OrbitalHub

Wikipedia dicit:

The Solar Orbiter (SolO) is a planned Sun-observing satellite, under development by the European Space Agency (ESA). SolO is intended to perform detailed measurements of the inner heliosphere and nascent solar wind, and perform close observations of the polar regions of the Sun, which is difficult to do from Earth, both serving to answer the question “How does the Sun create and control the heliosphere?”

SolO will make observations of the Sun from an eccentric orbit moving as close as ~60 solar radii (RS), or 0.284 astronomical units (au), placing it inside Mercury’s perihelion of 0.3075 au. During the planned 7-year mission the orbital inclination will be raised to about 25°.

The spacecraft will make a close approach to the Sun every five months. The closest approach will be positioned to allow a repeated study of the same region of the solar atmosphere. Solar Orbiter will be able to observe the magnetic activity building up in the atmosphere that can lead to powerful solar flares or eruptions.

Researchers will also have the chance to coordinate observations with NASA’s Parker Solar Probe mission (2018-2025) which is performing measurements of the Sun’s extended corona.

The objective of the mission is to perform close-up, high-resolution studies of the Sun and its inner heliosphere. The new understanding will help answer these questions:

How and where do the solar wind plasma and magnetic field originate in the corona?

How do solar transients drive heliospheric variability?

How do solar eruptions produce energetic particle radiation that fills the heliosphere?

How does the solar dynamo work and drive connections between the Sun and the heliosphere?

 

Video credit: United Launch Alliance

Wikipedia dicit:

In 2014, Copenhagen Suborbitals settled on the basic design for their first crewed rocket and space capsule. The rocket will be named Spica, and will stand 12–14 m tall with a diameter of 950 mm. It will be powered by the BPM-100 engine class, using liquid oxygen as oxidizer and ethanol as fuel, producing 100 kilonewtons of thrust. It’s likely to feature pressure-blow-down tanks, optimised by a dynamic pressure regulation (DPR) system, but turbo pumps are also a possibility, although they are difficult to build. Flight control will be thrust vectoring via a gimbal engine. The rocket will be fully guided by home-built electronics and software. Most of the systems and technology will initially be tested on the smaller Nexø class rockets. The space capsule will be of a tubular design as its predecessor Tycho Brahe, but its greater diameter will allow the astronaut to assume a sitting position during launch and re-entry, in order to withstand the G-forces.

Video credit: Copenhagen Suborbitals

Wikipedia dicit:

The Boeing Starliner (CST-100 – Crew Space Transportation-100) is a crew capsule manufactured by Boeing as its participation in NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program. It is planned to transport crew to the International Space Station (ISS) and to private space stations such as the proposed Bigelow Aerospace Commercial Space Station.

The capsule has a diameter of 4.56 meters (15.0 ft), which is slightly larger than the Apollo command module and smaller than the Orion capsule. The Boeing Starliner holds a crew of up to seven people and is being designed to be able to remain in-orbit for up to seven months with reusability of up to ten missions. It is designed to be compatible with four launch vehicles: Atlas V, Delta IV, Falcon 9, and Vulcan.

In the first phase of its CCDev program NASA awarded Boeing US$18 million in 2010 for preliminary development of the spacecraft. In the second phase Boeing was awarded a $93 million contract in 2011 for further spacecraft development. On 3 August 2012, NASA announced the award of $460 million to Boeing to continue work on the CST-100 under the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) Program. On 16 September 2014, NASA selected the Boeing CST-100, along with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, for the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) program, with an award of $4.2 billion. On 30 July 2019, NASA had no specific dates for Commercial Crew launches, stating that this was under review pending a leadership change.

The Boeing Starliner Orbital Flight Test (uncrewed test flight) launched with the Atlas V N22, on 20 December 2019 from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. During the test, the Starliner experienced a timing anomaly that precluded a docking with the International Space Station. Two days after launch, on 22 December 2019 at 07:58 EST (12:58 UTC), with the successful landing at White Sands, New Mexico, the Boeing Starliner Calypso became the first-ever crew-capable space capsule to make a land-based touchdown in the United States.

