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SpaceX ships upgraded cargo spacecraft to Florida for first orbital Dragon rendezvous
SpaceX says it’s shipped the first upgraded Dragon 2 cargo spacecraft to Florida, opening the door for the first simultaneous spaceflight of two Dragons.
More or less a modified version of SpaceX’s rapidly maturing Crew Dragon spacecraft, the company says that Cargo Dragon 2 will be “able to carry 50% more science payloads” than the original Cargo Dragon. Cargo Dragon checked off numerous earthshaking milestones over its career, ultimately becoming the first privately-developed spacecraft to reach orbit, reenter, and splashdown; the first commercial spacecraft to rendezvous and deliver cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), and the first routinely-reused orbital capsule.
SpaceX retired the historic vehicle after it completed its 21st successful orbital launch and landing in April 2020, less than two months before Crew Dragon lifted off on an even more historic astronaut launch debut. Prior to Demo-2, Crew Dragon completed what both NASA and SpaceX deemed an almost unbelievably flawless uncrewed launch debut in March 2019. Now, two months after the spacecraft successfully returned two NASA astronauts from orbit to earth for the first time, SpaceX is gearing up for Crew Dragon’s operational astronaut launch debut at almost the exact same time as Cargo Dragon 2 is preparing for its own debut.
As of an October 10th update from NASA, SpaceX and the space agency have decided to delay Crew Dragon’s Crew-1 launch by several weeks to double and triple-check that a booster engine issue that aborted a recent Falcon 9 satellite launch has no common root with its sister rocket. Likely built side by side at SpaceX’s Hawthorne, CA factory, it’s not unreasonable to want to verify that Falcon 9 booster B1061 (Crew-1) is unaffected by the same issue that forced B1062 to abort its US military GPS III satellite launch on October 2nd.
As a result, Crew-1 has slipped from placeholder launch dates on October 23rd and October 31st to sometime in “early-to-mid November,” while most external sources suggest that a mid-to-late November target is more likely. NASA and SpaceX never confirmed the arrival but Crew Dragon capsule C207 likely reached Florida in late August or early September, where teams have since been outfitting and processing the spacecraft for final inspection and closeout procedures.
Meanwhile, SpaceX says it shipped the first Crew Dragon-derived Cargo Dragon to Florida several days ago, meaning that the company will soon begin simultaneous preflight processing of two upgraded Dragons for the first time. Notably, SpaceX offered no launch target in its CRS-21 update, though NASA planning documents – prior to recent Crew-1 delays – stated that the mission is scheduled to launch NET November 22nd.
In other words, CRS-21 and Crew-1 are currently scheduled to launch within the same roughly two-week period – a situation that could pose some unique problems. As of now, Crew Dragon and Cargo Dragon 2 both have to launch from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A, as the pad is outfitted with a unique tower and Crew Access Arm (CAA) that both allows astronauts to board and cargo to be loaded. SpaceX’s Pad 39A turnaround record – the time between two launches from the same pad – is roughly 10 days and that figure is likely much higher for Crew Dragon missions.
If current dates hold, NASA will have to decide which SpaceX Dragon mission to launch first. Either way, though, it would take a major delay for CRS-21 and Crew-1 not to mark the first time that two SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will meet in orbit at the ISS. If successful, it’s safe to say that SpaceX will firmly solidify its position as the only spaceflight company on Earth truly capable of doing it all – from affordable and reusable rocket launches, crewed spaceflight, and space station resupply missions to orbital tourism and more.
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Elon Musk
Elon Musk and James Cameron find middle ground in space and AI despite political differences
Musk responded with some positive words for the director on X.
Avatar director James Cameron has stated that he can still agree with Elon Musk on space exploration and AI safety despite their stark political differences.
In an interview with Puck’s The Town podcast, the liberal director praised Musk’s SpaceX achievements and said higher priorities must unite them, such as space travel and artificial intelligence. Musk responded with some positive words for the director on X.
A longtime mutual respect
Cameron and Musk have bonded over technology for years. As far back as 2011, Cameron told NBC News that “Elon is making very strong strides. I think he’s the likeliest person to step into the shoes of the shuttle program and actually provide human access to low Earth orbit. So… go, Elon.” Cameron was right, as SpaceX would go on to become the dominant force in spaceflight over the years.
Even after Musk’s embrace of conservative politics and his roles as senior advisor and former DOGE head, Cameron refused to cancel his relationship with the CEO. “I can separate a person and their politics from the things that they want to accomplish if they’re aligned with what I think are good goals,” Cameron said. Musk appreciated the director’s comments, stating that “Jim understands physics, which is rare in Hollywood.”
Shared AI warnings
Both men have stated that artificial intelligence could be an existential threat to humanity, though Musk has noted that Tesla’s products such as Optimus could usher in an era of sustainable abundance. Musk recently predicted that money and jobs could become irrelevant with advancing AI, while Cameron warned of a deeper crisis, as noted in a Fox News report.
-->“Because the overall risk of AI in general… is that we lose purpose as people. We lose jobs. We lose a sense of, ‘Well, what are we here for?’” Cameron said. “We are these flawed biological machines, and a computer can be theoretically more precise, more correct, faster, all of those things. And that’s going to be a threshold existential issue.”
He concluded: “I just think it’s important for us as a human civilization to prioritize. We’ve got to make this Earth our spaceship. That’s really what we need to be thinking.”
News
Blue Origin announces Super-Heavy New Glenn 9×4 to Rival SpaceX Starship
The announcement followed the company’s successful NG-2 launch on November 13.
Blue Origin has revealed plans to develop New Glenn 9×4, a “super heavy” rocket designed to deliver 70 metric tons to low-Earth orbit and directly compete with SpaceX’s Starship.
The announcement followed the company’s successful NG-2 launch on November 13, which deployed NASA’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration Dynamics Explorers) Mars mission and landed the first stage.
Upgraded engines and reusability
As noted in a Universe Today report, Blue Origin will roll out upgraded BE-4 engines producing 640,000 lbf each, up from 550,000 lbf, starting with NG-3. This should boost the New Glenn rocket’s total first-stage thrust to 4.5 million pounds. Upper-stage BE-3U engines are expected to improve from 320,000 lbf to 400,000 lbf over the next few flights as well.
“These enhancements will immediately benefit customers already manifested on New Glenn to fly to destinations including low-Earth orbit, the Moon, and beyond. Additional vehicle upgrades include a reusable fairing to support increased flight rates, an updated lower-cost tank design, and a higher-performing and reusable thermal protection system to improve turnaround time,” Blue Origin noted.
New Glenn “Super Heavy” 9×4
The super-heavy New Glenn 9×4, with nine BE-4s on the booster, four BE-3Us on the upper stage, will feature an 8.7-meter payload fairing. Blue Origin expects New Glenn 9×4 to be capable of transporting 70 metric tons to LEO, 14 tons to GSO, and 20 tons to trans-lunar injection, as noted by the company in a blog post. This is very impressive, as New Glenn 9×4’s capacity exceeds Falcon Heavy, SpaceX’s largest rocket available to consumers today. Falcon Heavy is capable of carrying up to 64 metric tons to low Earth orbit in a fully expendable configuration.
-->That being said, SpaceX’s Starship’s capacity is extremely impressive. As per SpaceX, Starship is designed to be capable of carrying up to 100-150 metric tonnes to orbit in its fully reusable configuration. At its expendable configuration, Starship’s capacity enters unheard-of territory, with SpaceX stating that the vehicle could transport 250 metric tonnes of cargo.
News
Tesla FSD approved for testing in Nacka, Sweden, though municipality note reveals aggravating detail
Nacka, Sweden, a municipality just a few miles from Stockholm, has given its approval for FSD tests.
Tesla has secured approval for FSD testing in an urban environment in Sweden. As per recent reports from the Tesla community, Nacka, Sweden, a municipality just a few miles from Stockholm, has given its approval for FSD tests.
A look at the municipality’s note regarding FSD’s approval, however, reveals something quite aggravating.
FSD testing approval secured
As per Tesla watcher and longtime shareholder Alexander Kristensen, Nacka is governed by the Moderate Party. The shareholder also shared the municipality’s protocol notes regarding approval for FSD’s tests.
“It is good that Nacka can be a place for test-driving self-driving cars. This is future technology that can both facilitate mobility and make transportation cheaper and more environmentally friendly,” the note read.
The update was received positively by the Tesla community on social media, as it suggests that the electric vehicle maker is making some legitimate headway in releasing FSD into the region. Sweden has been particularly challenging as well, so securing approval in Nacka is a notable milestone for the company’s efforts.
-->Aggravating details
A look at the notes from Nacka shows that FSD’s proposed tests still met some opposition from some officials. But while some critics might typically point to safety issues as their reasons for rejecting FSD, those who opposed the system in Nacka openly cited Tesla’s conflict with trade union IF Metall in their arguments. Fortunately, Nacka officials ultimately decided in Tesla’s favor as the company’s issues with the country’s unions are a completely different matter.
“The left-wing opposition (S, Nackalistan, MP and V) voted no to this, referring to the fact that the applicant company Tesla is involved in a labor market conflict and does not want to sign a collective agreement. We believe that this is not an acceptable reason for the municipality to use its authority to interfere in a labor law conflict.
“Signing a collective agreement is not an obligation, and the company has not committed any crime. The municipality should contribute to technological development and progress, not work against the future,” the note read.
Elon Musk and James Cameron find middle ground in space and AI despite political differences
Blue Origin announces Super-Heavy New Glenn 9×4 to Rival SpaceX Starship
