Space News reports, “Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner is now installed on the Atlas 5 rocket that will launch the spacecraft on a crewed test flight to the International Space Station next month. The spacecraft rolled out from Boeing’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center to Space Launch Complex 41 in the early morning hours April 16.”
Full Story (Space News)
Tag: launch
NASA Set to Launch Multiple Rockets During April 8 Total Solar Eclipse
SPACE reports, “NASA’s Atmospheric Perturbations around Eclipse Path (APEP) mission — named for the Egyptian god of darkness and enemy of the sun god, Ra — will launch the three sounding rockets back into the moon’s shadow during the April 8 total solar eclipse. The goal is to study potential disturbances in the ionosphere during a solar eclipse.” Launch is scheduled between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. ET from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Full Story (SPACE)
Launch of 22 Starlink Satellites from California Delayed
SPACE reports, “SpaceX has reset the launch of another batch of its Starlink internet satellites to no sooner than Friday evening (March 29). A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 22 Starlink spacecraft was set to lift off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Thursday (March 28), but the company called off the attempt before beginning to fuel the vehicle.”
Full Story (SPACE)
ULA Delta IV Heavy Set to Fly Once More
Ars Technica reports United Launch Alliance’s last Delta IV Heavy rocket is set to lift off Thursday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, with a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, the US government’s spy satellite agency. “Weather permitting, the Delta IV Heavy will light up its three hydrogen-fueled RS-68 engines at 1:40 pm EDT (17:40 UTC) Thursday, the opening of a four-hour launch window.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
Rocket Lab Launches NROL-123 Mission in 4th US Liftoff
SPACE reports, “Rocket Lab launched from the U.S. for the fourth time ever Thursday morning (March 21), sending mystery payloads aloft for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).” The NROL-123 mission, or “Live and Let Fly,” as Rocket Lab has designated it, launched at 3:25 a.m. EDT from the company’s Launch Complex 2 at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Full Story (SPACE)
Videos
RocketLab Electron 46 | NROL-123
(The Launch Pad; YouTube)
SpaceX’s Starship Launches On Third and Most Successful Test Flight
The Washington Post reports, “SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft made it to space and traveled more than halfway around the world Thursday before coming to a fiery end over the Indian Ocean, in the most successful demonstration to date of the vehicle NASA has chosen to one day land astronauts on the moon.
Full Story (Washington Post – Subscription Publication); More Info (AIAA Statement)
Video
SpaceX launches Starship/Super Heavy Booster on third test flight
(AIAA recording; YouTube)
AIAA Statement on Third SpaceX Starship Test Flight
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 14, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) issued the following statement from AIAA CEO Dan Dumbacher:
“Congratulations to the SpaceX team on today’s test flight of Starship from Starbase, Texas. We are excited to witness this new launch vehicle reaching orbit. The art and science of engineering requires testing. We can see how the team has applied the lessons learned from previous test flights. From today’s flight, we know the team is gaining valuable data they will use to continually improve Starship’s design.
We are excited to see commercial space launch companies advancing technology to extend the human neighborhood from low Earth orbit to the moon, and on to Mars. Expanding these boundaries takes innovation and hard work.
The SpaceX team deserves tremendous credit for this great accomplishment. AIAA recognizes the countless industry professionals who have helped design, build, and test Starship. We applaud AIAA Corporate Member SpaceX for taking this step forward in shaping the future of aerospace.”
AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca 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 or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Video
SpaceX launches Starship/Super Heavy Booster on third test flight
(AIAA recording; YouTube)
AIAA Statement on the NASA SpaceX Crew-8 Launch
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) CEO Dan Dumbacher made the following statement:
“On behalf of the 30,000 professional, student, and educator members of AIAA, we congratulate the entire NASA SpaceX team on its successful Crew-8 launch. We applaud this mission to the International Space Station (ISS) through NASA’s Commercial Crew program, showing how NASA and private industry are working together to extend the human neighborhood into low Earth orbit and beyond.
