/sci/ - Science & Math

ABL gets Space Force contract for 'responsive launch', Venezuela wants to send an astronaut on Chinese moon station, Upcoming launches
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https://spacenews.com/abl-gets-contract-for-u-s-space-force-responsive-launch-mission/
> ABL gets contract for U.S. Space Force ‘responsive launch’ mission
> The $15 million task order is part of a $60 million STRATFI agreement announced in March
> WASHINGTON — ABL Space Systems, a California-based launch startup that has yet to reach orbit, received a $15 million task order from the U.S. Space Force to demonstrate it can launch a payload on short notice from either one of the company’s two launch pads.
> The contract, announced Sept. 18, is part of a $60 million agreement announced in March known as a strategic funding increase, or STRATFI. ABL’s agreement includes $30 million in government funding and $30 million in matching funds from the company’s investors. The $15 million contract covers one-half of the government’s portion of the contract.
> ABL developed a small launch vehicle called RS1 capable of placing up to 1,350 kilograms into low Earth orbit. It attempted its first launch Jan. 10 from Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska on Kodiak Island but the mission failed.
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https://www.space.com/venezuelan-astronaut-china-moon-mission
> Venezuela may put an astronaut on a Chinese moon mission
> The South American nation has signed up to China's moon base initiative.
> The first Venezuelan man or woman could land on the moon on a Chinese spacecraft, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said last week.
> Maduro met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Sept. 13, during a state visit that saw the two countries sign a host of agreements to extend cooperation, covering areas such as oil, trade, mining, finance and space.
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https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2023/09/launch-roundup-091823/
> Launch Roundup; Rocket Lab to launch “We Will Never Desert You”; SpaceX to launch two Starlink missions