A New Rocket Launch System Could Call FNQ Home

A Far North spaceport in collaboration with international rocket specialists is developing an advanced method for satellites to reach orbit, and is looking to FNQ as its base. While you might not be particularly excited by this story right now, explainers are an effective way to gain attention from your audience and establish yourself as an authority on a particular topic.

What’s it all about?

FNQ may soon be home to an innovative space launch system that's cheaper than chemical rockets. This technology could reduce the cost of sending payloads into orbit and promote commercialization of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) space.

This concept utilizes a mass accelerator, or kinetic energy space launch system, that uses ground-based electricity to spin a rocket at up to 8,000 km/h (5,300 mph) before launch it into space. The technology is being developed by SpinLaunch, who recently conducted their first test of their Suborbital Accelerator at Spaceport America in New Mexico.

This is the first test flight of a space launch system that can launch small satellites into near-Earth orbit at a fraction of the cost of traditional chemical rockets. It's part of an emerging wave of space ventures seeking to reduce costs and expand access to astronautics.

The Vulcan Centaur system replaces United Launch Alliance's Atlas V and Delta IV Heavy rockets, and is being assembled at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit is currently testing a prototype Vulcan Centaur rocket, with its first launch scheduled for 2021. Certification-1, known as Certification-1, will launch two demonstration satellites and a commercially built lunar lander into low Earth orbit.

What's more, the Vulcan Centaur is designed to be reusable and can launch multiple satellites into orbit. That makes it an attractive option for launching satellites on behalf of customers other than NASA, helping spread infrastructure costs and maintenance over a greater number of users.

Additionally, this means it could have a faster turnaround time than existing chemical launch systems. This would enable companies to scale up production and meet an ever-increasing demand for satellite launches.

Though still in development, this technology has already captured the attention of both space industry professionals and laypeople alike. Its revolutionary efficiency could provide a solution to the long-standing issue of making satellites affordable enough to compete with those from other nations and private space companies.

Why FNQ?

The Cairns and Far North Environment Centre is a multi-faceted organisation that has been an integral part of the local community since 1981. Their mission statement strives to safeguard the region's natural assets for current and future generations.

The Far North Queensland region, commonly referred to as FNQ, is an increasingly unique and rapidly-growing area. It boasts three UNESCO World Heritage-listed regions: Daintree Rainforest, Atherton Tablelands and Cape Tribulation.

FNQ is a major transport hub for the north coast and an ideal starting point to explore other regions of this vast state. For adventurers, FNQ is bustling with activity with new hotels, restaurants, attractions and businesses opening their doors.

If you're into technology and entertainment, or simply want to explore this remarkable part of the world, this is your destination.

The site is user-friendly and provides access to informative content such as news, events, business listings and community activities. Plus you can create a free account to take advantage of all FNQ has to offer - like hotel upgrades or special rates!

Where will it be?

Rockets are used to launch satellites into space. Some are built by governments and others by private companies, with some even capable of taking humans into orbit.

However, one of the biggest is NASA's new megarocket, SLS or Space Launch System. After years and billions of dollars were invested into developing this rocket, astronauts will finally have a way to travel around the Moon and then Mars!

The Space Launch System (SLS) has finally been scheduled to launch on August 29th, 2022. Although the launch had originally been expected in 2017, numerous delays, technical difficulties and weather concerns have caused the launch to be postponed.

SLS, or Space Launch System, is a towering 322 foot rocket designed to transport humans and crews into deep space. It boasts the greatest space vehicle ever constructed - rivalling even the final flight of Saturn V's "Moon rocket" which launched Skylab into orbit in 1973.

NASA is working hard to ensure the Space Launch System and Orion capsule are prepared to carry people on missions to the Moon, in preparation for an uncrewed test flight scheduled for November 2016. This unmanned evaluation will enable engineers to assess how well SLS and Orion work together as one integrated system before sending humans on a lunar voyage.

After the Artemis I test, NASA will move forward to Artemis II and another test of the Space Launch System and Orion with a crew aboard. This more challenging exercise will send humans into space for the first time ever.

Once the SLS and Orion are both ready for these missions, Artemis III - featuring a woman astronaut and someone of color - will launch in 2025 and take an all-star crew back to the moon aboard their newly acquired SLS spacecraft.

The launch of SLS will be a landmark event for the entire space community, but it's not without its drawbacks. It has been criticized due to its high cost and lack of commercial involvement. Government watchdogs have also questioned its viability in an age when private spaceflight companies like SpaceX and Virgin Galactic are transporting cargo and passengers into space.

How will it work?

NASA is taking steps to make their new rocket launch system sustainable in the long run, such as building ground infrastructure which will be costly but necessary, and trying to reduce costs so non-NASA customers can compete with them for missions. With these changes, non-NASA customers may soon have access to missions launched from Earth instead of just NASA customers.

The Space Launch System is a massive rocket that will carry astronauts on missions to the Moon and beyond, as well as cargo to these destinations.

NASA is adapting the Space Shuttle's reusable rocket technology for this new system. They've collaborated with Northrop Grumman on booster separation motors (BSMs) that will power SLS' four solid rocket boosters. These BSMs will allow NASA to separate the boosters at various points during flight in order to avoid collisions with other craft and damage to the rocket itself.

Though not yet equipped to carry astronauts to Mars, the SLS will be capable of lifting a substantial payload into orbit, including several CubeSats and Orion crew module. Furthermore, it has the capacity to return a capsule back to Earth.

But before the SLS could even launch its first mission, it faced daunting difficulties during testing and development. Its super-chilled liquid hydrogen fuel had issues, leading to multiple leaks; furthermore, a sensor on board failed to accurately read temperatures while conditioning its engines.

Despite all these issues, the SLS has managed to perform admirably compared to its turbulent history. Despite all these obstacles, it remains an integral part of NASA's Artemis program to land astronauts on the moon and eventually Mars.

NASA may soon begin exploring other medium-class rockets to launch spacecraft into orbit and then onward to lunar and planetary destinations. In the long run, these alternatives may prove cheaper and better suited for missions than NASA's Space Launch System.