People who count backwards to zero got a good workout this week, with multiple notable launches on both coasts. And some were more successful than others.
We'll start with New Glenn, which after years of delays and several scrubs got off the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station very early on Thursday morning, marking a first step towards Blue Origin challenging SpaceX for a piece of the orbital launch business. On its first test flight, New Glenn safely reached its intended orbit during the NG-1 mission, accomplishing the primary objective.
The second stage is in its final orbit following two successful burns of the BE-3U engines. The Blue Ring Pathfinder is receiving data and performing well.
However, the planned landing on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean was not as successful, and the booster was lost during descent. Still, the company said the mission was a success, and that a lot of important data was collected during this first flight, and the company's vice president for the New Glenn program Jarrett Jones said that manufacturing rates and the launch cadence would be increasing.
The FAA is requiring Blue Origin to conduct an investigation into the loss of the booster, and says a return to flight will be contingent on the agency finding that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety.
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For SpaceX, it was the opposite problem when it came to the seventh Starship flight test Thursday afternoon. The booster was recovered, but the second stage and Starship itself underwent what SpaceX calls a "Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly", meaning that it blew up.
The flight went according to plan for about eight and a half minutes, with the booster separating from the upper stage and returning to Starbase in Boca Chica, settling back into the chopsticks that are designed to capture the rocket. However, as the booster was landing, the SpaceX commentators at the launch site were commenting that they had lost telemetry with Starship.
Elon Musk posted on X later Thursday afternoon that the preliminary data indicated that there was an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity. He said the company will double check for leaks going forward, and the other modifications to the upper stage would be made, but that he does not expect the incident to cause any significant delays in future Starship flight tests.
SpaceX will be cooperating with the FAA in its investigation of the incident.
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SpaceX did have a couple of successful launches this week, one from Florida and one from California. On Tuesday, the Transporter-12 rideshare mission lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California carrying 131 payloads, including included MicroSats, and orbital transfer vehicles carrying 30 of those payloads, 14 of which will be deployed at a later time. To date, SpaceX has launched more than 1,100 payloads to orbit for 130+ customers across the entire Rideshare program.
From the east coast, a Falcon 9 rocket began the journey of the Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost lander to the Moon on Wednesday. Blue Ghost is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Service program, and will demonstrate lunar drilling technology, regolith (lunar rocks and soil) sample collection capabilities, global navigation satellite system abilities, radiation tolerant computing, and lunar dust mitigation methods. The data captured could also benefit humans on Earth by providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces impact our home planet.
The Blue Ghost lander is targeted to land near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille
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In non-launch news, the first overseas subsidiary of Starlab Space has been established in an effort to demonstrate its commitment to its international partners, maintaining global cooperation and permanent human presence, and expanding microgravity research opportunities in a commercial LEO economy.
Starlab Space is a US-led joint venture that is recreating the global partnership network that enabled the success of the International Space Station, but now through leading international industrial partners. The European subsidiary, Starlab Space GmbH, is located in Bremen, Germany. It is jointly owned by Starlab Space and Airbus Defense and Space.
Starlab Space Europe is strongly positioned to leverage Airbus' advanced space infrastructure facilities and experienced team that support both the ISS Columbus Module and the European Service Module for NASA's Orion spacecraft.
Airbus nominated Manfred Jaumann to serve as managing director for the enterprise.
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And The GPS Tracking Device market is expanding rapidly due to the increasing demand for real-time location tracking and asset management across various industries. A new report from Maximize Market Research predicts that the market will grow to $7.34 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 13.1 percent.
GPS tracking devices use satellite signals to pinpoint and track the precise location of vehicles, assets, or individuals, providing invaluable data for security, logistics, fleet management, and personal safety. These devices are used in a wide range of applications, from personal tracking devices to advanced solutions for logistics and transportation companies.
The primary driver for the growth of the GPS tracking device market is the increasing demand for fleet management and logistics optimization. Businesses are increasingly using GPS tracking to monitor and manage the movement of their vehicles and assets.
Another significant driver is the growing awareness and demand for personal safety solutions, particularly in the context of rising security concerns and the need for better tracking of individuals.
The United States remains a dominant player in the GPS tracking device market, driven by widespread adoption in fleet management, logistics, and personal security.
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