Archive for the ‘Space News’ Category
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April 26th, 2025
Image credit: Firefly Aerospace
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – Lessons learned and on-the-spot surprises from the first fully successful commercial lunar lander mission bolsters the chances of long-term robotic and human operations on the moon.
The Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost Mission 1 safely touched down March 2 within the targeted Mare Crisium landing zone.
Blue Ghost completed more than 14 days of surface operations during 346 hours of daylight, stretching its lifetime for a little over 5 hours into the super-chilly lunar night.
Image credit: Firefly Aerospace
For more details, go to my new Space.com story — ‘We learned so much that we didn’t know’: Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost moon lander mission was full of surprises” – at:
Image credit: Firefly Aerospace/Inside Outer Space screengrab
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Soviet Union’s Venera spacecraft design.
Image credit: NPO Lavochkin
In late March 1972, the Soviet Union’s Cosmos 482 was launched. But that country’s attempted Venus probe ran amuck during its rocket-assisted toss to the cloud-veiled world.
Major elements of that failed craft remained in Earth orbit. The upper stage of the Soyuz booster launching that Venus probe cut off prematurely, leaving the payload marooned in Earth orbit.
Unusual uncontrolled reentry
But here is new news: “In about two weeks from now, on or near May 9-10, an unusual uncontrolled reentry will happen.”
That’s the report from satellite watcher Marco Langbroek of the Netherlands. He has been taking telescopic looks at the errant, Earth-circling Cosmos 482 remains for numbers of years.
Venera 8 preparations. Image credit: Roscosmos/NPO Lavochkin
What’s ahead is the reentry of the Cosmos 482 descent craft – the landing module of the errant Soviet Venera mission that failed over 53 years ago.
Hot topic
And one hot topic to ponder is whether that landing module intended for Venus, custom-made to withstand reentry through the thick Venus atmosphere, might survive reentry through the Earth’s atmosphere intact.
The former Soviet Union’s Cosmos 482 was a sister probe to Venera 8. That spacecraft in July 1972 became the second craft to land successfully on the surface of Venus. It relayed data from Venus’ hellish surface for 50 minutes and 11 seconds before succumbing to that planet’s harsh planetary conditions.
Meanwhile, adrift around Earth and headed for its apparent Earth reentry is the lost-to-space Cosmos 482 wreckage.
Image credit: Marco Langbroek/Dominic Dirkx
The Soviet-style contraption was built to withstand the heat of diving into Venus’ cloud-veiled planet’s thick atmosphere. The Venus lander mass was pegged at 1,091 lbs. (495 kilograms) and carries significant thermal protection.
Hard landing
Exactly when and where the wayward hardware could plummet back to Earth is uncertain. With an orbital inclination of 51.7 degrees, the reentry can occur anywhere between latitude 52 N and 52 S, Langbroek explains.
Over the past months, together with colleague Dominic Dirkx, Langbroek shaped a reentry model for Cosmos 482 in TUDAT, the TU Delft Astrodynamics Toolbox. TUDAT is an open source, multi-platform Astrodynamics software developed and maintained at the Aerospace faculty of Delft Technical University where Langbroek works.
As Langbroek reports, the Venus probe had a parachute for the upper Venusian atmosphere dive, “but I wouldn’t bet on that working now, and would assume that, if it survives re-entry, it would come down hard.”
Venera 8 was one of a pair of Venus atmospheric lander probes designed for the spring 1972 launch window. The other mission, Cosmos 482, failed to leave Earth orbit.
Image credit: Hall of Venus/NPO Lavochkin
Langbroek actually modeled the reentry, expecting an end velocity in the order of some 145 miles per hour-plus (65-70 meters/second) on the ground or ocean impact.
So could this piece of space junk survive a hot-footing descent back to its home planet from whence it was launched?
“The risks involved are not particularly high, but not zero,” Langbroek points out. “With a mass of just under 500 kg and 1-meter size, risks are similar to that of a meteorite impact.”
Stay tuned…and heads up!
Venera 8 artwork.
Image Credit: NPO Lavochkin
Photo taking during Chang’e-5 moon surface sampling session in December 2020.
