Kategorie: Space Launches

A Chinese private aerospace company has secured a ticket to the moon as it prepares to launch two AI-controlled lunar exploration robots alongside the Chang’e-8 mission in 2028, with international cooperation.
The robots are being jointly developed by STAR.VISION, a private aerospace company based in Hangzhou, along with a professor from Zhejiang University and another professor from Middle East Technical University in Turkey, according to a statement released on Friday.
“This is the first time a private company in China has been responsible for a sub-project in space exploration. Traditionally, China’s space missions have been conducted primarily by state-owned entities,” Wang Chunhui, the company’s chief technology officer, said in an interview.

Chinese private aerospace company STAR.VISION will collaborate with experts from Zhejiang University and Middle East Technical University in Turkey to develop lunar rovers for Chang’e-8. Photo: Handout

“Previous missions like this were typically handled by industrial departments, but this time, we’ve incorporated commercial aerospace companies, and we are also exploring international cooperation,” he said, adding that his company intended to make the most of the opportunity.
The China National Space Administration started carrying international payloads with its Chang’e-4 mission, where it worked with various European and Asian partners.
“STAR.VISION’s primary contribution will focus on the AI processor, while we will contribute expertise in navigation, algorithms and the mechanical components for the rovers, including the rollers,” Halil Ersin Soken, a professor of robotics with Middle East Technical University, said in a press release on Friday.
The two lunar exploration robots will also interact autonomously. “Through data sharing and task delegation, the robots will work together like a team, achieving objectives that would be impossible for independent robots to complete,” Wang said.
Sun Shujian, an aerospace and satellite expert with Zhejiang University, said artificial intelligence (AI) would play a key role in China’s future lunar exploration.

Part of the Chang’e-8 mission includes setting up a lunar research station. Photo: Handout
“The moon is 380,000km (236,000 miles) from Earth, and especially at the lunar south pole, where communication faces significant coverage challenges, communication between the rover and Earth relies on relay satellites, which means delays of up to several minutes. So, the autonomy of the rovers is critical,” Sun said.

Past lunar rovers have been limited by preprogrammed instructions, which sometimes hindered their full capabilities. The Zhurong Mars rover struggled due to a lack of real-time algorithmic control, and ended up stuck in a pit.
In 2019, the Change’-4 mission landed a spacecraft on the far side of the moon in the South Pole-Aitken basin. China is aiming to land astronauts on the moon by 2030 and set up a lunar research station by about 2035.
In addition to remote robotic exploration, the Chang’e-8 mission will carry out tests on the lunar surface for a command and communication hub that will be part of a planned lunar base.
In the run-up to the mission, STAR.VISION will need to address various technical challenges, carry out tests in experimental conditions, procure equipment and obtain the necessary approvals.
“Over the next year, the main focus will be to validate core technologies and build prototypes. The moon’s gravity is just one-sixth of Earth’s, which makes it difficult to control the robots with electric motors,” Sun said.
“Additionally, the lunar south pole faces a continuous night that is 14½ [Earth] days long, with temperatures dropping to as low as minus 197 degrees Celsius (minus 323 degrees Fahrenheit). Ensuring that electronic equipment works properly in such extreme conditions will be a major challenge,” Sun added.
The company did not elaborate on the rovers’ missions due to the classified nature of Chang’e-8’s specific tasks.
Part of the mission would be to set up a lunar research station, Peng Jing, chief designer of the Chang’e-8 probe, previously told state media.
“It will be similar to the Chang’e-7 mission, with the main module being a lander that will carry scientific instruments. There may also be a small probe, resembling a robot sweeper, working in coordination with the lander.”

Last August, STAR.VISION launched a satellite equipped with an AI processor capable of processing data directly in space.

source: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3296324/change-8-moon-mission-first-get-robotic-boost-chinas-private-sector

The Starship rocket from SpaceX suffered an unexpected failure when it exploded merely minutes into its seventh trial flight, marking a surprising reversal of fortunes for the company led by Elon Musk, which had been consistently making headway in enhancing the rocket’s capabilities.
The accident necessitated a change in the flight paths of airlines over the Gulf of Mexico to prevent any encounters with plummeting debris, Hindustan Times reported. Furthermore, it represented a significant hindrance to Elon Musk’s premier rocket initiative.
8 minutes post-launch from its South Texas rocket facilities at 5:38 pm EST (2238 GMT), SpaceX’s mission control lost communication with the recently enhanced Starship. The Starship, which was uncrewed, was on its maiden test flight carrying mock satellites as its payload.
Preliminary findings hint at an oxygen leak as the cause of the Starship rocket’s disintegration, but SpaceX will conduct a thorough investigation to confirm the exact reason for the mishap. Elon Musk, the CEO of the company, disseminated the update via a post on his social media platform X.
“Preliminary indication is that we had an oxygen/fuel leak in the cavity above the ship engine firewall that was large enough to build pressure in excess of the vent capacity,” he wrote in the post.
Even though this represents a clear hindrance to the firm’s space project, Musk continues to be optimistic about an imminent launch. Additionally, he provided information on what SpaceX plans to implement to prevent such failures in the future.
“Apart from obviously double-checking for leaks, we will add fire suppression to that volume and probably increase vent area. Nothing so far suggests pushing next launch past next month,” he added
The previous instance of a Starship upper stage failure occurred in March of the previous year during its reentry into Earth’s atmosphere over the Indian Ocean.
This marked the seventh Starship test by SpaceX since 2023, as part of Musk’s multibillion-dollar project. The goal is to construct a rocket that can transport both humans and cargo to Mars and also deploy significant groups of satellites into Earth’s orbit.
SpaceX’s method of testing until failure has historically involved dramatic failures as the company stretches the engineering boundaries of Starship prototypes. However, the test failure on Thursday occurred during a mission stage that SpaceX has successfully navigated in the past.
The formidable Falcon Super Heavy booster, in the meantime, made its way back to the launchpad approximately seven minutes post-launch, as scheduled. It decelerated its return from space by reactivating its Raptor engines, securing itself onto enormous mechanical arms attached to a launch tower.

SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on its latest test flight Thursday, but the spacecraft was destroyed following a thrilling booster catch back at the pad.
Elon Musk’s company said Starship broke apart — what it called a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.” The spacecraft’s six engines appeared to shut down one by one during ascent, with contact lost just 8 1/2 minutes into the flight.
The spacecraft — a new and upgraded model making its debut — was supposed to soar across the Gulf of Mexico from Texas on a near loop around the world similar to previous test flights. SpaceX had packed it with 10 dummy satellites for practice at releasing them.
A minute before the loss, SpaceX used the launch tower’s giant mechanical arms to catch the returning booster, a feat achieved only once before. The descending booster hovered over the launch pad before being gripped by the pair of arms dubbed chopsticks.
The thrill of the catch quickly turned into disappointment for not only the company, but the crowds gathered along the southern tip of Texas.
“It was great to see a booster come down, but we are obviously bummed out about ship,” said SpaceX spokesman Dan Huot. “It’s a flight test. It’s an experimental vehicle,” he stressed.

Jan. 15 (UPI) — Blue Origin successfully launched its two-stage heavy-lift New Glenn rocket on its unmanned maiden voyage into space early Thursday, achieving the mission’s primary goal of reaching orbit. The rocket launched at 2:03 a.m. EST at Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. As the rocket ascended, cheers could be […]