SpaceX Ascends as World Spacefaring Power with Unmatched Launch Cadence, Crew and Mass to Orbit

By various metrics, SpaceX is now a leading global space power both in comparison to other commercial efforts and full-fledged national and multinational space agencies: upcoming launch of Crew-5 to ISS, scheduled for October 5 at KSC, will be the 43rd orbital launch for Falcon 9 in 2022, surpassing CNSA Long March family of rockets, which launched 42 times within the same period. This rapid, weekly cadence puts SpaceX on track to meet 52-launch set back in February, while Falcon 9 in Q2 delivered 2x overall mass to orbit (158,666 kg) than all other global launch providers. Crew-5 Astronauts (clockwise) Nicole Mann (NASA), Josh Cassada (NASA), Anna Kikina (Roscosmos) and Koichi Wakata (JAXA) prepare for their work commute to ISS via SpaceX Falcon 9, a nearly routine trip featuring autonomous docking, bringing the total count to 17 humans who have reached orbit in 2022 – 8 with Falcon 9 / Crew Dragon, 3 on CNSA Shenzhou, and 6 on Roscosmos Soyuz. Global LEO communication constellation Starlink, designed and manufactured in Redmond WA SpaceX facility, now operates on 7 continents via 1M+ ground terminals. Starship / Super Heavy prototypes currently undergoing trials and hot-fire tests are expected to launch for an orbital test NET November, possibly beating NASA flagship SLS / Orion to first flight. Starship is central to the SpaceX vision of humanity as multiworld species, intended to ferry international Artemis Astronauts to the lunar surface and eventually on into deeper space, Mars and the wider Solar System. (Image Credits: SpaceX)

MONDAY

☆ Oct 3 — ISS, ~415-km LEO: ­­­Expedition 68 with Samantha Cristoforetti as Commander to welcome 4 members of Crew-5 bringing total crew to 11, ships docked to 5, and Bigelow BEAM attached.

☆ Oct 3 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou 14 three-member crew continue work to integrate modules, analyzing EVA small mechanical arm performance, testing newly installed external circuits.

o = International terrestrial events in local time.

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

World Space Week 2022 Gears Up for Thousands of Events Highlighting Space and Sustainability

Expecting more than 1,650 events in 95 countries on 6 continents, and in LEO, World Space Week 2022 will be celebrated October 4-10. While Artemis Accords are paving a path to develop future Moon surface / cislunar realities for a Multi World Civilization, WSW recognizes the historic 65th observation of 1957 Sputnik One launch on Oct 4 and the 55th year of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty going into effect Oct 10. It is led by WSW Association which currently has 90 national coordinators and 2 local coordinators (Hong Kong, Palestine). WSW has been celebrated as a United Nations declared annual event since 1999 under COPUOS and UNOOSA. This year, sponsors include, Astroscale, Lockheed Martin and Viasat. Addressing sustainability in and from space, WSW will focus on issues such as space debris, environmental challenges and climate change. Nobu Okada (Astroscale Founder) will be WSW Honorary Chair and Chris Boshuizen (Planet Labs Cofounder, New Shepard spaceflight participant) is its Spokesperson to encourage global participation. Some events include: Italy & Australia – Collaboration and Investment Opportunities in Space being featured in Perth, Australia; Astronomy News Space Talks in Florianopolis, Brazil; Extraterrestrial Diplomacy Conference 2022 in Ottawa, Canada; African Women Rights and their Role in Sustainable Development (AWRSD) from Egypt; PhilSA Build Your Own Model Satellite from Philippines. (Image Credits: WSWA, Blue Origin)

☆ Oct 3 — Apollo Asteroid 2022 SC9: Near-Earth Flyby (0.034 AU)

☆ Oct 3 — Apollo Asteroid 2019 TY6: Near-Earth Flyby (0.091 AU)

Continued From…

★ Jun 28 – Nov 13 — CAPSTONE, Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit Trajectory: Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment heading to operating position at NRHO / cislunar space.

☆ Aug 4 – Dec 16 — Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), Lunar Trajectory: South Korea ‘Danuri’ to search for lunar resources, test technologies using Ballistic Lunar Transfer, 3 highly elliptical Earth orbits to initiate a trans-lunar injection and arrive at 100-km lunar orbit.

o Aug 8 – Nov 11 — IAU, NAOJ, NARIT, Online / Global: NameExoWorlds 2022.

o Oct 2-7 — American Astronomical Society, Hybrid / London, Ontario, Canada and Online: 54th Annual Meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences.

TUESDAY

● Oct 4 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Academy of Engineering, Washington DC: Lecture: Are We Alone? Grand Challenges in Solar System Exploration; by Robert Braun from JHU/APL, in conjunction with NAE Annual Meeting; 14:00.

o Oct 4-6 — Canadian Space Agency (CSA-ASC), Hybrid, Canada and Online: National Earth Observation Forum 2022.

● Oct 4-6 — Applied Technology Institute (ATI), Online / Riva MD: ATI Course: Satellite Communications Systems – Advanced; taught by Bruce Elbert of Wisconsin, Madison and Christopher Hoeber of Cornell University; US$2,090 per person.

o Oct 4-10 — World Space Week Association, Global: World Space Week 2022: Space and Sustainability; to celebrate international contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition; Oct 4 is 65th observation of 1st Space mission Sputnik One launched by Soviet Union 1957; Oct 10 is 55th observation of Outer Space Treaty going into effect 1967.