Space / Aerospace / Aircraft

[Malcolm]

 

[Malcolm]

 

Blast from the past

 

 

Rusrussia's Monster Plane That Actually Flew | Kalinin K-7 [Aircraft Overview #11] | Watch (msn.com)

[Malcolm]

 

[Jaydee]

Believe it or not, this is a real picture captured by the  tracking camera of the hot-staging separation during today's Starship IFT-2.

Literally out of this world.

More details/photos: https://bit.ly/3Rc841E

[ SpaceX]

[Kip Powick]

On 11/17/2023 at 2:25 PM, Malcolm said:

 

I'm surprised the drone operators dont use FPV goggles.....must be an old video.

[Malcolm]

On 8/24/2023 at 6:32 AM, deicer said:

Boeing experiencing more problems with 737 production.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/23/boeing-says-a-new-737-max-flaw-will-slow-airplane-deliveries.html

•  

Looks like they are now back on track or ????

FAA Clears Boeing 737 Max 10 Jet for Test Flights - WSJ

The Wall Street Journal

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FAA Clears Boeing 737 Max 10 Jet for Test Flights

US. air-safety regulators cleared Boeing to begin key flight tests on its 737 MAX 10 jet, a milestone toward preparing the plane for commercial service.

The airborne checks are a preliminary validation for Boeing by the Federal Aviation Administration and put the company on track for its first deliveries next year.

“Our entire team has remained focused on this goal, working with diligence and resilience in a dynamic environment,” Boeing executives said in a message to employees announcing the development.

The 737-10 is Boeing’s biggest offering in the MAX family of single-aisle airplanes. United Airlines, Ryanair, Air India and SunExpress are among the airlines that have placed orders for the jets.

Boeing in recent years has faced a series of delays and setbacks in getting new planes in service and in restarting deliveries of its 737 MAX airplanes after a pair of fatal crashes grounded those planes in 2019.

The plane maker had hoped to win FAA certification for the MAX 10 by last year. Earlier this year, Boeing executives said they expected the signoff by late this year or early 2024.

Boeing is still awaiting FAA certification for its MAX 7 and 777X jets. Boeing had said it expected to begin delivering the MAX 7s this year. The company initially said the 777X would be ready by 2020, but, after a series of delays, executives more recently said the wide-body jetliner won’t be delivered to customers until 2025.

Write to Sharon Terlep at sharon.terlep@wsj.com

 

Related video: Malaysia Airlines expands fleet with new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft (Dailymotion)

[Malcolm]

Dart-shaped ‘Son of Concorde’ could fly you from London to New York in 90 minutes

Son of Concorde could fly you from London to New York in 90 minutes | Tech News | Metro News

 

Nasa’s X-59 supersonic plane is getting ready for take-off (Picture: Nasa/SWNS)© Provided by Metro

A‘son of Concorde’ set to fly from New York to London in one and a half hours is a step closer to take-off – hopefully with a ‘supersonic thump’.

Nasa’s X-59 quiet supersonic passenger plane aims to fly faster than the speed of sound, at almost twice as fast as Concorde.

In preparation for its maiden voyage, the plane has been moved to the paint barn at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works’ facility in Palmdale, California, say the space agency.

And the paint job isn’t just for looks – it will provide vital protection as the plane blasts through the skies at up to 925mph.

Once painted, the team will take final measurements of its weight and exact shape to improve computer modelling and help reduce the sound of the typical sonic boom to a sonic thump, minimising disruption to people on the ground.

Nasa said in August they have identified potential passenger markets in about 50 routes between cities.

 

The supersonic jet could travel from London to New York in an hour and a half (Picture: Nasa/SWNS)© Provided by Metro

It is hoped one route would offer flights from New York City to London up to four times faster than normal jets.

‘The X-59’s paint scheme will include a mainly white body, a NASA “sonic blue” underside, and red accents on the wings,’ said Nasa in a statement.

 

The new paint job will help protect the plane as it travels at up to 925mph (Picture: Nasa/SWNS)© Provided by Metro

‘The paint doesn’t just add cosmetic value. It also serves a purpose – the paint helps to protect the aircraft from moisture and corrosion and includes key safety markings to assist with ground and flight operations.’

