Max Q - Elon Musk promises launch process review after multiple scrubs

Monday, October 05, 2020 • By Darrell Etherington

We’re going to look back at the last couple weeks in space after taking last week off – there have been some pretty out-there happenings, as well as issues with launches not going off that have prompted SpaceX’s Elon Musk to potentially make some big changes to how SpaceX operates.

Elon promises "broad review" of SpaceX launch process after repeated scrubs

On Twitter, Elon said that he’s going to be taking a close, personal look at SpaceX’s current launch process, including everything from launch site, to propulsion, to structures and to range and regulatory rules. That’s after multiple scrubs for a Starlink mission that was originally set for mid-September, and one scrub for a GPS-III flight on behalf of the U.S. Space Force. Two were scrubbed due to weather, and one was scrubbed due to unexpected sensor readings not within SpaceX’s allowances.

Elon promises "broad review" of SpaceX launch process after repeated scrubs image

Image Credits: SpaceX

Meanwhile, SpaceX will present a Starlink update soon

SpaceX is getting ready to present an update to its Starlink program at the same time. This will give a better overall sense of where the company is with development of its next-generation spacecraft, which will ultimately be the vehicle it uses to bring to humans to the Moon and even Mars.

Swarm offers up its price list for orbital IoT

Satellite-based IoT network startup Swarm has provided its price list for the first time, sharing what its customers can expect to pay for both hardware (its circuit board for integrated connectivity with commercial sensors) and how much the connectivity will cost for ongoing use. It’s about a tenth the cost of the usual price to connect to legacy geosynchronous networks.

Swarm offers up its price list for orbital IoT image

Image Credits: Swarm

Blue Origin is hiring someone to head up its space station plans

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin wants to find the right person to usher its grand vision for orbiting, space-based habitats into reality. These will probably be pretty similar to the ISS to start, but the goal eventually is to make them such that ordinary people can live and work on them without much in the way of specialist training.

First Resonance wants to provide the tools to make space hardware

A team of ex-SpaceX engineers want to help the space industry benefit from best-in-class manufacturing tools, updated for a modern, connected computing world. The space industry is beset by legacy practices, and First Resonance hopes to help modernize that for a new generation of startups and companies.

First Resonance wants to provide the tools to make space hardware image

Image Credits: SpaceX

A spacewalk is being filmed in VR so you can experience it, too

On the most recent resupply mission to the ISS, part of the cargo was a 3D VR camera that’s been hardened for use in space. It will be used to film a spacewalk, with the robotic Canadarm acting as a huge boom, and that will then provide the material for a short VR film that people can watch from the comfort of Earth using an Oculus headset.