Tag: Space Launch System
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Rocket Report: A new estimate of Starship costs; Japan launches spy satellite
Welcome to Edition 6.27 of the Rocket Report! This week, we discuss an intriguing new report looking at Starship. Most fascinating, the report covers SpaceX’s costs to build a Starship and how these costs will come down as the company ramps up its build and launch cadence. At the other end of the spectrum, former…
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NASA should consider commercial alternatives to SLS, inspector general says
In recent years NASA has acknowledged that its large Space Launch System rocket is unaffordable and has sought to bring its costs down to a more reasonable level. The most recent estimate is that it costs $2.2 billion to build a single SLS rocket, and this does not include add-ons such as ground systems, integration,…
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Rocket Report: Japan launches Moon mission; Ariane 6 fires up in Kourou
Welcome to Edition 6.10 of the Rocket Report! A Japanese spacecraft has joined the international flock of missions traveling to the Moon this year, but you’ll need to practice patience on this one. It will take about four months for Japan’s small lander to get into lunar orbit, then more weeks to align with the…
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With NASA’s mobile launcher on the move, here’s a road map to Artemis II
NASA’s repaired and upgraded mobile launch platform moved back to its launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center this week. This marks a transition from refurbishment after the launch of the Artemis I mission last year into preparations for Artemis II—the Moon program’s first flight with astronauts. The giant structure sustained more damage than expected…
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For the first time in 51 years, NASA is training astronauts to fly to the Moon
The four astronauts assigned to soar beyond the far side of the Moon on NASA’s Artemis II mission settled into their seats inside a drab classroom last month at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. It was one in a series of noteworthy moments for the four-person crew since NASA revealed the names of the…
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RS-25 engine performance “perfect” on Artemis I debut launch
The four RS-25 engines from Aerojet Rocketdyne successfully propelled the Core Stage, Interim Cryogenic Propulsion System, and Orion/Service Module stack into its initial Earth orbit during the system’s debut launch on Nov. 16, 2022. The engines fired for a full duration of nearly eight and a half minutes, inserting the SLS stack into a 30…
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SLS makes successful debut flight, sending Artemis I to the Moon
NASA and the SLS teams have successfully launched the agency’s super heavy lift rocket which will facilitate humanity’s return to the Moon: this time to establish a permanent presence on our closest celestial neighbor. The launch of Artemis I occurred on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 1:47 AM EST (06:47 UTC). Should teams have required additional…
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Third time’s the charm: NASA launches SLS mega rocket on Artemis 1 moon trip
NASA’s Space Launch System rises from its Kennedy Space Center launch pad. (NASA Photo / Joel Kowsky) NASA succeeded spectacularly in the third attempt to launch its Space Launch System rocket on an uncrewed round-the-moon mission that’s meant to blaze a trail for future Artemis lunar landings. Artemis 1’s liftoff from Launch Complex 39B at…
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Artemis I releases 10 cubesats, including a Moon lander, for technology and research
The Artemis I mission, the first flight of the Orion spacecraft and SLS, is now underway after a successful launch from Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center at 1:47:44 AM EST (06:47:44 UTC) on Nov. 16. Artemis I not only launched the Orion spacecraft to the Moon but also 10 6U CubeSats, most massing…
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NASA decides to roll its moon rocket back to shelter as Hurricane Ian nears Florida
NASA’s Space Launch System returns to the Vehicle Assembly Building on Sept. 27. (NASA Photo) With Hurricane Ian bearing down on the Florida coast, NASA has decided to move its multibillion-dollar Space Launch System moon rocket to safety. For days, NASA and weather forecasters had been watching the storm take shape in the Caribbean Sea,…