TYB
Morning all.
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
January 21, 2025
Comet ATLAS over Brasília
What's that in the sky? Above the city, above most clouds, far in the distance: it's a comet. Pictured, the impressive tail of Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) was imaged from Brasília, Brazil four days ago. Last week the evolving comet rounded the Sun well inside the orbit of planet Mercury, going so close there was early concern that it might break up and recent evidence that it really did. At one point near perihelion, Comet ATLAS was so bright that sightings were even reported during the day over the bright sky near the Sun – by careful observers. Over the past few days, Comet ATLAS has developed a long tail that has been partly visible with unaided eyes after sunset, most notably in Earth's southern hemisphere.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
He said day 1, however maybe day 2 or 3 depending on how the first day goes.
SpaceX Launches
January 21, 2025
Starlink Mission
On Tuesday, January 21 at 12:24 a.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched 21 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
This was the 8th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-8, Polaris Dawn, CRS-31, Astranis: From One to Many, and now four Starlink missions.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-13-1
Starlink Mission
SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, January 21 for a Falcon 9 launch of 27 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Liftoff is targeted for 7:45 a.m. PT, with opportunities available until 9:55 a.m. PT. If needed, additional launch opportunities are also available Wednesday, January 22 starting at 6:28 a.m. PT.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app.
This is the 10th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Oneweb 4, USSF-62, and seven Starlink missions.
Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
There is the possibility that residents of and visitors to Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-11-8
NASA Spots Giant California Lava Flows From Space
Updated Jan 21, 2025 at 4:26 AM EST
The NASA Earth Observatory has unveiled a new image of the Sáttítla Highlands in Northern California, showcasing the region's volcanic history and its impressive ancient lava flows.
Captured on October 7, 2024, by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) aboard Landsat 8, the photograph includes the bare lava fields and volcanic formations that form part of the newly designated Sáttítla Highlands National Monument.
At the heart of this landscape lies the Medicine Lake Volcano, a massive dormant shield volcano whose past activity shaped much of the region's terrain and may do so again within our lifetime.
On 7 January, the Biden administration announced it was establishing two new national monuments—Chuckwalla and the Sáttítla Highlands—both of which are in California.
The designations were designed to protect the "scientific, cultural, ecological and historical importance" of the areas, the administration said in a statement.
Spanning over 224,000 acres, the Sáttítla Highlands include portions of the ancestral homelands of Indigenous tribes such as the Modoc and Pit River peoples.
This latest image provides an impressive view of the newly protected area, with several large lava flows visible.
The Medicine Lake Volcano, one of the two largest in the Cascades Volcanic Arc, has erupted nine times in the past 5,000 years.
Some eruptions began explosively, spewing ash across vast distances before transitioning to slow lava flows.
One of the most iconic features, the Glass Mountain flow, is a 5.4-square-mile lava deposit formed approximately 1,000 years ago.
These geological wonders, visible in the satellite image, reveal the region's fiery history and ongoing potential for volcanic activity, monitored closely by the California Volcano Observatory.
Though the volcano is considered dormant, the U.S. Geological Survey categorizes it as a "high threat volcano" that could erupt in human lifetimes.
The new Sáttítla Highlands National Monument encompasses volcanic terrain, including cinder cones—steep, conical hills made of solidified lava—and lava tubes—tunnels created by ancient lava flows.
These features contribute to the area's striking appearance and serve as important habitats for rare species like the northern spotted owl and Cascades frog.
Additionally, the porous volcanic rock plays a critical role in recharging aquifers that supply water to Northern California.
The Sáttítla Highlands hold deep cultural and spiritual significance for Indigenous communities, reflected in the name "Sáttítla," meaning "obsidian place" in the Ajumawi language.
Obsidian is a black volcanic glass; deposits found here were historically used by Indigenous peoples to craft tools.
Over 80 plant species in the area have traditional uses in medicine, food and rituals.
Beyond its cultural importance, the region's unique biodiversity and geology make it a treasure trove for scientific research.
The highlands are home to rare flora and fauna, many of which depend on old-growth conifers or volcanic habitats.
The national monument designation aims to preserve these resources for future generations. It will be managed by the Department of Agriculture's U.S. Forest Service.
During his tenure, Biden created a total of 10 national monuments and enlarged several more.
In its announcement on 7 January, the White House said: "At the new monument's core sits the Medicine Lake Volcano, a massive dormant volcano covering an expanse roughly 10 times that of Mount St. Helens in Washington.
