New Glenn Launches, Starship Explodes. Plus, Nuclear Oil Breakthrough
From rebuilding our industrial base to advancing cutting-edge technologies, the incoming administration's plans promise to propel our nation forward, creating jobs, fostering innovation, and reasserting American dominance on Earth and beyond.
Space Exploration Milestones
New Glenn's Maiden Flight
Thursday, January 16, 2025, marked a significant day for space exploration.
In the early hours, Blue Origin achieved a major milestone by successfully reaching orbit with the inaugural flight of its New Glenn launch vehicle.
However, the first stage failed in its attempt to land on a ship at sea.
Starship/Superheavy Test Flight 7
Later that day, SpaceX conducted its seventh test flight of the Starship/Superheavy combination.
While the Superheavy booster successfully returned to the launch tower arms for the second consecutive time, the Starship encountered issues:
- Engine failures occurred as the Starship neared the end of its rocket burn
- Flames were observed along the vehicle's side
- The Starship ultimately disintegrated
Vehicle Comparison
A visual comparison of various launch vehicles:
here you go, this just appeared on my feed. New Glenn is 6th from the left. pic.twitter.com/G52IKUZL4i
— тнχ 1138я (@THX1138r) January 12, 2025
At the far left is the Starship/Superheavy in Test Flight 7 configuration, 4th from left is the Saturn V, sixth from left is the New Glenn followed by the Space Launch System, and at the far right is the Ariane 6 that launched the Webb Telescope.
Production Capabilities and Future Plans
Blue Origin
- Impressive production facilities established
- Aiming for approximately 12 New Glenn launches this year
- Focusing on payload delivery while perfecting reusability
SpaceX
- Extensive production infrastructure in place
- Targeting 25 Starship/Superheavy launches this year
- Benefiting from successful soft landings of version 1 Starships
Preliminary Failure Analysis
Elon Musk provided an initial report on the Starship loss, with expectations to fly again in February. The investigation will likely focus on recent changes made in the transition from Block 1 to Block 2 configuration.
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.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 17, 2025
Apart from obviously double-checking for leaks, we will add fire suppression to that volume and…
Elon Musk's preliminary report on the loss of the Starship. He expects to fly again in February.
Nuclear Oil: Combining Hydrogen and Atmospheric CO2
Valar Atomics
Isaiah Taylor, the 25-year-old founder of Valar Atomics, is pioneering a revolutionary approach to energy production:
- Developing Small Modular High Temperature Gas Reactors
- Planning Gigasites with 100 to 1,000 reactors
- Utilizing high-temperature reactor output to extract hydrogen from water
- Combining hydrogen with atmospheric CO2 to produce synthetic crude oil
Cameron Porter
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