L-Minus ONE MONTH Till the Maiden Flight of the Space Launch System!

NASA

Final Work Continues to Ready Artemis I Moon Rocket for Launch (News Release)

With approximately one month until NASA’s first launch attempt for the Artemis I mission, teams move closer to finishing operations for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft in the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA is currently targeting launch for no earlier than Monday, August 29, at 8:33 a.m. EDT during a 2-hour window.

A successful launch on August 29 would result in a mission duration of about 42 days, returning Monday, October 10. Engineers continue to progress through first time operations and are prepared to learn and adapt along the way. Teams have planned accordingly with additional launch opportunities on September 2 and September 5 if more than one launch attempt is needed.

Engineers successfully reconnected the hydrogen tail service mast umbilical where a hydrogen leak was detected during the last wet dress rehearsal test. Teams tested the connection and did not detect any leaks under ambient conditions in the Vehicle Assembly Building. Up next, technicians will perform additional work to return the section to its launch configuration.

Technicians finished installing the rocket’s flight batteries. As part of operations to prepare the flight termination system, engineers installed and tested the core stage flight command receiver decoders and also tested the solid rocket boosters’ automatic destruct units. Work continues to complete installation of the thermal protection system blankets on the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and launch vehicle stage adapter. Following completion of the upper stage closeout work, teams will conduct flight closeout inspections, which includes removing access platforms and installing flight doors replacing the ground support equipment coverings on the core stage.

Teams also are replacing the inflatable seal between the mobile launcher’s crew access arm and Orion’s launch abort system after it experienced some minor damage due to inclement weather sustained while it was out at Launch Complex 39B for the wet dress rehearsal tests. The seal prevents anything from the outside environment from getting inside the capsule. Once the seal is replaced and tested, engineers will finish installing remaining payloads inside the crew module before SLS and Orion roll back out to the pad for launch.

Source: NASA.Gov

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As we get closer to launch, get familiar with the #Artemis I flight map! During this test flight, the uncrewed @NASA_Orion spacecraft will launch on the powerful SLS rocket and travel thousands of miles beyond the Moon, farther than any spacecraft built for humans has ever flown. pic.twitter.com/jw1RL9YxUJ

— NASA_SLS (@NASA_SLS) July 26, 2022

The launch of #Artemis I is right around the corner.

Explore the reference guide and press kit for the mission to get all the details: https://t.co/K9HMk78udo pic.twitter.com/ov3KoC4eZR

— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) July 26, 2022

The U.S. Congress Shows Official Support for NASA's Moon to Mars Initiative and the Continuation of ISS Operations Through 2030...

United Launch Alliance / Ben Cooper

NASA Administrator Statement on Agency Authorization Bill (Press Release)

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson released this statement Thursday following approval by the U.S. Congress for the NASA Authorization Act of 2022, which is part of the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act of 2022.

“I am incredibly pleased Congress has passed the NASA Authorization Act of 2022 – the first authorization for our agency in five years. This act shows continued bipartisan support of NASA’s many missions, including our Moon to Mars approach, as well extension of U.S. participation in the International Space Station to 2030.”

“With strong support from the Biden-Harris Administration as well as this authorization, NASA will continue to advance scientific discoveries, enable sustainable aviation, address climate change, and much more.”

“As we work to send the first woman and first person of color to the Moon under Artemis, I’d like to specifically recognize Senators Maria Cantwell, Roger Wicker, John Hickenlooper, Cynthia Lummis, as well as Representatives Eddie Bernice Johnson, Frank Lucas, Don Beyer, and Brian Babin, for their leadership in passing this bill. This generation – the Artemis Generation – is part of a sustainable exploration program that will last decades.”
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NASA / ESA - Thomas Pesquet

The First Artemis Mission Continues Its Slow But Exciting Trek to Lunar Orbit...

NASA

NASA’s CAPSTONE Executes Third Maneuver on Track to the Moon (News Release)

NASA’s Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) successfully completed its third trajectory correction maneuver (TCM) on Monday. CAPSTONE is taking a long but fuel-efficient route to the Moon, flying about 958,000 miles (1.54 million kilometers) from Earth before looping back around to its near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO).

At the completion of the maneuver, CAPSTONE was about 780,000 miles (1.25 million kilometers) from Earth and was moving at about 595 miles per hour (about 267 meters per second). CAPSTONE will perform several such maneuvers during its journey to lunar orbit to refine its trajectory to the Moon.

CAPSTONE remains on track to arrive at its lunar orbit on Nov. 13.

Read more about CAPSTONE’s ambitious mission to the Moon.

Source: NASA.Gov

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This time last month Electron was on the pad ready to launch Lunar Photon & CAPSTONE to the Moon. After a flawless launch and deployment, CAPSTONE has completed its 3rd trajectory correction maneuver 1.25 million km from Earth! CAPSTONE is on track to arrive at lunar orbit Nov 13 pic.twitter.com/mWZZORQZB9

— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) July 27, 2022

Looking Ahead to the SLS Manufacturing Process for Artemis 5 and Beyond...

