The Space Race - Weekly Roundup Dec 3rd

Author

Juan Fernández
December 03, 2024

Hi there, space fans! 🚀

Black Friday and Cyber Monday may be over, but we’re keeping the savings going! 🎉 For the rest of this week, enjoy FREE SHIPPING on all merchandise orders over $50.

There’s still time to take advantage of this special offer before it’s gone! 😊

This week, Rocket Lab set a record with two launches in 24h, SpaceX prepares to explore Titan and ramps up Starship activity, and Lockheed Martin tests lunar solar arrays. China debuted its Long March 12, while Firefly prepares its lunar lander, and microgravity experiments uncover medical breakthroughs.

Let's dive into the top space stories of the week! 😊

🚀 Rocket Lab's Record-Breaking Launches

Rocket Lab achieved a major milestone by launching two Electron rockets within 24 hours, marking the fastest turnaround in the company’s history. The first, the suborbital HASTE mission from Virginia, was followed by an orbital launch from New Zealand, deploying Kinéis IoT satellites.

🚁 SpaceX to Launch NASA's Dragonfly

NASA has selected SpaceX's Falcon Heavy to launch the Dragonfly mission to Titan in 2025. Dragonfly, a dual-quadcopter rotorcraft, will explore Titan's unique environment, featuring liquid methane lakes and a dense atmosphere. It aims to uncover prebiotic chemistry and signs of life. The $3.35 billion mission is part of NASA’s New Frontier program.

🔧 Starbase Ramps Up Post-Flight 6 Repairs

Following Starship Flight 6, SpaceX is advancing its projects at Starbase. Repairs are underway at the launch site, including upgrades to the launch mount, chopsticks, and disconnect arms. Production continues with plans for a new Gigabay facility and preparations for Booster 15 and Flight 7.

☀️ Lunar Solar Arrays for Artemis Program

Lockheed Martin has completed critical tests of its Lunar Vertical Solar Array Technology (LVSAT) prototype, designed to power sustainable lunar operations under NASA’s Artemis program. These 20-meter-tall vertical solar arrays maximize sunlight exposure above rugged lunar terrain and withstand extreme conditions, such as -230°C. This innovation aims to support infrastructure like habitats, communication, and transportation on the Moon's surface, paving the way for long-term lunar exploration.

🚀 SpaceX Plans 25 Starship Launches Next Year!

SpaceX aims to increase its annual Starship launches to 25 starting next year, supported by a proposed FAA license modification. This would include 50 total landings split between Starship and Super Heavy. With up to three nighttime launches planned, this marks a major step toward SpaceX's Mars ambitions.

🌕 Firefly Sets January Lunar Mission Date

Firefly Aerospace announced the launch of its first lunar lander mission, Blue Ghost 1, scheduled for mid-January 2025 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. The lander will carry 10 NASA payloads to Mons Latreille on the Moon's near side, operating for a lunar day. This mission is part of NASA’s CLPS program and has already faced several delays, like other commercial lander missions initially planned for late 2024.

🇨🇳 Long March 12 Debuts with Key Payloads

China's Long March 12 rocket successfully launched from the new Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site, marking a milestone in China's lunar ambitions. This 62-meter-tall rocket, equipped with advanced YF-100K engines, carried experimental technology satellites to orbit. Its debut highlights China's push for reusable rockets, megaconstellation deployment, and increased launch frequencies. This launch is also an important step forward for China's crewed moon missions.

🔬 Microgravity Milestone for European Experiments

The SubOrbital Express-4 rocket successfully launched from Sweden’s Esrange Space Center, delivering six scientific experiments to microgravity for six minutes. Key ESA projects included immune system studies, solar cell innovation, and material science insights on celestial body formation. This mission bridges laboratory research and orbital complexities, advancing technology and knowledge. The recovered payloads will now undergo scientific analysis.

🛰️ Europa Clipper Deploys Key Instruments

NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft, now 13 million miles from Earth, has successfully deployed critical instruments, including its massive solar arrays and 28-foot magnetometer boom. These tools will play a key role in the mission’s goal to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa and its potential for harboring life. The spacecraft is on track for its 2030 arrival at Jupiter, with gravity assists planned from Mars and Earth along the way.

🧬 Microgravity Boosts Stem Cell Growth

Research aboard the ISS reveals that stem cells grow faster and more effectively in microgravity, enhancing their ability to replicate and differentiate into various cell types. Scientists at the Mayo Clinic found that mesenchymal stem cells improved immune responses and reduced inflammation, paving the way for breakthroughs in regenerative medicine. These findings could revolutionize treatments for heart disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders on Earth.

🌌 CubeSat Perseus Eyes Phobos Exploration

The Perseus CubeSat mission proposes a low-cost way to map Phobos, Mars' intriguing moon, as a potential staging base for future human missions. Designed as a 27U CubeSat, Perseus could orbit Phobos, capturing high-resolution visible and thermal images to scout landing sites and study its surface. While the mission remains unfunded, its affordability and potential scientific value highlight its promise for advancing Martian exploration.

🌀 Binary Black Holes Trigger Mysterious Flares

A binary supermassive black hole system, AT 2021hdr, has been found to emit periodic flares as it consumes a colossal gas cloud during its orbit. Located in a galaxy a billion light-years away, the system’s unusual behavior—flaring every 60-90 days—matches models of tidal disruption of gas clouds rather than stars. These findings, based on NASA observations, offer insights into black hole interactions and the immense power of their accretion processes.

📹 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! 🚀

  • Tuesday, Dec 3rd:

    • Soyuz 2.1b (Russian Space Forces, Russia) – Kosmos (Unknown Payload). Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia.

  • Wednesday, Dec 4th:

    • Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) – Starlink Group 9-14. Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.

    • Kuaizhou-1A (ExPace, China) – Unknown Payload. Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China.

    • Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) – Starlink Group 6-70. Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.

    • PSLV-XL (Indian Space Research Organization, India) – Proba-3. Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India.

    • Vega-C (Arianespace, French Guiana) – Sentinel-1C. Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana.

  • Thursday, Dec 5th: Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) – Sirius SXM-9. Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA.

  • Saturday, Dec 7th: Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) – Starlink Group 11-2. Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.

  • Sunday, Dec 8th: Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) – Starlink Group 12-5. Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.

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

Juan from The Space Race team