The Europa Clipper began its 1.8-billion-mile, 5½-year journey to Jupiter with a flawless launch from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center at 12:06 p.m. EDT on October 14, 2024 (see photo above by Burt Dicht). The weather couldn’t have been better, with a 99% chance of favorable conditions. Against a brilliant blue sky, the SpaceX Falcon Heavy soared, leaving behind a stunning contrast as it climbed toward space (photo below by Burt Dicht).

This mission marks NASA’s bold attempt to study Europa, Jupiter’s intriguing ocean moon. Previous missions, such as the Galileo probe, found strong evidence of a salty ocean beneath Europa’s thick ice crust. Scientists believe that organic compounds—vital ingredients for life—may be hiding there. To uncover Europa’s secrets, the Europa Clipper carries NASA’s most advanced suite of scientific instruments, designed to study the moon’s interior structure, composition, and geology.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) spearheaded the mission’s development, working closely with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). Key contributions also came from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, and the Kennedy Space Center. International partners played an essential role too: Airbus built the solar arrays in the Netherlands, and critical instrument testing took place in Germany. In total, over 4,000 people from across the globe contributed to launching Europa Clipper toward its distant target.

One of the most exciting tools aboard the spacecraft is an ice-penetrating radar system called the “Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface”—or REASON, as NASA’s fondness for acronyms dictates. This instrument will bounce radar waves off any liquid water under the ice, generating a detailed, CT scan-like view of Europa’s frozen shell. The spacecraft also carries a mass spectrometer to sample and analyze the moon’s atmosphere and a magnetometer to study Jupiter’s magnetic field as it interacts with Europa.

With its antennas and solar arrays deployed, Europa Clipper will be the largest spacecraft NASA has ever built for planetary exploration—stretching over 100 feet in length and 58 feet across. The massive solar arrays are essential to power the spacecraft’s systems, as sunlight at Jupiter is only 4% as strong as what reaches Earth.

During the 5½-year journey, mission teams will test and calibrate Europa Clipper’s instruments and subsystems to ensure everything works perfectly when it reaches Jupiter. A direct route isn’t possible, so the spacecraft will use gravity assists from Mars and Earth to gain the speed needed to arrive in April 2030. One of the toughest challenges of the mission is surviving Jupiter’s magnetic field, which is 20,000 times stronger than Earth’s and will bombard the spacecraft with high doses of radiation.

To protect Europa Clipper’s sensitive electronics, engineers developed a specially shielded vault to house the critical components. Even with this defense, the spacecraft will still experience radiation exposure equivalent to millions of chest X-rays. Time spent within Jupiter’s radiation belt will be carefully limited to extend the mission’s lifespan.

The launch of Europa Clipper marks the start of an ambitious quest to answer one of humanity’s most profound questions: Does life exist beyond our Earth? This mission is not just a marvel of engineering but a testament to global collaboration and scientific curiosity, bringing together thousands of people from around the world to push the frontiers of space exploration.

When Europa Clipper arrives at Jupiter in 2030, it won’t simply be another spacecraft exploring a distant moon. It will carry with it the hopes and dreams of everyone who believes in exploration—and the idea that our greatest discoveries are still waiting just beyond the horizon.

Witnessing Europa Clipper’s historic launch, especially with my engineering background, was a powerful reminder that humanity’s finest achievements stem from curiosity, perseverance, and the shared belief that the next great discovery is always just within reach. Go Europa Clipper!

Image: The Booster stage of the Starship system returning to the Texas launch pad just before being gently caught by “Mechazilla.” Credit: SpaceX.

In the early hours of October 13, SpaceX launched its fifth flight test of the gargantuan Starship system from Boca Chica, Texas. The test appears to have met its major objectives, with the first stage, called Booster, returning to the Starbase launch site, and the upper stage, called Ship, splashing down in the Indian Ocean, as planned, just over an hour later.

While the entire flight was impressive to observers, perhaps the most remarkable aspect was the daring test of the booster return system. While in planning for a few years, this was the first in-flight test, and it was successful. The first stage returned from its highest point in flight, firing its braking rockets, then plunged toward the Starbase launch tower at an almost alarming speed. Finally, Booster throttled up to nearly a hover as it righted itself and slowly settled into the landing catch arms, which SpaceX calls “chopsticks,” on the launch tower, dubbed “Mechazilla.”

