Na een opwindende jaarstart (met New Horizons en Chang’e 4) gaat het voorlopig onverminderd verder. En dan hebben we het niet over de eerste twee lanceringen van dit jaar (niet toevallig van China en SpaceX), maar dan hebben we het over de eerste beelden van de Starship Hopper, een prototype van wat het Marsschip van Elon Musk zou worden. Na enkele jaren van mooie tekeningen en een steeds weer veranderend uitzicht, staat daar plots in de woestijn van Texas een blinkend schip, zo weggelopen uit een of ander science fiction verhaal. Dat en nog veel meer in het Nieuws Uit De Ruimtevaart van deze week.

Foto: Neen, dit is geen ruimtewaardig toestel. De StarShip Hopper gaat gebruikt worden voor de initiële testen van het systeem. Korte verticale vluchten, met horizontale verplaatsingen. Het orbitale testvoertuig zou ook onder constructie zijn. De neus van dat toestel zal er dan ook iets minder fragiel uitzien als bij de Hopper.

Chang’e 4 op de achterkant van de Maan.

De Chinezen gaven ondertussen de beelden vrij van de afdaling naar het oppervlak van de achterkant van de Maan. Ook de eerste panoramabeelden zijn ondertussen getoond. Beginnen doen we dan deze keer eens voor de verandering met de filmpjes.

SciNews: Chang’e-4 landing (Onboard Camera View) (met muziek).
NewChina TV: Stunning footage: Chang’e-4 probe landing on moon’s far side (met enige voetnota’s)
CCTV Video Agency: Chang’e-4: Key Stages from Launching to Landing.
CCTV Video Agency: Chang'e-4 Probe Takes Panoramic Photos on Moon's Far Side. 
New China TV: Check out world's first panorama of the Moon's far side (met muziek, zonder commentaar).
SciNews: Chang’e-4 takes panoramic photos on the Moon’s far side (met beschrijving).
CGTN: China announces success of Chang’e-4 mission.
CGTN: 'Mission complete' for China's Chang'e 4 probe on moon's dark side.
CGTN: Global reactions to Chang'e-4's soft-landing on the moon's far side.
New China TV: Why Chang'e-4 matters to China's Moon exploration dream.

En dan nog wat artikels.
Space News: China’s lunar rover enters standby mode for ‘noon nap’ as Chang’e-4 tests continue.
PhysicsOrg: China moon rover 'Jade Rabbit' wakes from 'nap'.
GB Times: Yutu-2 rover reawakens after midday nap to continue Chang'e-4 objectives.
Space Daily: Int'l payloads on Chang'e-4 start operation.
GB Times: Here's the amazing footage of the Chang'e-4 landing on the far side of the Moon.
GB Times: First lunar far side panoramas returned from Chang'e-4 lander.
The Planetary Society: Chang'e-4 update: Both vehicles healthy, new imagery from the Moon’s far side.

The Planetary Society: Chang'e 4: Why the Moon's far side looks red in new images.
Science Alert! The Chinese Moon Rover Could Be Searching For Interplanetary Fuel.

De eerste lancering van het jaar is Chinees.
GB Times: First space launch of 2019 sees China loft ChinaSat-2D communications satellite.
NasaSpaceFlight: Long March 3B lofts Chinasat-2D.

De filmpjes:
CCTV Video Agency: Zhongxing-2D Satellite Launched For Telecommunication. 
New China TV: Successful! China sends another satellite into space.
 

Eerste SpaceX-lancering brengt 10 Iridium NEXT satellieten in een baan om de Aarde.
Teslarati: SpaceX tracks towards first launch of 2019 with flight-proven Falcon 9 static fire.
NasaSpaceFlight: Iridium boss reflects as final NEXT satellite constellation launches.
Thales: Last batch of Iridium NEXT satellites in orbit.
CBS News: SpaceX launches Falcon 9 with final set of 10 Iridium network satellites.
Space News: SpaceX completes Iridium Next constellation.
Teslarati: SpaceX’s first Falcon 9 landing of 2019 foreshadows rapid rocket fleet growth.

