May 6-12, 2024 / Vol 43, No 19 / Hawai`i Island, USA

Boeing Starliner CST-100 Inaugural Crewed Flight to ISS Set for May 6

United Launch Alliance is set to launch its Atlas V rocket NET May 6 from SLC-41, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida for the long-awaited Boeing CST-100 Starliner Crew Flight Test with a launch mass of 13,000 kg carrying Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore. This launch comes after the Starliner first test flight in 2019 which did not make it to the ISS, the successful second uncrewed flight in 2022, and final safety improvements to the parachutes and wiring harnesses in 2023. Before docking to ISS, the crew will perform operational testing of manual flying, communication procedures and emergency power systems. The craft is planned to stay docked for ~8 days while the ISS Expedition 71 crew helps to transfer cargo from Starliner, and Williams, Wilmore and ground teams work to assess data from the flight. The crew and craft will return to Earth utilizing parachutes for a ground-landing at White Sands, New Mexico, approaching at ~6.5 kph and landing on 6 inflatable air bags. The capsule should be able to be reused up to 10 missions. Starliner is part of the NASA Commercial Crew Program—the original contract won by Boeing was US$4.82B. Assuming things go nominally for this crewed test flight, the Starliner-1 operational mission in 2025 will carry Michael Fincke and Scott Tingle of NASA, Joshua Kutryk of Canadian Space Agency, and Kimiya Yui of JAXA to ISS for a 6-month stay. (Image Credits: Boeing, ULA / Pat Corkery)

MONDAY 

☆ May 6 — International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 71 seven-member crew ready for arrival for two crew of Starliner, working with SpaceX Dragon-30 cargo, cardio monitors and pharmaceutical experiments.

☆ May 6 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou 18 three-member crew Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu begin first week of work and life in orbit, estimated to oversee 90 payloads during 6-month mission.

☾ = Moon activity

★ = Space and… ☆ = International space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).

2024 Humans to Mars Summit Advances Sustainable, Permanent Human Presence NLT 2030s

Mars mission architecture, technology requirements, human resources, government-industry collaboration, and 2033 Mars human landing feasibility are overarching topics of the 2024 Humans to Mars Summit, organized by Explore Mars and set for May 7-8 at George Washington University in Washington DC. An additional day of networking at Elliott School of International Affairs and Capitol Hill advocacy on May 9 expands this year’s event to ‘Humans to Mars Week’. 58 speakers including (L-R) Lori Glaze (NASA PSD), Grant Anderson (Paragon Space), Tiffany Vora (Singularity University), Dean Cheng (United States Institute of Peace), Masaki Fujimoto (ISAS/JAXA), Virgin Galactic spaceflight participant Namira Salim, and a TBA congressional guest will give talks, engage in panel discussions, and mingle with attendees. Day 1 ‘Progress Toward Mars’ agenda shows strong lunar focus with Prasun Desai (NASA STMD) giving plenary Innovating Our Way to the Moon and Mars immediately following opening remarks, followed by an update on Artemis Moon missions 1-5 from Artemis Mission Manager Mike Sarafin. On Day 2 ‘Opportunities and Challenges’ retired NASA scientist James Green will present A Single Launch Mars Sample Return Mission to Reduce Complexity, Adele Luta (Explore Titan) will give talk Our Journey to the Stars is through Titan and panel discussion When Will China Send Humans to the Moon and Mars? will be moderated by Kara Cunzeman (Aerospace Corporation). Sponsors include Aerojet Rocketdyne, Draper, and National Institute of Aerospace. (Image Credits: NASA, Explore Mars)

★ May 6 — United Launch Alliance, Boeing, Launch Atlas V / CST-100 Starliner Crew Flight Test, SLC-41, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: Boeing to launch Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore to ISS on first crewed flight of Starliner.

● May 6 — Rocket Lab, Online: 1st Quarter 2024 Financial Results Telecon; 17:00 EDT.

● May 6-10 — American Nuclear Society, Santa Fe NM: 2024 Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS) Conference: Powering the Final Frontier.

TUESDAY

★ May 7 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink 6-57, SLC-39A, Kennedy Space Center FL: Falcon 9 to launch next batch of Starlink satellites.

● May 7 — Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems, Interagency Operations Group, Washington DC: Lunar Interoperability Forum.

● May 7-8 — Explore Mars Inc., Washington DC: 2024 Humans to Mars Summit; featuring Mars Day on the Hill, networking receptions, tours, collaborative initiatives, expert-led workshops.

☾ May 7 — Moon: 3.2° NNW of Venus, 04:00; New Moon, 17:23.

● May 8 — University of Hawai’i, Institute for Astronomy, Online, Honolulu HI: Spring 2024 IfA Colloquia Talk: Small Bodies: Primitive Witnesses to the Birth of a Habitable Solar System; featuring Karen Meech from UH IfA.

● May 8-10 — International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), Daytona Beach FL: 4th IAA Conference on Space Situational Awareness (ICSSA); at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

☾ May 8 — Moon: 3.4° NNW of Uranus, 02:00; with Jupiter and Uranus within circle of diameter 4.46°, 04:00; 4.1° NNW of Jupiter, 07:00; 0.49° ESE of Pleiades, 15:00.

☆ May 8 — Mars: At perihelion, 1.3815 AU from the Sun, 01:00.

☆ May 8 — Apollo Asteroid 2020 HJ6: Near-Earth Flyby (0.083 AU)