“This was an astonishing display of both audacity and technical prowess,” said Dale Skran, COO and Senior Vice President of the National Space Society. “Getting this catch maneuver right on the first try is well beyond what we’re used to seeing from SpaceX, which often involves iterative test failures, and this suggests a maturity in the team and the technology beyond what may be obvious.”

Karlton Johnson, NSS CEO, said, “I’d like to congratulate the entire SpaceX team for this outstanding achievement today. They are continuing to open the space frontier at a pace beyond expectation. Special acknowledgement goes to Elon, Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s President; Bill Gerstenmaier, Vice President of Build and Flight Reliability and former NASA senior executive; and Kathy Lueders, former manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and now General Manager of Starbase. They should all be quite proud of this signal achievement. Also, a tip of the hat to the Federal Aviation Administration, who has the often-challenging job of green-lighting these test flights.” NSS has had the privilege of hosting these leaders at its International Space Development Conference® (ISDC®) in the past.

NSS is thrilled with this progress and extends its support to SpaceX’s ongoing development of the Starship system and its derivatives, including NASA’s Human Landing System, for which a special Starship is being designed. “This is an example of what can happen when engineers and scientists are empowered to dare mighty things. We need more of this, not less,” Skran said. “There are many steps to go before Starship lands astronauts on the Moon, but this was a big one. We look forward to continued rapid progress, including validation of orbital refueling of the upper stage and an uncrewed lunar landing test.”

SpaceX’s Starship represents a potential revolution in affordable and rapidly reusable launch capability. “Other companies, including Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, United Launch Alliance, and Sierra Space are also in the running,” noted Skran. “Ultimately, the NSS looks forward to multiple competitors in low-cost, reusable launch.”

The National Space Society invites you to the next Space Forum

Thursday, October 17, 2024, 9:00 pm to 10:15 pm EDT

Scaling New Heights: Delivering Power to Space Elevator Climbers

Register for this Space Forum

with
LARRY BARTOSZEK
Vice President, International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC)
Owner, Bartoszek Engineering
NSS Space Ambassador

Join the National Space Society for an exciting Space Forum where we’ll explore one of the most revolutionary concepts in space travel: the space elevator.

While rockets must carry all of their fuel to break free from Earth’s gravity, climbers on the space elevator’s tether have a distinct advantage—they don’t need to carry their own power source. This breakthrough enables climbers to bypass the limitations of the rocket equation, which forces rockets to burn extra fuel just to lift their fuel. Unlike rockets, which deliver only a small percentage of their mass as payload, space elevator climbers can transport at least 50% of their total mass as payload—reaching altitudes of up to 100,000 kilometers.

A big question: How do we deliver the power that climbers need?

This engaging forum with ISEC VP Larry Bartoszek will delve into both old and new approaches to powering climbers, examining challenges and seeking innovative solutions. We’ll explore caveats, identify areas where more research is needed, and welcome your ideas to help bring the space elevator closer to reality.

Don’t miss this chance to learn or to lend your expertise and be part of the future of space travel! Register for the space forum using the link below.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Larry Bartoszek holds dual degrees in mechanical engineering and physics from the University of Illinois and is a licensed professional engineer in Illinois. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Welding Society, ASM International, the Chicago Society for Space Studies, and the National Space Society. He currently serves as Vice President of the International Space Elevator Consortium and is also an NSS Space Ambassador.

Larry is the owner of Bartoszek Engineering, a consulting firm specializing in mechanical design for the nuclear and high-energy physics research communities worldwide. His firm has worked with national laboratories, universities, and governments on projects across the globe, ranging from tabletop devices to large machines weighing up to 120 tons. You can find more details about his projects on his website at bartoszekeng.com or view a chronological history of his work there.

Larry began working on the space elevator as a hobby in 2004, focusing on conceptual designs for climbers, as outlined in The Space Elevator by Edwards and Westling. He has presented his work at multiple space elevator conferences, including in Washington, D.C. (2004), Seattle (2013), and the ISEC Annual Conferences in Chicago (2023 and 2024). His original climber designs have been featured in two ISEC annual study reports. In April 2021, Larry became a Director on the ISEC Board and was elected Vice President of ISEC in July 2024.

Register today to reserve your seat and ask your questions. Use the link below.