"The protection of the Sáttítla Highlands conserves a diverse array of natural and scientific resources, ensuring that the cultural, historical, and scientific values of this area, shaped by its volcano, endure for the benefit of all Americans."
https://www.newsweek.com/nasa-reveals-california-lava-flow-medicine-lake-volcano-2017881
China’s space station achieves milestone by producing oxygen, rocket fuel
21 Jan 2025 15:45
A series of groundbreaking experiments aboard China’s space station have successfully produced oxygen and key ingredients for rocket fuel, marking a significant step toward ensuring human survival in space and advancing future space exploration.
The Shenzhou-19 crew aboard the Tiangong space station successfully conducted the world’s first in-orbit demonstration of artificial photosynthesis technology, producing oxygen, as well as the ingredients necessary for rocket fuel, paving the way for long-term space exploration, including a crewed moon landing before 2030,News.Az reports, citing the South China Morning Post.
The 12 experiments took place inside a drawer-shaped device, using semiconductor catalysts to convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen while producing ethylene, a hydrocarbon that can be used to make spacecraft propellants, according to the China Manned Space (CMS) website.
It said the tests focused on several technologies that would be essential for resource production and human survival, including: carbon dioxide conversion at room temperature; the precise control of gas and liquid flows in microgravity; and real-time, high-sensitivity detection of reaction products.
“This technology mimics the natural photosynthesis process of green plants through engineered physical and chemical methods, utilising carbon dioxide resources in confined spaces or extraterrestrial atmospheres to produce oxygen and carbon-based fuels,” state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday.
“The work is expected to provide critical technical support for human survival and exploration in outer space,” the report added.
Previous experiments on board the International Space Station (ISS) related to photosynthesis have focused on plant growth and understanding how microgravity affects natural photosynthesis.
However, the ISS largely relies on electrolysis for life support, which uses electricity from the station’s solar panels to split water into hydrogen and oxygen and supply breathable air for astronauts.
While effective, the process is energy intensive and would not be practical for long-haul missions to the moon or Mars, according to catalysis expert Katharina Brinkert, from the University of Bremen in Germany.
Generating oxygen on the ISS consumes about one-third of the total energy needed to operate its environmental control and life support system, her team reported in the journal Nature Communication in 2023.
Chinese researchers began studying the idea of “extraterrestrial artificial photosynthesis” in 2015, according to the CMS website.
Unlike conventional high-temperature, high-pressure carbon dioxide reduction methods, the novel technology works efficiently at room temperature and standard atmospheric pressure, significantly reducing energy consumption.
By adjusting the catalyst, the technology can be tailored to produce various products, including methane or ethylene for propulsion, or formic acid as a precursor for synthesising sugars.
In addition to generating oxygen and carbon-based fuels, the device installed in Tiangong has collected valuable data on gas-liquid-solid multiphase chemical processes in a microgravity environment.
The device is designed to be upgraded while in orbit, enabling scientists to test different catalysts and reactions.
The innovation has positioned China at the forefront of sustainable space technologies, crucial for addressing long-term survival and resource independence in extraterrestrial environments, the CMS website said.
https://news.az/news/chinas-space-station-achieves-milestone-by-producing-oxygen-rocket-fuel
Towards low-cost missions to Mars
21/01/2025
Two decades after Mars Express, ESA is returning to small-scale missions aimed at exploring the Red Planet.
With a completely different landscape of technologies available this time around, new opportunities for interplanetary missions open up.
As part of ESA's LightShip initiative, four consortia will conduct independent parallel studies to define what a small low cost Mars satellite-platform could look like as a LightShip passenger.
A shuttle between orbits
Currently in the feasibility and definition stage, ESA's LightShip propulsive tug, or interplanetary transfer service, takes away two of the constraints that would make low-cost missions to Mars extremely difficult – it provides the propulsion needed for its passenger spacecraft to transfer to Mars and enter Mars' orbit, and hosts the Mars Communication and Navigation Infrastructure (MARCONI) offering a dedicated data relay service.
The four consortia – led by Argotec, Deimos Space, Politecnico di Milano with SITAEL, and Redwire respectively – will explore the potential of passenger spacecraft platforms that could be delivered to Mars by the LightShip propulsive tug. The studies are funded through the Preparation element of ESA's Basic Activities.
Affordable access to Mars
"ESA's LightShip concept aims to open up access to Mars for a wider community than is usually the case," explains Claire Parfitt, Mars Exploration Study Team Lead in ESA's Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration and technical officer of the activity.
"It's very exciting for us to be able to provide this opportunity, since building spacecraft for Mars missions is usually considered a task for large system integrators.
