The Orbital Mechanics Podcast

Short & Sweet — Astra to launch next from Cape Canaveral ( spacenews.com ) — SpaceX gets FCC approval for Starship launch, starts construction on launchpad ( dailymail.co.uk ) ( spaceflightnow.com ) — NASA investigates Ingenuity helicopter’s transmission problem ( cnet.com ) — SpaceX Crew-5 to fly with cosmonaut ( spacenews.com ) ( twitter.com/Rogozin ) This week in SF history — 15 Dec, 1976....

Spaceflight news — Raptor issues ( spacenews.com ) ( twitter.com/thesheetztweetz ) ( spaceexplored.com ) — Neutron, a 2050 rocket ( youtube.com ) ( spacenews.com ) — Electron thermal protection system is aerogel/graphite composite! (HT Andrew Z: twitter.com/Peter_J_Beck ) Short & Sweet — ESA tests tanks for its reusable launch vehicle ( esa.int ) — Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin select future...

Spaceflight news — JWST bonk ( spacenews.com ) ( nasa.gov ) ( esa.int ) ( youtube.com ) — The clamp came off “in a way that it was not designed to come off” (HT deltaV+Deathkin: twitter.com/wapodavenport ) Short & Sweet — Japan to recruit astronauts for first time in 13 years ( spacenews.com ) ( spacenews.com ) ( blogs.nasa.gov ) — Hubble makes a partial recovery ( space.com ) — Rocket Lab to...

Spaceflight news — Astraaaaaa! ( space.com ) ( spacenews.com ) ( en.wikipedia.org ) — Astra issued an update after we recorded this episode ( twitter.com/thesheetztweetz ) (HT DeltaV: twitter.com/thesheetztweetz ) Short & Sweet — Tyvak wins contract for very low-earth orbit mission ( spacenews.com ) — European startup tests aerospike engine ( spacenews.com ) — Satellite maneuvers to avoid near...

Spaceflight news — SpinLaunch spins ( spinlaunch.com ) ( cnbc.com ) ( youtube.com ) ( youtube.com ) ( spacenews.com ) — Nike Sprint is one of several other “instastart” vehicles (HT Andy Z: youtube.com ) Short & Sweet — Virgin Orbit to launch from Japan ( spaceref.com ) — Amazon to launch first Kuiper satellites on ABL rocket ( spacenews.com ) — South Korea to develop reusable launch vehicle (...

Spaceflight news — Blue lawsuit ( spacenews.com ) Short & Sweet — Dragons Passing in the Night ( americaspace.com ) ( spacenews.com ) ( blogs.nasa.gov ) — Shijian-21 has a companion ( spacenews.com ) — A Chinese Mars Sample Return Mission ( spacenews.com ) Questions, comments, corrections — Ben Hallert: Speaking of expandable space stations... ( twitter.com/chairboy ) This week in SF history —...

Spaceflight news — Orbital Reef announced ( blueorigin.com ) ( orbitalreef.com ) ( nasaspaceflight.com ) ( youtube.com ) — Other Commercial LEO Destination (CLD) proposals so far: — Axiom Station ( axiomspace.com ) — Nanoracks/Lockheed/Voyager’s Starlab ( cnet.com ) — Sierra Space Station ( sierraspace.com ) Short & Sweet — James Webb Space Telescope prepares for launch ( spacenews.com ) ( pla...

Spaceflight news — Starliner investigation continuation continues ( spacenews.com ) ( arstechnica.com ) Short & Sweet — Lucy solar array issue ( spacenews.com ) ( blogs.nasa.gov ) ( space.com ) — Space Adventures ends plans for Crew Dragon tourist flight ( spacenews.com ) — Nanoracks announces plans for commercial space station ( cnet.com ) ( nanoracks.com ) — Rocket Lab prepares for first rec...