Register for this Space Forum

Register no later than October 17 at 8 pm EST

Past NSS Space Forums and Town Halls may be viewed here.

The National Space Society’s Space Settlement Summit 2024 will be held November 8-9, 2024, at the Center for Space Education at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This is a unique event, offering intimate access to some of the leading figures in space settlement and development. Participants will join NSS leadership and a dynamic group of leaders from the space industry, government, military, and academia.

This year’s summit focuses on this question: How do we prevent or control cislunar conflict within the rapidly expanding wave of human spaceflight?

The summit will be highly interactive with all participants actively engaged in workshops, discussions, and presentations on policies that will encourage the rapid development of technologies and capabilities required to get thousands of people living and working together, peacefully, in space.

Featured speakers at Space Settlement Summit 2024 will include:

• Robert Long, President and CEO, Space Florida
• Chris Ferguson, retired NASA and Boeing astronaut and Principal at The Perinski Group
• Namrata Goswami, Independent Scholar on International Relations
• Roseanne Healy, Managing Director of Enterprise Corporation Pty Ltd
• Col. James T. Horne, III, Space Systems Command, Patrick Space Force Base
  Dale Skran, COO and SVP of the National Space Society
• Peter Garretson, Senior Fellow in Defense Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council
• John C. Mankins, Space Solar Power, National Space Society
• Dr. Phil Metzger, University of Central Florida and Florida Space Institute
• Dr. Pascal Lee, Planetary Scientist, Mars Institute and SETI Institute
• Frank White, author of The Overview Effect
• …and others TBD

Please register now or contact aggie.kobrin@nss.org for more information. Media passes available for accredited outlets.

Please go to SpaceSettlementSummit.NSS.org for more information.

Image at top from last year’s Space Settlement Summit.

If you haven’t read any of Michael Flynn’s novels, you’ve been missing some of the best science fiction of the past 30 years. He is the natural successor to Robert Heinlein so it’s fitting that he was the first winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Medal for outstanding science fiction or technical writing promoting space exploration. Flynn’s novels are filled with Heinlein’s cynical optimism, looking forward to an inspiring future history for the human race among the stars in spite of the failings within individuals that have always made history tragic as well as glorious. Sadly, this is his last novel, published posthumously.

The opening sentences of the prologue capture perfectly the adventure that awaits the reader: “All this happened a great long time ago, by which we mean not merely that it was long ago but also that it was great…. People dared greatly, and so, failed greatly. At times, they even achieved greatly. This is the story of one of their achievements.” If that doesn’t hook you, nothing will.

The Whale is a generation ship, 200 years out on a thousand-year colonization voyage to Tau Ceti. The crew of 40,000 on this hollowed-out asteroid haven’t forgotten Earth, but it seems Earth has forgotten them; they haven’t received any radio messages from home in many years. The original social arrangement was an aristocracy headed by two captains. The go-captain supervises astrogation and propulsion with a relatively small portion of the crew, relatively detached from their human “cargo.” The in-captain supervises everything else and the majority of the crew. But time has degenerated the aristocracy into an arrogant oligarchy, with department heads named Lord Air, Lord Power, Lord Agro, etc. The crew is chafing under their arbitrary, self-serving rule, and a mutiny is brewing.

The other major story element is the Burnout, a wreck-within-the-ship that happened about two generations earlier. The Burnout killed hundreds and turned a sizeable portion of the ship into a twisted mess due to an unexplained failure of the gravity plates – Flynn’s one concession to “fantasy” physics. Up to this point, the rest of the crew thought the Burnout was uninhabited….

Events unfolding within the context of these two story elements are told from the point of view of a cast of characters too large to list. Among others, there’s an astrogator and his personal nemesis the Prince of Whale (Flynn has always been an incorrigible punster), the Princess of the Air and her tutor, a goof-off noncom of the Marines who discovers her personal call to greatness in the midst of bloody disaster, a eugenicist and her sociopathic boss, a couple of scavengers in the burnout, an Enforcer of Filial Devotion (nobody said the culture that heads out to the stars will necessarily be western), and a chief of detectives. And those are just the major characters; I’ve left a few out who have more than walk-on parts.

