Photo of the Day: A Dream Chaser Called Tenacity...

Sierra Space

Happy Halloween, everyone! Just thought I'd share this great photo that was posted by Sierra Space on X (formerly known as Twitter) today.

Dream Chaser Tenacity, an unmanned spaceplane that will hopefully fly aboard United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket to the International Space Station next year, is close to completion at Sierra Space's manufacturing facility in Colorado. Tenacity will soon head to the Neil Armstrong Test Facility at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Ohio to undergo environmental testing...before the winged cargo freighter is transported to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for launch preparation.

As shown below, Sierra Space is also making significant progress on the construction of the second Dream Chaser vehicle. Very exciting!

Sierra Space is not stopping at just Tenacity, as work has started on Tail 2 (yet to be named); CEO Tom Vice noted that the build has had 80% fewer issues during the build process, resulting in quicker assembly and lower cost. He added Tail 2 is roughly 24 months behind Tenacity. pic.twitter.com/Zw7O85jbBO

— Trevor Sesnic 🕛 (@124970MeV) October 31, 2023

Image of the Day: Testing Continues at Launch Complex 39B Before the Next Flight of SLS...

NASA / Kim Shiflett

Artemis II Water Deluge Test (Photo Release - October 24)

NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems conducts a water flow test with the mobile launcher at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39B in Florida on October 24, 2023. It is the third in a series of tests to verify that the overpressure protection and sound suppression system is ready for launch of the Artemis II mission.

During liftoff, 400,000 gallons of water will rush onto the pad to help protect NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, Orion spacecraft, mobile launcher and launch pad from any over pressurization and extreme sound produced during ignition and liftoff.

Source: NASA.Gov

****

Yesterday, NASA conducted a full flow test of the Ignition Overpressure and Sound Suppression (IOPSS) system on Mobile Launcher 1. This test slowly ramped up the water flow levels in the same manor as they would during the launch of an SLS rocket.

📸 NASA/Jamie Peer pic.twitter.com/D82XkCKoYl

— Space Scout (@WeAreSpaceScout) October 25, 2023

The Vehicle That Will Fly the Next Astronauts to the Moon Is Now Whole...

NASA

Artemis II Orion Crew and Service Modules Joined Together (News Release - October 23)

On October 19, the Orion crew and service modules for the Artemis II mission were joined together inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

After successfully completing hardware installations and testing over the past several months, engineers connected the two major components of Orion that will fly NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a mission around the Moon and bring them home safely.

Now that the crew and service modules are integrated, the team will power up the combined crew and service module for the first time. After power-on tests are complete, Orion will begin altitude chamber testing, which will put the spacecraft through conditions as close as possible to the environment it will experience in the vacuum of deep space.

Source: NASA.Gov

CST-100 Update: More Info on Starliner's First Crewed Mission to the ISS Next Spring...

Serg Korsakov

Progress Continues Toward NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test to Station (News Release)

NASA and Boeing are working to complete the agency’s verification and validation activities ahead of Starliner’s first flight with astronauts to the International Space Station. While Boeing is targeting March to have the spacecraft ready for flight, teams decided during a launch manifest evaluation that a launch in April will better accommodate upcoming crew rotations and cargo resupply missions this spring.

Once the spacecraft meets the agency’s safety requirements, NASA’s Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT) will see astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams perform the first crewed mission of the spacecraft designed to take astronauts to and from the orbital laboratory.

Ahead of CFT, Boeing has completed P213 tape removal in the upper dome of the Starliner crew compartment and work is underway to remove or remediate the tape in the lower dome of the spacecraft. These hardware remediation efforts inside the Starliner production facility at NASA Kennedy are expected to be completed during the next several weeks.

After the P213 tape remediation efforts conclude, engineers will conduct final assessments to ensure acceptable risk of any remaining tape.

A set of parachutes is on track to be delivered and installed on the CFT spacecraft by the end of this year to support the current target launch date. Separately, the team is also planning a drop test of Starliner’s updated drogue and main parachutes.

