TechCrunch Orbit: Economizing on Space Exploration

Greetings, and welcome once again to TechCrunch Space. Have you caught the news? I’m thrilled to announce Bridgit Mendler will grace the stage with me at this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt, diving into the world of ground stations. She represents one of many exceptional space industry leaders attending this year. Discover more about it here. October 28-30 — hope to see you there!

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A duo of spacecraft engineered by Rocket Lab are slated for an ambitious two-phase voyage. Their initial leg is a 55-hour, 2,500-mile journey from California to Cape Canaveral’s launch site. The subsequent phase? An impressive leap of 11 months and 230 million miles to Mars.

Adding to the thrill, the mission—sponsored by NASA and featuring scientific instruments from UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory alongside satellite buses from Rocket Lab—aims to achieve this at just a fraction (one-tenth) of the cost of comparable Mars orbiters. Slated for launch aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn in October, ESCAPADE could face delays since it marks the inaugural flight of the launcher. A missed window spells a 26-month wait for ESCAPADE’s next opportunity.

While not breaking news, I’m bringing a unique piece to the table: a comprehensive look at Stoke’s launch pad environmental review, published last month by the U.S. Space Force. These in-depth documents offer a window into a company’s immediate strategy, despite their complexity.

The crux of the document outlines that Stoke is adopting a “phased program approach.” Initially, the company will start with fully expendable vehicles, aiming for a modest launch pace (10 launches/year). A second phase, pending further environmental review not covered in this initial document, will transition to fully reusable rockets.

Navigating the extended orbit stay of Starliner astronauts—now over 70 days instead of the initially planned week—can be perplexing. For clarity, this brief overview from CNBC’s Michael Sheetz proves invaluable. Consider sharing with those curious about the ongoing saga aboard the International Space Station.

Space History Highlights

Instead of delving into the past, let’s spotlight a present-day celestial occurrence: the upcoming Blue Supermoon. It’s labeled “Blue” for being the third of four full moons in a single season, and “super” denotes its proximity to Earth — within 90% of its nearest point. This lunar event promises to be a memorable sight.