The Space Race - Weekly Roundup Dec 10th

Author

Juan Fernández
December 10, 2024

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Hi there, space fans! 🚀

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Now, let’s return to space! This week, NASA has a surprising new leader nominee, Europe studies the Sun with Proba 3, and Artemis faces more delays. Meanwhile, Vega C returns to flight and Italy develops lunar nuclear power.

Read on for this week’s top space stories! 😊

😎 Isaacman, new NASA Leader!

Jared Isaacman, billionaire, entrepreneur, and private astronaut who led two SpaceX missions, has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to be the next NASA administrator. Known for his commercial spaceflight advocacy, Isaacman aims to foster innovation in space exploration and the space economy. His selection, though unexpected, has drawn praise and some scrutiny due to his ties with SpaceX and prior critiques of NASA policies.

🌞 Proba 3 to Create Space Solar Eclipses

ESA’s Proba 3 mission launched successfully to study the solar corona by creating artificial solar eclipses in space. Using two spacecraft flying in precise formation, the mission will address key questions like why the corona is hotter than the Sun’s surface and explore solar wind origins. With advanced instruments and innovative precision flying, Proba 3 marks a major step in solar science and technology development.

🚧 NASA Moon Mission Delayed (Again!)

NASA has postponed its next astronaut flight around the moon to April 2026, pushing the first Artemis lunar landing to at least 2027. The delay stems from heat shield issues found during Artemis I's test flight in 2022 and the need for spacecraft improvements. Despite setbacks, NASA aims to outpace China's moon ambitions by 2030, with contractors like SpaceX under pressure to meet updated schedules.

🚀 Vega C Returns to Flight!

After a two-year pause, the European Vega C rocket has successfully launched Sentinel-1C for the Copernicus Earth Observation program. This mission restores Europe’s access to space while bolstering the Copernicus satellite fleet. Sentinel-1C will enhance Earth observation capabilities, reducing imaging intervals to six days. This marks a significant step in independent space operations for Europe, addressing prior technical challenges and ensuring critical environmental monitoring continues.

⚛️ Italy’s Developing Lunar Nuclear Power

Italy's ASI space agency has kicked off the Selene project to develop small nuclear reactors for lunar settlements. The initiative addresses energy challenges on the Moon, such as prolonged darkness, by creating the Moon Energy Hub (MEnH). Partnering with ENEA, universities, and Thales Alenia Space, the project focuses on sustainable energy solutions, automation, and flexible power systems. This three-year effort aims to revolutionize energy for future lunar missions.

🛰️ BepiColombo’s Fifth Mercury Flyby

The ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission completed its fifth Mercury flyby, coming within 37,360 km of the planet. Using advanced instruments like the MERTIS radiometer, the flyby gathered critical data on Mercury’s surface minerals. This milestone is part of the spacecraft's nine flybys before orbiting Mercury in 2026. Once in orbit, its two modules will study Mercury’s magnetosphere, geology, and composition in a mission set to last 1–2 years.

📦 NASA Preps Cargo Lander Missions for Artemis

NASA plans to assign SpaceX and Blue Origin demonstration missions for large lunar cargo landers, advancing the Artemis campaign. These missions will deliver key infrastructure, including a JAXA pressurized rover and a lunar habitat, by the early 2030s. With these partnerships, NASA aims to ensure flexibility and a steady cadence of Moon landings, supporting long-term lunar exploration and paving the way for Mars missions.

🇨🇳 China Launches Upgraded Kuaizhou-1A

China successfully launched its enhanced Kuaizhou-1A rocket, delivering the Haishao-1 SAR satellite into orbit. This upgraded rocket boosts payload capacity and strengthens China's light-lift launch options. Operated by Expace, the rocket is part of China's growing solid-propellant fleet, aiming for cost-effective and responsive launches. The mission marks the country's 61st orbital launch in 2024.

👩‍🚀 Stuck Astronauts Embrace Extended Space Stay

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have marked six months aboard the ISS, extending their mission to February due to safety issues with Boeing’s Starliner capsule. Initially planned as a weeklong test, the mission evolved into a full six-month rotation. Despite setbacks, the astronauts have embraced the experience, contributing to station maintenance and experiments while awaiting a SpaceX return mission. Their resilience underscores NASA’s mission adaptability.

🔬 Sierra Space Expands Microgravity Manufacturing Plans

Sierra Space has partnered with Astral Materials and Space Forge Inc. to explore using its Dream Chaser vehicle and space station technology for semiconductor manufacturing in microgravity. The agreements focus on leveraging low Earth orbit (LEO) to enhance semiconductor production, overcoming Earth’s gravitational challenges. These partnerships aim to revolutionize industries like defense and telecommunications while contributing to the U.S. semiconductor sector’s growth under the CHIPS and Science Act.

📹 Our latest videos

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

🚀 Upcoming Rocket Launches

Get ready for an exciting week as rockets take flight around the globe! 🚀

  • Thursday, Dec 12th:

    • Ceres-1 (Galactic Energy, China) – Unknown Payload. Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China.

    • Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) – Starlink Group 11-2. Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, USA.

  • Friday, Dec 13th:

    • Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) – O3b mPower 7 & 8. Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA.

  • Saturday, Dec 14th:

    • Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) – GPS III SV10. Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, USA.

    • KAIROS (Space One, Japan) – Flight 2. Spaceport Kii, Japan.

  • Tuesday, Dec 17th:

    • Electron (Rocket Lab, New Zealand) – Owl The Way Up (StriX Launch 6). Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand.

And that’s all for this week!  Stay tuned for more space updates :)

Juan from The Space Race team