#space_industry

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Falcon 9 launches - strategic partnership between Amazon and SpaceX Amazon's Kuiper project, which aims to provide broadband Internet, could become a competitor to SpaceX's Starlink satellite network. There is no place for friendship in the world of business: Amazon announced a contract for three launches of Project Kuiper satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Thus, Amazon is expanding its capabilities to implement its deployment strategy. Information on the exact dates and costs of launches was not provided. Project Kuiper, similar to Starlink, is being developed to provide broadband Internet access to millions of people around the world. SpaceX is already well ahead of its competitors, launching thousands of satellites and attracting more than two million subscribers to its Starlink network. In October, Amazon launched two prototypes for the first time on United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket. A few weeks ago, Amazon announced that the satellites had successfully passed tests and were now scheduled to begin mass production at a plant in Kirkland, Washington. The SpaceX factory is also nearby in Redmond. [caption id="attachment_85356" align="aligncenter" width="630"] SpaceX[/caption] Amazon signs contract to launch Kuiper satellites using Falcon 9 rocket from rival SpaceX The first Kuiper satellites to users are due to launch early next year, with beta service becoming available in the second half of 2024. Under a license from the FCC, half of the Kuiper constellation of 3,236 satellites is expected to be in low-Earth orbit by mid-2026. Most of Amazon's launches are planned to be carried out on three types of rockets (which have not yet flown a single mission): Blue Origin's New Glenn, ULA's Vulcan and Arianespace's Ariane 6. In addition to the three Falcon 9 launches, Amazon has reserved space on eight Atlas V rockets, which are solid choices. So SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch reservation provides some security for Amazon's deployment plan. The selection of SpaceX for a portion of Project Kuiper's launches could also affect the lawsuit, which alleges Amazon did not sufficiently consider SpaceX as a potential launch provider. In August, a pension fund that has Amazon shares in its portfolio filed a lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that Amazon's directors and officers refused to cooperate with SpaceX because of the latter's competition with Blue Origin. “In light of SpaceX's proven reliability and economic advantages, the decision by Bezos-led Amazon not to even consider SpaceX as a launch provider highlights the conflicting interests Bezos has with Amazon and Blue Origin and the significant impact these conflicts will have on the board's ability to protect the interests of the company and its shareholders in conducting contract negotiations,” the pension fund said in its lawsuit. SpaceX's choice for some of Kuiper's launches refutes the pension fund's arguments. However, a hearing in this case has not yet been scheduled. Amazon said that the pension fund's claims are "completely baseless" and they intend to prove this during the legal process.

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China prepping for mission to bring back material from moon#stockmarkets#aerospace_and_defense_industry #aerospace_technology #astronomy #bring #business #china #general_news #industrial_products_and_services #industrial_technology #mars #material #mission #moon #planetary_systems #planets #prepping #science #solar_system #space_exploration #space_industry #space_launches #space_technology #technology

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The first prototypes were made of aluminum Tesla chief designer Franz von Holzhausen and vice president of development Lars Moravi told how quickly the first Tesla Cybertruck was assembled. Elon Musk ordered the team to build the first prototype in just 90 days. “Elon wanted to have the first prototype in 90 days,” Moravi said. — When you have 90 days to create a prototype, there is no time to argue. You just need to choose the best one and start working. I think it took us 93 days.” Musk initially ordered the prototype to be completed within 180 days. But, according to Morvay's recollections, during the same conversation, Musk eventually cut the timeline in half. [caption id="attachment_85594" align="aligncenter" width="780"] Elon Musk[/caption] Elon Musk gave 180 days to build the first Cybertruck, and then cut the time in half Franz von Holzhausen recalls that the design decision was a contentious issue early in development. He said it was decided to create a unique pickup truck, "something really stripped down, sort of a low-resolution pickup truck." We made a full-size model one day, and when Elon first saw it, he said, “This is what we do.” Moravi said Tesla developed several prototypes using aluminum, but Musk ultimately chose stainless steel because of its ability to resist dents and scratches. Tesla has released a ton of details about the Cybertruck, confirming that the vehicle offers a range extender option . Carwow's Mat Watson decided to compare the Cybertruck and the GMC Hummer EV .

