Roundup of thoughts

Last August, I wrote a "Roundup of Planned #HLV here Now I am reading with interest this analysis of Ariane 6 by Eric Berger https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/04/europes-ariane-6-rocket-is-turning-into-a-space-policy-disaster/ I will summarize soon! A key nugget reads, "As of this writing [18 April 2023], the public date for the debut launch of Ariane 6 remains "late 2023," but the rocket's first flight will certainly slip into 2024. And its development budget has nearly doubled, to $4.4 billion." And Eric finishes writing, "For Europe, the optics of this are terrible . . . [and] officials from the continent are going to have to negotiate with SpaceX for a ride to space for some of their most precious satellites—never mind that the cost is likely to be lower and that the Falcon 9 is the most reliable rocket in the world, with the lowest insurance costs. It's a bitter pill to swallow."

Here's a #wenhop update for #HLV #SpaceXStarship @TGMetsFan98 writes, "per FAA Advisory, @SpaceX #Starship orbital test flight #OFT1 is targeting N.E.T. Monday, April 10, N.E.T. 9:10 EDT 8:10 AM CDT 13:10 UTC" Thomas Burghardt @TGMetsFan98 According to an FAA Operations Plan Advisory released just now, the Starship orbital test flight is targeting Monday, April 10, no earlier than 8:10 AM CDT (13:10 UTC). Note: this does not mean that the launch license has been issued. https://fly.faa.gov/adv/adv_spt.jsp

 Health - NYTimes: A Low-Pressure Guide to Make Strength Training a Habit https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/12/well/move/strength-training-beginners-guide.html

 Here's a #wenhop update for @boeingspace #Starliner launching on an #ULAAtlasV NASA delayed the flight from ~April to N.E.T. July 21 Steve Stich, Mgr Commercial Crew, said time is needed for pre-flight review, certification of the parachute system & ISS schedule June / July Read more on Ars: https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/03/nasa-delays-flight-of-boeings-starliner-again-this-time-for-parachutes/

Here's a #wenhop update for @boeingspace #Starliner  launching on an #ULAAtlasV  CFT scheduled "after Axiom Mission 2" On 17-Feb, status was "80% through" work to be human-rated & fly As of 23-Mar its, "adjusting schedule...as teams assess readiness & complete verification" https://twitter.com/KathyLueders/status/1638986514729140224?s=20 @KathyLueders We’re adjusting the @Space_Station schedule including the launch date for our Boeing Crew Flight Test as teams assess readiness and complete verification work. CFT now will launch following Axiom Mission 2 for optimized station operations. (1/2) Target launch dates for Ax-2, still planned in early May, and Starliner will be shared soon. We’ll plan a media update after we have the space station schedule set. As always, we will fly when we are ready. (2/2) 3:30 PM · Mar 23, 2023

Check out this update on the Gravtics Starmax commercial LEO space station https://twitter.com/GraviticsInc/status/1636732116699414530?s=20 Tweet See new Tweets Conversation Gravitics @GraviticsInc Earlier this week, Gravitics conducted a successful pressure test of a StarMax prototype hull. The goal of the test was to prove the pressure worthiness of the StarMax space station module. The system passed all test milestones and was subjected to higher pressures than it would experience in space, successfully reaching 26.6 PSIG (pounds per square inch gauge) while remaining airtight. The test involved ramping up pressure inside the test article by pushing compressed air into the vessel. At each pressure milestone, the team allowed a few minutes for the test article’s pressure to stabilize while monitoring how the hull material behaved. The first checkpoint was at 6 PSI. Holding there, the test team performed safety checkouts and confirmed the validity of the test. The team then incre...

 Here's a #wenhop update for #HLV #ULAVulcan by @jeff_foust@twtr.plus  N.E.T. 4 May and identifies several gating factors https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1628895407731343360?s=20 ULA's Tory Bruno says they are targeting no earlier than May 4 for the first Vulcan Centaur launch. Based on several issues, including BE-4 qualification testing and launch windows for the Astrobotic Peregrine lander.