Stormy (Space) Weather
Starliner faces backlash for its “buzzing” valves, a solar eruption sets off a series of geomagnetic storms and China’s lunar outpost is poised to become a bustling destination.
Hello Celestial Citizens and Continuum readers,
Nothing like a week of Aurora Borealis events to light up (get it) my social media feed. Being based in LA however, I was unsurprisingly unable to view the phenomenon for myself. Oh, the solar storm viewing price you pay for being able to casually run into Timothée Chalamet at your local Erewhon… Still, I got the treat of living vicariously through space friends far and wide that had front seats to this spectacular show. And there may be more opportunities to view, because apparently, the best is yet to come?
Now, the space beat you came here for…
Top Headlines
All About That Buzz – Rivaling the rap beef of all rap beefs this week is a spicy space feud between past and present vendors of Boeing’s Starliner crewed mission, after its May 6th launch was delayed at the last minute due to some strange valve “behavior.” To allow time to replace the valve – located on the Atlas V rocket tasked with delivering Starliner to orbit – the launch was postponed to May 17th. This week, it was delayed again to May 21st, due to a helium leak in the propulsion system for the Starliner spacecraft itself. And as of a few hours ago, was delayed again to no earlier than May 25th. While eleventh hour tweaks and launch scrubs are not uncommon for first-time spacecraft, Boeing’s cursed decade with Starliner – as well as a not-so-sterling reputation – has invited quite the scrutiny. Following the first punt, NASA partner, former Starliner contractor and self-proclaimed “valve expert” ValveTech entered the chat, with the damning recommendation to “not to attempt a second launch due to the risk of a disaster occurring on the launchpad.” Apparently, a buzzing sound was reported in connection to the Atlas 5 valve leak – a sound that, according to ValveTech, could be a kiss of death (or at least, a very outdated valve). It’s important to note however that ValveTech has a bit of an axe to grind with Starliner’s valve provider, Aerojet Rocketdyne, after the two fell out in 2017. So it’s possible the strongly worded “guidance” was motivated by a deep-seated business rivalry. Tory Bruno of ULA was quick to call out the claims as unfounded, with Boeing also categorizing the speculation as “irresponsible.” On the other hand, maybe ValveTech is really looking out for Boeing, who isn’t exactly poised to take any more heat after recent, well – blowouts.
Next Level – In brighter news, NASA recently selected six concepts to receive additional funding – to the tune of $600,000 – as part of its Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. This funding will support projects through a second phase of development. The innovative, “science fiction-like” concepts include a high-speed plasma rocket headed by U.S. company Howe Industries – with sights set on Mars. The team’s nuclear fission-based propulsion system – reminiscent of NASA’s PuFF, or Pulsed Fission Fusion propulsion system developed back in 2018 – could introduce an affordable, fuel-efficient, and (most importantly) fast ride to the Red Planet. Another concept heading into Phase 2 is a lunar railway, known as FLOAT. The uniquely literal acronym stands for "Flexible Levitation on a Track," as the team behind FLOAT plans to build a levitating robotic train to autonomously transport payloads around the lunar surface as early as the 2030s. Here’s hoping that this train doesn’t become the location of a space-based sequel to Agatha’s Christie’s iconic Murder on the Orient Express.
It’s Lit – Ms. Daniels was not the only storm taking over social media this past week. Our feeds floodeth over with aurora pics from England to California, as onlookers celebrated a natural phenomenon that graced the globe in even the most unlikely places (looking at you, Ohio). Of course, a massive, active sunspot is to thank for the lightshow, with coronal mass ejections (CME) so intense that NOAA issued a severe, or “G4” Geomagnetic Storm Watch. Not as enamored with the aurora were some U.S. farmers, when the solar storms knocked out their GPS-based equipment – such as navigation-rigged tractors – smack in the middle of planting season. And the Sun was “not done yet,” following the weekend’s emissions with its largest flare since 2017 on Tuesday. Despite its size, the X8.7 flare is not likely to produce auroras due to its origin’s current location relative to Earth. Sorry, sky-watchers. But, don’t fear: the solar cycle is still hurling towards its “peak” this year, with promises of dazzling – or meddlesome – space weather.
Personally, all the CME talk got me nostalgic for this banger of a reel our team released a little while back on the gram…
Honorable Mentions
Our final notable nuggets.
Must Be
LoveMars On The Brain – NASA’s NIAC Phase 2 funding comes only a short time after the agency selected 12 concept studies for commercial Mars robotic missions, announced earlier this month.Not Your Average Joe – The eldest active astronaut on NASA’s roster will return to space this September with two Russian cosmonauts. While on the International Space Station, 69-year-old Don Pettit will carry out a variety of experiments, including testing his patented coffee cup, which uses surface tension to offer the (essential) java-sipping experience to astronauts in microgravity. At least someone has their priorities sorted.
Hot Stuff – Say hello to the fire lookouts of the future: a nonprofit recently made selections for the next round of a space-based wildfire detection program, where 20 teams from South Lake Tahoe, California to Melbourne, Australia will be tested on their ability to leverage satellite data to rapidly detect and characterize fires across landscapes “larger than entire states or countries.”
Expansion Pact – As spaceports continue to grow more crowded in the new space economy, NASA has authorized an environmental assessment of Wallops Island in Virginia, with a goal of expanding its launch capacity by 200%.
