Image (Credit): The CST-100 Starliner approaching the ISS during an earlier uncrewed test flight in May 2022. (NASA)
“The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @Space_Station as soon as possible. We will do so. Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.”
-Statement tweeted by Elon Musk regarding the two astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) following issues with the Boeing Starliner. Of course, the issue was already resolved by NASA via mission rotations, so Mr. Musk’s comments are needless and self-serving. It’s just one more chance for him to get attention as though he has not already done enough to warrant it, including that very odd hand gesture he made on stage.
While the Starship’s booster made another dramatic landing, the rocket itself disintegrated 10 minutes after launch from Texas to became fireworks over the Caribbean. SpaceX prefers the term “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” but the results are the same.
It served as a reminder that development testing, by definition, can be unpredictable…We will conduct a thorough investigation, in coordination with the FAA, and implement corrective actions to make improvements on future Starship flight tests.
It is also worth remembering that fancy booster landings are beside the point when your crew and cargo have disintegrated, which fortunately was not the case here. SpaceX needs to keep its focus on the rocket first and foremost.
Maybe the same can be said about the company’s CEO.
You can hear host Casey Dreier, who is Chief of Space Policy for The Planetary Society, talk with Marcia Smith, the Founder and Editor for Space Policy Online. It is a candid conversation that spares no punches at NASA management for its secrecy related to delays with the Artemis program.
A few issues that stayed with me include:
Why all the criticism of the Space Launch System (SLS), as well as the accolades for the still unproven Starship, when the Starship was barely an idea at the time the SLS was being designed and built?
Elon Musk represents a “single point of failure” in the US space program.
The incentives of the space billionaires, which is generally curiosity and self-aggrandizing similar to climbing Mount Everest, cannot replace the dedication to national (and even international, in the case of Artemis) interests represented by the US astronauts.
I am sure you will have your own takeaways. It is a good way to spend an hour of your time.
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.
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.
Image (Credit): NASA’s new Advanced Composite Solar Sail System. (NASA)
It is worthwhile reflecting on all of the space successes in 2024, though if we believe we learn from our mistakes then it would seem the mission shortcomings are worth highlighting as well.
Fortunately, Live Science has prepared a list for our review. Its article “10 Times Space Missions Went Very Wrong in 2024” includes well known stories, such as the stranded Starliner and SpaceX rocket woes, as well as less covered items, such as:
Tumbling Solar Sail – the failure of NASA’s new Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3);
Shattering Spacecraft – multiple cases of new space debris and close calls that could have impacted other space missions; and
Multiple Voyager Issues – the continued decline of the two Voyager probes as they reach further into space.
Check out the story for a full list of issues.
Note: This website has also covered a number of flubs, including:
Our Awesome Universe 