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SpaceFlight A British Interplanetary Society publication Volume 61 No.12 December 2019 £5.25 Return to sender NASA's lunar super scooper Comsat tech Lunar impacts UK space business 12> 634089 770038 9 CONTENTS Features 12 Encoded Comsats Contributors Gerard van de Haar and Luc van den Abeelen describe the broadening aspects of the US-led international satellite communication systems that are recruiting an increasing 2 number of partners. Letter from the Editor 20 Grabbing a piece of the Cataclysm Dwayne A. Day presents an in-depth study of This year we are saddened by the loss of several pioneers in human the various proposals, past and present, for space flight, as we went to press returning lunar samples to Earth from a the most recent being Alexei particularly violent impact experienced by the Leonov – the first man to leave his Moon during the early days of its formation. spacecraft and float freely connected only by an umbilical. 30 Hanging in the Balance We will publish an obituary in the David Todd reports from the recent biennial UK next issue with thoughts from 4 some of those who knew him well, Space Conference, which brought together the including Helen Sharman whose great and the good of the domestic space own flight pivoted on his approval industry in Newport, South Wales, to carve out a that she had the “right stuff”. Of roadmap for future development. course, she did. For the present there is much ado surrounding lunar exploration – getting experiments to the surface and, not least, putting the next humans on the Moon within the next few years. But there is also an effort underway to retrieve 12 samples from special places such as the South Pole-Aitken Basin and I am pleased to bring you a Regulars detailed account of that activity and why it is so important. Apart from that – don’t forget to 2 Behind the news renew your subscription and do Starship Enterprise – Orion: added value sign up to the new Space Chronicle, also out next month, 4 Opinion which will bring you detailed space history from far and wide, 6 ISS Report 20 written by experts for a better 12 September - 8 October 2019 understanding of our past. 36 Obituary . Sigmund Jahn (1937-2019) 38 Multi-media The latest space-related books, games, videos David Baker [email protected] 42 Satellite Digest 563 – September 2019 44 Society news / Diary 30 COVER: THE MOONRISE SAMPLE RETRIEVER LIFTS OFF FROM THE LUNAR SURFACE / JPL THE LUNAR SURFACE LIFTS OFF FROM RETRIEVER SAMPLE THE MOONRISE COVER: What’s happened/ What’s coming up OUR MISSION STATEMENT Editor David Baker, PhD, BSc, FBIS, FRHS Sub Editor Ann Page Creative Consultant Andrée Wilson Design & Production MP3 Media Promotion Gillian Norman Advertising Tel: +44 (0)20 7735 3160 Email: [email protected] The British Interplanetary Society Distribution Warners Group Distribution, The Maltings, Manor Lane, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 9PH, England Tel: +44 (0)1778 promotes the exploration and 391 000 Fax: +44 (0)1778 393 668 SpaceFlight, Arthur C. Clarke House, 27-29 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1SZ, use of space for the benefit England Tel: +44 (0)20 7735 3160 Email: [email protected] www.bis-space.com Published monthly by the British Interplanetary Society, SpaceFlight is a publication that promotes the mission of the British of humanity, connecting people Interplanetary Society. Opinions in signed articles are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of to create, educate and inspire, the Editor or the Council of the British Interplanetary Society. Registered Company No: 402498. Registered charity No: and advance knowledge in 250556. The British Interplanetary Society is a company limited by guarantee. Printed in England by Latimer Trend & Co. © 2019 British Interplanetary Society 2017 ISSN 0038-6340. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced all aspects of astronautics. or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system without written permission for the Publishers. Photocopying permitted by license only. SpaceFlight Vol 61 December 2019 1 SLUGBEHIND THE NEWS A full-scale test version of the Super Heavy's Starship upper stage, which will have a liftoff thrust more than twice that of the Saturn V. STARSHIP ENTERPRISE Elon Musk is investing billions in a private rocket bigger than anything flown or planned by anyone before – governments included! THIS EXCITING INITIATIVE moved a little closer to weeks” according to Musk. reality on 28 September when the CEO of SpaceX With a length of 50 m, Starship will be carried into hosted an informal unveiling of his Starship upper orbit by a Super Heavy