The New York Times reports that SpaceX founder Elon Musk “said the company could land a spacecraft on Mars three to four years from now.” In a Q&A session with International Astronautical Federation President Clay Mowry, Musk said, “I think it’s sort of feasible within the next four years to do an uncrewed test landing there.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)
Tag: Elon Musk
Musk Says SpaceX Plans to Launch Starship Again in Six to Eight Weeks
SPACE reports that Elon Musk announced Tuesday on Twitter that the SpaceX is shooting for another liftoff of Starship six to eight weeks from now. That timeline “may be ambitious, however, given the amount of prep work required ahead of the second flight.” For example, the liftoff “damaged Starbase’s orbital launch mount, blasting out a big crater beneath it and sending chunks of concrete flying, along with a huge cloud of dust and other debris.” SpaceX has been “developing and testing a water-cooled steel plate that will sit beneath the mount and prevent a recurrence of this problem, Musk said recently.” The company could also face some regulatory hurdles in a “coalition of environmental groups [that] is currently suing the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the body that issued Starship’s launch license, saying the agency didn’t properly assess the potential damage that the giant vehicle could inflict on the South Texas ecosystem and the human communities around Starbase.”
Full Story (SPACE)
SpaceX Sets New Records for Falcon 9 Reusability, Payload Mass with Latest Starlink Launch
Space News reported that SpaceX “set records for the reuse of its Falcon 9 booster and the mass that rocket placed into orbit March 19 with the latest launch of Starlink satellites.” The Falcon 9 “lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 12:42 a.m. Eastern” and placed 53 Starlink satellites into orbit. SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk “said that the launch was the heaviest Falcon 9 payload ever launched, at 16.25 metric tons.”
Full Story (Space News)
AIAA Members Named to National Academy of Engineering
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2022 – Reston, Va. – Eight American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) members are among the 133 newest members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”
The following AIAA members have been elected to the NAE, one of the highest professional distinctions awarded to an engineer:
Brian M. Argrow, professor and chair, Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder. AIAA Fellow, Class of 2016. For contributions to unmanned aerial systems capable of penetrating severe storms and leadership in their application to scientific observation.
Nicholas D. Lappos, senior technical fellow (emeritus), Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Lockheed Martin Corp., Beryl, Utah. AIAA Associate Fellow, Class of 2021. For improving rotary wing flight performance and serving as test pilot, engineer, inventor, technologist, and business leader.
Sandra Magnus, principal, AstroPlanetview LLC, Arlington, Va. AIAA Fellow, Class of 2022. For national accomplishments in the U.S. civil space program and in Department of Defense engineering and technology integration.
Daniel N. Miller, senior fellow, Skunk Works, Lockheed Martin Corp., Bainbridge Island, Wash. AIAA Fellow, Class of 2017. For theoretical contributions and practical innovations in flow control that improve the performance of aircraft propulsion systems.
Elon Musk, founder, chief executive officer, and chief engineer, SpaceX, Hawthorne, Calif. AIAA Associate Fellow, Class of 2012. For breakthroughs in the design, engineering, manufacturing, and operation of reusable launch vehicles and sustainable transportation and energy systems.
Nelson Pedreiro, vice president, Advanced Technology Center, Lockheed Martin Corp., Palo Alto, Calif. AIAA Fellow, Class of 2020. For technical innovation and engineering leadership on programs of national importance in space exploration, strategic systems, and missile defense.
Michael M. Watkins, director and vice president, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. AIAA Fellow, Class of 2020. For leadership in the development of space geodesy and leading robotic missions for exploration of the Earth and planetary bodies.
Karen Willcox, director, Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, University of Texas at Austin. AIAA Fellow, Class of 2019. For contributions to computational engineering methods for the design and optimal control of high-dimensional systems with uncertainties.
“On behalf of the AIAA staff, the Board of Trustees, and the Institute’s nearly 30,000 members, I extend our congratulations to these AIAA members on this well-deserved professional honor,” said AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher. “We also are thrilled to see so many others in the aerospace industry who are friends of the Institute receive this recognition. Each of these individuals have made exemplary contributions to the field of engineering and the aerospace community. We are awed by their accomplishments throughout their careers, as they are shaping the future of aerospace.”
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.
Elon Musk Says Starship Engine Crisis Risks Bankrupting SpaceX
Bloomberg reports that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk “on Tuesday said that a potential bankruptcy at the company in the event of a severe global recession would be ‘unlikely,’ but not impossible.”
Full Story (Bloomberg)
Elon Musk Shares Starship Pictures Before First Orbital Flight
The Hill reports that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared photos this week “of Raptor engines being fitted onto the Super Heavy booster that makes up the bottom half of the two-stage Starship rocket.” SpaceX plans to launch the Starship from its Boca Chica, Texas, facility. The reusable Super Heavy booster will separate three minutes into the flight and land on a barge in the Gulf of Mexico. The Starship will reenter the atmosphere over Hawaii and attempt a controlled landing.
Full Story (The Hill)
Musk Criticizes FAA After Cancellation of SpaceX’s Starship Test Flight Thursday
The Washington Post reports that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk criticized the FAA after the agency canceled the launch of SpaceX’s Starship test flight Thursday. Musk wrote in a tweet, “Unlike its aircraft division, which is fine, the FAA space division has a fundamentally broken regulatory structure. … Their rules are meant for a handful of expendable launches per year from a few government facilities. Under those rules, humanity will never get to Mars.” On Thursday, the FAA said in a statement to the Post, “We will continue working with SpaceX to resolve outstanding safety issues before we approve the next test flight.”
Full Story (The Washington Post)