We’re Fixing the Space Junk Disaster, but is Boeing Fixing Starliner?

Happy Tuesday, everyone! This week’s newsletter is 665 words, a 5-minute read.

Table of Contents

• 1 Big Thing: We Might be Fixing the Space Junk Iss …

• 2. Cool Stuff You Might Have Missed

• 3. We Have an Update on Boeing’s Starliner, Stuck …

• 4. A New Space Book

• 5. Upcoming Launches & Missions

1 Big Thing: We Might be Fixing the Space Junk Issue

If you’ve been reading my newsletter for a while, you know by now that I talk a lot about space junk.

As we speak, there are thousands of pieces of debris from missions past orbiting the Earth at tens of thousands of miles per hour.

This is a problem today, and it’s only going to get worse as more and more public and private entities launch space missions of their own, and we humans increase our reliance on space for communications, weather, travel, etc.

Startup Turion hopes to help solve the space junk problem - and they just won a contract from the U.S. Space Force to do it.

Last week, the Space Force announced that it awarded Turion with a $1.9 million contract to develop an autonomous spacecraft docking and maneuvering system.

Turion recently revealed plans to have working proof-of-concept satellites in orbit by 2026, which will autonomously capture and de-orbit pieces of dangerous space debris.

Turion’s founder Ryan Westerdahl - a former SpaceX engineer - projects that the company will be producing 45 satellites a year by 2027 and generating steady revenue from its space debris removal program.

2. Cool Stuff You Might Have Missed

1. South Korean launch startup Innospace’s stock plummeted after its recent IPO. (SpaceNews)

2. A private Chinese rocket accidentally launched during what was supposed to be a static fire test. (Space)

3. NASA ran a simulation of humanity’s response to an asteroid approaching Earth. (NPR)

3. We Have an Update on Boeing’s Starliner, Stuck in Space (sort of)

Boeing insists that its much-awaited Starliner capsule isn’t stranded in space, but for now, it still has no return date.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams reached the ISS on June 5th, after experiencing some docking issues when their Boeing-made spacecraft’s thrusters malfunctioned.

Now, NASA and Boeing are undergoing testing here on Earth to try to recreate the spacecraft’s issues and come up with a fix.

• NASA and Boeing say that even if a “fix” isn’t found for the 5 thrusters that malfunctioned, Starliner could still make a safe return home.

• Starliner is also leaking helium - an integral part of the craft’s fuel pump systems. This not only causes issues for the capsule’s thrusters, but puts a time limit on the craft’s return.

I’ll be updating you all on any Starliner-related news in the coming weeks, but for now, Boeing’s new spacecraft and its two astronauts still have no planned return date.

4. A New Space Book

Adam Higginbotham recently released his new book, “Challenger: A True thStory of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space.”

The Book Tells the fascinating and heartbreaking story of the Space Shuttle Challenger, which broke apart on January 28th, 1986 73 seconds after launch, killing all seven astronauts on board.

I Picked This Up on Kindle and have been really enjoying it so far. You can check it out here:

5. Upcoming Launches & Missions

SPECIAL EXCITING NEWS: If you refer just 3 friends (used to be 5, now it’s 3) to my newsletter, I’ll send you a free copy of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s A Brief Welcome to the Universe. Use the link below to share and get credit for your referrals!

Thanks as always,

-Michael