Parabolic Arc – Page 2 – Space Tourism … and Much More

Branson Suspends Negotiations Over $1 Billion Space Investment From Saudi Arabia

October 11, 2018October 11, 2018 News 65

Richard Branson at the Future Investment Forum in Saudi Arabia in October 2017. (Credit: CIC)

Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson said he is suspending discussions with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, which last year signed a memorandum of understanding to invest $1 billion in Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit.

Branson announced the decision amidst growing international concern over the fate of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey. There are unconfimed reports that Saudi security officials murdered the dissident writer.

Branson also suspended his directorships in two Saudi tourism projects to be built around the Red Sea.

Branson’s full statement is below.

I had high hopes for the current government in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and it is why I was delighted to accept two directorships in the tourism projects around the Red Sea. I felt that I could give practical development advice and also help protect the precious environment around the coastline and islands.

What has reportedly happened in Turkey around the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, if proved true, would clearly change the ability of any of us in the West to do business with the Saudi Government. We have asked for more information from the authorities in Saudi and to clarify their position in relation to Mr Khashoggi.

While those investigations are ongoing and Mr Khashoggi’s presence is not known, I will suspend my directorships of the two tourism projects. Virgin will also suspend its discussions with the Public Investment Fund over the proposed investment in our space companies Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit.

Failures Continue to Haunt the Russian Space Program

October 11, 2018October 11, 2018 News 11

A Proton takes a nose dive at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. (Credit: Tsenki TV)

The Soviet & Russian space programs have traditionally had a high launch rate, which also resulted in a fair number of partial and complete failures. For the past 30 years, the program has experienced 61 incidents or an average of about two per year. The current string of annual failures stretches back to 2004.

The chart below chronicles the partial and complete failures experienced over the last three decades. (Note: Some of the incidents involve Zenit boosters produced by former Soviet factories in Ukraine. These rockets usually fly with Russian-produced upper stages. Dnepr was also a joint program with Ukraine.)

