For now, the military is flying Falcons. … The anomaly itself is not critical to certification, Gallant said. However, “cumulative delays and uncertainties are a concern as we aim to maintain reliable access to space with two certified providers,” he said. Two missions, USSF-106 and USSF-87, are currently in the wings, with payloads ready but no launch dates confirmed. ULA had targeted a November launch for USSF-106. But with only six weeks left this year, a 2024 launch window is becoming increasingly unlikely, Gallant said. ULA Secretary Tory Bruno had promised to complete two national security initiatives this year. (Submitted by Ken the Bin and EllPeaTea)
NASA begins stacking Artemis II booster. A ground team in the vehicle assembly building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida will lift the aft assembly of the rocket’s left booster onto the mobile launch platform to begin “stacking” the second Space Launch System rocket, NASA said. announced that it had been shown. The team used an overhead crane to hoist the left aft booster assembly, filled with pre-filled solid propellant, from the VAB transfer corridor and over a catwalk dozens of stories high, Ars reported. , reported lowering it onto the mounting post of a mobile launcher.
say goodbye to september … The Artemis II mission will send NASA astronauts Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day flight around the far side of the moon. A NASA spokesperson told Ars that it should take about four months to fully stack the SLS rocket for Artemis II. Officially, Artemis II is scheduled to launch next September, but problems with Orion’s heat shield make it highly unlikely it will meet that schedule. Within the next month or two, NASA is likely to announce a new target launch date for Artemis II: the end of 2025, or more likely 2026.
Shotwell predicts rapid increase in Starship launches. As SpaceX made final preparations for its sixth Starship rocket launch last week, the company’s chief operating officer and president said in a financial briefing on Friday that a number of issues, including the future of the giant rocket and the Starlink satellite system, were on the horizon. talked about the topic. Gwynne Shotwell said the Starship launch system is reaching a tipping point as it moves from an experimental rocket to an operational mission, Ars reported.
