Category Archives: Spacex

Elon Musk, the king of all-things-absurd and space tech magnate, is planning another scientific event!

On Monday, he sparked speculation with a Tweet in which he stated that SpaceX would attempt to capture the largest-ever flying object. All of that made sense until he said the thing would be caught with robot chopsticks.

In April, Elon Musk announced on Twitter that the Super Heavy launch tower at SpaceXs Boca Chica facility was basically Mechazilla that just needs some legs.

And now Mechazilla just received a set of huge robot chopsticks on Wednesday.

Recently, SpaceX has mounted its robot chopsticks on the Super Heavy booster launch tower and will attempt to snag a giant rocket using them, according to Elon Musk.

The robot chopsticks are meant to be arms outstretched in order to catch the aptly named Super Heavy rocket boosters as they fall back towards Earth post-launches so they can be reused. Unfortunately, even though Elon Musk initially revealed the catch arms in 2020, the company couldnt assemble and install the chopsticks on the launch assembly until Tuesday.

You can see the video of its assembly below:

The arms of Mechazilla are a part of the overall structure. The robot chopsticks will be used to capture Starship, providing it with a significant role in SpaceXs Boca Chica complex, according to Musk.

Were going to try to catch the Super Heavy booster with the launch tower arm, using the grid fins to take the load, Musk tweeted last year.

The systems operation will be an intriguing thing to witness. If SpaceX succeeds, it will add a new level of excitement to the companys already thrilling rocket landings.

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SpaceX Has Finally Installed The Robot Chopsticks It Needs To Catch Massive Rockets - Wonderful Engineering

Starship prototype 20 is stacked on top of Super Heavy Booster 4 on August 6, 2021.

SpaceX

Elon Musk's SpaceX has become one of the world's most valuable private companies, and Morgan Stanley believes the Starship rockets the venture is developing will have wide-reaching implications.

Starship is the massive, next-generation rocketSpaceX is developing to be fully reusable, to launch cargo and people on missions to the moon and Mars. The company is testing prototypes at a facility in southern Texas and has flown multiple short test flights.

"This technological development has the potential to transform investor expectations around the space industry," Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas wrote in a note to investors on Monday.

"As one client put it: 'talking about space before Starship is like talking about the internet before Google,'" Jonas added.

Morgan Stanley noted that its latest views on SpaceX come in response to CNBC reporting that the company's valuation has hit $100 billion.

"What SpaceX is doing on the shores of South Texas is challenging any preconceived notion of what was possible and the time frame possible, in terms of rockets, launch vehicles and supporting infrastructure," Jonas said.

In Morgan Stanley's view, Musk's company has created a "double flywheel" of technology development with its reusable rockets and Starlink satellites. The firm bases the majority of SpaceX's valuation on the earning potential of the Starlink satellite internet network, which Musk has previously said could bring in as much as $30 billion in revenue a year.

"We view SpaceX's launch capabilities and Starlink as inextricably linked whereby improvements in launch capacity/bandwidth (both in frequency and payload per flight) and cost of launch improve the economics and path to scale of Starlink's LEO constellation," Jonas said. "At the same time, development of Starlink's commercial opportunity provides a thriving 'captive customer' for the launch business, enabling a symbiotic development."

Notably, Morgan Stanley expects Starlink to burn about $33 billion this decade and turn cash flow positive in 2031.

Morgan Stanley last year forecast that SpaceX would become a $100 billion company at a time when SpaceX's valuation was nearing $44 billion.

"More than one client has told us if Elon Musk were to become the first Trillionaire... it won't be because of Tesla. Others have said SpaceX may eventually be the most highly valued company in the world in any industry," Jonas said.

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Morgan Stanley says SpaceX's Starship may 'transform investor expectations' about space - CNBC

Enlarge / Rendering of SpaceX's Boca Chica launch site with FAA annotations.

FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration convened the first of two virtual public hearings on Monday evening to solicit public comments on SpaceX's plan to launch its Starship rocket from South Texas.