Our member states asked for a wider participation in the exploration domain, and we're really glad to have been able to help facilitate that.
Moreover, the nature of LightShip is such that it makes us open to international partnerships as well."
"Normally, we look at the whole mission, which makes this study a little unusual – this time we are only focusing on the platform, without any payload.
That's because we really want to understand what the small and low-cost platform capabilities are in Europe and how they need to be modified for the Mars environment.
The next step will be to start thinking at mission level."
Mars and beyond
"This study fits in with the industrial Phase A/B1 for the LightShip-1 mission and will help to inform the passenger interfaces that will be needed.
The Explore2040 strategy for future Mars missions starts with LightShip," Claire adds. "In 2026, we plan to use the results from this study to investigate full exploration mission concepts.
Those concepts could be future passenger candidates for LightShip."
"Our vision doesn't stop there – in the main LightShip study, we are looking at use cases for missions to the Moon, asteroids, and other destinations too."
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Preparing_for_the_Future/Discovery_and_Preparation/Towards_low-cost_missions_to_Mars
Massive field of ancient lava casts an eerie, gold-specked shadow in the Sahara
January 21, 2025
A giant patch of black, fossilized lava that was spewed across the Sahara desert over millions of years looks like an eerie, gold-speckled shadow in this stunning composite of three years' worth of satellite photos.
The shadowy mass, known as the Haruj volcanic field, covers around 17,000 square miles (44,000 square kilometers) in central Libya and contains roughly 150 extinct volcanoes, ranging from small vents and chimneys to larger shield volcanoes, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Some of the volcanic rocks are up to 6 million years old, while others were left by eruptions that happened as recently as a few thousand years ago, according to the Global Volcanism Program at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
While the dark color of the petrified lava makes the field look smooth and flat from above, the field is extremely uneven, with areas where multiple eruptions have caused layers of rock to pile up above their surroundings.
The site is also littered with raised vents and at least 30 cones that stand more than 330 feet (100 meters) tall, according to the Global Volcanism Program.
The tallest peak in the field stands roughly 3,900 feet (1,200 m) above sea level.
The satellite image above is what is known as a "best pixel mosaic" and was made using a computer program that sorts through multiple images of the same spot pixel by pixel to create a final image that is free from obscuring elements, such as clouds or dust storms, according to NASA's Earth Observatory.
This model also selected pixels where patches of sand that have settled in between gaps in the lava catch the sunlight, which has created the golden speckles littered across the field.
These sandy spots are much less obvious in other satellite images of the area.
Volcanic history
Most volcanoes are born along fault lines that intersect Earth's tectonic plates, because this is where the planet's crust is weakest and magma from the mantle can easily rise to the surface.
However, the Haruj volcanic field is not located near any known fault lines.
Instead, the lava there was likely dragged up directly from the mantle by a surge of hot, rocky material — known as a mantle plume — which created a reservoir of magma below the field.
As a result, lava from the Haruj volcanoes would have slowly bubbled up and oozed out from the field's multiple vents, similar to modern eruptions that occur at Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, rather than being ejected in explosive eruptions, according to the Earth Observatory.
Some researchers think Haruj is made up of two separate volcanic fields: Al Haruj al Aswad, which is located in the north and contains much older lava; and Al Haruj al Abyad, which is located in the south and was created more recently.
However, it is hard to tell where one of these fields ends and the other begins, so it is more commonly thought of as a single entity.
https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/volcanos/earth-from-space-massive-field-of-ancient-lava-casts-an-eerie-gold-specked-shadow-in-the-sahara
First look at space shuttle, Mission Control 2025 dollar coins from US Mint
January 21, 2025
The space shuttle and International Space Station are set to launch onto dollar coins in celebration of the advancements made by two states.
The United States Mint has released the designs of the Florida and Texas entries in the American Innovation $1 Coin Program.
The coins are among the four to be released in 2025, as the series enters its eighth out 16 years.
"The mint works with the office of the governor or other chief executive for each state, territory or city, along with subject matter experts, to determine design concepts emblematic of innovation that are significant and meaningful to its jurisdiction and/or its role in the nation," read the mint's announcement of the new designs.
"Once the Secretary of the Treasury approves the design concepts, the designs are developed and reviewed."
The obverse, or heads-side, which is common to all of the coins in the American Innovation series, features the Statue of Liberty in profile.
Created by artist Craig Campbell, the obverse also includes a privy mark of a stylized gear, representing industry and innovation.