Cathy Bahm, the low boom flight demonstrator project manager, said: ‘We are incredibly excited to reach this step in the mission. When the X-59 emerges from the paint barn with fresh paint and livery, I expect the moment to take my breath away, because I’ll see our vision coming to life.

 

Engineers at Lockheed Martin working on the plane last year (Picture: Nasa/Lauren Hughes/SWNS)© Provided by Metro

‘The year ahead will be a big one for the X-59, and it will be thrilling for the outside of the aircraft to finally match the spectacular mission ahead.’

The aircraft is the centerpiece of Nasa’s Quesst mission, through which Nasa will fly the X-59 over several yet-to-be-selected US communities and gather data about people’s perceptions about the sound it makes.

 

Nasa hopes to turn down the jet’s supersonic boom to a supersonic thump (Picture: Nasa/SWNS)© Provided by Metro

Nasa will provide that data to regulators, which could potentially adjust current rules that prohibit commercial supersonic flight over land.

Earlier this year, the space agency investigated the business case for supersonic passenger air travel aboard aircraft that could theoretically travel between Mach 2 and Mach 4 (1,535 to 3,045mph at sea level).

By comparison, today’s larger airliners cruise at roughly 600mph, or about 80% of the speed of sound.

Concorde had a maximum cruising speed of 1,354mph, or Mach 2.04.

Get your need-to-know latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more by signing up to Metro's News Updates newsletter

 

 

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[Malcolm]

 

Flight100 is the first commercial airliner to cross the Atlantic using 100% sustainable aviation fuel. Virgin Atlantic© Virgin Atlantic

• Virgin Atlantic is operating the first transatlantic flight on a commercial airliner powered by 100% SAF.
• SAF can be made from crops and used cooking oil, and is key to decarbonizing aviation.
• But it costs more than double conventional jet fuel, and production is lagging behind demand.

The era of electric air taxis is almost here, and there are several competitors vying for a piece of the lucrative market.

Startups like Archer Aviation, Vertical Aerospace, EVE Air Mobility, Boeing-backed Wisk, and Joby Aviation are all building a new type of aircraft known as an electric takeoff and landing vehicle, or eVTOL.

Picture a giant drone big enough to carry people across at least 100 miles — and these aren't little pipe dreams, either.

Organizations including the US military, Boeing, and several global airlines are investing millions into eVTOLs as the low-noise and zero-emission aircraft are expected to be a solution to congested city roadways.

In 2021, United Airlines placed a $1 billion order for Archer's Midnight eVTOL, while Delta Air Lines invested $60 million into Joby Aviation in 2022. Other carriers including Air New Zealand, American Airlines, and Japan Airlines have also taken interest as the industry is expected to boom to $57 billion by 2035.

Insider sat down with company executives at the Paris Airshow in June, having already covered Archer's upcoming plans with United — and Joby has a similar vision.

Take a look at Joby's five-seater eVTOL, which the company said is expected to enter service in 2025 and be priced equal to that of an Uber.

See more

The first transatlantic flight on a commercial airliner powered entirely by sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, took off from London's Heathrow Airport on Tuesday morning.

Virgin Atlantic is operating the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to New York's JFK Airport, where it's expected to arrive around 2 p.m. ET, according to Flightradar24.

It became the most-tracked plane on Flightradar24, with over 13,00 people following the journey shortly after takeoff.

SAF can be made from crops, municipal waste, and used cooking oil. The International Air Transport Association estimates it could contribute around 65% of the reduction in emissions needed for aviation to achieve net zero by 2050.

But it's also more than double the price of conventional jet fuel, according to IATA.

In a press release, Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss said: "Flight100 proves that sustainable aviation fuel can be used as a safe, drop-in replacement for fossil-derived jet fuel and it's the only viable solution for decarbonising long haul aviation."

Speaking to the BBC, Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson also admitted it was "going to take a while" before there was enough SAF for everybody to use.

"But you have to start somewhere," he added. "And if we didn't prove it can be done, you would never, ever get sustainable aviation fuel."

Commercial flights are currently capped at a 50:50 blend of SAF and conventional jet fuel.

