The Space Race - Weekly Roundup Nov 12th

Author

Juan Fernández
November 12, 2024

Hello, dear space fans! 🚀

This week’s newsletter is packed with exciting news! SpaceX is readying for its sixth Starship test flight, Perseverance faces tough terrain on Mars, and ESA’s Themis reusable booster prepares for tests. Plus, NASA’s VIPER rover mission could get a second chance, and Sierra Space plans to send a trash compactor to the ISS to tackle space waste.

Let’s dive in!

🚀 Sixth Starship Test Flight: Launch Date Set!

SpaceX is preparing for its sixth Starship test flight, scheduled for (no earlier than) November 18th. Yes! That's next week! This flight follows October's successful mission, where SpaceX caught the Super Heavy Booster. For this attempt, Elon Musk aims to catch both the Booster and Starship, a groundbreaking move. However, the launch date depends on obtaining smooth FAA approvals, a process that's been challenging in the past.

🔴 Perseverance Battles Slippery Climb on Mars

NASA's Perseverance rover is facing some challenges climbing Jezero Crater's rim as it conducts its fifth science campaign. Navigating slippery, steep terrain, Perseverance has tried techniques like backward driving and cross-slope movement to improve traction. With only 11 sample tubes left, the rover continues to gather valuable samples. Perseverance aims to crest the crater rim by December, pushing forward in its search for signs of ancient life.

🌕 VIPER Lunar Rover Mission’s Future Under Review

NASA is evaluating options for its nearly completed VIPER lunar rover, initially canceled due to cost concerns and mission delays. After receiving interest from various organizations for alternative uses, NASA plans to decide by early 2025 whether to pursue partnerships or find new uses for the rover. Congress may also step in to potentially revive VIPER’s original mission to explore water ice at the lunar south pole.

☀️ CODEX Coronagraph's Mission to Unveil Solar Mysteries

Launched on November 5th aboard SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon, the CODEX Coronagraph is set to study the Sun’s elusive middle corona from the International Space Station. By simulating an eclipse, CODEX will analyze solar wind behavior and the mysterious heating of the corona. This groundbreaking project collaborates with other space missions to better understand and predict space weather, impacting satellite and astronaut safety.

🇺🇸 Musk: will Trump's White House benefit Starship?

On October 30th, 2024, at the Future Investment Initiative Conference in Saudi Arabia, Elon Musk shared that a Trump administration might favor SpaceX’s Starship plans by reducing regulatory delays that have hindered its Mars mission timeline. Musk remains committed to launching Starship to Mars within two years, leveraging upcoming planetary alignments for unmanned missions with human launches targeted for 2028.

🇨🇳 Shenzhou 18 Returns Samples for Space Research

On November 5th, the Shenzhou 18 mission safely returned to Earth with 34.6 kilograms of experimental samples, marking progress in space habitability and materials science. These samples include microorganisms and advanced materials developed in microgravity, such as high-temperature alloys and optical fibers. With potential applications in aerospace, medicine, and future space habitats, this research broadens our understanding of life’s resilience and material innovations beyond Earth.

🌋 Distant Planet Shows Signs of Alien Volcanoes

A potential sulfur-rich atmosphere has been detected on exoplanet L 98-59 d, located 35 light-years away. This unusual atmosphere, with sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, hints at volcanic activity similar to Jupiter's moon Io. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists gathered clues about this extreme, possibly molten landscape, advancing our understanding of rocky worlds beyond our solar system.

🇪🇺 Ariane 6 Second Flight Delayed to 2025

Arianespace has postponed the second flight of its Ariane 6 rocket to February 2025 due to adjustments in the upper stage and production challenges. This delay follows the rocket's inaugural flight in July, which revealed minor issues requiring a software fix for the Auxiliary Power Unit. The next launch will carry a French military satellite, and Arianespace assures that future flights remain on schedule.

🌙 China’s Moon Rocket Launch Set for 2026

China’s Long March 10A rocket is scheduled for its first launch in 2026, marking a major step toward the nation’s goal of sending astronauts to the moon by 2030. This single-core rocket will initially support crew missions to the Tiangong space station, with a larger, three-core variant in development for lunar missions. A successful 2026 launch will be a milestone in China’s ambitious lunar plans.

♻️ Space Trash Compactor Set for ISS Test

Sierra Space is developing a Trash Compaction and Processing System for the International Space Station, designed to reduce waste volume by 75% and extract water from wet trash. This compacted waste can be stored or even used as radiation shielding for long-term missions. Expected to launch in 2026, TCPS could be essential for sustainable waste management on missions to the Moon and Mars.

🇷🇺 Russia Developing Reusable ‘Grasshopper’ Rocket

Russia has announced plans for a "Grasshopper" test vehicle to practice vertical landings for the Amur rocket's reusable first stage. Inspired by SpaceX’s decade-old reusable technology, the project marks a shift for Russia toward reusable rockets. The Amur rocket's debut, initially set for 2026, is now anticipated for 2030, placing Russia years behind other space competitors in reusable launch capabilities.

🇵🇹 Space Rider to Land in Portugal’s Santa Maria

The European Space Agency has selected Santa Maria island in Portugal as the preferred landing site for the first flight of its reusable Space Rider vehicle, planned for 2027. Designed as an orbital robotic lab, Space Rider will support research and tech demonstrations in space before returning to Earth. The vehicle’s recovery system has already passed initial tests, marking progress toward its 2027 mission.

🚀 ESA’s Themis Reusable Booster Nears Testing

The European Space Agency (ESA) has shared updates on the Themis reusable booster project, set for low-altitude tests in 2025. The Themis demonstrator now has its Prometheus engine installed, with avionics and propellant tanks next in line. Initial tests will take place at Sweden’s Esrange Space Centre, followed by higher-altitude trials in French Guiana, progressing ESA’s push into reusable launch technology.

📹 Our latest videos

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

🚀 Upcoming Rocket Launches

It’s another exciting launch week! Mark your calendars! 🚀

  • Wednesday, Nov 13th: Long March 4C (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, China) - Unknown Payload. Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, China

  • Thursday, Nov 14th: Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) - Starlink Group 9-11. Vandenberg, USA

  • Thursday, Nov 14th: Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) - Starlink Group 6-68. Cape Canaveral, USA

  • Friday, Nov 15th Long March 7 (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, China) - Tianzhou-8. Wenchang Space Launch Site, China

  • Saturday, Nov 16th Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) - Starlink Group 6-66. Cape Canaveral, USA

  • Sunday, Nov 17th Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) - Optus-X. Kennedy Space Center, USA

  • Monday, Nov 18th: Starship (SpaceX, USA) - Integrated Flight Test 6. SpaceX Starbase, USA

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

Juan from The Space Race team