic probe landed on Sunday in a previously unexplored location in a gigantic impact crater called the South-Pole Aitken Basin, on the side of the moon that permanently faces away from Earth.


China's previous Chang'e mission collected samples from the moon's near side in December 2020, restarting global lunar material retrieval efforts after a gap of 44 years.


The uncrewed Luna 24 mission launched by the former Soviet Union in 1976 collected 170.1 grams (6 ounces) of samples from Mare Crisium, or "Sea of Crises", on the near side of the moon.


Between 1969 and 1972, six Apollo missions, all crewed, collected 2,200 samples weighing a total of 382 kilogrammes, also from the side of the moon facing Earth.


James Carpenter, head of the European Space Agency's lunar science office, said the samples collected by the Apollo missions from the moon's near side suggested the South-Pole Aitken Basin on the far side was caused by an epoch of extremely heavy bombardment of the solar system, Earth and moon.


"This is a really core event in the history of the whole solar system, but there is some controversy about whether it happened or not," he said.


"To understand that, you need to anchor those events, and that's going to be done with samples from the lunar far side from the South-Pole Aitken Basin."


SMALL WINDOW


After landing, Chang'e-6 had a 14-hour window to drill, excavate, and seal 2 kg of material, with the goal of being the first probe to bring back such samples from the moon's far side. This compares to the 21-hour window Chang'e-5 had in 2020.


"Once it gets dark, once the sun goes over the horizon, the mission has to end, so there is a limited time window between landing, getting those samples, and getting off the surface again, so it's quite an exciting mission because it has to be done quickly," Carpenter said.


While China said it had improved the efficiency of its digging and drilling machines compared with 2020, the mission could still encounter snags at the sampling phase.


Chang'e-5 returned 1.73 kg of lunar samples, rather than the planned 2 kg, as the drill was only able to create a hole 1 metre (3.28 feet) deep, rather than 2 metres, after encountering impenetrable layers beneath the surface.


The Chang'e-6 samples will be transferred and sealed on a rocket booster atop the lander, which will launch back into space, dock with another spacecraft in lunar orbit and transfer the samples.


A landing in China's Inner Mongolia is expected around June 25.


Throughout the probe's journey, payloads from Italian, French, and Pakistani research institutes, as well as the European Space Agency, will collect data on questions pertaining to space and the moon, highlighting the growing international weight of China's space programme, which is competing with the United States to build a lunar outpost in the next decade.


Carpenter said there was "extremely strong" collaboration between European and Chinese scientists in analysing the lunar samples brought back by Chang'e-5, and he hoped this would be repeated for Chang'e-6.

China's lunar probe could return with answer to origins of solar system

[Edmond]

Fantastic work being done by the Chinese. Their Tiangong space station is brilliant. They are the future....

[qwerty]

^ Indeed, at this point I think that there is a 50% chance that they will put men on the moon before the US returns.

[Edmond]

^ Indeed, at this point I think that there is a 50% chance that they will put men on the moon before the US returns.

Not only in space, too. Their engineering infrastructures are marvels. (insert superhero gif)

Don't believe the Western propaganda machines.

[Takeovers]

Next attempt of launching Boeing Starliner is on. Launch scheduled in 2:31 from now.

NASA live stream

[Takeovers]

Starship integrated flight test 4, IFT-4, is scheduled for tomorrow.

Live stream

- SpaceX - Launches

Declared minimum goal is that Starship reenters and survives the max heat of reentry.

Both Starship and Booster will attempt a demo landing, into the sea, if they get that far.

FAA has eased reequirements a lot. They will allow the next flight without mishap investigation completed, as long as the flight does not put the general public at risk. Chance of the next flight after a much shorter time is good.

Finally concentrating, on what their job should be. Keep the public safe, not meddling in SpaceX development methods.

[Edmond]

On the way to Hawthorne and Space X. Stoked.

Please do up a thread when you get back.

Cheers

[Takeovers]

Please do up a thread when you get back.

Seconded!

[Takeovers]

Starliner launched successfully. No problems with the Atlas V launch vehicle this time.

But the existing helium leak in the Starliner propulsion system proliferated. There are 2 new He leaks. 2 valves closed to contain the He losses. This means, some of the attitude control thrusters are out of service. Have seen 2 differing accounts. One says 2 more thrusters out of service, another says 6 of 28 thrusters are out of service. The thrusters are redundant. 6 missing don't endanger the mission. At this time they are planning to proceed as planned, evaluations on the way. The astronauts are now sleeping. Hope they sleep well.

CBS news article, includes the leaks

Boeing's Starliner capsule finally launches, but runs into more trouble with helium leaks - CBS News

[Takeovers]

Starship launch mostly very successful. One booster engine did not light at launch, that's easily compensated with 33 engines. Starship hit its target trajectory precisely.

Booster return burn successful. Landing burn successful, with one engine not relighting. Still precise touchdown as planned. Elon considers trying to catch the Booster next flight. Maybe a little too optimistic, we will see. If they get this, they can do a lot of commercial flights, mostly Starlink sats to begin with.

Starship survived through max heat during reentry. Though Plasma burned a big hole through one steering flap at the hinge. Incredibly still managed the flip from horizontal to vertical and landing burn. Soft touchdown at the sea. Heat shield and flaps still need improvements, before they can think of recovering the second stage, Starship. Also incredible, they had continuous live data through reentry with camera live stream of the flap damage. Excellent performance of Starlink dishes.

[harrybarracuda]

Not only in space, too. Their engineering infrastructures are marvels. (insert superhero gif)

Don't believe the Western propaganda machines.