Video credit: United Launch Alliance

NASA dicit:

Dragon 2 is a class of reusable spacecraft developed and manufactured by U.S. aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, intended as the successor to the Dragon cargo spacecraft. The spacecraft launches atop a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket and returns via ocean splashdown. When compared to Dragon, Crew Dragon has larger windows, new flight computers and avionics, redesigned solar arrays, and a modified outer mold line.

The spacecraft has two planned variants – Crew Dragon, a human-rated capsule capable of carrying up to seven astronauts, and Cargo Dragon, an updated replacement for the original Dragon. Crew Dragon is equipped with an integrated launch escape system in a set of four side-mounted thruster pods with two SuperDraco engines each. Crew Dragon has been contracted to supply the International Space Station (ISS) with crew under the Commercial Crew Program, with the initial award occurring in October 2014 alongside Boeing CST-100 Starliner. Crew Dragon’s first non-piloted test flight to the ISS launched in March 2019.

SpaceX conducted an in-flight abort test from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A in Florida on 19 January 2020 at 15:30 UTC. The Crew Dragon test capsule was launched in an atmospheric flight to conduct a separation and abort scenario in the troposphere at transonic velocities, at max Q, where the vehicle experiences maximum aerodynamic pressure. The test objective was to demonstrate the ability to safely move away from the ascending rocket under the most challenging atmospheric conditions of the flight trajectory, imposing the worst structural stress of a real flight on the rocket and spacecraft. The abort test was performed using a regular Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket.

Video credit: NASA/SpaceX

Wikipedia dicit:

The Crew Demo-2 was planned for launch in July 2019 as part of the Commercial Crew Development contract with a crew of two on a 14-day test mission to the International Space Station (ISS). It is expected to be the first American spacecraft to fly crew into orbit since STS-135 in July 2011, though depending on the success of their respective test programs this honor could go to the crewed flight test of the Boeing Starliner.

On April 20, 2019, the Crew Dragon capsule from the Demo-1 mission was destroyed during static fire testing of its SuperDraco thrusters, ahead of its planned use for an inflight abort test. SpaceX traced the cause of the static fire anomaly to a valve that leaked propellant into high pressure helium lines. As of October 23, 2019, a new static fire test is expected to take place in early November, to be followed by a drop test campaign to qualify the upgraded parachute system. If all tests are successful, the Demo-2 mission could take place during the first quarter of 2020. NASA is considering extending the duration of the mission, enabling it to perform a standard crew rotation.

Video Credit: SpaceX

Wikipedia dicit:

The Boeing CST-100 Starliner (Crew Space Transportation) is a crew capsule manufactured by Boeing as its participation in NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program. Its primary purpose is to transport crew to the International Space Station (ISS) and to private space stations such as the proposed Bigelow Aerospace Commercial Space Station.

The capsule has a diameter of 4.56 meters (15.0 ft), which is slightly larger than the Apollo command module and smaller than the Orion capsule. The Starliner is to support larger crews of up to seven people and is being designed to be able to remain in-orbit for up to seven months with reusability of up to ten missions. It is designed to be compatible with four launch vehicles: Atlas V, Delta IV, Falcon 9, and Vulcan.

In the first phase of its CCDev program NASA awarded Boeing US$18 million in 2010 for preliminary development of the spacecraft. In the second phase Boeing was awarded a $93 million contract in 2011 for further spacecraft development. On August 3, 2012, NASA announced the award of $460 million to Boeing to continue work on the CST-100 under the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) Program. On September 16, 2014, NASA selected the CST-100, along with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, for the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) program, with an award of $4.2 billion. On July 30, 2019, NASA had no specific dates for Commercial Crew launches, stating that this was under review pending a leadership change.

Starliner’s uncrewed test flight launched with the Atlas V N22, on December 20, 2019 from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. During the test, the Starliner experienced an anomaly that precluded a docking with the International Space Station. Two days after launch, on December 22, 2019 at 7:58 a.m. EST (1258 GMT), with the successful landing at White Sands, New Mexico, the CST-100 became the first-ever, crew-capable space capsule to make a land-based touchdown in the United States.

Video Credit: NASA