With Starship on hold, NASA sending Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus up for ISS resupply run

[Elderberry]

Orlando Sentinel By Richard Tribou Aug 10, 2021

There’s room for parking, so NASA is moving forward with a resupply run to the International Space Station.

A Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft is set from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia’s Eastern Shore at 5:56 p.m. Tuesday. Video of the launch can be seen on NASA TV

It’s the 16th contracted cargo mission for the Cygnus spacecraft, this one named after astronaut Ellison Onizuka, the first Asian American to fly in space as a member of STS 51-C in 1985 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. Onizuka died on his next mission though along with six crewmates during the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy in 1986.

More: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/space/os-bz-starship-delay-northrop-grumman-cygnus-launch-iss-20210810-5grh5oltgjfmxdq5cfksej4wli-story.html

[Cyber Liberty]

Which is it, Starship or Starliner?  Headline says "Starship" and the article says Boeing "Starliner."

[Elderberry]

Which is it, Starship or Starliner?  Headline says "Starship" and the article says Boeing "Starliner."

It's Starliner.

The Spacex Starship used to be called the BFR.

[ironhorsedriver]

The Starship isn't designed to go to the Space Station. And it's been ready for it's first orbital test flight, but the FAA is holding it up.

[Elderberry]

The Starship isn't designed to go to the Space Station. And it's been ready for it's first orbital test flight, but the FAA is holding it up.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/06/elon-musk-spacex-starship-fully-stacked-is-dream-come-true.html

The SpaceX CEO also answered further questions about what’s next in preparing Starship for its first launch to orbit.

Musk outlined four “significant items” that SpaceX aims to complete over the next two weeks in preparing Starship 20 for launch.

He said SpaceX needs to add the “final heat shield tiles” to the ship, add “thermal protection” to the Raptor rocket engines in Booster 4, complete work on “ground propellant storage tanks” and add a quick disconnect arm to the top of the recently built launch tower. The quick disconnect arm connects power and fuel lines to the rocket before launch.

Musk noted that work on the tiles is about “98% done” for Starship 20, as “the remaining tiles are unique shapes requiring machining.”