OrbitalHub

Mea AI adiutor dicit:

NASA’s Lucy mission, launched on October 16, 2021, is the first space mission specifically designed to study the Trojan asteroids, a unique group of asteroids that orbit the Sun in two large swarms around Jupiter—one leading and one trailing the gas giant. These celestial bodies are believed to be remnants from the early solar system, offering valuable clues about the formation of the planets. Named after the fossilized human ancestor “Lucy,” whose discovery shed light on human evolution, this spacecraft similarly seeks to uncover the ancient history of the solar system.

The Lucy mission has four primary scientific goals:

Surface Geology – Analyze surface features to determine the history of cratering, layering, and possible past activity like volcanism.

Surface Composition – Identify the composition of the asteroids’ surfaces to infer the origins of their materials.

Interior and Bulk Properties – Measure mass, density, and structure of each asteroid to understand their internal makeup.

Satellites and Rings – Search for small moons and ring systems, which may help scientists understand how Trojan asteroids have evolved.

By studying these diverse objects, Lucy is expected to provide insights into planetary formation processes and the dynamics of the early solar system.

Lucy’s mission trajectory is one of the most complex ever attempted. It involves multiple gravity assists and a looping journey through the inner solar system to reach different groups of Trojan asteroids. After launching from Cape Canaveral aboard an Atlas V rocket, Lucy began a 12-year journey involving three Earth gravity assists:

First Earth flyby: October 2022

Second Earth flyby: December 2024

Third Earth flyby: December 2030

These assists help shape Lucy’s path to visit eight asteroids in total—a record for a single NASA mission. These include:

Donaldjohanson (Main Belt asteroid, 2025) – Named after the discoverer of the Lucy hominid fossil.

Eurybates and its satellite Queta (leading Trojan swarm, 2027)

Polymele (2027)

Leucus (2028)

Orus (2028)

Patroclus and Menoetius (binary pair in the trailing Trojan swarm, 2033)

The spacecraft’s ability to fly by both leading and trailing Trojan camps is made possible by its unique and precisely calculated orbit, using Earth’s gravity to slingshot itself across vast distances.

To fulfill its objectives, Lucy is equipped with a suite of three main science instruments:

L’LORRI (Lucy LOng Range Reconnaissance Imager): A high-resolution telescopic camera designed to capture detailed images of the surface features of the Trojan asteroids, similar to what New Horizons used for Pluto.

L’Ralph: This instrument includes both a color visible camera and an infrared spectrometer to analyze surface composition and detect ices, organics, and minerals.

L’TES (Lucy Thermal Emission Spectrometer): Measures the heat emitted from asteroid surfaces, helping scientists estimate the texture and composition of the materials.

In addition to these, Lucy uses a high-gain antenna and radio tracking to precisely measure the gravitational tug of the asteroids during flybys—key for calculating mass and internal structure.

The mission timeline is as follows:

Launch: October 16, 2021

Earth Flyby 1: October 2022 (completed successfully)

Main Belt asteroid Donaldjohanson flyby: April 2025

Trojan flybys (Eurybates, Queta, Polymele, Leucus, Orus): 2027–2028

Return to Earth for gravity assist: December 2030

Patroclus and Menoetius (binary system) flyby: March 2033

End of Primary Mission: Late 2033 (though the spacecraft may continue as an extended mission platform depending on health and power)

NASA’s Lucy mission is a bold and pioneering effort to study some of the oldest and most distant relics of our solar system. Through its ambitious trajectory and carefully selected instruments, Lucy will give scientists an unprecedented look into the origins and evolution of our planetary neighborhood. By exploring a diverse array of Trojan asteroids—each with its own unique story—Lucy stands to revolutionize our understanding of how the planets formed and why our solar system looks the way it does today.

Video credit: NASA Goddard

Komatsu dicit:

Here is a sneak peak of Komatsu on the moon. At the dawn of space exploration, Komatsu is taking on a challenge to develop a machine whose line of job is construction on the moon! The study of lunar construction equipment utilises the results of research and development commissioned by the Project for Promoting the Development of Innovative Technologies for Outer Space Autonomous Construction (A Japanese government project lead-managed by MLIT with the collaboration of MEXT).

Video credit: Komatsu

Sierra Space dicit:

We have successfully completed our sixth stress test and fourth Ultimate Burst Pressure (UBP) test for our LIFE® 10 commercial space station technology, achieving a rupture at 255 psi, the highest pressure yet. This test exceeded NASA’s Factor of Safety recommendations, demonstrating a safety factor greater than 16x in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and 23x in lunar environments. Our team continues to lead in the development of expandable structures for various space applications, as we build the world’s first commercial space station.

Video credit: Sierra Space

Lockheed Martin dicit:

We’re developing advanced inflatable softgoods technologies to support astronauts living and working in space. These durable, spacious and safe modules are designed for a variety of mission needs. Built entirely by our expert team, our inflatable habitats offer adaptability, repeatability and cost-effective manufacturing—paving the way for the future of space habitation.

