The Space Race - Weekly Roundup July 9th

Author

Juan Fernández
July 09, 2024

Hi, space fans! 

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Space Race Weekly Roundup, your go-to newsletter for all things space and astronomy. Let’s dive in!

🚀 Firefly Aerospace's Alpha Rocket Triumph

Firefly Aerospace successfully launched eight NASA-sponsored cubesats aboard its Alpha rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base. This mission, part of NASA's ELaNa 43 program, included satellites from universities and research centers, demonstrating the reliability of Firefly's technology after a previous upper stage malfunction. This marks an important milestone for Firefly, especially as they prepare for upcoming launches with Lockheed Martin.

🇯🇵 Japan’s H3 Rocket Achieves Success

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched the Daichi-4 satellite using its new flagship H3 rocket. This launch marks a significant step for Japan's space capabilities, demonstrating the H3’s reliability after previous setbacks. The Daichi-4 satellite will provide high-resolution Earth observations, crucial for monitoring natural disasters and environmental changes.

🔴 Two Simulated Mars Missions!

In a significant leap towards preparing for future Mars expeditions, NASA has successfully concluded two groundbreaking simulation missions. A team of four volunteers has successfully completed NASA’s first Mars Habitat Simulation, spending over a year inside the Mars Dune Alpha habitat to study human endurance and teamwork in isolation, with the next missions planned for 2025 and 2027.

Concurrently, another team of four explorers finished a 45-day simulated Mars journey at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, focusing on human behavior and team dynamics in confined environments, providing crucial data for future long-duration space missions.

Read more about 👉 CHAPEA Mars Habitat Simulation and the 👉 HERA Mars Simulation

🇪🇺 Europe Prepares for Ariane 6 Launch

The European Space Agency (ESA) is gearing up for the first launch of the Ariane 6 rocket today, July 9th. Set to succeed the Ariane 5, this new rocket aims to provide a more cost-effective solution for Europe’s space missions. The inaugural flight will carry several small satellites and experiments.

🇮🇹 Sidereus Space Dynamics' Milestone

Italian startup Sidereus Space Dynamics has successfully completed an integrated system test of its innovative EOS rocket. This compact, 3-meter rocket will be able to deliver payloads up to 13 kilograms to low Earth orbit, ideal for nanosatellites and CubeSats. The test included a full ignition sequence and system evaluations, marking a significant milestone for Sidereus as it aims to become a key player in the small satellite launch market.

🌕 LUMIO: New CubeSat Tracking Lunar Impacts

The Lunar Meteoroid Impacts Observer (LUMIO), a new CubeSat designed to observe lunar impacts, is advancing to the next phase of its development. The European Space Agency recently approved this stage, with a potential launch as early as 2027. LUMIO aims to model lunar meteoroid impacts by observing flash impacts on the Moon's far side, enhancing our understanding and protection against meteoroid impacts on Earth and the Moon.

Read more 👉 LUMIO CubeSat Mission

📹 Our latest videos

In case you missed them, here are the latest videos we've published on our YouTube channel

🚀 Upcoming Rocket Launches

Mark your calendars! Here are the upcoming rocket launches scheduled between next Tuesday and the following one:

  • Tuesday, July 9th: Ariane 6 2 (ESA) - Maiden Flight

  • Thursday, July 11th: Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX) - Starlink Group 9-3

  • Friday, July 12th: Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX) - Starlink Group 10-4

  • Monday, July 15th: Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX) - WorldView Legion 3&4

And that’s all for this week! Stay tuned for more updates and keep looking up.

Juan from The Space Race team