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Washington DC: <keyword id="19935155" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NASA" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="NASA" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="NASA">NASA</keyword> astronauts Sunita 'Suni' Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore will put a call to Earth and participate in a press conference aboard the <keyword id="19985509" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="International-Space-Station" source="keywords">International Space Station</keyword> in low Earth orbit, the US space agency said. The space call is scheduled at 2:15 p.m. EDT (local time) on September 13 to the newsroom at NASA's Johnson Space Centre in Houston. The pair had launched aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 5 for its first crewed flight, arriving at the space station on June 6. A decision was made to return Starliner to Earth without its crew and the spacecraft successfully returned on September 6 after more than three months in space. It made a safe landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. Both astronauts <keyword id="21544825" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sunita-Williams" source="keywords">Sunita Williams</keyword> and Butch Wilmore called down to flight controllers to thank teams for their support before the uncrewed Starliner spacecraft returned to Earth. "You guys it's time to bring Calypso home. We have your backs and you have got this. Bring her back to Earth," Sunita Williams said in the radio message referring to the spacecrafts nickname. Both the astronauts will remain on the international space station as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew and return home in February 2025 aboard the <keyword id="19905255" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SpaceX" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="SpaceX" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="SpaceX">SpaceX</keyword> Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members on NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission. Meanwhile, crew of the Polaris Dawn the Elon Musk-led private charted spaceflight created history when they completed the first commercial spacewalk. Donning newly-designed SpaceX extravehicular activity (EVA) suits, the crew began their approximately two-hour operation at 3:12 a.m. EDT while traveling at 17,500 miles per hour in an elliptical orbit of 190 x 700 km above the EarthThe spacewalk represents an important milestone of the Polaris Program, a developmental program designed to further the advancement of human spaceflight. After opening the hatch, the Polaris Dawn crew became the first four astronauts to be exposed to the vacuum of space at the same time, the company said in a statement. Over approximately twenty minutes, Commander Jared Isaacman and Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis egressed the vehicle, completed a series of tests designed to evaluate the suit's mobility, thermal systems and the Dragon mobility aid "Skywalker" before returning to the cabin and closing the hatch. Mission Pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon supported Isaacman and Gillis throughout the entire operation monitoring vital support systems. Once the hatch was closed, Dragon was re-pressurized, cabin oxygen and pressure levels confirmed. Reflecting on his experience, mission commander and billionaire Isaacman, who financed the mission reflected on the experience: "SpaceX, back at home we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world." NASA Administrator Bill Nelson relayed good wishes to SpaceX and the Polaris Dawn crew in a statement on X. "Congratulations @PolarisProgram and @SpaceX on the first commercial spacewalk in history!" Nelson wrote. "Today's success represents a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry and @NASA's long-term goal to build a vibrant U.S. space economy." The Polaris Dawn mission targeted splashdown off the coast of Florida, however SpaceX has not yet released details about the upcoming landing.

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams to address Earth from orbiting international Space Station