The hearing, which lasted nearly four hours, drew passionate support for SpaceX's plans to expand its Starbase facility as well as heated opposition. Limited to comments of threeminutes or less, nearly five dozen people spoke during the hearing over Zoom.

By my informal counting, the comments tallied 39 in favor of the project and 18 against. The comments in favor of SpaceX were more likely to come from out of state, from people generally appreciative of the company's efforts to make humanity a "multiplanetary species." However, there were plenty of local supporters as well.

Most of those who spoke against the project said they lived near Brownsville, or in the state of Texas. They cited a mix of environmental concerns, including wildlife habitat destruction, and impacts on the South Texas community, such as gentrification.

Several proponents of SpaceX said they had grown up near Cape Canaveral, in Florida, or other launch sites around the planet and had not seen environmental degradation in the vicinity. Rohan Joseph, who identified himself as an aerospace engineer, "lifelong environmentalist," and birder, cited the protection of sea turtles at launch sites in India as an example of the positive effects of a launch site on an area.

He also wondered why SpaceX appeared to be receiving so much scrutiny for its launch site when there was a former oil drilling site in the vicinity, or, if the environment was so pristine, why nearby South Padre Island had been allowed to be built up. "If SpaceX were an oil exploration company, there would be no questions asked," Joseph said.

A number of supporters also cited the project's ability to inspire a new generation of Texans. Gail Afar, a registered nurse in Texas, works with children in schools, and she said their eyes light up when the topic of SpaceX is raised.

Austin Barnard, who said he has lived in Brownsville his entire life, recalled growing up in South Texas without any sense of hope for the future. "The community is now embracing the idea that there is a new dawn for humanity," Barnard said. "I find it awe-inspiring and beautiful."

A city commissioner from Brownsville, Jessica Tetreau-Kalifa, noted that before SpaceX's decision to move to South Texas in 2013, the area was "the poorest community in the United States." By coming to the region, she said, SpaceX has changed everything, from the perception of the region to its economic outlook. The company now employs more than 2,000 people locally, she said.

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Supporters and opponents of SpaceX launch site air their concerns - Ars Technica

The startup Radiant was founded by ex-SpaceX engineers who recently secured funding of $1.2 million to develop these portable nuclear reactors. Radiants nuclear reactors can deliver over 1 MegaWatt of electricity and they can operate for up to eight years. This makes it possible for one reactor to power over 1,000 homes.

Whats different with these nuclear reactorsThe nuclear reactors developed by Radiant use helium instead of water for cooling. This method, according to the company greatly reduces corrosion, boiling and contamination risks. The particle fuel used in these reactors does not melt according to Radiant and is also said to be capable of handling higher temperatures than traditional nuclear fuels. The company is also working around ways to refuel the reactors and also efficiently transport heat out of the reactor core.

Small nuclear reactorsSmall nuclear reactors are being developed by several countries including NASA who is making one the size of a garbage can. According to the World Nuclear Association, small nuclear reactors are convenient as they can be efficiently built in a controlled factory. Their small size and safety features also make it possible for them to be lent to countries with smaller grids. It can also help with easier financing as compared to larger nuclear plants.

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Ex-SpaceX engineers are working on portable nuclear reactors that can power over 1,000 homes - Business Insider India

Cathie Wood-led Ark Investment Management on Friday bought 126,360 shares estimated to be worth about $994,453 in Velo3D Inc (NYSE:VLD), on the dip.

Shares of the 3D company, which went public last month via a merger with special purpose acquisition company Jaws Spitfire Acquisition Corp, closed 1.75% lower at $7.87 on Friday.

The Ark Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF (BATS:ARKQ) bought the shares in Velo3D, a 3D printer supplier for SpaceX. Besides ARKQ, the Ark Space Exploration & Innovation ETF (BATS:ARKX) also owns shares in Velo3D.

Together the two ETFs held 4.41 million shares, worth $35.39 million, in Velo3D ahead of Friday's trade.

SpaceX is a space exploration company led byTesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk.

