Vikram, de Indische maanlander is niet meer. Dat bericht is definitief, aangezien voor de lander de maannacht is ingetreden. Zelfs in operationele toestand was het niet de bedoeling dat Vikram de koude zou overleefd hebben. Ondertussen is de Amerikaanse LRO er niet in geslaagd een foto van Vikram te nemen. Chandrayaan 2 zou dat wel gedaan hebben, maar ISRO wil geen fotomateriaal vrijgeven. En wat die Amerikaanse terugkeer naar de Maan betreft, vaak concentreren we ons op de technische verwezenlijkingen. Maar het is allicht even interessant om te zien wat er in de achtergrond allemaal beweegt, zowel in de politiek als bij de betrokken bedrijven.

Bij de foto: De vlucht van Starhopper ligt nog vers in het geheugen, maar SpaceX werkt ondertussen onverdroten verder aan het prototype van Starship. Elon Musk zou in de loop van deze week een update geven over zijn plannen. (Foto SpaceX).

China lanceert Zhuhai-1, een groep van vijf aardobservatiesatellieten.
NasaSpaceFlight: Long March 11 lofts Zhuhai-1 Group-3 satellites.
Spaceflight Now: Five Chinese smallsats launched by Long March 11 rocket.

Beelden van de lancering:
CCTV: China launches new remote-sensing satellites.
SciNews: Long March-11 launches five new Zhuhai-1 satellites.

SpaceX – Falcon 9 nieuws.
Teslarati: SpaceX’s first West Coast Falcon 9 launch in eight months now set for early 2020.
Teslarati: SpaceX’s next Falcon 9 launches get a bit closer as hardware arrives in Florida.
Spaceflight Now: Starlink to fill lion’s share of SpaceX near-term launch manifest.

SpaceX – Volop werken aan Starship.
Teslarati: SpaceX ‘tops off’ its South Texas Starship prototype with one final steel dome.
Teslarati: SpaceX wants to move Starship Mk2 to one of its Florida launch pads later this month.
Teslarati: SpaceX prepares to break ground on Starship launch facilities at Pad 39A.

SpaceCom: SpaceX's Next Starship Prototype Taking Shape (Photos).
Parabolic Arc: CBS News Video: Living Next to SpaceX’s Boca Chica Test Site.
SpaceCom: SpaceX Seeks Property Buyouts Near Starhopper Launch Site in Texas: Report.
Business Insider: SpaceX is trying to buy a hamlet inside its Texas rocket-launch site because it ‘did not anticipate’ there’d be any ‘significant disruption’ to residents who live there.

Teslarati: Billionaire resigns CEO role to pay, train for SpaceX’s first crewed Starship Moon launch.

Universe Today: Real Artificial Gravity for SpaceX’s Starship.

Filmpjes:
What About It ?: SpaceX Moving Cocoa Construction Site To Pad 39A – Boca Chica Starship Orbital Prototype Updates.
US Launch Report: SpaceX - Starship Cocoa Update 4K 09-17-2019.

De plannen van Virgin Orbit en Virgin Galactic.
Aviation Today: Branson Says Virgin Galactic Will Examine Feasibility of Transatlantic Flights Through Space.
Space News: Richard Branson headlines Air Force event, pitches Virgin Orbit’s capabilities for national security.

Parabolic Arc: Mackay Says: SpaceShipTwo Will Be “Safe, Reliable Commercial System” (filmpje).

NasaSpaceFlight: Virgin Galactic assemble primary structures for second SpaceShipTwo.
Parabolic Arc: Virgin Galactic Reaches Milestone Building SpaceShipTwo No. 3.
SpaceCom: Virgin Galactic's Newest Spaceship Just Got Its Wings (Photos).

Commercial Crew.
NASA: SpaceX Parachute Test (filmpje).
Dezelfde beelden maar dan zonder de teksten vind je hier.
Teslarati: SpaceX’s Crew Dragon is pushing the envelope of parachute engineering, says NASA.

Florida Today: SpaceX anomaly: 'No further action' needed on Crew Dragon explosion cleanup.

Boeing: Patches revealed.
Het volgende is een YouTube playlist van een vijftal filmpjes van Boeing over Starliner.
Boeing: Starliner: What’s Possible.

ISS – Soyuz: Verklaringen voor het gat. Opnieuw wapens in de capsule?
Space Daily: Roscosmos finds causes of hole in Soyuz MS-09, but won't disclose them.
TASS: Roscosmos chief reluctant to reveal what caused hole in Soyuz spacecraft.
SpaceCom: Russia Says It Will Keep Source of Hole (and Air Leak) on Soyuz Secret— But NASA Wants to Know: Report.
Houston Chronicle: NASA leader vows to seek answers about space station from Russia.

TASS: Roscomos denies plans for including firearms in cosmonauts’ emergency kits again.
Space Daily: Russia to give cosmonauts guns to fend off animals on landing.

ISS – Nieuwe lanceerdatum voor Konoutori.
Space News: Japanese cargo spacecraft launch rescheduled after pad fire.
Spaceflight Now: Japanese cargo launch reset for Monday after fire.

