SpaceX has stacked its giant Starship vehicle on the launch pad in South Texas, a major milestone ahead of an impending test flight from the site.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Four astronauts from four countries rocketed toward the International Space Station on Saturday.
They should reach the orbiting lab in their SpaceX capsule Sunday, replacing four astronauts living up there since March.
A NASA astronaut was joined on the predawn liftoff from Kennedy Space Center by fliers from Denmark, Japan and Russia. They clasped one another’s gloved hands upon reaching orbit.
Human rating the SpaceX Starship could take a few years after it is flying successfully to orbit. However, the SpaceX Starship could fly unmanned into orbit and even dock with the ISS Space Station.
ErcXSpace has some renderings of what the SpaceX Starship looks like in orbit and docked with the Space Station. It would be trivial and fast for SpaceX Starship to be able to hold safe living conditions. The human rating issues are more difficult to prove launching reliably and safely. This would also mean proving launch abort safety.
If the SpaceX Starship flies unmanned to orbit then astronauts could fly up via other systems like the SpaceX Dragon and dock and board Starships.
Four astronauts are back on Earth after a six-month stay at the International Space Station. Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Atlantic early Monday off the Florida coast.
The Aditya-L1 million will join other spacecraft from Europe and the United States in an attempt to understand our stormy star.
Year 2014 o.o!!!
Photo credit: amy stuart, UF/IFAS communications.
Human waste doesn’t need to be wasted, thanks to some University of Florida researchers. They’re working on a way to power rockets with poop. The technique could be used to cut mission costs for future return missions from the Moon—since astronauts will be making some of the fuel once they arrive.
NASA Commercial Space Capabilities office and SpaceX have a 24 page agreed plan to develop the SpaceX starship into a low earth orbit space station design by 2028. This is unfunded and aspirational. The parties will cooperate to try and make it happen. SpaceX with successful Starlink commercial services will have the funds to make this happen.
There are many other milestones that NASA and SpaceX are trying to achieve with Starship.
It will take another 2–4 years to actually launch the Starship space station.
Woa, 😲, my Wave after Wave of AI controlled fighter aircraft idea. If you like that one you will love my mini UAV idea, i dont know if Ion drive or electric centrifuge weapons are up to it yet though, maybe.
The Times, citing congressional expectations, reported that the costs of the Air Force’s collaborative combat aircraft will be between $3 million and $25 million depending on their status as expendable, attritable, or exquisite. Even the higher-end figure is far less than a manned aircraft with a pilot, both of which are valuable to the force.
Air Force and Department of Defense representatives did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. Kratos Defense, which makes the Valkyrie, would not comment on collaborative combat aircraft, citing the classified nature of the program.
As humanity’s gaze turns towards the stars, one name stands at the forefront of the space exploration revolution: Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Among its many ambitious projects, the SpaceX Starship promises to reshape our understanding of interplanetary travel. This colossal 9-meter diameter rocket has captured our imagination with the grand vision of shuttling thousands of people on a six-month journey to Mars. But what lies within this futuristic vessel? What can we expect from the spaceship interior that aims to make long-duration space travel a reality?
Historically, our mental image of a spacecraft has often been based on cramped capsules, such as the iconic Apollo 11, Soyuz, or Dragon. These designs, while functional, have offered little in the way of comfort. Even modern incarnations like the Orion spacecraft still lack the headroom to stand upright inside the Command Module. With its larger size, the space shuttle hinted at more livable conditions, but it still fell short of providing ample space for extended journeys.
Enter the SpaceX Starship—a towering, 9-meter diameter rocket that evokes images of Flash Gordon’s futuristic transport. Elon Musk’s vision of a vessel capable of shuttling thousands to Mars within six months is a compelling proposition. However, spending half a year in the confined space of a metal box hurtling through an interplanetary void is daunting, even if the box is quite spacious. As we anticipate the Starship interior, our expectations are high, and speculation runs rampant about what life onboard might entail.
In a Nutshell…
Conclusively, the partnership between NASA and DARPA to test a nuclear-powered rocket for future Mars missions marks a significant milestone in space exploration. The use of a nuclear thermal rocket engine offers several benefits including faster transit times, increased science payload capacity, and higher power for instrumentation and communication. These advancements will play a crucial role in helping NASA meet its Moon-to-Mars objectives and establish a space transportation capability for the Earth-Moon economy. Moreover, the successful demonstration of the DRACO program could have far-reaching implications for future space exploration efforts. The nuclear thermal propulsion technology could be used for not just crewed missions to Mars but also for other deep space missions, enabling humans to journey faster than ever before. This collaboration between NASA and DARPA brings together the best of both worlds, and the successful outcome of this project will be a major achievement in advancing space technology. The future looks bright for the space industry, and with more innovations like the DRACO program, we may be able to explore even more of our universe in the years to come.
