Astronautics-2018. Part one
Curiosity and the desire to know the world around us has always moved humanity to new horizons. Sometimes it is worth turning back to understand how difficult and thorny it is. This article presents the most significant events in the space industry over the past year.
January
The New Zealand-American company RocketLab successfully launched an ultralight Electron rocket. This event is remarkable because with this launch a new launch vehicle and a new cosmodrome appeared in the world. Geographically located in New Zealand, it is the only one operating in the southern hemisphere of the Earth. The rocket itself is a carrier of an ultralight class with a payload of 150 kg of payload into a sun-synchronous orbit with a height of 500 km or up to 225 kg into a low reference orbit. The rocket’s diameter is 1,2 m, its height is 17 m. The rocket uses its own developed Rutherford oxygen-kerosene engines. Declared launch cost - $ 4,9 mln.
February
February 6 launch of the most lifting rocket today. In terms of power, the brainchild of Ilona Mask is second only to the “lunar” “Saturn V” and the Soviet “Energy”. The side modules used during the launch have already been in space, removing the payload. In the one-time version, Falcon Heavy is capable of outputting 63,8 t to a low Earth orbit or 26,7 t to a geo-transient orbit, and in a reusable version up to 8 t per GPO. The cost of the reusable version is $ 90 million. For comparison: the former leader in payload, “Delta IV Heavy”, costs $ 400 million. The personal vehicle of the SpaceX head Ilona Mask - red “Tesla Roadster” was used as a payload.
Also in February, the first successful launch of the SS-520-5 launch vehicle developed by the Japanese corporation IHI on the order of the Japanese space agency took place. The ultralight class rocket was launched from the Utinoura cosmodrome with the TRICOM-1R microsatellite (Tsuki) with a mass of 3 kg. The fully solid SS-520-5 has become the smallest rocket in the world. Its length is 9,54 m, diameter - 52 cm, weight in the filled state - 2,6 t.
New Horizons
Back in December, the 2017 AMC (automatic interplanetary station) New Horizons (New Horizons), located at a distance of 6,12 billion km (40,9 AU) from Earth, using a high-resolution spectrometer Lorri made two images that were published with some delay. The first one captures the Star of Wishes Desire Cluster (NGC 3532), the second one contains the 2012 HZ84 and 2012 HE85 objects in the Kuiper belt, which is located beyond the orbit of Neptune.
March
The Japanese automatic interplanetary station Hayabusa-2 (Hayabusa 2) transmitted to Earth the first picture of the asteroid (162173) Ryugu (1999 JU3). Hayabusa-2 was launched on November 30 2014. Its task is to extract a sample of the soil from the surface of the asteroid and return it to Earth for research. At the time of the shooting, the distance to Ryugu was about 3 million km.
April
This month there was a launch of the ideological successor of the Kepler telescope case. It is expected that TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) will help find thousands of exoplanets close to the Solar System, and at the same time obtain data on the composition of their atmospheres.
May
5 in May from the Vanderberg cosmodrome was launched by AMS - InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport - “Examining the internal structure using seismological and geodesic studies and heat transfer”).
To Mars InSight should arrive at the end of 2018 of the year. On November 26, it is scheduled to land on the Elysian Highlands, the second largest volcano on the Red Planet after the province of Farsida. For about 26 Earth months or a single Martian year, InSight will study the internal structure of the planet, recording soil temperature and tremors.
In the same month, the successful launch of the Quieqiao satellite of the lunar research mission Chang'e-4 took place. Queqiao will take its place at the Lagrange point L2 beyond the Moon, from where it will provide communication with the Earth, the future lunar landing station, which is scheduled to launch at the end of 2018.
Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Unity suborbital aircraft performed a second flight with the engine turned on. The tests took place on 29 May. According to preliminary data, they are considered successful. The Unity aircraft climbed to a record height, and Virgin Galactic came as close as possible to the long-awaited start of operation of the ship and tourist flights.
The carrier aircraft WhiteKnightTwo off the ground from the launch site in the Mojave Desert in 11: 40 EDT (18: 40 Moscow time). An hour later, the Unity plane separated from it and turned on its hybrid rocket engine for 31 a second. The unit reached the speed of Mach 1,9 and altitude 34,9 km. Both speed and altitude are a record for the SpaceShipTwo project.
The cost of a ticket to SpaceShipTwo is $ 250 thousand.
June
The two twin rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, originally designed for 3-month service life, surprised the creators of JPL with their lifetimes. Arriving on Mars 25 on January 2004, the self-propelled laboratories plied the surface of the red planet for a long time. The first was Spirit, who was stuck in the sands in 2009. In 2010, the connection with him finally disappeared. His colleague was much more fortunate, and until that time he regularly sent data on the progress of his research. But in the beginning of June a powerful dust storm began in the Perseverance Valley near the equator of Mars. Powered by Opportunity solar batteries, it became increasingly difficult to generate the required amount of energy. Output dropped from 645 Wh / h to 22 Wh / h. 11 and 12 June, the device did not get in touch, having gone into power saving mode. John Callas, director of the Opportunity program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, expressed concern that the rover would freeze before the atmosphere cleared. Unfortunately, he was right.
The Japanese automatic interplanetary station Hayabusa-2 approached the asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) at a distance of 1500 km. June 3 spacecraft turned off the ion propulsion system and began the final stage of convergence with the asteroid.
To be continued at the end of December 2018.
January
Successful launch rocket Electron
The New Zealand-American company RocketLab successfully launched an ultralight Electron rocket. This event is remarkable because with this launch a new launch vehicle and a new cosmodrome appeared in the world. Geographically located in New Zealand, it is the only one operating in the southern hemisphere of the Earth. The rocket itself is a carrier of an ultralight class with a payload of 150 kg of payload into a sun-synchronous orbit with a height of 500 km or up to 225 kg into a low reference orbit. The rocket’s diameter is 1,2 m, its height is 17 m. The rocket uses its own developed Rutherford oxygen-kerosene engines. Declared launch cost - $ 4,9 mln.
February
Falcon Heavy
February 6 launch of the most lifting rocket today. In terms of power, the brainchild of Ilona Mask is second only to the “lunar” “Saturn V” and the Soviet “Energy”. The side modules used during the launch have already been in space, removing the payload. In the one-time version, Falcon Heavy is capable of outputting 63,8 t to a low Earth orbit or 26,7 t to a geo-transient orbit, and in a reusable version up to 8 t per GPO. The cost of the reusable version is $ 90 million. For comparison: the former leader in payload, “Delta IV Heavy”, costs $ 400 million. The personal vehicle of the SpaceX head Ilona Mask - red “Tesla Roadster” was used as a payload.
SS-520
Also in February, the first successful launch of the SS-520-5 launch vehicle developed by the Japanese corporation IHI on the order of the Japanese space agency took place. The ultralight class rocket was launched from the Utinoura cosmodrome with the TRICOM-1R microsatellite (Tsuki) with a mass of 3 kg. The fully solid SS-520-5 has become the smallest rocket in the world. Its length is 9,54 m, diameter - 52 cm, weight in the filled state - 2,6 t.
New Horizons
Back in December, the 2017 AMC (automatic interplanetary station) New Horizons (New Horizons), located at a distance of 6,12 billion km (40,9 AU) from Earth, using a high-resolution spectrometer Lorri made two images that were published with some delay. The first one captures the Star of Wishes Desire Cluster (NGC 3532), the second one contains the 2012 HZ84 and 2012 HE85 objects in the Kuiper belt, which is located beyond the orbit of Neptune.
March
The first acquaintance with Ryugu
The Japanese automatic interplanetary station Hayabusa-2 (Hayabusa 2) transmitted to Earth the first picture of the asteroid (162173) Ryugu (1999 JU3). Hayabusa-2 was launched on November 30 2014. Its task is to extract a sample of the soil from the surface of the asteroid and return it to Earth for research. At the time of the shooting, the distance to Ryugu was about 3 million km.
April
TESS
This month there was a launch of the ideological successor of the Kepler telescope case. It is expected that TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) will help find thousands of exoplanets close to the Solar System, and at the same time obtain data on the composition of their atmospheres.
May
Insight
5 in May from the Vanderberg cosmodrome was launched by AMS - InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport - “Examining the internal structure using seismological and geodesic studies and heat transfer”).
To Mars InSight should arrive at the end of 2018 of the year. On November 26, it is scheduled to land on the Elysian Highlands, the second largest volcano on the Red Planet after the province of Farsida. For about 26 Earth months or a single Martian year, InSight will study the internal structure of the planet, recording soil temperature and tremors.
China. Moon
In the same month, the successful launch of the Quieqiao satellite of the lunar research mission Chang'e-4 took place. Queqiao will take its place at the Lagrange point L2 beyond the Moon, from where it will provide communication with the Earth, the future lunar landing station, which is scheduled to launch at the end of 2018.
SpaceShipTwo Unity
Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Unity suborbital aircraft performed a second flight with the engine turned on. The tests took place on 29 May. According to preliminary data, they are considered successful. The Unity aircraft climbed to a record height, and Virgin Galactic came as close as possible to the long-awaited start of operation of the ship and tourist flights.
The carrier aircraft WhiteKnightTwo off the ground from the launch site in the Mojave Desert in 11: 40 EDT (18: 40 Moscow time). An hour later, the Unity plane separated from it and turned on its hybrid rocket engine for 31 a second. The unit reached the speed of Mach 1,9 and altitude 34,9 km. Both speed and altitude are a record for the SpaceShipTwo project.
The cost of a ticket to SpaceShipTwo is $ 250 thousand.
June
He left, but promised to return
The two twin rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, originally designed for 3-month service life, surprised the creators of JPL with their lifetimes. Arriving on Mars 25 on January 2004, the self-propelled laboratories plied the surface of the red planet for a long time. The first was Spirit, who was stuck in the sands in 2009. In 2010, the connection with him finally disappeared. His colleague was much more fortunate, and until that time he regularly sent data on the progress of his research. But in the beginning of June a powerful dust storm began in the Perseverance Valley near the equator of Mars. Powered by Opportunity solar batteries, it became increasingly difficult to generate the required amount of energy. Output dropped from 645 Wh / h to 22 Wh / h. 11 and 12 June, the device did not get in touch, having gone into power saving mode. John Callas, director of the Opportunity program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, expressed concern that the rover would freeze before the atmosphere cleared. Unfortunately, he was right.
And again Hayabusa
The Japanese automatic interplanetary station Hayabusa-2 approached the asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) at a distance of 1500 km. June 3 spacecraft turned off the ion propulsion system and began the final stage of convergence with the asteroid.
To be continued at the end of December 2018.
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