TechCrunch Space is excited to announce that Bridgit Mendler will be speaking at this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt, specifically discussing ground stations. Mendler is just one of the many impressive entrepreneurs in the space industry who will be attending the event. TechCrunch Disrupt will be taking place from October 28th to 30th, so mark your calendars!
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Now, let’s dive into some exciting space news. Rocket Lab has developed two spacecraft that are about to embark on an incredible journey. The first step is a 55-hour, 2,500-mile trip from California to Cape Canaveral, the launch site. The second step is even more remarkable – a journey of 230 million miles to Mars that will take approximately 11 months. What makes this mission even more extraordinary is that it will only cost one-tenth of other orbiter missions to Mars. The mission, called ESCAPADE, is commissioned by NASA and will involve scientific payloads from UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory. The satellite buses for the mission are provided by Rocket Lab. The launch is scheduled for October on Blue Origin’s New Glenn, but there is a possibility of a delay if the launch window is missed. In that case, we’ll have to wait for another 26 months for ESCAPADE to launch.
Moving on to another topic, the U.S. Space Force recently released a draft environmental assessment for Stoke’s launch pad. This document provides valuable insights into the company’s near-term plans. According to the document, Stoke is pursuing a phased program approach. In the first phase, they will operate a totally expendable vehicle with a relatively low launch cadence of 10 launches per year. The second phase, which is not covered in the draft document, would involve the use of a fully reusable rocket.
In other news, the Starliner astronauts have been in orbit for over 70 days, even though the original mission was planned for just around a week. To help everyone understand what is happening on the International Space Station, CNBC’s Michael Sheetz has put together a helpful explainer. Share it with your friends and anyone else who may be confused about the current situation.
Finally, let’s talk about a fascinating event in space history. The next full moon will be a Blue Supermoon. It’s called “Blue” because it’s the third full moon in a season of four full moons, and “super” because the moon will be within 90% of its closest approach to Earth. This means the moon will appear huge in the night sky. Don’t miss this incredible celestial phenomenon!
That’s all for this week’s roundup of space news. Stay tuned for more exciting updates in the world of space exploration.