ISS – Nieuws uit het ruimtestation.
TASS: Roscosmos hopes to scrutinize service life of Russian segment of ISS by 2021.

Space News: ISS National Lab work continues amid NASA review.
NASA: Research in a Box.
NASA: Space Station Microbiology: Where People Go, Microbes Follow (filmpje).
SpaceCom: Hermes Regolith Experiment in Space Takes Aim at Moon Dirt and Asteroid Landings.
Discovery Magazine: New Video Shows Mice Go Nuts In Space.
NASA: Sleepwear with a Purpose.
TASS: Russia, Brazil eye joint ISS projects - Education Ministry.

ESA: External control interface for European Robotic Arm.

ESA: Space Station Science: Learning from Luca.
ESA Podcast: Beyond Series – Space Station sounds (E04).

ESA: ESA expertie aids UAE spaceflight.

Aviation Week: NASA Eager To Share Low Earth Orbit.

En nog de traditionele filmpjes:
NASA: Space to Ground: Dress Rehearsals: 09/20/2019.
NASA: SpaceCast Weekly Sept 20 2019 0920 1251352.
ESA: Space Chronicles: Testing times for the human guinea pigs on ISS.

Oude Bigelow demonstratiemodule bijna gebotst met Russisch ruimteafval.
c|net: Russian space junk could collide with experimental habitat.
SpaceCom: No Space Crash: Dead Russian Satellite Just Missed an Old Habitat Prototype in Orbit.

Space News: Better coordination needed among operators to avoid potential collisions.

ARTEMIS: Orion/SLS.
NASA: Orion Test Article on the Move (met filmpje).
NASA: Orion to Face Simulated Rigors of Space in Last Major Testing Before Artemis I
NasaSpaceFlight: Lockheed Martin readying NASA Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft for Plum Brook trip.

NASA: NASA Joins Last of Five Sections for Space Launch System Rocket Stage.
BBC: SLS: Nasa's giant 'Moon rocket' takes shape.
Boeing: Boeing’s “all in” progress on NASA’s Space Launch System for the Artemis I mission (filmpje).

NasaSpaceFlight: Boeing reorganizing plans as it builds second NASA SLS Core Stage engine section.

NASA: Pad 39B Water Flow Test Comes Through Loud and Clear.

ARTEMIS: Gateway.
Hackaday: Hams in Space: Gearing up for the Lunar Gateway.
Space News: Gateway development remains on track.
SpaceCom: NASA Reveals New Gateway Logo for Artemis Lunar Orbit Way Station.

ARTEMIS: Naar de Maan in 2024. Problemen voor Artemis.
Parabolic Arc: House Science Chairwoman Slams Trump Administration’s Artemis Lunar Plans.
Space News: House members skeptical about NASA’s approach to returning humans to the moon.
Ars Technica: Some NASA contractors appear to be trying to kill the Lunar Gateway.
SpaceCom: Putting Astronauts on the Moon in 2024 Is a Tall Order, NASA Says.
Parabolic Arc: Lack of Anomalies in House Spending Bill a Blow to NASA’s Moon Plan.

GAO: NASA: Actions Needed to Improve the Management of Human Spaceflight Programs.
Parabolic Arc: GAO Report on SLS/Orion: Making Progress, But….

SpaceCom: No Date Set Yet, But NASA Targeting Second Half of 2024 for Human Moon Landing.

Steun vanuit Australië.
NASA: Australian Government Commits to Join NASA in Lunar Exploration and Beyond.
The Guardian: Scott Morrison to unveil $150m support for Trump's mission to Mars.
Space Policy Online: Trump, Australia’s Morrison Talk Moon/Mars Cooperation.

Het definitieve einde van Vikram, de Indische maanlander.
India Today: Chandrayaan-2: How a somersault did Vikram lander in.
SpaceCom: NASA Moon Orbiter Fails to Spot India's Lunar Lander: Report.
SpaceCom: Time Is Running Out for India to Save Its Silent Moon Lander.
The Hindu: Chandrayaan 2: As lunar night falls, ISRO to call it a day on revival of Vikram Lander.
Parabolic Arc: It’s Dead, Jim! ISRO Gives Up on Lunar Lander, Rover.

Met Chandrayaan 2 gaat ondertussen alles goed, aldus deze update van ISRO.
The Hindu: Sivan terms Chandrayaan-2 mission a huge success.

The Space Review: Chandrayaan 2’s Moon illusion.

SpaceCom: Lunar lander failures offer a warning to commercial missions.

Enkele filmpjes.
SciShow Space: What Happened to India's Moon Lander?

Nieuws uit de (inter)planetaire ruimte.

Venus:
EuroPlanet: EPSC-DPS 2019, Thursday Press conference, mission Akatsuki and Venus science (filmpje).

Aarde:
NASA Goddard: ICESat-2 Celebrates One Year for Photon Phriday (filmpje).
National Academies Press: Thriving on Our Changing Planet – A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space (2018) (PDF gratis te downloaden)
NOAA Satellites: How Can Artificial Intelligence Contribute to NOAA’s Mission?
VRT NWS: 37 satellietfoto's bewijzen hoe het Noordpoolijs dramatisch krimpt.
Ars Technica: Here’s what happened in the impact crater the day it did in the dinos.
SpaceCom: Satellite Photo Shows Aftermath of Drone Attack on Saudi Oil Facilities.