See Also: Cathie Wood Just Bought Another $402K In This Supplier Of Elon Musk-Led SpaceX

Here are a few of the other key trades for Ark on Friday:

Bought 48,448 shares estimated to be worth $6.55 million in Teladoc Health Inc (NYSE:TDOC). Shares of the telemedicine healthcare company closed 1.08% lower at $135.40 a share on Friday.

Sold 153,997 shares estimated to be worth $6.75 million in NanoString Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:NSTG). Shares of the biotech company closed 1.42% lower at $43.82 a share on Friday.

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Cathie Wood Piled Up Another $994K In This Company Linked With Elon Musk's SpaceX On Friday - Benzinga - Benzinga

Enlarge / The Boeing Starliner spacecraft to be flown on Orbital Flight Test-2 is seen at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 2, 2021.

NASA

NASA and Boeing officials said Tuesday that they have successfully removed two valves from the Starliner spacecraft and have shipped them to Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama for further analysis.

The forensic examinationthe two valves will be inspected with a variety of techniques, including a CT scanis part of Boeing's ongoing effort to diagnose the "stuck" valve issue that caused an abort of Starliner's uncrewed test flight on August 3. With less than five hours remaining in the countdown to launch, during a routine procedure, 13 of the 24 valves that control the flow of dinitrogen tetroxide oxidizer through the service module of the spacecraft would not cycle between closed and open.

An initial diagnostic effort at the launch pad yielded no results, so the Atlas V rocket and spacecraft were rolled back to an integration facility. After more inspection and testing there, engineers decided to "de-stack" the spacecraft and return it to Boeing's spacecraft processing building at Kennedy Space Center. This eventually led to further dissection of the vehicle and removal of several valves.

Boeing's chief engineer for space and launch, Michelle Parker, said during a news conference with reporters Tuesday that the company has a pretty solid hypothesis for what went wrong. At some point during the 46-day period when the vehicle was fueledand when the valves were found to be stuckhumidity must have gotten into the spacecraft. This moisture combined with the oxidizer and created nitric acid, beginning the process of corrosion.

Parker said dew points at the launch site were high in August, and while the vehicle was designed to operate in Florida's humidity, there is physical evidence that humidity is nonetheless the culprit. Boeing and NASA engineers now want to try to recreate the corrosive reaction in similar test conditions so that they can be confident of the root cause and any countermeasures they implement.

The company and NASA will press ahead with work in Florida, Alabama, and at Boeing's test site in White Sands, New Mexico. All of this will take time, acknowledged Boeing's program manager for commercial crew, John Vollmer. He said Boeing is now targeting the "first half" of 2022 for the uncrewed test flight of Starliner. (One source told Ars the "no earlier than" date is May 2022).

This mission is formally named Orbital Flight Test-2, or OFT-2. The company is flying OFT-2at its own expense, $410 million, following an uncrewed Starliner mission in December 2019 that went awry due to software issues. The company's technicians and engineers worked long and hard after the OFT-1 flight to fix the software, only to have these new hardware problems crop up during launch-day checks on the pad in early August.

NASA is hoping that Boeing can get Starliner up and flying so that it can have a second launch system, alongside SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehicle, to get its astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Assuming that Boeing safely completes OFT-2, Vollmer said the company and NASA would like to have about six months to review data and prepare for a crewed test flight. That would put the earliest possible launch date for Starliner's first mission carrying astronauts toward the end of 2022. More realistically, the mission may not fly until early 2023.

After this flight, NASA will certify that Starliner is ready for regular, operational astronaut flights.

As part of its commercial crew program, NASA ordered six "post-certification" missions from SpaceX and Boeing. SpaceX successfully completed its demonstration crewed mission in 2020 and is set to launch its third certified crew mission, Crew-3, to the International Space Station on October 31. A fourth and fifth mission are scheduled to follow in 2022.

During Tuesday's news conference, NASA's commercial crew program manager, Steve Stich, said the agency is negotiating additional flights for SpaceXand possibly Boeing. He said details about those contract extensions could be announced within the next few months. Given the issues discussed Tuesday, It now seems possible that SpaceX could complete its initial six-mission contract before Boeing flies its first certified mission. But Stich is confident that Boeing will get there.

