Het Nieuws Uit De Ruimtevaart is toe aan zijn 750ste aflevering. Met andere woorden, bij deze beginnen we aan de 16de jaargang. Veel plezier – ook deze keer – met deze aflevering.

Bij de foto: Alles na Artemis 3 lijkt geschrapt te worden. De voorbereidingen op Artemis 2 blijven echter onverminderd voorgaan. Zo wordt hier de IPCS boven op het SLS Core Stage geplaatst. Foto: NASA/Isaac Watson.

Belgisch ruimtevaartnieuws. 

PROBA 3 – In blijde verwachting van een eerste kunstmatige zonsverduistering.
ESA: Proba-3 bereikt nauwkeurig formatievliegen.
ESA (met filmpje): Proba-3’s orbit.

Spacepage: Proba-3 realiseert voor de eerste maal nauwkeurig formatievliegen.

De lanceringen van de afgelopen week.

04.05.2025 – SpaceX lanceert Starlink-satellieten – Group 6-84 (KSC).
SpaceCom: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 28 Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida.

Filmpje:
SpaceX via X: Watch Falcon 9 launch 29 Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida.
SciNews: SpaceX Starlink 254 launch and Falcon 9 first stage landing, 4 May 2025.

07.05.2025 – SpaceX lanceert Starlink-satellieten – Group 6-93 (CCSFS).

Filmpje:
SpaceX via X: Watch Falcon 9 launch 28 Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida.
SciNews: SpaceX Starlink 255 launch and Falcon 9 first stage landing, 7 May 2025.

10.05.2025 – SpaceX lanceert Starlink-satellieten – Group 15-3 (VSFB).
De lancering was eerst voorzien voor 3 mei maar om ongekende redenen werd de lancering uitgesteld.
Spaceflight Now: SpaceX puts Vandenberg launch on hold.

Spaceflight Now: SpaceX launches 26 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg.
SpaceCom: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches Starlink satellites from California, lands on ship at sea.

Filmpje:
SpaceX via X: Watch Falcon 9 launch 26 Starlink satellites to orbit from California.
SciNews: SpaceX Starlink 256 launch and Falcon 9 first stage landing, 10 May 2025.

10.05.2025 – SpaceX lanceert Starlink-satellieten – Group 6-91 (CCSFS).
SpaceCom: SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida.
Spaceflight Now: SpaceX launches 900th Starlink satellite of 2025 during Saturday morning flight.

Filmpje:
SpaceX via X: Watch Falcon 9 launch 28 Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida.
SciNews: SpaceX Starlink 257 launch and Falcon 9 first stage landing, 10 May 2025.

Te verwachten lanceringen.

15.05.2025 – Lanceert Gilmour Space dan toch voor het eerst zijn Eris-raket?
SatNews: Australia’s Gilmour Space Technologies ready to launch maiden Eris Test flight the nation’s first orbital launch in over 50 years.
Space Connect: New Gilmour launch window to open 15 May.

Raketnieuws.

Stratolaunch laat Talon een hypersonische testvlucht doen – MACH-TB.
Space News: Pentagon’s hypersonic milestone: Stratolaunch reusable vehicle breaks Mach 5.
SpaceCom: Stratolaunch's Talon-A2 prototype goes hypersonic after dropping from world's largest airplane.
Ars Technica: The company with the world’s largest aircraft now has a hypersonic rocket plane.

AFRL-contract voor Ursa Major.
SatNews: AFRL awards Ursa Major $28.6 million contract for responsive space, hypersonic + on-orbit propulsion.

RocketLab / Neutron geselecteerd voor USAF’s “Rocket Cargo” programma.
RocketLab: Rocket Lab Partners With U.S. Air Force for Neutron Launch for Re-Entry Mission.
Space News: Rocket Lab’s Neutron tapped for U.S. military cargo test.
Payload: Rocket Lab Wins Point-to-Point Demo Contract for Neutron.
Spaceflight Now: Rocket Lab to debut point-to-point cargo transportation capability on 2026 Air Force mission.

Ondertussen:
RocketLab (filmpje): Neutron | Stage 1 Qualification (flappen en neuskegel).

Nieuws over Relativity Space.
Ars Technica: Eric Schmidt apparently bought Relativity Space to put data centers in orbit.

