NASA taps Falcon Heavy for another major launch. Just over a month after SpaceX launched NASA's flagship Europa Clipper mission on a Falcon Heavy rocket, the space agency announced that its next major interplanetary probe will also launch on a Falcon Heavy, Ars reports. In addition, the Dragonfly mission that will launch the Falcon Heavy in 2028 will be powered by a plutonium power source. This will be the first time SpaceX has launched a rocket with nuclear material on board, which requires an extra layer of safety certification from NASA. The agency's most recent nuclear-powered spacecraft were all launched on United Launch Alliance Atlas V rockets, which are nearing retirement.
The details… Dragonfly is one of the most exciting robotic missions NASA has ever developed. The mission is to send an automated helicopter plane to explore Saturn's largest moon, Titan, where Dragonfly will fly through a smooth atmosphere in search of organic molecules, the building blocks of life. It's a hefty vehicle, about the size of a compact car, and much larger than NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter. The launch window starts on July 5, 2028, so Dragonfly can reach Titan in 2034. NASA will pay SpaceX $256.6 million to launch the mission on a Falcon Heavy. (submitted by Ken de Bin)
New Glenn is back on the trail. Blue Origin has lifted its fully stacked New Glenn rocket onto the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station launch pad ahead of pre-launch testing, Florida Today reports. The last time this new, 98-meter-high rocket was visible to the public was in March. Since then, Blue Origin has been preparing the rocket for its inaugural launch, which could take place before the end of the year. Blue Origin has not announced a target launch date.
But first more testing… Blue Origin placed the New Glenn rocket vertically on the launch pad for ground testing earlier this year, but this is the first time a flight-ready (or close to) New Glenn has been spotted on the launch pad. This time, the first stage booster has its full complement of seven BE-4 methane engines. Before the first flight, Blue Origin plans to test the seven BE-4 engines on the pad and conduct one or more propellant loading tests to exercise the launch team, rocket and ground systems before launch day.