The parachutes will incorporate a planned strengthening of main canopy suspension lines and the recent design of the drogue and main parachute soft-link joints, which will increase the safety factor for the system. The drop test is planned for early 2024 based on the current parachute delivery schedule.

Boeing and NASA are also planning modifications to the active thermal control system valves to improve long-term functionality following a radiator bypass valve issue discovered during ground operations earlier this year. As discussed during a Starliner media teleconference in June, teams have modified the spacecraft hardware and identified forward work to prevent a similar issue in the future.

Options include a system purge to prevent stiction, component upgrades and operational mitigations.

Additionally, about 98% of the certification products required for the flight test are complete, and NASA and Boeing anticipate closure on remaining CFT certification products early next year. Meanwhile, NASA and Boeing have made significant progress on requirement closures related to manual crew control of the spacecraft and abort system analysis.

The latest version of Starliner’s CFT flight software completed qualification testing and is undergoing standard hardware and software integration testing inside Boeing’s Avionics and Software Integration Lab. Starliner’s crew and service modules remain mated and await continuation of standard preflight processing.

The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is also in Florida at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station awaiting integration with the spacecraft.

The NASA astronauts who will fly aboard CFT continue to train for their roughly eight-day mission to the orbiting laboratory, which includes working with operations and mission support teams to participate in various simulations across all phases of flight.

Starliner completed two uncrewed flight tests, including Orbital Flight Test-2, which docked to the space station on May 21, 2022, following a launch two days prior from Kennedy. The spacecraft remained docked to the space station for four days before successfully landing at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

Source: NASA.Gov

****


NASA

A Final Round of Testing Has Begun for the Space Launch System's Next-Generation Engines...

NASA / Danny Nowlin

NASA Conducts 1st Hot Fire of New RS-25 Certification Test Series (News Release)

NASA conducted the first hot fire of a new RS-25 test series on October 17, beginning the final round of certification testing ahead of production of an updated set of the engines for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The engines will help power future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.

Operators fired the RS-25 engine for more than nine minutes (550 seconds), longer than the 500 seconds that engines must fire during an actual mission, on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Operators also fired the engine up to the 111% power level needed during an SLS launch.

The hot fire marked the first in a series of 12 tests scheduled to stretch into 2024. The tests are a key step for lead SLS engines contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company, to produce engines that will help power the SLS rocket, beginning with Artemis V.

The test series will collect data on the performance of several new key engine components, including a nozzle, hydraulic actuators, flex ducts and turbopumps. The components match design features of those used during the initial certification test series completed at the south Mississippi site in June.

Aerojet Rocketdyne is using advanced manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing, to reduce the cost and time needed to build the new engines. Four RS-25 engines help power SLS at launch, including on its Artemis missions to the Moon.

Through Artemis, NASA is returning humans, including the first woman and first person of color, to the Moon to explore the lunar surface and prepare for flights to Mars. SLS is the only rocket capable of sending the agency’s Orion spacecraft, astronauts and supplies to the Moon in a single mission.

Source: NASA.Gov

****


NASA / Danny Nowlin

The First Crewed Flight of the CST-100 Is Still Scheduled for No Earlier Than Next Spring...

NASA

NASA Updates Commercial Crew Planning Manifest (News Release)

NASA and its industry partners Boeing and SpaceX are planning for the next set of missions to the International Space Station for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Crew-8

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the orbiting laboratory is targeted to launch no earlier than mid-February. The mission will carry NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and mission specialist Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin to the space station to conduct a wide range of operational and research activities.

Routine maintenance and processing of the Crew-8 SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft is in work. This will be the first spaceflight for Dominick, Epps and Grebenkin, and the third for Barratt.

Crew-8 is expected to return to Earth in late August 2024, following a short handover with the agency’s Crew-9 mission.

Starliner Crew Flight Test (CFT)

The first crewed flight of the Starliner spacecraft, named NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT), is planned for no earlier than mid-April. CFT will send NASA astronauts and test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on a demonstration flight to prove the end-to-end capabilities of the Starliner system.