But the bigger problem is producing enough SAF to meet demand. For example, the UK currently has no dedicated commercial SAF plants, although the government aims to have five under construction by 2025, per the BBC.

"There's simply not enough SAF and it's clear that in order to reach production at scale, we need to see significantly more investment," said Weiss.

Critics of the flight have also said that it is little more than a gimmick.

"One flight on 100% alternative fuel isn't going to change the fact that 99.9% of aviation fuel is fossil fuel and there's no great option for feedstock that can be scaled up sustainably," Cait Hewitt, the policy director at the Aviation Environment Federation, told CNN.

"The idea that this flight somehow gets us closer to guilt-free flying is a joke," she said, as cited by the Guardian newspaper, referencing a previous announcement about SAF from the UK's Department for Transport, which used the phrase "guilt-free flying."

Virgin's historic flight comes after several other milestones in the SAF market. On Monday, Emirates flew the world's first Airbus A380 demonstration flight using 100% SAF.

Meanwhile, private jet manufacturer Gulfstream became the first ever to cross the Atlantic using 100% SAF when it flew a Gulfstream G600 business plane from Georgia to England on November 20.

 

 

 

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[Specs]

On 11/23/2023 at 10:06 AM, Malcolm said:

It is hoped one route would offer flights from New York City to London up to four times faster than normal jets.

I wish they could get me through the airport 4 times faster.    

[Malcolm]

After 50 years, US to return to Moon on 25 January

Updated / Thursday, 30 Nov 2023 08:04

 

The Artemis II crew module seen at the Kennedy Space Centre. The Astrobotic venture will carry NASA instruments ahead of the manned Artemis missions (file image)

 

More than 50 years after the last Apollo mission, the United States will try once again to land a craft on the Moon on 25 January, said the head of what could be the first private company to successfully touch down on the lunar surface.

The lander, named Peregrine, will have no one on board. It was developed by American company Astrobotic, whose CEO John Thornton said it will carry NASA instruments to study the lunar environment in anticipation of NASA's Artemis manned missions.

Several years ago, NASA opted to commission US companies to send scientific experiments and technologies to the Moon - a program called CLPS.

These fixed-price contracts should make it possible to develop a lunar economy, and provide transport services at a lower cost.

"One of the big challenges of what we're attempting here is attempting a launch and landing on the surface Moon for a fraction of what it would otherwise cost," said Mr Thornton at a press briefing at his company's base in in Pittsburgh.

"Only about half of the missions that have gone to the surface of the Moon have been successful," he said.

"So it's certainly a daunting challenge. I'm going to be terrified and thrilled all at once at every stage of this."

Takeoff is scheduled for 24 December from Florida aboard the inaugural flight of the new rocket from the ULA industrial group, named Vulcan Centaur.

The probe will then take "a few days" to reach lunar orbit, but will have to wait until 25 January before attempting landing, so that light conditions at the target location are right, Mr Thornton said.

The descent will be carried out autonomously, without human intervention, but will be monitored from the company's control centre.

In the spring, the Japanese start-up ispace had already attempted to become the first private company to land on the Moon, but the mission ended in a crash. Israel also suffered a setback in 2019.

Only four countries have successfully landed on the Moon: the United States, Russia, China and, most recently, India.

In addition to Astrobotic, NASA has signed contracts with other companies, such as Firefly Aerospace, Draper and Intuitive Machines.

The latter is due to take off aboard a SpaceX rocket in January.

"NASA leadership is aware of the risks and has accepted that some of these missions might not succeed," said Chris Culbert, the CLPS program manager.

"But even if every landing isn't successful, CLPS already had an impact on the commercial infrastructure needed to establish a lunar economy," he said.

With its Artemis program, NASA wants to establish a base on the surface of the Moon.

[Malcolm]

and for those who want more detail re the Lander

PUGLanders_011222.pdf (astrobotic.com)

[conehead]

12 hours ago, Malcolm said:

and for those who want more detail re the Lander

PUGLanders_011222.pdf (astrobotic.com)

That was some interesting reading for a quiet Sunday morning. Thanks!

