Atlas V rocket will launch from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral with the SILENTBARKER/NROL-107 payload belonging to National Reconnaissance Office.
Psyche will visit an asteroid with unusually high metal content to gain new insights into Earth’s core formation and solar system development, and advance ocean health research.
Starlink
Starlink is a satellite constellation created by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX to bring internet coverage to rural regions worldwide. Many have seen Starlink satellites flying overhead and wondered how it works.
Since 2022, Starlink Satellite Communications Inc has successfully deployed more than 1,000 Starlink satellites into space and provided internet services through them. 2022 marks their plan to introduce another batch of satellites bringing the total count up to over 5,000.
Contrary to its first generation, Starlink satellites in this second iteration will be smaller in order to provide faster download speeds and greater data capacity – in an effort to provide broadband internet to over one billion people globally.
SpaceX will launch their satellites using a Falcon 9. They have modified its engine’s nozzle design in order to reduce brightness in orbit and help astronomers better observe stars, saving money as less material is consumed by using less of it.
Starship
Starship, SpaceX’s reusable vehicle, will eventually be used as part of NASA’s Artemis lunar program to transport humans around the Moon. Furthermore, this repurposed vessel could also launch satellites or cargo into orbit.
SpaceX will develop a system to allow its rocket to return back to Earth once in space; however, that feature won’t be ready until 2025.
Starship’s inaugural test flight is currently slated to occur sometime during December; however, weather could postpone it. It will launch from Boca Chica near South Texas beaches where mariner hazard warnings have been issued by Mariner Hazard Warning Services.
dearMoon
Over 1 Million People Around the World Have Applied to Fly DearMoon DearMoon is inspiring us all with its crew of 10, sharing experiences and images from space travel. DearMoon’s mission aims to increase access for future astronauts.
Starlink operates satellites at an altitude below 600 kilometers, which reduces orbital debris when compared with higher altitudes. Starlink satellites will deorbit in five or six years compared with traditional satellites which remain in orbit for 25+ years.
After successfully completing an end-to-end test flight without NASA astronauts onboard, SpaceX’s Dragon and Falcon 9 systems have been approved by NASA for crew missions between Earth and the International Space Station – making this significant milestone a step toward America’s return to human spaceflight and beyond.
Polaris Program
This Polaris Program mission marks the first of three that is sponsored by Jared Isaacman, founder of payments provider Shift4. During this trip, the crew will conduct biomedical experiments and explore spaceflight physics; one experiment in particular will seek to measure how they respond to exposure to high doses of radiation exposure; an important consideration when embarking on extended missions.
The crew will also conduct the first commercial spacewalk using the new SpaceX spacesuit, as well as test its performance with Starship, an all-reusable space vehicle designed to transport people and cargo between Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond.
Polaris Dawn could make its second mission one to remember by visiting the Hubble Space Telescope, marking an important step for both NASA and private entities alike. Last September, NASA and SpaceX signed an unfunded agreement to examine whether a Crew Dragon flight to reboost or service Hubble (which has been experiencing issues since 2009) might be possible; otherwise another spacecraft within Polaris might take on this mission instead.