This "Deep Space Updates" video provides a comprehensive overview of recent global space activities, including numerous rocket launches and satellite deployments from the US, China, India, New Zealand, and Russia. Key highlights include multiple Starlink missions, China's launches of reconnaissance and technology demonstrator satellites (some with suspected military applications), and the deployment of an AI space computing constellation. The video also details significant developments and challenges across various programs: India's PSLV launch failure, SpaceX's Dragon capsule return and Starship Flight 9 mishap report (attributing the failure to engine issues), updates on lunar missions (Hakuto-R's orbital maneuvers and Intuitive Machines' landing challenges), and the demonstration of Stratolaunch's hypersonic vehicle. Furthermore, it covers policy and program news such as NASA's budget shortfalls affecting ISS operations, the proposed repurposing of Janis probes for an Apophis asteroid flyby, Rocket Lab's new contract for rocket cargo delivery, and the ambitious yet controversial Golden Dome missile defense project. A particularly notable event is Russia's launch of a satellite into the same orbital plane as a US spy satellite.
Deep Space Updates: May 2024
0:26 Starlink Launches Dominance: Early May saw four Starlink launches from various US complexes, followed by two more mid-month and two towards the end, totaling eight Starlink missions from Falcon 9, including one booster flying for its 28th time.
0:38 China's Satellite Activity: China launched several significant satellites, including:
0:38 Yaoan 40 A, B, C (May 11): Low Earth orbit polar reconnaissance satellites for military use.
0:54 TJS19 (May 12): A geostationary transfer orbit technology demonstrator, widely believed to perform military signals intelligence.
1:44 Taong Jiuan (May 14): Twelve satellites, the first of 2800 for ADA Space's "AI space computing constellation," designed to process data in space and capable of 5 petabytes/petflops. One satellite includes an X-ray instrument for gamma-ray burst detection.
2:48 Tani Geology Satellite (May 17): Launched into sun-synchronous orbit, part of a geology satellite constellation.
4:26 Car Tan 34-37 (May 19): An Internet of Things (IoT) constellation launched from a sea platform.
4:40 China 3B (May 20): A geostationary communication satellite for civilian and commercial users, also suspected to have military applications.
3:06 New Zealand's Electron Launch: Electron launched QPS S10, the second of eight planned launches to support IQPS's constellation of 36 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites.
3:27 India's PSLV XL Failure: The May 18th launch of the EOS 9 Earth observation satellite suffered an anomaly during the third stage, resulting in the loss of the spacecraft due to issues like chamber pressure loss and trajectory problems.
5:34 Russia's Suspected Spy Satellite Mission: A Soyuz 2.1b launched Cosmos 2588 (a presumed military satellite) into the exact same orbital plane as a US spy satellite (USA 338), suggesting an intentional remote reconnaissance mission.
6:28 SpaceX Dragon CRS-32 Landing: The Dragon cargo capsule successfully undocked from the ISS and landed off the coast of LA, visible along the entire US West Coast. This marks a strategic shift for SpaceX to West Coast landings for faster reprocessing at their Hawthorne factory.
7:51 Starship Flight 9 Mishap Report: SpaceX received approval for Starship's return to flight. The Flight 8 failure was officially attributed to a specific Raptor engine failure (seal engine) leading to an explosion and damage to other engines, ultimately triggering the automated flight termination system. SpaceX plans design changes, including adding preload to key engine joints.
9:36 Gilmore Space Launch Anomaly: Australia's Gilmore Space experienced an "unexpected anomaly" on the pad before fueling, where the payload fairing spectacularly popped open, delaying their maiden launch.
10:29 iSpace Hakuto-R Lunar Lander Progress: The Japanese Hakuto-R Resilience lunar lander successfully entered lunar orbit and is progressively lowering its orbit for a landing attempt around June 5th or 6th.
11:17 Intuitive Machines Lunar Lander Failure Analysis: An earnings call revealed three key issues for the Athena lander's failure: excessive signal noise from the laser altimeter, poor terrain tracking by the camera system due to unexpected illumination differences, and navigation confusion caused by long shadows.
12:17 Stratolaunch Hypersonic Flight Success: Stratolaunch demonstrated the second reusable flight of its Talon hypersonic research vehicle, propelled by an Ursa Major Hadley rocket engine, reaching speeds over Mach 5 before gliding to a landing.
13:38 NASA's Viper Mission Repurposing & Budget Challenges: NASA dropped commercial partners for the Viper lunar rover due to an unviable financial model. Separately, the Janis spacecraft (originally for Psyche rideshare) is proposed for a cost-effective mission to intercept asteroid Apophis in 2029 for tidal effect studies. NASA faces significant budget shortfalls, potentially leading to reduced ISS crew or longer astronaut missions, exacerbated by a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo vehicle failure.
15:35 Varda Research Capsule Landing: Varda successfully launched and landed its third space capsule. While previous missions manufactured pharmaceuticals, this flight primarily carried an IMU for Air Force re-entry instrumentation tests.
16:13 Rocket Lab's Rocket Cargo Contract: Rocket Lab confirmed a contract with the Air Force Research Lab for "rocket cargo delivery," envisioning intercontinental ballistic mail carriers utilizing re-entry capsule technology, with initial test missions planned.
17:18 DoD's "Golden Dome" Project: Space Force General Michael Gulchin will lead the "Golden Dome" missile defense project, with a projected three-year timeline and a $175 billion budget, though skepticism remains regarding its feasibility within these constraints.
18:43 Axiom 4 Mission Update: The Axiom 4 mission (Ax-4) is preparing for launch to the ISS, featuring a diverse international crew including members from India, Hungary, and Poland, on a new Dragon spacecraft.
23:03 Blue Origin's Lunar Infrastructure: Blue Origin showcased its "Transporter" spacecraft, a fuel tanker for the Blue Moon Mark 2 lunar lander, designed for zero boil-off of up to 100 tons of liquid hydrogen and oxygen, crucial for cislunar and potential Martian propellant delivery. They also plan to launch their first Blue Moon Mark 1 lander to the moon this year.
23:03 Dawn Aerospace's Rocket Planes: New Zealand's Dawn Aerospace is building reusable "rocket planes" (Aurora space plane) capable of flying to the edge of space with small payloads, aiming to sell these suborbital UAVs directly to customers.
24:18 NASA Administrator Update: Jared Isaacman is expected to go up for a Senate vote for NASA Administrator in early June.
25:01 Upcoming Mission: China is expected to launch the Tan Wen 2 asteroid sampling mission in May (likely referring to the end of May or the following month).