IO Group: https://groups.io/g/DARCskynet/topics
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/306498286059167/
Saturday’s DARC SkyNet is at 9PM CT.
Discussion Topic of the Evening.
The Many Plans for the Mega Starship
Starship and Booster
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Full_Stack_starship.jpg
Super Heavy First Stage and Starship Second Stage
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FdQ-2nxXEAEyPlK?format=jpg&name=4096×4096
Starship Preparing to Launch Satellites
Launching “Superbird-9” from Starship
https://www.teslarati.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Starship-Cargo-render-2021-SpaceX-1-crop-2.jpg
Rocket Cargo Program
Starship Human Landing System (HLS)
https://www.americaspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/HLS_11-02-23_1.jpeg
LUVOIR Space Telescope Carried on Starship
Starship Turned into a Deep Space Telescope at L2
Landing on Mars
Mars Colony
Musk’s Mars City
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/5b/81/8c/5b818c265973a09d15e0b45ecdcd3522.jpg
Waz Up
Space Exploration and Space History
Astronaut Birthdays
December 25, 1959: Michael Anderson (STS-89, STS-107)
December 29, 1958: Nancy Currie-Gregg (STS-57, STS-70, STS-88, STS-109)
December 29, 1962: Barry “Butch” Wilmore (STS-129, Exp 41/42, Boeing Crewed Flight Test – April 2024?)
December 30, 1953: Daniel Barry (STS-72, STS-96, STS-105)
December 30, 1958: Steven Smith (STS-68, STS-82, STS-103, STS-110)
Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the Week
Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the week this week is at Fornax the furnace and Eridanus the river.
Space Launches For This Week
Space Flight Now Launch Schedule
January 2 Falcon 9 • Starlink 7-9
Launch time: 6:13 p.m. PST (9:13 p.m. EST / 0213 UTC)
Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch 21 Starlink internet satellites from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E). The mission includes six satellites equipped to provide cellphone coverage. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster will land on the drone ship ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ in the Pacific Ocean. Delayed from Dec. 14, 15, 28 and 30.
Updated: December 29
January 3 Falcon 9 • Ovzon3
Launch time: 6:04 p.m. EST (2304 UTC)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A Falcon 9 will launch a much delayed small geostationary satellite for the Swedish broadband internet provider Ovzon. Originally scheduled to launch on an Ariane 5, the satellite was moved to Falcon 9 due to delayed in manufacturing. Delayed from summer 2023. Delayed from Dec. 15, 16 & 17.
Updated: December 29
NET January 8 Vulcan Centaur • Peregrine
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket will launch on its inaugural flight with the Peregrine commercial lunar lander for Astrobotic. The Peregrine robotic lander will carry multiple experiments, scientific instruments, and tech demo payloads for NASA and other customers. The mission will also launch two prototype satellites for Amazon’s Kuiper broadband constellation. The Vulcan Centaur rocket will fly in the VC2S configuration with two GEM-63XL solid rocket boosters, a short-length payload fairing, and two RL10 engines on the Centaur upper stage. Delayed from mid-2022 and late 2022. Delayed from 1st Quarter 2023, May 4 and Dec. 24.
Updated: December 12
January 17 Falcon 9 • Axiom Mission 3
Launch time: 5:11 p.m. EST (2211 UTC)
Launch site: Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched a Crew Dragon spacecraft on the program’s 13th flight with astronauts. The commercial mission, managed by Axiom Space, is commanded by former NASA astronaut, Michael López-Alegría. Three passengers, Walter Villadei, Alper Gezeravci and Marcus Wandt, will fly on this two-week commercial mission to the International Space Station. The first stage booster will return to Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Updated: December 30
January 29 Falcon 9 • NG-20
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch Northrop Grumman’s 21st Cygnus cargo freighter on the 20th operational cargo delivery flight to the International Space Station. The mission is known as NG-20. The launch vehicle for this mission was changed from Northrop Grumman’s own Antares 230+ rocket to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ended engine and booster production for the Antares program. Delayed from October.
Updated: December 13
TBD Atlas 5 • USSF 51
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-101, will launch the USSF 51 mission for the U.S. Space Force. This mission will launch an undisclosed payload for the military.
Updated: December 13
February 6 Falcon 9 • PACE
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol Cloud Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission. The spacecraft is equipped with instruments to assess the health of the oceans by measuring the distribution of phytoplankton, tiny plants and algae.
Updated: December 13
February Falcon 9 • IM-1
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the IM-1 mission with the Nova-C lander built and owned by Intuitive Machines. The IM-1 mission will attempt to deliver a suite of science payloads to the surface of the moon for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Delayed from 3rd Quarter of 2022, December 2022, January 2023, March 2023, June 2023 and November 2023.
Updated: December 17
February Falcon 9 • USSF-124
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch a mission for the U.S. Space Force and Missile Defense Agency.
Updated: December 13
TBD Atlas 5 • ViaSat 3 EMEA
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-100, will launch launch the ViaSat 3 EMEA broadband communications satellite. ViaSat 3 Americas is the second of at least three new-generation Boeing-built geostationary satellites for Viasat. ViaSat EMEA will cover the Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions. Delayed from mid-2023.
Recent Astronomical Discoveries
Brenda WB5OZL
Astronomers Detect Seismic Ripples in Ancient Galactic Disk
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/12/231221162227.htm
Galactic Disk
Visible satellite passages over the next couple of days.
All times are “local” (Dallas) time.
ISS
Jan. 3
Jan. 5
Jan. 6
Tiangong
Jan. 8