booster creating a stack 118 stage space vehicle at the company’s south Texas m tall, which in developed form is now to carry 37 facility near Brownsville. With six Raptor engines, Raptor motors for a total thrust of 72,000 kN, more Starship will need the Super Heavy booster to get than twice that of a Saturn V and considerably more into orbit, or to go to the Moon and Mars, but for than NASA’s Space Launch System. Initial Super now the test vehicle, displayed to an awe-struck Heavy test and development launches may have 20 crowd of employees and media personnel, looks Raptor engines. Manufacture of the first two Super impressive enough. Equipped for the present with Heavy boosters (SH-1 in Texas and SH-2 in Florida) three methane-burning Raptor rocket motors it will will only begin after the first four Starship upper conduct a test flight to 19,800 m before descending stages have been built, two in Texas at Boca Chica to a controlled touchdown, base first, “within a few and two at Cape Canaveral. Eventually launches will 2 Vol 61 December 2019 SpaceFlight BEHIND THE NEWS IMAGES: SPACEX IMAGES: ABOVE & RIGHT Boosted to the Moon by the Super Heavy launcher, Starship will land and take off from the lunar surface base-first, mirroring the technology of earlier SpaceX reusable rockets. Early versions will be powered by three Raptor engines (above right). BELOW & RIGHT In a configuration reminiscent of Korolev's failed N1 Moon rocket, the Super Heavy launcher itself will be powered by a cluster of no less than 37 Raptor engines arranged in roughly concentric circles. take place at LC-39A, where the first Moon landings which powers both booster and upper stage, the began. For now, the first Starship test vehicle is in a latter using three of its six engines optimised for more advanced state of completion than the second Apart from vacuum operation. in Florida. One limiting factor could be production of the Recently, subtle changes have been made both to the sheer size Raptors, which at present is taking place at the rate Super Heavy and to Starship, in that the base of the of little more than three a month but when testing booster will have six fins and landing legs together of this increases early next year, Musk hopes to up that to STARSHIP ENTERPRISE with four steel grid fins for directional stability during 30 a month. Equally optimistic is Musk’s insistence combination, descent. These make the assembly more flexible that the first Starship test flight could occur before and adaptable to a variety of roles. Musk is keen to the the end of this year, with the Super Heavy pushing a project the real purpose of this system – for that is Starship to orbit by late spring 2020 and further what it is – as a people-carrier to the Moon and outstanding flights with people later in the year. Mars but with the added advantage of lifting heavy Clearly, where bold space goals are concerned, cargo in an alternative upper stage which can feature is enterprise pays. But local residents in the Boca replace the crewed Starship vessel. Chica village area challenge the presence of large Apart from the sheer size of this combination, the 100% test rockets near their homes. Musk has offered to outstanding feature is 100% reusability, the Super buy them out for three times the estimated property Heavy boost stage returning to a controlled descent reusability value to clear the area but there is resistance from on land or to an ocean platform while the Starship occupants who have no inclination to move. continues on its mission. The enormous 150 tonne Meanwhile, NASA’s Administrator Jim Bridenstine carrying capacity of this system allows a wide range has expressed concern that SpaceX is developing of mission options, including the use of refuelling these advanced concepts while still behind schedule tankers as an integral evolution of the Starship either on Crew Dragon designed, to a significant level by in low Earth orbit or on the surface of the Moon or government money, for replacing Soyuz seats with Mars. Key to it all, however, is the Raptor engine rides to the ISS from US soil. SF SpaceFlight Vol 61 December 2019 3 BEHIND THE NEWS Briefing FAST FORWARD Orion: added value Blue Origin is contesting a plan by the US Air Force to select only two launch providers for NASA HAS JUST AWARDED 2030 or 2031. However, as NASA the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 Lockheed Martin a production has said that it will launch the first services procurement plan, citing a contract for six Orion spacecraft three SLS at two years intervals, burgeoning growth in launches projected for with an option on a further six to with SLS-1 now understood to be the next 10 years.