Every week we cover the latest spaceflight news, discuss past, current and future exploration efforts, and take a look at upcoming events. Tune in to hear about how humans get to space, how they stay in space and how unmanned craft reach farther and farther into the universe around us.
https://theorbitalmechanics.com/show-notes/
Episode 417: Mind the Launch Gap
Spaceflight News
— Au revoir, Ariane 5 (spacenews.com) (nasaspaceflight.com) (Payload User’s Guide PDF: arianespace.com)
— Two solids provide ~90% of Ariane 5’s thrust (esa.int)
— ESA plans to lean on SpaceX launches (spacenews.com)
— New test facility for Ariane 6 was built in 2019 (esa.int)
Short & Sweet
— Varda completes pharmaceutical manufacturing test on-orbit (arstechnica.com)
— Lockheed Martin completes burst test of expandable habitat (spaceref.com)
— Starlink interferes with radio astronomy (spacenews.com)
This Week in Spaceflight History
— 20 Jul, 2017: Sale of Apollo 11 bag for $1.8m (collectspace.com) (collectspace.com) (kansascity.com) (sothebys.com)
— Next week (7/18 - 7/24) in 2011. Radio parasol.