Is Blue Origin Ready to Challenge SpaceX?

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. (Blue Origin)

Sometime next week, Blue Origin is expected to launch its New Glenn rocket, which could put it back in the running as a true challenger to SpaceX for space launches. I know, we already heard this story about Boeing’s Starliner challenging Space’s Dragon capsule, but this may be different.

Per the last posting on Blue Origin’s website on December 27, the rocket is ready to go:

New Glenn successfully completed an integrated launch vehicle hotfire test today, the final major milestone on our road to first flight. NG-1 will carry a Blue Ring Pathfinder as its first manifested payload and will launch from Launch Complex 36 in Cape Canaveral, FL.

The boosters on the 30-story New Glenn rocket are designed to land safely after the launch for future use. Sound familiar? In face, Blue Origin was the first company to successfully test a reusable rocket, so this is nothing new. The New Glenn also has a greater capacity than SpaceX’s Falcon 9.

Blue Origin has high hopes for it new rocket, including military satellite contracts, a new space station (Orbital Reef), and the launch of Amazon’s broadband satellite system (Project Kuiper).

NASA and the US space industry also have high hopes that the Blue Origin can increase the competition for launches and add some redundancy (you know, in case Mr. Musk really goes off the rails).

If commercial space is the future, then we need more capable players to keep it alive and vibrant. With that in mind, we can only hope for a very successful launch and increased competition down the road.

Troublesome Space Company News

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

It was not a good week for the US space industry. One major US space company is looking to exit the business while the head of another US space company is holding secret talks with Putin.

In the first case, Boeing’s bleak finances may be pushing it to consider the sale of its space business, which includes the troubled Starliner capsule most recently stuck at the International Space Station.

Fortune magazine highlighted comments by Boeing’s new CEO, Kelly Ortber, at his first earnings conference call on Wednesday, where he stated:

We’re better off doing less and doing it better than doing more and not doing it well…What do we want this company to look like five and 10 years from now? And do these things add value to the company or distract us?

This follows rumors that Boeing has been talking with Blue Origin about handing off some of its NASA-related portfolio.

It would appear that Boeing, which has been with NASA since the Apollo program, is having some second thoughts about its role in the space program as it deals with Starliner troubles, airplane manufacturing issues, and an ongoing worker strike.

And then we read about Elon Musk having help secret talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin since at least 2022. You may remember Mr. Musk raised concerns in Washington when it was learned that he turned off his Starlink system when the Ukranians were planning an attack against invading Russian.

Some in Congress are already calling for an investigation into these discussions, given the role of SpaceX in critical Department of Defense contracts. Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the House Armed Services Committee’s top Democrat, stated:

We should investigate what Elon Musk is up to to make sure that it is not to the detriment of the national security of the United States.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson also has some questions, stating:

I don’t know that that story is true. I think it should be investigated…If the story is true that there have been multiple conversations between Elon Musk and the president of Russia, then I think that would be concerning, particularly for NASA, for the Department of Defense, for some of the intelligence agencies.

It has become increasingly apparent that Mr. Musk’s excellence in creating companies will always be trumped by his bone-headed ego. He cannot help but be the center of attention rather than the competent engineer. He should really stay away from social media and social relationships until he can get his ego under control.

As I said, it was not a good week for the US space industry.

Space Stories: More Quality Control Issues at Boeing, Blue Origin’s Planned Lunar Landing, and Citizen Scientists Assisting with Exoplanet Research

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Artist’s rendering of the SLS in flight. (NASA)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—NBC News: “NASA Inspector General Gives Damning Assessment of Boeing’s Quality Control in New Report“

The report, released Thursday by NASA’s Office of Inspector General, calls into question Boeing’s standards and quality control for its part in NASA’s efforts to return astronauts to the moon. In NASA’s development of its next-generation megarocket, known as the Space Launch System, it gave Boeing the contract to build the rocket system’s powerful upper stage. But according to the report, Boeing’s quality control systems fall short of NASA’s requirements, and some known deficiencies have gone unaddressed. What’s more, the workers on the project are not, as a whole, sufficiently experienced or well trained, according to the inspector general.

—Space News: “NASA Payload to Fly on First Blue Origin Lunar Lander Mission“

A NASA payload will hitch a ride to the moon on Blue Origin’s first lunar lander mission, scheduled to launch as soon as next March. In an Aug. 6 procurement filing, NASA revealed it selected Blue Origin to fly a camera system to study how engine plumes interact with regolith at south polar regions of the moon, collecting data to support future crewed landing missions. The payload, called Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS), will fly through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.

—NASA: “How NASA Citizen Science Fuels Future Exoplanet Research“

NASA’s upcoming flagship astrophysics missions, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and the Habitable Worlds Observatory, will study planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets. Over 5,000 exoplanets have been confirmed to date — and given that scientists estimate at least one exoplanet exists for every star in the sky, the hunt has just begun. Exoplanet discoveries from Roman and the Habitable Worlds Observatory may not be made only by professional researchers, but also by interested members of the public, known as citizen scientists.

Podcast: A Mixed Week for Musk

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Scene from a Tesla crash. (fox2detroit.com)

While things appear to be going Elon Musk’s way with his ridiculous Tesla pay package, The Wall Street Journal had another story this week that discussed his self-serving management style that should not merit reward. The article, “Elon Musk’s Boundary-Blurring Relationships With Women at SpaceX,” highlights some pretty horrible behavior for a man that then and now believes he is above the law (and all codes of decency).

If you cannot read the Journal article, you can find summaries of the story elsewhere or listen to the Wall Street Journal podcast called The Journal. The podcast is titled “Elon Musk’s Unusual Relationships With Women at SpaceX.”

It is scary that the US space program is so dependent on the behavior of this man, who has already been part of prior Wall Street Journal articles about his drug use.

We need to build greater depth in our space program, be it Blue Origin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Rocket Lab, or others. The dream of a stronger space program could die if we tie too much to one man.

Blue Origin is Open for Tourism Again

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The crew from Sunday’s NS-25 flight (from left to right): Gopi Thotakura (pilot), Mason Angel, Carol Schaller, Ed Dwight, Ken Hess, and Sylvain Chiron. (Blue Origin)

It has been some time, but Blue Origin is once again bringing tourists into space. Yesterday’s launch from Texas included five passengers and the pilot.

One of the passengers on the New Shepard rocket was former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight. Mr. Dwight was one of the nation’s first Black astronaut candidate, though he never had the opportunity to fly until yesterday. He was also the oldest person to go into space, beating Star Trek’s William Shatner’s age by a few months. After the flight, Mr. Dwight stated, “I thought I really didn’t need this in my life, but now I need it in my life.”

If you are interested in taking such a flight, just visit this Blue Origin link for more information. The site points out that you only need two days to prepare for a flight:

Our on-site astronaut training program is meticulously designed to teach everything you’ll need to know for a safe spaceflight. Over two days, you’ll learn about New Shepard’s mission profile, safety systems, zero-g protocols, and execute mission simulations.

While I am sure plenty of people are happy that this part of the commercial space industry is operational again, I am looking forward to more commercial success with the resupply of the International Space Station, particularly the upcoming launch of the Boeing Starliner.