April 2024

Delta IV Heavy on March 28, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / ToT

Today was an active day for launch scheduling: United Launch Alliance has announced that they will make their next attempt to launch Delta IV Heavy and NROL-70 on Tuesday April 9th, and later, NASA announced that the Crewed Flight Test of Boeing’s Starliner is now Monday, May 6th.

Delta IV Heavy / NROL-70

Delta IV was scrubbed at T-min 3:58 by a faulty gaseous nitrogen pump on its first attempt March 28, and at the time, ULA engineers and CEO Tory Bruno were optimistic that a second attempt could happen the next day. Unfortunately, the pump failed again, and ULA stated that they would announce a new launch date only when they were certain that they and NASA (who provides the N2 service to the pad) were past the problem.

Today ULA released their new target date:

DELTA IV HEAVY TO LAUNCH NROL-70

“A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket is launching the NROL-70 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. This is the 16th and final launch of a Delta IV Heavy rocket. 

Launch Date and Time: April 9 at 12:53 p.m. EDT, pending range approval

GO Delta IV Heavy! GO NROL-70!“

United Launch Alliance, April 2, 2024

The launch will be from SLC-37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Starliner Crewed Flight Test (CFT)

The Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is lifted at the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex-41 at Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 4, 2022.
Photo: NASA/Frank Michaux

Later on in the day, rumors of a shift in the Starliner launch date from May 1st came to pass when NASA made this announcement:

NASA, Boeing Update Launch Date for Starliner’s First Astronaut Flight

“Following a review of the International Space Station operations, NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test now is targeting no earlier than Monday, May 6, for Starliner’s first launch with astronauts to the orbital complex. The date adjustment optimizes space station schedule of activities planned toward the end of April, including a cargo spacecraft undocking and a crew spacecraft port relocation required for Starliner docking. NASA and Boeing also are performing prelaunch closeout work and completing final certification for flight.”

NASA, Boeing Update Launch Date for Starliner’s First Astronaut Flight

It should be noted that Starliner’s launch date was not moved due to any technical issue, but instead because of ISS logistics.

NASA Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will be aboard Starliner when it heads to the International Space Station for a planned one week stay on the orbiting outpost.

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Astronaut Robert D. Cabana, mission commander, on Space Suttle orbiter Endeavour’s flight deck, logs a note regarding operations with Unity in 1998.
Photo: NASA

Robert D. “Bob” Cabana, a former NASA astronaut, NASA Associate Administrator (the agency’s third highest-ranking executive) and Director of Kennedy Space Center, has joined IBX, a firm that invests in and fosters innovation in space-related companies. Founded by engineer and entrepreneur Kam Ghaffirian, IBX supports companies Ghaffirian helped found: Axiom Space, Intuitive Machines, Quantum Space and X-energy along with other ventures. Cabana will serve as a Senior Advisor with the company.

Cabana, who flew on four Shuttle missions, as pilot on STS-41 and STS-53 and mission commander on STS-65 and STS-88, has logged 38 days in space. He is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and served in the US Marines prior to joining NASA.

“I’m truly excited to join Kam’s innovative team at IBX, supporting the continued advancement of our nation’s space program and pushing the boundaries of technology for a brighter future on Earth and beyond,” said Cabana in a press released issued today by IBX.

Axiom Space

Axiom Space has managed the flights of three groups of astronauts to the International Space Station, and has a fourth flight scheduled for later this year. They also have a contract to provide NASA with the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), a spacesuit will provide astronauts advanced capabilities to access, live and work on and around the Moon.

Liftoff of Axiom-3 on January 18, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Axiom is also currently building the first segment of a commercial space station, Axiom Station. Working with Thales Alenia Space, fabrication is well underway with a planned launch in 2026.

Axiom Station rendering.
Graphic: Axiom Space

Intuitive Machines

Intuitive Machines just completed their first lunar landing with IM-1, a NASA Commercial Lunar Payload System (CLPS) mission that was the first successful American landing on the Moon’s surface since the end of the Apollo program in 1972.

