NASA 將 Artemis I 的火箭測試延至 4 月 12 日

原定是要在 4 月 4 日進行名為 WDR 的全套發射前預演，但在開始灌入液態氫燃料時，發生了閥門控制上的問題，在當日無法解決後，NASA 決定擇日再進行 WDR 測試。WDR 先是被推遲到了 4 月 9 日，然後現在又宣佈將延後到了 4 月 12 日。…

NASA delays Artemis 1 Moon rocket test to April 12th

NASA has once again delayed the final test of its next-generation Space Launch System. The agency spent much of last weekend conducting a “wet dress rehearsal” of its upcoming Artemis 1 Moon mission. The test was designed to replicate the mission’s countdown procedure and was mostly moving along according to plan until NASA encountered a problem with the SLS’s mobile launcher platform.

The issue prevented the agency from safely loading the rocket with liquid propellant, and NASA delayed the critical test to troubleshoot the problem. It had initially planned to resume the test on April 9th to accommodate Axiom’s Space historic Ax-1 flight but announced today it was further delaying the trial to the start of next week. It also announced it would modify the test after engineers noticed a problem with a helium check valve designed to prevent the gas from escaping the SLS. The modified test will see NASA primarily focus on fueling the rocket’s core stage, with “minimal propellant operations” of its upper stage.

“Due to the changes in loading procedures required for the modified test, wet dress rehearsal testing is slated to resume with call to stations on Tuesday, April 12th and tanking on Thursday, April 14th,” NASA said.

Once the test is complete, NASA can finally move forward with Artemis 1. The mission will send an unmanned Orion capsule on a flight around the Moon designed to study how the trip will affect human astronauts. The agency won’t set a date for the mission until it completes the wet dress rehearsal. If it doesn’t encounter any further setbacks this week, Artemis 1 could lift off as early as this June.

The first all-civilian space crew has docked with the ISS

A SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying the first fully private space crew has docked with the International Space Station. The quartet launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday morning without any major hiccups. Their journey to the ISS took around 20 hours. The Dragon ran into a video routing problem before the docking sequence could start, causing a 45 minute-delay as it stayed roughly 20 meters away from the ISS while SpaceX was troubleshooting the issue. 

The crew members — commander and former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría and businessmen Larry Connor, Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy — are expected to spend eight days on the space station. They’ll conduct science experiments, along with outreach and commercial activities. They’ll also bring some scientific samples back to Earth for NASA as well.

Axiom Space’s first all-civilian mission, AX-1, is the first of several private ISS missions the company plans to launch in the coming years. It will build the first commercial module on the space station as well as a module that houses a sports arena and film studio. The Axiom Station and attached film studio module are expected to separate from the ISS in 2028.

Mariella Moon contributed to this report.

Researchers may have discovered a galaxy barely younger than the Big Bang

It’s been a good few weeks for spotting distant objects in the universe. As Forbesnotes, Japanese researchers have detected what might be the most distant galaxy known to date. HD1 is far enough that its light is estimated to be 13.5 billion years old, or just 300 million years after the Big Bang. That makes it 100 million years older than the previous record-setter, GN-z11, and suggests it might have some of the very first (Population III) stars that emerged in the reionization following the universe’s “dark ages.”

The team spotted HD1 using about 1,200 hours of observations between the Spitzer Space Telescope, Subaru Telescope, UK Infrared Telescope and VISTA Telescope. They verified the distance using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, and the red hue was indicative of the extreme redshift you’d expect from a very distant galaxy.

Astronomers still want to double-check their results. The signal from HD1 has a 99.9 percent significance, but observers won’t be sure until they have a significance of 99.999 percent or better. The researchers may get that opportunity when the James Webb Space Telescope takes a look at the galaxy using its infrared-focused sensors.

If scientists can confirm HD1’s existence, that will raise numerous questions. HD1 doesn’t fit easily into existing models of galaxy formation, and suggests there were already extremely bright objects in the early universe. Not that the astronomy community would mind — this would help refine their cosmological models.