SOVIET-RUSSIAN LAUNCH FAILURES, 1988 – 2018
NO.	DATE	LAUNCH VEHICLE	PAYLOAD(S)	RESULT	CAUSE
1	January 18, 1988	Proton-K Blok-DM-2	Gorizont 25L	Failure	Third stage failure due to disintegration of propellant feed line
2	February 17, 1988	Proton-K Blok-DM-2	Uragan #23, Uragan #24, Uragan #25	Partial Failure	Blok D failure caused by ingestion of debris
3	July 09, 1988	Soyuz-U	Yantar-4KS1 #10	Failure
4	July 27, 1988	Soyuz-U	Resurs-F1	Failure	First stage engine failure.
5	November 11, 1988	Soyuz-U	Yantar-4KS1 #11	Failure
6	June 9, 1989	Tsiklon-3	Okean-O1 #4	Failure
7	April 3, 1990	Soyuz-U	Yantar-4K2 #51	Failure
8	June 21, 1990	Molniya-M (Blok-2BL)	Kosmos 2084	Partial Failure	Placed in an incorrect orbit. Satellite did not communicate with ground
9	July 3, 1990	Soyuz-U	Yantar-4K2 #53	Failure
10.	August 9, 1990	Proton-K Blok-DM-2	Ekran-M 14L	Failure	Third stage lost thrust due to a cleaning rag inside propellant feed system
11	October 4, 1990	Zenit-2	Tselina-2 #8	Failure	First stage engine failure five seconds after launch.
12	June 25, 1991	Kosmos-3M	Taifun-2 #26	Failure	Second stage malfunction
13	August 30, 1991	Zenit-2	Tselina-2 #9	Failure	Second stage explosion
14	February 5, 1992	Zenit-2	Tselina-2 #10	Failure	Second stage failure
15	May 27, 1993	Proton-K Blok-DM-2	Gorizont 39L	Failure	Third stage failure
16	May 25, 1994	Tsiklon-3	Tselina-D #69	Failure	Software error prevented third stage separation
17	March 28, 1995	Start	Gurwin 1, EKV, OSCAR 29	Failure	Failed to orbit, crashed into the Sea of Okhotsk
18	October 6, 1995	Kosmos-3M	Kosmos 2321 (Parus #84)	Partial Failure	Second stage malfunction, placed in useless orbit
19	February 19, 1996	Proton-K Blok-DM-2	Raduga 33	Partial Failure	Blok-DM-2 upper stage failed to restart to circularize orbit
20	May 14, 1996	Soyuz-U	Yantar-1KFT #18	Failure	Payload fairing disintegrated in flight
21	June 20, 1996	Soyuz-U	Yantar-4K2 #76	Failure	Payload fairing disintegrated in flight
22	November 16, 1996	Proton-K Blok-D-2	Mars ’96	Partial Failure	Probe re-entered atmosphere after fourth stage failure
23	May 20, 1997	Zenit-2	Tselina-2 #19	Failure	First stage failure
24	December 24, 1997	Proton-K Blok-DM3	AsiaSat 3	Partial Failure	Fourth stage malfunction prevented satellite from reaching geosynchronous orbit; salvaged with lunar flyby
25	June 15, 1998	Tsiklon-3	Strela-3 #119, Strela-3 #120, Strela-3 #121, Strela-3 #122, Strela-3 #123, Strela-3 #124	Partial Failure	Third stage malfunction left satellites in unintended elliptical orbit
26	September 09, 1998	Zenit-2	Globalstar 5, Globalstar 7, Globalstar 9, Globalstar 10, Globalstar 11, Globalstar 12, Globalstar 13, Globalstar 16, Globalstar 17, Globalstar 18, Globalstar 20, Globalstar 21	Failure	Second stage shut down after guidance system failed
27	July 05, 1999	Proton-K Briz-M	Raduga (34) (Gran 45L)	Failure	Second stage failure
28	October 27, 1999	Proton-K Blok-DM-2M	Ekspress-A 1	Failure	Second stage failure
29	December 24, 1999	Rokot-K	RVSN 40	Failure	Stage-separation fired before launch
30	November 20, 2000	Kosmos-3M	QuickBird 1 (QB 1)	Failure	Second stage failed to ignite
31	December 27, 2000	Tsiklon-3	Gonets 7, Gonets 8, Gonets 9, Strela-3 #125, Strela-3 #126, Strela-3 #127	Failure	Third stage failure
32	October 15, 2002	Soyuz-U	Foton-M 1	Failure	First stage exploded seconds after launch
33	November 25, 2002	Proton-K Blok-DM3	Astra 1K	Failure	Blok-DM3 left satellite in unusable orbit; spacecraft de-orbited 15 days after launch
34	Dec. 24, 2004	Tsiklon-3	Sich 1M, Micron 1	Partial Failure	Booster failed to circularize orbit
35	June 21, 2005	Molniya-M Blok-ML	Molniya-3K	Failure	Third stage failure