Spaceflight news — Rocket 3.3 follow-up ( spacenews.com ) ( astra.com ) — Lucy’s in the sky ( americaspace.com ) ( spacenews.com ) ( planetary.org ) ( americaspace.com ) ( planetary.org ) ( blog.ulalaunch.com ) Short & Sweet — Brazil Space Agency successfully tests new rocket motor ( avibras.com.br ) — Virgin Galactic gets postponed ( spacenews.com ) — China launches nation’s first solar obser...

Spaceflight news — Artemis funding ( spacenews.com ) — Starliner stuff — Valves ( spacenews.com ) — Reassigned crew ( spacenews.com ) ( spacepolicyonline.com ) Short & Sweet — Taiwan launch company to attempt orbital launch again ( spacenews.com ) — Planetary Protection might be revised ( spacenews.com ) — UAE announces plans for next interplanetary mission ( cnet.com ) Interview -- Kevin Rice...

Spaceflight news — Blue Origin’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week — Blue experienced morale issues related to remote work ( cnbc.com ) — An essay was published with sexism and safety allegations ( lioness.co ) ( cnbc.com ) — Eric Berger reports his sources say allegations of sexism go too far ( twitter.com/SciGuySpace ) ( wsj.com ) — FAA say they take the Lioness essay seriously ( spacen...

Short & Sweet — Space Operations Mission Directorate and Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate split ( spacenews.com ) ( arstechnica.com ) — Starliner likely to slip to 2020 ( spacenews.com ) Questions, comments, corrections — From the intro: New Glenn hardware! (HT Andy Z: floridatoday.com ) Interview -- Othniel C. Mbamalu, Founder and CEO of Advanced Rockets Corporation — Airbr...

Spaceflight news — First Perseverance sample collection ( spacenews.com ) ( nasa.gov ) ( nasa.gov ) — “Where Is The Rover” map, featuring Ingenuity ( mars.nasa.gov ) Short & Sweet — Shenzhou 12 crew returns to Earth ( spaceflightnow.com ) — Vande Hei to remain on ISS ( spacenews.com ) — NASA awards five companies for Lunar Lander studies ( spacenews.com ) Questions, comments, corrections — Fro...

Spaceflight news — NASA and the Giant Budget Reconciliation ( spacenews.com ) — Starlink antennas again ( spacenews.com ) — Thanks to Ben Hallert for the TCM! ( twitter.com/chairboy ) — Chang’e 5 returned to the Moon ( spacenews.com ) — Trajectory animation ( twitter.com/coastal8049 ) — Possible TCM Sunday 9/12, or maybe not ( https://twitter.com/coastal8049 ) Short & Sweet — DOD wants to go n...

Spaceflight news — Firefly Alpha launch failure ( spacenews.com ) ( spacenews.com ) ( firefly.com ) — Scott Manley’s first takes included some “old fashioned pixel counting” ( twitter.com/DJSnM ) ( twitter.com/DJSnM ) — Third-party photo coverage was fantastic ( twitter.com/lavie154 ) ( twitter.com/thejackbeyer ) ( twitter.com/nextspaceflight ) (HT Sam: twitter.com/StarshipFairing ) — Keavon poste...

Spaceflight news — Rocket3.3 Exits Stage Right ( astra.com ) ( space.com ) ( youtube.com ) ( youtube.com ) — Follows an abort on Friday called by the guidance system near T-0 ( space.com ) — Jonathan McDowell guessed a “fatal problem” in the air ( twitter.com/planet4589 ) Short & Sweet — 7GB of paperwork for HLS ( twitter.com/joroulette ) ( spacenews.com ) ( businessinsider.com ) ( spacenews.c...

Spaceflight news — Blue Origin lawsuit, and exodus — Lawsuit filed against NASA on Aug 19 ( theverge.com ) ( spacenews.com ) — > 11 key employees left Blue ( twitter.com/thesheetztweetz ) ( twitter.com/thesheetztweetz ) ( twitter.com/thesheetztweetz ) — Lauren Lyons went to Firefly ( https://spacenews.com ) — 10k bonus handed out at end of July ( twitter.com/thesheetztweetz ) Short & Sweet...

