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The SpaceX Falcon 9 is launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on March 30, 2018. SpaceX
"The wheels stop."
These two words, uttered on July 21, 2011, not only signaled the end of the last shuttle flight, but also the end of the United States ability to send humans into space. It's been seven years now that America has been forced to rely on Russia to deliver American astronauts safely to the space station – a crazy notion given the history of both countries. Despite being a global leader in space, America has fallen behind when it comes to actually putting people in orbit. Fortunately, this will change this year
An international space race was born more than 60 years ago when the Soviet Union launched a small Argentine satellite named Sputnik 1 in 1957. When its first beeps were heard in orbit , governments rushed to get their own satellites, and the United States has since poured billions of dollars into the aerospace industry, trying to stay ahead of the Russians.
For nearly a decade, Russia led the great space race, and Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space in 1961. But everything changed with the rise of the American Apollo program. What began as a failure, when three brave astronauts died during a test flight, turned into a brilliant success: men walking on the moon.
A photo of Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon taken by Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 mission. NASA [19659002] To this day, America remains the only country to have put boots on the lunar surface, but many different space agencies across the globe look at the moon as a stepping stone to Mars and beyond.
After the glory days of Apollo, NASA increased its space game with the debut of the first reusable space taxi: the space shuttle. A magnificent machine capable of flying several times, NASA shuttles flew for three decades. Meanwhile, the International Space Station was built and many important satellites were launched, including the Hubble Space Telescope. But like most good things, the shuttle time has finally ended.
In 2011, the powers that complete the 30-year shuttle program from the United States chose to rely on private companies to make the space taxis of the future. This left NASA (and others) dependent on Russia for access to space. Until a new fleet of commercial vehicles is operational, no other ship is able to transport people into space outside of Soyuz, the pride of the Russian space program.
But two US companies, SpaceX and Boeing, are striving to safely launch ground astronauts from the United States. If the current schedule is respected, they could start piloting crews this year.
The promise of a thriving space industry is exactly what the nation needed to rejuvenate the public interest in launches. People from around the world celebrated the flight of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy – which is essentially composed of three Falcon 9 rockets – in February of this year. This flight was more than launching a cherry red Tesla roadster with a Starman pilot in the space; he dazzled the audience with his carefully choreographed aerial ballet as two of the three boosters landed in sync. (SpaceX is the first and only company to have successfully launched and launched an orbital-clbad rocket.)
With soaring SpaceX launches, the United States has achieved something that they have not done. Have not been able to do since 2003: leader of launches . Last year, the United States recorded 29 successful flights (including 18 from SpaceX only). This year, the company plans to launch 26 times, including its commercial crew efforts.
In August of this year, the aerospace company plans to demonstrate its new Crew Dragon, the ship that will soon be transporting astronauts to and from the International Space Station. During the mission, dubbed Demo-1, the unoccupied Dragon will depart from Florida to the ISS, where it will dock with the station and remain in orbit for a few weeks to test its operation before a second launch – this time with people on board-in December.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, is a serial disruptor and constantly pushes his team to innovate. On June 29, the company launched its last moderately reusable Falcon 9 rocket, Block 4. This version of the company's flagship rocket was designed to fly two or three times at most. Musk hopes that his successor, dubbed Block 5, will be more like a commercial airliner than in the sense that he will be able to transport people and launch, land and re-launch in one day.
According to SpaceX, each block 5 will be able to fly 10 times or more before needing light renovations, and up to 100 times before the booster is removed. This is possible through a combination of design changes, including improved engines, more durable interstage, titanium grid fins and a new thermal protection system. These settings help the booster to better withstand the constraints of the launch.
Thanks to Musk's prowess, rocket companies around the world have had to improve their game. Newcomer Blue Origin boasts that its rocket (currently under development) will be able to fly 25 times before renovations are needed. China has even taken some notes from the Musk Handbook and is working to develop reusable rockets that will one day compete with SpaceX.
But some rocket suppliers failed under pressure. The Russian rocket Proton has had a difficult time and after 53 years of service, the rocket runs out of customers. This is partly due to breakdowns that have plagued the vehicle over the years. For almost half of its life, the Proton was the reference rocket for commercial satellite operators. Now, the Proton is being replaced by more reliable launchers, like the Falcon 9. With only one or two flights scheduled for 2018, this could be the end of an era for part of the Russian fleet.
Private companies like SpaceX have always shone in innovation. The prowess that they are capable of performing – as proven rockets can be reusable – is what motivates the future. The progress made by entities like SpaceX will not only allow astronauts to return to space, but also to do so on the backs of American rockets.
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