Short Takes – 6-3-24 – Space Geek Edition

Here’s why a Japanese billionaire just canceled his lunar flight on Starship. ArsTechnica.com article. Pull quote: “"It’s a developmental project so it is what it is, but it is still uncertain as to when Starship can launch," he wrote. "I can’t plan my future in this situation, and I feel terrible making the crew members wait longer, hence the difficult decision to cancel at this point in time. I apologize to those who were excited for this project to happen."”

Blue Origin investigating New Shepard parachute issue. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “That is controlled by a band or line at the throat of the parachute. “What was saw was that the cutters, for some reason, did not cut that line,” he said. The parachutes on Starliner use a similar cutter, but Stich said testing showed no evidence of any problems with those used on Starliner. That provided the “flight rationale” for the Starliner launch to proceed.”

Ursa Major completes ground tests of new hypersonic rocket engine. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “The Draper engine uses a non-cryogenic kerosene peroxide fuel combination that offers a simpler storage solution compared to engines using liquid oxygen. Non-cryogenic fuels stay liquid at room temperature and could be useful for some in-space propulsion applications like lunar landers where the propellants need to be stored for extended periods of time.”

DARPA awards in-orbit manufacturing contract to Momentus. TheRegister.com article. Pull quote: “"The company continues to pursue opportunities to raise additional capital to allow for its continuing operations and the execution of its business plan but does not have definitive commitments at this time," Momentus added in a January SEC filing. The company also announced in the document that it had lost a potential contract with the Space Development Agency for Tranche 2 of its tracking satellite constellation.”

NASA, Mission Partners Target June 5 Crew Flight Test Launch. Blogs.NASA.gov blog post. Pull quote: “Technicians and engineers with ULA (United Launch Alliance) worked overnight and on Sunday to assess the ground support equipment at the launch pad that encountered issues during the countdown and scrubbed the June 1 launch attempt. The ULA team identified an issue with a single ground power supply within one of the three redundant chassis that provides power to a subset of computer cards controlling various system functions, including the card responsible for the stable replenishment topping valves for the Centaur upper stage. All three of these chassis are required to enter the terminal phase of the launch countdown to ensure crew safety.”

Chinese Probe Lands on Moon’s Far Side to Collect Samples for Return. UniverseToday.com article. Pull quote: “Up to 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of lunar samples will be stowed inside the lander’s “ascender” stage. The rocket-powered ascender will then lift off from the surface and transfer the samples to the Chang’e-6 orbiter, which is currently in lunar orbit. Following the model set by Chang’e-5, the orbiter will head back toward Earth and release the sample capsule for atmospheric re-entry and touchdown in Inner Mongolia.”

Mars is more prone to devastating asteroid impacts than we thought, new study hints. LiveScience.com article. Pull quote: “The simulations revealed that every Earth year, about 52 large asteroids wander dangerously close to Mars — about 2.6 times more than the 20 or so that approach Earth annually. Although these asteroids come closer to Mars than the Earth CAPHAs do to our planet, they also travel more slowly.”