USSF en de “Assured Access to Space”.
Breaking Defense: Space Force eyeing international launch sites to increase ‘resilience’.
Air & Space Forces: Space Force Wants More Rapid, Flexible Launch.

Bemande ruimtevaart / Ruimtestations.

Fram2 – Beelden van de polen.
SpaceCom: See what it's like to witness Earth's poles from space in this stunning 4-hour SpaceX video.

Filmpje:
SpaceX: Fram2 Polar Orbit Views.
De volledige 4 uur durende via vind je bij SpaceX via X.

Gaganyaan – Eerste Indische bemande vlucht uitgesteld tot 2027.
The Times of India: India’s Gaganyaan mission enters final phase with crewed launch scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.
SpaceCom: India delays 1st Gaganyaan astronaut launch to 2027.

CNBCTV18: Gaganyaan mission update: ISRO targets first uncrewed launch by late 2025.

Filmpje:
Video From Space: India delays crew launches as development on their human spaceflight program continues.

ESA en India gaan samenwerken op vlak bemande ruimtevaart.
ESA: European Space Agency announces new cooperation with Indian Space Research Organisation.
European Spaceflight: ESA and India Agree to Cooperate on Human Spaceflight.

ISS – De blogentries.
NASA ISS Blog: Crew Kicks off Week with Agriculture and Tech Work, Wraps Spacewalk Cleanup.
NASA ISS Blog: Crew Spends Tuesday Focused on Health Research.
NASA ISS Blog: Crew Expands on Health Research, Botany and Pharmaceutical Work.
NASA ISS Blog: Biotech and Health Research Top Thursday’s Workday, Crew Completes Training.
NASA ISS Blog: Crew Works Tech Demos and Maintenance on Friday.

ISS – Meer nieuws uit het ruimtestation.
NASA: Quantum Sensing via Matter-Wave Interferometry Aboard the International Space Station.
Innova Space: Microgravity and bone in space. 
NASA: ISS Medical Monitoring.
NASA: NASA Kicks Off Biological Research Aboard Space Station.

Filmpje:
NASA: Space to Ground: Spacewalk Selfie: May 09, 2025.

Commerciële ruimtestations.
Spaceflight Now: Vast to complete Haven-1 primary structure in July 2025, ahead of target May 2026 launch date.
Spaceflight Now (filmpje): Vast to launch Haven-1, the world’s 1st commercial space station, in May 2026.

CSS – Meer nieuws uit het Chinese ruimtestation.
Space News: China to launch new modules to Tiangong space station.

Naar de Maan (en Mars).

Grote lijnen NASA-budget FY2026 bekend – $6 miljard minder – Naar de Maan en naar Mars.
Payload: Trump’s “Skinny” Space Budget Winners and Losers.
Space News: NASA budget proposal draws strong criticism.
Space News: The U.S. is risking its economic and defense leadership in low Earth orbit.
NASA Watch: NASA Leadership Likes The $6 Billion Budget Cut.
SpaceCom: 'Eventually, all life on Earth will be destroyed by the sun': Elon Musk explains his drive to colonize Mars.

The Planetary Society: Billions wasted, mysteries unsolved: The missions NASA may be forced to abandon.

ESA: ESA Director General reaction to a reduced budget proposal for NASA.
Space Policy Online: ESA reacts to proposed NASA budget cuts.
The Register: ESA feeling weightless and unwanted amid proposed NASA cuts.
SpaceCom: Europe's space agency weighs fallout from proposed NASA budget cuts that could threaten joint missions.

Space News: Space agencies grapple with potential changes to Artemis.

Ars Technica: NASA scrambles to cut ISS activity due to budget issues.
SpaceQ: Canadarm3 contract still moving forward during U.S. budget negotiations.
Via Satellite: MDA Space Reassures Investors About Canadarm3, Points to Constellation Opportunities.

Inside Outer Space: Mars Sample Return, Nixed by NASA Budget Cuts – Experts are Furious.

Artemis 2 – Mensen rond de Maan.
NASA Blog: NASA’s Artemis II Orion Spacecraft Ready for Fueling, Processing.
NASA: NASA Progresses Toward Crewed Moon Mission with Spacecraft, Rocket Milestones.

