NASA is evaluating 11 responses from organizations large and small that might want to take over the VIPER lunar rover project. NASA intends to cancel VIPER because of cost growth even though the rover is completely built. Meanwhile, the bipartisan leadership of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee is asking NASA questions about the decision and wants a reply by September 20.
The launch of three new crew members to the International Space Station today is setting a new record for the number of people in orbit at one time. Two Russians and an American lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome early this afternoon and will join nine colleagues already aboard the ISS. In addition, three Chinese taikonauts are on China’s Tiangong-3 space station and the four-person private astronaut crew of Polaris Dawn is in their second day of a five-day mission. In all, 19 people are in orbit right now.
Polaris Dawn finally lifted off this morning after a long series of weather delays. The four private astronauts will spend five days in orbit with the goal of flying higher than any previous Earth-orbiting human spaceflight mission and conducting the first commercial spacewalk. They bring to 16 the number of human beings currently in orbit and three more are scheduled to launch tomorrow, which will set a new record.
NASA today cleared the Europa Clipper mission for launch next month. The decision on whether or not to launch has been up in the air for the past several months after the agency learned that transistors on the spacecraft might not be as radiation-hardened as they thought. Tests since then have demonstrated they are fine and the mission will proceed as planned.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of September 8-14, 2024 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session this week.
Boeing’s Starliner capsule undocked from the International Space Station at 6:04 pm ET Friday and landed in New Mexico six hours later just after midnight Saturday. That brings to an end the Crew Flight Test although the crew — NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — are not aboard. Concerns about Starliner’s thrusters led NASA to decide to leave them on the ISS and bring Starliner back to Earth empty.
Boeing’s Starliner capsule is two days away from returning to Earth after an eventful crewed flight test. NASA said today they will close the hatches tomorrow with undocking set for Friday afternoon. The weather is looking good for landing in New Mexico six hours later, but even if there is a delay for any reason, they will not be reopened until Starliner is back on terra firma. Helium leaks and thruster failures led NASA to decide to bring Starliner home empty instead of carrying the two NASA astronauts who were aboard when it launched.
Here are links to all the articles published on SpacePolicyOnline.com from August 26-September 1, 2024 including our “What’s Happening in Space Policy” for this coming week. Click on each title to read the entire article.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of September 1-7, 2024 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in recess until September 9 except for pro forma sessions.
The FAA today allowed SpaceX to resume launches of the Falcon 9 rocket while investigation continues into the failed landing of a first stage earlier this week.