Drawing board (4/25/23)

Good morning. We’re holding our breath and crossing our fingers for ispace’s lunar landing attempt today. The livestream on the company’s Youtube page begins at 11:00am ET for an expected 12:40pm touchdown.

In today's edition...♻️ China’s reusable rocket 🎙️ Pathfinder #0044🔁 People on the move

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China Reveals Designs for Fully-Reusable Rocket

China unveiled plans for a fully-reusable Long March 9 rocket configuration Sunday at its 2023 Space Day ceremony in Hefei, China. The CNSA aims to begin testing the vehicle, which looks a lot like Starship, by the late 2030s.

The fully reusable configuration is noteworthy given China has still yet to nail a partially reusable launch, an achievement SpaceX accomplished in 2014.

Pivot: China is building the Long March 9, a three-stage super heavy-lift rocket, to support lunar and deep space missions. When China first began developing the rocket in 2016, the initial plan was to make it fully expendable. Then, in 2022, China pivoted from an expendable rocket to a reusable first-stage design.

The partially-reusable Long March 9 is expected to launch in the early 2030s. The CNSA will begin testing the two-stage fully-reusable rocket configuration shortly after that.

Long March 9 rocket family profile:

• 375 ft tall

• 6100T of takeoff thrust

• Capable of carrying 150T to LEO

Big spender: More broadly, China is ramping up investment in its space and lunar programs. China unveiled concept designs for a lunar lander this year and moved up its first crewed Moon landing to 2030. China also announced plans at its Space Day to build a billion-watt power station in orbit, from the Global Times.

10-year head-start: While blueprints for a super heavy-lift vehicle have been flowing out of the CNSA, actual development of the rocket has barely made it off the drawing board. Meanwhile, the US has achieved heavy lift capability with its SLS rocket, and more recently, it has taken steps towards a fully-reusable rocket with SpaceX's launch of Starship.

Based on Long March 9 timelines, China is more than a decade behind the US in heavy-lift and reusable rockets.

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Pathfinder #0044: Phasing Arrays with Shey Sabripour

When Shey Sabripour moved to Austin, TX more than a decade ago, he was immediately struck by the city's laid-back lifestyle and impressive talent pool (we imagine the Tex Mex didn’t hurt either).

After spending a few years as CTO of local Texas startup Firefly Aerospace, Shey couldn’t resist the entrepreneurial itch any longer. Instead of following the commercial space industry flock to Los Angeles, Shey saw something special in Austin and decided it was the perfect breeding ground for his new company, CesiumAstro.

For the uninitiated, Cesium builds high-throughput, software-defined phased array communication systems for airborne and in-space platforms. If that sounds like word salad to you, be sure to listen to this week’s Pathfinder, where Sabripour breaks down how phased array antennas work—and why they’re a game changer for satellites and spacecraft trying to communicate with each other and the ground.

A sneak peek into our discussion

• Cesium’s origin story

• A primer on phased array technology

• Why phased array antennas are the holy grail for satellites

• The importance of product design

• Why build in Austin, TX

• And much more…

Where to find Pathfinder #0044?

Watch now on YouTube or listen on Apple, Spotify, or desktop!

In Other News

• The GAO released a report on how the Pentagon can use commercial SSA data.

• Webb’s sensor glitch won’t stop it from producing the jaw-dropping photos we’ve come to look forward to.

• Nuclear power could play a critical role in NASA’s exploration of the cosmos, Inverse reports.

• Space stays could get a lot comfier on Airbus’ planned three-level Loop craft, which includes a level that simulates gravity to give visitors a break from weightlessness.

The View from Space

ispace’s HAKUTO-R mission is beaming back some incredible images ahead of its lunar landing attempt this afternoon.