As always, Flynn populates his story with memorable characters drawn with uncommon insight, and delivers a story both wonderful and marvelous, in the literal sense of those words. Filled with interesting speculations and observations on culture, politics, and language, it’s also a meditation on the nature of society, and what can and cannot be expected of revolutions. Some events have very clear callbacks to the Easter Rising of 1916 in Dublin, and the French Revolution. Some people who “need killin’” get sent to Recycling, along with some innocents. In the end, some things change for the better, while some parts of the old order remain, and the new order bears the seeds of new problems. No sequel is really needed, but it’s a pity we won’t get to see one.

In the Belly of the Whale is, if you’ll pardon a Flynn-like pun, a whale of a tale, a grand reading adventure from first page to last. If there has to be such a sad thing as the last novel of a great storyteller, this book is a fine note on which to depart.

© 2024 Clifford R. McMurray

NSS index of over 400 book reviews

The National Space Society recently awarded a $15,000 grant to the Haughton-Mars Project (HMP) in support of their 2024 Apollo Fellowship and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education activities. The NSS grant funds are derived from a 2019 grant to NSS from the Club For the Future.

The Haughton-Mars Project is a NASA and private sector-supported, U.S.-based international planetary analog field research project sited on Devon Island in the High Arctic. It is dedicated to advancing the future scientific exploration of the Moon and Mars by robotic systems and humans. Devon Island is the largest uninhabited island and largest single expanse of polar desert on our planet. The terrain is not snowy or icy in the project’s summer season, but rather a wide, largely lifeless expanse of red rock, physically mimicking the surface of Mars.

“The Haughton-Mars Project is a global leader in planetary analog field science and exploration, and I am glad that the NSS is able to contribute to, and partner in, the project’s Apollo Fellowship and other STEM education activities,” said Dale Skran, COO of the National Space Society. “Well-designed Mars analog field work supports both the exploration and eventual human settlement of Mars.”

Established in 1997, the HMP is led by Dr Pascal Lee, planetary scientist at the SETI Institute, Mars Institute, and NASA Ames Research Center, and professor of planetary sciences at Kepler Space University. Dr Lee is also a recipient of the NSS’s 2023 Space Pioneer Award for Mars Science and Engineering and is currently serving as a member of the National Academies’ Steering Committee on a Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars.

The HMP-2024 Apollo Fellowship was awarded to Nicolas Mahoume, a master’s graduate student in aerospace engineering at the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands. Mahoume and his academic advisor, Prof. Sebastiaan de Vet, are working with Lee to understand the nature and scale of geologic terrain features on Mars that would benefit the most from aerial exploration by robotic rotorcraft. The field research was conducted with customized drones.

“I’m grateful to the National Space Society for its generous support of the Haughton-Mars Project, our Apollo Fellowship program, and our other STEM education endeavors,” said Lee. “The success of humanity’s future on the Moon and Mars depends on training highly qualified explorers who will have acquired the needed experience in surviving, performing, and thriving in extreme environments, doing scientific fieldwork and advancing exploration.”

Other HMP-2024 STEM activities enabled by the NSS award include live interactions from the field with remote students across the U.S. and the anticipated presentation of the HMP-2024 Apollo Fellowship research results and STEM activities at the NSS’ International Space Development Conference (ISDC) in Orlando, Florida on June 19-22, 2025.

For more information on the Haughton-Mars Project and its Apollo Fellowship Program, visit their website or their NASA website.

Image: Aleksandr Gorbunov (l) and Nick Hague (r) at the crew walkout; Crew-9 liftoff from SLC-40, CCSFS on Sept 28 at 1:17 pm EDT. Photos by Burt Dicht.

By Burt Dicht
NSS Managing Director of Membership

It is not often that a blog post turns out to be as prophetic as my previous post on the 45th Weather Squadron (Weathering the Launch on September 28). In that post I highlighted the squadron’s crucial role in supporting space launches—just as their skills were put to the test for Crew-9’s scheduled liftoff later that day. As the countdown began, storm patterns loomed near Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS), adding an air of uncertainty with the launch scheduled for 1:17 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40)

The weather didn’t look favorable, and everyone—including the SpaceX and NASA launch teams, and thousands of spectators—watched the sky, hoping for a break. Remarkably, thanks to precise monitoring and decision-making by the 45th Weather Squadron and the launch teams, the skies cleared just in time for a flawless, on-time liftoff. The squadron’s expertise in forecasting and managing launch weather conditions was on full display, ensuring the success of Crew-9’s journey to the International Space Station (ISS).