Credit: CNSA/China Central Television (CCTV)
Seven institutions from six countries – including the United States — have been granted a go-ahead to borrow samples collected by China’s Chang’e-5 lunar sample return mission.
The authorized U.S. institutions are Brown University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Also given sample access is the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) in France, the University of Cologne in Germany, Osaka University in Japan, the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), the Open University in the United Kingdom.
Chang’e-5 return capsule holding lunar specimens.
Image credit: National Astronomical Observatories, CAS
In 2020, China’s Chang’e-5 Moon mission retrieved lunar samples weighing about 1,731 grams.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA), in November 2023, opened applications for international researchers to borrow Chang’e-5 lunar samples.
By the end of December 2023, CNSA said it had received 24 applications from 11 countries and international organizations.
Loan agreement details
Timothy Glotch is a professor of geosciences at Stony Brook University in New York. He told Inside Outer Space that NASA and CNSA were unable to come to terms on the loan agreement for the Chang’E-5 samples.
“As a result, due to the Wolf amendment, I am not able to use any NASA funds to carry out the work my team and I proposed to do on the Chang’E-5 samples,” Glotch said. “However, the Stony Brook University administration has provided me with internal funds for travel and to conduct our proposed analyses, which is exciting.”
The Wolf Amendment is a law passed by the United States Congress that prohibits NASA from using government funds to engage in direct, bilateral cooperation with the Chinese government and China-affiliated organizations from its activities without explicit authorization from the FBI and the U.S. Congress.
Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects specimens from the Moon brought back by the return sample mission.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Glotch added that the Stony Brook contracts office still has to sign off on the loan agreement, and has been in touch with the CNSA representative about this.
“I hope that this last step can be resolved soon and that I can plan my travel to China to collect the samples and begin the analyses that we proposed,” said Glotch. “It is an honor to have been chosen to work with these samples. I’m champing at the bit to get to work!”
Huge scientific value
Also granted access to the lunar specimens is Stephen Parman of Brown University’s department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Science in Providence, Rhode Island.
“It is important to emphasize we are not going to use any NASA funds for this work. So we are in compliance with the Wolf Amendment,” Parman told Inside Outer Space.
Once all the necessary approvals from their respective institutions are obtained, Parman and Glotch plan to go over together later this year to obtain the samples.
“It is an honor to be able to work on these samples,” said Parman. “They have huge scientific value, as all returned samples do. We should get more!”
Red Planet collaboration
Meanwhile, China has also released a notice on Tianwen-3 international cooperation opportunities.
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space
That mission is geared for returning samples from Mars and is slated for launch around 2028, according to CNSA.
At a ceremony for Space Day of China held in Shanghai, CNSA announced that the Tianwen-3 spacecraft will allocate 20 kilograms of resources for international collaboration. The Tianwen-3 spacecraft comprises a lander, an ascent vehicle, a service module, an orbiter and a return module, and it is equipped with six scientific payloads.
According to a China Central Television (CCTV) report, the orbiter will operate in a circular Martian orbit at an altitude of about 350 kilometers, and has a designed lifespan of no less than five years.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Payload resources
The service module will operate in a highly elliptical orbit, conducting in-orbit exploration for approximately two Martian years with a designed lifespan of no less than five years.
For this mission, the CNSA is offering international cooperation payload resources including no more than 15 kilograms on the orbiter and up to 5 kilograms on the service module.
Liu Jizhong, chief designer of China’s Mars sample-return mission, has stated that it will take two Long March-5 launches to carry out the Mars sample-return mission.
Wang Jie, Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, the three Chinese astronauts for the upcoming Shenzhou-20 spaceflight mission, met the press on Wednesday.
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
China is ready to launch the Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship on April 24.
Liftoff is slated for 17:17 Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country’s northwest, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced today.
CMSA revealed that that the Shenzhou-20 crew members are: Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie with Chen Dong as the commander.
The three astronauts will take over command of China’s Tiangong space station from the Shenzhou-19 crew currently in orbit, and will spend about six months in space.