Space Policy Online: Glaze: Artemis 2 could launch as early as february 2026.

Filmpje:
Lockheed Martin: Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Orion for NASA's Artemis II Mission Finalized.
NASA: Stacking of NASA's Moon rocket continues!

Artemis – Naar de Maan en Mars.
Politico: NASA, in surprise shift, may launch rockets to Mars next year.

Space News: The best way to prepare humans for Mars? The moon.
Aerospace America: Lunar limbo: the possible paths ahead for Artemis.

ILRS – China naar de Maan. 
SpaceCom: Lunar laser: China makes 1st daytime laser-ranging measurement from Earth to the moon.

Starship – Wachten op IFT 9.
VRTNWS: Lanceerplatform als dorpsplein en SpaceX-burgemeester: 'Starbase' van Elon Musk is officieel gemeente in Texas.
Ars Technica: FAA green-lights Starship launches every other week from Starbase.
Space News: FAA gives environmental approval for increased Starship launch rate.
Space Explored: When might Starship reach 25 flights a year?

Filmpjes:
NSF: Ship 35 Static Fire Ends In An Observation #starship #spaceexploration.
LabPadre: Starship 35 Experiences Static Fire Anomaly - SpaceX Weekly #165.
NSF: SpaceX Rolls Out Pad B Starship Orbital Launch Mount.
NSF: Ship 35 Under Inspection After Anomaly; Pad B Launch Mount Nearly Ready | Starbase Update.
NSF: Path to Pad B | SpaceX Boca Chica.
Marcus House: Finally Info Dropped About Starship Flight, and Massive Changes Coming to Starbase!

Op ontdekking door het zonnestelsel.

Hakuto-R2 (ispace) draait rond de Maan.
SpaceCom: Japan's Resilience moon lander arrives in lunar orbit ahead of June 5 touchdown.
Space News: Resilience lunar lander enters orbit around the moon.
Space Daily: ispace Achieves Key Mission 2 Milestone with Successful Lunar Orbit Entry.

CLPS – Uitstel voor maanlander gebouwd door ispace – APEX.
Space News: Engine change delays ispace-built lunar lander mission.

Krijgt VIPER nog een nieuwe kans?
NASA: NASA to Explore Additional Methods to Send VIPER to Moon.
Space News: NASA backtracks on VIPER commercial partnership.
Insde Outer Space: Cancelled VIPER Moon Rover: New News – Lights-on or Off?
Space Policy Online: NASA still looking for a way to get VIPER to the Moon.

Op zoek naar helium-3.
Space News: Interlune plans to gather scarce lunar Helium-3 for quantum computing on Earth.
Payload: Interlune Unveils Prototype Lunar Helium-3 Excavator.

CLPS en andere commerciële maanvluchten.
Space News: Why NASA should apply the CLPS mindset to low-cost science missions, not just landers.
Space News: Commercial competition and cooperation at the moon.

Nieuws uit de (inter)planetaire ruimte.

Ruimteweer:
NASA: What NASA Is Learning from the Biggest Geomagnetic Storm in 20 Years.

Venus:
NASA: NASA Study Reveals Venus Crust Surprise.

Aarde:
NASA: NASA Data Helps Map Tiny Plankton That Feed Giant Right Whales.
PhysOrg: Satellite-powered 30-meter map exposes Nanchang's CO₂ emissions.
PhysOrg: German satellite measures CO₂ and NO₂ simultaneously from power plant emissions for the first time.

Maan:
NASA: NASA Kennedy Breathes Life into Moon Soil Testing.
BBC: Moon dust 'rarer than gold' arrives in UK from China.

Mars:
NASA Curiosity Status Report: Sols 4527-4528: ‘Boxwork Ahoy!’.
NASA Curiosity Status Report: Sols 4529-4531: Honeycombs and Waffles… on Mars!
NASA Curiosity Status Report: Sols 4532-4533: Polygon Heaven.
NASA Curiosity Status Report: Sols 4534-4535: Last Call for the Layered Sulfates? (West of Texoli Butte, Headed West).
NASA Perseverance: Searching for Spherules to Sample.
PhysOrg: Mars surface patterns resemble Earth, revealing secrets of its past.

Planeet 9:
SpaceCom: Evidence of controversial Planet 9 uncovered in sky surveys taken 23 years apart.

