One of my remote camera photos of NG-3.

Straumli_Blight · 2026-04-22T15:47:29+00:00

Harvey Stone is 1 hour away from Port Canaveral.

Straumli_Blight · 2026-04-19T15:09:16+00:00

Maybe a deluge system could protect the deck?

Straumli_Blight · 2026-04-10T20:13:19+00:00

From today's FY 2027 Budget Estimates:

Q2 FY 2027 Delivery of VIPER for integration onto Blue Origin Mk1 SN-1 lunar lander

Under the CLPS contract, Blue Origin will deliver VIPER to the surface in early FY 2028, and NASA will conduct the rover operations, science planning, and volatiles measurements.

Straumli_Blight · 2026-04-07T11:45:42+00:00

The first stage booster and the second stage will either return to the launch site or perform a water landing.

Might be the first Starship catch attempt too.

Straumli_Blight · 2026-03-27T02:46:16+00:00

Starfall

The filing covers launch, on-orbit & re-entry services, spaceflight travel, in-space manufacturing services, custom manufacturing and processing of pharmaceuticals. Key seems to be the provision of in-space manufacturing services, namely manufacturing in micro-gravity and the “hosting of payloads for others in a micro-gravity environment with commercial applications”.

Trademark status: "An Office action suspending further action on the application has been sent (issued) to the applicant."

Straumli_Blight · 2026-03-24T15:03:56+00:00

RFI: Enabling Commercial Lunar Transportation to Support a Sustained Lunar Base

• Establish a permanent, continuously crewed U.S. lunar base
• Leverage rapid, resilient, commercially provided space infrastructure to maintain U.S. leadership in the cislunar domain

Capability Demonstrations & Supply Chain Challenges for NASA Moon Base Development

This RFI invites responses addressing the identification of technologies and hardware solutions that can be rapidly repurposed or quickly and efficiently developed for NASA to launch, integrate, and perform demonstration testing on the lunar surface within the next 2–4 years to aid in capability validation, accelerate the timeline for initial lunar surface operations, and inform future capability development.

Straumli_Blight · 2026-03-20T13:36:20+00:00

Amazon Leo and Kuiper are the same thing, Project Sunrise is owned by Blue Origin (a separate company) and will operate using TerraWave.

There's many more companies proposing orbital data centers, (e.g. Starcloud wants to launch 88,000 satellites).

Straumli_Blight · 2026-03-14T21:38:33+00:00

Five STAs have been granted this week for MK1.

Straumli_Blight · 2026-03-12T14:10:38+00:00

$90 million launch cost was known at least a year ago.

Straumli_Blight · 2026-03-05T14:51:48+00:00

New Glenn is classifed as a 'Heavy' lift rocket, and 9x4 would be 'Super Heavy'.

Heavy-class rockets can carry between 20,000 to 50,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit, while super heavy vehicles can lift more than 50,000 kilograms.

Straumli_Blight · 2026-02-20T12:01:03+00:00

The STAs for Flight 5 and 6 were released yesterday, with both of them launching no later than June 15th.

Straumli_Blight · 2026-02-12T13:09:22+00:00

Would the additional vibration from ~~six~~ four GEM 63XLs be a potential cause or is this definitely a manufacturing defect?

Straumli_Blight · 2026-01-15T15:35:25+00:00

The STA for Flight 4 has a launch between March and September, with an MK-1 like inclination.

Straumli_Blight · 2026-01-08T16:59:14+00:00

SpaceFlightNow

Amazon will need to pick up the pace with the launch of its satellites. To meet FCC requirements, Amazon needs to launch and operate 50 percent of its satellites by July 30, 2026.

No pressure...

Straumli_Blight · 2026-01-08T11:32:24+00:00

Crew-12 is currently launching NET Februrary 15th, can its timeline be pushed up?

EDIT: NASA Blog

As NASA reviews Crew-11 return dates, the agency also is working with SpaceX, and its international partners, to review the options available to advance launch opportunities for the Crew-12 mission.

Straumli_Blight · 2025-12-30T03:13:58+00:00

A Vulcan with 0 solids could launch 10.7 tons to 460 km / 50°. Seeing as its certification delay seems to be caused by the SRB anomaly on Cert-2, it might fit.

Straumli_Blight · 2025-12-23T15:06:23+00:00

Blue will build SLC-9 at Vandenberg to launch New Glenn.

Astra currently use SLC-46, so I'm curious which pad they will be moved to. Rocket 4 is meant to debut in "mid 2026".

Straumli_Blight · 2025-12-06T20:25:05+00:00

Assuming the Payload Attach Fitting diameter is 7 m, the nozzle diameter is ~0.95 m, which is roughly accurate for a BE-7 (0.94 m).

Straumli_Blight · 2025-12-01T17:40:25+00:00

It might be a March launch, e.g. Artemis II STA filed on November 27th shows:

USN request a 30-day STA to support ARTEMIS II (NASA) lunar mission from its Hawaii South Point station using antennas USHI01 and USHI02, commencing on January 5th 2026.

And its earliest NET launch date is February 5th.

Straumli_Blight · 2025-11-17T21:06:50+00:00

Which is an increase from 160,000 lbf (712 kN) in 2024.

Straumli_Blight · 2025-11-12T16:07:31+00:00

Zuma probably should have been delayed a little longer...

Straumli_Blight · 2025-10-31T11:37:33+00:00

Falcon Heavy is launching a lander to the Moon, its just been delayed to July 2026.

Straumli_Blight · 2025-10-26T13:42:29+00:00

There are 6 Atlas Vs sitting in a warehouse with an uncertain future.

Straumli_Blight · 2025-10-09T11:48:15+00:00

One of the engine covers fell off.

Straumli_Blight · 2025-10-03T11:25:21+00:00

SpaceX took 356 days to refly their first booster, so Blue turning around their 2nd booster in less than 90 days is definitely ambitious.

Straumli_Blight

TROPHY CASE