Short Takes – 5-7-24 – Space Geek Edition

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to launch first crewed mission. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “The Starliner is scheduled to lift off at about 10:30 p.m. Monday, weather permitting, carrying two NASA astronauts. The Crew Flight Test will be the first time Boeing’s aerospace efforts carry people into space after a decade of development.”

First crewed flight of Boeing’s Starliner space taxi postponed due to valve issue. GeekWire.com article.  Pull quote: ““The team has had some observations on an oxygen relief valve on our Centaur second stage, and the team is just not comfortable with the signatures that they’re seeing, the response out of that valve,” United Launch Alliance’s Dillon Rice said. “So, out of an abundance of caution, we are not going to continue with our launch operations today.””

NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Targets No Earlier than Friday, May 10. Blogs.NASA.gov post. Pull quote: “The delay allows teams to complete data analysis on a pressure regulation valve on the liquid oxygen tank of the Atlas V rocket ‘s Centaur upper stage and determine whether it is necessary to replace the valve.”

Portal Space Systems unveils plans for highly maneuverable spacecraft. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “Thornburg said he had earlier been interested in nuclear thermal propulsion, but cost and regulatory challenges led him to instead pursue solar thermal propulsion. “We innovated around solar thermal because of its simplicity and its reliability,” he said, building on work done by NASA and the Air Force in the 1990s and early 2000s but making use of new technologies like additively manufactured components using new alloys. “It allows us to be successful at the right price point for a technology like this.””

Rocket Lab pushes back Neutron debut to 2025. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: ““Getting Neutron to the pad this year was an ambitious green-light schedule that we had a path to closing if every single aspect went exactly according to plan,” he said. “But as we’ve always said, this is a rocket development program and this is always filled with gremlins, some in our control and some not.””

Here’s why a rich guy going to space for a second time actually matters. ArsTechnica.com article. Pull quote: “After liftoff from Florida, Isaacman said Dragon will complete seven orbits with a maximum altitude of about 1,400 km, which is about twice as high as any crewed mission has flown since 1972. After that the vehicle will descend to a more circular orbit of about 700 km and prepare for a spacewalk.”

U.S. Space Force taps commercial satellites to fill demand for global insights. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “The next step for TacSRT is to figure out ways to improve the timeliness of data deliveries and get to the point where government customers can directly task commercial satellites, he said, “so the data can be delivered in hours, not in days or weeks.””