[Malcolm]

The Airplane That Keeps Getting More Blades

 

[Malcolm]

 

[Malcolm]

 

[Malcolm]

a link to a number of videos re heritage aircraft.

 

[Malcolm]

 

Turkish Airlines makes huge Airbus order in bid for air dominance

 

Turkish Airlines claims to fly to more countries than any other carrier© BULENT KILIC

Turkish Airlines said on Friday it has decided to purchase more than 200 Airbus aircraft -- with the option for over 100 more -- in the coming decade as it seeks to become the world's largest carrier.

Turkish Airlines chief executive Bilal Eksi said in a social media statement that the entire order could potentially add up to 355 aircraft.

The deal would be one of the industry's largest and substantially expand the Turkish flag carrier's existing fleet of 439 jets.

"I wish good luck to our country and our company," Eksi said.

Turkish Airlines said in a separate corporate filing that the purchases would be made as part of its "strategic plan" for 2023-2033.

But the airline and Airbus differed slightly about the details of the deal.

The Turkish Airlines statement said it had made firm orders for 230 jets and placed purchasing rights for an additional 125 aircraft.

Airbus said the 230 figure included 10 jets Turkish Airlines had ordered in September and thus covered only 220 new aircraft.

The airline's confirmed order purchase -- which includes 150 A321 NEO and 60 widebody A350-900 jets -- has a catalogue price of more than $40 billion.

Few deals cost their actual sticker price because plane makers make discounts for bulk orders.

- Cheers in Britain -

The Turkish carrier's existing fleet is split evenly between Airbus and Boeing aircraft.

The new order delivers a massive boost to the European aerospace giant in its race for global supremacy with its US rival.

"This order for the latest generation aircraft is a demonstration of the bold vision by Turkish Airlines," Airbus executive Christian Scherer said in a statement.

"We are proud to accompany Turkey's connection to the world with our state-of-the-art aircraft."

Turkish Airlines is based in Istanbul's newly-built international airport and flies to 120 countries.

The company claims to own "the title of the airline that flies to most countries in the world".

Turkish Airlines said the deal also includes a separate order for Rolls-Royce to provide maintenance services and spare parts for the A350 jets' engines.

The British government said Friday's deal includes 70 aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce.

"This landmark deal between Turkish Airlines, Airbus and Rolls-Royce demonstrates that the sky's the limit for the UK's thriving aerospace sector," British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement.

British trade secretary Kemi Badenoch called it a "bid win for the UK's world-leading space sector".

[Malcolm]

 

[Malcolm]

If you think the sky is getting crowded now,   not too far away you will be able to enjoy a real "rush hour"

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Business Insider

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Flying taxis could take to the skies by next year. Here's why the aviation industry is so excited about eVTOLs.

 

 

Archer's Midnight eVTOL at the Dubai Airshow. GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images© GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

• Flying-taxi companies hope to revolutionize the daily commute for the cost of an Uber.
• Competition led to one lawsuit before it was settled and Archer and Wisk agreed to work together.
• Nature inspires many of the futuristic designs, Frank Stephenson told BI.
• This article is part of "Future of Sustainable Aerospace," a series exploring the industry's green trends. 

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See inside the sustainable flying taxis, or eVTOLs, that hope to revolutionize traveling in cities©Pete Syme/Business Insider

• Flying taxis, or eVTOLs, are nonpolluting aircraft that could first be available in 2025.
• Companies such as Archer hope to transform commuting with their accessible aircraft.
• Take a look inside the flying taxis that were on display at the Dubai Airshow.
• This article is part of "Future of Sustainable Aerospace," a series exploring the industry's green trends. 

Electric vertical-takeoff and -landing aircraft, better known as eVTOLs or flying taxis, could be aviation's next big thing.

They function similarly to helicopters but are lighter, make far less noise, and don't pollute because batteries power them.

The hope is that they will reduce traffic congestion in major cities.

Archer plans to have its first commercial route between Newark Liberty International Airport and downtown Manhattan, which it estimated would take under 10 minutes, versus over 50 minutes via car.

Unlike helicopters, eVTOLs should be affordable and available to hail via an app, like Uber rides.

