In Today’s Deep Space Extra… Systematic SLS and ground system checkouts for NASA’s Artemis I mission are underway. The latest cargo mission to the International Space Station is set to launch Tuesday evening.
Human Space Exploration
NASA EGS, Jacobs power up Artemis 1 vehicle to begin system checkouts in the VAB
Coalition Members in the News – Boeing, Jacobs, Northrop Grumman
NASAspaceflight.com (8/9): The core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for NASA’s Artemis I mission has been powered up for the first time within the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch site. The milestone in pre-launch preparations achieved last Friday will permit almost around the clock, systematic checkouts of ground systems as well as the launch vehicle. Artemis I will launch an uncrewed Orion capsule and secondary payloads for a lunar mission.
NG-16 Cygnus to launch supplies to International Space Station
Coalition Member in the News – Northrop Grumman
Spaceflightinsider.com (8/9): Northrop Grumman’s 16th resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is poised for launch from NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility in Virginia on Tuesday during a 5-minute launch period that opens at 5:56 p.m. EDT. Monday’s forecast was 80 percent favorable. The Cygnus capsule named for Ellison Onizuka, NASA’s first Asian American astronaut, is filled with more than 8,200 pounds of crew supplies and research and development equipment. With a successful launch, the USS Ellizon Onizuka is scheduled to reach the seven-person orbiting science lab early Thursday. NASA will air the activities on NASA TV and stream them at www.nasa.gov/nasalive.
China is working on a lander for human Moon missions
SpaceNews.com (8/9): In a brief report, the Xiamen University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics refers to a national strategy focused on a lunar human landing plan. More details about timing are anticipated later this year. However, in June, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) revealed a roadmap for a joint Chinese/Russian International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), with crewed landings planned for the 2030s.
Space Science
NASA’s new telescope will show us the infancy of the universe
Coalition Member in the News – Northrop Grumman
New Yorker (8/9): Soon, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is to depart its Northrop Grumman assembly and test facilities on California’s Pacific coast for French Guiana, where an Ariane 5 launch vehicle is to ferry the large and expensive infrared space observatory on a million-mile journey from Earth to the L2 Sun/Earth Lagrange point. There, in a stable and favorable thermal environment it will study the earliest star and galaxy formations and assess the atmospheres of exoplanets for signs of biological activity.
NASA is training human-like robots to explore caves on Mars
CBS News (8/9): Using Mars like caves found on Earth, a NASA-led initiative called BRAILLE is preparing for the robotic artificial intelligence exploration of the real thing on Mars. Caves could host life beyond Earth thanks to environments offering protection from space radiation and extreme temperatures.
Other News
DoD experiment flying to International Space Station to collect data for missile-tracking sensors
Coalition Member in the News – Northrop Grumman
SpaceNews.com (8/9): Among payloads headed for launch to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Northrop Grumman’s 16th resupply mission is a prototype infrared sensor, PIRPL, for the detection of hypersonic missiles. The infrared imaging payload is a 110-pound multispectral camera also made by Northrop Grumman under a contract from the Space Development Agency (SDA) and the Missile Defense Agency.
Thailand moving to enact Space Activities Act
SpaceNews.com (8/10): Thailand is set to enact the Space Activities Act, which would mandate the Asian country to set up the National Space Policy Committee, chaired by the prime minister, to draw up the nation’s space policies. It also mandates that a National Space Activities Office be established to assist the committee. The latter’s director will be empowered to appoint officials of both organizations.