The Crew-9 mission is a scheduled rotation flight to the ISS, utilizing the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Freedom and Falcon 9 rocket. On board were NASA astronaut Nick Hague, serving as commander, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov as mission specialist. This mission marked another significant milestone, as SLC-40 was now added to the list of operational pads sending astronauts to space, alongside LC-39A and SLC-41.

Once in orbit, the Crew-9 astronauts joined Expedition 72, temporarily boosting the ISS crew count to eleven. They joined astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who had been aboard the station since June following their Boeing Starliner launch. With NASA’s decision to return the Starliner to Earth without a crew, Wilmore and Williams will return with Crew-9 in February 2025 aboard the Crew Dragon capsule.

Notably, the mission originally included astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson rounding out the 4-person crew. However, due to mission changes that required returning Wilmore and Williams to Earth on the Crew Dragon, they will be rescheduled for future flights. That meant Hague and Gorbunov had to shoulder a larger workload during the launch. During a post launch press conference, NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy congratulated and thanked the NASA and SpaceX teams as well as the international partners for working together to make this a successful launch.

For me, one of the most emotional moments of the event was witnessing the astronaut  walkout, a tradition where the crew exits the Operations and Checkout building to greet their families. This powerful display of the human side of space exploration underscores the courage and determination of the astronauts embarking on these missions.

After a smooth journey, Crew-9 docked with the ISS at 5:30 p.m. EDT on September 29, 2024. Now fully integrated into Expedition 72, the crew will spend the next five months conducting crucial scientific research and experiments in microgravity. Crew-9’s success is yet another testament to the strong partnership between NASA and SpaceX, driving forward humanity’s presence in space and advancing space development.

NASA Post Launch Press Conference. From left: Pam Melroy, NASA Deputy Administrator; Ken Bowersox, Associate Administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate; Dana Hutcherson, Deputy Program Manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy; Dina Contella, Deputy Manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson; Sarah Walker, Director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX. Photo by Burt Dicht.

By Burton Dicht
NSS Managing Director of Membership

Veterans of watching rocket launches understand that until T-0 and the rocket engines ignite, any number of delay gremlins might surface. These might be technical, or an unauthorized ship or aircraft in the launch zone—or the unpredictable Florida weather. There’s no way to know when a technical glitch might arise or when someone might stray into an area they shouldn’t, but with the weather, we can track the forecasts and hope that it holds long enough to get the launch off.

The first thing launch veterans do is check one of the many apps that cover launches to see the weather forecast. For example, the forecast for the scheduled Saturday, 28 Sept launch of Crew-9 (1:17 pm EDT) is as follows: “According to weather officials, there’s a 55% chance of favorable weather conditions at the time of the launch. The forecast calls for a temperature of 86°F, light rain, 56% cloud cover, a wind speed of 12mph, and 0.58 inches of rain.”

The weather officials responsible for that forecast are the dedicated meteorologists of the 45th Weather Squadron at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). These highly trained professionals monitor weather conditions at the Kennedy Space Center/CCSFS leading up to and during the countdown and launch windows. Based on launch weather criteria, they relay to the launch team whether the weather conditions are “go-for-launch.”

I had the pleasure of meeting one of these Launch Weather Officers (LWO), Melody Lovin, a civilian meteorologist who has been with the 45th Weather Squadron for six years. Before joining the Squadron, Melody worked for the National Weather Service (NWS), where the focus was on tracking severe weather. “It’s a very different job here,” she explained. “For rocket launches, we track many variables, even something as small as a single cloud that could be in the way of the rocket’s trajectory.”

The launch weather criteria are designed to ensure the safety of the vehicle, payload, and surrounding environment. While companies like SpaceX and United Launch Alliance may have specific criteria for their rockets, Melody explained that most of the criteria enforced by the 45th Weather Squadron apply to all rockets in the launch range. These criteria, established from years of experience, include proximity to lightning and thunderstorms, wind limits (both surface and upper level), cloud cover, and precipitation—all must be met before a launch.

Melody detailed how the favorable weather probability is calculated. The Squadron reviews historical climate data to establish a baseline, then compares that to expected conditions at the time of the launch. This forecast is a critical factor for rocket companies, as they need to decide whether to delay the launch or start the tanking process. Weather delays after tanking begins can be costly, so there’s pressure to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information. During the launch, the 45th Weather Squadron is on the launch director’s communication loop, sharing real-time updates.

