OrbitalHub

NASA dixit:

“On August 30, engineers at our Stennis Space Center wrapped up a summer of hot fire testing for flight controllers on RS-25 engines that will help power the new Space Launch System rocket being built to carry astronauts to deep-space destinations, including Mars. The 500-second hot fire of a flight controller or “brain” of the engine marked another step toward the nation’s return to human deep-space exploration missions. Four RS-25 engines, equipped with flight-worthy controllers will help power the first integrated flight of our Space Launch System rocket with our Orion spacecraft, known as Exploration Mission One.”

Video credit: NASA

Epic blooper reel from SpaceX… building and flying rockets requires a good sense of humor.

~ dj

Video credit: SpaceX

NASA dixit:

“After launching in their Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 53-54 Soyuz Commander Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos and flight engineers Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba of NASA arrived at the International Space Station. The trio docked their Soyuz to the Poisk module on the Russian segment of the complex, to complete their six-hour journey to the station.”

Video credit: Roscosmos / NASA

ULA dixit:

“Astrobotic’s Peregrine Lunar Lander will launch onboard a ULA launch vehicle in 2019, during the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. This effort is a big step in realizing Astrobotic’s goal of creating a Rust Belt based international gateway to the Moon. The Peregrine Lunar Lander will fly 35 kilograms of customer payloads on its first mission, with the option to upgrade to 265 kilograms on future missions.”

Video credit: ULA

Wikipedia dixit:

“TDRS-M, to be renamed TDRS-13 upon entry into service, is an American communications satellite operated by NASA as part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. The thirteenth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, it is the third and final third-generation spacecraft to be launched, following the 2014 launch of TDRS-L.

TDRS-M was constructed by Boeing, based on the BSS-601HP satellite bus. Fully fueled, it has a mass of 3,454 kg (7,615 lb), with a design life of 15 years. It carries two steerable antennas capable of providing S, Ku and Ka band communications for other spacecraft, with an additional array of S-band transponders for lower-rate communications with five further satellites. The satellite is powered by two solar arrays, which produce 2.8 to 3.2 kilowatts of power, while an R-4D-11-300 engine is present to provide propulsion.”

Video credit: ULA

NASA dixit:

“A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Aug. 14, sending an unpiloted Dragon cargo spacecraft on a delivery run to the International Space Station. Loaded with more than three tons of supplies and scientific investigations, the Dragon is scheduled to arrive at the station Aug. 16 where it will be captured by Expedition 52 crewmembers Jack Fischer of NASA and Paolo Nespoli of ESA (European Space Agency) operating the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm. Dragon will spend about a month attached to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module.”

Video credit: NASA