A Notable Week In Spaceflight Concludes With Two Florida Residents Flying On New Shepard

Some weeks, they say, are better than others. In terms of Spaceflight in the US, this week was one of those better ones, as there has been major activities and milestones set this week:

• SpaceX flies Starship Heavy on sixth test flight
• Blue Origin raises New Glenn to vertical for final tests prior to maiden launch
• Artemis II assembly begins in the VAB at Kennedy Space Center
• SpaceX flies four Falcon 9 missions in four days, and is nearing its 400th rocket launch
• Blue Origin launches New Shepard NS-28 with two Winter Park residents and Emily Calendrelli aboard.

That’s a lot of activity, and a lot of what happened this week sets up some exciting times in the future.

Starship Heavy

SpaceX conducted its sixth test flight of the Starship rocket on November 19th, and successfully completed another flight in the company’s efforts to develop a fully reusable spacecraft for missions to the Moon and Mars. The launch came on time at 4:00 p.m. CST from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas after a flawless countdown.

The launch was attended by President-elect Donald Trump, emphasizing the growing relationship between the incoming administration and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Trump has tapped Musk to serve in his administration’s new “Department of Government Efficiency,” aimed at reducing waste in government spending. In a statement prior to the launch, Trump conveyed his support, stating, “Good luck to Elon Musk and the Great Patriots involved in this incredible project.”

New Glenn Vertical On Its Launch Pad

Blue Origin moved closer to launching their New Glenn rocket for the first time this week. On November 21st, the company raised the first flight hardware to a vertical position in preparation for a static-fire of the seven BE-4 engines that power the first stage of the rocket.

A successful test should mean that Blue is nearly ready to fly the rocket on its first orbital flight. That launch is slated to happen before the end of the year.

While Blue Origin engineers and technicians are busy at the launch pad, things are equally busy for Blue Origin’s recovery vessel ‘Jacklyn’. It has been in and out of Port Canaveral this week as it goes through trials and preparations for New Glenn’s first flight.

Artemis II Begins Assembly At Kennedy Space Center

The rocket that will be used to send humans on a circumlunar mission — the first since Apollo 17 — has begun assembly in the Vertical Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. That process will take several months, and afterward, testing can begin to prepare the second-ever SLS rocket for launch. Currently scheduled for no earlier than September of next year, Artemis II is an important step in the west’s campaign to return humans to the lunar surface.

Photos: NASA

Blue Origin Launches New Shepard NS-28

Two Winter Park Residents Were Aboard

Blue Origin launched another group of citizen-astronauts above the Kármán line, the accepted boundary that separates Earth’s atmosphere and outer space. Among them were Sharon and Mark Hagle of Winter Park, both of whom were on their second flight to outer space.

Sharon Hagle is a of founder of Spacekids.Global, a group that advocates for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education. Spacekids has programs where children can learn about STEAM careers, participate in reporting space events, and many other things. The Hagles are generous with both their time and money in the Space Coast and Orlando regions (as well as beyond, undoubtedly.) To date, Spacekids has reached some 866,000 children through their efforts.

The Hagles were joined on the NS-28 flight by financial services exec Austin Litteral; James Russell an entrepreneur; and investment banking CEO Henry Wolfond as well as science communicator and Emmy-award winning television host Emily Calendrelli.

SpaceX Flies Four Falcon 9 Missions

A Falcon 9 rocket rising into Space Coast skies is no rare event these days, but recently, SpaceX has kicked up their cadence just a notch and these days they seem to launch as soon as their launch pads and drone ships are ready — often twice in one week.

In their spare time, SpaceX also launched Starship IFT-6 from Texas.

Notably, SpaceX’s next flight will be its 400th. Starlink 9-13, slated for the overnight hours Sunday, November 24th from Vandenberg SFB is on deck. Should that mission scrub, Starlink 12-1 is scheduled to fly before dawn Monday morning.