One More Nation Signs the Artemis Accords

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Signatories of the Artemis Accords. (NASA)

With the recent addition of Norway, 55 nations have now signed the Artemis Accords.

And what do the Artemis Accords ask of nations? Here is the purpose of the agreement, which started back in 2020:

The purpose of these Accords is to establish a common vision via a practical set of principles, guidelines, and best practices to enhance the governance of the civil exploration and use of outer space with the intention of advancing the Artemis Program. Adherence to a practical set of principles, guidelines, and best practices in carrying out activities in outer space is intended to increase the safety of operations, reduce uncertainty, and promote the sustainable and beneficial use of space for all humankind. The Accords represent a political commitment to the principles described herein, many of which provide for operational implementation of important obligations contained in the Outer Space Treaty and other instruments.

This includes the sharing of scientific findings and related material, such as China’s recent sharing of lunar samples. Specifically, Section 8, Item 2 of the Accords states:

The Signatories are committed to the open sharing of scientific data. The Signatories plan to make the scientific results obtained from cooperative activities under these Accords available to the public and the international scientific community, as appropriate, in a timely manner.

While the validity of international trade treaties have come into question under this US president, let’s hope the scientific promises are honored. Heck, even Russia knows how to behave with the scientific community on the International Space Station and elsewhere.

Space Quote: Lunar Sample Sharing

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): China’s Chang’e-5 lunar lander. (China National Space Administration)

“I wish that every country would follow in the footsteps of the U.S. and now China.”

–Statement by Frédéric Moynier, a cosmochemist at the Paris Institute of Planetary Physics, regarding China’s sharing of lunar samples from its 2020 Chang’e-5 mission. Seven institutions in six countries now have access to these samples, including two institutions in the United States. Unfortunately, the sample sharing goes only one way because the US Congress bans the sharing of space samples and technology with China.

Happenings with the Chinese Space Station

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The successful launch of three astronauts to the Tiangong space station via China’s Long March 2F rocket on April 24. 2025. (Andy Wong/AP)

The Chinese space program continues to operate and advance as NASA faces daunting cuts and general disorientation under the Department of Government Efficiency (a misnomer if there ever was one).

On April 24, China sent three new astronauts (the Shenzhou-20 crew) to its Tiangong space station, while three astronauts (the Shenzhou-19 crew) safely returned from the space station last week after six months in space.

It is important to remember that the rest of the world wants to advance in space even if the US chooses to chase its tail and destroy its own asset and reputation. None of this is necessary, but that is where we are.

One might even say the US is undergoing a ridiculous DEI purge at NASA and throughout the government in the same way China went through its ill-fated Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s.

Paul Krugman had a good piece on this, stating:

Once you’ve seen the parallel between what MAGA is trying to do and China’s Cultural Revolution, the similarities are everywhere. Maoists sent schoolteachers to do farm labor; Trumpists are talking about putting civil servants to work in factories.

We need to focus on the future again, and soon.

The Internet Satellite Race Continues, Almost

Posted on by onespaceman2000

Amazon hopes to challenge SpaceX’s Starlink system, but not just yet.

The launch planned for earlier this week place 27 internet satellites into orbit as part of Amazon’s Project Kuiper was scrubbed at the last minute. The United Launch Alliance (ULA) launch, scheduled for last Wednesday, was delayed due to bad weather.

If all goes according to plan, Project Kuiper will have about 1,600 satellites in orbit by the middle of next year. That would mean about 80 launches over that period, which seems somewhat unlikely given ongoing delays. In addition to ULA launches, Amazon is booking launches with Arianespace, Blue Origin, and SpaceX. When the project is complete, about 3,200 Kuiper internet satellites will be in orbit.

The Kuiper satellites will compete head-to-head with SpaceX’s Starlink (with its goal of 42,000 satellites) and China’s SpaceSail (with its goal of 15,000 satellites).

A new launch date for the first launch of the Kuiper internet satellites has not been announced yet.

Update: I forgot to mention another competitor – Eutelsat’s Oneweb in the European Union, which already has about 650 Internet satellites in Low Earth Orbit.

Second Update: This story, “Telecommunications Satellites and Space Exploration,” has a nice summary about how we arrived at the current moment with our satellite technology as well as what the future may hold.

Space Stories: More Space Tourists, Chinese Maglev Rocket Launches, and New Hubble Findings on Uranus

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Launch of the Fram2 mission earlier this week. (SpaceX)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—South China Morning Post: “SpaceX Launches Fram2: 4 Astronauts Seek to Make Historic Flight Over Earth’s Poles“

A SpaceX spacecraft carrying four international astronauts is on a pioneering journey circling Earth over its poles after launching Monday night from Florida…Fram2 follows in the footsteps of other commercial spaceflight ventures, including Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn – two missions also bankrolled and led by billionaire Jared Isaacman. In fact, the Fram2 crew is now traveling on the same Dragon spacecraft that the Polaris Dawn crew rode to orbit in September for a five-day mission in which they completed a historic spacewalk.

—South China Morning Post: “China in Bid to Challenge SpaceX by Deploying Maglev Rocket Launch Pad by 2028“

In a bid to disrupt the United States’ long-held dominance in space exploration, China is quietly advancing a radical new rocket launch system – powered not by roaring engines but by electromagnetic force – that could propel satellites into orbit with unprecedented speed and efficiency. At the heart of the ambitious project is Galactic Energy, a private aerospace company that plans to debut the world’s first electromagnetic rocket launch pad by 2028, a project that could redraw the competitive lines of the global space industry.

—Space Telescope Science Institute: “20-Year Hubble Study of Uranus Yields New Atmospheric Insights“

Halfway through its fourth decade, Hubble’s long life has proven invaluable for studying the atmosphere of the mysterious ice giant Uranus. By repeatedly training Hubble on the distant cyan planet over the course of 20 years, researchers chronicled a two-decade story of seasonal changes. These astronomers have gained new understanding of the atmospheric dynamics of Uranus, which can serve as a proxy for studying exoplanets of similar size and composition.