Archer's chief commercial officer, Nikhil Gupta, told Business Insider that with no fuel cost, its Midnight eVTOL cost between $4 and $5 per passenger mile — with a long-term goal to get that down to $1 — while helicopters cost about $10 per passenger mile.

Archer hasn't set a price yet and still faces hurdles, such as building the vertiports necessary to scale use. But either way, these new, nonpolluting aircraft could transform commuting as soon as 2025, when Archer and Joby Aviation hope to start commercial flights.

Archer, worth over $1 billion, was among the eVTOL companies exhibiting their work at the Dubai Airshow earlier this month. Take a look at some of the flying taxis that could be taking to the skies in the next few years.

See more

Picture the scene: It's rush hour and you're running late for a meeting on the other side of town. If you're in a city with good public transportation, you could pile onto a busy metro train or you could get in a car or taxi and slog through traffic.

In a few years, if everything goes according to plan, you might be able to open an app to hail a non-polluting aircraft and avoid the ground congestion altogether.

This is the vision for Archer Aviation, one of several companies building electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft, better known as eVTOLs or flying taxis.

It shouldn't cost much more than an Uber, either. Adam Goldstein, the CEO of Archer, previously told Business Insider he expects a seat in its six-passenger Midnight aircraft to cost about $100.

An Uber from Manhattan to Newark Airport costs $85 for a 40-minute drive. Archer says its Midnight flying taxi would need 10 minutes for the same journey, which the company plans to make its first commercial service in 2025.

BI attended the Dubai Airshow last month, where Goldstein started the sustainability conference with a speech about the company's ambitions.

"The transportation grid is still stuck in two dimensions. There's lots of trips out there where people are willing to spend 60, 90, or even 120 minutes in a car," he said. "Now we can solve these trips by going to the air."

Helicopters are the main alternative today, but they're expensive and many cities have banned their mass use due to noise complaints. Goldstein said that Archer's Midnight is "near silent when flying overhead."

Volocopter, a German startup set to bring its flying taxis to Saudi Arabia's planned megacity Neom, hopes to run its first service during next summer's Paris Olympics.

Most other eVTOL firms, including Archer, are targeting certification by 2025. Goldstein said Archer wants to start mass operations in 2028, when "hundreds" of flying taxis would operate in one city as Los Angeles transportation officials plan for their use during that year's Olympics.

Why the flying-taxi designs look unique

Frank Stephenson got his start designing cars. After Ford sponsored his design education, he worked for the company in Cologne, Germany. He also designed the Mini Cooper and the Fiat 500 and worked as a design director for Ferrari, Maserati, and McLaren.

His enthusiasm for aircraft was infectious as he spoke to BI at the Dubai Airshow. Midway through a sentence, the Italian Air Force's aerobatics team roaring overhead through plumes of red, white, and green smoke diverted his attention.

At first, pivoting to aviation might seem like a curious move, but for Stephenson, it made perfect sense.

"I think from as far back as I can remember, as a kid even, I was just interested in anything that moved," Stephenson told BI.

After leaving McLaren, Stephenson started his own design studio where his first client was Lilium Air Mobility.

 

A model of the Lilium Jet. John Keeble/Getty Images© John Keeble/Getty Images

These sleek, modern aircraft often appear as if they were plucked from the set of "Blade Runner," but for Stephenson, "everything I design is based on influences from nature."

"There's nothing more intelligent than nature in design," he told BI. "Who the heck says it has to look like an airplace anyways, because what's an airplane? It's a sausage with wings on it."

For Lilium, he was first inspired by the sea, because "a fish is theoretically more aerodynamic than a bird."

"The engineers were like, 'Oh my gosh, we've never thought about doing it like this before. And it works really well.' So that world opened up to me. It's like the first days of the automobile."

United Airlines has ordered $1 billion's worth of Archer's Midnight craft

"Once you can start replacing work-and-going-home trips with this aircraft, it's beyond my wildest imagination how you change where people live and work, and how much you can really impact mobility going forward," Nikhil Goel, Archer's chief commercial officer, told BI.

"Sustainability is big, but it's also just sexy," he added. "It's a really great way to get from A to B."

 

Goel, a former McKinsey consultant who cofounded Uber Elevate before joining Archer, has the polished air of a Silicon Valley executive.

