On the second completely private mission, a four-person crew set off for the International Space Station ISS for around ten days. For the first time, a woman from Saudi Arabia is on her way into space.
A four-person crew flew to the International Space Station ISS on a rocket from the US company SpaceX. Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, ex-racing driver John Shoffner, Saudi Arabian astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi and her colleague Ali Alqarni flew into space on board a “Dragon” capsule. They are expected to stay in the ISS for around ten days as part of the “Axiom-2” mission and carry out scientific experiments.
Passengers have to pay themselves
The trip is organized by the private space company Axiom Space in cooperation with NASA and SpaceX. According to media reports, the passengers will each pay around 50 million euros for the trip. Axiom Space, founded in 2016 in Houston, Texas, by former NASA manager Michael Suffredini and Iranian-American entrepreneur Kam Ghaffarian, sees itself as a future major player in the space market.
In April 2022, “Axiom-1” was the first completely private mission to the ISS. At that time, the Spanish-American astronaut Michael López-Alegría, the US entrepreneur Larry Connor, the Israeli entrepreneur Eytan Stibbe and the Canadian investor Mark Pathy flew to the ISS. There had been individual space tourists on the ISS several times before, but the “Axiom-1” mission was the first completely private crew.
First woman from Saudi Arabia in space
Researcher Barnaui is the first woman from Saudi Arabia to take part in a space flight. She and Air Force pilot Ali al-Karni are also the first representatives of their country to do so since 1985, when a Saudi prince took off on a space flight aboard the space shuttle Discovery as part of NASA’s space program.
The mission was led by former NASA astronaut Whitson, who now works for SpaceX. The former first commander of the ISS held her country’s record for the longest total stay in space at 665 days. Also on board was US businessman John Shoffner.
“Starliner” astronaut flight postponed
Astronauts are due to be launched to the ISS on Boeing’s “Starliner” a long time ago. Now the spacecraft will not be ready for its first manned flight until March next year at the earliest.
Contrary to plans, the Starliner spacecraft will not take off for its first astronaut flight this year. The space capsule will not be ready for launch until early next year at the earliest. This was announced by the US space agency NASA and the US aircraft manufacturer Boeing at a press conference.
Boeing’s program manager Nappi explained: “According to current plans, we expect to be ready with the spacecraft at the beginning of March.”
However, this does not mean that there is already a launch date for early March. This will have to be set at a later date and will depend on the seats on the ISS and the capabilities of the United Launch Alliance company, which is supplying the rocket for the launch of the spacecraft.
More glitches in final test phase
New technical problems arose during the final test phase in the spring: with the parachute system and with an adhesive tape that proved to be flammable. This was actually intended to protect the capsule’s wiring.
The first manned flight of the spacecraft was supposed to take place in July. This date had also been postponed several times before.
So far, the only unmanned test flights have been successful
Almost ten years ago, NASA commissioned Boeing to bring astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and back to Earth. This was achieved for the first time in 2022 – but only unmanned. At the time, NASA spoke of a “milestone”.
Spaceship costs Boeing hundreds of millions of dollars
NASA wants to use Boeing’s space capsule as an alternative to SpaceX’s Dragon space capsule for transporting to the ISS. The ongoing delays to the first flight of the “Starliner” have already cost Boeing an additional $257 million, as the US aircraft manufacturer announced last month The “Starliner” is a partially reusable spacecraft that
consists of a capsule for the crew and a service module that can be launched with a rocket. Once approved for transporting people, it can transport up to four crew members to the ISS.
“Starliner” back on Earth
Test successfulBoeing’s “Starliner” was actually supposed to transport astronauts to and from the ISS a long time ago. But the project is plagued by a number of problems and is far behind schedule. Now a test flight has been successful for the first time.
The “Starliner” spacecraft, developed by Boeing on behalf of the US space agency NASA, has completed its first successful test flight to the International Space Station ISS. After around four days at the ISS, the unmanned spacecraft undocked from the space station on Wednesday as planned and landed a few hours later in the US state of New Mexico, Boeing and NASA announced.
It was an important test for the crisis-ridden “Starliner”. The spacecraft is intended to transport astronauts to the ISS in the future – as an alternative to SpaceX’s “Crew Dragon” space capsule.
Project plagued by problems for a long time
However, due to a number of problems, the project is far behind schedule. The “Starliner” is supposed to have been transporting astronauts to and from the ISS long ago, but during an initial test in December 2019, the spacecraft did not make it to the ISS – partly due to a problem with the automatic ignition of the engines.
Last year, the tests were postponed several times – and then the “Starliner” finally had to go back to the workshop due to valve problems.
NASA speaks of “milestone”
NASA described the successful launch from Cape Canaveral Spaceport last week as a “milestone.” The spacecraft was carrying over 300 kilograms of cargo, including supplies for the ISS crew.
The Starliner is a partially reusable spacecraft consisting of a capsule for the crew and a service module that can be launched by rocket. Once approved for human transport, it can carry up to four crew members to the ISS.