36	June 21, 2005	Volna-O	Cosmos 1	Failure	Cosmos Studios/The Planetary Society solar sail satellite failed to separate from booster third stage
37	August 10, 2005	Rokot Briz-KM	Cryosat	Failure	Second stage failure; crashed in Arctic Ocean north of Greenland
38	February 28, 2006	Proton-M Briz-M	Arabsat 4A (Badr 1)	Failure	Failed to reach usable orbit; de-orbited 24 days after launch
39	July 26, 2006	Dnepr	BelKa 1, Baumanets 1, Unisat 4, PicPot, CP 1, CP 2, HAUSAT 1, ICECube 1, ICECube 2, ION, KUTESat-Pathfinder, Mea Huaka’i, MEROPE, Ncube 1, Rincon 1, SACRED SEEDS, AeroCube 1	Failure	Engine failure
40	Sept. 5, 2007	Proton-M/Briz-M	JCSat 11	Failure	Second stage failure; booster and payload crashed in Kazakhstan
41	March 14, 2008	Proton-M/Briz-M	AMC 14	Partial Failure	Briz-M upper stage shut down 2 minutes early. Owner SES Americom declared satellite a complete loss. AMC 14 sold to US Department of Defense which manuevered into geosynchronous orbit using on-board thrusters.
42	May 21, 2009	Soyuz-2.1a/ Fregat	Meridian 2	Failure	Second stage shut down early, Fregat upper stage ran out of fuel trying to compensate. Satellite left in useless orbit, declared a loss by Russian military.
43	Dec. 5, 2010	Proton-M/ Blok-DM-3	Uragan-M #739, Uragan-M #740, Uragan-M #741	Failure	Rocket failed to reach orbital velocity after upper stage overfilled with propellant.
44	Feb. 1, 2011	Rokot/Briz-KM	Geo-IK-2 No. 11	Failure	Upper stage malfunction.
45	Aug. 17, 2011	Proton-M/ Briz-M	Ekspress AM4	Failure	Briz-M upper stage suffered failure of attitude control.
46	Aug. 24, 2011	Soyuz-U	Progress M-12	Failure	Third stage failure due to turbo-pump duct blockage.
47	Nov. 8, 2011	Zenit-2SB/ Fregat	Phobos-Grunt Yinghuo-1	Failure	Zenit placed Phobos-Grunt in proper orbit. Spacecraft stranded in Earth orbit after Fregat failed to fire.
48	Dec. 23, 2011	Soyuz-2.1b/ Fregat	Meridian 5	Failure	Third stage failure.
49	Aug. 6, 2012	Proton-M/ Briz-M	Telkom-3, Ekspress MD2	Failure	Briz-M upper stage failed 7 seconds into its third burn.
50	Dec. 8, 2012	Proton-M/ Briz-M	Yamal-402	Partial Failure	Briz-M upper stage shut down 4 minutes earlier than planned on fourth burn. Spacecraft reached intended orbit under own power.
51	Jan. 15, 2013	Rokot/Briz-KM	Kosmos 2482, Kosmos 2483, Kosmos 2484	Partial Failure	Upper stage failed near time of spacecraft separation; one satellite destroyed.
52	Feb. 1, 2013	Zenit-3SL (Sea Launch)	Intelsat 27	Failure	First stage failure.
53	July 2, 2013	Proton-M/DM-03	Uragan-M #748, Uragan-M #749, Uragan-M #750	Failure	First stage failure.
54	May 15, 2014	Proton-M/Briz-M	Ekspress AM4R	Failure	Proton third stage vernier engine failure due to turbo-pump leak.
55	Aug. 14, 2014	Soyuz-STB/ Fregat	Galileo FOC-1, Galileo FOC-2	Partial Failure	Satellites placed in wrong orbits due to freezing of hydrazine in Fregat upper stage. Satellites made operational as part of Europe’s Galileo navigation constellation.
56	April 28, 2015	Soyuz-2.1a	Progress 59P	Failure	Third stage failure left Progress in uncontrollable tumble.
57	May 16, 2015	Proton/Briz-M	MexSat-1	Failure	Third stage failure anomaly.
58	December 5, 2015	Soyuz-2.1v/ Volga	Kanopus ST KYuA 1	Partial Failure	Primary payload Kanopus ST remained attached to upper stage, later burned up in atmosphere. Secondary payload KYuA 1 deployed successfully.
59	December 1, 2016	Soyuz U	Progress MS-04	Failure	Third stage failure. Progress supply ship burned up in atmosphere.
60	November 28, 2017	Soyuz 2-1b	Meteor-M 2-1, 18 CubeSats	Failure	Fregat upper stage failure.
61	October 11, 2018	Soyuz FG	Soyuz MS-10	Failure	Launch anomaly resulted in emergency landing for two-member crew