"I have no reason to believe that Boeing wont be successful in getting Starliner operational," Stich said. "We'll get this problem solved, and then we'll have two space transportation systems like we want."

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Its not the heat, its the humidity that grounded Boeings Starliner - Ars Technica

The first space tourism mission by Elon Musk's SpaceX blasted off from Florida on Wednesday and the four crew members -- a billionaire and three other Americans -- have already seen more than 25 sunsets and sunrises.

SpaceX has released few details about their adventure since they reached an orbit which is more distant than that of the International Space Station.

Here's what we know about their life on board:

Nine square meters

The four space tourists are aboard the SpaceX crew capsule called Dragon.

It is 8.1 meters (26.7 feet) tall and has a diameter of four meters (13 feet).

The capsule is composed of a trunk, which is inaccessible to the crew, upon which sits the living quarters.

The entire volume of the capsule is just 9.3 square meters (328 square feet).

Chris Sembroski, a 42-year-old Air Force veteran who is one of the crew members, has compared it to travelling with friends in a van -- one you can't step away from though if you want to take a break.

Toilets with a view

The exact technology behind the toilets aboard the capsule is a SpaceX secret.

But Hayley Arceneaux, one of the four crew members, said in a Netflix documentary that the "bathroom ison the ceiling."

"Really literally a panel that we take off and there's like a funnel," Arceneaux said. "There's no upside down in space."

The toilet is located near the clear glass observation dome, or cupola, installed on Dragon, which provides a spectacular 360-degree view of the cosmos.

"When people do inevitably have to use the bathroom, they're going to have one hell of a view," billionaire Jared Isaacman, the mission commander, told Business Insider.

Privacy is ensured with a simple curtain.

'Eating, doing chores'

SpaceX released a video call Friday between the Inspiration4 crew and patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

The 29-year-old Arceneaux, who was treated for bone cancer as a child at St. Jude and works there now as a physician assistant, was asked by a patient what the astronauts do for "fun" in space.

She said they have spent time "eating, doing chores and looking out the window at the world."

Sembroski said they've also been doing "a lot of blood tests and glucose monitoring."

The astronauts were also asked what is their favorite "space food."

"My favorite space food is pizza which I had yesterday and I'll probably have for dinner tonight also," saidSian Proctor, 51, who teaches geology at a small college in Arizona and was a finalist to become a NASA astronaut.

Musical interludes are also planned. Each passenger drew up a 10-song playlist and Sembroski planned to bring his ukelele.

The instrument and other objects are to be auctioned later with the proceeds going to St Jude.

The goal of the mission is to raise $200 million for the hospital, with Isaacman personally donating $100 million.

Scientific research

SpaceX tweeted on Thursday that the crew had carried out a "first round of scientific research."

One of the goals of the mission is to collect data on the effects of the environment of space on complete novices.

Their cardiac rhythms, sleep and blood oxygen levels will be monitored along with radiation exposure.

Their cognitive functions were tested before the flight and will be examined again on their return.

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http://www.thejakartapost.com

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has a huge fan following on Twitter. Not only does he rake up controversies with his tweets, but he also engages in fun banters with his fans and critics alike. Recently when a Twitter user wanted to know whether he is an alien or not, he acknowledged his question with an honest answer. The user posted a small video of Musk, in which he can be seen talking about physics, philosophy, and aliens.

The Twitter user is not at fault here. He was made to believe that Elon Musk is an alien because the Tesla honcho himself said so in the video. He asks in the video, Where are the aliens? And then says again after a few minutes later saying, Maybe they are among us, I dont know.

Then he says something that made the Twitter user ask him whether he is an alien or not.He jokingly says, Some people think I am an alien, then adds, Not True.

The Twitter user who operates the handle Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley asked: "Is @elonmusk an alien?" To which, Musk replied Ofcourse. This Twitter interaction got a lot of reactions from the other users.

Maybe we're all evolved from Aliens. Some of us with a higher consciousness and stronger vision than others. Though we all still have purpose as aliens then, on other planets, other beings are asking themselves if humans are real and if there are any humans on their planet, A Twitter user wrote.