Spaceflight news — 2018 Soyuz leak turns into a whodunnit ( arstechnica.com ) (HT DeltaV: arstechnica.com ) ( twitter.com/KathyLueders ) — Starliner Destacked ( twitter.com/BoeingSpace ) ( twitter.com/EmreKelly ) ( twitter.com/BoeingSpace ) ( spacenews.com ) Short & Sweet — Shuttle payload readied for restoration ( space.com ) — xEVA falls behind schedule ( spacenews.com ) — GSLV fails to reac...

Spaceflight news — Astra readies for next orbital launch ( spacenews.com ) ( twitter.com/Astra ) ( spacenews.com ) — Super Heavy Starship stacked! ( twitter.com/StarshipGazer ) ( twitter.com/ErcXspace ) ( twitter.com/elonmusk ) ( twitter.com/RGVaerialphotos ) ( youtube.com ) — Perseverance’s first sampling attempt ( spacenews.com ) (​​ nasa.gov ) ( twitter.com/PaulHammond51 ) Short & Sweet — C...

Spaceflight news — Nauka Arrives ( spaceflightnow.com ) ( space.com ) — Investigation of the issue ( twitter.com/RussianSpaceWeb ) — Amazing footage of the issue ( youtube.com ) (HT Andy Z: twitter.com/liamkennedy ) (HT Andy Z: twitter.com/fs_jeronimo ) Short & Sweet — Rocket Lab successfully launches U.S. military payload ( spaceflightnow.com ) — Inmarsat announces plans to add multi-orbit sa...

Spaceflight news — Nauka Launched ( spacenews.com ) ( forum.nasaspaceflight.com ) — Three sets of engines on Nauka ( twitter.com/RussianSpaceWeb ) — Initial reports of issues ( forum.nasaspaceflight.com ) — A summary was written on Wikipedia quite early ( en.wikipedia.org ) — “Nothing irreparable” ( twitter.com/katlinegrey ) — An initial RCS burn was made to get to a safe orbit ( twitter.com/katli...

Spaceflight news — Hubble back online (PDF: asd.gsfc.nasa.gov ) (PDF: ses.gsfc.nasa.gov ) ( youtube.com ) ( nasa.gov ) ( sciencemag.org ) Short & Sweet — Astranis produces new batch of very small GEO satellites ( spacenews.com ) — Funding secured for Beresheet 2 mission ( ap.org ) — Raptor engine development ramping up ( spaceflightinsider.com ) — ESA announces new kick stage for Ariane 6 rock...

Spaceflight news — Northrop Grumman signs HALO contract ( americaspace.com ) ( spacenews.com ) ( nasa.gov ) — A docking adapter is planned for HLS (PDF: nasa.gov ) Short & Sweet — SKA endangered by megaconstellations ( spacenews.com ) — Chinese Spacewalk ( spacenews.com ) — JWST One Step Closer ( spacenews.com ) Questions, comments, corrections — From the intro: Blue not-so-subtly sub-tweets V...

Spaceflight news — Transporter-2 payloads ( americaspace.com ) ( americaspace.com ) ( spacenews.com ) ( geekwire.com ) (PDF: fcc.report ) Short & Sweet — IROSAs installed ( americaspace.com ) ( nasaspaceflight.com ) — Starship Booster prototype nears completion ( teslarati.com ) — ULA has an engine nozzle issue ( spacenews.com ) This week in SF history — 3 July, 1998. Launch of the Nozomi miss...

Spaceflight news — Rocket Lab wins Mars mission ( space.com ) ( hou.usra.edu ) — Characteristic energy, declination, right ascension of the departure asymptote vector (C3/DLA/RLA) were discussed in our interview with Mark Wallace. ( theorbitalmechanics.com ) Short & Sweet — Chinese crew reaches Tianhe space station module ( spacenews.com ) — Faulty memory system halts Hubble operations ( space...