Of course, they only steal the best Western technologies.

[Takeovers]

A short video of Starship launch highligts. See how much damaged that flap was and still functioned.

The flap hinge was a known weak spot. The next iteration of Starship has a much improved design. We will see if that's good enough. Making it cheap and robust is a major engineering challenge. They did tear down the whole factory at Boca Chica and have built a new much larger, much more capable factory. So it will take a little while until they can build the new version 2 Starships. In the meantime they have a few vehicles of the present, old, version and will fly them, until they have the new version done.

https://www.reddit.com/r/spacex/comm...st_flight_and/

[Takeovers]

A photo of the burning flap.



A short recap on YouTube

[OhOh]

Chang'e-6 bags precious lunar sample in Earth-returning vehicle

US alone in 'space race' narrative: observers

By Deng Xiaoci

Published: Jun 06, 2024 10:02 PM Updated: Jun 06, 2024 10:32 PM

"Two days after lifting off from the moon's surface, the ascender of China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe completed a rendezvous and docking with the orbiter-returner combination, delivering the world's first lunar samples collected from the far side of the moon to the Earth-returning vehicle on Thursday afternoon.

The Global Times learned from the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Thursday that the rendezvous and docking took place at 2:48 pm Thursday and the safe transferring of lunar samples at 3:24 pm. This marks the second time China has achieved a lunar orbit rendezvous and docking, following Chang'e-5.

After its epic lift-off from the far side of the moon on Tuesday morning, the ascender of Chang'e-6, carrying the lunar samples, entered the lunar orbit and carried out four orbit adjustments, per the CNSA.

When the ascender was about 50 kilometers ahead and 10 kilometers above the orbiter-returner combination, the orbiter andreturner combination used close-range autonomous control to gradually approach the ascender, completing the orbital rendezvous, according to mission insiders.

The orbiter's three sets of K-shaped grappling claws aligned with the three connecting rods on the ascender's docking surface, securely connecting the two devices by tightening the claws, precisely completing the docking.

After that, the container holding the precious samples from the far side of the moon was safely transferred from the ascender to the returner.

The Chang'e 6 orbiter and returner combination will next separate from the ascender and enter a lunar orbit waiting phase, preparing for a lunar-to-Earth transfer orbit control at an opportune time, according to the mission plan.

After undergoing key steps such as the lunar-to-Earth transfer and the separation of the orbiter and returner, the returner is scheduled to land with the lunar samples at the Siziwang Banner landing site in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Open to cooperation with US

Chang'e-6 completed the world's first-ever mission of collecting samples from the far side of the moon and is on its way home. This is a historic step in humanity's peaceful use of space, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said during a routine press conference on Thursday.

When commenting on reports of NASA's congratulations on the latest leap in China's decades-long moon exploration, Mao told the Global Times on Thursday that China is always open toward space exchanges and cooperation with the US.

The two sides established mechanisms such as the working group on Earth science and space science cooperation, and the China-US Civil Space Dialogue. At US request, the competent authorities of the two countries established a mechanism to exchange orbit data on each other's Mars probes to ensure long-term successful mission operation, according to the spokesperson.

There are, however, difficulties in China-US space cooperation at the moment, which are caused by US domestic legislation such as the Wolf Amendment that prevents normal exchanges and dialogue between Chinese and US space agencies, Mao said.

"If the US truly wants to push forward space exchanges and cooperation with China, it needs to take practical steps to remove these obstacles," Mao noted.

The achievements of China's ongoing Chang'e-6 moon probe mission thus far have evidently become a source of anxiety for the US amid the Western media's fabricated hot saga of the US-China space race, Chinese space observers said on Thursday.

When covering the ascender of Chang'e-6's lift-off from moon surface, US media outlet CNN reported on Tuesday that the successful return of the samples would give China a head start in harnessing the strategic and scientific benefits of expanded lunar exploration - an increasingly competitive field that has contributed to what NASA chief Bill Nelson calls a new "space race."

When asked which country would be the first to have a base on the moon, Keith Cowing, former American rocket scientist and current editor of NASAWatch.com, bluntly said that it might be China. "We (the US) are trying to get there first… but we will land next to them (China), roll down our window and say 'Hi, y'all, where do you want us to park our big lander'."

During the same interview with DW, David Ariosto, an American journalist and founder of Space Watch Daily, said that China has the edge at this point, but that could change.

The anxiety and sour grapes mentality are quite evident on the US side, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

When handling ties with China, the US is desperate to hold an absolute edge over China in all spheres including the space domain to deal with China's rapid development. The obstacles are rooted in this mentality, Li noted. "Strategically, the US is also unwilling to be on an equal footing with China in space. This mind-set is deeply ingrained and traditional, making it difficult to change. This is also an important factor."

US media and the head of NASA have repeatedly tried to stir up the US-China space race narrative, aiming to increase investment in the space sector and accelerating technological progress and related activities in space, Chinese observers said.

The US wants to create a scenario of mutual confrontation rather than cooperation, which has led to the so-called space race the US desires. However, at present, the conditions for such a race do not exist because China and other countries are not willing to participate. If only the US is invested in it, it can't be called a race. In the end, it becomes a one-sided effort by the US, they said."

Chang'e-6 bags precious lunar sample in Earth-returning vehicle - Global Times

[DrWilly]

More bs from global times

[harrybarracuda]

The chinkies are funny aren't they.

Nick all this technology off everyone and then go "Hey, look what we invented".

Wankers.