On June 27, 2024, NASA confirmed that it had instructed crew members stationed on the ISS to 鈥渟helter in their respective spacecraft鈥� after debris from the Russian satellite, RESURS-P1, circulated at an altitude near the station.聽聽

According to the space agency the order was given around 21:00 Eastern Daylight Time, while mission control was monitoring the debris path. 

Of the nine astronauts on board the ISS, two took sanctuary in the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft and three inside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, while the remainder took cover in the Russian Soyuz capsule.聽

鈥淎fter about an hour the crew was cleared to exit their spacecraft and the station resumed normal operations,鈥� NASA said in a post on X (formally known as Twitter). 

US Space Command also monitored the break-up of the Russian-owned decommissioned satellite.聽

statement on the break-up of RESURS-P1 (#39186):

— U.S. Space Command (@US_SpaceCom)

In a statement, Space Command said that it observed 鈥渘o immediate threats鈥� but was nevertheless continuing to conduct assessments to 鈥渟upport the safety and sustainability of the space domain鈥�. 

鈥淯SSPACECOM has notified commercial, governmental, Allied and Partner organizations via Space-Track.org, to include Russia as the satellite owner,鈥� Space Command said in a statement.  

The cause of the incident is currently under investigation, but there have been widespread concerns in recent years regarding satellite and debris congestion in low Earth orbit.聽聽聽

SpaceX wins NASA contract to build deorbit vehicle for space station destruction

• Space

byIan Molyneaux

2024-06-27

The SpaceX spacecraft精东影业 mission will be to deorbit the space station from its location, ensuring that the procedure poses no risks to any populated areas on Earth.聽

It is expected that both the International Space Station and the deorbit vehicle will 鈥渄estructively breakup鈥� as part of the re-entry process into the Earth精东影业 atmosphere. 

鈥淪electing a U.S. Deorbit Vehicle for the International Space Station will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit at the end of station operations. This decision also supports NASA精东影业 plans for future commercial destinations and allows for the continued use of space near Earth,鈥� said Ken Bowersox, Associate Administrator for Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.  

Bowersox added: 鈥淭he orbital laboratory remains a blueprint for science, exploration, and partnerships in space for the benefit of all.鈥� 

In a statement on (formally known as Twitter) following the announcement on June 26, 2024, SpaceX said it was 鈥渉onored to be entrusted by @NASA to support this critical mission鈥�.聽聽

While SpaceX will develop the deorbit spacecraft, NASA will take ownership after development and operate it throughout its mission.   

The International Space Station (ISS) will eventually be replaced by commercially owned space destinations closer to home. 

Since 1998, space agencies from Europe, Russia, Japan, Canada, and the United States (US) have all managed the ISS and all five are responsible for ensuring it is safely deorbited.  

ISS crew members conduct experiments across multiple disciplines of research, including Earth and space science, biology, human physiology, physical sciences, and technology demonstrations not possible on Earth.   

The launch service provider for the deorbit vehicle will be decided at a later date following a procurement process.聽聽

NASA denies ISS medical emergency after SpaceX training drill airs on livestream

• Space

byIan Molyneaux

2024-06-13

Distressing audio was broadcast on the channel which appeared to confirm that an astronaut onboard the ISS was in trouble after suffering from decompression sickness (DCS).聽

A female voice could be heard telling people to 鈥済et the commander back in his suit鈥� and for crew members to check for a pulse 鈥渙ne more time鈥�. 

鈥淪o, if we could get the commander back in his suit, get it sealed 鈥� for suited hyperbaric treatment 鈥� Prior to sealing, closing the visor, and pressurizing the suit, I would like you to check his pulse one more time,鈥� the female voice said. 

Later the female voice, who was identified as a flight surgeon working at the SpaceX mission control center in Hawthorne, California, said that she was concerned there are 鈥渟ome severe DCS hits鈥� and that the prognosis for the commander was 鈥渞elatively tenuous鈥�. 

After concerns for crew members grew on social media, NASA clarified the situation on X (formally known as Twitter) and denied that any real-life emergency had transpired. 

鈥淭here is no emergency situation going on aboard the International Space Station. At approximately 5:28 p.m. CDT, audio was aired on the NASA livestream from a simulation audio channel on the ground indicating a crew member was experiencing effects related to decompression sickness,鈥� NASA confirmed through its ISS social media account.聽聽

There is no emergency situation going on aboard the International Space Station. At approximately 5:28 p.m. CDT, audio was aired on the NASA livestream from a simulation audio channel on the ground indicating a crew member was experiencing effects related to decompression鈥�

— International Space Station (@Space_Station)

NASA added: 鈥淭his audio was inadvertently misrouted from an ongoing simulation where crew members and ground teams train for various scenarios in space and is not related to a real emergency.鈥� 

The agency confirmed that the ISS crew had all been asleep at the time the audio was streamed and unaware of the drama that had unfolded. 