Axiom Space’s first private mission to the ISS has launched successfully

Axiom Space has successfully launched its AX-1 mission, which is taking the first fully private crew of astronauts to the International Space Station. The quartet departed from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a SpaceX Dragon capsule, which was propelled by a Falcon 9 rocket. Both the first stage and the Dragon separated without issue. 

The spacecraft is expected to dock at the ISS on April 9th at around 6:45AM ET. The hatch opening is scheduled for approximately 9:30AM and, all going well, the welcoming ceremony will happen at around 10:05AM.

The crew members are commander and former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría and three businessmen: Larry Connor, Eytan Stibbe and Mark Pathy. The foursome are due to spend eight days on the ISS, during which they’ll take part in scientific research, outreach and commercial activities. They will also retrieve some scientific samples for NASA.

Axiom plans to conduct further private missions to the ISS over the next several years. The company has a contract with NASA to build the first commercial module for the space station. It’s also expected to construct a module (SEE-1) containing a film studio and sports arena, which could be attached to the ISS as soon as December 2024. Axiom Station (with SEE-1 still connected) is scheduled to split from the ISS in 2028 and operate independently.

How to watch Axiom Space send the first all-civilian crew to the ISS

After several delays, Axiom Space is set to launch its first private crew to the International Space Station (ISS) today. Three paying passengers and a NASA astronaut will launch aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, saying they’ll perform research and not be passive space tourists.

Axiom’s passengers include Axiom Space VP and former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría; entrepreneur and non-profit activist investor Larry Connor; impact investor and philanthropist Eytan Stibbe; and entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist Mark Pathy. The latter three reportedly paid $55 million for the voyage.

The 10-day mission goes far beyond the relatively quick, non-orbital flights space tourists can take aboard Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin flights. It’s also more elaborate than SpaceX’s own Inspiration 4 mission that launched a civilian crew into low-Earth orbit for three days. NASA and its international partner agencies had final approval over Axiom’s proposed crew, which trained for the mission last summer. 

The mission was originally schedule to launch on March 30th, but it was pushed forward to April 3rd and then April 6th. The launch moved to today at 11:17 AM EST, and you’ll be able to catch the livestream at Axiom’s website. 

Rocket Lab will try to snatch a rocket out of mid-air with a helicopter

Rocket Lab is developing Electron as a reusable orbital launch vehicle and it has revealed details about the next step of the program. After the rocket’s 26th launch, which is scheduled for later this month, the company will attempt to snatch the first stage out of mid-air with a helicopter.

The mission has a 14-day launch window starting on April 19th. Electron is scheduled to lift off from a launchpad in New Zealand and will carry satellites for a number of companies. 

Around an hour before launch, the helicopter will move into position approximately 150 miles off the coast. Two and a half minutes after lift off, the first and second stages of the rocket will separate, with the latter carrying the payload to orbit. The first stage will descend back to Earth. It will deploy a drogue parachute at an altitude of 13 km (8.3 miles) and its main parachute at an altitude of roughly 6 km (3.7 miles).

The Sikorsky S-92 helicopter will then attempt to retrieve the stage by snagging a hook onto the parachute line. If all goes as planned, Rocket Lab will analyze the stage to see if it’s suitable for another launch. Rocket Lab has carried out three successful recoveries of Electron’s first stage from the ocean on previous missions. 

“Trying to catch a rocket as it falls back to Earth is no easy feat, we’re absolutely threading the needle here, but pushing the limits with such complex operations is in our DNA,” Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck said in a press release. “We expect to learn a tremendous amount from the mission as we work toward the ultimate goal of making Electron the first reusable orbital small sat launcher and providing our customers with even more launch availability.”

The company first tested the mid-air retrieval process in March 2020, when it dropped a first stage from one helicopter and another successfully snagged the parachute on the first attempt. Just over two years later, it’s finally ready to try capturing the first stage of the rocket after a full launch.