While another user who goes by the name SteamyBook wrote, I knew it. Only an alien would have the capability of getting us to space & beyond despite our human overlords.

On a related note, Musk is soon going to introduce a humanoid robot in the market after venturing into Space and the automobile industry. Musk revealed during a special event that the company is now working on a humanoid robot. The prototype of the robot will be built sometime next year. The robot, which is called Tesla Bot, will use most of the tools that are used in Tesla vehicles such as sensors, cameras and various other tools to navigate the outside world.

Musk during Teslas first AI day said that building a robot is a logical next step for Tesla as it is already the worlds biggest robotics company. Were making the pieces that would be useful for a humanoid robot, so we should probably make it. If we dont, someone else will and we want to make sure its safe, he added.

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Twitter user asks if Elon Musk is an alien, his answer ...

In 2011, NASA announced a bold new program to leverage partnerships between the government and the commercial space sector to restore domestic launch capability. As part of the Commercial Crew Program (CCP), NASA selected Boeing and SpaceX to develop next-generation crew-rated capsules that would transport astronauts and payloads to International Space Station (ISS) and other locations in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO).

While SpaceX has managed to meet all the requirements of the CCP with their Crew Dragon module, Boeings Starliner has experienced technical problems and several delays. With the latest delay (caused by the ISS being temporarily pushed out of its orbit), NASA has decided to reassign the astronauts that were scheduled to take the Starliner on its maiden crewed flight (Starliner-1) to the next crewed flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon to the ISS (Crew-5).

Henceforth, NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot for the Crew-5 mission (respectively), with additional crew members to be announced later. This mission is currently scheduled to launch no sooner than the fall of 2022 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Born in California, Nicole Mann is a Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps and a test pilot with over 2,500 hours of flight experience in over 25 aircraft. She holds a Bachelor of Science (mechanical engineering) from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Master of Science (mech. eng. with a specialty in fluid mechanics) from Standford University. As part of NASAs 2013 astronaut selection, the Crew-5 mission will be her first trip to space. Said Mann:

It has been the opportunity of a lifetime to train on a brand-new spacecraft, the Boeing Starliner, and it has been fantastic to work with the Boeing team. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to train on another new spacecraft the SpaceX Crew Dragon and appreciate the teams at NASA who have made that possible. I am ready to fly and serve on the International Space Station.

Similarly, Josh Cassada is a U.S. Navy test pilot who grew up in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Before becoming a naval aviator, he earned his Ph.D. in physics at the Fermi National Accelerator and has more than 4,000 hours of flight experience in more than 45 different aircraft. Like Mann, he was selected as part of NASAs 2013 astronaut selection, and this will be his first spaceflight. As he said:

It has been great to spend the last few years training with the joint Boeing and NASA team, and I am really looking forward to now have a chance to also train with SpaceX on a new spacecraft. Cross training on both programs is a unique opportunity to learn, but also to provide valuable insight to future astronauts flying these spacecraft. And, of course, Nicole and I are incredibly excited to get to work aboard the International Space Station, executing current operations and also contributing to future exploration beyond low-earth orbit.

As part of the CCP, the Starliner conducted its maiden uncrewed launch designated Orbital Test Flight-1 (OTF-1) on Dec. 20th, 2019. While the launch was successful, two software malfunctions caused the engines to fire too late and burn through more fuel than anticipated. The planned rendezvous with the ISS was scrubbed as a result, and the flight controllers concluded the mission with a splashdown in the Atlantic.

Renewed attempts to rendezvous with the ISS (OTF-2) began in late July, but this was delayed after the ISS new Nauka module fired its thrusters and temporarily pushed the station out of orbit. Another attempt was made on Aug. 4th, but the flight was delayed again when ground teams identified an issue with one of the valves on the spacecrafts propulsion system.

A successful rendezvous with the ISS would have placed Boeing one step closer to fulfilling its obligations under the CCP and the point where they could execute contracts to send payloads and crew to the ISS. It would also mean that NASA had two launch providers to restore domestic launch capability to U.S. soil, which was lost with the Space Shuttles retirement in 2011.

