Tianzhou cargo spacecraft to visit module also passes review.
Category: space travel – Page 273
NASA selects Falcon Heavy to launch first Gateway elements
WASHINGTON — NASA awarded a contract to SpaceX Feb. 9 for the launch of the first two elements of its lunar Gateway on a Falcon Heavy in 2024.
NASA will use a Falcon Heavy rocket to launch the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) modules of the Gateway, destined for the near-rectilinear halo orbit around moon. The contract with SpaceX is valued at $331.8 million for the launch and “other mission-related costs.”
Space race: UAE, US and Chinese missions prepare to explore Mars
The Red Planet is about to get a little crowded. Three separate missions to Mars launched by the United States, China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will all reach their destination this month after taking flight within just 11 days of each other in 2020.
Deep-space ventures by the UAE, US and China will arrive at Earth’s planetary neighbour this month.
Starship SN10 Cryogenic Proof Test
SpaceX is set to test the Starship SN10 prototype on Monday at the Boca Chica launch facility. The exact details for the round of testing have not been confirmed, but it will likely be a cryogenic proof test.
Updates: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=52398.
Orbital Construction: DARPA Pursues Plan for Robust Manufacturing in Space
As commercial space companies increase the cadence of successful rocket launches, access to space is becoming more routine for both government and commercial interests. But even with regular launches, modern rockets impose mass and volume limits on the payloads they deliver to orbit. This size constraint hinders developing and deploying large-scale, dynamic space systems that can adapt to changes in their environment or mission.
Hope prepares to enter orbit around Mars
As the UAE’s Hope spacecraft arrives at Mars, those involved have a mix of confidence and concern about the chances of successfully entering orbit.
WASHINGTON — As the United Arab Emirates’ Hope spacecraft arrives at Mars, those involved with the mission have a mix of confidence and concern about the chances of successfully entering orbit.
The Emirates Mars Mission, or Hope, spacecraft will arrive at Mars Feb. 9, entering orbit at about 10:41 a.m. Eastern. The spacecraft will fire its main thrusters for 27 minutes to slow it down enough for the planet’s gravity to capture the spacecraft into orbit.