Boeing’s “Starliner” launch aborted again
Boeing’s “Starliner” was supposed to transport astronauts to the ISS long ago. But the project is plagued by crises. Now another launch has had to be canceled.
A planned first manned test flight of the crisis-ridden spacecraft “Starliner” was aborted again shortly before takeoff. Around three minutes before the space capsule was due to take off from the Cape Canaveral spaceport in the US state of Florida, there was initially a temporary stop, then the launch was canceled entirely by the US space agency NASA.
The reasons for this were initially unclear. There was probably an error in a computer system on the ground, the space agency said.
“Starliner” as an alternative to the “Dragon” capsule
The test flight was aborted shortly before takeoff about a month ago and has been postponed again and again since then. NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Suni Williams were actually supposed to set off for the International Space Station ISS on board the “Starliner” and stay there for about a week. According to NASA, there would be further launch opportunities on Sunday and on June 5 and 6. However, it was initially unclear whether one could be used.
NASA plans to regularly use the “Starliner” alongside SpaceX’s “Dragon” capsule to transport astronauts to the space station. The “Dragon” capsule from multi-billionaire Elon Musk’s company has been transporting astronauts to the ISS on behalf of NASA for several years. The “Starliner” program, on the other hand, has suffered a number of setbacks in recent years.
SpaceX mission
Launch of giant rocket “Starship” postponed
Things are not going well with the “Starship” of Elon Musk’s space company SpaceX: After the explosion during the first test flight, there are now also problems with the second attempt at the largest rocket in the world.
The second test of the largest rocket system ever built in the history of space travel has been postponed from Friday to Saturday. A drive unit on a control surface – a so-called grid fin actuator – still needs to be replaced, wrote Elon Musk on the short message service X, formerly Twitter, which he owns. “That’s why the launch has been postponed to Saturday.” A grid fin is a component that is intended to stabilize the rocket when it returns to Earth and when it lands. It is brought into position by the actuator.
SpaceX announced shortly afterwards that a 20-minute launch window for the “Starship” would open at 2 pm Central European Time on Saturday. Musk’s space company also sent a noise warning to the population of the surrounding Cameron County in the US state of Texas: There may be a loud noise from the 33 engines. What one hears on site also depends on the weather and other conditions. The second launch attempt was actually scheduled for Friday afternoon Central European Time.
Requirements of the supervisory authority before second launch
The “Starship” took off for an unmanned test launch for the first time in mid-April – and four minutes later, it staggered and exploded and broke apart. Billionaire Musk, whose company SpaceX developed and built the “Starship” rocket system, did not see this as a setback, but rather as an “exciting test launch”. Musk had always been stressed that another attempt with another “Starship” should follow as soon as possible.
However, after an investigation, the US aviation authority FAA called for numerous improvements to be made before the next test launch could take place. SpaceX has now announced that it has implemented a number of changes. The FAA then gave the green light. The company has now “met all the necessary criteria, particularly with regard to safety, the environment and financial responsibility,” the authority explained.
Environmentalists have nevertheless opposed the second launch attempt. “We fear that the second launch will once again cause significant environmental damage,” said Jared Margolis, a lawyer for the environmental organization Center for Biological Diversity. A lawsuit is pending against the FAA because of the first “Starship” launch attempt. Several environmental organizations accuse the agency of not having properly assessed the environmental risks posed by the new giant rocket.
“Starship” to bring astronauts to the moon
The “Starship” – consisting of the approximately 70-meter-long “Super Heavy” booster and the approximately 50-meter-long upper stage, also called “Starship” – is intended to enable manned missions to the Moon and Mars. The system is designed so that the spacecraft and rocket can be reused after returning to Earth.
The system, which is about 120 meters long in total, will be able to transport well over a hundred tons of cargo in the future. NASA wants to use the “Starship” to bring astronauts to the moon. SpaceX hopes to reach Mars one day.
The “Starliner” breakdown list has gotten longer
Boeing does not only develop airplanes, but also spaceships. But the “Starliner” is particularly impressive due to its mishaps. The launch date for the first manned flight has been postponed again.
The list of problems with the “Starliner” is long. In December 2019, it was supposed to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time without a crew. But the spacecraft never arrived at the ISS during this flight. Due to a software problem, the “Starliner” used up too much fuel too early, was unable to reach the ISS’s altitude and had to abort its flight after two days.
The repeat of the flight in August 2021 ended even before it began. The humid weather in Florida had caused valves in the fuel lines to corrode, so that several of these valves were jammed before takeoff. The “Starliner” rolled from the launch site back to the workshop.
It was only on the third attempt that the “Starliner” reached the ISS, two and a half years late. However, there was no crew on board for all of these flights. The first flight with people on board was actually planned for this summer – but the American space agency NASA and the Boeing company announced at a press conference that the launch would be postponed until spring 2024.