While Mann and Cassada are being transferred, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Mike Fincke, and Suni Williams will continue to be part of the Boeing Starliner team and help prepare the spacecraft for flight testing. Additional astronaut flight assignments (and flight dates) will be announced once it is determined that Boeing has fixed all of the mechanical and software issues that have kept the Starliner grounded so far.

When they arrive at the ISS, Mann, Cassada, and their crewmates will join the Expedition 67 astronauts, scheduled to depart for the ISS as part of the Crew-4 mission in April of 2022. They will conduct a series of science activities designed to advance human space exploration during their long-duration stay. Said Kathryn Lueders, associate administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEO) at NASA Headquarters, in a recent NASA press statement:

Nicole and Josh have done a tremendous job pioneering the training and path forward for astronauts to fly on Boeings Starliner spacecraft. They have gained experience that they will take forward as they train to fly in SpaceXs Crew Dragon spacecraft and serve aboard the International Space Station. The NASA team is fortunate to have two commercial crew partners and will continue to work with Boeing and SpaceX to prepare NASA astronauts and our international partners to fly to and from the International Space Station on U.S. spacecraft.

The CCP is in keeping with NASAs long tradition of working closely with the space industry and private contractors to advance spaceflight and fulfill their space exploration goals. It is also in keeping with NASAs long history of participation in the ISS program, which has seen international teams of astronauts living and working continuously aboard the space station for more than 20 years.

After all this time, the ISS remains the only research lab in the world where microgravity research can be conducted. More than 3,000 investigations and experiments have been carried out aboard the ISS, which were contributed by researchers from 108 countries. A total of 246 astronauts from 19 countries have visited the space station to participate in these experiments that would otherwise be impossible to do on Earth.

This research is not only helping to prepare for long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and other locations in deep space. They are also providing tangible benefits here on Earth and are paving the way for the commercialization of Low Earth Orbit (LEO). As such, NASA, Boeing, and other interested parties are working hard to make sure that the Starliner spacecraft is in working order soon. The more providers that can contribute to this overall vision and architecture, the sooner its likely to become a reality!

Further Reading: NASA

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The Astronauts who Would Have Tested Starliner Have Been Reassigned to an Upcoming SpaceX Crew Dragon Launch - Universe Today

Honda recently announced a host of new non-automotive projects, including some that parallel Tesla and SpaceX.

In a press release, the automaker announced plans for an "avatar robot" that can be operated remotely by humans, as well as a small reusable rocket. The company is operating a very different timeline than Elon Musk, though.

The robot will be equipped with a human-like hand that can smoothly grasp objects and precisely manipulate tools, according to Honda. The automaker envisions such robots being used for lunar exploration, potentially at Moon bases powered by its fuel-cell technology.

Honda avatar robot

Tesla is working on its humanoid Bot, and said that it would be ready in prototype form next year. Honda, meanwhile, targets "practical use in the 2030s," with an initial demonstration before the end of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024.

Honda also has considerably more experience developing robots than Tesla. The company's Uni-Cub and ASIMO have both so far focused on helping people with mobility.

The new robot departs from that in that "the user can perform tasks and experience things without being there in person, including the realistic sense of handling objects remotely," according to Honda.

Having made the leap from terrestrial vehicles to aircraft with its HondaJet, the company also plans to take things even further with a rocket, with the goal of launching small satellites into low-Earth orbit.

Honda avatar robot

Like the rockets built by SpaceX, the Honda rocket will be reusable, with "at least some of the rocket components" able to land back on Earth after launching. To accomplish that, Honda plans to use "control and guidance technologies" developed for self-driving cars.

Meanwhile, Musk has hinted of a SpaceX tie-in in which the upcoming Roadster might potentially get rocket tech. That product has now been delayed to 2023.

Musk is known to be very optimistic about the schedule of Tesla's technology, with a fleet of robo-taxis now overdue.

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Honda is working on avatar robots and rocketswith a very different timeline than Tesla and SpaceX - Green Car Reports