NASA Replaces ULA's Vulcan Centaur With SpaceX Falcon Heavy For Solar Storm Research (space.com)
- Reference: 0184709436
- News link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/26/07/26/2144224/nasa-replaces-ulas-vulcan-centaur-with-spacex-falcon-heavy-for-solar-storm-research
- Source link: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/missions/vulcan-centaur-swapped-out-again-nasa-goes-with-spacex-falcon-heavy-rocket-for-launch-of-space-weather-mission
> [NASA's [3]Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment mision — or SunRISE] will fly to space as part of a rideshare mission sponsored by the U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command. Though it's not stated specifically in the NASA release, that may be a hint as to why the mission's rocket was changed. On its most recent launch [U.S. Space Force mission USSF-87], Vulcan experienced an [4]anomaly in one of its solid rocket boosters — the second such incident to occur during the rocket's four launches to date. Vulcan succeeded in delivering the USSF-87 payload to its designated orbit on that launch, but the recurrence of the booster issue during ascent prompted the Space Force to [5]pause national security launches on Vulcan until it could be addressed. Which mission SunRISE will be manifested on has not yet been released, but Space Force's Space Systems Command [SSC] has already [6]shifted other launches between Vulcan and SpaceX's Falcon 9...
>
> Falcon Heavy is SpaceX's heavy-lift launch vehicle... that consists of three modified Falcon 9 first stages, and has launched 12 times since it debuted in 2018. Four of those have delivered national security payloads to orbit, with the most recent of those, USSF-52, launching in December 2023. Falcon Heavy's most recent flight overall occurred this past April, when it sent the [7]Viasat-3 F3 telecom satellite to orbit . Falcon Heavy's next mission will lift off with NASA's Nancy [8]Roman Space Telescope , currently set for no earlier than Aug. 30. SunRISE is scheduled to launch later this year...
Sientists will use data collected by the satellites "to improve prediction models for impending space weather, which in turn could lead to mitigation plans to better thwart the effects of such solar events on orbital infrastructure."
Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader [9]schwit1 for sharing the article.
[1] https://www.space.com/space-exploration/missions/vulcan-centaur-swapped-out-again-nasa-goes-with-spacex-falcon-heavy-rocket-for-launch-of-space-weather-mission
[2] https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/sunrise/2026/07/13/nasas-sunrise-mission-changes-launch-vehicle-to-spacex-falcon-heavy/
[3] https://science.nasa.gov/mission/sunrise/
[4] https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/deja-vu-vulcan-centaur-rocket-powers-through-significant-performance-anomaly-on-satellite-launch
[5] https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/us-space-force-pauses-national-security-launches-on-ula-vulcan-rocket-due-to-booster-glitch
[6] https://www.ssc.spaceforce.mil/Newsroom/Article/4439687/ussf-prioritizes-gps-iii-capability-delivery-timeline-executes-launch-provider
[7] https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-falcon-heavy-rocket-viasat-3-f3-launch
[8] https://www.space.com/nancy-grace-roman-space-telescope
[9] https://www.slashdot.org/~schwit1
Re: Shouldn't it be called (Score:3)
I don't believe anything bad had ever been said about Gwynne Shotwell!
Re: (Score:3)
she didn't have a good explanation for why she was absent from the HR meeting with the flight attendant who accused Elon of offering a horse for a handjob and why Elon himself was allowed to preside.
but she's done a really good job of running SpaceX which likely would have crashed and burned (more often) if the Imperator of Mars ran it directly
Muskrat businesses have an entire team (Score:3)
Dedicated to keeping him from making decisions. I used to see that with IT where you would have an owner who is a complete moron so you would have all sorts of little IT things designed to make the owner feel like they were doing stuff when they weren't. Like fake copies of databases for them to pour over when they were bored.
Basically if you're going to have a mad emperor you need to corral them. Personally I think just not having emperors would be a better solution.
Re: (Score:2)
What are you even basing all of this on? He literally uses the same coffee bars as every other employee. In fact, I'd be more concerned that anybody in their right mind would allow you anywhere near the IT department. Given how incredibly bad your comments on the topic are, you're likely to manage to break something just by looking at it.
ULA got a loan to cover losses of Vulcan grounding (Score:2)
[1]https://behindtheblack.com/beh... [behindtheblack.com]
[1] https://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/points-of-information/ula-takes-out-a-loan-to-cover-losses-due-to-vulcan-grounding/
Spending $250 million on Trump's campaign (Score:3)
Was the best investment Elon Musk ever made in his entire life.
Re: (Score:1)
Are you saying a theoretical President Harris would have been so crooked she would have insisted NASA stick with ULA rather than the more reliable vendor? Seems unfair
Re: (Score:2)
Timeline hopper here, just through the gate from funny laugh lady land. Believe it or not in that line Musk is still the richest man ever over there - richer even - but he's a woke social librul because he knows which side of his bread has butter on it.
Notably, President Harris also prefers rockets that will launch to rockets that will not for some reason.
But don't eat the fish. Just in case.
Neither Vulcan nor Starship (Score:2)
Notable that both were snubbed for not being ready.
Re: (Score:1)
> Notable that both were snubbed for not being ready.
Vulcan has issues with the SRBs and the BE-4 engines. Until both are resolved it isn't flying.
Starship still in prototype.
Falcon Heavy (Score:1)
Probably cheaper than anything from ULA, also.