Thanks to advancements in technology and the use of new weather satellites like GOES-U, forecasting has improved significantly. These tools enable the team to provide more accurate data, sometimes even allowing the rocket to thread the needle between weather patterns to get the launch off.

Melody described it as an exciting job that ensures the safety of the rocket and the surrounding area while helping push our space program forward. And sometimes, when everything is running smoothly, she even gets to step outside and watch the launch from her office.

You can read more about Melody here: Meet the first all-female Air Force launch weather team who will work SpaceX Starlink launch.

Another title for this book could have been Reentry: SpaceX vs. the World. Not that there is anything wrong with the actual subtitle, but SpaceX vs. the World captures the essence of this book perfectly. How did a scrappy rocket company conquer space in a manner the world has never witnessed before?

Veteran space journalist Eric Berger tells the remarkable story of how SpaceX became the most exciting space company on Earth. Berger’s previous book, Liftoff, starts with Elon Musk’s founding of SpaceX in 2002 and ends with the first successful launch of the company’s diminutive Falcon 1 rocket in September 2008. Reentry begins just a few months later. It’s November 2008, and SpaceX is conducting a full-duration test firing of the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage. Despite several notices by SpaceX in local media, the thunderous Falcon 9 test startled the residents of nearby McGregor, Texas. This sets the tone for the book, as it wouldn’t be the last time that SpaceX would be a disrupting force.

Berger, who is also the senior space editor at Ars Technica, is among the most active space writers working today. He wrote Reentry not as a Musk book but as a book about the company itself. This makes for a book filled with many colorful stories from SpaceX lore. Examples include Capricorn One, The Great LOX Boil-Off of 2013, and Hells Bells. Even if you’re an “Occupy Mars” T-shirt wearing SpaceX fan, you will learn a lot from this book.

Berger, most likely, is one of these fans. He is very passionate about SpaceX and is often critical of the company’s rivals. If you work for a SpaceX competitor, chances are you won’t enjoy Reentry. For example, he concludes that Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s “plump and pugnacious” former space chief, “seems like he sucks.” Berger also describes the space business before SpaceX as “stodgy and stale.” Other times, he is a bit softer on SpaceX’s competitors. Berger is not confident in Blue Origin, but at the same time, he wants the company to succeed. He notes that “whatever you may think about Bezos, his passion for space and belief in off-world settlement is genuine.”

Throughout Reentry, a pattern develops with each new SpaceX project. Musk would announce an incredibly ambitious program that has never been done before. He wanted to redesign early versions of Falcon 9 into a reusable rocket by including such innovations as landing legs, grid fins, and propellant densification. He wanted to build a satellite internet constellation known as Starlink. Ultimately, he wants to build the largest rocket in history, Starship, in order to realize SpaceX’s long-term vision of building a city on Mars.

With each Musk announcement, SpaceX would face criticism and pushback from many different entities. Legacy aerospace companies didn’t think Musk’s claims about rocket reusability were possible, and they didn’t change how they built their own launch vehicles. They didn’t think SpaceX would beat them in launching NASA astronauts to the International Space Station following the retirement of the space shuttle. Members of Congress who led states where SpaceX rivals did business were equally dismissive. Many astronauts from NASA’s glory years weren’t pleased with the new way of doing space in the 21st century. The mainstream media were quick to ridicule any explosion in a SpaceX rocket test as a sign of incompetence. To be fair to these critics, no private rocket company before SpaceX ever delivered what it promised.

Nevertheless, this pattern went on for many years. SpaceX would launch rockets and achieve impressive milestones at an increasingly faster rate, while rivals continued to ignore Musk’s claims and took little action. Eventually, Berger writes that “these competitors fail to recognize reality until it is too late, before finally scrambling to emulate Musk.” The David vs. Goliath story that characterized Liftoff turns into a David becomes Goliath tale in Reentry. Berger, very accurately, refers to today’s SpaceX as a steamroller.

The current launch industry is a ridiculously lopsided affair in favor of SpaceX. For instance, during “one stretch, from the end of 2022 into the first half of 2023, SpaceX launched more than fifty rockets between United Launch Alliance flights.” Russia’s once proud space program also didn’t account for SpaceX’s meteoric rise, claiming in 2016 that “the economic feasibility of reusable launch systems is not obvious.” Then, there’s the Europeans, who, as Berger points out, designed a conventional expendable booster with the Ariane 6 instead of a reusable system like Falcon 9.

