This is a space news update from Scott Manley covering events from roughly November 8th to November 22nd. The two most significant events discussed are Blue Origin's first successful payload launch of New Glenn and the subsequent flood of announcements for its future, and the catastrophic failure of SpaceX's Starship Booster 18 during testing.
The video details New Glenn's launch carrying the Escapade Mars probes, its successful booster landing, and Blue Origin's follow-up announcements of an upgraded, more powerful New Glenn variant (9x4), engine performance boosts, a deployable aerobraking heat shield, and the near-completion of the Blue Moon Mark 1 lander. This is contrasted with SpaceX's setback, where Starship Booster 18 experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly on the test stand, likely due to a composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) failure. Other major news includes a cracked window on the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft forcing a crew-return vehicle swap, the announcement of the final flight for the Pegasus rocket, and the fact that no astronauts are currently assigned to fly on Boeing's Starliner. The update also covers numerous other launches from China and Rocket Lab, along with various industry and astronomy news.
Spaceflight News Roundup: New Glenn's Triumph and Starship's Setback
0:00:16 Launch Roundup: The period saw a high launch cadence, including eight SpaceX Starlink missions and multiple Chinese launches. One Chinese launch, a Series 1 rocket, failed due to its fourth-stage engine shutting down early after high temperatures damaged the insulation on a solenoid valve, causing a short circuit.
0:03:08 New Glenn's Inaugural Payload Launch: After several delays due to weather and solar activity, Blue Origin successfully launched its first New Glenn rocket with a payload on November 13th. The booster was recovered successfully on the landing barge Jacklyn. The rocket appeared very clean post-flight due to its methane-fueled staged combustion engines. The payload was the Escapade dual-spacecraft mission to Mars.
0:05:50 Atlas V's Final Geostationary Launch: An Atlas V 551 launched the Viasat-3 communications satellite. This marked the final geostationary (GEO) launch for the Atlas rocket family, ending a long legacy. Future Atlas missions are for Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
0:06:49 Other Notable Launches: A Falcon 9 launched the Sentinel 6B Earth observation satellite, marking the 500th successful reflight of a used booster. Rocket Lab conducted two launches: one for a Black Sky reconnaissance satellite and a Haste mission for the Missile Defense Agency, the latter of which was photographed transiting the sun.
0:11:13 The Last Flight of Pegasus: The final existing Pegasus air-launched rocket is scheduled to fly in 2025. It will launch a servicing satellite for the Neil deGrasse Tyson... sorry, the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which is in a unique low-inclination orbit that is difficult and inefficient for other rockets to reach.
0:12:52 Shenzhou In-Flight Anomaly: The Shenzhou 20 crew's return was delayed after a crack was discovered in an outer window pane of their capsule. To avoid risk during reentry, the crew returned to Earth in the Shenzhou 21 spacecraft, which had recently docked. The Shenzhou 21 crew remains on the station with the damaged capsule, awaiting the early launch of Shenzhou 22 to serve as their new lifeboat.
0:14:14 Starliner and NASA Politics: It was reported that no NASA astronauts are officially assigned to fly on Boeing's Starliner. This suggests that if it flies again soon, it may be an uncrewed cargo mission. Separately, Jared Isaacman's Senate confirmation hearing to return as NASA administrator is set for December 3rd.
0:16:46 Blue Origin Unveils Ambitious Future: Following the New Glenn launch, Blue Origin announced several major developments:
A deployable aerobraking heat shield for landing large masses on Mars.
Upgrades to the BE-4 and BE-3U engines, using subcooled propellants to significantly increase thrust and performance.
Plans for a "New Glenn 9x4" variant with nine first-stage engines and four upper-stage engines, capable of 70 tons to LEO and featuring a larger fairing, positioning it as a direct competitor to SLS and Starship.
The flight hardware for the Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander is complete and undergoing checkout for a mission to the Moon's south pole.
0:22:12 Starship Booster 18 Fails During Testing: SpaceX's Booster 18 experienced a "Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly" (RUD) on the test stand at Starbase. The lower oxygen tank ruptured violently. Based on photos, the failure appears to have originated near an external chine, leading to speculation that a Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel (COPV) failed and sent debris inward, puncturing the main tank. This would be the second major Starship failure linked to a COPV issue.
0:26:38 Astronomy & Industry News: NASA showcased images of Comet ATLAS taken by various spacecraft near Mars and the Sun. Scientists also believe they have detected a coronal mass ejection (CME) from another star for the first time. In industry news, Redwire is developing a very-low-earth-orbit satellite with an air-breathing electric propulsion system for DARPA.
0:30:26 Upcoming Events: A Soyuz MS-28 is scheduled to launch to the ISS, and a Falcon 9 Transporter-15 rideshare mission will launch from Vandenberg, featuring a return-to-launch-site landing.