Florida's dollar, to be released this spring, commemorates NASA's 30-year space transportation system on its reverse (or tail's side).
All 135 missions launched from the state's Cape Canaveral, with almost half landing there, as well.
"This design presents an image of a NASA space shuttle lifting off from Launch Complex 39 at Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
Smoke from the solid rocket boosters fills the lower edges of the design with stars in background," read the mint's description.
The design closely matches one of the nine concepts that the mint's artists began with and which was preferred by both the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) in reviews held last year.
The final version adds the initials of the designer, Ron Sanders and the sculptor Eric Custer.
The coin retains the original proposed style for the stars behind the shuttle, which at one reviewer found to be "a little odd" and recommended they be changed.
Texas chose Mission Control for its dollar, a theme that proved to be more of a challenge for the mint's artists to represent. The members of the CFA rejected all nine original ideas, asking for new and revised versions to be submitted.
The CCAC opted for one of two designs showing the interior of the control center at Johnson Space Center in Houston. In the end, neither panel's advice was taken by the Secretary of the Treasury.
"This design features an American astronaut conducting a spacewalk outside the International Space Station.
The image represents the culmination of the Mission Control Center's economic, logistical and intellectual support for NASA's human space program, as well as its support of astronauts from the many countries that participate in the International Space Station program," read the mint's release.
The design appears to be based on separate reference photos for the astronaut and the space station, as the earlier appears to be far off the latter without a tether connecting the two. (If so, it is ironic, because it is scenario that Mission Control would never allow happen.)
Sanders is again credited as the designer, with mint medallic artist John McGraw the sculptor.
Texas' coin is set to go on sale this summer. Release dates for both coins have yet to be announced.
Both states' dollars will be struck at the mint's Philadelphia and Denver facilities.
They will initially be sold as uncirculated coins in rolls of 25 and bags of 100 for $36.95 and $123.50, respectively.
The Florida and Texas coins are the fourth and fifth in the American Innovation series to focus on space themes.
The first, issued for Delaware in 2019, honored astronomer Annie Jump Cannon, who invented a system for classifying the stars that is still in use today.
A year later, the mint released Maryland's coin, which celebrated the Hubble Space Telescope.
In 2024, the mint released Alabama's coin honoring the Saturn V rocket that lofted the first astronauts to the moon.
https://www.space.com/space-shuttle-mission-control-florida-texas-innovation-coin-designs
https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/united-states-mint-releases-2025-american-innovation-dollar-coin-program-designs
UK approves 1st vertical rocket launch from Saxavord Spaceport
January 21, 2025
German launch startup Rocket Factory Augsburg has taken a step towards a first launch by gaining a first-ever license to vertically launch an orbital rocket from mainland Europe.
Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) is working towards a first launch of its RFA ONE rocket from SaxaVord Spaceport on the Shetland Islands off the coast of Scotland.
Being issued a spaceflight operator license by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is a major administrative step towards reaching orbit.
It is also a major first for the European mainland, as the continent's launch sector enters a new era of commercialization.
"This is a groundbreaking moment for RFA and for Europe's space industry," Jörn Spurmann, co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of RFA, said in a statement.
"Securing the first-ever launch license outside ESA's established site in Kourou is not just a regulatory milestone — it's a powerful endorsement of our technical excellence and a turning point for European space innovation.
This license marks Europe's bold step toward independent, competitive, and sustainable space access," Spurmann said.
"This license approval is a landmark moment, as it signals the start of vertical rocket launches from European soil, said Matt Archer, UK Space Agency Director of Launch, ISAM, and Space Sustainability.
"The achievement, driven by effective collaboration between RFA, SaxaVord Spaceport, the regulator and government partners, highlights the growing strength of the UK's launch capabilities and our international relationships.
The license allows RFA to launch up to 10 times per calendar year, and no more than two launches within a month.
The CAA licensing process emphasizes public safety and environmental impact, conducting several tests and assessing safety cases.
An increase in launch cadence would require a new assessment.
RFA Is now training its sights on the final technical preparations for the first test flight.
The company reached the point of performing a static-fire test of the RFA ONE rocket first stage at SaxaVord Spaceport in August last year, but the test ended in a dramatic explosion, ending plans of a first flight in 2024.
Now, the company appears on track for a launch in 2025.
The company is now focused on building the RFA ONE rocket's first stage with nine Helix staged-combustion engines, and then conducting a full hot fire test on the launch pad at SaxaVord Spaceport, Scotland.
All other systems, including the second stage, third stage (the Redshift orbital transfer vehicle) and the fairing are already flight qualified.