NASA / Ben Smegelsky

NASA Prepares for Space Launch System Rocket Services Contract (Press Release)

As NASA prepares for the first integrated flight test of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft to the Moon this summer as part of Artemis, the agency is moving towards a services contract model for long-term SLS hardware production and operations to reduce costs.

“SLS is not just a NASA investment, it has been a national investment. Through this contract approach, we are working to enable the use of this one-of-a-kind heavy lift capability to other customers,” said Kathy Lueders, associate administrator for the Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This approach will also allow NASA to streamline SLS production and operations under one contract, creating a more affordable and sustainable exploration framework for decades to come.”

In a pre-solicitation notice for the Exploration Production and Operations Contract published Tuesday, NASA is proposing to transfer SLS production and associated testing, manufacturing, and transportation facilities from multiple existing hardware procurement contracts to a single launch service contract with Deep Space Transport LLC. Due to the proprietary nature of the processes for manufacturing the SLS rocket, NASA does not expect to recover costs through competition associated with an alternate source’s design, development, and testing. The notice conveys NASA’s intended acquisition plan for a long-term SLS production and operations contract, to which industry may respond with feedback in accordance with the instructions in the pre-solicitation notice. An award is anticipated by Dec. 31, 2023.

The contractor would be responsible for producing hardware and services for up to 10 Artemis launches beginning with the Artemis V mission, and up to 10 launches for other NASA missions. NASA expects to procure at least one flight per year to the Moon or other deep-space destinations.

Spanning multiple centers and facilities, the NASA SLS workforce will continue to provide expertise for the first four Artemis missions and for future Artemis missions.

“We have a big job ahead of us to fly the first four Artemis missions and develop the new Exploration Upper Stage,” said Jody Singer, center director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “While NASA transitions the contracting approach for long-term SLS operations, the talented team that brought the rocket to the launch pad will also be needed for other projects necessary for the agency’s exploration missions.”

NASA previously issued a request for information in October 2021 and conducted discussions with industry this year to inform the approach to maximize the long-term efficiency of the SLS rocket.

With Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface and establish long-term exploration at the Moon in preparation for human missions to Mars. SLS and NASA’s Orion spacecraft, along with the commercial Human Landing System and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, are NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.

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Virgin Galactic Is Set to Build a New Class of Suborbital Vehicles in The Grand Canyon State...

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic Announces New Spaceship Manufacturing Facility in Mesa, Arizona (Press Release - July 14)

Capacity to Produce Up to Six Spaceships Per Year, Significantly Increasing Flight Frequency Will Bring Hundreds of New Highly-Skilled Jobs to Greater Phoenix Area

MESA, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) (the “Company” or “Virgin Galactic”), an aerospace and space travel company, today announced it has signed a long-term lease for a new final assembly manufacturing facility for its next-generation Delta-class spaceships. Located in Mesa, Greater Phoenix area, adjacent to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, the facility will be capable of producing up to six spaceships per year and will bring hundreds of highly-skilled aerospace engineering and manufacturing jobs to the area.

The Delta-class spaceship is Virgin Galactic’s production vehicle that is designed to fly weekly, supporting the Company’s target of 400 flights per year from Spaceport America. Based on current schedules, the first of these ships is expected to commence revenue-generating payload flights in late 2025, progressing to private astronaut flights in 2026.

The Company is currently selecting various suppliers to build the spaceship’s major subassemblies, which will be delivered to the new Mesa facility for final assembly. Virgin Galactic motherships will ferry completed spaceships to Spaceport America, New Mexico for flight test and commercial operation.

“Our spaceship final assembly factory is key to accelerating the production of our Delta fleet, enabling a rapid increase in flight capacity that will drive our revenue growth,” said Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier. “We’re thrilled to expand into the greater Phoenix area which is home to outstanding aerospace talent – and we look forward to growing our team and fleet at our new facility.”

The facility is already under construction and is expected to be fully operational by late 2023. Final assembly manufacturing processes at the facility will be underpinned by a digital twin architecture which enables seamless integration between the Company and suppliers allowing for real-time collaboration, strong governance, and an increase in production efficiency and reliability.

Swami Iyer, Virgin Galactic’s President of Aerospace Systems said, “Arizona is a growing innovation hub, geographically situated between our existing operations in Southern California and New Mexico. This will allow us to accelerate progress from conceptual design to production to final assembly at scale as we capitalize on the many advantages Mesa and the Greater Phoenix area offer.”

Source: Virgin Galactic

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Virgin Galactic

Blue Origin Announces the Crew of NS-22...