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The next launch could take place in December Visitors to the SpaceX Starbase spaceport in Boca Chica now have another place against which they can take beautiful pictures. A photograph of a giant neon sign with the inscription “Gateway to Mars” was published a couple of hours ago by the head of the company, Elon Musk. [caption id="attachment_85542" align="aligncenter" width="780"] Starship launch pad[/caption] Last week, workers began installing massive white letters on a newly built wall near the Starship launch pad. Some SpaceX fans have expressed regret over the recent construction of a large wall around parts of the launch complex. They see this as another step towards gradually closing SpaceX Starbase to the public. “Gateway to Mars,” a huge neon sign appeared on the Starship launch pad The new sign appeared a couple of weeks after Starship's second launch. This time we managed to reach the stage of stage separation, but a few moments later the launch vehicle exploded. The Starship spacecraft continued its flight , but also exploded approximately 8 minutes after it began. [caption id="attachment_85543" align="aligncenter" width="780"] Starship launch pad[/caption] Musk said the next Starship could be ready to fly in December, but SpaceX needs to get approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

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“If Tesla joins a union, it will be because we deserve it and because we failed.” The United Auto Workers (UAW) announced that workers at more than a dozen automakers have simultaneously launched campaigns across the United States to join the union. Automakers targeted by the UAW include Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Subaru, Mazda, Hyundai, Tesla, Rivian and Lucid. Tesla CEO Elon Musk didn't take it well. Asked about the UAW's plans, Tesla's CEO said the electric car maker treats its employees well, so it doesn't see a need for a UAW presence at its factories. “If Tesla goes into a union, it will be because we deserve it and because we failed,” Musk said. He added that Tesla gives its employees the opportunity to become millionaires through stock options and advance their careers to management positions. Elon Musk against unions at Tesla factories [caption id="attachment_85545" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Elon Musk[/caption] “But we certainly try our best to ensure everyone thrives. We give everyone stock options. We made a lot of people millionaires who were just working on the assembly line and didn’t know what stocks were,” he said. Musk noted that unions tend to create "adversarial relationships" between groups in companies: "Unions naturally try to create negativity in the company and create a kind of master-peasant situation." At Tesla factories, Musk said, workers and management eat at the same table and park in the same parking lot. Musk has in the past opposed unionization at Tesla's U.S. factories, including the company's first vehicle assembly plant in Fremont, California.

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All ground tests have already been successfully completed The engines for the Angara-1.2 rocket have been cleared for flight testing, the Roscosmos press service reported. The engines were produced by NIIMash JSC; they will be tested as part of the aggregate module of the fourth Angara-1.2 product. Angara-1.2 is a Russian two-stage light launch vehicle designed to launch a payload of up to 3.5 tons into low Earth orbit. The first flight of this rocket in its standard configuration took place on April 29, 2022, and a total of three launches were carried out. [caption id="attachment_82820" align="aligncenter" width="780"] Angara[/caption] Engines for the light Angara were cleared for flight testing The aggregate module is the second stage of the launch vehicle, which forms the target orbit of the spacecraft. The module is equipped with low-thrust engines developed and manufactured at JSC NIIMash. These are four 11D458M engines with a thrust of 40 kilogram-force and fourteen 17D58E orientation and stabilization engines with a thrust of 1.3 kilogram-force each. These engines have already successfully passed the entire ground training cycle and are now cleared for flight testing. It was previously reported that flight tests of the Angara family of missiles - the light Angara-1.2 and the heavy Angara-A5 - are planned to be completed in 2024. Also next year, full-scale serial production of these missiles should begin.

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Launch is scheduled for Friday, November 17, 2023 The space company SpaceX announced important news - regulators have issued all the necessary permits for the second flight test of the Starship super-heavy rocket. [caption id="attachment_82662" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption] The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has confirmed that it has licensed Starship for a second launch. Management representatives stated: The FAA has determined that SpaceX meets all safety, environmental, policy and financial responsibility requirements. We can begin: SpaceX has received permission to launch a huge 122-meter Starship rocket The launch is scheduled to take place on Friday (November 17, 2023) from the Starbase test spaceport in the Texas area of ​​Boca Chica. The launch is scheduled for a two-hour window that opens at 8 a.m. local Eastern Time (4 p.m. Moscow time). The launch will be broadcast live. You can see it, for example, here: https://youtu.be/0gCBCPgU5FA The first attempt to launch the world's largest rocket was unsuccessful, it took place on April 20, 2023. Then the Starship upper stage failed to separate from the Super Heavy launch vehicle as planned. SpaceX sent a command to self-destruct the ship a few minutes after launch. The incredibly powerful rocket even damaged the orbital launcher at Starbase and made a large crater in the concrete.