"The best-case scenario is probably still more than I would expect," he said. "I always say that if you'd asked Steve Jobs, 'How many iPhones would you sell in 2023?' He would have predicted probably a tenth of what we have today.

"So best-case scenario, I don't know, everybody in the world is able to use this to go from A to B."

 

Nikhil Goel, Archer's chief commercial officer, and Archer's Midnight. Pete Syme/Business Insider© Pete Syme/Business Insider

There's still a lot to get through first. After aviation authorities certify them, eVTOL companies would need to scale up manufacturing. Then comes the infrastructure: building enough vertiports — eVTOL takeoff facilities — for mass use.

Vertiports are similar to helipads but include recharging and hangaring options.

But the money involved suggests that airlines believe there's promise. American Airlines, United Airlines, and Azul Brazilian Airlines have each made $1 billion deals with Vertical Aerospace, Archer, and Lilium, respectively.

Goldstein said United's order with Archer has a further $500 million option, which would bring the total up to 300 aircraft.

"We are working with the best manufacturing suppliers in the game — Honeywell, Safran, Garmin, FACC — so we think from a certification perspective, we've nearly eliminated all the risks," Goel said.

He added that the biggest priority for the coming year is the "final stages of certification."

Archer has also started building its main manufacturing plant in Georgia, where it will work with the auto giant Stellantis to produce up to 2,300 aircraft a year. Archer added that the factory will be capable of producing 650 vehicles a year when it starts its first phase of operations in 2024.

"Already on day one, it will be less than half the cost of a helicopter," Goel told BI. Helicopters cost about $10 per passenger mile, whereas Goel said the Midnight will cost about $4 to $5 per passenger mile.

He said it's cheaper because there's "very little maintenance cost" and "it's 100% all electric so there's no fuel cost."

"As we increase the utilization and load factor, the aircraft will be at $2 to $3," he added. "And then from there, you add in autonomy, scale manufacturing, our long-term goal is to get about $1."

Self-flying taxis

Not every eVTOL company is prioritizing passenger transportation. AutoFlight, a Chinese startup with offices in Germany and California, is first targeting certification for its cargo eVTOL.

"Developing an aircraft is a really expensive adventure, and we believe the cargo version will be much quicker to certify, and produce and sell, and generate revenues," Jocelyn Moreau, AutoFlight Europe's head of operations, told BI.

"What we see here at the Dubai Airshow, and at the Paris Air Show, is that there will be a high demand for cargo as well as for passengers," he added.

Moreau, a former manager at Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH, joined the eVTOL space because "it was the new revolution going on."

"With two colleagues of mine, we left Airbus to be part of the revolution, and try on our own an exciting adventure," he said.

Moreau told BI he expects AutoFlight's cargo eVTOL to be certified in China within six to 12 months, but that a passenger version could take another two or three years to get certified.

The emphasis on cargo also means AutoFlight is better positioned to explore self-flying-aircraft options.

"We are already flying autonomously with the cargo version," Moreau said. "There is no pilot, there's no cockpit. There's nothing."

"For the passenger version, we believe we need a pilot first," he added. "And maybe in a few years' time when people are used to flying, then there will be no pilot."

Goldstein said Archer is aiming for its aircraft to be fully autonomous in 2030. It's made progress after reaching an agreement with Wisk Aero, an eVTOL company owned by Boeing, following a two-year dispute.

Wisk accused Archer of stealing trade secrets in a 2021 lawsuit. The complaint alleged that Archer hired ten Wisk engineers and produced an aircraft with "a striking resemblance" to a Wisk patent. A forensic investigation found that two of those former Wisk engineers downloaded thousands of files shortly before leaving for Archer, according to the lawsuit.

In August, the rivals settled and agreed to work together. Wisk is now Archer's exclusive provider of autonomous-flying technology, and Boeing agreed to invest an undisclosed amount into Archer as part of a $215 million funding round.

In a press release, Archer said the agreement would help it avoid "hundreds of millions of dollars of spending" on research and development.

