Crude SpaceX Starhopper is 70 to 120 Days From First Test Flight
• https://www.nextbigfuture.com, by Brian WangThe SpaceX Starhopper seems like the fastest development of a prototype rocket outside of a wartime rocket program.
Contents Pages by Subject
Space Travel and Exploration
SpaceX Super Heavy Starship Will Also Be Space Tugs and Cycler
• https://www.nextbigfuture.com, brian wangMany space plans propose different space vehicles for different roles and activities.
Iran Rejects Pompeo Warning To Halt Its Space Launches
• https://www.zerohedge.com, By Tyler DurdenHours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened Iran via Twitter statement over plans to fire off Space Launch Vehicles with, as Pompeo claimed, "virtually the same technology as ICBMs" in a "defiant" launch that will "advance its missile progr
China just landed on the far side of the moon...
• https://www.latimes.com, By Robyn DixonChina's Chang'e-4 lunar lander touched down on the far side of the moon Thursday morning Beijing time, the latest milestone marking the nation's determination to become a global leader in space exploration.
China 'lifts mysterious veil' by landing probe on far side of the moon
• http://news.trust.org, By Michael MartinaA Chinese space probe successfully touched down on the far side of the moon on Thursday, China's space agency said, hailing the event as a historic first and a major achievement for the country's space programme.
China's Chang'e 4 Spacecraft Will Land on Dark Side of the Moon in the Next 60 Hours
• https://www.nextbigfuture.com by Brian WangChina's space agency said its control center in Beijing would choose a suitable time to try the landing, but the Smithsonian Institution, the American museums and research centers group, reported that the craft was expected to set down on the Von K
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft enjoys tremendous success one billion miles beyond Pluto
• https://www.nbcnews.com By Jay PasachoffNASA's New Horizons spacecraft passed by Ultima Thule, a Manhattan-sized rock a billion miles farther out from its Pluto passage in 2015.
What the SpaceX Mirror Polished Stainless Steel Starship Will Look Like
• https://www.nextbigfuture.com, brian wangWilliam Falconer-Beach has rendered some images of the SpaceX Starship with a mirror polished stainless steel body.
All about Ultima: New Horizons flyby target is unlike anything explored in space
• arcleinUltima's nearly circular orbit indicates it originated at its current distance from the Sun. Scientists find its birthplace important for two reasons. First, because that means Ultima is an ancient sample of this distant portion of the solar system.
SpaceX Will Launch Israeli Lunar Lander February, 2019
• https://www.nextbigfuture.com, brian wangIn about seven weeks, SpaceX will launch a Beresheet which is SpaceIL's small ~600 kg (1300 lb) lunar lander.
Flight Tests of the World Changing 100% Reusable SpaceX Starship Will Start...
• https://www.nextbigfuture.com, brian wangFlight Tests of the World Changing 100% Reusable SpaceX Starship Will Start 6 Months Early
SpaceX Shows Stainless Steel Starship Parts And Hopper Will Have a Mirror Finish
• https://www.nextbigfuture.com, brian wangThe SpaceX Starship is being made from stainless steel. The skin will get too hot for paint. The stainless steel will have a mirror finish for maximum reflectivity.
Elon Musk Teases New Details About SpaceX's Redesigned Next-Generation Launch System
• https://www.space.comSANTA FE, N.M. -- SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk says a redesigned test vehicle for the company's next-generation reusable launch system could be ready for initial flights early next year.
How Satellite Startup Swarm Returned to Space After an Illicit Launch
• http://fortune.comBut they'll always be known as the first company ever to launch unauthorized satellites.
The Martian North Pole Is a 'Winter Wonderland' Right Now, New Photo Shows
• https://motherboard.vice.com, by Becky FerreiraKorolev crater contains a permanent ice field that stretches over a mile deep.
China warns US against 'weaponising' space
• https://www.france24.com, AFPChina said Wednesday it opposed the "weaponisation" of space as it criticised US President Donald Trump's orders to create a new command centre for controlling military space operations.
Trump signs order to create US Space Command
• https://www.defensenews.com By: Lolita C. BaldorPresident Donald Trump launched the Pentagon's new Space Command on Tuesday, an effort to better organize and advance the military's vast operations in space that could cost as much as $800 million over the next five years.
At the Space Coast, Vice President Mike Pence announces the creation of a Space Command
• https://www.orlandosentinel.com, Chabeli HerreraVice President Mike Pence announced Tuesday that President Donald Trump is directing the Department of Defense to create a Space Command as the 11th U.S. combative command.
SpaceX Fundraising Exactly Covers 800 Satellites for Operational Starlink Service
• https://www.nextbigfuture.com, Brian WangSpaceX raising $500 million at a $30.5 billion valuation to get the Starlink Satellite network deployed.
SpaceX Fundraising Exactly Covers 800 Satellites for Operational Starlink Service
• https://www.nextbigfuture.comSpaceX will get money from existing SpaceX investors and new investor Baillie Gifford and Co, who is also the third-largest shareholder in Musk-led electric carmaker Tesla.
SpaceX Dragon 2 Crew Capsule Target January 17, 2019 Launch
• https://www.nextbigfuture.comThe SpaceX Dragon 2 Crew capsule was revealed. SpaceX is targeting crewed Dragon flight prices of $160 million, or $20 million per seat if the maximum crew of 7 is aboard, and if NASA orders at least four DragonRider flights per year.
China is about to launch a mission to explore the far side of the moon
• arcleinThe mission's main task is to land on the far side of the moon, which never faces us because the moon and Earth are tidally locked by gravity. Previous lunar probes have only studied this side from orbit.
Historic Space Launch Day Includes Troubled Lockheed GPS Satellite
• https://www.bloombergquint.com(Bloomberg) -- On a historic day of four planned space launches, Lockheed Martin Corp. is betting that the first of its long-delayed, next-generation Global Positioning System satellites can do its job even though congressional investigators say it h
Is there a Space War?
• arcleinCameras aboard the shuttle are monitored, the video signals are delayed several seconds and sometimes minutes before being fed to public video feed networks. Immediately after the STS-48 mission UFO mission flap in which Dr Kasher a
Rocket Lab Launches 13 Cubesats on 1st Mission for NASA
• https://www.space.com/42714-rocket-lab-launches-cuRocket Lab's ramp-up is going well so far. The spaceflight startup launched 13 tiny satellites on its first-ever mission for NASA early this morning (Dec. 16), just a month after acing its first commercial flight.
Mysterious 'UFO' drifts past Elon Musk's SpaceX capsule sparking claims it's proof..
• http://www.newsjar.co, newsjarMysterious 'UFO' drifts past Elon Musk's SpaceX capsule sparking claims it's proof of alien life
With Virgin Galactic's Latest Flight, Has Space Tourism Finally Arrived?
• https://www.forbes.comThough more test flights remain, the company looks on track to carry its first paying customers into suborbital space in 2019.
China's Chang'e 4 Spacecraft Enters Lunar Orbit Ahead of 1st-Ever Far Side Landing
• https://www.space.com by Andrew JonesChina's Chang'e 4 lander and rover spacecraft successfully entered lunar orbit Wednesday (Dec. 12) following a four-and-a-half-day flight to the moon.
Virgin Galactic rocket ship reaches space in test flight
• Associated PressRichard Branson greeted the two pilots after the test, declaring "Space is Virgin territory!"
Virgin Galactic could beat SpaceX to major milestone Thursday
• https://www.cnet.comNeither Elon Musk's company nor Blue Origin have done it just yet, and it's a long time coming for Richard Branson's space tourism venture.
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