Intuitive Machines IM-1 before launching to the moon.
Photo: Intuitive Machines

That mission was partially successful in that it did complete the lunar landing, but it also had issues with its lander’s navigation system that resulted with a lander on its side near the south pole of the Moon. Intuitive has another CLPS mission scheduled for later this year using another of its Nova-C landers, and the company has said that it will incorporate lessons learned to during IM-1 into its IM-2 mission planned for sometime in Q4 2024.

Quantum Space

Quantum Space is a company that plans to provide data services beyond low-Earth orbit, in geosynchronous and cislunar space. It is creating a laser-based system that will be utilized in a modular fleet of spacecraft that will incorporate external payloads as well as data collection based on its own systems.

Rendering of Quantum Space Ranger
Graphic: Quantum Space

The QS-1 spacecraft — Ranger — launch is ostensibly scheduled for late 2024 and will include off-the-shelf processor and navigation electronics provided by Beyond Gravity, a subsidiary of RUAG. According to the company, “Ranger is powered by storable chemical propulsion and can transport rideshare payloads, from cubesats to larger OTV [Orbital Test Vehicles.]”

X-energy

X-energy is a reactor and fuel design engineering company. It is developing a Generation IV high-temperature gas-cooled pebble-bed nuclear reactor design that do not rely on active systems or power to ensure reactor safety. They are also developing a new reactor fuel called TRISO-X that can withstand four times the temperature of current nuclear fuel, but is priced similarly to those older materials.

A completed TRISO-X unit is about the size of a billiards ball, and is filled with tiny particles of enriched fuel that is triple-wrapped in a high temperature carbon ceramic material that makes the unit self-contained, meltdown-proof and mechanically resilient unit. Compared to current nuclear fuel rods, it is far safer, making it an ideal candidate for the next generation of nuclear reactors.

Based in Rockwell, Maryland, X-energy has received grants from the U.S. Department of Energy to advance X-energy’s reactor development program. In March 2023, X-energy and Dow Inc agreed to develop a grid-scale next-generation Xe-100 nuclear reactor at one of Dow’s sites on the Gulf Coast of the US.

Undoubtedly, Cabana’s experience and expertise will quite an asset to IBX and the companies it is invested in, and also undoubtedly, Cabana will be a busy man, given all of the activities that these companies are taking part in.

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Delta IV Heavy at SLC-37 on March 29, 2024
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

There will be no attempt to launch Delta IV Heavy from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today as the company continues working with NASA and other US government agencies to correct the gaseous nitrogen problem that caused a scrub at T-minus three minutes and fifty-eight seconds last Thursday.

Scheduling Sites Were April Fooled:

According to many space launch scheduling sites, today was the expected day for the last Delta IV Heavy to head to orbit with the NROL-70 payload aboard. Those sites often use reliable secondary sources to make their scheduling predictions, for example, FAA notifications to pilots of planned launch activities. ULA never officially announced a new date for a launch attempt, and apparently, work continues on the issues that caused the original scrub.

While the scheduling sites are nearly always accurate in their lists, this time they panned out some fool’s gold and were incorrect.

Information from FAA.gov on Saturday, March 30, 2024

ULA Update On Sunday, March 30

Saturday, Talk of Titusville asked ULA CEO Tory Bruno for an update, and this was his reply:

ULA CEO Tory Bruno on the X platform.

Bruno also added that “[A]s frustrating as this delay might be, The overall all level of support we get from our USG partners is outstanding. Far better than anything we might experience on a daily basis in an average commercial airport going to and from a launch.” Clearly, everyone involved is working hard to rectify the issues keeping NROL-70 and Delta IV Heavy grounded.

Attempt on April 8?

Meanwhile, it appears that an April 8 launch attempt may be in the cards:

Information from FAA.gov on April 1, 2024

Keep in mind that this is the from the same set of sources that were incorrect over the weekend.

That is the same day and roughly the same time that a total solar eclipse will be making its way across a large swath of the US. The Space Coast will only see a partial eclipse, but it could be an interesting time to see a rocket in flight in the daytime.

Take it for what it is worth — ULA has still not announced a firm date/time for Delta IV Heavy as of the time of this writing. (Monday, April 1st at 8:30 AM EDT.)

Check back here at Talk of Titusville for any updates. We will pass them along as soon as they are available.

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