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350 thousand calls received. A new service is being prepared 10 million cars are connected to the ERA-GLONASS system, as stated by the official representative of the company - the system operator JSC GLONASS. “Today the 10 millionth car, Lada Vesta, was connected to the ERA-GLONASS state information system. Eight years ago, the same AvtoVAZ model became the first production vehicle in Russia and throughout the world, the basic equipment of which included an emergency call device. Such a sos button, connected to the ERA-GLONASS [system], has been a mandatory part of the design of new cars and those imported into the country that meet modern safety requirements since 2017,” he noted. [caption id="attachment_81973" align="aligncenter" width="780"] Lada Vesta[/caption] Lada Vesta became the 10 millionth car with ERA-GLONASS The system is integrated with rescue services 112, which recorded about 350 thousand calls. The company is working on creating additional services based on the ERA-GLONASS system that may be of interest to AvtoVAZ. “ERA-GLONASS saves thousands of lives of drivers and passengers every year. Pressing one button is the easiest and fastest way not only to transmit an emergency message, but also to receive technical assistance on the road, and in the future, information services for remote control and vehicle diagnostics,” GLONASS added.

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Chatbot Grok was recently launched The public exchange of barbs between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk continues. Last week, Tesla's CEO announced the launch of Grok , a ChatGPT competitor that delivers answers peppered with crude humor. Altman on Thursday evening posted a screenshot of the latest version of the OpenAI platform, which now allows the creation of custom versions of ChatGPT. Altman instructs: “Be a chatbot that answers questions with the creepy humor of the boomer generation (born in the 40s-60s).” The cringe humor of the boomer generation,” the creator of ChatGPT trolls Grok ChatGPT Builder responds: “Great, the chatbot is configured! It was called Grok." The description of the created chatbot says that it tells ancient jokes from the generation of our grandfathers. [caption id="attachment_81968" align="aligncenter" width="618"] ChatGPT[/caption] In response, Musk posted the following photo, clearly hinting at the dominance of Grok, which humiliates ChatGPT.

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According to Reuters, the company neglected labor safety standards SpaceX employees suffered more than 600 work-related injuries due to Elon Musk’s ambitions in his quest to fly to Mars and safety violations, as reported by Reuters, citing official data from US government agencies and information received from victims. “The Reuters Investigative Reporting Unit found that Musk's company flouted safety regulations at hazardous rocket and space facilities across the United States. The employees paid a high price for this. Based on interviews with them and government data, we have documented at least 600 work-related injuries suffered by SpaceX employees since 2014,” Reuters writes, saying that this is a known number of cases and the total number has not been disclosed. [caption id="attachment_81905" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption] Hundreds of SpaceX employees were injured and one died due to Elon Musk's ambitions to conquer space. In many cases, we are talking about serious injuries or even disability. Reuters has documented at least 600 previously unreported workplace injuries at Musk's rocket company: broken limbs, amputations, electrocutions, head and eye injuries and one death. SpaceX employees say they are paying the price for the billionaire's ambition to colonize space at a rapid pace. More than a hundred people were cut, and about thirty suffered broken or dislocated bones or crushed limbs. All this was due to clutter in the workplace, lack of training, overwork, lack of safety precautions and haste. As Reuters notes, SpaceX believes that employees themselves should be responsible for their own safety. But employees confirm that Elon Musk himself often neglects security requirements. To speed up production and reduce costs, SpaceX has begun building rockets in tents on the unequipped Gulf Coast, according to the agency.

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This is the 270th flight of Falcon 9 rockets. The space company SpaceX today completed its 80th orbital launch in 2023, placing more than 1,000 tons of cargo into orbit.  [caption id="attachment_81323" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption] A Falcon 9 rocket launched 23 second-generation Starlink internet satellites into orbit from the Kennedy Space Center's launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida. The launch took place at 00:05 US East Coast time (08:05 Moscow time) on November 8, 2023. https://youtu.be/scmGtpWC7jg The launch was successful and the company has already reported the deployment of 23 Starlink satellites in orbit. Meanwhile, the first stage of the launch vehicle successfully landed on an autonomous floating platform called Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean.  SpaceX successfully completed its 80th orbital launch in 2023: video and photos [caption id="attachment_81324" align="aligncenter" width="400"] SpaceX[/caption] [caption id="attachment_81325" align="aligncenter" width="400"] SpaceX[/caption] [caption id="attachment_81326" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption]

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Estimated deadline announced The space company SpaceX said it could launch the second flight test of its Starship rocket as early as mid-November 2023. However, the company is still awaiting approval from US regulatory authorities. [caption id="attachment_80030" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption] SpaceX revealed the tentative launch date on its website on Friday, November 3, 2023, days after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) completed a safety review focused on the launch's potential impacts on public health and property.  SpaceX is ready to send a huge 122-meter Starship rocket into orbit The FAA's report was part of a broader assessment needed before SpaceX can conduct another test flight. The first attempt was unsuccessful, it took place on April 20, 2023. Then the Starship upper stage failed to separate from the Super Heavy launch vehicle as planned. SpaceX sent a command to self-destruct the ship a few minutes after launch. The incredibly powerful rocket even damaged the orbital launcher at Starbase and made a large crater in the concrete.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is still consulting with the FAA on the Endangered Species Act. The Environmental Protection Agency has 135 days to issue a revised opinion, but the permit will likely be issued much sooner. 