Blue Origin

First Egyptian and Portuguese Astronauts to join Dude Perfect Cofounder on New Shepard’s 22nd Flight (News Release)

Blue Origin today announced the crew flying on its NS-22 mission will include Dude Perfect cofounder Coby Cotton, Portuguese entrepreneur Mário Ferreira, British-American mountaineer Vanessa O’Brien, technology leader Clint Kelly III, Egyptian engineer Sara Sabry, and telecommunications executive Steve Young. Sara will become the first person from Egypt to fly to space; Mário will become the first from Portugal. Vanessa will become the first woman to reach extremes on land, sea, and air, completing the Explorers’ Extreme Trifecta, a Guinness World Record.

Each astronaut will carry a postcard to space on behalf of Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, whose Postcards to Space program gives students access to space on Blue Origin’s rockets. The Club’s mission is to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM for the benefit of Earth.

This mission will be the sixth human flight for the New Shepard program, the third flight this year, and the 22nd in its history. The flight date will be announced soon.

Meet the Crew:

Coby Cotton

Coby is one of the five cofounders of the YouTube channel Dude Perfect, the most-subscribed sports channel on YouTube and one of the most popular in the world with more than 57 million followers. He co-founded the sports entertainment channel known for specializing in trick shots and comedy videos in 2009 with his college roommates Garrett Hilbert, Tyler Toney, Cody Jones, and his brother, Cory Cotton.

Coby’s seat is sponsored by MoonDAO, whose mission is to decentralize access to space exploration. MoonDAO members voted to have Coby represent them on this flight.

Mário Ferreira

Mário is a Portuguese entrepreneur, investor, and President of Pluris Investments Group, which includes more than 40 companies spanning tourism, media (TV and radio), real estate, insurance, and renewable energy. A passionate adventurer, Mário raced the Dakar, the world's most difficult car rally, in 2007, ran the London Marathon in 2010, and has been a scuba diver since he was 20. In 2003, Mário was decorated by the President of Portugal with the title of “Comendador.”

Vanessa O’Brien

Vanessa is a British-American explorer. Following NS-22, Vanessa will become the first woman to reach extremes on land, sea, and air, completing the Explorers' Extreme Trifecta, a Guinness World Record. Vanessa will become the first woman to reach the Earth’s highest peak (Mt. Everest), its deepest (Challenger Deep), and cross the Kármán line, the internationally-recognized boundary of space. She is an advocate for climate change and a champion for women’s equality and education, carrying the UN Women’s flag to the summit of K2.

Clint Kelly III

Clint managed research and technology programs focused primarily on computer science and robotics while in government and in industry. In 1984, he started the Autonomous Land Vehicle project while at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and is credited with starting the development of the technology base leading to today’s driverless cars. He and his wife have photographed wildlife on every continent from the High Arctic to Antarctica with an emphasis on big cats, polar bears, and all 21 species of penguins.

Sara Sabry

Sara is an Egyptian mechanical and biomedical engineer, and founder of Deep Space Initiative (DSI), a nonprofit aiming to increase accessibility for space research. She became Egypt’s first female analog astronaut in 2021 after completing a two-week Moon mission simulating the extreme conditions astronauts experience in orbital space. Sara earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the American University in Cairo and a master’s in biomedical engineering from the Politecnico di Milano. She is currently pursuing a PhD in aerospace sciences with a focus on space suit design. Sara is fluent in Arabic, French, and English, and currently resides in Berlin.

Sara’s seat is sponsored by Space for Humanity (S4H), a nonprofit whose mission is to expand access to space for all of humanity. S4H also sponsored NS-21 astronaut Katya Echazarreta’s seat.

Steve Young

Steve is the former CEO of Young’s Communications LLC (Y-COM), the largest telecommunications contractor in the state of Florida under his leadership from 1992 to 2021. An avid fisherman, Steve serves as Governor of the Board at Eau Gallie Yacht Club and Committee Member of the Space Coast Coastal Conservation Association (CCA). He is also a large community contributor through Trinity Group, his giving foundation, and owns Pineapples, a new restaurant in Melbourne, Florida.

Source: Blue Origin

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Blue Origin

SLS Update: A Successful Test Is Conducted on the Solid Rocket Booster Design That Will Be Used for Artemis 4 and Beyond...

Northrop Grumman

NASA Completes Test Firing of Future Artemis Booster Motor (News Release)

Teams from NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) Program and Northrop Grumman successfully fired a ground-based version of a booster for NASA’s mega-Moon rocket at Northrop Grumman’s test facility in Promontory, Utah, on July 21.

Secured horizontally in a test stand, the single five-segment booster motor fired for just over two minutes and produced 3.6 million pounds of thrust. The booster for the test, called Flight Support Booster-2 (FSB-2), is the same size and has the same power as a booster used for launch. Together, the twin solid rocket boosters on SLS produce more than 75% of the initial thrust for an Artemis launch.

NASA and Northrop Grumman, the SLS booster lead contractor, are using the test data to evaluate improvements and new materials in the boosters for missions after Artemis III.