Keeping the SpaceX steamroller operating requires lots of really dedicated individuals. Dedicated, as in working extremely long hours. After all, going to Mars won’t be easy. This arrangement has worked wonders for the company, as “SpaceX builds some of the very best products in the space industry, faster and at far lower prices than its competitors.” At the same time, working very long hours to achieve such impressive results has taken a toll on many employees. Several people interviewed in the book are no longer with the company.

Despite working much faster than the rest of the space industry, SpaceX still often misses its very aggressive deadlines. In the book, this is known as the “green lights to Malibu” philosophy. Theoretically, someone could drive from SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, CA to Malibu in just thirty minutes. All one has to do is drive well over the speed limit and catch all the green lights. In other words, SpaceX timelines assume zero red lights or traffic. In any case, the SpaceX steamroller is barreling towards Mars with its foot firmly on the accelerator. Following a 2016 Musk speech on SpaceX’s Mars plan, Berger described the speech as either mad, brilliant, or both. Today, Berger leans more on the side of brilliance.

Given all the publicity surrounding SpaceX today, Reentry is almost guaranteed to become a bestseller. It’s an absolutely phenomenal read. Musk tweeted “excitement guaranteed” before the inaugural flight of Starship, and that could also be applied to reading Reentry. This book is a case study in defeating your naysayers with style.

© 2024 Casey Suire

NSS index of over 400 book reviews

The chartered Gulfstream jet touched down at the Kennedy Space Center’s Space Shuttle Landing Facility on Saturday, September 21, around 1:30 p.m. EDT. Onboard were NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, the two-person team of Crew-9, preparing for their rotation flight to the International Space Station (ISS).

Crew-9 is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Thursday, September 26, at 2:05 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The mission has been significantly altered due to a major shift in crew dynamics following the return of the Boeing Starliner capsule.

Originally, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who launched to the ISS on the Starliner in June, were expected to remain in orbit for just 8 days. However, technical issues with the spacecraft led Boeing and NASA to extend their stay. Finally, safety concerns guided the decision to return the Starliner without its crew with Wilmore and Williams remaining on the ISS. The Starliner spacecraft made a successful landing at White Sands Space Harbor on September 6. As a result, Wilmore and Williams needed a way to return home, which will now be facilitated by Crew-9 in February 2025 on the Crew Dragon spacecraft.

This change left Crew-9 with a unique challenge: Hague and Gorbunov will launch as a two-person crew, rather than the usual four, as astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, who were originally slated to join them, will remain on Earth and will be scheduled for other missions.

The transition from a larger crew to just two presented training challenges, which Hague and Gorbunov discussed with the press shortly after their arrival. Hague, an active-duty colonel in the U.S. Space Force, will serve as the Crew-9 commander and Gorbunov, a former engineer for Rocket Space Corp. Energia, will be the mission specialist. Both astronauts praised the SpaceX-NASA collaboration, crediting the team for ensuring their mission readiness despite the changes. They also acknowledged the vital contributions of Cardman and Wilson, whose involvement in the mission preparation was described as “instrumental.”

A significant part of Crew-9’s mission includes ensuring Wilmore and Williams are well-prepared for their return aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Hague and Gorbunov will be carrying additional supplies, including SpaceX pressure suits and clothing for the returning astronauts, along with other essentials.

In the days leading up to the launch, Hague and Gorbunov will finalize preparations and practice emergency egress procedures at SLC-40. The launch pad, originally built for uncrewed rockets, was recently modified to support crewed missions, further expanding SpaceX and NASA’s capabilities for human spaceflight.

When asked how their education and experience prepared them for the mission, Hague and Gorbunov confidently shared that their extensive background in rocket launches and mission readiness has them fully prepared. Now, all that remains is for the weather to cooperate for a flawless liftoff.

Gulfstream carrying Crew 9 arrives at Kennedy Space Center.

Kennedy Space Center Deputy Director Kelvin Manning welcomes Crew-9.

Top photo: Crew 9 – Nick Hague (commander) and Alexander Gorbunov (mission specialist).

Photo credits: Burt Dicht