Lin Xiqiang, CMSA spokesman.
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Fast autonomous rendezvous
As reported by China Central Television (CCTV), Shenzhou-20 is the 35th flight mission of China’s human space program and the 5th crewed mission during the application and development stage of China’s space station.
Lin Xiqiang, CMSA spokesman, stated in a media event: “According to the plan, Shenzhou-20 spacecraft will execute the fast autonomous rendezvous and docking procedures after entering the orbit.”
Lin added that the spacecraft will dock with the forward port of the Tianhe core module in 6.5 hours to form a three-module and three-ship assembly.
Shenzhou-19 crew ready for trip homne.
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Landing site
“During their stay, the Shenzhou-20 crew will welcome the coming and docking of Tianzhou-9 cargo ship and Shenzhou-21 manned spaceship,” Lin said. “The crew is planned to return to the Dongfeng landing site in late October.”
Chen Dong participated in the piloted spaceflight missions of Shenzhou-11 and Shenzhou-14, and two years after the Shenzhou-14 mission, he will serve as the commander again.
Space travel rookies, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, were selected from the third batch of Chinese astronauts. Chen was a former air force pilot before being selected as an astronaut, and Wang previously served as an engineer at the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
Meanwhile, the now-orbiting Shenzhou-19 crew is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site on April 29 after the two crews complete the handover procedure in orbit.
Go to CCTV video at: https://youtu.be/Ux6PXzsAOAs?si=AtiOwUEvPivkHfiH
Also, crew press event at: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1ANvZUWGqh/
Image credit: John Barentine/Dark Sky Consultants
Coming to skies near you – are we ready for “obtrusive space advertising” – billboard-like ads that can be easily seen by people here on Earth?
Taking a “wait-a-minute” approach is John Barentine of Dark Sky Consultants.
“A revolution in the way humans access and use outer space is underway. The ongoing transition of space from a realm dominated by nation-states to one of private commercial activities is remaking near-Earth orbital space,” Barentine points out.
Image credit: StartRocket
Global market
In a recent Future In-Space Operations seminar, Barentine outlined the potentially profitable use of outer space for space advertising, in the past stymied by high launch costs.
Although not yet demonstrated practically or at scale, it is thought that this form of advertising may tap into a large and thus far unexploited global market, explains Barentine. At the same time, he adds, it presents a risk in coming years of transforming the night sky to the detriment of professional astronomers and stargazers alike.
Russia’s Angara-A5 booster.
Image credit: Roscosmos
Prototype satellite
A forerunner of things to come has already been launched, but in prototype status as a space media satellite.
Dubbed the Gagarinets mission, it was lofted on April 11 of last year via Russia’s Angara-A5 booster. Short-lived in space, the Russian 3U CubeSat of Moscow-based Avant Space was a technology demonstrator, prelude to a projected constellation of satellites each using a 150 watt laser diode that collectively project laser-light images, such as company logos, QR codes, or text in the night sky.
Gagarinets mission prototype with Anton Ossovsky, founder and CEO of Avant Space.
Image credit: Avant Space
“The allure is just too great to not try,” Barentine contends, citing one analysis that a space advertising mission could generate up to $2 million in revenue daily. That’s enough to pay for itself in about a month.
According to Avant’s website: “We will agree with you on the details of the flight mission: the shape of the constellation, the number of satellites, the time and place of the first appearance of the brand, a list of subsequent locations and the total operating time of the system.”
Image credit: Avant Space
The new constellation would fly over all continents and major cities with a population of over 1 billion people, the Avant website posting adds. “Your brand will become as unreachable as the stars in the sky.”
Public attention
First of all, is the issue of space advertising getting the needed attention at the moment?
“It’s difficult to say,” Barentine responds to Inside Outer Space. “The issue is and isn’t imminent at the same time. There is much more attention to concerns like space debris and the potential for warfare in space, given the geopolitical realities of the times, in that they are perceived to be more imminent and significant concerns.”
Barentine fears that attention to the issue of space advertising will remain low until someone successfully deploys a conspicuous, obtrusive space advertisement.