Starliner will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, spend approximately eight days docked to the space station, and return to Earth with a parachute and airbag-assisted ground landing in the desert of the western United States.

NASA will provide an updated status of CFT readiness as more information becomes available.

Crew-9

Looking further ahead in 2024, NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than mid-August for the launch of the agency’s Crew-9, SpaceX’s ninth crew rotation mission to the space station for NASA. A crew of four will be announced at a later date.

10th Crew Rotation Mission

The 10th commercial crew rotation opportunity to the space station is targeted for early 2025. NASA is planning for either SpaceX’s Crew-10 or Boeing’s Starliner-1 mission in this slot.

The Starliner-1 date was adjusted to allow for the post-flight review of the Crew Flight Test and incorporation of anticipated learning, approvals of final certification products, and completion of readiness and certification reviews ahead of that mission.

Source: NASA.Gov

****


NASA

Photos of the Day: Endeavour's Twin Solid Rocket Motors Have Arrived in Los Angeles!

Earlier today, two trucks towing the twin solid rocket motors (SRMs) that will be attached to Endeavour's external tank ET-94 next year arrived at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. The SRMs completed their journey to the museum—located at Exposition Park in Los Angeles—after a multi-hour drive from the Mojave Air and Space Port the day before.

As shown in the X posts at the very bottom of this entry, I drove down a Los Angeles County freeway—the 605 South—to check out the SRMs as they were temporarily parked on the 605's shoulder after arriving in the city of Irwindale around 12PM yesterday. The SRMs then resumed their trip to Exposition Park before dawn today.

The SRMs are now placed on temporary workstands outside the California Science Center, near the Rose Garden at Exposition Park. Next January is the earliest date that the SRMs, after they are outfitted to become full-fledged solid rocket boosters (SRBs), will be raised vertically and installed at the construction site for the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.

And once this milestone is complete, Endeavour and ET-94 will be transported from the Samuel Oschin Pavilion (which permanently closes on December 31) to the construction site to join the SRBs as the only fully-authentic space shuttle stack that exists in the world. This should also take place next January.

Stay tuned!


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par

Found the SRBs!

Endeavour's solid rocket boosters are currently parked on the shoulder of the 605 South freeway...in the city of Irwindale. 🙂

Can't wait to see the boosters at the California Science Center tomorrow!#SoCal #EndeavourLA #GoForStack pic.twitter.com/TfLzgiAKDb

— Rich Par (@AstroPnoy) October 10, 2023

Another view of Endeavour's solid rocket boosters...this time from the 605 North side of the freeway (heading into rush hour traffic 🙃)#SoCal #EndeavourLA #GoForStack pic.twitter.com/TOamIlZGsh

— Rich Par (@AstroPnoy) October 11, 2023

SpaceShipTwo Update: GALACTIC 04 Is in the Books...

Spaceport America

Virgin Galactic Completes Fifth Successful Spaceflight in Five Months (Press Release)

Galactic 04 mission further demonstrates repeatable spaceflight

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. – Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) (“Virgin Galactic” or the “Company”) today announced the completion of its fifth successful human space mission in five months, Galactic 04.

Michael Colglazier, CEO of Virgin Galactic, said: “Our teams in New Mexico and California have delivered on our monthly spaceflight objectives. Three new astronauts journeyed to space today and brought back incredible memories and stories of their experience above the Earth. These early missions with our initial ship, VSS Unity, have informed and confirmed the design and maintenance objectives for our Delta-class spaceships, and the production tooling for those ships is on track to commence later in the fourth quarter.”

Onboard Galactic 04:

· Astronaut 017 Ron Rosano from the United States of America.

· Astronaut 018 Trevor Beattie from the United Kingdom.

· Astronaut 019 Namira Salim from Pakistan, marking the first person to fly to space from that country. Salim is also a resident of the United Arab Emirates and Monaco.