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is set to detach from the orbiting <keyword id="19985509" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="International-Space-Station" source="keywords">International Space Station</keyword> on Friday (local time) and return to Earth, without the astronauts <keyword id="21544825" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sunita-Williams" source="keywords">Sunita Williams</keyword> and Butch Wilmore as per the US space agency <keyword id="19935155" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NASA" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="NASA" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="NASA">NASA</keyword>. The unscrewed spacecraft is targeting a landing at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico on Saturday. NASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams launched aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 5 for its first crewed flight, arriving at the space station on June 6. It was expected that the two astronauts would have returned in the same flight. As Starliner approached the orbiting laboratory, NASA and Boeing identified helium leaks and experienced issues with the spacecraft reaction control thrusters. For the safety of the astronauts, NASA announced on August 24 that Starliner will return to Earth from the station without a crew. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finished packing Starliner with cargo and configuring its cabin for return. The duo closed Starliner's hatch for the final time on Thursday afternoon readying the spacecraft for its uncrewed departure, NASA said. Wilmore and Williams will remain aboard the International Space station and return home in February 2025 aboard the <keyword id="19905255" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SpaceX" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="SpaceX" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="SpaceX">SpaceX</keyword> Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members assigned to NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission. "Starliner is scheduled to autonomously undock from the space station at approximately 6:04 pm EDT Friday, September 6, to begin the journey home, weather conditions permitting. NASA and Boeing are targeting approximately 12:03 am, Saturday, September 7, for the landing and conclusion of the flight test," NASA said. SpaceX and Boeing are the two commercial vendors who have been tasked by NASA to send American-launched astronauts to the ISS. Both Williams and Wilmore are not expected to use the Crew Dragon spacecraft of Crew-9 the next SpaceX astronaut mission for NASA that is set to launch later this month of a ISS half year mission. To make space for the <keyword id="21541868" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Boeing-Starliner" source="keywords">Boeing Starliner</keyword> astronauts who are now on the ISS, Crew 9's Crew Dragon will launch from earth with only two astronoauts instead of the planned four. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/india-beats-the-us-to-emerge-as-the-second-biggest-market-for-5g-smartphones/articleshow/113095322.cms">India beats the US to emerge as the second-biggest market for 5G smartphones</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/apple-iphone-16-to-launch-on-september-9-design-specs-and-everything-we-know-so-far/articleshow/113091114.cms">Apple iPhone 16 to launch on September 9 – design, specs and everything we know so far</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/webstories/shree-tirupati-balajee-agro-trading-ipo-price-band-to-risk-factors-all-you-need-to-know/slidelist/113082663.cms">Shree Tirupati Balajee Agro Trading IPO – Price band to risk factors, all you need to know</a>

Boeing's Starliner to return to Earth from ISS without Sunita Williams

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-spacex-administrator-bill-nelson-boeing-starliner-rocket-elon-musk-2022-9">NASA and SpaceX</a> unveiled more details about how they plan to deorbit the ISS in the early 2030s.</li><li>SpaceX aims to use one of its existing Dragon spaceships to push the ISS toward its grave. </li></ul>The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photo-international-space-station-hidden-passing-sun-2023-4">International Space Station</a> has been a haven for hundreds of astronauts over the last 23 years. But its days are numbered.In June, NASA announced it would pay <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-nasa-drag-international-space-station-out-of-orbit-2024-6">Elon Musk's company SpaceX up to $843 million</a> to help decommission the ISS.On Wednesday, NASA and SpaceX shared new details about their plan, which involves a superpowered, extra-large <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/watch-spacex-nasa-crew2-astronaut-mission-splashdown-landing-ocean-2021-4">Dragon spaceship</a> that can push the ISS out of orbit and into a fiery plummet to a remote ocean grave, probably in 2031.SpaceX's Dragon spaceships currently <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-lands-4-astronauts-for-nasa-spaceflight-record-2021-4">shuttle NASA astronauts</a> and cargo to and from the ISS. Compared to the ISS, though, which weighs about 925,000 pounds, astronauts and cargo are extremely light.That's why SpaceX is looking into supercharging one of its Dragons for the job.<h2 id="1fb3c371-62ae-4687-80a0-00c6990cbf03">How SpaceX plans to scrap the ISS</h2>SpaceX plans to outfit an existing Cargo Dragon with a new high-powered trunk and supercharge it with 46 Draco engines, which is 30 more engines than a regular Dragon.The resulting "deorbit vehicle" will be about twice as long as a regular Dragon ship, with six times as much propellant to produce four times the power.SpaceX posted on X an illustration of what its upgraded Dragon may look like: SpaceX's director of Dragon mission management, Sarah Walker, said the most complex part of the mission will be the final burn that pushes the ISS on course toward its final descent."This burn must be powerful enough to fly the entire space station, all the while resisting the torques and forces caused by increasing atmospheric drag on the space station to ensure that it ultimately terminates in the intended location," Walker said in a briefing on Wednesday.The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-spacex-protect-iss-crashing-russian-threats-2022-2">ISS's final destination</a> will be in a remote part of the ocean, such as the South Pacific, but NASA has not chosen a precise location yet. When the football field-sized spacecraft comes screaming down, NASA wants no risk of it hitting anywhere but the open ocean.<h2 id="171cdbfb-95c0-4347-a116-497c3d044374">A new chapter in space exploration</h2>Walker said the opportunity to help end this significant chapter in space exploration is an honor."It's a wonderful full circle experience, I think, for me and for SpaceX," Walker said in a briefing on Wednesday.In 2012, Dragon became the first commercial vehicle to dock with the ISS and, if all goes according to plan, it'll be the last vehicle to ever dock with the station."I can't stress enough how honored we are to be a part of that step," Walker said.<div type="image" title="white spacex dragon spaceship docked to a robotic arm of the space station above dark black nighttime earth with a bright blue line on the horizon where sunrays are peeking out for sunrise" height="1500" width="2258" msid="111821819" hostid="261" sizebytes="139568"></div>NASA considered doing the job with three Russian Progress spacecraft, but even that wasn't enough for the size of the space station, according to Dana Weigel, manager of NASA's ISS program.NASA and its Russian counterpart, Roscosmos, plan to continue using the ISS until 2030, when both agencies intend to go their separate ways and transition to new space stations. NASA hopes to be one of many customers on private space stations in the future.