“The power we have felt from just a single booster motor here in Utah is just half of what we will feel for an Artemis launch,” said Dave Reynolds, SLS booster deputy manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “Artemis I is just the beginning of a new era of space travel, the work for future Artemis missions continues. Designing boosters for those future missions relies heavily on the data we get from these test firings because we are leveraging off of what we learn from these different materials and processes that are being used on the boosters for early Artemis missions.”

The latest booster firing demonstrated the performance of a new motor ignition system and thrust vector control system. It also tested new motor components, materials, and processes that may be used to replace obsolete materials and also in the development of the next generation boosters under the booster obsolescence and life extension effort that will support Artemis IX and beyond.

“Today’s successful FSB-2 test reaffirms our commitment to manufacturing the optimal solid rocket motors to support SLS and NASA's Artemis deep space missions,” said Jeff Foote, senior director of NASA Programs, Northrop Grumman. “The initial demonstration of next-generation components enables us to acquire early learning for the boosters that will support the heavy-lift performance and greater payload capacities.”

The SLS rocket and NASA’s Orion spacecraft completed their final test for Artemis I, a wet dress rehearsal, and engineers are preparing to launch and fly the rocket and spacecraft later this year. Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term, sustainable lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone for future astronaut missions to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Happy Moon Day! Artemis 1 Finally Has a Launch Date...

Earlier today, top NASA officials held a media conference to announce the date that they're currently targeting for the Space Launch System's (SLS) first flight on Artemis 1. That date is August 29...with backup opportunities on September 2 and 5, respectively.

Here are the mission details for all three dates:

Monday, August 29:
Launch: 8:33 AM, ET (5:33 AM, PT)
Launch Window: 120 minutes
Mission Duration: 42 days
Return to Earth & Splashdown: Monday, October 10

Friday, September 2:
Launch: 12:48 PM, ET (9:48 AM, PT)
Launch Window: 120 minutes
Mission Duration: 39 days
Return to Earth & Splashdown: Tuesday, October 11

Monday, September 5:
Launch: 5:12 PM, ET (2:12 PM, PT)
Launch Window: 90 minutes
Mission Duration: 42 days
Return to Earth & Splashdown: Monday, October 17

If these dates hold, then SLS will roll back to Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39B in Florida on Thursday, August 18.

Things are about to get real exciting for the Artemis program over the next month and a half! It's only fitting that these details were revealed on the 53rd anniversary of Apollo 11's Moon landing today... Stay tuned.


NASA

NASA to Provide an SLS Update on the 53-Year Anniversary of Apollo 11's Moon Landing...

NASA

NASA to Discuss Status of Artemis I Moon Mission (Press Release)

NASA will hold a media teleconference at 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday, July 20, to discuss next steps for the Artemis I mission with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Audio of the call will livestream on NASA’s website.

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy, technicians continue to prepare SLS and Orion for Artemis I. The first in a series of increasingly complex missions, Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight test that will provide a foundation for human exploration in deep space and demonstrate our commitment and capability to extend human existence to the Moon and eventually Mars.

Teleconference participants include:

- Jim Free, associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington
- Cliff Lanham, senior vehicle operations manager, Exploration Ground Systems Program, Kennedy
- Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager, NASA Headquarters

To participate by telephone, media must RSVP no later than two hours prior to the start of the event to: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.

Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone to send astronauts to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

The Kingdom Has Officially Joined NASA's Moon Exploration Initiative...

NASA

Saudi Arabia Signs Artemis Accords (News Release - July 14)

Saudi Arabia is the newest Artemis Accords signatory, affirming its commitment to sustainable space exploration guided by a common set of principles that promote the beneficial use of space for all of humanity.

Mohammed bin Saud Al-Tamimi, CEO of the Saudi Space Commission, signed the Accords on behalf of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in a ceremony held July 14 in Jeddah. Saudia Arabia is the 21st country to sign the Artemis Accords.

"Today Saudi Arabia adds its voice to a diverse and growing set of nations. Together we can ensure that humanity’s rapid expansion into space, toward the Moon and destinations beyond, will be done peaceably, safely, and in full accordance with international law,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who participated in the ceremony remotely.

NASA, together with the U.S. Department of State, announced the establishment of the Artemis Accords in 2020. The Artemis Accords are a set of principles to guide the next phase in space exploration, reinforcing and providing for important operational implementation of key obligations in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. The Accords also reinforce the commitment by the United States and signatory nations to the Registration Convention, the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices and norms of responsible behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.

Additional countries will sign the Artemis Accords in the months and years ahead, as the United States continues to work with international partners to establish a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future in space. Working with both new and existing partners will add new energy and capabilities to ensure the entire world can benefit from our journey of exploration and discovery.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA

SLS Continues Final Preps Inside the VAB While Awaiting an Official Launch Date...

NASA

Progress Continues Toward Artemis I Launch (News Release - July 15)

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians continue to prepare the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft for Artemis I.

During work to repair the source of a hydrogen leak, engineers identified a loose fitting on the inside wall of the rocket’s engine section, where the quick disconnect for the liquid hydrogen umbilical attaches. The component, called a “collet,” is a fist-sized ring that guides the quick disconnect during assembly operations. Teams will repair the collet by entering the engine section in parallel with other planned work for launch preparations. Technicians have replaced the seals on the quick disconnect of the tail service mast umbilical and will reattach the umbilical plate once the loose collet is addressed.

NASA continues to target the late August launch period and will identify a specific target launch date after engineers have examined the collet.

Technicians continue work associated with battery activations, and plan to turn on the core stage batteries this weekend, before they are installed on the rocket. Next up, teams will start the flight termination systems operations, which include removing the core stage and booster safe and arm devices for calibration and removing and replacing the command receiver decoders with the flight units. The safe and arm devices are a manual mechanism that put the flight termination system in either a “safe” or “arm” configuration while the command receiver decoders receive and decode the command on the rocket if the system is activated.

Meanwhile on the Orion spacecraft, teams installed a technology demonstration that will test digital assistance and video collaboration in deep space. Engineers are also conducting powered testing on the crew module and European service module heaters and sensors.

Source: NASA.Gov

ISS Update: The Dragon CRS-25 Freighter Has Docked with the Orbital Outpost...

NASA / Kjell Lindgren

Dragon Docks Delivering Science Benefitting Humans (News Release)

While the International Space Station was traveling more than 267 miles over the South Atlantic Ocean, the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft autonomously docked to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at 11:21 a.m. EDT today, with NASA astronauts Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins monitoring operations from the station.

The Dragon launched on SpaceX’s 25th contracted commercial resupply mission for NASA at 8:44 p.m., Thursday, July 14, from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After Dragon spends about one month attached to the space station, the spacecraft will return to Earth with cargo and research.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Contact and soft capture confirmed.

SpaceX's Cargo Dragon spacecraft has completed a day-and-a-half journey from the Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station, delivering more than 5,800 pounds of supplies and experiments.https://t.co/S1h54J6jLK pic.twitter.com/8unFzmiUq4

— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) July 16, 2022

SLS Update: A Solid Rocket Booster Test Will Be Conducted in Utah Next Week...

Northrop Grumman

NASA, Northrop Grumman to Test Fire Future Artemis Booster Motor (News Release - July 14)

NASA and Northrop Grumman will perform a full-scale static test of a Space Launch System (SLS) solid rocket booster motor at Northrop Grumman’s Promontory, Utah, test facility July 21. Engineers will fire the booster during the demonstration, called the Flight Support Booster-2 (FSB-2) test, to evaluate materials and processes to improve boosters for future Artemis missions.

“The current SLS boosters for the first eight Artemis missions are using a robust mix of new avionics and substantial heritage hardware from the Space Shuttle Program,” said Bruce Tiller, SLS Booster Program manager. “This particular ground test will demonstrate some new materials, a completely new steering system, and a new way to ignite the motor. Data from this test will improve our booster design for future missions that take us farther into deep space than ever before.”

For the test, one booster is affixed in a horizontal test stand and fired for approximately two minutes, the same amount of time and at the same power level as it would be fired during launch. On launch day, a pair of solid rocket boosters in a vertical position attached to the core stage of the SLS rocket supply more than 75% of the total thrust for the first two minutes of flight. Northrop Grumman is the lead contractor for the SLS solid rocket boosters.

NASA and Northrop Grumman experts will discuss the Flight Support Booster-2 test during a Facebook Live on the Space Launch System rocket’s Facebook page, as well as on NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center YouTube channel, beginning at 2:55 p.m. EDT. During the test, anyone can submit questions on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube using the hashtag #AskNASA. Julia Khodabandeh, motor team lead for SLS boosters at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and Jessica Rose, chemical engineer for SLS boosters at Northrop Grumman, will answer questions.

The FSB-2 test builds off the Flight Support Booster-1 test conducted in September 2020 and will demonstrate a newly-qualified motor initiation system and qualify a new ablative lining to protect the booster nozzle. This test will also provide information for the development of the next-generation booster obsolescence and life extension booster that will support Artemis IX and beyond.

Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, paving the way for a long-term, sustainable lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone for future astronaut missions to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Kevin O’Brien

ISS Update: The Dragon CRS-25 Freighter Is Headed to the Orbital Outpost...

NASA / Kim Shiflett

NASA, SpaceX Launch Climate Science Research, More to Space Station (News Release)

A SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft carrying more than 5,800 pounds of science experiments, crew supplies, and other cargo is on its way to the International Space Station after launching at 8:44 p.m. EDT Thursday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The spacecraft launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy for the company’s 25th commercial resupply services mission for NASA. It is scheduled to autonomously dock at the space station about 11:20 a.m. Saturday, July 16, and remain there for about a month. Coverage of arrival will begin at 10 a.m. on NASA Television, the agency’s website, and the NASA app.

Among the science experiments Dragon is delivering to the space station are:

Mapping Earth’s Dust

The Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT), developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, employs NASA imaging spectroscopy technology to measure the mineral composition of dust in Earth's arid regions. Mineral dust blown into the air can travel significant distances and affect Earth’s climate, weather, vegetation, and more. For example, dust containing dark minerals that absorb sunlight can warm an area, while light-colored mineral dust can cool it. Blowing dust also affects air quality, surface conditions such as rate of snow melt, and phytoplankton health in the ocean. The investigation collects images for one year to generate maps of the mineral composition in the regions on Earth that produce dust. Such mapping could advance our understanding of the effects of mineral dust on human populations now and in the future.

Speedier Immune System Aging

Aging is associated with changes in the immune response known as immunosenescence. Microgravity causes changes in human immune cells that resemble this condition, but happen faster than the actual process of aging on Earth. The Immunosenescence investigation, sponsored by the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory, uses tissue chips to study how microgravity affects immune function during flight and whether immune cells recover post-flight. Tissue chips are small devices that contain human cells in a 3D structure, allowing scientists to test how those cells respond to stresses, drugs, and genetic changes.

Soil in Space

On Earth, complex communities of microorganisms carry out key functions in soil, including cycling of carbon and other nutrients and supporting plant growth. Dynamics of Microbiomes in Space sponsored by NASA’s Division of Biological and Physical Sciences, examines how microgravity affects metabolic interactions in communities of soil microbes. This research focuses on microbe communities that decompose chitin, a natural carbon polymer on Earth.

High School Student Weather Study

BeaverCube is an education mission that will teach high school students aerospace science by having them design a CubeSat. BeaverCube will host one visible and two infrared imagers to measure cloud properties, ocean surface temperatures, and ocean color to study Earth’s climate and weather systems. It also will demonstrate an application for the use of shape memory alloy technology via an in-orbit calibration technique.

Genes, No Cells

Cell-free technology is a platform for producing protein without specialized equipment of living cells that need to be cultured. Genes in Space-9, sponsored by the National Lab, demonstrates cell-free production of protein in microgravity and evaluates two cell-free biosensors that can detect specific target molecules. This technology could provide a simple, portable, and low-cost tool for medical diagnostics, on-demand production of medicine and vaccines, and environmental monitoring on future space missions.

Better Concrete

Biopolymer Research for In-Situ Capabilities looks at how microgravity affects the process of creating a concrete alternative made with an organic material and on-site materials, such as lunar or Martian dust, known as a biopolymer soil composite. Using resources available where construction takes place makes it possible to increase the amount of shielding.

These are just a few of the hundreds of investigations currently being conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in the areas of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science. Advances in these areas will help keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration beyond low-Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars through NASA’s Artemis program.

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Dragon separation confirmed; autonomous docking to the @space_station Saturday, July 16 at ~11:20 a.m. ET pic.twitter.com/Lf0WJn6jKr

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 15, 2022

SLS Update: Up to 30,000 Workforce Members Will Be Honored on the Mega-Moon Rocket's First Flight...

University of Houston / Dr. Long Chang

Orion to Fly Thousands of Names of Artemis I Team Members to the Moon (News Release)

The names of nearly 30,000 people whose work made NASA’s Artemis I mission possible will fly inside the Orion spacecraft on its upcoming journey around the Moon. Even though there will be no people aboard Orion for its first flight test with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the spacecraft will carry the tribute on tiny, engraved microchips.

Among the names are team members from NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), industry partners, and suppliers who have contributed to building hardware, developing systems, supporting mission operations, and working on the Orion, SLS, and Exploration Ground Systems programs required for flight. The effort is being done to express gratitude to the dedicated employees who have contributed their time and effort to the flight.

The microchips can hold more than a million etched names using a printing process called electron beam lithography. They will be loaded onto the spacecraft as part of the Artemis I Official Flight Kit. The kit includes mementos for educational engagement and posterity packed in Orion’s storage area. Similar microchips have flown on other NASA missions as part of outreach campaigns that allowed the public to fly their names in space, including Orion’s Exploration Flight Test-1, and on NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover.

The chips will include names from large and small contractors who provided key elements or components.

“Our company has been involved in the Orion program from day one, and we are truly honored to see what it has evolved into,” said Mike Riley, CEO of AMRO Fabricating Corp., in South El Monte, California. AMRO manufactures significant components of the pressure vessel — the underlying structure of Orion’s crew module that provides the air-tight, habitable space — as well as large structures for the SLS barrels.

“We are really excited to be part of this critical and historic piece of hardware that will take humans back to the Moon,” Riley said.

Over in the Midwest, Major Tool & Machine in Indianapolis, Indiana, develops critical components for Orion and for the SLS solid rocket boosters and RS-25 engines.

“The excitement from our customers about NASA’s return to the Moon has trickled down to every one of our four hundred employees in Indianapolis,” said Danny Antle, Major Tool & Machine’s vice president of business development. “We’re honored to be a part of the industry team.”

The names of international team members also will be aboard for the journey to Moon, including those from Airbus, ESA’s lead contractor responsible for building the Orion European Service Module that powers and propels the spacecraft in space.

"It is fantastic to be part of the Artemis adventure, and the entire Airbus team is so excited to be propelling Orion with the European Service Module,” said Didier Radola, Airbus head of Moon programs. “By flying our names aboard the maiden Artemis flight to the Moon, a small part of each of us will be flying up there too."

After the mission, the microchips will be presented to key stakeholders in the U.S. and Europe to provide a physical representation of the NASA, industry workforce, and extended team members instrumental to the historic flight.

Source: NASA.Gov

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United Launch Alliance / Ben Cooper

Another Successful Thruster Burn for the First Artemis Mission...

NASA

NASA’s CAPSTONE Executes New Maneuver, Further Pinpoints Path to Moon (News Release)

NASA’s Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) successfully completed its second trajectory correction maneuver starting at about 11:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday.

CAPSTONE will perform several such maneuvers during its four-month-long journey to lunar orbit to refine its trajectory to the Moon, with the next one targeted for late July. CAPSTONE is taking a long but fuel-efficient route to the Moon, flying about 958,000 miles (1.54 million kilometers) from Earth before looping back around to its near-rectilinear halo orbit.

Read more about CAPSTONE’s ambitious mission to the Moon.

Source: NASA.Gov

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We’ve got “eyes” on #CAPSTONE! 🛰️

NASA's Eyes app will now let you visualize the spacecraft on its journey to the Moon in real time! Follow along, so you don’t miss a minute of this mission: https://t.co/MP7AkoiTnm pic.twitter.com/eMoAf4ntad

— NASA Ames (@NASAAmes) July 8, 2022

SLS' Maiden Flight Is Still on Track for as Early as Late August...

NASA

Work Continues to Prepare Artemis I Moon Rocket for Launch (News Release)

Since the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion arrived back at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 2, teams extended the access platforms surrounding the rocket and spacecraft to perform repairs and conduct final operations before returning to Launch Complex 39B for the Artemis I mission.

Technicians are working to inspect, fix, and check out equipment associated with a seal on the quick disconnect of the tail service mast umbilical that was identified as the source of a hydrogen leak during the wet dress rehearsal test that ended June 20. Engineers have disconnected the umbilical and are in the process of examining the area where they will replace two seals on the quick disconnect hardware. Working in tandem with those repairs, engineers also completed the last remaining engineering test that is part of the integrated testing operations in the VAB.

Teams also performed additional planned work on aspects of the rocket and spacecraft. Engineers swapped out a computer on the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage called the Inertial Navigation and Control Assembly unit that was used during wet dress rehearsal activities with the one that will be used for flight and will test the unit next week. The newly-installed flight unit includes freshly calibrated inertial navigation sensors and updated software to guide and navigate the upper stage during flight.

Technicians also activated several batteries for the rocket elements, including for the solid rocket boosters and the ICPS. The batteries on the core stage will be activated in the coming weeks, and all the batteries will then be installed. The batteries provide power for the rocket elements during the final portion of the countdown on launch day and through ascent.

Engineers also charged the batteries for the secondary payloads located on the Orion stage adapter and will work to install payloads inside the Orion spacecraft in the coming weeks.

Source: NASA.Gov

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👀 New POV! Take a peek at the RS-25 engines gimballing during the latest wet dress rehearsal test. The engines on the Space Launch System will move during flight to steer the rocket and maintain a proper trajectory. pic.twitter.com/8Wd7QtFqSJ

— NASA_SLS (@NASA_SLS) July 7, 2022

🚀👀 Newly-released video shows @NASA_SLS rocket engine gimballing during the final wet dress rehearsal testing for Artemis I. As the engine nozzle is moved, the direction of the thrust is changed relative to the center of gravity of the rocket.
VIDEO: https://t.co/fUUfI4ihg9 pic.twitter.com/BFyutk0dPG

— NASA's Exploration Ground Systems (@NASAGroundSys) July 8, 2022

The Scout for NASA's Gateway Space Station Continues Its March Towards a November Arrival in Lunar Orbit...

NASA

NASA’s CAPSTONE Pulls Off First Targeting Maneuver on Journey to the Moon (News Release)

NASA’s CAPSTONE successfully completed its first trajectory correction maneuver, which started at 11:30 a.m. EDT Thursday. This is the first in a series of thruster burns over the next few months to more accurately target CAPSTONE’s transfer orbit to the Moon. The maneuver lasted just over 11 minutes and changed the spacecraft’s velocity by about 45 miles per hour (about 20 meters per second). CAPSTONE’s next trajectory correction maneuver is targeted for Saturday, July 9.

CAPSTONE is now about 289,000 miles from Earth, beyond the orbit of the Moon. CAPSTONE will loop back around and arrive at its lunar orbit – called a near-rectilinear halo orbit, or NRHO, on November 13. CAPSTONE will fly in the NRHO for at least six months to study the dynamics of the orbit, which is the same one intended for Gateway, a lunar space station for science and human exploration under Artemis.

Two technology demonstrations on CAPSTONE could allow future spacecraft to navigate near the Moon without as much tracking required from Earth.

Read more from Advanced Space, which owns and operates CAPSTONE on behalf of NASA.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA

The First Artemis Mission Is Back on Track!

NASA

Following Communications Recovery, NASA’s CAPSTONE Prepares for First Maneuver (News Release)

Following communications issues, mission teams for NASA’s Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) have re-established contact with the spacecraft through NASA’s Deep Space Network. Data received from CAPSTONE shows that the spacecraft is in good health and operated safely on its own while it was out of contact with Earth. Teams are preparing to carry out CAPSTONE’s first trajectory correction maneuver – which will more precisely target CAPSTONE’s transfer orbit to the Moon – as early as 11:30 a.m. EDT on July 7. As originally planned, CAPSTONE will arrive at its lunar orbit on Nov. 13.

The CAPSTONE team is still actively working to fully establish the root cause of the issue. Ground-based testing suggests the issue was triggered during commissioning activities of the communications system. The team will continue to evaluate the data leading up to the communications issue and monitor CAPSTONE’s status.

The mission team, led by Advanced Space, initially re-established contact with CAPSTONE at 9:26 a.m. EDT on July 6. The signal confirmed that CAPSTONE was in the expected location, as predicted based on data from CAPSTONE’s initial contacts on July 4. The team started recovery procedures and began receiving telemetry data from the spacecraft at 10:18 a.m. EDT.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Courtesy of NASA's Deep Space Network

The First Mission in the Artemis Program Has Hit a Snag...

NASA

Further Details on Communications Issues with NASA’s CAPSTONE (News Release)

NASA’s Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) experienced communications issues following its deployment on July 4. This is an update on the spacecraft health and efforts to regain contact between CAPSTONE and NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN).

Following CAPSTONE’s initial deployment on July 4, the spacecraft successfully deployed solar arrays, was stabilized, and began charging its onboard battery. CAPSTONE’s propulsion system was also readied for the spacecraft’s first maneuver. CAPSTONE made initial contact with the DSN ground station in Madrid, Spain, followed by a partial contact with the Goldstone ground station in California. From these contacts, mission operators have been able to determine CAPSTONE’s approximate position and velocity in space.

As a result of the communications issues, CAPSTONE’s first trajectory correction maneuver – originally scheduled for the morning of July 5 – has been delayed. This maneuver is the first in a series that are designed to make small corrections to increase the accuracy of the transfer orbit to the Moon, and the spacecraft remains on the overall intended ballistic lunar transfer while awaiting this trajectory correction.

Teams are working to resolve CAPSTONE’s communications issues.

Source: NASA.Gov

Happy 4th of July, America! The First Artemis Mission Is Officially En Route to the Moon...

NASA

CAPSTONE Leaves Earth Orbit, Headed to the Moon (News Release)

The Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) has left low-Earth orbit and started its solo journey to the Moon.

Following its launch on June 28, CAPSTONE orbited Earth attached to Rocket Lab’s Photon upper stage, which maneuvered CAPSTONE into position for its journey to the Moon. Over the past six days, Photon’s engines fired seven times at key moments to raise the orbit’s highest point to around 810,000 miles from Earth before releasing the CAPSTONE CubeSat on its ballistic lunar transfer trajectory to the Moon. The spacecraft is now being flown by the teams at Advanced Space and Terran Orbital.

Now, CAPSTONE will use its own propulsion and the Sun’s gravity to navigate the rest of the way to the Moon, a four-month journey that will have CAPSTONE inserting into its near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) around the Moon on Nov. 13. The gravity-driven track will dramatically reduce the amount of fuel the CubeSat needs to get to its target orbit around the Moon.

In the coming days, you can follow CAPSTONE’s journey live using NASA’s Eyes on the Solar System interactive real-time 3D data visualization, riding along virtually with the CubeSat with a simulated view of our solar system.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Courtesy of NASA's Deep Space Network

SLS Is Back Inside the VAB for Final Artemis 1 Launch Preps...

NASA

NASA’s Moon Rocket and Spacecraft Arrive at Vehicle Assembly Building (News Release)

At approximately 2:30 p.m. ET, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis I mission were firmly secured inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center after a four-mile journey from Launch Complex 39B that began at 4:12 a.m. ET Saturday, July 2.

Over the next several days, the team will extend work platforms to allow access to SLS and Orion. In the coming weeks, teams will replace a seal on the quick disconnect of the tail service mast umbilical and perform additional checkouts and activities before returning to the pad for launch.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA


NASA


NASA