RFA did not provide a timeline for its planned first launch. Under the licence, RFA would need to inform the CAA of its plans to launch 60 days ahead of the event.
The company is one of a number of launch startups in Europe looking to launch their first orbital rockets.
Others include Isar Aerospace and Hyimpulse, also from Germany, PLD Space of Spain, and Orbex and Skyrora from the United Kingdom.
A CAA official told media during a briefing on the license and licensing process that the authority is currently assessing applicants for licenses for seven different launch companies, which could not be named.
SaxaVord is not the only spaceport located in the European mainland looking to host launches, with Norway's Andøya Spaceport and Sweden's Esrange Arctic spaceport also attracting launch partners.
While the above are catering to vertical orbital launches, the UK hosted a "horizontal" launch, when the now-defunct Virgin Orbit launched a LauncherOne rocket using its Cosmic Girl carrier plane, which took off from Spaceport Cornwall in January 2023.
That launch suffered an anomaly and ended in failure. The issuing of a launch license indicates growth in the European commercial space industry, and the development highlights innovation and competition in the sector.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/uk-approves-1st-vertical-rocket-launch-from-saxavord-spaceport
https://www.rfa.space/rfa-receives-launch-licence-from-the-uk/
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/we-will-pursue-our-manifest-destiny-into-the-stars-president-trump-wants-astronauts-to-raise-the-american-flag-on-mars
https://x.com/SenBillNelson/status/1880340564962635963
'We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars.' President Trump wants astronauts to raise the American flag on Mars
January 20, 2025
After taking the oath of office to be sworn in as the 47th U.S. president on Monday (Dec. 20), Trump laid out his vision for the next four years in an inauguration speech that called for a return to American expansionism and exploration.
"My message to Americans today is that it is time for us to once again act with courage, vigor and the vitality of history's greatest civilization," Trump said during his speech inside the Capitol rotunda.
"The United States will once again consider itself a growing nation, one that increases our wealth, expands our territory, builds our cities, raises our expectations and carries our flag into new and beautiful horizons.
And we will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars."
A philosophy of manifest destiny in the 19th century drove the American expansion across North America to settle what is now the United States. Trump's comment takes that concept and aims it into space.
"There's no nation like our nation," Trump said. "Americans are explorers, builders, innovators, entrepreneurs and pioneers.
The spirit of the frontier is written into our hearts. The call of the next great adventure resounds from within our souls."
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who attended the inauguration, gave a huge smile and thumb's up in reaction to Trump's Mars comment.
Musk has long said his goal with SpaceX is to send humans to Mars in a bid to make humanity a multi-planet species.
To that end, SpaceX has launched seven test flights so far of its massive Starship rocket, the world's largest and most powerful launch vehicle, the most recent of which occurred on Jan. 16.
That Flight 7 test flight included the successful landing and capture of the Starship's huge Super Heavy booster, but the Starsip vehicle exploded during ascent.
An FAA investigation into the anomaly is underway.
NASA has picked SpaceX's Starship to land its Artemis astronauts on the moon on the Artemis 3 mission no earlier than 2027, after years of delay. Musk has said SpaceX could attempt to launch its first uncrewed Starship to Mars in 2026.
Billionaire Jeff Bezos, founder of the private space company Blue Origin, also attended Trump's inauguration just days after Blue Origin successfully launched its own huge new rocket, called New Glenn, into orbit for the first time.
NASA has tapped New Glenn to launch its next robotic mission to Mars, a double spacecraft mission called ESCAPADE.
Trump's inuaguration on Sunday marked his return to Oval Office after being elected as the 45th U.S. president in 2016. In 2020, Trump lost reelection to now former President Joe Biden.
In his speech, Trump pledged a sweeping rollback of Biden policies in his first days in office, including declaring a national emergency at the country's border to curb illegal immigration and measures targeted at transgender rights, among others.
Trump, who was convicted of 34 felony counts related to falsifying records during his first campaign, is the first felon to serve as U.S. president.
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During his first administration from 2017 to 2021, Trump gave substantial support to U.S. space security and exploration.
He founded the U.S. Space Force as a new branch of the military to safeguard U.S. interests in space.
Trump also resurrected the National Space Council, led by then-Vice President Mike Pence, to push NASA and other U.S. space projects forward.
The Biden administration continued the National Space Council under the leadership of then Vice President Kamala Harris, who attended NASA's first attempt to launch its first Space Launch System megarocket to the moon during the Artemis 1 mission in August 2022.