SpaceX is building a superpowered spaceship to scrap the International Space Station for NASA

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Two NASA astronauts have been stuck on the International Space Station due to Boeing Starliner delays.</li><li>Butch Wilmore has been camping in a sleeping bag in the Japanese Space Agency's module, Time reported.</li></ul>Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, the two NASA astronauts stuck on the International Space Station due to delays with the Boeing Starliner aircraft, previously said they were doing great while waiting to come back to Earth.In a press conference on July 10, Williams said they were having a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-astronaut-boeing-starliner-good-feeling-be-back-safe-2024-7">good time on the ISS</a> and that it "feels good to float around." And Wilmore said he was "absolutely confident" the Starliner will get them home safe. But according to a <a target="_blank" href="https://time.com/7010425/stranded-astronauts-iss-butch-wilmore-suni-williams/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAab5hSFjSS_MKRavzBKd6lgzUtkNy4dr-RvR-hmqyEXBW4XjXdvKsllVzok_aem_LIAlK8spm2FkblPlW0QDKg">report</a> by Time editor Jeffrey Kluger, who covers space and science, Wilmore is roughing it out during his stay. Wilmore, per Kluger, was prepared to rest in a sleeping bag in the Japanese Space Agency's Kibo module for eight days. But that trip on June 5 has extended well beyond two months, and it may be February 2025 when the astronauts are brought back to Earth.According to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-facts-and-figures/">NASA</a>, the ISS only has six private sleeping quarters. Time reported that each quarter has a sleeping bag, a storage area for snacks and personal belongings, and two laptops attached to the walls.But Wilmore and Williams joined an international crew of seven people already at the ISS — so the sleep cabins were already at maximum capacity. Time reported that Williams camps with one of the astronauts in a basic sleep module called the CASA, or Crew Alternate Sleep Accommodation.And Wilmore has been given a sleeping bag to rest in, out in the Japanese module.Kluger wrote that Williams joked to him in May before she left for space, saying: "Butch is going to have to rough it a little bit."While they're stuck in space, the duo has likely also started working odd jobs on the ISS, per Time. They began with mission goals for the short stint they initially planned to be on, like carrying out checks on the Starliner after its test flight. "But they long since finished up that checklist and have instead been assisting the rest of the crew with science experiments and maintenance chores, including such unglamorous work as repairing a urine processing pump," the Time report said.The duo also packed a small selection of clothes, insufficient for a prolonged stay. But Time reported that a Northrop Grumman resupply spaceship delivered fresh clothes to both astronauts last week.<h2 id="c92f8e05-b076-4e75-a6b1-2f5f4c1188ab">A waiting game</h2>The astronauts have now spent more than 70 days in the ISS, with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-nasa-taking-long-to-bring-boeing-astronauts-home-earth-2024-8">no immediate end in sight.</a>On August 7, NASA <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reuters.com/science/nasa-says-starliner-astronauts-could-return-spacex-feb-2025-if-needed-2024-08-07/">floated the possibility</a> of using SpaceX's Crew Dragon to bring the duo down to Earth if the Starliner proves unviable.However, the downside is that they will be stuck on the International Space Station for about eight months longer than planned and will only be able to return in February 2025.The Starliner spaceship had thruster issues and helium leaks as it approached the ISS in June. Even after weeks of testing and troubleshooting, NASA <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-admits-spacex-working-on-backup-plan-stuck-boeing-astronauts-2024-8">still has concerns</a> about the aircraft's ability to bring the astronauts home.Williams, who NASA selected as an astronaut in 1998, spent 322 days in space before the Starliner project. Wilmore, a NASA astronaut since 2000, spent 178 days in space before the Starliner launch.Representatives for NASA did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.

