The Space Race - Weekly Roundup Dec 17th

Author

Juan Fernández
December 17, 2024

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Hi there, space fans! 🚀

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Now, let’s get back to space! This week we have big milestones and discoveries. From the Mars Sample Return mission hitting a key stage to BepiColombo revealing Mercury’s secrets, and NASA's Perseverance scaling new heights on Mars, there’s a lot to unpack 😊

🚁 Why Ingenuity's Final Flight Failed

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter, part of the Mars 2020 mission, crashed during its 72nd flight due to navigation errors. The system struggled to track landmarks on the smooth terrain of Jezero Crater, leading to rotor damage during landing. While Ingenuity can no longer fly, it continues to provide weather and avionics data, solidifying its legacy as the first powered flight on another planet.

🚧 Key Mars Sample Return Milestone

Thales Alenia Space has completed the Orbit Insertion Module for ESA’s Earth Return Orbiter, a crucial part of NASA's Mars Sample Return mission. This module will enable the spacecraft to achieve orbit around Mars and return with the first Martian samples. Despite progress, the mission's future remains uncertain due to high costs and delays, with NASA evaluating options to streamline the $11-billion project.

🌍 BepiColombo Sheds New Light on Mercury

BepiColombo's fifth flyby of Mercury revealed groundbreaking insights, capturing the planet in mid-infrared light for the first time. Using the MERTIS instrument, the mission identified variations in temperature and mineral composition across Mercury's surface, including the iconic Bashō crater. These observations pave the way for a deeper understanding of Mercury's geology ahead of BepiColombo's orbital phase in 2026.

🌞 ESCAPADE Eyes New Launch Opportunities

NASA's ESCAPADE Mars mission, originally set for launch in October 2024 on Blue Origin's New Glenn, is now targeting 2025 or 2026 due to delays. The twin spacecraft will study the solar wind's interaction with Mars' magnetosphere.

Alternative trajectories may offer unique opportunities for space weather observations near the Earth-sun L2 point. Despite the delays, ESCAPADE remains on track for an exciting science mission.

😎 NASA's New Era of Experimentation

Jared Isaacman, nominee for NASA Administrator, advocates for a bold shift toward commercial collaboration and innovation in space exploration. Speaking at the Spacepower Conference, he highlighted the potential of iterative development and cost-effective solutions from companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Rocket Lab. Isaacman envisions a future where reusable rockets and private investments transform NASA's operations, fostering rapid advancements in lunar, Martian, and deep space missions.

🚜 Perseverance Reaches Jezero Crater’s Peak

NASA's Perseverance rover has reached the top of Jezero Crater's rim after a challenging 3.5-month climb involving 20% grades and rocky terrain. This milestone opens the door to exploring ancient Martian crust, offering a rare glimpse into Mars' early history. The achievement highlights the rover's resilience and innovative problem-solving by NASA’s team, marking an exciting step in the search for signs of ancient life and preparation for future human exploration.

🌋 Juno Reveals Io’s Volcanic Secrets

NASA’s Juno mission has solved a 44-year-old mystery about Io, the most volcanic body in the solar system. Recent flybys reveal Io’s volcanoes are powered by localized magma chambers, not a global magma ocean, as previously thought. This discovery sheds light on how tidal forces from Jupiter generate immense heat within Io, offering insights into planetary formation, other moons like Europa, and even exoplanets.

🌕 Origins of Mars' Moons Unveiled

NASA scientists, using supercomputer simulations, suggest Mars' moons, Phobos and Deimos, formed from debris after a rogue asteroid was torn apart by the planet’s gravity. This new theory resolves long-standing questions about their rugged shapes and orbits, accounting for Deimos’ distant path. The findings, tested against competing theories, pave the way for the MMX mission to study these moons in detail, providing crucial insights into Mars’ history and the early solar system.

🪐 Webb Finds a Featherweight Giant Planet

The James Webb Space Telescope has uncovered HIP 67522b, a massive planet with a surprisingly low mass and a puffy atmosphere. Unlike Jupiter, this 17-million-year-old world is more like a sub-Neptune, with weak gravity unable to hold its gases tightly. Likely losing its atmosphere, HIP 67522b offers scientists a rare glimpse into planetary evolution and atmospheric escape, shedding light on how sub-Neptunes form and evolve across the galaxy.

📹 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 awesome week—10 rocket launches coming up! 🚀 Let’s gooo! 🚀

Today, Tuesday, Dec 17th:

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

  • Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) – NROL-149.
    Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.

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

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

Wednesday, Dec 18th: KAIROS (Space One, Japan) – Flight 2.
Spaceport Kii, Japan.

Thursday, Dec 19th: Ceres-1S (Galactic Energy, China) – Unknown Payload.
Sea Launch.

Friday, Dec 20th:

  • Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) – 4x Astranis MicroGEO.
    Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.

  • Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) – Bandwagon 2 (Dedicated Mid-Inclination Rideshare).
    Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.

Saturday, Dec 21st:

  • Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) – Thuraya 4-NGS.
    Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.

  • Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) – Starlink Group 12-2.
    Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA.

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

Juan from The Space Race team