Maan:
NASA Gravity Assist Podcast: Fire Fountains on the Moon, with Dave Draper.
SpaceCom: China's Lunar Rover Scopes Out Weird Substance on Far Side of the Moon (Photos).
Space News: China, Russia to cooperate on lunar orbiter, landing missions.
NASA: Apollo Moon Soil Radiation Experiment (filmpje).
Spaceflight Now: Launch of South Korean lunar orbiter delayed to 2022.

Mars:
ESA: North polar dunes on Mars.
TMRO: How NASA saved two tiny Mars satellites | SPACE INTERVIEW (filmpje) (over MARCO).
ESA: Fly over the ExoMars 2020 landing site (filmpje).
Space News: ESA turns to NASA to assist in crucial ExoMars parachute tests.
Spaceflight Now: NASA, ESA officials seek formal approvals for Mars sample return mission.
NASA: NASA in Silicon Valley Live: Is There Life on Mars? (vodcast).
Universe Today: Nothing Says Springtime on Mars Like Explosions of Sand.

Jupiter:
Wired: Space Photos of the Week: Spying on Jupiter.
SpaceCom: NASA's Juno Mission Checks Out Eclipse on Jupiter.
Spaceflight Now: NASA’s Juno spacecraft sees moon’s otherworldly shadow on Jupiter.
c|net: Jupiter's lunar volcano could erupt this month.

Saturnus:
EuroPlanet Society: Age-old debate on Saturn’s rings reignited.
NPR: Meet The Nuclear-Powered Self-Driving Drone NASA Is Sending To A Moon Of Saturn.

Ryugu:
EuroPlanet: EPC-DPS 2019 Tuesday Press Conference – Hayabusa 2 (filmpje).
Parabolic Arc: Hayabusa2 Releases Target Markers in Advance to Another Rover Landing.
Spaceflight Now: Hayabusa 2 completes practice run for deployment of last asteroid lander.
SpaceCom: Look Out Below! Japan's Hayabusa2 Drops Target Markers on Asteroid Ryugu.

En nog een filmpje om af te ronden:
JHU APL: Studying How Craters are Made: The Planetary Impact Lab (filmpje).

Iridium en OneWeb gaan samenwerken.
Aviation Week: Iridium, OneWeb Announce LEO Sat Collaboration.
Space News: LEO constellation operators OneWeb, Iridium announce collaboration.

Ondertussen ligt OneWeb in de clinch met Intelsat.
Geek Wire: Intelsat sues OneWeb broadband satellite venture over a mega-deal that went sour.

Space News: Iridium lands seven-year, $738.5 million Defense Department contract.

Nieuws van astronomische satellieten.
Space News: WFIRST telescope passes preliminary design review.
SpaceCom: NASA's WFIRST Space Telescope, a Refurbished Spysat Eye, Passes Early Review.
NASA: NASA's WFIRST Will Help Uncover the Universe's Fate.
NASA: Unraveling the Mysteries of Dark Energy with NASA's WFIRST (filmpje).

Twee filmpjes, met dank aan de Hubble Space Telescope:
HST: Flight Through the Orion Nebula in Infrared Light.
HST: Flight Through the Orion Nebula in Visible Light.

SciShow News: The James Webb Space Telescope Is Assembled! Finally!

NTRS: The Chandra X-Ray Observatory: Celebrating Its 20-th Year of Operation (presentatie in PDF vorm).
NTRS: The Origins Space Telescope (PDF).

NASA: Reflections on 20 Years of XMM-Newton's X-ray Astronomy (filmpje).

EuroPlanet: EPSC-DPS 2019, Monday Press Conference - Mission Cheops (filmpje).
ESA: Cheops: science in action (filmpje).

BBC: Euclid space telescope to study 'dark Universe' makes progress.

Belgisch ruimtevaartnieuws.
Septentrio: Septentrio unveils a new GNSS/INS receiver for Unmanned Aerial Systems

Enkele Septentrio-filmpjes:
Septentrio: About Septentrio - Kanaal Z reportage.
Septentrio: Which industries is Septentrio Active in? - Kanaal Z reportage.
Septentrio: Working At Septentrio - Kanaal Z reportage.

IMEC: Nieuw materiaal voor zonnecellen kan maximale energiecapaciteit uit zonnepanelen halen.
Space News Feed: VRT, Belgium national Flemish broadcaster, selects NovelSat’s technology to deliver Tour de France live broadcasting

Het september nummer van Newtec News kan je hier (PDF) downloaden. Het gaat over “The Evolution of Broadcast and Connectivity”.

Om af te ronden: Een vreemd vliegend voorwerp boven Gent.
De Standaard: 'Vreemd lichtgevend object' gesignaleerd boven Gent.
De Standaard: Ufo boven Gent was Ierse onderzoeksballon.
Urania: Heldere “UFO” tijdens ODD blijkt weerballon.
 

Veel lees-, luister- en kijkplezier,

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