Soyuz Launch Failure Leaves ISS Program in a Lurch, Spotlights Commercial Crew Delays

October 11, 2018October 11, 2018 News 16

Astronaut Nick Hague (left) and Roscosmos General Director Dmitry Rogozin. (Credit: Roscosmos)

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

It was bound to happen eventually.

At some point, the serious quality control issues that have caused an embarrassing series of Russian launch failures in recent years were bound to impact the nation’s effort to keep the International Space Station supplied with a steady stream of Russian and international crews.

And it was likely, but not inevitable, that any failure would shine a harsh spotlight on NASA’s lagging effort to replace the space shuttle, which was retired more than seven years ago. Underfunded by an indifferent Congress and plagued by years of technical problems and schedule delays, the agency’s Commercial Crew Program is still many months away from fielding a spacecraft capable of carrying a crew to the station.

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Video of Soyuz Launch and Abort

October 11, 2018October 11, 2018 News 17

The anomaly begins at about 2 minutes 42 seconds into the video. You can see the crew being bounced around. The separation of the four booster rockets from the first stage appears to be abnormal.

Below is a comparison of normal booster separation and what happened earlier today.

I made a comparison between a normal #soyuz booster separation and that of #SoyuzMS10 this morning. Differences are clear. Debris and a less symmetrical look to this mornings failure. cc: @NASASpaceflight pic.twitter.com/qlaugluslF
— Greg Dutra (@DutraWeather) October 11, 2018

After a few seconds it also looks to me like the core is tipped sideways, definitely not in line with the air flow pic.twitter.com/BRZhHPf5m8
— Amy Parent (Trackcident) (@amyinorbit) October 11, 2018

Crew Safe and in Good Condition After Launch Abort

October 11, 2018 News 2

NASA astronaut Nick Hague (Credit: Roscosmos)

@AstroHague NASA Astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin are seen in Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. They are in good condition following their safe landing on Earth after a Soyuz booster failure after launch earlier. Latest updates: nasa.gov/live

NASA Statement on Soyuz MS-10 Launch Failure

October 11, 2018October 11, 2018 News 12

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has shared the following statement on Twitter @JimBridenstine.

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin are in good condition following today’s aborted launch. I’m grateful that everyone is safe. A thorough investigation into the cause of the incident will be conducted. Full statement below:

The Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station at 4:40 a.m. EDT Thursday, October 11 (2:40 p.m. in Baikonur) carrying American astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin. Shortly after launch, there was an anomaly with the booster and the launch ascent was aborted, resulting in a ballistic landing of the spacecraft.

Search and rescue teams were deployed to the landing site. Hague and Ovchinin are out of the capsule and are reported to be in good condition. They will be transported to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia outside of Moscow.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and the NASA team are monitoring the situation carefully. NASA is working closely with Roscosmos to ensure the safe return of the crew. Safety of the crew is the utmost priority for NASA. A thorough investigation into the cause of the incident will be conducted.

418th FLTS Completes 10-year Support of NASA Orion Parachute Tests

October 11, 2018October 10, 2018 News 2

An Orion test capsule with its three main parachutes touches down in the Arizona desert Sept. 12. (Credit: NASA)

By Kenji Thuloweit,
412th Test Wing Public Affairs

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (USAF PR) — For a decade the 418th Flight Test Squadron has supported NASA by supplying C-17 Globemaster IIIs and personnel to assist with the testing and qualifying of the Orion spacecraft’s parachute system. That support ended Sept. 12 with the success of the final parachute system test over the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.

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Study: Europa Could Be a Very Tricky Place to Land

October 11, 2018October 10, 2018 News 0

The green oval highlights the plumes Hubble observed on Europa. The area also corresponds to a warm region on Europa’s surface. The map is based on observations by the Galileo spacecraft (Credits: NASA/ESA/STScI/USGS)

CARDIFF, UK (Cardiff University PR) — A location often earmarked as a potential habitat for extra-terrestrial life could prove to be a tricky place for spacecraft to land, new research has revealed.

A team led by scientists from Cardiff University has predicted that fields of sharp ice growing to almost 15 metres [49 feet] tall could be scattered across the equatorial regions of Jupiter’s moon, Europa.

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Northrop Grumman Awarded $792 Million Launch Services Agreement by U.S. Air Force

October 10, 2018October 10, 2018 News 10

OmegA rocket on schedule to provide first launch in 2021

DULLES, Va. – Oct 10, 2018 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) received a Launch Services Agreement (LSA) worth approximately $792 million of government investment from the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center to continue development of its OmegATM rocket for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. The agreement runs through 2024 and includes certification flights of OmegA’s intermediate variant in 2021 and its heavy variant in 2024.