De persmap vind je hier.

De filmpjes:
SpaceX: Iridium-8 Mission (de live uitzending).
SciNews: Falcon 9 launches Iridium-8 and Falcon 9 first stage landing.
SciNews: Iridium-8 satellites deployment.

Nog dit:
Space News: Iridium open to rideshares for spare satellite launches.

SpaceX – Het vangen van neuskegels niet zo eenvoudig.
Teslarati: SpaceX reveals Falcon fairing recovery progress as Mr. Steven barely misses catch.

SpaceX – Commercial Crew demo-vlucht begin februari.
Ars Technica: SpaceX demo flight a month away, will be “especially dangerous,” Musk says.
Video From Space: So Close! SpaceX Fairing Test Ends With Narrow Miss of Ship's Net.
Teslarati: SpaceX shows off Crew Dragon atop Falcon 9 as govt shutdown kills momentum.
Spaceflight Insider: How tall do you have to be to take SpaceX’s Commercial Crew ride?
NasaSpaceFlight: Falcon 9 with Dragon 2 rolls out for DM-1 dry dress rehearsal at 39A.
NASA: SpaceX Demo-1 Launch Update.
Space News: NASA delays SpaceX commercial crew test flight to February.

SpaceX – De Starship Hopper staat zo goed als klaar. Eerste testvlucht in maart?
SpaceCom: SpaceX's 'Starship' Hopper Prototype Could Make 1st Test Flight in Weeks, Elon Musk Says.
Teslarati: SpaceX’s Starship reaches new heights as Elon Musk teases Q1 2019 hop tests.
Teslarati: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says first orbital Starship prototype will be done by June.

Everyday Astronaut: Why SpaceX's Newest Rocket Will Never Go to Space (Hint, it’s not supposed to).

SpaceX ontslaat 10% van haar werknemers.
Ars Technica: SpaceX cutting 10 percent of its staff to become a leaner company.
Space Policy Online: SpaceX to layoff 10 percent of workers.

Het gat in de Soyuz.
The Telegraph: Leak on International Space Station blamed on 'botched repair job'.
TASS: Findings on origin of Soyuz hole to be reported to Russian leadership soon.
Sputnik News: Soyuz Spacecraft Assembly to Be Fully Monitored by Video Cameras – Source.

NASA blijft Soyuz-capsules gebruiken.
SpaceCom: NASA Astronauts Will Still Ride Russian Rockets After US Craft Arrive.
TASS: NASA to continue using Russia's Soyuz spacecraft — Roscosmos head.

Geen Roscosmosbaas naar Amerika.
Meer details in vorige NUDR.
RT America: NASA cancels Roscosmos meeting over politics (filmpje).
TASS: Roscosmos chief says US visit cancelled because ‘second American civil war’ underway.
TASS: Russian space agency gets NASA’s letter on revoking invitation for Roscosmos chief.
TASS: Cancellation of Rogozin's visit could disrupt the joint mission of US and Russia to Venus.

NASA vraag Rusland een Soyuz geschikt om naar de Maan te vliegen. Aldus de Russen.
TASS: NASA asks Russian space agency to develop Soyuz spacecraft for flights to Moon.
NASA Watch: Did NASA Really Ask Roscosmos To Build A Lunar Soyuz?

TASS: Russia launches project to design concept of spacecraft for lunar mission — source.

Meer Russisch ruimtevaartnieuws.
TASS: Russia completes tests of newest Kurs-MKP system to dock at ISS.
Sputnik News: Russian Soyuz Vehicles to Carry Out Record-Long Missions to ISS in 2019 – Source.

TASS: Roscosmos plans to organize tourist space missions via Yuri Gagarin’s route.

Sputnik News: Roscosmos Introduces $15Bln Cap on Building Yenisei Super-Heavy Rocket – Source.

