Deep Space Extra

Here is a list of news that were published in our Newsletter the week of September 9, 2024:

Human Space Exploration:

• First non-government spacewalk goes off without a hitch for Polaris Dawn;
• Soyuz MS-26 crew sets new record of 19 people in orbit
  Coalition Member in the News – Boeing;
• Soyuz MS-26 has launched NASA and Roscosmos crew to ISS;
• SpaceX Polaris Dawn private spacewalk mission: Live updates;
• Report to Congress: Shortsighted, aging NASA faces uncertain future
  Coalition Members in the News – Boeing, Lockheed Martin;
• Polaris Dawn crew flies higher than 1966 Gemini 11 orbital record;
• China is taking a keen interest in lava tubes as possible lunar habitats;
• SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn astronauts will make a daring trek into Earth’s Van Allen radiation belt;
• Starliner’s Crew Flight Test comes to an end
  Coalition Member in the News – Boeing;
• SpaceX targets Tuesday for next launch attempt of the Polaris Dawn mission;
• UAE’s Orbital Science joins China’s ambitious Moon base program;

Space Science

• Ice-hunting Lunar Trailblazer and IM-2 nearly ready for January 2025 launch
  Coalition Member in the News – Lockheed Martin;
• Second ispace lunar lander planned for launch in December;
• A new source of solar flares; two more CMEs are coming;
• A swarm of robots to explore Mars’ Valles Marineris;
• NASA’s Voyager 1 probe swaps thrusters in tricky fix as it flies through interstellar space;
• NASA evaluating 11 VIPER proposals as Congress asks questions;
• Why space is the next frontier to accelerate medical research;
• A long-lost moon could explain Mars’ weird shape and extreme terrain;
• Interlune reveals details of quest to bring home lunar resources;
• A puff of dark plasma is heading for Earth; farside explosion causes radiation storm;
• Faced with a tight deadline, NASA and Blue Origin agree to delay New Glenn debut;
• Europa Clipper passes pre-launch review;
• NASA removes ESCAPADE from inaugural New Glenn launch;

Other News;

• SpaceX complains of Starship licensing delay as House Committee questions FAA regs;
• U.S. Space Force budget falls short, officials warn;
• Space industry execs urge DoD to expand commercial funding in defense programs;
• Congress, industry criticize FAA launch licensing regulations;
• NASA charts path toward commercial services for Mars
  Coalition Member in the News – Lockheed Martin;
• U.S. military investing in reentry vehicles for space-to-Earth cargo delivery;
• FAA to complete orbital debris upper stage regulations in 2025;
• SpaceX will start launching Starships to Mars in 2026, Elon Musk says;
• NASA to take part in Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal ceremony;

Major Space Related Activities for the Week

• NASA will hold a news conference on Monday at 4:00 p.m. EDT to discuss the planned October launch of the Europa Clipper mission.
• The Polaris Dawn four-person, five-day private astronaut mission planned to include the initial private astronaut spacewalk awaits a launch opportunity on Tuesday at 3:38 a.m. EDT, weather permitting.
• The House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee will host a hearing on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. EDT to discuss “Risks and Rewards: Encouraging Commercial Space Innovation While Maintaining Public Safety.”
• The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine plans the release of a report, “NASA at a Crossroads: Maintaining Workforce, Infrastructure and Technology Preeminence in the Coming Decades” on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. EDT.
• As part of an ISS crew exchange, Russia’s Soyuz MS-26 is planned for launch from Kazakhstan on Tuesday at 12:23 p.m. EDT with veteran NASA astronaut Don Pettit and two cosmonauts.

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