Maybe We Should Just Take a Break – NASA and JAXA have decided to put a rescue effort – involving a jammed aperture door – on hold, to see what their X-ray astronomy satellite can do with its current capacity over the next year and half.
So Artificial – A new position emerges at NASA, with intelligence veteran David Salvagnini becoming the agency’s first chief artificial intelligence (AI) officer.
All The (Liver)more – A U.S. national laboratory first established as healthy competition to Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project days, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has decided to hitch their monolithic telescope to Rocket Lab’s vehicle as part of the Space Force’s Victus Haze “tactically responsive” space demonstration in 2025.
The JWST Download
The JWST is on a highway to a hell planet, now that its mid-infrared instrument has revealed a unique carbon-rich atmosphere surrounding 55 Cancri E – thought to be bubbling up from within the fiery exoplanet.
A global network of robotic telescopes known as Speculoos (Search for Planets EClipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars) is out to dethrone the JWST with its newest exoplanet discovery. A rocky Earth-sized world known as Speculoos-3b hurls itself around its dwarf star in just 17 Earthly hours, and does so synchronously – meaning its star-facing side experiences a day that never ends. Of course, this is where the planet diverges from its namesake, as a jar of Speculoos cookie butter always seems to end too quickly.
We were today-years-old when we learned there’s a breed of lightweight gas giants known as “puffy Jupiters.” A new – and extra “fluffy” – exoplanet was recently identified by the Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) system, which spent four years measuring its elusive mass by studying its transit across its mother star.
A Global Space
China – After its launch earlier this month, China’s Moon-bound probe entered lunar orbit on May 8th. Chang’e 6 will soon take advantage of the previously deployed Queqiao-2 relay satellite to deliver its lander to the surface of the Moon’s far side – where it will collect samples – specifically targeting the Aitken Basin near the South Pole. News of Chang’e 6’s entry into lunar orbit was also accompanied by a surprise, when images released by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) revealed an undisclosed mini rover. While the global science community anxiously awaits the first sample from the Moon’s far side, NASA and ESA probably harbor some fear that this complex sample return mission puts China one step closer to one from the Red Planet. Beyond Chang’e 6, China stayed plenty busy this period, delivering an environmental observation satellite known as Shiyan-23 to orbit via a Long March-4C rocket this past week, as well as a pair of the nation’s first medium Earth orbit broadband satellites.
Pakistan – A cubesat developed by the Pakistan Institute of Space Technology (IST) caught a ride with China’s Chang’e 6 mission earlier this month, with plans of testing an optical payload. The spacecraft, known as ICUBE–Qamar – or ICUBE-Q for short – has already captured an image of the lunar surface, as posted on the institute’s X account. According to its mission description, the cubesat’s two optical cameras will also attempt a group pic of the Moon and Earth together.
Bahrain-Egypt – Also involved in China’s Chang’e dreams are Bahrain and Egypt, who have teamed up to collaborate on a multispectral camera now booked for the 2026 Chang’e 7 mission, according to Bahrain’s Daily Tribune. The payload, designed to analyze the soil of the lunar south pole in search of resources like water, could be a huge win for Bahrain’s National Space Science Authority (NSSA) and the Egyptian Space Agency – should it be successful.
Serbia – The latest country to join China’s International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project is Serbia, who became the coalition’s 11th member last week. While it remains to be seen what exact contribution Serbia will make to the lunar base, the chief director of Space Security and Stability at the Secure World Foundation sees the move as politically motivated, or a way for Serbia to “reconfirm its connection to Russia while getting a much more tangible benefit in terms of its relationship with China.” In other words, it’s a win-win.
Russia – It seems like we’re sticking with the theme of the ILRS, because just last week, Roscosmos head Yuri Borisov revealed that Russia is developing a nuclear power station for the lunar outpost – the nation’s joint venture with China. Obviously, harnessing nuclear energy for in-space power and propulsion is a very different story from nuclear anti-satellite weapons, but the U.S. must not be a fan of seeing “Russia” and “nuclear” in the same sentence, right now.
Türkiye – On June 8th, the Turkish Space Agency (TUA) will see one of their astronauts sail to suborbital space aboard a Virgin Galactic vehicle, as part of an Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) follow-up. The Galactic 07 flight is a second part of an agreement between Axiom Space and Türkiye and will support continued research initiated on Ax-3 by Türkiye’s first ever astronaut, Alper Gezeravcı. In June, 31-year-old Tuva Atasever will follow in Gezeravcı’s footsteps by conducting seven experiments from suborbital space – from testing insulin pen effectiveness to radiation exposure in a microgravity environment.
Lithuania – This week, Lithuania became the 40th nation to sign the U.S.-led Artemis Accords. The engagement demonstrates a definite trend of European nations participating in the coalition, as it represents the sixth European nation to sign the Accords this year. On the same day of the signing ceremony in Vilnius, the U.S.-Portugal Standing Bilateral Commission also released a joint statement about Portugal’s potential involvement in the near future.
And that’s a wrap on this week in space news! A big thank you to Tess Ryan for writing this edition with me and for keeping up with the cosmos! We hope you enjoyed reading Continuum this week. And if you really, really like us, then consider making it official and becoming a paid subscriber or spreading the space gospel and gifting a subscription.
Keep it celestial people,
Britt
CEO of Celestial Citizen & Creator of Continuum