Posted on 12/11/2022 3:15:28 PM PST by SpeedyInTexas
Japanese lunar exploration company ispace began its long-anticipated first mission on Sunday, with a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launching the venture’s lunar lander.
“This is the very, very beginning of a new era,” ispace founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada told CNBC.
If successful, ispace would be the first private company to land on the moon – a feat previously accomplished by global superpowers.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
How long will it be before Space X is shut down and Musk is prosecuted for not paying off enough Democrats.
Launched today. Lunar landing in April.
Not sure what its doing for 4 months.
Article says: “Next up is to maneuver in orbit, and then a one-month period flying through space before entering the moon’s orbit.”
Maybe orbiting Moon for 3 months before landing?
On the very day the Apollo 2.0 ‘Artemis’ capsule splashed down in the Pacific - leaving no reuseable components for future launches.
How many taxpayer billions to do what we did fifty+ years ago?
Flying into space and letting gravity pull it back towards the moon...
“Hakuto-R will reach a maximum distance a million miles, or 1.5 million kilometers, away from Earth before gravity pulls it back toward the moon. The Hakuto-R lander will fire thrusters to be captured into lunar orbit, then set up for the final descent to the surface around the end of April.
“We call it a low-energy orbit because we can reduce propellant consumption using this orbit, having an assist from the gravity of the sun,” Hakamada said. “In order to reduce the launch mass and reduce launch cost, we selected this orbit. But this orbit is similar to several recent mission to use similar trajectory, like the CAPSTONE mission by NASA or the Korean lunar orbiter as well. So we don’t think there is a lot of risk on this orbit.””
“ Launched today. Lunar landing in April.
Not sure what it’s doing for 4 months.”
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Possibly mapping out likely green cheese deposits from lunar orbit?
“How many taxpayer billions to do what we did fifty+ years ago?”
I’m all for space exploration, but there needs to be a purpose other than ‘doing it again’.
Space tourism actually has potential. Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic has a business model that could work. They have paying customers for a short trip to space.
I’m all for private industry in space.
None of my business whether I’m for or agin’ it.
Stop spending gub-ment money when you have capitalists doing it.
Just pass laws to get out of their way.
Why shut down SpaceX currently their crew dragon is the only way to get Astros to the station. So not happening, besides musk is not currently in charge of spacex
The gov't could shut down SpaceX but StarShip's payload capacity is too good to pass up if successful.
“... ispace would be the first private company to land on the moon...”
And a Seven-Eleven will be the second shortly thereafter.
Seven eleven? I don’t think so. More likely a Starbucks.
4 months?
Obviously watching a Kurosawa movie, those things go on forever.
Exactly. Saving millions of dollars in propellant since there really is no rush.
How long will it be before Space X is shut down and Musk is prosecuted for not paying off enough Democrats.
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Musk’ StarShip is already shut down - no launches since Feb of 2021. There’s supposed to be one (1) in 2023, but that my not happen either.
Prior to Biden, the plan was to ‘test to failure’ meaning at least 4 launches per year, until all the problems were solved.
SpaceX will be shut down the moment Bezos, Blue Horizon is successful.
Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic has a business model that could work. They have paying customers for a short trip to space.
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So does SpaceX have a business model that does actually work now. As opposed to one that ‘could’ work’
And StarShip will end all of those other competitors - or would have until Biden’s FAA ans EPA shut testing down.
Just a reminder, SpaceX already had paying customers who went far higher: 575km, and stayed up far longer: 3 days with the Inspiration 4 mission, and completed one of 4 planned Axiom tourist missions to ISS
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