Image credit: Avant Space
“At that point it will capture the public’s attention. But once a successful deployment takes place, it will be difficult to meaningful regulate the activity post-facto,” says Barentine.
Too late, stand-by for what’s coming?
As for what group is best suited to consider the ramifications of advertising in space, Barentine senses it’s an issue for the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
“It’s the only venue in which some sort of international agreement might be reached,” Barentine said, “and even at that it will not include the perspectives of countries that are not state parties to the Outer Space Treaty.”
However, in a sense, this issue may be in a too late, stand-by for what’s coming mode.
“That is my feeling as well,” Barentine explains. “My view crystallized last year when Avant Space successfully, by its own account, tested its prototype CubeSat. The capability of deploying an obtrusive space advertisement exists.”
Image credit: NASA
There is a fragile and unspoken international agreement of sorts that “we don’t do this in space”, led by the U.S. But Barentine is not sure how long that will hold up.
What happens next?
Barentine believes that, in order to maximize profitability, he believes a successful obtrusive space advertisement campaign would center on some kind of product that is widely consumed in much of the world, so that the audience for such an ad is as large as possible.
“Likely it will be a U.S. company only in that many have the kind of global market penetration to justify the cost,” said Barentine. “But the payload won’t launch from the U.S. for legal reasons. I could see such a launch taking place, for example, in Russia.
Non-obtrusive space ad from the 1960s.
Image credit: General Foods via John Barentine
Indeed, 51 U.S. Code § 50911 deals with space advertising, noting that “No holder of a license under this chapter may launch a payload containing any material to be used for purposes of obtrusive space advertising.”
“Obtrusive space advertising” is defined as advertising in outer space that is capable of being recognized by a human being on the surface of the Earth without the aid of a telescope or other technological device.
Barentine recently was a co-creator of a group called the Center for Space Environmentalism. It serves as a hub of activity surrounding all aspects of the space environment, from orbital crowding, space debris to world beyond Earth and novel space activities.
For more information on the Center for Space Environmentalism, go to:
https://www.spaceenvironmentalism.org/
The Commercial Space Federation is at the forefront of dealing with the diverse nature, as well as the rapid growth of the commercial space industry.
Their mission is to push for growth and innovation, make sure there’s continued U.S. leadership in this arena, and drive investment into the U.S. commercial space industry.
Dave Cavossa during a House Space & Aeronautics Subcommittee Hearing encouraging commercial space innovation while maintaining public safety.
Image credit: House Space & Aeronautics Subcommittee/Space.com screengrab
New at the helm of CSF as of June of last year is Dave Cavossa serving as CSF’s President, keenly aware of the overall health and direction of commercial space endeavors.
I recently tagged up with Cavossa and his appraisal of the intersection of commercial space, government affairs, and government services.
Go to my new Space.com story – “‘It’s very pro-commercial space right now’: An industry insider’s off-Earth status report” – at:
A healthy commercial space ecosystem should be founded on more transparency and a reduction in red tape surrounding launch and reentry licensing and activity.
Image credit: SpaceX
Recently joining the CSF ranks is Interlune that seeks to commercialize space-based resources, help establish an in-space economy, and support a long-term presence on the moon.
Image credit: Interlune
Entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, President Trump’s nominee to be NASA administrator, appears April 9 before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and testifies that NASA is a “force multiplier for science.”
NASA / Bill Ingalls
The prospect that NASA’s space science budget could face major cuts is prompting worried feedback. Those wake-up alarms are being sounded due to an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) draft budget called a “passback” to the space agency.
Reaction to that news from the space science community has been swift.
But what’s the next shoe to drop in sorting out NASA’s space science budget?
Go to my new Sky and Telescope Astronomy & Observing News – “NASA’s Space Science Budget: Major Cuts Loom Large” – at:
https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/nasas-space-science-budget-major-cuts-loom-large/
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
China is readying its Shenzhou-20 mission to the country’s space station. At the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, northwest China, technicians transferred the combination of the three-person crewed spaceship and its carrier rocket to the launch site.
The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) stated that the piloted mission will launch at an appropriate time in the near future. No word as yet on the crew to fly the mission.
