NASA & World Space Exploration...News, Views, Photos & videos

gpt said:

NASA canceled its VIPER lunar lander

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

VIPER is back. Blue Origin will deliver the rover to the lunar surface in late 2027, using its second Blue Moon MK1 lander.

Yeah, at this rate, China is definitely beating the US to the Moon.

The BE-7 engines for the Blue Moon Mk1 lander. Dual expander cycle using LH2/LOX. Specs are 10,000 lbf (44,000 N) and 460s isp. BO hopes that when water resources are developed on the Moon, it can be refueled on the surface.

More evidence suggests Saturn's moon Enceladus could support life​

A fresh look at data collected by has uncovered more evidence that 's moon Enceladus may be able to support life, with additional complex organic molecules identified from the geyser-like jets of ice grains that spew into space from this small icy world's subsurface ocean.

Russia has tested the first stage of the Soyuz-5 rocket, powered by a single .

engine's thrust remains the same, but its specific impulse has increased. Designing this engine digitally actually simplifies future upgrades of its components," said Petr Levochkin , Chief Designer at NPO Energomash

Click to expand...

8,180 kN (or 1,840,000 lbf) thrust and 340s+ isp?

It is a rehashed facsimile of the Zenit rocket.
Will likely replace Soyuz 2.

550 JPL employees will be laid off soon. Morale seems pretty low: https://www.reddit.com/r/nasa/comments/1o5x68w

Big win for SpaceX to increase their launch cadence. They have been looking to get approval to build a new pad at Vandenberg for a couple of years now. Under this new approval they can go from 50 launches a year to 100 at Vandenberg.

Under the approved plan, the Air Force will allow SpaceX to modify SLC-6 for both the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. SpaceX can now increase its total number of launches at Vandenberg from 50 to 100 per year, including up to five Falcon Heavy launches from SLC-6. The SLC-6 modifications will include two landing pads to support booster recoveries.

Click to expand...

According to the study, SLC-4 will support up to 70 Falcon 9 launches per year. There have been 49 Falcon 9 launches from Vandenberg so far this year. SLC-6 is expected to ramp up to 25 Falcon 9 and five Falcon Heavy launches annually as soon as 2027.

Click to expand...

The Vandenberg decision follows a Sept. 3 announcement by the Federal Aviation Administration

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

, raising the annual cap there from 50 to 120 launches.

Click to expand...

SlothmanAllen said:

Big win for SpaceX to increase their launch cadence. They have been looking to get approval to build a new pad at Vandenberg for a couple of years now. Under this new approval they can go from 50 launches a year to 100 at Vandenberg.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Click to expand...

Damn...spaceX is a beast. I still remember many here of their detractors here in europe, Russia and even in the US who were badmouthing and deameaning Spacex ambitions as unfeasible and unviable and how they are onnthe wrong path. Lol. Today SpaceX launches almost 90% of the worlds payload by themsleves . That's crazy and unbelievable if you told me this even just 5years ago. This year theybhave already launched 130 times and are on track fo reach their target of 180 which is ridiculous . To make things worse for their competitors they will increase that pace even more this coming years , so the gap will only get even wider.
You cant help but admire elon for what he has achieved, especially looking at their other "competitor" Blue origin who was founded even earlier than Spacex and backed by one of the worlds richest man as well, yet blue origin have failed compared to Spacex. This meana its not a guarantee of sucess just to have ambition. It takes more than that to suceed.