An astronaut stuck on the International Space Station due to Boeing Starliner delays is roughing it in a sleeping bag over in the Japanese space module

Two <keyword id="19939779" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NASA-astronauts" source="keywords">NASA astronauts</keyword> <keyword id="21967665" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Barry-Wilmore" source="keywords">Barry Wilmore</keyword> and <keyword id="21544825" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sunita-Williams" source="keywords">Sunita Williams</keyword> have no planned date to return to Earth and they are waiting aboard the <keyword id="19985509" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="International-Space-Station" source="keywords">International Space Station</keyword> (ISS) amid several mechanical issues with Boeing's <keyword id="20138728" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="starliner" source="keywords">Starliner</keyword> spacecraft, ABC News reported. The two <keyword id="19935155" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NASA" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="NASA" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="NASA">NASA</keyword> astronauts were scheduled to return on June 14. However, the pair has no set date to return to Earth as their return has been delayed multiple times. In a statement, Steve Stich, manager of NASA's <keyword id="20430894" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Commercial-Crew-Program" source="keywords">Commercial Crew Program</keyword>, said, "We are taking our time and following our standard mission management team process," according to ABC News report. Stich added, "We are letting the data drive our decision-making relative to managing the small helium system leaks and thruster performance that we observed during rendezvous and docking." The Starliner with flight commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore and flight pilot Sunita "Suni" Williams onboard was launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida on June 5. The Starliner arrived at the ISS on June 6. The mission is part of the larger Commercial Crew Program at NASA, which wanted to see whether Boeing's spacecraft could be certified to carry out routine missions to and from the ISS. Boeing and NASA have said the crew is currently not in danger as they are aboard the ISS with plenty of supplies in orbit and the schedule of the station is relatively open through mid-August. NASA and Boeing said Wilmore and Williams are "integrated" with the Expedition 71 crew aboard the ISS and are assisting the crew with operations of the station as needed and completing "objectives" required for NASA's possible certification of Starliner, ABC News reported. In a statement, Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of Boeing's Starliner program, said, "The crew's feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and they know that every bit of learning we do on the Crew Flight Test will improve and sharpen our experience for future crews." Starliner has faced several issues, even before launch. The flight test was originally tentatively scheduled for May 6. However, it was delayed after a problem with an oxygen valve on a rocket from United Launch Alliance (ULA), which makes and operates the rockets that launch spacecraft into orbit. The launch date was later set for May 25. However, a small helium leak was found in the service module, which comprises support systems and instruments for operating a spacecraft, ABC News reported. Helium leaks and a thruster issue then threatened to delay the docking of Starliner. After docking at the ISS for five days, NASA and Boeing said the spacecraft was experiencing five "small" helium leaks. At the time, NASA and Boeing said enough helium was available for the return mission.

No planned date to return to Earth for two NASA astronauts due to issues with Boeing Starliner spacecraft

<ul class="summary-list"><li>SpaceX has been chosen to drag the International Space Station out of orbit.</li><li>NASA will give Musk's space exploration company $843 million for the mission. </li></ul>NASA has tasked Elon Musk's SpaceX with building a vehicle powerful enough to pull the International Space Station (ISS) out of orbit.SpaceX will be given $843 million to build the structure before the ISS reaches the end of its operational life in 2030, NASA said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-international-space-station-us-deorbit-vehicle/">statement</a> on Wednesday."NASA announced SpaceX has been selected to develop and deliver the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle that will provide the capability to deorbit the space station and ensure avoidance of risk to populated areas," per the statement.The vehicle will attach itself to the ISS and pull it out of its path, which is about <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/for-kids-and-students/what-is-the-international-space-station-grades-5-8/#:~:text=It%20orbits%20Earth%20at%20an,living%20and%20working%20in%20space.">250 miles above Earth's surface</a>.NASA started <a target="_blank" href="https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2023/09/20/nasa-seeks-proposals-from-us-industry-for-station-deorbit-spacecraft/">asking for proposals</a> from aerospace companies for the US Deorbit Vehicle (USDV) in September, asking for price quotes.Upon securing the contract, SpaceX <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1806112279068659802">responded to the news on X</a>, saying: "SpaceX is honored to be entrusted by @NASA to support this critical mission."As the ISS is decommissioned, NASA intends to transition into smaller, privately owned space stations closer to the Earth's surface, or in Low Earth Orbit."U.S. industry is developing these commercial destinations to begin operations in the late 2020s for both government and private-sector customers," <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space/low-earth-orbit-economy/commercial-destinations-in-low-earth-orbit/">NASA's website states</a>.The ISS, launched in 1998, is a 925,000-pound structure that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/comparison-of-size-of-international-space-station/#:~:text=NASA,-Feb%2002%2C%202020&amp;text=The%20International%20Space%20Station%20measures,end%20zones%20(360%20feet).">measures 357 feet end-to-end</a>, almost the length of a football field.It has been managed by five space agencies since its launch: NASA, CSA (Canadian Space Agency), ESA (European Space Agency), JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and Russia's State Space Corporation Roscosmos.The statement said that the US, Canada, Japan, and participating countries of the ESA have remained committed to operating the ISS until it retires in 2030. Russia has committed to maintaining operations until at least 2028.The structure has much to show for its years in operation, having supported 3,300 experiments that could not have been possible on Earth, per NASA's statement on Wednesday.SpaceX has been NASA's commercial partners for years. It was one of the two American companies <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-chooses-american-companies-to-transport-u-s-astronauts-to-international-space-station/">NASA tapped in 2014</a> to explore commercial space transport.SpaceX and NASA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

The International Space Station is getting the scrap, and Elon Musk's SpaceX is being paid close to $1 billion to do the honors

Perth: (The Conversation) Last week, three tiny Australian satellites from Curtin University's <keyword id="23932163" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Binar-Space-Program" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Binar Space Program" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Binar Space Program">Binar Space Program</keyword> burned up in Earth's atmosphere. That was always going to happen. In fact, Binar means "fireball" in the Noongar language of the First Nations people of Perth. When a satellite is in low Earth orbit (2,000km or less), it experiences orbital decay as it drags closer and closer to the surface, eventually burning up. But these cube satellites (<keyword id="21533654" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CubeSats" source="keywords">CubeSats</keyword>), known as Binar-2, 3 and 4, entered the atmosphere much sooner than originally planned. They only lasted for two months - a third of what was expected. This significantly reduced valuable time for science and testing new systems. The reason for their untimely demise? Our Sun has kicked into high gear, and the Binar satellites are far from the only casualty. Recent high <keyword id="20792842" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Solar-activity" source="keywords">solar activity</keyword> has been causing an unexpected headache for satellite operators in the last few years, and it's only increasing. <h2>Why is the Sun so active? </h2> Solar activity includes phenomena such as sunspots, solar flares and solar wind - the stream of charged particles that flows toward Earth. This activity is a product of the Sun's ever-changing magnetic field, and approximately every 11 years, it completely flips. At the midpoint of this cycle, solar activity is at its highest. While this cycle is known, specific solar activity is challenging to predict - the dynamics are complex and solar forecasting is in its infancy. In the last few months, indicators of solar activity were more than one and a half times higher than predictions for this point in the current cycle, labelled <keyword id="22712826" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="solar-cycle-25" source="keywords">solar cycle 25</keyword>. <h2>The impact of <keyword id="20087207" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-weather" source="keywords">space weather</keyword> </h2> Space weather refers to the environmental effects that originate from outside our atmosphere (mostly the Sun). It affects us on Earth in a variety of noticeable and unnoticeable ways. The most obvious is the presence of auroras. In the past few months, auroras have been visible far more intensely and closer to the equator than in the last two decades. This is a direct result of the increased solar activity. Space weather, and solar activity in particular, also creates additional challenges for satellites and satellite operators. Higher solar activity means more solar flares and stronger solar wind - resulting in a higher flux of charged particles that can damage or disrupt electrical components on satellites. It also means an increase in ionising radiation, resulting in a higher dose for astronauts and pilots, and potential disruptions to long-distance radio communications. But for satellites in low Earth orbit, the most consistent effect of solar activity is that the extra energy gets absorbed into the outer atmosphere, causing it to balloon outward. As a result, all satellites less than 1,000km from Earth experience a significant increase in <keyword id="23473319" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="atmospheric-drag" source="keywords">atmospheric drag</keyword>. This is a force that disrupts their orbit and causes them to fall towards the planet's surface. Notable satellites in this region include the International Space Station and the Starlink constellation. These satellites have thrusters to counteract this effect, but these corrections can be expensive. Low Earth orbit also contains many university satellites, such as the Binar CubeSats. Cube satellites are rarely equipped with tools that can adjust their altitude, so they're entirely at the mercy of space weather. <h2>What happened to Binar? </h2> The Binar Space Program is a satellite research program operating out of Curtin University. It aims to advance our understanding of the Solar System and lower the barrier for operating in space. The program began operations with its first satellite, Binar-1, in September 2021. This was less than a year into solar cycle 25 when solar activity was relatively low. In these conditions, the ten-centimetre cube satellite started at an altitude of 420km and survived a full 364 days in orbit. The program's follow-up mission - Binar-2, 3, and 4 - were three equally sized CubeSats. However, they were expected to last approximately six months owing to the extra surface area from new deployable solar arrays and a forecast increase in solar activity. Instead, they only made it to two months before burning up. While cube satellite missions are relatively cheap, the premature ending of a mission will always be costly. This is even more true for commercial satellites, highlighting the need for more accurate space weather forecasting. The good news is the Sun will calm down again. Despite the current unexpectedly high solar activity, it will likely slow down by 2026, and is expected to return to a solar minimum in 2030. While this was not an explicit goal of the mission, the Binar Space Program has now poignantly demonstrated the dramatic effects of solar activity on space operations. While the untimely loss of Binar-2, 3 and 4 was unfortunate, work has already begun on future missions. They are expected to launch into far more forgiving space weather. (The Conversation).

Right now, the Sun is far more active than predicted - and small satellites are paying the price

Projected to last only days, the first crewed test flight of <keyword id="19915275" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Boeing" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Boeing" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Boeing">Boeing</keyword>'s <keyword id="20138728" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="starliner" source="keywords">Starliner</keyword> <keyword id="19982902" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="spacecraft" source="keywords">spacecraft</keyword> with two <keyword id="20038917" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="astronauts" source="keywords">astronauts</keyword> onboard is in limbo with no exact return to Earth announced. <keyword id="19935155" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NASA" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="NASA" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="NASA">NASA</keyword>'s <keyword id="20430894" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Commercial-Crew-Program" source="keywords">Commercial Crew Program</keyword> manager, Steve Stich has said that the US space agency is considering extending the duration of Starliner's mission from 45 days to 90 days, CNN reported. Officials have repeatedly hinted that the Starliner, which faced issues with helium leaks and thruster outages heading to the International <keyword id="20073557" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-station" source="keywords">Space Station</keyword> in early June, will be safe to bring astronauts including indian-origin Sunita 'Suni' Williams and Butch Wilmore home. On Friday, Stich said that NASA is considering extending the maximum length of Starliner's mission from 45 days to 90 days and there is no firm return date on the horizon, according to CNN report. Addressing a briefing on Friday, the NASA official said, "We're just looking at the timeline to execute (the test in New Mexico) and then review the data." He further said, "And that's what's really the long pole, I would say, determining a landing date." Stich added, "We're not in a rush to come home." Part of that desired extension is due to the ground tests that Boeing and NASA plan to conduct in New Mexico, seeking to better understand why some of the Starliner's thrusters unexpectedly failed during the first leg of its journey. Stich and Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of the Commercial Crew Program for Boeing, also said that engineers are still not certain about the reason behind the Starliner's problems. Nappi said that part of the aim is conducting the ground tests while the vehicle is still in space is to try to whittle down possible reasons why the thrusters malfunctioned. Mark Nappi said, "So, if (the test in New Mexico) comes back and gives us all the answers, then we can just undock and come home." He added, "If it comes back and says, 'Here's 80 per cent of the answer. And if you just run one more docked hot fire (test on the Starliner in orbit), then you can get 100 per cent of the answers' -- then we want (Starliner) to be there so that we can get that information." Meanwhile, Williams and Wilmore have integrated with the rest of the crew currently aboard the International Space Station and are conducting routine tasks. Several more helium leaks were identified while the craft was heading to the International Space Station, along with the thruster issues. The Starliner's service module, a cylindrical attachment at the bottom of the spacecraft that provides much of the vehicle's power during flight, faced several issues, CNN reported. As per the design, the service module will not survive the return to Earth. The module is jettisoned and destroyed as the Starliner spacecraft reenters the atmosphere and that's the reason why Boeing and NASA teams then opted to leave the Starliner spacecraft safely docked with the space station while they worked to learn as much as possible about those issues. It is not clear yet whether NASA will extend the maximum mission length to 90 days. Stich said officials must clear the battery life of the Starliner for that purpose. Although he noted that the batteries are being recharged at the space station, they should operate the same way after 90 days as they will for the first 45 days. The spaceflight industry frequently experiences cost overruns, delays and unmet deadlines. However, Boeing has faced challenges that have stood out, particularly when the Starliner program is directly compared with SpaceX's Crew Dragon, CNN reported. Crew Dragon, which falls under the same NASA Commercial Crew Program for astronaut transportation, completed its first test flight in 2020 and has been carrying out routine missions ever since. SpaceX did not have the benefit of designing the Crew Dragon spacecraft off the back of its Cargo Dragon vehicle, which for years sent supplies to the International Space Station before its successor started operating while Boeing designed Starliner from scratch. Nappi said, "We've got a really good test flight that's been accomplished so far, and it's being viewed rather negatively." In the latest update regarding the ongoing space mission, the Expedition 71 crew members on Friday packed a US cargo craft, cleaned up the International Space Station, studied techniques of futuristic piloting, and carried out eye exams. NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts spent the day reconfiguring a space botany facility. In its live blog, NASA stated, " Robotics controllers are scheduled to detach the Cygnus space freighter from the Unity module on July 12 and release it into Earth orbit for disposal over the South Pacific Ocean ending a five-and-a-half-month mission at the orbital lab." NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick spent most of the time on Friday on loading trash and discarding gear inside the Cygnus with assistance from fellow NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps and Tracy C Dyson. Canadarm2 robotic arm captured the Cygnus on February 1, with more than 8200 pounds of science experiments and crew supplies. Epps operated standard medical imaging gear found in an optometrist's office on Earth and peered into Dyson's eyes. She examined the cornea, retina, and lens of Dyson to help flight surgeons understand and counteract microgravity's effect on crew vision. Earlier, Dyson collected and stowed excess space station hardware for disposal. During the day, NASA Flight Engineer Mike Barratt routed cables and reprogrammed communications systems inside the Columbus laboratory module. He stowed hardware and components used earlier in the week for advanced orbital plumbing in the Tranquility module's bathroom. Mike Barratt refilled supply kits in Columbus' two Human Research Facility racks with biomedical gear, including sample tubes and needles. On Friday, Starliner's Commander and Pilot, Butch Wilmore and <keyword id="21544825" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sunita-Williams" source="keywords">Sunita Williams</keyword> in Kibo conducted space botany work. They removed the Plant Habitat growth chamber from Kibo's EXPRESS rack, replaced its camera and carbon dioxide sensors, then reinstalled the research device. In the liveblog, NASA said, "NASA and Boeing continue to evaluate Starliner's propulsion system performance before returning to Earth from the orbiting lab. NASA and Boeing leaders participated in a media teleconference today to discuss Starliner and station operations." "NASA is now targeting the end of July for the next spacewalk outside the space station. This change allows teams on the ground to continue to troubleshoot and understand the water leak in the service and cooling umbilical unit that forced an early end to a spacewalk on Monday, June 24," it added. Flight Engineer Nikolai Chub practiced planetary spacecraft and robotic piloting techniques future crew members and conducted two sessions of an investigation exploring ways to create new materials on the lunar surface. Meanwhile, Flight Engineer Alexander Grebenkin worked throughout the day inventorying medical kits and cleaning fans inside the Rassvet module and Station Commander Oleg Kononenko replaced thermal components in Roscosmos' life support hardware.