Planetoiden:
NewsWeek: Asteroids the Size of Buses Approaching Earth—Here's How Close They'll Get.

Meer ruimtevaartnieuws.

Een oude Russische Venuslander vergaat in de Aardse atmosfeer boven de Stille Oceaan.
ESA Blog: Reentry prediction Soviet-era Venera Venus Lander (Cosmos 482 Descent Craft).
SatTrackCam Leiden: Kosmos 482 Descent Craft reentry forecasts [PERIODICALLY UPDATED].
Inside Outer Space: Soviet-era Venus Descent Lander: Upcoming Plunge to Earth (Updated).
Inside Outer Space: Roscosmos Report: Old Soviet Venus Probe Reenters.
Collect Space: Soviet Venus probe plunges back to Earth 53 years after failed launch.

VRTNWS: Sovjetruimteschip uit 1972 stort straks ongecontroleerd neer op aarde (en niemand weet waar precies).
VRTNWS: Na dagen speculeren over mogelijke crashlocatie: deel Russisch ruimteschip 53 jaar na lancering neergestort in Indische Oceaan.

SpaceCom: What the Soviet Venus Probe's fiery fall to Earth might look like: These past space junk crashes offer clues.

USSF kiest 12 firma’s voor STP contract – STEP.
Via Satellite: US Space Force Taps 12 Space & Satellite Companies for Latest STP Contract.
SatNews: Terran Orbital selected by USSF for $237 million STEP 2.0 smallsat buses contract.
Space News: U.S. Space Force taps 12 firms for $237 million small-satellite procurement.

Oracle-M is bedoeld voor cis-lunar SSA – Thrusters getest.
SatNews: Oracle-M Hot Fire Test is SSC and AFRL milestone in cislunar Space Situational Awareness and national security.
SpaceCom: US Space Force test fires thrusters for moon surveillance spacecraft.

ClearSpace rond tweede fase af van zijn Active Debris Removel (ADR) missie.
Space News: ClearSpace completes second phase of UK debris-removal mission.
Via Satellite: ClearSpace Advances CLEAR Mission for Active Debris Removal .

Reentry-capsules – Inversion / ATMOS.
Space News: Inversion completes first flight of reentry vehicle, but without reentry.

European Spaceflight: ATMOS to Use Re-Entry Tech to Rapidly Deploy Autonomous Ground Vehicles.

Space Force – Nieuws.
Space News: Securing the skies: tackling the growing threat of GPS interference.
Space News: Defense Spending Drives Government Space Budgets to Historic High.

Space News: Space Force remains skeptical on satellite refueling: ‘Show me the military advantage’.

Air & Space Forces: Inside “Orbital Watch”: USSF’s Neighborhood Watch For Space.
Space News: Space Force awards contracts for missile-warning ground systems – FORGE.

Space News: Sierra Space completes ground demo of navigation satellite for U.S. Space Force program – R-GPS.
Space News: U.S. Space Force narrows field in $100 million space laser terminal program.

Trump –  Golden Dome – Missile Defense Shield.
Breaking Defense: Golden Dome’s need for more SBIs may moot savings from lower launch costs: CBO.
Space News: Beyond Golden Dome: why effective missile defense begins far left of launch.

Trump, Musk en Isaacman.
Space Policy Online: Laurie Leshin steps down as JPL director.
Space News: Leshin to step down as JPL director.
NASA: NASA Statement on Appointment of New JPL Director.
Space News: Retired Air Force officer nominated to be NASA deputy administrator.
Space Policy Online: Trump nominates Caci’s Matt Anderson as NASA deputy administrator.

Politico: Trump administration to revive National Space Council.
Space News: Trump administration to keep National Space Council.

The Space Review: Some doubts about Jared Isaacman.
TASS: Head of Roscosmos announces upcoming talks with NASA Head candidate.

Over Russische inspectie-satellieten. En ook een beetje over de Amerikaanse.
The Space Review: Project Nivelir: Russia’s inspection satellites (part 1).
The Space Review: Project Nivelir: Russia’s inspection satellites (part 2).

The Space Review: Dark territory: the National Reconnaissance Office, satellite inspection, and anti-satellite weapons in the early 1970s.

Veel lees- en kijkplezier,

 Koen