SpaceX later confirmed on X that the simulation was only a test and confirmed that the 鈥渃rew training in Hawthorne is safe and healthy as is the Dragon spacecraft docked to the @space_station鈥�.聽

Boeing’s Starliner return to Earth delayed, new helium leaks discovered

• Space

byIan Molyneaux

2024-06-12

It had been expected the Boeing CST-100 Starliner would return at the earliest from June 14, 2024, but will now be delayed so a spacewalk can be carried out and engineers have more time to 鈥渃omplete system checkouts鈥�.聽

“@NASA and @BoeingSpace teams set a return date of no earlier than Tuesday, June 18, for the agency精东影业 Boeing Crew Flight Test. The additional time in orbit will allow the crew to perform a spacewalk on Thursday, June 13, while engineers complete #Starliner systems checkouts,” NASA said on June 9, 2024.  

NASA confirmed astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Matt Dominick will exit the 鈥渟tation精东影业 Quest airlock to complete the removal of a faulty electronics box, called a radio frequency group, from a communications antenna on the starboard truss of the space station鈥�.   

In a mission update from Boeing, it said that the return of CST-100 Starliner from June 18, 2024, was dependent on 鈥減ending weather and spacecraft readiness鈥�.聽

. and teams set a return date of no earlier than Tuesday, June 18, for the agency精东影业 Boeing Crew Flight Test. The additional time in orbit will allow the crew to perform a spacewalk on Thursday, June 13, while engineers complete systems checkouts.

— International Space Station (@Space_Station)

Boeing teams are also assessing what impacts, if any, five small leaks in the service module helium manifolds would have on the remainder of the mission. 

NASA previously announced that around 12 hours into Starliner精东影业 mission to ISS on June 5, 2024, that three helium leaks had been detected on board.听听听听

The space agency said that one of the leaks had been discussed before launch and it was decided that the mission was safe to proceed with the crew free from danger.    

鈥淓ngineers evaluated the helium supply based on current leak rates and determined that Starliner has plenty of margin to support the return trip from station,鈥� Boeing explained on June 10, 2024.  

The company added: 鈥淥nly seven hours of free-flight time is needed to perform a normal end of mission, and Starliner currently has enough helium left in its tanks to support 70 hours of free flight activity following undocking.鈥� 

Engineers are also evaluating an RCS oxidizer isolation valve in the service module that is not properly closed. 

All other oxidizer and fuel valves within the service module were cycled normally, Boeing said.  

鈥淭he suspect oxidizer isolation valve was not cycled in the recent checkout. It will remain commanded closed for the remainder of the mission while ground teams continue to evaluate its data signatures,鈥� Boeing explained in a statement.聽

First-ever crewed Boeing Starliner launches, new helium leaks cause concerns聽

• Space

byIan Molyneaux

2024-06-06

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on June 5, 2024, at 10:52 local time, with NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams strapped inside Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner.聽聽

After a series of frustrating delays in recent weeks, there was understandably huge relief among all those involved in the mammoth project but around 12 hours into the mission NASA confirmed that three helium leaks had been detected on board Starliner.聽聽

The space agency said that one of the leaks had been discussed before launch and it was decided that the mission was safe to proceed with the crew free from danger.聽聽

The crew continues to make their way to the and are in a sleep period. Teams have identified three helium leaks on the spacecraft. One of these was previously discussed before flight along with a management plan. The other two are new since the鈥�

— NASA's Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson)

鈥淭he other two are new since the spacecraft arrived on orbit. Two of the affected helium valves have been closed and the spacecraft remains stable,鈥� NASA said in a statement on social media.  

According to CNN, a conversation between mission control and the astronauts regarding the new leaks was recorded on NASA精东影业 live broadcast. NASA can be heard instructing the two astronauts to shut down two valves.  

鈥淲e have some issues to watch overnight when in regards to the helium leaks that was just brought up, and we have a lot of smart people down here on the ground that are going to take a look at this stuff and keep an eye on it, but the vehicle is in a configuration right now where they鈥檙e safe to fly,鈥� Boeing Aerospace Engineer Brandon Burroughs said on the NASA broadcast.

We have liftoff!

History is made as Butch Wilmore & Suni Williams become the first people to fly aboard a spacecraft as part of 精东影业 Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission to the !

