The mission seems to have gone flawlessly so far.
But even if it’s a complete success with the recovery on Friday, some will still want to slow walk the first crew flight this year.
[Update a couple minutes later]
Here you go. pic.twitter.com/6X1ODdIRna
— Raumfahrer.net (@Raumfahrer_net) March 3, 2019
[Update a few minutes later]
Lot of links and pics at NASA Spaceflight.
Bob Zimmerman isn’t impressed.
This will make if more difficult to cancel the Gateway, but it’s possible to do a much more effective gateway, and one doesn’t need SLS/Orion to do it.
A bi-partisan bill has been introduced in the Senate to make it a national goal (and to extend ISS to 2030). More thoughts after I read the draft legislation.
…are playing catch up with SpaceX. I wonder how many time Ariane 6 will actually fly?
Not mention? Whether or not humans can procreate in 0.38 gees. Because no one knows, and Elon doesn’t seem to care.
It will be sacrificed for the Crew Dragon abort test in April. Seems like a good use, though it would be nice to know how many flights they can ultimately get out of one.
They plan a fourth flight of a booster in April. The one they did on Thursday night was the third.
My buddy Michelle Hanlon was on NPR yesterday, and the LA Times has an approving editorial.
Bob Zimmerman is concerned.
If it’s not the intent of this to aid Russia, that’s certainly the effect.
And yes, this is concerning:
But the sources familiar with the matter said the companies must address “most” of those concerns before flying astronauts and, eventually, tourists to space. [emphasis mine]
NASA has no business dictating what standards will be met for private spaceflight participants. Someone needs to stomp on this right now.
[Update a few minutes later]
And just by coincidence, as NASA continues to want to purchase more rides from the Russians, another Fregat upper stage failed today.
The Soyuz 2-1b has apparently FAILED according to Russian media: ?https://t.co/l09jEEtPTG
— Chris B – NSF (@NASASpaceflight) February 21, 2019
[Late-morning update]
Looks like while there may have been an anomaly, the mission was ultimately a success.
I now have independent confirmation that #EgyptSat-A was released from Fregat into a planned orbit in today's #Soyuz launch!!! Stay tuned for updates: https://t.co/O5RqZRE7ed
— Anatoly Zak (@RussianSpaceWeb) February 21, 2019
[Friday afternoon update]
Well, that piece by Reuters didn’t age well. Seems kind of dumb to have run it when the flight readiness review was scheduled for the very next day.
[Bumped]
I wonder how much the additional twenty kilometers will be worth in the market? Jonathan McDowell makes a pretty good case that the line actually should be eighty kilometers. Von Karman never declared it to be a hundred.