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September 12, 2024

SpaceX Raises Eyebrows With Shot Across the Regulatory Bow

Statement Takes Government Agencies to Task for Needless Bureaucratic Delays

SpaceX updated its official press wire with an exasperated rundown of the state of Flight 5, noting that "Starship and Super Heavy vehicles for Flight 5 have been ready to launch since the first week of August." The Flight 5 test will include their "most ambitious objective yet: attempt to return the Super Heavy booster to the launch site and catch it in mid-air." SpaceX doesn't quite move like the rest of Uncle Sam's usual contractors, carrying that get-it-done, mission-focused drive, so leaving everything paused as the courtiers shuffle documents between themselves leaves the team irritated and impatient.

First Spacewalk On Commercial Flight

The SpaceX Falcon 9 booster launched Polaris Dawn to low-earth orbit at 5:23 a.m. EDT September 10 from Launch Complex 39 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After Falcon 9’s first stage separated from the rest of the spacecraft, it successfully landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Quest Will Help Develop Understanding of Global Climate Influences

NASA has received its first snapshot of far-infrared radiation emitted by Arctic and Antarctic environments in its latest climate mission. This aims to develop the agency’s understanding of how the regions affect heat emissions and global climate change. The mission, titled Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-Infrared Experiment (PREFIRE), was jointly developed by NASA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.