New spacecraft launch is not in orbit and docking test is canceled

New spacecraft launched into orbit and docking test was canceled December 21 6:22

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A new spacecraft developed in the United States as a means of manned space flight to replace the space shuttle entered the final stage of testing, and on the 20th, an unmanned spacecraft was launched from Florida to aim for the ISS = International Space Station . However, the docking test with the International Space Station was stopped because the spacecraft engine did not work properly.

Starship, a spacecraft under development by aircraft giant Boeing, was launched by the Atlas V (Five) rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Southern Florida at 6:30 am on the 20th, too late at 8:30 pm Japan time. It was

The spacecraft was disconnected approximately 15 minutes after launch, but the engine did not operate at the correct time and could not enter the planned orbit.

NASA and Boeing announced at the press conference after the launch that docking with the International Space Station was canceled and the plan was changed to land within 48 hours.

On the other hand, tests to measure the impact of launch and landing with a doll with a sensor on a launched spacecraft will continue.

NASA Secretary Breidenstein avoided saying that it would be “neither” for an unmanned test flight again, but development plans that are already behind schedule could be delayed further.

The United States is proceeding with the development of a new spaceship to replace the space shuttle that retired in 2011 with Boeing and the space development venture, “Space X”, and of these, the “Space X” spacecraft The unmanned flight test was successful, and it is expected that a manned flight test will be conducted next year.

Current status and outlook of manned flight

ISS = The US space shuttle and Russian Soyuz were originally used to send astronauts to the International Space Station.

However, when the space shuttle retired in 2011, only Soyuz was able to fly manned to the International Space Station, and astronauts from countries other than Russia, such as the United States and Japan, were also sent out by Soyuz.

The US once again requested private companies to develop manned spacecraft to send their astronauts back to their home country. In 2014, two major companies, the aircraft giant Boeing and the space development venture Space X, We got a contract with the station = NASA.

Both were aiming for the first flight in 2017, but the development was delayed, and in March, the spacecraft "Crew Dragon" was finally launched unattended for the first time, docked with the International Space Station, and then to Earth Successfully returned.

Regarding manned flight, Space X says that it will be performed early in 2020.

On the other hand, Boeing's unmanned flight could not be developed because it could not be docked with the International Space Station.

Commercial use of the International Space Station

With more manned flights to the ISS = International Space Station, NASA = American Aeronautics and Space Administration is planning to promote commercial use of the International Space Station.

In June, NASA announced a new policy that allowed US companies to use the International Space Station for commercial activities and advertising.

Until now, the use of companies has been approved only for research purposes, but the new policy requires an environment with only a small amount of gravity and is subject to the NASA mission. You can purchase the right to use the equipment.

In addition, we accept civilian stays up to two per year.

If you meet certain health standards and receive training in advance, you can stay for up to 30 days, but the cost of stay is $ 35,000 per night, including meals and breathing air.
If you stay for 30 days, it will cost more than 100 million yen.

In addition, for the movement from the Earth to the International Space Station, the aircraft giant Boeing, which was tested for flight, and the spacecraft of Space Development Venture Space X, were used separately. That means you have to pay a fare in yen.

Expanding space market

The reason behind NASA's efforts to promote commercial use of the International Space Station is that economic activities in the “low orbit” near the Earth are active.

In particular, there are various uses for satellites that can be launched in a "low orbit" within about 2,000 km from the ground, and the market size is predicted to increase 2.5 times in 2024, five years later.

Above all, several venture companies have announced that they will enter the high-speed communication service using satellites.

Space X, a space development venture, has launched small satellites one after another with its own rockets in order to realize the “Star Link” concept, a communication network that covers the entire earth with over 10,000 small satellites.

The competition of companies developing launch vehicles for rockets in response to growing demand is intensifying, and Space X, and “United Launch Alliance” jointly created by Boeing, etc. and founder of IT giant Amazon, Jeff Mr. Bezos' “Blue Origin” and the affiliated company “Virgin Orbit”, a company that aims to travel in space, are struggling with reliability and cost.