— NASA's Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson)

鈥淭oday’s #Starliner launch is scrubbed as teams evaluate an oxygen relief valve on the Centaur Stage on the Atlas V. Our astronauts have exited Starliner and will return to crew quarters,鈥� NASA wrote. 

ULA added in a separate post: 鈥淯LA Launch Director Tom Heter III has made the decision to the launch team that launch operations will not continue tonight for #AtlasV and #Starliner.鈥� 

The Atlas V rocket had been due to launch Boeing精东影业 Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 Starliner spacecraft with two NASA astronauts, Barry 鈥淏utch鈥� Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams onboard. 

In what will be CFT精东影业 first human launch, the Starliner spacecraft is designed to separate from Atlas V and then use its own thrusters to reach ISS. 

Boeing精东影业 Starliner previously docked with the space station in May 2022, but was uncrewed. 

The mission has faced previous delays including a failed mission in December 2019 when a clock problem caused the spaceship to miss its intended orbit. 

ULA has launched more than 155 missions since its inception.聽聽

Boeing Starliner spacecraft set to launch first crewed mission to ISS

• Space

byClement Charpentreau

2024-05-06

The space capsule is set to launch from Space Launch Complex 41 in Cape Canaveral, Florida, during the night between May 6 and 7, 2024. If successful, this mission will mark the long-awaited resolution of a decade of technical difficulties surrounding the program.

Back in 2014, NASA commissioned Boeing and SpaceX to develop a spacecraft that would end its reliance on the Russian Soyuz system for travel to the International Space Station. The plan was for these two private companies to take over the reins in 2017.

On December 20, 2019, Starliner attempted its first flight to the ISS. The mission was supposed to last eight days but was cut short to two due to a clock problem that caused the ship to miss its intended orbit. As a result, the capsule was forced to land in the desert of New Mexico because it ran out of fuel after several minutes of erroneous navigation.

Meanwhile, SpaceX and its Crew Dragon have completed their mission, with the first inhabited flight in May 2020. 

In 2021, while preparing the Starliner rocket’s launch pad for another attempt, a problem with blocked valves on the capsule caused a new postponement. Boeing had to return the Starliner to the factory to fix the issue. Then, further delays arose due to problems with the parachutes, which were supposed to slow down the capsule during landing.

Finally, in May 2022, Boeing’s Starliner successfully docked with the ISS for the first time, although it was uncrewed.

Boeing精东影业 Starliner successfully docks to ISS on key flight test

• Space

byVictoria Bryan

2022-05-22

Although the ISS may retire in 2030, the Starliner could be the orbital vehicle for other commercial space stations. For instance, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin has imagined a space station called Orbital Reef, which could use the Starliner to transport space tourists.

Blue Origin joins Sierra精东影业 space station project, unveils Orbital Reef

• Space

byValius Venckunas

2021-10-26

The COVID-19 pandemic was a huge, unprecedented body blow to the aviation industry, but the future is looking remarkedly brighter than where it once was, despite Boeing精东影业 current problems over safety. 

Only last month India精东影业 biggest budget airline, IndiGo, announced an order for up to 100 Airbus A350s, representing the carrier精东影业 first leap into the long-haul market and a sure sign that the industry is expanding.聽聽

And the United Kingdom精东影业 largest airport, London-Heathrow (LHR) announced that the first financial quarter in 2024 was its busiest start to the year on record and the outlook for the entire year is very much the same.聽聽

What’s more, the aviation sector is on the cusp of new, innovative, and revolutionary concepts that have the potential to reshape the entire way populations travel. 

Among the most significant are hydrogen powered aircraft, electric regional planes, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and supersonic commercial flights.  

However, by far it is the subject and discussion around eVTOL aircraft that is causing the biggest stir with increasing numbers of newspaper column inches dedicated to the advancement of the humble 鈥楩lying Taxi鈥�.聽

Why is everyone talking about eVTOLs?聽

The evolution of eVTOL aircraft taps into the part of the brain that has long dreamt of a futuristic world where everyone is flying around in pods parked on their driveway.  

It精东影业 a concept that consumers have been fed for decades in Hollywood movies and science fiction novels, so it is perhaps no surprise that the anticipation surrounding the introduction of eVTOLs is building.  

The eVTOL developers are playing their part too with an incredibly efficient publicity machine that ensures every twist and turn of the aircraft精东影业 development is shared with the world.  

And the sums of money involved in developing the aircraft and building the infrastructure to support the eVTOL network are staggering.  

Only on April 25, 2024, one of the leading eVTOL innovators Archer Aviation announced that it had signed a multi-hundred-million-dollar agreement with Abu Dhabi. 

Designed to accelerate Archer精东影业 planned commercial air taxi operations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the framework agreement includes in-country manufacturing, operations, and training across the region with operations set to commence in 2025.聽

Are eVTOLs for me?

What is alarming about the rapid development of eVTOLs is there are still so many hoops to jump through before they can begin carrying passengers.聽聽

Public acceptance is an issue that will become more prevalent as awareness increases and counteracting the idea that eVTOLs are only for the very wealthy will be a tricky obstacle to overcome. 

However, there are also positive signs, such as the Chinese developer EHang becoming the first company in the world to obtain type certification for its flying taxi. 

But as aviation history has taught us, when all the problems are overcome that will still not be enough to ensure the survival of the eVTOL industry.  

Here are just some examples of incredible ideas and concepts that were brought to life but never fully realized their potential.聽

Airbus A380聽

In February 2019, following the news that Emirates was reducing its order for the Airbus A380 the planemaker announced production of its superjumbo would end in 2021.聽聽

It was an astonishing turn of events for an aircraft that promised so much but, in the end, failed to deliver. 

When the project to build the A380 was announced there were critics that said that an aircraft of its size was not viable, but few would have predicted the end would come so soon after its launch.  

The Airbus A380 is undoubtably a magnificent aircraft and it is great to see so many airlines increasing its use. But it acts as a perfect example for the eVTOL industry that a vision does not always translate into reality and sometimes critics are proved right.聽

颁辞苍肠辞谤诲别听

It is difficult to comprehend the levels of excitement that surrounded the launch of Concorde or how ahead of its time the aircraft was when it carried its first paying customers in 1969.聽聽

Concorde will always remain synonymous with British Airways and France but during development more than 100 non-binding orders were made for the supersonic jet from major airlines such as Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Air India, and Air Canada.  

Much like the eVTOL industry today many airlines saw Concorde and supersonic flight as the future.  

However, 27 years after commercial operations both British Airways and Air France announced that they would retire their fleets.  

A fatal crash on July 25, 2000, shortly after an Air France Concorde took off from Paris, a drop in air travel following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States (US), the aircraft精东影业 high fuel consumption leading to lack of profits and restrictions to only use supersonic speeds over the ocean all contributed to its downfall.  

For all its promise of being the future of flight, Concorde was unable to live up to the hype and its journey from development to becoming operational certainly chimes with the ambitions of eVTOL technology.  

But in many ways, maybe Concorde was just ahead of its time. And with the development of a new era of supersonic passenger aircraft, super speed travel will have its day again.聽聽

Space shuttle聽

Not strictly aviation, but the space shuttle is another concept that promised a great deal but perhaps did not achieve everything that was planned for it.聽聽

n February 1, 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it reentered the earth精东影业 atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts on board.聽

The event was the second space shuttle disaster since its inception following the loss of the Challenger crew in 1986.  

While the 2003 tragedy was certainly the immediate cause for ending the space shuttle project the cracks were already appearing, placing its future in jeopardy.  

When the last space shuttles were retired, they were not even halfway through their flight lifetimes, but the costs involved in operating the spacecraft had spiraled.  

While the spacecraft精东影业 many achievements included helping to build the International Space Station (ISS) and transporting the Hubble Space Telescope, the project was sold to the public as a low-cost way of accessing orbit and that turned out being wide off the mark. 

“The bottom-line answer is that it was too expensive. Way too expensive,” former Jet Propulsion Laboratory system engineer Mark Adler wrote for Newsweek in 2015. “The shuttle never met its promise for low-cost access to space by virtue of the system’s reusability.”聽

The advent of Space X has helped address many issues around expense but with each space shuttle project costing more than $1.5 billion it’s easy to see why it failed to reach its economical ambitions and alternatives needed to be found.聽聽聽

The jetpack

The jetpack was first thought to have been conceived more than 100 years ago by Russian Alexander Andreev, but it was not until Bell Aerosystems began developing the 鈥楤ell Rocket Belt鈥� in the 1950s that the technology was seen as a viable mode of flight.聽聽

Much of the early thinking was that jetpacks could be used by the US Army, whereas modern versions of the transportation system are also being marketed towards emergency responders, including police and mountain rescuers.  

While ultimately the jetpack industry has not failed, it has been an incredibly long journey that精东影业 never truly gotten off the ground due to cost, danger and the training requirements. 

However, there is hope with a handful of companies such as Jetpack Aviation, Frank Zapata精东影业 Flyboard Air, Gravity Industries and Maverick Aviation developing the concept.  

Maverick Aviation精东影业 jetpack is of particular interest as its patent pending flight control system provides automated stability, making it easier for a non-pilot to operate without extensive training.  

It is quite conceivable that with this type of development the jetpack will finally have its moment in the sun after over a century of development and, if it does, it will certainly have been worth the wait.聽聽

What do you think? Are eVTOL aircraft another brilliant aviation idea destined to fail? Feel free to share your comments below!

eVTOL aircraft: the revolutionary industry that may all end in tears

• Aircraft
• Sustainability

byIan Molyneaux

2023-08-12

The 3D metal printer was created and designed by Airbus for the (ESA), with hopes that the washing-machine-sized contraption will aid future missions to Mars and the Moon.聽

There are currently several plastic 3D printers on board the ISS which are frequently used by astronauts. However, the tools to produce metal objects in this way have not been available until now. 

Astronauts based on the ISS can often wait months for metal replacements to be delivered from Earth, so there are hopes that the metal 3D printer may be a game changer. 

Gwena毛lle Aridon, Airbus Space Assembly lead engineer, said: 鈥淭he metal 3D printer will bring new on-orbit manufacturing capabilities, including the possibility to produce load-bearing structural parts that are more resilient than a plastic equivalent. Astronauts will be able to directly manufacture tools such as wrenches or mounting interfaces that could connect several parts together. The flexibility and rapid availability of 3D printing will greatly improve astronauts鈥� autonomy.鈥� 

Printing metal in space poses a raft of unique problems and Airbus will be gathering data about how the new machine performs.  

The average 3D printer normally requires a 10m虏 laboratory as a minimum, so Airbus engineers have had to significantly reduce the size.聽

Another consideration involved ensuring that the space station is protected from the laser and the heat generated by the metal 3D printer.  

Although the printer sits in a safe-like box, the melting point of metal alloys compatible with this process can be far over 1,200掳C degrees, compared to around 200掳C degrees for plastic. 

鈥淕ravity management is also key, which is why we chose wire-based printing technology. The wire is independent of gravity unlike the powder-based system, which always has to fall to the ground,鈥� S茅bastien Girault, metal 3D printer System Engineer at Airbus, said. 

Whether from plastic or metal, fumes are emitted that must be passed through filters and captured inside the machine so that they do not contaminate the air within the ISS. 

An exact replica of the 3D printer on Earth will mirror some of the work completed by the space-based machine.  

Four sample parts made by the 3D printer on the ISS will be sent back to Airbus for comparison against those produced by the Earth-based machine. 

The metal 3D printer was developed by a consortium comprising Airbus Defense and Space, AddUp, Cranfield University and Highftech Engineering, under a program run and funded by the European Space Agency (ESA).聽

The metal 3D printer took off for the ISS aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on January 20, 2024.

RAF Voyager laden with 80 tons of fuel suffers tire blowout takeoff scare: video聽聽

• Defense

byIan Molyneaux

2024-01-31

The initiative is a collaborative effort between the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, the Italian Air Force, Barilla, and Axiom Space. The aim is not only to explore the culinary possibilities in space but also to support the application for Italian cuisine to be recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 

“We have been producing pasta for more than 140 years. It is a product rooted in the very distant past and is an icon of Italian cuisine around the world,鈥� commented Paolo Barilla, Vice President of the Barilla Group. 鈥淏eing part of this space mission fills us with pride and offers us the opportunity to explore a new frontier of nutrition, giving astronauts a bit of the feeling of being at home.鈥� 

The special package will be sent on January 17, 2024, aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as part of the Ax-3 mission, lasting two weeks. It will be the first fully European commercial astronaut mission to the ISS, featuring former NASA astronaut and Axiom Space Director of Business Development Michael L贸pez-Alegr铆a, Italian Air Force pilot Walter Villadei, and mission specialists Alper Gezeravc谋 from Turkey and Marcus Wandt from Sweden. 

Due to the challenges of boiling pasta in microgravity, the fusilli sent to space is pre-cooked and ready to be heated and enjoyed. Barilla’s Research and Development team ensured that the simple recipe 鈥� pasta, extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt 鈥� represents the essence of Italian goodness, guaranteeing it can remain al dente even while orbiting the Earth. 

Pasta has a long history in space, with several recorded instances of freeze-dried spaghetti being sent on Apollo missions. In fact, during the Apollo 12 mission in November 1969, Lunar Module Pilot Alan Bean specifically requested the NASA food team to pack spaghetti for him, as he was on a special mission of his own. 

鈥淚 wanted to be the first human to eat spaghetti on the Moon, as it is my favorite food,鈥� Bean explained.聽聽

The evolution of space food: from squeezable tubes to cosmic culinary marvels

• Space

byEmilia Stankeviciute

2023-07-20