May 17-23, 2021 / Vol 40, No 20 / Hawai`i Island, USA

2020s Space Access Technologies

In the USA: the 3rd flight of Virgin Orbit LauncherOne affixed to Cosmic Girl is planned for June from Mojave Air and Space Port. ULA is preparing 5.4-m diameter Vulcan Centaur containing two BE-4 engines for inaugural launch carrying Astrobotic Peregrine to Moon likely late 2021 / early 2022. SpaceX Starship SN15 is set to become the first prototype flown twice, while SN16 is being stacked for flight. Blue Origin set July 20 for its first crewed flight of New Shepard, and is developing orbital New Glenn heavy-lift with 7 BE-4 engines for late 2022. NASA SLS Artemis 1 mission may launch November 4. Russia Angara 5 development is slowly moving forward after first test December 2014, second Dec 2020 and next launch planned for Q2 2021 from Plesetsk. China Long March 9 three-stage super-heavy rocket will be 9.5-m diameter, capable of carrying 50,000 kg to trans-lunar injection (including crewed Moon missions) and 44,000 kg to Mars. ESA is constructing 2 variants of Ariane 6, planning ‘Ariane 62’ launch Q2 2022, followed by ‘Ariane 64’. The JAXA-Mitsubishi expendable H3, capable of SSO and GTO deliveries, is to launch fiscal year 2021. India Small Satellite Launch Vehicle first successful test-fire was in March and first launch to LEO could be October 2021. Also in queue are VG SpaceShipTwo, SNC Dreamchaesr, Ad Astra Rocket Co VASIMR, space elevator concepts and space balloons. (Image Credits: VO, ULA, BO, SpaceX, NASA. Russian Ministry of Defense, CGTV, CNSA, ESA, JAXA, ISRO)

MONDAY

National and Commercial Space Efforts in Latin America on the Rise

Paraguay is latest nation in region to send a craft to space – Guaranisat-1, deployed as part of the 4th Joint Global Multi-nation Birds Satellite mission via Japanese Experiment Module Small Satellite Orbital. While the 1.3 kg, 1U CubeSat is slight in mass and volume, its impact on the region may be significant, as the $400,000 investment is aimed at compiling epidemiological data on Chagas disease, a parasite affecting ~6.2M throughout Latin America. Perhaps inspired by China, India, and other emerging Space Powers and NewSpace ventures, a number of initiatives have been recently announced: Nicaragua plans National Ministry for Extraterrestrial Space Affairs, The Moon and Other Celestial Bodies. Costa Rica Space Radar is operational, built by LeoLabs of San Francisco, and Costa Rica Space Agency is under development. Brazil is aiming for first orbital launch from Alcântara Space Center (-2°18′) in the first half of 2022, having partnered with US-based Virgin Orbit, Hyperion Rocket Systems, Orion AST and C6 Launch of Canada. Argentine Space Agency is building launch capabilities within Port Belgrano Naval Base (-38°53′) for 28 m Light Useful Payloads Satellite Launcher Tronador 2 and making strides to collaborate with Mexico to create a unifying Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency. Guiana Space Centre (5°10′) remains the premier spaceport of Latin America, from which the world’s most advanced space telescope, JWST, is launching to Lagrange Point 2 NET October 31. (Image Credits: Soichi Noguchi via Twitter, AEB, GSC, ASC)

May 17 — National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Online / Washington DC: Committee on Planetary Protection – Meeting # 5 on Mars Mission Bioburden Requirements; 13:30-17:30 EDT.

May 17-21 — American Astronomical Society, Online / Washington DC: 52nd Annual Meeting of the Division for Dynamical Astronomy.

May 17-21 — International Space University, SpaceBase, Online / New Zealand: ISU Executive Space Course.

May 17 — Moon: 3.1° NNE of Beehive Cluster, 18:00.

Continued From…
NET Early 2021 — ISRO, Launch SSLV / Demonstration Launch, Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India: New Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) to launch on first orbital test flight.

NET May 8 — Long March 5B Core Stage Return to Earth: Uncontrolled re-entry of rocket core stage expecting to occur around this date, likely falling into international waters.

NET May 15 — Rocket Lab, Launch Electron / “Running Out of Toes”, Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand: Electron to deploy 2 Earth-observation satellites for BlackSky; 10:00-12:05 UTC; will be 20th Electron launch overall and 2md of 3 planned ocean splashdown recovery missions.

NLT May 15 — ISRO, Launch GSLV Mk.2 / GISAT 1, Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India: Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk. 2, designated GSLV-F10, to launch India first GEO Imaging Satellite.