Tag: Astronautical engineering

NASA Prepares for Ax-1 Crew Return, Crew-4 Launch

 

Space News reported that NASA “says it’s gearing up for a rapid-fire series of events on the International Space Station that includes the return of a private astronaut mission and the launch of a new long-duration crew of American and European astronauts.” Axiom Space’s Ax-1 mission “will conclude with an undocking scheduled for 10:35 a.m. Eastern April 19. That would lead to a splashdown off the Florida coast at 7:19 a.m. Eastern April 20.” Ax-1’s return on Wednesday “will allow NASA to proceed with the launch of the Crew-4 mission to the ISS as soon as April 23.”
Full Story (Space News)

 

Boeing Planning Starliner Test Flight Atop ULA Atlas V on May 19

The Houston Chronicle reports that The Boeing Company has announced that it plans to launch its CST-100 Starliner test flight – originally scheduled for August 3 of last year – on May 19. “Next month, Boeing will launch its Starliner spacecraft atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. They will lift off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.”
Full Story (Houston Chronicle)

AIAA Statement on the Axiom Mission 1 (AX-1) Launch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 8, 2022 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement:

“On behalf of the 30,000 professional and student members of AIAA, we congratulate the entire Axiom Mission 1 (AX-1) team on their successful launch today. Axiom, NASA, and SpaceX have introduced a new model for commercial space exploration, expanding access to low Earth orbit that in turn increases the scientific research opportunities on the International Space Station (ISS). We applaud this first private mission to the ISS, showing how NASA and private industry are working together to extend the human neighborhood into low Earth orbit in meaningful ways.

In addition to expanding commercial research opportunities in the ISS orbiting laboratory, the AX-1 mission adds more names to the growing list of astronauts due to commercial space activity. From entrepreneurs to philanthropists, we are seeing a new breed of explorer emerge in low Earth orbit. We are encouraged to see the space economy growing, as these innovators work to improve life on Earth and accelerate our off-world future. We look forward to following their progress.

We recognize the countless aerospace industry professionals involved in making today’s launch a success. We salute Axiom, NASA, and SpaceX, and their entire team, for helping shape the future of aerospace.”

Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Blue Origin Prepares for Fourth Crewed New Shepard Flight

CBS News reports that Blue Origin “is gearing up to launch its fourth crewed New Shepard flight this week – a 10-minute rocket-powered thrill ride to the edge of space and back carrying five wealthy space tourists and the spacecraft’s chief designer.” Liftoff is targeted for “9:30 a.m. EDT Thursday, two days later than planned because of expected high winds.”
Full Story (CBS News)

FAA Delays Starship Environmental Review Completion

Space News reported that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) “has again delayed completion of an environmental assessment for orbital launches of SpaceX’s Starship vehicle from Texas, although it may have no effect on near-term launch plans.” The FAA “announced March 25 that it had pushed back the expected completion of the final Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) of Starship/Super Heavy orbital launches from Boca Chica, Texas, by another month.”
Full Story (Space News)

Solar Orbiter to Take Closest-Ever Sun Photo

SPACE reports that Solar Orbiter “has snapped the closest images of the sun ever taken, revealing the finest details of our star’s outer atmosphere, the corona.” The images “were taken on March 7, when Solar Orbiter was exactly halfway between Earth and the sun, at a distance of 46 million miles (75 million kilometers) from both bodies.” On Saturday at 7:50 a.m. EDT, “the spacecraft will zoom past the sun at a distance of only 30 million miles (48.3 million km), about a third of the sun-Earth distance, ESA’s Solar Orbiter deputy project scientist Yannis Zouganelis told Space.com.”
Full Story (SPACE)

Astronauts Complete Upgrades, Maintenance on ISS Exterior

Spaceflight Now reports that NASA astronaut Raja Chari and German astronaut Matthias Maurer “floated outside the International Space Station Wednesday and installed refurbished ammonia jumpers in the lab’s cooling system to bring it back up to full efficiency, replaced a high-definition camera and made power and data connections on a European experiment platform.” Astronaut Kayla Barron reported water inside Maurer’s helmet at the end of the excursion. Once Maurer’s helmet was off, “the crew estimated up to 50 percent of the visor was coated with a thin film of water and that an absorption pad added to NASA helmets in the wake of the Parmitano incident was damp.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

NASA Raises Concerns Over Collision Risk Presented by Starlink Satellites

SPACE reports that NASA “raised concerns about SpaceX’s new Starlink satellites, including an increase of the risk of collision in orbit, in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).” NASA has “concerns with the potential for a significant increase in the frequency of conjunction events and possible impacts to NASA’s science and human spaceflight missions. … NASA wants to ensure that the deployment of the Starlink Gen 2 system is conducted prudently, in a manner that supports spaceflight safety and the long-term sustainability of the space environment.”
Full Story (SPACE)

NASA Reestablishes Contact with InSight Lander

CNET News reports that NASA’s InSight lander “went into safe mode – a mode designed to protect the lander – on Jan. 7 after a dust storm reduced sunlight to the solar-powered machine.” NASA JPL said Tuesday, “The mission’s team reestablished contact with InSight Jan. 10, finding that its power was holding steady and, while low, was unlikely to be draining the lander’s batteries.”
Full Story (CNET News)