Parachutes and faulty adhesive tapes
What is not working and is preventing the one remaining, crucial qualification flight of the “Starliner” to the International Space Station are, on the one hand, fastenings for the parachutes and, on the other hand, adhesive tape. The fiberglass tape used to bundle electrical cables in the “Starliner” has proven to be flammable under very specific circumstances – this was not clearly noted in the aerospace engineers’ databases. The tape was installed in good conscience. Now it has to be removed.
With the parachutes, it turned out that connections between the parachute lines and the return capsule could be overloaded.
The design and material of the connection on the parachutes have already been changed. Whether this solves the problems will be determined during a test landing after being dropped from a high altitude, but this cannot be taken place until November. The unexpectedly flammable tape has already been largely removed from the upper half of the space capsule or covered with non-flammable material. It will take a few more weeks to replace it in the lower half of the “Starliner.”
“Starliner” still a loss-making business for Boeing
If the next flight, the first with a crew, is successful, Boeing would be the second company alongside SpaceX to have the license to transport space personnel to the ISS. With an estimated 50 to 60 million dollars per passenger, this would be a lucrative business.
But it remains to be seen whether Boeing will ever make a profit with the “Starliner” with these impressive ticket prices. NASA agreed a fixed price of five billion dollars with Boeing for the development of the “Starliner” – but the many breakdowns and delays have resulted in costs of more than six billion dollars for Boeing.
NASA sticks to project
Nevertheless, the project will not be abandoned – not only because the next, decisive flight could make the project a success and make all the mishaps forgotten. But also because NASA started its commercial spacecraft program more than ten years ago so that one day it would no longer be dependent on just one type of spacecraft from one manufacturer.
Although SpaceX has been reliably bringing new crew to the ISS every six months, NASA believes that splitting this business between the two companies would make sense. Memories are still fresh of the years when the USA had no spaceships of its own to transport men and women to the ISS because the space shuttles were unusable and had to buy flight opportunities from the Russian space agency.
Possible ISS replacement
Airbus joins private space station projectAirbus is getting involved in the development of a private space station that could replace the ISS. The aircraft manufacturer will work with the US company Voyager Space to advance the Starlab project.
The European aircraft manufacturer and aerospace company Airbus is participating in a private space station that could replace the aging International Space Station ISS. Airbus wants to participate in the development, construction and operation of the Starlab station of the US company Voyager Space.
Starlab to be sent into orbit in 2028
A joint venture is planned, as Voyager Space and Airbus announced. According to current plans, Starlab is to enter orbit in 2028.
The space station will provide space for various research laboratories and will therefore play an important role in space research. In addition to Voyager Space, the Hilton hotel group is also involved as a partner in the planning of the residential quarters.
Replacement of the ISS by several space stations
The ISS is gradually dismantled and crashed at the end of the decade. It is becoming apparent that there will be several stations instead of one huge structure.
The Voyager company Nanoracks received $160 million from the US space agency NASA at the end of 2021 to develop Starlab. Airbus has already commissioned Voyager Space in January to provide technical support and know-how for the project.
Longest ISS mission
Astronauts set an involuntary recordThe astronauts Rubio, Prokopyev and Petelin were actually supposed to stay in space for 180 days. But a glitch delayed their return home. US astronaut Rubio is now especially looking forward to hugging his children.
US astronaut Frank Rubio and the two Russian cosmonauts Sergei Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin have landed safely back on Earth – after more than a year in space.
The three astronauts, who had launched to the ISS on September 21 last year, landed in the steppe of the Central Asian Republic of Kazakhstan on Wednesday in the Soyuz MS-23 space capsule. The Russian space agency Roscosmos showed photos and videos of the picture-perfect landing. The astronauts were reportedly doing well.
With 371 days in space, it was the longest mission on the International Space Station ISS, according to Roscosmos. However, it was not actually planned that way. The astronauts were supposed to return after six months, but damage to their Soyuz capsule prevented them from returning home as planned. A replacement spacecraft had to be found, which meant that the length of their stay was doubled.
Only two cosmonauts have spent longer periods in space: Valery Polyakov spent a total of 437 days in space from 1994 to 1995, and Sergei Avdeev spent 379 days from 1998 to 1999. Both had worked on the ISS’s predecessor station, Mir.
US record
Meanwhile, American astronaut Frank Rubio set a US record. Due to the involuntary extension of the ISS mission, Rubio stayed in space for 371 days instead of the planned 180 days, thus beating the record of his compatriot Mark Vande Hei.
“It’s good to be home,” said Rubio. If he had known in advance how long the mission would be, he would not have agreed. “Hugging my wife and children will be the most important thing, and that’s probably what I’ll focus on in the first few days,” said the military doctor and helicopter pilot.
Damage to the Soyuz capsule
A leak was discovered in the trio’s Soyuz MS-22 capsule in December, which experts believe was caused by the impact of a micrometeorite. This had damaged the outer coating and a cooling unit. Both Roscosmos and NASA assured at the time that they saw no danger to the operation of the ISS. Due to the damage, the return planned for March was postponed. The Soyuz MS-23 was sent to the ISS from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan as a replacement spacecraft.
