The Space Race - Weekly Roundup Oct 8th

Author

Juan Fernández
October 08, 2024

Hi, space fans! 

Thanks for joining us for another edition of The Space Race Weekly Roundup!

🛰️ Hera Mission Successfully Launched After FAA Clearance

The FAA approved SpaceX's Falcon 9 for the launch of ESA’s Hera asteroid mission, which successfully lifted off on Oct. 7 after a previous Crew-9 mission anomaly. Other Falcon 9 missions remain grounded. Hurricane Milton may impact upcoming launches, including NASA’s Europa Clipper and Crew-8 return.

🚀 Vulcan Completes Second Test Flight Despite Rocket Booster Setback

United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur successfully completed its Cert-2 test flight on Oct. 4, despite a nozzle anomaly on one of its solid rocket boosters (SRB). The anomaly, which caused a delayed SRB separation, is under investigation but did not impact the primary mission objective.

☀️ Parker Solar Probe Matches Distance Record in 21st Close Sun Encounter

NASA's Parker Solar Probe completed its 21st close approach to the sun on Sept. 30, coming within 4.51 million miles of the solar surface at a speed of 394,700 mph. This perihelion is the last at this distance before a Nov. 6 Venus flyby reshapes its orbit for even closer passes.

🛰️ China Launches Reusable Shijian-19 for Space Breeding and Tech Tests

China successfully launched the reusable Shijian-19 satellite on Sept. 27 using a Long March 2D rocket. The satellite will conduct space breeding experiments, aiming to enhance crop resilience by exposing plant seeds to low Earth orbit conditions. It also includes technology tests and payloads from five countries, including Thailand and Pakistan.

👨‍🚀 Shenzhou XIX Crew Set for Launch as Shenzhou XVIII Prepares to Return

China will launch the Shenzhou XIX spacecraft in late October as the Shenzhou XVIII crew wraps up its six-month stay aboard the Tiangong space station. The current crew, led by mission commander Ye Guangfu, has been conducting experiments and preparing for the incoming team’s arrival and mission transition.

🌕 BepiColombo Unveils Mercury’s Magnetic Mysteries During Third Flyby

ESA’s BepiColombo mission, in collaboration with JAXA, revealed new insights into Mercury’s complex magnetosphere during its third flyby, detecting unexpected plasma structures and a weak ring current near the planet’s equator. The findings, which include observations of turbulent boundary layers, will be further explored when the orbiters separate in 2026.

🔋 NASA Shuts Down Voyager 2 Instrument to Conserve Power

NASA turned off the plasma science instrument on Voyager 2 to save power as the spacecraft, over 12.8 billion miles from Earth, faces decreasing energy supply. Despite this, four instruments remain active, allowing it to continue studying interstellar space. Engineers aim to keep at least one instrument running into the 2030s.

🚀 Vega C Set for Comeback After Successful Rocket Motor Test

The Vega C rocket is set to return to flight in late November after successfully testing its redesigned Zefiro-40 motor. The test confirmed the fix of a nozzle issue that caused a 2022 launch failure. The first mission will carry the Sentinel-1C radar imaging satellite for ESA's Copernicus program.

🏋️‍♂️ ESA to Develop Multi-Use Exercise Machine for Lunar Gateway Astronauts

ESA has issued a call to develop a multi-use exercise machine for astronauts at the lunar Gateway station, building on experience from the E4D device on the ISS. Three contracts will be awarded until mid-2025, with one selected for implementation by late 2025. This aligns with ESA’s partnership with NASA for lunar missions.

📹 Our latest videos

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

🚀 Upcoming Rocket Launches

This is a particularly exciting week with a great lineup of impressive launches. Mark your calendars!

  • Tuesday, October 8th: New Shepard | NS-27 (Blue Origin, USA) - Suborbital research mission

  • Wednesday, October 9th: Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) - OneWeb 20 mission

  • Thursday, October 10th: Long March 3B/E (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation) - Unknown Payload

  • Friday, October 11th: Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) - Starlink Group 10-10 mission

  • Saturday, October 12th: Falcon Heavy (SpaceX, USA) - Europa Clipper mission

  • Sunday, October 13th: Starship | Integrated Flight Test 5 (SpaceX, USA) - Test flight

  • Sunday, October 13th: Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX, USA) - Starlink Group 8-19 mission

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

Juan from The Space Race team