'You don't get tired of them — they just look right'

 

Frank Stephenson and AutoFlight's Prosperity I. Pete Syme/Business Insider© Pete Syme/Business Insider

After Lilium, Stephenson also designed eVTOLs for Archer and AutoFlight, which he said is "probably the most effective design so far."

Unlike Archer's Midnight, AutoFlight's Prosperity I doesn't need the propellors to tilt — horizontal rotors take the aircraft up and down, and the ones on the back push it forward.

"The intention I always had from the beginning was: How simple can you reduce all the elements, and it doesn't look boring, it still looks futuristic?"

"It ends up looking beautiful because it's so functional when it does," Stephenson told BI. "There's nothing really ugly in nature — something might shock you, but it doesn't look wrong."

"The cars and the objects that are designed for efficient functionality tend to last a long time in terms of aesthetics. You don't get tired of them — they just look right."

"It's an incredibly interesting field to be in right now," he added. "30 years from now, I might sound stupid. But right now, we're breaking new ground."

[deicer]

Trials of unmanned cargo aircraft have begun...

https://www.cnn.com/travel/cessna-cargo-plane-flight-no-pilot-on-board-spc-intl/index.html

One of the world’s most widely used cargo planes completed an entire flight with no one on board for the first time.

Lasting approximately 12 minutes in total, the flight departed from Hollister Airport, in Northern California, and was operated by Reliable Robotics, which has been working since 2019 on a semi-automated flying system in which the aircraft is controlled remotely by a pilot.

 

[Malcolm]

Good to see but like with most things nowadays not without some criticism. 

The Navajo Nation, America's largest Indigenous tribe, has said sending these to the Moon desecrates a body that is sacred to their culture and have pleaded for the cargo's removal. Though they were granted a last ditch meeting with White House, NASA and other officials, their objections have been ignored. 

Private industry leads America's first Moon landing since Apollo

 

A brand new rocket, United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur, should lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 2:18 am (7:18 GMT) for its maiden voyage, carrying Astrobotic's Peregrine Lunar Lander© CHANDAN KHANNA

The first American spacecraft to attempt to land on the Moon in more than half a century is poised to blast off early Monday -- but this time, private industry is leading the charge. 

A brand new rocket, United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur, should lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 2:18 am (7:18 GMT) for its maiden voyage, carrying Astrobotic's Peregrine Lunar Lander. Weather so far appears favorable.

If all goes to plan, the Peregrine Lunar Lander, seen here being installed inside the Vulcan rocket, will touch down on a mid-latitude region of the Moon on February 23© -

If all goes to plan, Peregrine will touch down on a mid-latitude region of the Moon called Sinus Viscositatis, or Bay of Stickiness, on February 23.

"Leading America back to the surface of the Moon for the first time since Apollo is a momentous honor," Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic's CEO John Thornton said ahead of the launch.

Until now, a soft landing on Earth's nearest celestial neighbor has only been accomplished by a handful of national space agencies: the Soviet Union was first, in 1966, followed by the United States, which is still the only country to put people on the Moon. 

Astronaut Harrison Schmitt collects lunar rake samples at the Taurus-Littrow landing site on the moon during the Apollo 17 mission, America's last lunar landing© HO

China has successfully landed three times over the past decade, while India was the most recent to achieve the feat on its second attempt, last year.

Now, the United States is turning to the commercial sector in an effort to stimulate a broader lunar economy and ship its own hardware at a fraction of the cost, under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.

 

- A challenging task - 

The space agency has paid Astrobotic more than $100 million for the task, while another contracted company, Houston-based Intuitive Machines, is looking to launch in February and land near the south pole.

"We think that it's going to allow... more cost effective and more rapidly accomplished trips to the lunar surface to prepare for Artemis," said NASA's Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration.

Artemis is the NASA-led program to return astronauts to the Moon later this decade, in preparation for future missions to Mars.

Controlled touchdown on the Moon is a challenging undertaking, with roughly half of all attempts ending in failure. Absent an atmosphere that would allow the use of parachutes, a spacecraft must navigate through treacherous terrain using only its thrusters to slow descent.

Private missions by Israel and Japan, as well as a recent attempt by the Russian space agency have all ended in failure -- though the Japanese Space Agency is targeting mid-January for the touchdown of its SLIM lander launched last September.