International Space Station
New crew launched at the ISS
A four-person crew under the command of American Jasmin Moghbeli is on its way to the International Space Station ISS. The astronauts bring different personal backgrounds with them on board.
This morning, a four-person crew took off from the spaceport of the US space agency NASA toward the International Space Station ISS. Just under 24 hours later, they are expected to dock with the ISS around 400 kilometers above the Earth. The launch was originally planned for Friday, but was then postponed by a day.
Until now, the US space agency NASA has always had two or three of its astronauts on each of the SpaceX flights from the USA to the ISS. This time it is just NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli. In addition to the commander, Andreas Mogensen from the European Space Agency ESA, the Japanese Satoshi Furukawa and the Russian Konstantin Borissow are also on board. They took off on board the SpaceX capsule “Dragon” from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, powered by a Falcon 9 rocket.
Different experiences
Moghbeli was born in Germany and grew up in New York. Her parents fled Iran during the 1979 revolution. She flew combat helicopters in Afghanistan for the US military. Now she is embarking on her first space flight. She wanted to show Iranian girls that they could have big goals, she said before the flight. “Believing in yourself is something very powerful.”
Mogensen used to work on oil drilling platforms off the West African coast. He is sure that this experience led him to be selected as Denmark’s first astronaut. Furukawa worked as a surgeon for ten years before becoming an astronaut. He and Mogensen have both been on the ISS. Borissov is new to space travel. He runs a freediving school in Moscow and is a judge for the sport. Persian stew, Danish chocolate and Japanese fish will be among the dishes the astronauts will take to the ISS.
Seventh rotation of the IS crew since 2020
A few days after docking, the “Dragon” capsule is scheduled to bring another four-person crew, consisting of the Americans Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, the Russian Andrei Fedyaev and the Emirati Sultan al-Nijadi, back to Earth. A total of seven people are currently on the International Space Station.
According to NASA, the current mission is the eighth manned flight of the “Dragon” spacecraft from multi-billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX company. The aircraft manufacturer Boeing was also hired for the mission, but has not yet transported any astronauts. Due to problems, the Boeing crew capsule will remain on the ground until 2024.
According to NASA, this is the seventh rotation of the ISS crew since 2020. The new crew members will conduct research in space for six months. Since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine a year ago, the International Space Station is one of the few areas in which Russia and the USA still work together.
On the far side
China announces successful landing of lunar probeThe mission is considered a milestone in Chinese space travel: Another probe has landed on the far side of the Moon. “Chang’e 6” is intended to collect soil and rock samples there and bring them back to Earth.
According to state media, the Chinese lunar probe “Chang’e-6” has successfully landed on the far side of the moon. As the state news agency Xinhua reported, citing the Chinese space agency, “Chang’e-6” landed as planned in the so-called South Pole-Aitken Basin, a huge lunar crater.
The probe is intended to collect rock samples from the far side of the Moon for the first time and bring them to Earth – it would be the first time in human history that this could be achieved.
China launched its next mission to explore the far side of the moon at the beginning of May. A carrier rocket carrying the probe named after the Chinese moon goddess took off from the Wenchang spaceport on the southern Chinese island of Hainan on May 3. The technically complex mission is expected to last a total of 53 days. The probe is expected to collect a total of 2 kilograms of rock and soil samples in the South Pole-Aitken Basin and carry out other experiments.
First landing in 2019
China also wants to become a major power in space travel and is investing billions in its space program. And with success: in 2019, the People’s Republic succeeded in landing a probe on the far side of the moon for the first time with “Chang’e-4”. In the follow-up mission “Chang’e-5” in 2020, China became the third country after the USA and the Soviet Union to bring moon rocks to Earth – albeit from the front of the moon. Now China wants to be the first country to analyze samples from the far side of the moon.
Scientists have high hopes for research into the far side of the Moon because its surface is not covered in lava. It could therefore be easier to access rocks that could provide information about the formation of the Earth’s satellite.
China reaches for moon rocks
It will be one of China’s most difficult space flights to date: a spacecraft is to bring moon rocks to Earth for the first time in 40 years. The mission is seen as China’s forerunner to Mars.
China has launched an unmanned spacecraft to land on the moon. The flight is intended to bring rock samples back to Earth for the first time in more than four decades. The “Long March 5” rocket took off early Tuesday morning (local time) from the space station in Wenchang on the southern Chinese island of Hainan. The spacecraft, named after the Chinese moon goddess “Chang’e”, is expected to bring a lander to the moon on Sunday to collect rock and drill samples.
If the return is successful, China would be the third spacefaring nation to succeed in such a venture, after the USA and the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s. The spacecraft is to land in the volcanic region named after the German astronomer Karl Rümker (1788-1862). It is located in the “Ocean of Storms” in the upper left part of the side of the moon facing the earth.
Two weeks time
The mission is considered one of the most complicated that China’s space program has ever undertaken: for the first time, a Chinese ascent stage would launch from the Moon, take rock samples with it and perform a docking maneuver in the orbit of the Earth’s satellite before the return capsule flies back to Earth. The landing module can only stay on the lunar surface for one lunar day – about 14 Earth days – because it cannot be heated and cannot withstand the freezing cold nights.
The 8,200 kilogram spacecraft consists of four modules: the orbiter with the return capsule and the lander with the ascent stage. After touching down on the lunar surface, the lander will use a long arm to collect around two kilograms of lunar rock and samples from boreholes up to two meters deep and store them in a chamber.
Researchers hope that the samples will provide important new insights into the volcanic activity and history of the Moon. The USA’s Apollo missions brought back around 380 kilograms of moon rock. The Soviet Union collected a total of 300 grams – most recently with the unmanned “Luna 24” mission in 1976, when around 170 grams of moon dust were brought to Earth.
Reaching for Mars?
If the mission is successful, it would be a major step forward for China’s space program. Some experts believe it could pave the way for a similar mission to Mars or even a manned mission to the Moon.
Astronomer Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics pointed out that China has already landed on the moon twice with the “Chang’e 3” and “Chang’e 4” missions. With a “Chang’e 5” test mission in 2014, it proved that it can navigate back to Earth and land a capsule there. Now it just needs to show that it can take samples on the moon and launch from there again. “That’s why I’m pretty optimistic that China can pull it off,” said McDowell.
China is pursuing an ambitious space program with missions to the Moon and Mars as well as the construction of its own space station. In January 2019, China became the first spacefaring nation to land “Chang’e 4” on the relatively unexplored far side of the Moon. A rover was deployed to continue exploring the surface.
Numerous moon missions planned
The renaissance of manned space travel63 years ago today, the first human flew into space – the first manned mission to the Moon followed a few years later. Now several countries are planning to return to Earth’s satellite, first with probes and rovers, then with humans.
The USA, China, Russia, India – several countries want to return to our Earth’s satellite. The race to the moon is in full swing. It’s about prestige, science and economic interests. 55 years after NASA flew astronauts to the moon for the first time, the return is imminent. In 2025, the USA wants to orbit the moon with four astronauts on the “Artemis II” mission. The manned moon landing is planned for 2026.
“Astronautical space travel is currently experiencing a renaissance,” says ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher. Humans will be irreplaceable in the exploration of the Moon, together with robotics and artificial intelligence: “You need a good combination of both. A human exploring the terrain on the Moon, for example, can see more than a robot with all imaginable sensors and cameras. They think much further, much more holistically, in other words more holistically, than all the software and robots we can program. Apart from that, an astronaut can cover much greater distances to explore areas than a rover.”
Robots lack scientific intuition
ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst refers to the American “Viking” probes that flew to Mars in the 1970s to clarify, among other things, the question of whether there is water on the Red Planet.
He explains: “Traces of water have actually been found, but we now know that water ice is often found directly beneath the Earth’s surface. If the excavator had dug just a few centimeters deeper, it would probably have found bare ice.” Robots simply do not have the scientific intuition that trained astronauts have.
NASA plans new lunar vehicles
NASA has just announced that it has awarded three space companies the contract to build a lunar vehicle. It is still unclear who will win the contract, but one thing is clear: the so-called LTV (lunar terrain vehicle) will be able to travel over the lunar surface with and without astronauts and cover long distances. The NASA press release states:
The LTV will be able to cope with the extreme conditions of the Moon’s south pole and will feature advanced technologies for energy management, autonomous driving, and state-of-the-art communications and navigation systems. Crews will use the LTV to explore, transport scientific equipment, and collect samples from the lunar surface much further than they could go on foot, allowing for greater scientific yield.
The first man in space
63 years ago today, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to orbit the Earth. His flight in the Vostok 1 space capsule lasted one hour and 48 minutes. Since then, generations of astronauts have flown into space. With the construction of the International Space Station (ISS) in 1998, a certain routine set in. Long-term stays of six months are common practice. However, the planned moon flights now present the astronauts with completely different challenges.
Astronaut Gerst says that the planned moon flights will open a completely new chapter in astronautics: “The planned moon missions are complex, with many logistical steps. You have to land there and are trapped on the moon by its gravity. The environment is hostile to life, with temperatures well below minus 100 degrees on the night side and well over 100 degrees on the day side, plus space radiation and vacuum.”
In contrast to the “Apollo” missions, the “Artemis” missions are now flying to the moon to conduct sustainable science in international cooperation. The first moon flights between 1969 and 1972 were national solo efforts by NASA and took place during the Cold War. USA against the Soviet Union – back then it was about prestige and the fight for spheres of influence, with astronauts as heroes of the respective nation.
Reasons for returning to the moon
Why do so many nations actually want to go back to the moon? After the Apollo missions, NASA stopped the program. Today it is clear: the moon is more than just a collection of dead rock.
ESA Director General Aschbacher explains: “With lunar exploration, completely new economic sectors will develop in the future. Mineral resources will be mined. There is ice on the moon, which can be converted into rocket fuel or oxygen for astronauts. It’s about setting up a camp in which to conduct research. Research and economic aspects will go hand in hand. We don’t yet know what the moon has to offer.”
For him, there is no question that Europe must also participate in the exploration of the moon in order not to be left behind technologically and to remain competitive: “What is at stake is how Europe positions itself in the next ten, twenty years, as a continent that develops technology. We have excellent technologies in the automotive sector, in mechanical engineering, in many other areas, and space travel will be a domain of the future.”
Space travel is expensive
Aschbacher justifies the immense costs of space travel and explains that the ESA is not only investing money in the training and flights of astronauts:
“We must not forget that ESA spends about half of its money on Earth observation, navigation and telecommunications. Our focus is on planet Earth. NASA has focused more on exploration, i.e. on astronaut space travel, to the Moon and Mars. This shows the slightly different priorities of the space agencies.” He calculates that the ESA budget in 2024 will be around 7.8 billion euros – money that will be used to provide a lot of technology, but also information about the Earth, the universe and the existence of humanity.
Astronautic space travel is considered THE symbol of exploration in space. ESA astronaut Gerst is aware of the responsibility that his work is financed with public money. He compares the moon missions with the exploration of Antarctica: “In the beginning, it was about putting up a flag at the South Pole, with great political support. Then there was little research for decades, until there was a big push in the middle of the 20th century because people realized that there were scientific reasons to explore Antarctica. We are now facing this second wave on the moon.”
Preparing for the moon
Gerst does not yet know when or if he will be one of the astronauts who will fly to the moon. He says that he is head of the European astronaut corps for the new generation of ESA astronauts, but that he is preparing himself for a possible moon mission:
“I have regular training sessions planned to prepare myself and my colleagues for such missions. For example, working in a space suit or flight training. We also practice conducting science in difficult environments, such as in the Antarctic, in underground caves or in volcanic areas.”
The moon in the distance?
On Monday, the US space probe “Peregrine” set off for the moon, but it will never arrive there. Now the next setback: NASA is postponing a manned flight to the moon. What is the status of the current missions?
Everything started well. The launch of “Peregrine” on Monday was supposed to usher in a “new era of space travel to the moon and beyond,” the spokeswoman said during the lift-off broadcast. The rocket worked perfectly – but its payload, the probe on top of it, did not.
Their on-board engines are acting up so much that they make it impossible to land on the lunar surface.
German lunar experiment delivers data
But even without the crowning achievement of a successful landing on the moon, the mission is already a success for the German Aerospace Center (DLR). There, in the Department of Radiation Biology, Thomas Berger is pleased with the progress of the mission so far.
The DLR contributed to an experiment called M42 – named after the Orion Nebula in the night sky – to the “Peregrine” mission. “It measures the radiation on the way to the Moon and is now sending this measurement data back to Earth,” Berger said. The instruments will probably be managed until Thursday, before “Peregrine” runs out of fuel. Even without landing, at least this part of the mission was successful.
But the bad news from the moon is still not letting up: Yesterday, the US space agency NASA announced that it does not want to send four astronauts around the moon at the end of the year – for the first time since the 1970s. Just over a year ago, everyone saw the test flight of “Artemis I”, said Bill Nelson. “It was so successful that further tests are necessary,” was the strange logic of the NASA boss.
No need for haste
Amit Kshatriya from NASA’s Exploration Systems Division explains exactly what went wrong: “During the return to Earth, more material came loose from the heat shield of the Orion crew capsule than the engineers had expected. We are currently investigating the cause and hope to have completed our investigations in the spring.”
“Artemis I” took place in December 2022. Since then, NASA has been studying the heat shield. And studying. And studying. NASA chief Nelson justifies these delays: “In order to give the Artemis teams more time, we will not launch ‘Artemis II’ this year, but towards the end of next year. The follow-up mission “Artemis III” is not scheduled to bring people to the lunar south pole until the end of 2026.
Other countries overtake the USA
Delays have lasted several years for all sorts of reasons that a private space company like SpaceX could have possibly resolved within weeks. Elon Musk’s company plans to send its new Starship into space for the third time next month.
After these recent delays, it’s more questionable whether the next people on the moon will have a Stars and Stripes flag in their luggage – but not for Bill Nelson: “I’m not worried that China could land on the moon before us,” says the NASA administrator.
China has a very ambitious program. And sending people to the moon before the USA would be a huge PR coup. “But I don’t think they’ll manage it.” Neither the Americans nor the Chinese are next anyway: On January 19, the unmanned Japanese probe SLIM will land on the moon – or not.
Third test flight unsuccessful
SpaceX reports loss of giant rocket
The third test flight of the gigantic SpaceX rocket “Starship” has also failed. It was apparently destroyed during its re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. One day it will transport people to the moon and Mars.
The largest rocket system ever built was also unable to complete a third test flight. The unmanned “Starship” was made into space after launching from SpaceX’s Starbase spaceport in Boca Chica, Texas. However, it was destroyed upon re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere, according to commentators on the live stream from the space company SpaceX.
A test flight lasting around an hour was planned, after which both rocket stages were to land in the sea. The lower rocket stage also attempted to land, but then failed, as the commentators reported: “We lost the rocket stage, so we have to look at the data again.”
More goals achieved than in previous tests
The upper stage of the rocket was the first to enter space, where it probably remained for about half an hour before being lost during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. This means that more goals were achieved in the third test than in the previous two.
In the first test last April, the entire rocket system exploded after just a few minutes. In the second test in November, the two rocket stages were separated and the upper one continued to fly, but both exploded separately shortly afterwards. SpaceX always emphasizes that the aim of the tests is to collect data.
Manned missions to the Moon and Mars
In the future, the system, which will be around 120 meters long, will be able to transport well over 100 tons of cargo. It consists of a booster around 70 meters long and an upper stage around 50 meters long and is intended to enable manned missions to the Moon and Mars. The US space agency NASA also plans to use “Starship” for its Artemis moon landing mission.
The system is designed so that the spacecraft and rocket can be reused after returning to Earth. This should make space missions cheaper.
SpaceX to build new lunar module
It was the first manned flight to the Earth’s satellite since 1972: The US space agency NASA has commissioned Tesla founder Elon Musk’s company SpaceX to build a lunar module.
NASA continues to rely on Tesla founder Elon Musk for manned space travel. The US space agency commissioned Musk’s company SpaceX to build the next lunar module for flights to the Moon – the first since the Apollo missions 50 years ago.
SpaceX is already using the Falcon 9 to transport astronauts to the International Space Station ISS for NASA. The special thing about Musk’s lunar module “Starship” is that all parts of the carrier system are reusable, which will significantly reduce the costs of each individual flight in the medium term.
The price was apparently also an argument for NASA: According to the Washington Post, SpaceX made the cheapest offer at just under three billion dollars – and thus beat the competition, including “Blue Origin”, the space company of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Test flights not yet successful
However, there is still a lot to do before the “Starship” can actually fly people to the moon as part of the Artemis mission. The prototype’s previous test flights either ended in a crash landing or the lander exploded in mid-air.
It remains unclear when the first manned flight to the moon since 1972 will take place. Former US President Donald Trump had set NASA a deadline of 2024. The government of his successor Joe Biden is currently having the schedule reviewed again.
Editor’s note: A previous version mentioned a moon rocket that Musk is supposed to build for NASA. However, this is the part of the rocket that is supposed to land on the moon’s surface at the end, i.e. the lunar module.
Life like on the Red Planet
Humans have reached Mars: The Red Planet is located in Texas and measures 160 square meters. With the help of a one-year simulation, NASA wants to prepare for a real Mars mission – even if it is still a long way off.
An area of red sand that is intended to simulate the Martian landscape. Four bedrooms, a living room, several work units as well as a mini gym, a vertical farm for growing vegetables and a medical area. Video recordings from Reuters and other media provide insights into the so-called Mars Habitat Simulator, in which four volunteers are to simulate life on the Red Planet for a year.
NASA wants to investigate how people behave in total isolation far away from Earth, says the head of the research project, Grace Douglas, to the news agency Reuters.
The “Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog” (CHAPEA) project was developed as a simulation of a one-year stay on Mars. The intention is to observe a crew in isolation with many restrictions. “We want to understand how these restrictions affect their health and performance,” Douglas said.
Mars on 160 square meters
The nearly 160 square meter “Mars Dune Alpha” comes from the 3D printer and was built in a converted hangar at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The experiment is intended to prepare for a future Mars mission, says NASA scientist Suzanne Bell: “In addition to the isolation and the confined space, we are also studying how the four test subjects get along with each other. When you live in a confined space with three other people, it can be exhausting.”
The four paid volunteers will have to live under realistic Mars conditions. This means they will not have much water, no fresh air, very little luggage and very limited contact with friends and family – just as people might live on a Mars station in the distant future.
Walking on Mars via Virtual Reality
The only thing that cannot be simulated in “Mars Dune Alpha” is the gravitational pull of Mars, says Douglas in an interview with the television station Fox 13 News.
A special zone has been set up for this purpose, adds NASA human performance engineer Alex Baughman: “Here we have created a space where we can take space or Mars walks using virtual reality and carry out simulated Mars experiments. For example, taking geological samples, removing dust from space suits or solar panels, or making repairs to the house.”
Volunteers must meet astronaut requirements
The four people who will volunteer to be locked in the Mars house for 365 days will be announced in the next few weeks. According to NASA, they must meet the standard requirements for astronauts.
In case there is a ruckus in the Mars house or if one of them gives up, two replacement astronauts are ready to step in in an emergency. The simulation is set to begin in June, with two more experiments to follow. Things will get serious in 2040. NASA boss Bill Nelson is already dreaming of sending a manned spacecraft to Mars by then at the latest.
“Pizza and pastries are forbidden”
What can ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer expect from his six-month stay on the ISS? Before his launch with SpaceX, he told tagesschau.de what he plans to do on board – and what he will have to do without.
tagesschau.de: Mr. Maurer, your start date has been postponed several times. How did you spend the waiting time?
Matthias Maurer: In the past year and a half, I have hardly had the opportunity to go on holiday due to the intensive training in preparation for my mission. So I have used the waiting time to relax a bit. Of course, we are continuing to train: we are doing sports, practicing various tasks again, such as “catch and capture”, where we virtually operate a robot arm and similar things. Of course, we are also going through various procedures in detail. A few days ago, we had an emergency training session on how to behave if something were to happen after the Dragon capsule took off, such as a fire breaking out or a loss of pressure in the Dragon.
As a crew we obviously spend a lot of time together, but we also had the opportunity to see our families a few times. When things got more or less boring, we started collecting plastic waste on the beach. We have a so-called beach house that is available to us and there is a private section of the beach that is not open to the public. The beach house sounds great, by the way, but it is more of a conference center. The mood within the crew is still good and couldn’t be better. We are of course looking forward to things getting started soon. But we are not allowing frustration or impatience to build up. We quickly came to an agreement as a crew.
tagesschau.de: Do you also feel some excitement before the start?
Matthias Maurer: Not yet, actually. I think the excitement comes when the hatch is closed and we hear the rocket being filled. That makes a lot of noises, and we’ve been prepared for that. But of course we haven’t really heard or felt it yet. I’ve already been in my capsule once. We had to test whether the spacesuit fits with the connections in the capsule.
Weightlessness – also a problem for astronauts
tagesschau.de: Despite the long preparation: Are you afraid that you won’t be able to cope with the weightlessness in space?
Maurer: According to statistics, 85 percent of my colleagues cannot tolerate space. So I am actually quite sure that I will not be able to tolerate space for the first three days either. It would be like being on a ship with a bit more sea than you are used to. But we take medication for motion sickness, which means I will be able to dampen it down. With a bit of luck, I will be one of the 15 percent who laugh and say: It’s not that bad. But I am prepared to suffer for a few days. That is part of it.
tagesschau.de: The weather has to be right for your launch. And not just in Florida, but also over the Atlantic west of Ireland. Why is that?
Maurer: We’ll take off from Cape Canaveral and then fly parallel to the US coast towards Canada. Then we’ll continue towards England and Ireland. And when we reach the airspace over England, we’ll be in orbit. But if we abort the launch, we’ll fall into the sea. That’s why the weather has to be good at the landing sites where we’re planning to abort the launch. Even in the best conditions in Florida, the launch could be delayed due to bad weather in the emergency landing areas.
Experiments that can only be carried out in space
tagesschau.de: Let’s talk about your work in space, such as the experiments. Why is it so important to experiment in space?
Maurer: Gravity here on Earth causes us to have physical effects that we don’t have in space. If you take water and pour some oil over it, for example, an oil film will float on top of the water here on Earth because the oil film is lighter. In space, the oil film doesn’t float, but behaves differently because of the weightlessness. We want to look into this and study additional interactions between the water and the oil, such as surface energy or interface effects. I have a lot of experiments with me in my luggage, and we’re also doing combustion experiments, for example. Because combustion also takes place differently in space than on Earth.
tagesschau.de: On the ISS you also practice for long-term stays on the Moon and Mars. Can you give us an example?
Maurer: Bringing resources to the ISS is already expensive. You can assume that every liter of water that we fly up costs around 10,000 euros – for transport costs and the entire logistics chain that goes with it. If we had to bring water to the moon, that is even more expensive. That means: every drop of water that we can actively save helps to make the mission possible and sustainable. So we need devices that create closed cycles. The water that we drink on the ISS becomes urine, which is then purified again to make drinking water. At the moment we recycle almost 90 percent of the water – that’s very good, but it’s not 100 percent yet. We have to get there.
“People on the ground should become part of my mission.”
tagesschau.de: You have been asked a lot in recent weeks what you are taking with you to the ISS. So let’s turn the question around: What would you like to take with you but are not allowed to?
Maurer: We have a few holidays up there, Christmas and my birthday. A glass to toast with something you drink at a party would have been nice. But we’re not allowed to take that with us. Even something crunchy, like pizza or pastries, is forbidden – because of the crumbs. If they don’t fall on the floor, we could inhale them. Then they would be a real danger.
tagesschau.de: Your German predecessor on the ISS always shared his mission with us through photos he posted from space. Do you plan to do the same?
Maurer: When I applied to become an astronaut in 2008, I had no idea that social media would become so popular. Now it’s part of the astronauts’ job. Luckily, I have a team that supports me. But of course I have to ” feed” this team from above: I have to and will create images and video clips and put the emotions I have up there into words. I do this not only because I have to, but also because photography is one of my hobbies and hopefully the people on the ground will also become part of my mission.
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