Trump's current Vice President J.D. Vance, who was also sworn in on Sunday, is now expected to lead the National Space Council, should the new Trump administration keep it going.
Trump has tapped billionaire Jared Isaacman, who has flown to space twice on SpaceX rockets on missions he personally bankrolled, as his nomination for the next NASA Administration.
The agency's current chief Bill Nelson, a former Florida senator, announced his retirement Monday.
"Thank you to the NASA family, who embodies the can-do spirit that makes our country exceptional.
It has been the honor of my life to stand and serve with you," Nelson wrote in a statement on X.
"As I leave public office today after 53 years, thank you for the great privilege of a lifetime of serving the people of our country. I am humbled and grateful," he added.
Trump said he hopes the next four years will mark a turning point for the American people.
"We will live proudly, we will dream boldly, and nothing will stand in our way, because we are Americans," Trump said.
"The future is ours, and our Golden Age has just begun."
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China performs high altitude reusable rocket test with uncertain outcome
January 20, 2025
A Chinese state-owned company performed a rocket flight aimed at testing reentry and landing burns late Saturday without announcing the outcome.
The Longxing-2 test article lifted off at around 10:00 p.m. Eastern, Jan. 18 (0300 UTC, Jan. 19) from a makeshift launch area near Haiyang, Shandong province.
Longxing-2 is thought to be a test article for the Long March 12A reusable launcher being developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST).
The rocket was designed to replicate the first stage of a reusable flight, reaching around 75 kilometers before performing a reentry burn and making a powered descent and splashdown into the Yellow Sea.
Amateur footage captured from near the launch area showed the rocket rise very slowly from the tower and perform an ascent phase with no apparent anomalies.
The test was intended to build on a successful 12-kilometer-altitude vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) test performed in June 2024.
SAST published results and footage from the June test, but has so far remained silent on the 75-km attempt, being yet to publish any results or details of the flight more than 24 hours after liftoff.
The lack of official updates raises questions about the success of the test, which could indicate challenges during reentry or landing phases.
State-owned SAST is one of a range of entities in China developing reusable launch vehicles.
Reusability—first demonstrated by SpaceX for orbital launches—could help China reduce costs and increase its flight cadence.
This appears crucial to the country being able to construct megaconstellations such as Guowang and Thousand Sails, and could also play a part in crewed lunar, lunar infrastructure and space-based solar power projects.
China made 68 launch attempts last year, all using expendable rockets. A large number of these were made by older, highly toxic hypergolic Long March series rockets.
The country was aiming for around 100 launches, including state-owned and commercial companies.
The Longxing-2 test article is understood to be powered by methane-liquid oxygen engines developed by commercial firm Jiuzhou Yunjian (JZYJ). SAST and JZYJ collaborated on earlier, undisclosed vertical takeoff, vertical landing tests.
SAST is a branch of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the country’s main space contractor.
CASC is understood to have made methane-liquid oxygen engine technology available to commercial entities to develop engines, which SAST appears to be utilizing.
CASC, meanwhile, is developing more powerful and complex full flow staged combustion methalox engines for its Long March 9 super heavy-lift rocket.
SAST launched its expendable, kerosene-liquid oxygen Long March 12 for the first time in November 2024. The 12A will also be a 3.8-meter-diameter launch vehicle but adapted for reusability.
The Long March 12A is just one of a number of the reusable launchers being developed in China.
CASC is developing the reusable Long March 10 series for human spaceflight, as well as the aforementioned Long March 9 and 12A.
Commercial entities are working towards first flights of several rockets this year, including the Zhuque-3 (Landspace), Tianlong-3 (Space Pioneer), Pallas-1 (Galactic Energy) and Kinetica-2 (CAS Space).
All are intended to be made reusable at different stages. These are among a wider range of Chinese launch vehicles slated for debut flights in 2025.
China is also expanding its spaceports to help ease a bottleneck in access to launch infrastructure.
This includes the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Area at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, northwest China, and the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site on Hainan island, south China.
The latter has two launch pads ready, and work on third and fourth pads is to be accelerated this year, according to China News Service, Jan. 17.
The spaceport could host up to 10 pads in the future. Haiyang, from where the Longxing-2 launched, hosts China’s sea launch facilities.
Last week it hosted a Jielong-3 solid propellant rocket launch and aims to facilitate around 10 launches across 2025.
https://spacenews.com/china-performs-high-altitude-reusable-rocket-test-with-uncertain-outcome/
https://x.com/raz_liu/status/1880826640563093993