Boeing Starliner with Sunita Williams onboard could wait months in space before return as NASA mulls extending mission duration

<ul class="summary-list"><li>NASA released a new image of the recently-recovered long-lost space tomatoes.</li><li>Astronaut Frank Rubio misplaced the tomatoes in March while on the International Space Station.</li></ul>Imagine what would happen to a tomato if you lost it in your home — here on Earth — and found it eight months later.The red fleshy fruit would turn into a horrifically unrecognizable clump of white and black fuzz, worn down by time and bacteria.Not in space.Two space-grown tomatoes that NASA astronaut Frank Rubio mistakenly lost on the International Space Station earlier this year <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/missing-space-tomato-found-iss-nasa-astronaut-accused-ate-2023-12">turned up last week,</a> eight months after they went missing, vindicating Rubio, whose colleagues had accused him of eating them.And the tomatoes look remarkably good — dare we say, edible? — considering the ordeal they went through.In a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/nasa-lets-ketchup-on-international-space-station-tomato-research/">press release on Thursday</a>, NASA shared a new image of what the rogue fruits looked like when they were found, reporting that they had become dehydrated and "slightly squished.""Other than some discoloration," NASA said, they "had no visible microbial or fungal growth."The tomatoes were grown on the International Space Station as part of NASA's VEG-05 project which was launched late last year to study crop growth, food safety, and flavor in space.The experiment used the space station's vegetable facility to grow dwarf tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, kale, and flowers, in an effort to address the need for ongoing fresh food in space and on future missions to both the Moon and Mars, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/nasa-teams-persevere-through-plant-challenges-in-space/">according to NASA</a>.The discovery of the long-lost tomatoes was announced earlier this month in a live-stream interview from the International Space Station.<div type="image" title="Frank Rubio smiles while gardening in space" height="512" width="768" msid="106005095" hostid="261" sizebytes="37770"></div>After the experimental tomatoes were harvested in March, each astronaut was given a sample in a Ziplock bag, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.space.com/international-space-station-lost-tomato-frank-rubio-found">Space.com</a> previously reported. The space-bound gardeners were instructed not to eat the fruit in case of potential fungal contamination. Rubio, however, soon lost track of his tomatoes while serving a record-breaking 371 days on the space station — leading to jabs from his fellow astronauts.The embattled astronaut was finally exonerated earlier this month after having left the space station. The missing fruits were ultimately located in a plastic bag, NASA said. The tomatoes will not be making a return voyage back to Earth, having already been discarded, according to NASA.But plant research continues on the space station even in the aftermath of the case of the missing tomatoes. Scientists involved in the Plant-Habitat-03 project are currently working to assess if genetic adaptions in a generation of plants grown in space are transferable to generations down the line, NASA said. The study's results could help researchers zero in on genetic elements in plants that make them adaptable to spaceflight, leading to the ability to grow several generations of crops while on missions.In addition to paving the way for future space missions, outer space gardening has psychological benefits for the astronauts participating, according to NASA, including increased quality of life and boosted morale — that is, if they're able to keep track of their prized tomatoes.

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