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The first stage of the rocket has already landed on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean On Friday, space company SpaceX broke its own record for rocket reuse. A Falcon 9 rocket launched 23 Starlink internet satellites into orbit from the Kennedy Space Center's launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida. [caption id="attachment_79823" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption] The launch took place at 20:37 US East Coast time (03:37 Moscow time) on November 3, 2023. [caption id="attachment_79825" align="aligncenter" width="420"] SpaceX[/caption] Record launch: the 18th launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was successful According to the mission description on the SpaceX website, this was the unprecedented 18th launch of the first stage of a Falcon 9. https://youtu.be/Lq5DbACBmXo The launch was successful and the company has already reported the deployment of 23 Starlink satellites in orbit. Meanwhile, the first stage of the launch vehicle successfully landed on an autonomous floating platform called A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean several hundred kilometers off the coast of Florida. [caption id="attachment_79828" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption]

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Starlink Georgia was registered last year SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet has started operating in Georgia, as announced by SpaceX founder Elon Musk. The Starlink Georgia company was registered at the end of June 2022, as reported by TASS. Later, the Georgian Communications Commission granted the company authorization to begin operating in the republic. Elon Musk turned on Starlink in Georgia [caption id="attachment_79171" align="alignnone" width="780"] Starlink[/caption] The creator of the Starlink global satellite communication system project is SpaceX, founded in 2002. Starlink was originally intended to be used in places where the Internet was unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable.

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Industry officials say SpaceX's dominant position in the space launch market is making it difficult for small launch vehicles to compete, which could lead to many companies going bankrupt. Industry players say SpaceX's dominant position in the space launch market makes it difficult for small launch vehicles to compete. At a panel discussion at the Satellite Innovation conference on October 17, speakers noted that SpaceX's pricing policies have significantly hampered the development of small launch vehicles, which have difficulty competing on price. “They control and dominate the market. I think the big issue is pricing,” said Kurt Blake, a former Spaceflight CEO who now runs the commercial space division of law firm Wilson Sonsini. SpaceX began offering satellite launch services for $5,000 per kilogram. The company later raised prices to $5,500 per kilogram and plans annual increases. However, in most cases, these prices are significantly lower than those of specialized small launch vehicles. [caption id="attachment_72123" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX's[/caption] Bankruptcy on the horizon: SpaceX's rival companies are on the brink of ruin “I don’t think they needed to go that low to get significant market share,” Kurt Blake continued, estimating that SpaceX could get large orders at $10,000 to $12,000 per kilogram. SpaceX's Transporter satellite mission lineup has been focused on sun-synchronous orbits, which are now in major demand. However, in August the company announced a new series of Bandwagon missions to launch satellites into medium orbits. “They are gradually taking away from what small launch vehicles can do,” he added, noting that there remains room for specialized small launch vehicles to perform missions at different orbital inclinations. “But you have to take it as a threat.” Concerns about SpaceX pricing are not new. At World Satellite Business Week in September, Marino Fragnito, vice president of Arianespace's Vega division, said SpaceX was offering "unsustainable" prices, driving out other companies: "Space companies cannot survive at this level of pricing." “Is SpaceX surviving other market participants? I think that to a certain extent. It would be naive to think that their strategy for launching satellites is not aimed at fierce competition,” Rocket Lab Chief Financial Officer Adam Spies said during a panel discussion at the Satellite Innovation conference. SpaceX's position in the market reduces variability for other launch companies, Spies added, and the challenges many companies face have led to problems raising funding while SpaceX has "seemingly uninterrupted access to capital" from commercial launches. They create a very difficult environment for competitors and may continue to do so for a long time. Other panelists said they are looking for niches in the market to remain competitive. “The one-size-fits-all model is not always the best long-term solution to meet the needs of government and private companies,” said Firefly Aerospace Chief Development Officer Patrick McKenzie. He cited Victus Nox's success in launching a satellite for the US Air Force on an Alpha rocket on September 14 as an example of a capability that could not be achieved using standard offerings. However, he added that the services offered must also be price-competitive. Pablo Gallego, senior vice president of sales at Spanish launch vehicle developer PLD Space, said SpaceX has helped create demand for low-cost launches. His company has received interest in the Miura 5 small launch vehicle it is developing for specialized missions that cannot be accomplished using conventional satellite launches.