VSS Unity was piloted by Commander Kelly Latimer and Pilot CJ Sturckow, with Chief Astronaut Instructor Beth Moses on board. VMS Eve was piloted by Commander Nicola Pecile and Pilot Jameel Janjua.

The Company will now proceed with post-flight inspections and analysis in preparation for the next commercial space mission, Galactic 05.

Galactic 04 In-Flight Facts:

Take-off Time: 9:28 AM, MDT (8:28 AM, PDT)

Altitude at Release: 44,341 feet (13,515 meters)

Apogee: 54.3 miles (87.4 kilometers)

Top Speed: Mach 2.95

Landing Time: 10:23 AM, MDT (9:23 AM, PDT)

Source: Virgin Galactic

****

You are now free to float about the cabin. #Galactic04 pic.twitter.com/icjMa1a62U

— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) October 7, 2023

A New Round of Testing Set to Begin for the SLS Block 1B (and Block 2) Rocket...

NASA / Danny Nowlin

Start Your Engines: NASA to Begin Critical Testing for Future Artemis Missions (Press Release)

NASA will begin a new RS-25 test series on October 5, the final round of certification testing ahead of production of an updated set of engines for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The engines will help power future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.

A series of 12 tests stretching into 2024 is scheduled to occur on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The tests are a key step for lead SLS engines contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company, to produce engines that will help power the SLS rocket, beginning with Artemis V.

“NASA and our industry partners continue to make steady progress toward restarting production of the RS-25 engines for the first time since the space shuttle era as we prepare for our more ambitious missions to deep space under Artemis with the SLS rocket,” said Johnny Heflin, liquid engines manager for SLS at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “The upcoming fall test series builds off previous hot fire testing already conducted at NASA Stennis to help certify a new design that will make this storied spaceflight engine even more powerful.”

For each Artemis mission, four RS-25 engines, along with a pair of solid rocket boosters, power the SLS rocket, producing more than 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. Following a “test like you fly” approach, all 12 tests in the new series are scheduled for at least 500 seconds, the same amount of time the engines must fire during an actual launch.

The 12-test series will use developmental engine E0525 to collect data for the final RS-25 design certification review. The engine features a second set of new key components, including a nozzle, hydraulic actuators, flex ducts and turbopumps.

The components match design features of those used during the initial certification test series completed at the south Mississippi site in June.

“Testing a second set of hardware during this next phase of our certification test series will give us repeatability to ensure we have sound processes for building our new engines,” said Mike Lauer, RS-25 deputy program manager at Aerojet Rocketdyne. “The successful testing of the brand-new certification engine proved our engineering was sound – that the new design is capable of meeting requirements at operating extremes and durations. This next test series will help confirm our manufacturing processes will reliably create production engines that will meet these same requirements.”

Operators will fire the engine at power levels varying between 80% and 113% to test performance in multiple scenarios. The first four Artemis missions are using modified space shuttle main engines that can power up to 109% of their rated level.

New RS-25 engines will power up to the 111% level to provide additional thrust. Testing up to the 113% power level provides a margin of operational safety.

The longest test of the new series is planned for 650 seconds. Crews will conduct a gimbal test of the engine to ensure that it can pivot as needed to help SLS maintain stability and trajectory during flight.

The October 5 test is scheduled for 550 seconds and will fire the RS-25 engine up to 111% power level.

Overall, a total of 6,350 seconds of hot fire is planned for the series. With completion of the campaign, it is anticipated that all systems will be “go” to produce 24 new RS-25 engines using the updated design for missions beginning with Artemis V.

“Testing at the historic Fred Haise Test Stand is critical to ensure that our astronauts fly safely,” said Chip Ellis, project manager for RS-25 testing at NASA Stennis. “The test team takes great care to ensure these engines will operate as designed to launch NASA payloads and astronauts to the Moon and beyond.”

Through Artemis, NASA will use innovative technologies and collaborate with commercial and international partners to explore more of the Moon than ever. The agency will use what is learned on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap of sending the first astronauts to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov