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WG3K > ANS 16.12.24 03:02l 10 Lines 5270 Bytes #174 (0) @ AMSAT
BID : ANS350.9
Subj: Satellite Shorts From All Over
Path: IZ3LSV<I0OJJ<EA2RCF<LU9DCE<VK2RZ<KC9UHI<KA1VSC<WG3K
Sent: 241216/0159Z 10958@WG3K.#SMD.MD.USA.NOAM LinBPQ6.0.24
+ NASA has announced delays to its Artemis moon program, pushing Artemis II, a crewed mission around the moon, to April 2026, with the Artemis III lunar landing planned for mid-2027. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson emphasized that this timeline keeps the U.S. ahead of China's goal to land on the moon by 2030, highlighting the competitive nature of the space race. The delays follow concerns about the Orion capsuleâ€Ös heat shield, which cracked during reentry after the uncrewed Artemis I test mission in 2022; Artemis II will proceed with adjustments to the capsuleâ€Ös trajectory, while future missions will feature an upgraded heat shield. Artemis, initiated under former President Trumpâ€Ös administration, aims not only to return astronauts to the moon but also to establish lunar bases as a stepping stone for Mars exploration, despite rising costs and development delays. The program's reliance on SpaceXâ€Ös Starship for lunar landings has raised questions about its cost-effectiveness, especially under the incoming Trump administration. Nelson expressed optimism about Artemis's continuity under NASAâ€Ös next administrator, Jared Isaacman, amid ongoing bipartisan and international support for lunar exploration. (ANS thanks The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/ for the above information)
+ Less than a week after its December 5th launch aboard a Vega-C rocket, the Sentinel-1C satellite delivered its first radar images, showcasing its advanced capabilities in environmental monitoring. Equipped with a cutting-edge C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR), Sentinel-1C operates in all weather and lighting conditions, supporting critical applications like climate change research, disaster response, and environmental management. Early images captured regions such as Svalbard, Norway, highlighting its ability to monitor Arctic ice coverage, the Netherlands, showcasing intricate details for agriculture and water management, and Brussels, Belgium, revealing dense urban landscapes with historical ties to the Sentinel program. These high-resolution radar images, processed flawlessly by the Sentinel-1 Ground Segment, underline the satelliteâ€Ös potential for actionable insights into soil moisture, urban planning, and polar ecosystems. Sentinel-1C continues the legacy of its predecessors while expanding its role in marine surveillance, ground deformation observation, and global humanitarian aid. Freely available via the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, Sentinel-1Câ€Ös data ensures robust support for diverse Copernicus services and scientific applications worldwide. (ANS thanks the European Space Agencyhttps://www.esa.int/ for the above information)
+ NASA recently awarded SpaceX a $256.6 million contract to launch Dragonfly, a rotorcraft designed to explore Titan, Saturn's largest moon, using a nuclear-powered radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG). This marks a milestone for SpaceX, as it will be the company's first time launching a nuclear-powered payload, a domain previously dominated by United Launch Alliance (ULA). The RTG will generate electricity from plutonium-238, chosen because Titan's dim and cloudy atmosphere precludes the use of solar power. Dragonfly will explore Titan's surface by hopping between locations using its eight rotors, investigating organic molecules essential to understanding the building blocks of life. Originally set for a 2026 launch, delays due to redesigns, COVID-19 impacts, and supply chain issues have pushed the timeline to July 2028, with costs escalating to $3.35 billion. This mission, one of NASA's most ambitious robotic endeavors, underscores the transition to new-generation rockets for launching nuclear payloads, with SpaceX's Falcon Heavy beating ULA's Vulcan rocket in competitive bidding for this historic mission. (ANS thanks SpaceNewshttps://spacenews.com/ for the above information)
+ The USC Rocket Propulsion Lab (USCRPL) at the University of Southern California has shattered the international altitude record for amateur rocketry with their Aftershock II rocket, reaching an unprecedented 470,000 feet. This achievement surpasses the previous 20-year record of 380,000 feet set by the Civilian Space Exploration Team in 2004, establishing Aftershock II as the first civilian-built rocket to achieve this altitude. Equipped with the most powerful solid-propellant motor ever fired by students and enhanced thermal protection systems, the rocket endured hypersonic speeds with innovative features like titanium-coated fins and a custom paint system. The launch on October 20th in Nevadaâ€Ös Black Rock Desert also demonstrated advanced avionics and live data integration, enabling precise tracking and recovery. Building on their milestone 2019 launch of Traveler IV, the first student-designed rocket to cross the Kármán line, USCRPL continues to push the boundaries of amateur rocketry with cutting-edge engineering and teamwork. This remarkable achievement highlights the groupâ€Ös role as a training ground for future leaders in the space industry, inspiring innovation and excellence among aspiring astronautical engineers. (ANS thanks University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineeringhttps://viterbischool.usc.edu/ for the above information)
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