 

Related video: US companies to attempt first moon landings in 52 years (KameraOne UK)

 

 

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Making matters more fraught is the fact it is the first launch for ULA's Vulcan, although the company boasts it has a 100 percent success rate in its more than 150 prior launches.

ULA's new rocket is planned to have reusable first stage booster engines, which the company, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing, expects will help it achieve cost savings.

- Science instruments, human remains -

On board Peregrine are a suite of scientific instruments that will probe radiation and surface composition, helping to pave the way for the return of astronauts.

But it also contains more colorful cargo, including a shoebox-sized rover built by Carnegie Mellon University, a physical Bitcoin, and, somewhat controversially, cremated remains and DNA, including those of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, legendary sci-fi author and scientist Arthur C. Clarke, and a dog.

The Navajo Nation, America's largest Indigenous tribe, has said sending these to the Moon desecrates a body that is sacred to their culture and have pleaded for the cargo's removal. Though they were granted a last ditch meeting with White House, NASA and other officials, their objections have been ignored. 

The Vulcan rocket's upper stage, which will circle the Sun after it deploys the lander, is meanwhile carrying more late cast members of Star Trek, as well as hair samples of presidents George Washington, Dwight D Eisenhower and John F Kennedy.  

 

[Malcolm]

an update can be viewed here:

First U.S. lunar lander in more than 50 years rockets toward moon | CTV News

[Kip Powick]

Running into problems.....

Navajo Curse ???

[Kip Powick]

Peregrine  has aborted an attempt to land on the moon.

"Some" people are probably happy..........for awhile.

[Malcolm]

US Moon mission has no chance of soft lunar landing

9th January 2024, 11:22 GMT-7

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Astrobotic

Astrobotic envisioned Peregrine landing on the Moon's northern hemisphere in late February

A US lunar lander has "no chance" of making a soft landing on the Moon due to a fuel leak, the company behind the mission says.

Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic said there was enough propellant to operate its Peregrine lander as a spacecraft.

The lander is expected to run out of fuel in about 40 hours, the firm said shortly after 17:00 GMT on Tuesday.

Peregrine ran into trouble almost as soon as it came off the top of its launch rocket on Monday.

"Given the propellant leak, there is, unfortunately, no chance of a soft landing on the Moon," Astrobotic said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.

 

"The team has updated its estimates, and we currently expect to run out of propellant in about 40 hours from now - an improvement on last night's estimate.

"The team continues to work to find ways to extend Peregrine's operational life."

• Fingers crossed for moon water mission
• The last of the Moon men

The 1.2-tonne lander was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 02:18 ET (07:18 GMT) on Monday, with the intention of landing in late February.

But in the first few hours of its journey, engineers noticed the would-be Moon lander was struggling to keep its solar panels looking in the direction of the Sun to charge its battery.

 

The cause was quickly attributed to a major leak in the propulsion system that was pushing Peregrine out of alignment.

To maintain the correct orientation in flight, Peregrine's thrusters are now having to work overtime, consuming even more of the diminishing fuel supply.

Astrobotic calculates the craft has under two days' worth of propellant left before reserves are exhausted and the spacecraft starts tumbling.

When that moment arrives, Peregrine, with its solar panels no longer collecting sunlight, will rapidly lose power.

Even before Tuesday's announcement from Astrobotic, it had become clear that a touch-down on the lunar surface - the first for the US in half a century - was all but impossible.

 

Astrobotic

An image from Peregrine of warped insulation layers seemed to confirm the propulsion problem

The US space agency, Nasa, had purchased capacity on the lander for five instruments to study the lunar surface environment ahead of sending astronauts there later this decade.

Astrobotic is the first of three US companies to send a lander to the Moon this year under a new private-public partnership with Nasa.

Alongside two other commercial ventures - Intuitive Machines and Firefly - they had planned six missions to the lunar surface in 2024.

Nasa believes its new lunar partnership with the private sector will introduce more innovation and reduce costs over time. And the agency says it is prepared for some of these missions not to work.

 

The Peregrine craft was launched aboard the first flight of Vulcan, a rocket that had been under development for a decade by United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin.