JCC The American Space Program and its Future...

Clean separation, solar panels deployed and making power.

 

Rockets For Dummies? Hey, don't laugh, it worked!

 

Astra is attempting another launch today. They had to abort earlier at T-0

 

Seems this one really doesn't want to lift off.

 

And scrubbed for another day it is.

 

Not great for Astra. Mission failed. Hope they can bounce back from this, though it looks like SpaceX and ULA will retain their hold over the USA's orbital delivery market for the foreseeable future.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/10/astra-stock-drops-after-nasa-mission-fails-mid-launch.html

Astra stock drops 26% after NASA mission fails mid-launch

 

Yea... Looked like stage separation went awry and sent the second stage spinning out of control.

Space isn't easy...

 

Fairings failed to open properly, and the second stage, which was located inside them, couldn't properly separate and blew the fairings off when it started its burn while still entrapped inside them. That's what sent the second stage spinning uncontrollably.

 

@Sarge In Moscow right now there is an experiment with a group of American and Moscow astronauts where they are in insolation for 8 months as part of deep space exploration training/experiments where they completely cut off from the world. Reminds me of Jared Leto being off in the desert when COVID hit.

 

Astra LV009 launched nominally but there is currently a long pause in news regarding the payload deploy after nominal first stage and second stage flights. Last time things went screwy during stage separation, so at the very least they got a lot further this time.

 

follow up: Successful mission.

 

Yep. Good for them

 

The Wet Dress Rehearsal of Artemis I has been scrubbed twice now so the next attempt will not occur until after Axiom-1 launches on a SpaceX Falcon 9. If NASA were a private competitor this would not be a great look for them.

https://www.upi.com/Science_News/20...ayed-for-axiom-private-mission/8101649185078/

Axiom set to launch, next NASA moon rocket to wait a little longer for testing

 

another Astra launch for NASA ending with a mission failure. Headphone warning for the launch audio.



SLS is back at the launch site. Wet Dress rehersal scheduled for the 18th.

https://www.space.com/nasa-artemis-1-moon-rocket-sls-test-june-2022-webcast

 

WDR for SLS today. Once again, a LH2 leak at the core stage QD. Also a grass fire caused by the flare stack.

 

Not exactly fresh, but still, a beautiful view we won't really get to see otherwise:

 

Electron Rocket launches from New Zealand for Nasa's Capstone Lunar Mission

 

Atlas V Launch for the SPACE FORCE. Glorious crackly solid rocket booster engines.

 

https://www.space.com/x-37b-military-space-plane-nears-mission-duration-record

US military's mysterious X-37B space plane zooms toward orbital record