Sputnik News: Plesetsk Spaceport to Prepare Launch Pad for Angara Rocket in May – Source.

TASS: Russia deorbits decommissioned military satellite.

TASS: Forty-five rockets produced by Roscosmos to be launched in 2019, says source.

Ruimtetourisme: Blue Origin en XCOR.
SpaceCom: Blue Origin Still Holding Off On New Shepard Ticket Sales.
Space Policy Online: Blue Origin Tourist Flights Still Expected In 2019. But No Price or Ticket Sales Yet.

SpaceCom: XCOR 'Space Tourists' Push for Ticket Refunds: Report.

Meer nieuws uit de (inter)planetaire ruimte.

Venus:
JAXA: Giant pattern discovered in the clouds of planet Venus Infrared cameras and supercomputer simulations break through Venus' veil.
Universe Today: Giant Streak Structure Found in Venus’ Cloudtops.

Aarde:
EGNSS: Space serving our blue planet.
Spacewatch Global: Danish University Uses Satellite Imagery To Map Global Poverty.
ESA: ASIM in action.
EuroNews: Study finds 2018 was fourth warmest on record: EU's Copernicus.

Mars:
ESA: Fifteen years imaging the Red Planet (filmpje).
Parabolic Arc: InSight Deploys Seismometer on Surface of Mars.
The Planetary Society: InSight Update, sols 25-42: Seismometer sensors working!
Universe Today: Still no Word from Opportunity.
The Planetary Society: The Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Still Silent, Team Still Hopeful.
Seeker: How NASA’s Rover Team Reimagined Mars 2020.
Het Belgisch Instituut voor Ruimte Aëronomie publiceerde een link naar een podcastbijdrage over het Marsonderzoek en InSight.
The Martian Chronicles: Sols 2281-2283: It’s a wonderful day for SAM.

Ryugu:
Space: Japan's Hayabusa2 Probe to Snag 1st Asteroid Sample Next Month.

Ultima Thule:
NasaSpaceFlight: New Horizons in solar communication blackout, team studies first flyby data.

En nog dit:
ESA: Cubesats joining HERA mission to asteroid system.

Slecht nieuws over mijnbouw in de ruimte.
Na Planetary Resources wordt nu ook Deep Space Industries overgenomen.
Space News: Deep Space Industries acquired by Bradford Space.
Geek Wire: Bradford Space Group buys Deep Space Industries, shifting focus from asteroid mining to propulsion.
The Space Review: The asteroid mining bubble has burst.

Maar ook dit.
Finance Yahoo: Outer space gold rush has Wall Street eyeing the moon

Nieuws van  Gaia en TESS.
ESA: Gaia reveals how sun-like stars turn solid after their demise.

NASA: NASA's TESS Rounds Up its First Planets, Snares Far-flung Supernovae.
The Verge: NASA’s new planet-hunting spacecraft TESS has found its third distant world.
Space News: Scientists pleased with TESS exoplanet mission.
NASA Solar System: TESS Supernovae Locations (filmpje).
NASA Solar System: TESS First Planet Locations (filmpje).

Problemen voor de Hubble Space Telescope, voor WorldView 4 en Orbcomm, en voor de Russische Spektr-R.
Universe Today: Uh oh, Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 is Down.
New Scientist: Hubble Telescope camera breaks – and US shutdown might delay repair.

Space News: DigitalGlobe loses WorldView-4 satellite to gyro failure.
Parabolic Arc: Maxar Reports Failure of DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-4 Satellite.
Via Satellite: Analysts Losing Confidence in Maxar.

18th Space Control Squadron: Breakup of ORBCOMM OG1
Een animatiefilmpje over de breakup vind je hier.

TASS: Russian specialists working to fix problems with Spektr-R space radio telescope.
ABC News: Control of Russian radio telescope satellite lost.
TASS: Next communication session with Russia’s space radio telescope due Sunday – Roscosmos.
TASS: Russian space radio telescope failed to receive signal from Earth — scientist.

Veel lees- en kijkplezier,

Koen