This mission demonstrates the value of scientific research conducted onboard the ISS that will help prepare us for human exploration to the moon and cislunar space, and on to Mars. The addition of Crew-8 continues maximizing the use of the ISS, where astronauts have been living and working continuously in space for more than 22 years. We are encouraged to see these explorers and innovators work to improve life on Earth and accelerate our off-world future.
We recognize the aerospace industry professionals involved in making this mission a success. We salute NASA, SpaceX, and Crew-8 for helping shape the future of aerospace.”
AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca 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 or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Video
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Launch
(Official NASA Broadcast; YouTube)
AIAA Statement on the IM-1 Mission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) CEO Dan Dumbacher made the following statement:
“Congratulations to the IM-1 mission team on the successful soft landing at the south pole of the moon! We were thrilled watching the Odysseus lander’s journey to the lunar surface unfold in real time. Today marks a truly historic space exploration milestone due to the unique government-industry collaboration between NASA and Intuitive Machines. We are eagerly following the mission’s progress in the coming days.
As the world’s largest technical society for aerospace professionals, our members appreciate and understand the difficulty of this mission’s engineering challenges targeting a landing in the moon’s south pole region. It’s vital to gain engineering and science data from this uncrewed mission as a precursor to Artemis returning Americans to the lunar surface in the coming years.
We were honored to hear from the Intuitive Machines team just last week at our ASCENDxTexas event in Houston, 14–15 February. The innovators at Intuitive Machines and their partners have chronicled the development of their mission, including the spacecraft, flight software, and camera, by authoring articles for AIAA peer-reviewed journals, as well as presenting meeting papers at AIAA forums and ASCEND events. Their technological progress has been published in AIAA’s Aerospace Research Central (ARC) at arc.aiaa.org, the leading source of aerospace industry archives. These noteworthy publications provide valuable insight into their preparation for this day:
- Image-Based Lunar Terrain Relative Navigation Without a Map: Measurements, Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, 2020
- Stereo Camera Simulation for Lunar Surface Photogrammetry, AIAA SciTech Forum, AIAA 2021-0358,2021
- Design of a Lunar Plume-Surface Interaction Measurement System, AIAA SciTech Forum, AIAA 2022-1693, 2022
We’re witnessing somewhat of a lunar renaissance. Multiple missions from companies and governments are advancing the development of a sustainable cislunar ecosystem and economy. We appreciate the transparency and ongoing public communication throughout the missions. It is heartening that these missions are also capturing the imagination of the general public around the world, as everyone on Earth benefits from exploring our moon.
On behalf of the 30,000 professional and student members of AIAA, we recognize the numerous aerospace industry professionals involved in making this mission a success. We salute and applaud the entire IM-1 team for shaping the future of aerospace.”
AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca 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 or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Video
Intuitive Machines Lunar Landing on NASATV 22 Feb. 2024
(NASA TV; YouTube)
AIAA Statement on the Axiom Space AX-3 Launch
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) CEO Dan Dumbacher made the following statement:
“On behalf of the 30,000 professional and student members of AIAA, we congratulate the entire Axiom Space team on its successful AX-3 launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. We applaud this private mission to the International Space Station (ISS), showing how NASA and private industry are working together to extend the human neighborhood into low Earth orbit.
It is exciting to anticipate the AX-3 crew’s busy schedule onboard the ISS orbiting laboratory, conducting more than 30 scientific investigations into human health and well-being, radiation exposure, genetic expression, and Earth observations. This meaningful research in space is expanding our scientific knowledge as we witness the space economy growing. These explorers and innovators are working 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 this mission a success. We salute AIAA Corporate Member Axiom Space, as they collaborate with NASA and SpaceX. They are shaping the future of aerospace.”
AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca 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 or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Video
AX-3 launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center at 4:49 p.m. EST on Thursday, January 18.
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)