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
“Currently, the rocket systems are functioning well, with all parameters within the acceptable range, and the rocket is in good condition,” said Liu Haibo, an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV)
Rescue rocketry
China employs a “rolling backup” model, a term that means there is always a rocket in standby mode for any emergency, The Long March-2F carrier rocket has been on emergency rescue standby duties for half a year since it arrived at the launch center on September 20, 2024, according to CCTV.
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
“Before the vertical transfer, we had already developed a detailed follow-up work plan, outlining the content, status, sequence and inter-coordination of testing and inspection items for each system in the launching area,” said Zheng Yonghuang, chief engineer at the Jiuyuan Satellite Launch Center. Doing so, he said ensures that each system operates efficiently and smoothly.
Shenzhou-19 crew.
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Crew transfer
The Shenzhou-20 crew will carry out China’s 15th manned spaceflight and will become the ninth group of inhabitants of the Tiangong space station. The space travel trio will take over operation of the orbital outpost from the Shenzhou-19 crew — mission commander Senior Colonel Cai Xuzhe and crew members Lieutenant Colonel Song Lingdong and Lieutenant Colonel Wang Haoze.
The Shenzhou-19 crew arrived at the station on October 30. By month’s end they will have stayed in orbit for nearly six months.
For a video showing launch preparations for the Shenzhou-20 mission, go to:
NASA’s Lindley Johnson is retiring head of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office.
Image credit: Leonard David
I
n case you haven’t noticed, you may be sleeping better at night.
The cosmic dream state you’re in could include mind-bending thoughts about an impending asteroid impact on Earth. That’s messy business. Moreover, that space rock intrusion here on Earth can, and already has, meant doom and destruction.
Credit: NASA/Don Davis
But where are we today in dealing with any intruder from afar in our collective air space?
Lindley Johnson has been a pioneer in blueprinting warning and response scenarios to any potential impact of Earth by an asteroid or comet. He led the establishment of the Planetary Defense Coordination Office at NASA in January 2016. Prior to NASA, he served 23 years of Air Force active duty working on a host of national security space systems.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Global response
Space.com talked with NASA’s Johnson, the space agency’s Planetary Defense Officer Emeritus, now in phased retirement mode, about his decades of work in shaping a global response and reaction to a rocky world smacking into our planet.
Go to my new Space.com story — ‘Planetary defense is knowing what’s out there and what could do harm to us.’ Meet the scientist who helped build NASA’s asteroid response plan – at:
BTW: Today is actually the premiere of Planetary Defenders, NASA’s new documentary exploring the science behind protecting Earth from asteroids.
There will be an interactive YouTube premiere at 4:30 p.m. EST.
After the premiere, the documentary will continue to be freely available on both YouTube and NASA+
Image credit: John Kraus/Polaris Program
Written testimony of Jared Isaacman at today’s U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation confirmation hearing to become the next NASA administrator:
If confirmed, and with the support and guidance of President Trump and members of Congress, we will reinvigorate a mission-first culture at NASA with the following objectives:
First—American astronauts will lead the way in the ultimate ‘high ground’ of space. As the President stated we will prioritize sending American astronauts to Mars. Along the way, we will inevitably have the capabilities to return to the Moon and determine the scientific, economic, and national security benefits of maintaining a presence on the lunar surface. We will focus our technology development efforts on the world’s greatest engineering challenges, such as the practical application of nuclear propulsion, so that we can truly unlock humankind’s ability to explore among the stars.
Second—We will ignite a thriving space economy in low Earth orbit. By working alongside international partners and industry, we can unlock the true economic potential of space and deliver meaningful benefits to the American people–potentially charting a course for NASA to become a financially self-sustaining agency.
Third—NASA will be a force multiplier for science. We will leverage NASA’s scientific talent and capabilities to enable academic institutions and industry to increase the rate of world-changing discoveries. We will launch more telescopes, more probes, more rovers and endeavor to better understand our planet and the universe beyond.
Full written testimony at:
https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/AF1E2124-BB39-4160-A28C-1F6CC2F020FD