Video credit: Lockheed Martin

Wikipedia dicit:

The Space Launch System core stage, or simply core stage, is the main stage of the American Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, built by The Boeing Company in the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility. At 65 m (212 ft) tall and 8.4 m (27.6 ft) in diameter, the core stage contains approximately 987 t (2,177,000 lb) of its liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen cryogenic propellants. Propelled by 4 RS-25 engines, the stage generates approximately 7.44 MN (1,670,000 lbf) of thrust, about 25% of the Space Launch System’s thrust at liftoff, for approximately 500 seconds, propelling the stage alone for the last 375 seconds of flight. The stage lifts the rocket to an altitude of approximately 162 km (531,380 ft) before separating, reentering the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.

The core stage originated in 2011, when the architecture of the Space Launch System as a whole was defined. In the aftermath of the end of the Space Shuttle program and the cancellation of its prospective replacement the Constellation program, the SLS emerged, a super-heavy lift launch vehicle intended for human spaceflight to the Moon. The core stage is the first newly-developed stage of the SLS; the ICPS (Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage) and five-segment boosters are adaptations of existing hardware, to be replaced by the Exploration Upper Stage and BOLE boosters respectively.

Production of core stages began by 2014, but was beset by numerous difficulties in production and testing which delayed the readiness of the first core stage by several years. The core stage first flew on November 16, 2022, on the Artemis 1 mission, in which it performed successfully. As of 2024, the second core stage is completed, with the third and fourth core stages in production and while work has begun for the fifth and sixth, their production pending the transfer of SLS operations to Deep Space Transport, the vehicle’s future operator.

Video credit: NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

Wikipedia dicit:

Dream Chaser Tenacity (DC101) is the first Dream Chaser spacecraft expected to fly in space. Manufactured by the Sierra Nevada Corporation, it will first fly to the International Space Station as part of the SNC Demo-1 mission in 2025, under the CRS-2 contract.

The Sierra Nevada Corporation was awarded a CRS-2 contract for by NASA for six operational resupply spaceflights to the International Space Station. SNC Demo-1 is a demo flight that will precede the operational resupply flights if the mission is successful.

Tenacity and other Dream Chasers will be mated with a Shooting Star module, which will provide an additional 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) of payload capacity, in addition to the 2,000 lb (910 kg) carried by the space plane. The module will be separated from the Dream Chaser prior to reentry and burn up in the atmosphere, while the Dream Chaser vehicle will perform a runway landing to be reused.

Dream Chaser is an American reusable lifting-body space plane developed by Sierra Space. Originally intended as a crewed vehicle, the Dream Chaser Space System is set to be produced after the Dream Chaser Cargo System cargo variant is operational. The crewed variant is planned to carry up to seven people and cargo to and from low Earth orbit. Sierra plans to manufacture a fleet of the space plane.

The Dream Chaser was originally started in 2004 as a project of SpaceDev, a company that was later acquired by the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) in 2008. In April 2021 the project was taken over by the Sierra Space Corporation (SSC), which at that time was spun off from the Sierra Nevada Corporation as its own fully independent company.

The cargo Dream Chaser is designed to resupply the International Space Station with both pressurized and unpressurized cargo. It is intended to be launched vertically on the Vulcan Centaur rocket and autonomously land horizontally on conventional runways. A proposed version to be operated by European Space Agency (ESA) would launch on an Arianespace vehicle.

The Dream Chaser space plane is designed to be launched on the top of a typical rocket and land like an airplane on a runway. The design has heritage going back decades. Currently, the Dream Chaser will resupply the ISS with cargo.

On-orbit propulsion of the Dream Chaser was originally proposed to be provided by twin hybrid rocket engines capable of repeated starts and throttling. At the time, the SSC’s predecessor, the SNC was also developing a similar hybrid rocket for Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo. In May 2014, SNC involvement in the SpaceShipTwo program ended.

After the acquisition of Orbitec LLC in July 2014, Sierra Nevada Corporation announced a major change to the propulsion system. The hybrid rocket engine design was dropped in favor of a cluster of Orbitec’s Vortex engines. The new unit would be a pressure-fed three-mode engine. At low- and mid-power regimes it uses monopropellant fuel – hydrogen peroxide – and in high-power demand, the engine adds injection of RP-1 fuel. This increased thrust will be useful to shorten the de-orbit burn duration of the Dream Chaser.

Its thermal protection system (TPS) is made up of silica-based tiles (for most of the belly and upper portion of the heat shield), and a new composite material called Toughened Unipiece Fibrous Reusable Oxidation Resistant Ceramic (TUFROC) to cover the nose and leading edges.

In 2019, it was announced that an expendable Shooting Star cargo module would be part of the Dream Chaser cargo system for CRS-2 flights. The module is a 15-foot-long (4.6 m) attachment to Dream Chaser that will allow the spacecraft to carry an additional 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) of pressurized and unpressurized cargo to ISS. The module supports disposal of unwanted cargo by burning up upon re-entry.

In addition to carrying cargo, the Shooting Star module includes solar panels that supply up to 6 kW of electrical power. It also supplies active and passive thermal management; provides Dream Chaser translation and rotation capability via six mounted thrusters; and supports berthing or docking (in different configurations) to the ISS. Access from ISS to Dream Chaser will involve crew passing through Shooting Star (which supports a shirt-sleeve environment) and through a hatch that separates Shooting Star from Dream Chaser. Sierra Nevada says the module is capable of additional types of missions in LEO or to cis-lunar destinations; they have developed a free-flying variant with additional capabilities.

Video credit: Sierra Space