NASA encountered a liquid hydrogen leak while loading the propellant into the core stage of the Space Launch System rocket. Multiple troubleshooting efforts to address the area of the leak by reseating a seal in the quick disconnect where liquid hydrogen is fed into the rocket did not fix the issue. Engineers are continuing to …
The USC Buzzcraft concept was presented at the recent Lunar Development Conference. The case for Buzzcraft is that it would ensure higher reliability transportation and communication from Earth orbit to the area of the moon. If things go wrong with moon missions then having Buzzcraft means resources and help can be closer and could be …
SpaceX is making a 480-foot-tall giant robot with arms that will catch giant rockets. It is insanely cool. Sci-fi made real. But moon landings were already insanely cool. The difference is with this working we have almost a thousand launches per month from the same launch pad versus at most one today. This means rockets …
Doug Plata and Chris Wolfe have an updated design for solar drapes for gathering power at the South Pole of the moon. They looked at how much power a single lunar Starship (100 tonnes) could establish at the best so-called Peak of Eternal Light (PEL) at the lunar south pole. The concept of operations would …
Xors Moon Base project is a lunar habitat which seems feasible within the next ten years and able to accommodate 2-3 crews at one time, will be presented by Innspace team members. The project took 4th place in the Moon Base Design Contest. The base consists of 4 living modules and 2 additional ones covered …
Brian Wang explores what SpaceX will be achieving this decade. Brian is a SpaceX investor and is a member of angel investment groups including Space Angels and Allocations which each make many space investments. The keys to the SpaceX decade will be the Super Heavy Starship and rapid reuse of it. The rapid reuse will …
Elon Musk had a Starship and Heavy Booster update. The SpaceX Super Heavy Booster will be eventually flown every hour. It will boost for two minutes and return in four minutes and refuel in 30 minutes. The SpaceX Starships that go to orbit will be flown every 6 to 8 hours. They will have to …
China is developing a megawatt nuclear reactor for moon and Mars missions according to the South China Morning Post. Jiang Jieqiong, a professor with the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Nuclear Safety Technology, has suggested that the nuclear reactor could use a foldable structure – similar to an umbrella – to increase the surface …
A recent NASA audit reveals Boeing and Grumman cut of Space Launch System contracts. It also reveals that NASA Artemis will end up costing $93 billion through 2025. $29 billion will have gone to SLS. Lockheed gets $17 billion for Orion. SOURCES – NASA Written by Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com Brian WangBrian Wang is a Futurist …
NASA Office of Inspector General – Office of Audits IG-22-003 (A-20-008-01) says NASA Artemis program will not land humans on the moon before 2027. The NASA Artemis program had been targeting to return humans to the Moon by late 2024 rather than 2028 as initially planned. NASA implemented modifications to its routine procurement and program …
A large rocket landing on the moon will blow the dust like regolith all over the place. The dust and regolith could damage the rocket landing and the material could even fly off into space causing damage and hazard to satellites. A NASA NIAC study is looking at putting materials into the fuel of a …
