SpaceX's Private Astronaut Mission to the Space Station Postponed to April 6

 https://thesiliconreview.com/2022/03/spacexs-astronaut-mission-delayed

The first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), is delayed.

The most anticipated and much-awaited first all-private crewed mission to the International Space Station has been delayed. Axiom Space's Ax-1 mission, which was set to launch on April 3 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, has been pushed to April 6. NASA officially has stated that due to the crucial "wet dress rehearsal" of its Artemis 1 moon mission, the Ax-1 has been delayed.

"NASA, Axiom, and SpaceX are now looking at no earlier than April 6 for the launch of Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1), the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, pending range approval," NASA officials wrote.

It is reported that Ax-1 will be using the latest SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and robust Dragon capsule to send four people to the space station for an eight-day stay. The four people who will travel to the International Space Station are pilot Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, mission specialist, EytanStibbe, mission specialist. The fourth is Axiom employee Michael López-Alegría, a former NASA astronaut commanding the mission.

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SpaceX Space tourists Land on Earth after Spending three days in orbit

Four space tourists of the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission have safely landed off Florida's coast. They have completed the first of its kind three-day mission in Earth's orbit without professional astronauts with them. The SpaceX Dragon capsule's in-built heat shield helped them to withstand the descent before the spacecraft was slowed down by four large parachutes, after which it splashed into the ocean.

The return of space tourists from the orbit followed a plunge through Earth's atmosphere that generated a frictional heat which increased the surroundings outside of the capsule spiraling to 1,927 degrees Celsius (3,500 degrees Fahrenheit). But, the space tourists had unique ventilation systems designed to keep them cool if the cabin heated up.

SpaceX, one of the leading private rocketry companies founded by tycoon Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla electric carmaker, had supplied the spacecraft, which launched from Florida and flew to the Earth's orbit from the company's suburban Los Angeles headquarters. It is reported that Isaacman paid an undisclosed sum for all four space tourists on the mission.

 

 

Firefly Aerospace selected SpaceX to launch its first lunar lander mission for NASA

 In a recent announcement, Firefly Aerospace has stated that it has selected SpaceX to launch its first lunar lander mission for NASA. It also has said that it will be using the most renowned SpaceX Falcon 9 to launch its Blue Ghost lunar lander which is on a mission to land in Mare Crisium on the near side of the moon. Falcon 9 will be carrying 10 payloads for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.

Besides, Firefly is also developing its own launch vehicle, Alpha, and its first launch is expected in the coming weeks. But the rocket is not powerful enough to take Blue Ghost to the moon. Thereby it the company had to purchase a launch from another launch provider. The company is now working on the lander, including testing the lander on a one-acre simulated lunar landscape at its Briggs, Texas, test site.

The company's lander is developing a spacecraft and orbital tugs for an overall space transportation system and for loading crucial missiles. It is the first contract that validated an end-to-end space transportation paradigm to put forward at Firefly. Blue Ghost has already energized the spacecraft side of the business.

SpaceX's Starship Prototype Super- Rocket Fails during a Pressure Test

SpaceX has been recently conducting tests on its pad at the South Texas facility. During a pressure test for a prototype of SpaceX’s starship super-rocket, an explosion had occurred. Residents had captured the incident on video.

The failure occurred during the pressurization test to contain liquid nitrogen resulted in cylinders flying off the stand of the rocket, known as SN1. The rocket came down crashing and turned into a pile of stainless steel. Liquid nitrogen was being pumped into the tank of the prototype while being placed on the launch pad to test if its improved steel structure could withstand cryogenic fuels. These rockets are being designed to fly deep-space missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond. The prototype Starship SN1 was a test article for the deep-space missions.

Along with the ability to carry more than 100 metric tonnes to Earth orbit, the company has designed the Starship with a fully reusable transportation system and could carry both the crew and the cargo. Additionally, SpaceX has recently won a contract with NASA to provide launch services for the agency’s a unique mission ‘The Psyche’ to search metal-rich asteroid that orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. While the Starship’s first orbital-flight is targeted for this year, the mission is planned to launch in July 2022 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on a Falcon Heavy rocket.