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U.S. Air Force Awards Launcher Development Contracts to ULA, Blue Origin & Northrop Grumman

October 10, 2018October 10, 2018 News 72

Artist’s conception of Vulcan rocket. (Credit: ULA)

The U.S. Air Force has awarded contracts worth more than $2.2 billion for launch vehicle development to United Launch Alliance (ULA), Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman.

ULA of Centennial, Colo., will receive $967 million for the development of a launch system prototype of the Vulcan-Centaur booster.

The agreement includes shared cost investment by ULA. The work is expected to be completed by March 31, 2025.

Northrop Gumman was awarded a contract worth $791,601,015 for development of the OmegA launch system. The company expects to to complete the work by Dec. 31, 2024.

New Glenn is a reusable, vertical-landing booster with 3.85 million pounds of thrust, (Credit: Blue Origin)

Blue Origin has been awarded a $500 million contract for the development of the New Glenn launch system. The booster will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The work is expected to be completed by July 31, 2024.

NASA OIG Forecasts Further Delays, Large Cost Overruns for SLS

October 10, 2018 News 32

Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft on Pad 39B. (Credit: NASA)

A new audit by the NASA Inspector General criticizes Boeing for its management of the stages of the Space Launch System (SLS) while forecasting further delays and large cost overruns for the beleaguered program that is designed to send astronauts to deep space.

“As of August 2018, NASA has spent $11.9 billion on the SLS, but will require significant additional funding to complete the first Core Stage—more than 3 years later than initially planned and at double the anticipated cost,” the audit concluded.

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Boeing Invests in Accion Systems

October 10, 2018October 10, 2018 News 0

CHICAGO, Oct. 10, 2018 (Boeing PR) — Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced its investment in Accion Systems Inc., a Boston, Mass.,-based startup pioneering scalable electric propulsion technology to transform satellite capabilities in and beyond Earth’s orbit.

Accion’s new Tiled Ionic Liquid Electrospray (TILE) in-space propulsion system aims to increase the lifespan and maneuverability of satellites and other vehicles in space. Leveraging a non-toxic, ionic liquid propellant and postage stamp-size thrusters, the TILE system is smaller, lighter and more cost-effective than traditional ion engines.

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Draper Laboratory Unveils Team for NASA’s Next Moonshot

October 10, 2018 News 0

CAMBRIDGE, MA—Draper, a company with a heritage in space exploration dating to the Apollo moon landings, announced today its team for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contract. Under the proposal, the team will support NASA in the delivery of small rovers and instruments to meet lunar science and exploration needs, advance development of lunar landers for human missions and conduct more research on the moon’s surface ahead of a human return.

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NASA Seeks Partnerships with U.S. Companies to Advance Exploration Space Tech

October 10, 2018October 8, 2018 News 0

WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA partnerships are crucial for expanding capabilities and opportunities in space. The agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) is seeking new partnerships with U.S. companies through an Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity (ACO) solicitation.

STMD has five strategic thrust areas, representing the capabilities needed for robotic and human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

Go – Enable safe and efficient transportation into and through space
Land – Increase access to planetary surfaces
Live – Enable humans to live and explore in space and on planetary surfaces
Explore – Expand capabilities through robotic exploration and discovery
Prosper – Accelerate the industrialization of space

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Top 10 iTech Finalists Announced, Will Present to NASA Chief Technologists

October 10, 2018October 9, 2018 News 0

WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — Innovators don’t always have space on their mind, but NASA iTech can help. The competition challenges entrepreneurs to consider how their biomedical, software and other technology ideas could be adapted and used for future space exploration missions.

NASA has selected 10 competition finalists to present their ideas at the iTech forum in Hartford, Connecticut, on Oct. 25-26, 2018. Chief technologists from various NASA centers, other federal agencies and industry will listen to presentations and meet with participants. NASA judges will ultimately determine three winners of the 2018 NASA iTech Cycle III competition.

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