Hello and welcome back to TechCrunch Space. What an incredible week it has been for space enthusiasts! In the span of just seven days, we witnessed some monumental achievements: Boeing successfully launched astronauts to space for the very first time, and we had the opportunity to witness these two astronauts dock with the International Space Station. If that wasn’t enough, we also saw SpaceX launch their Starship for the fourth time ever, and then bring it safely back to Earth. I don’t think I’m alone in saying that some of the most breathtaking images in the history of rocketry came from that single launch.
On to the news, and more about these two historic stories below.
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Story of the week
The title of story of the week undoubtedly belongs to Boeing’s Starliner. Despite years of setbacks, cost-overruns totaling approximately $1.5 billion, and ongoing technical challenges, the Starliner spacecraft successfully transported two astronauts to the ISS for the first time ever. This is indeed a remarkable achievement, but the mission is far from over. After a week at the station, the two astronauts will re-board Starliner as they make their journey back to Earth. We’re all eagerly anticipating their safe return.
Launch of the week
Once again, SpaceX has demonstrated the tremendous benefits of testing rocket hardware in real-world environments. In their latest launch, the company reached a crucial milestone in their Starship flight testing: bringing the booster and upper stage back to Earth in controlled ocean splashdowns. And let me tell you, the footage and images captured from this launch are absolutely jaw-dropping.
Starship made a controlled reentry, successfully making it through the phases of peak heating and max aerodynamic pressure and demonstrating the ability to control the vehicle using its flaps while descending through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds
We’re also keeping an eye on what our friends at Space.com have been reading lately. One particularly fascinating piece by economist Pierre Lionnet delves into the financial side of SpaceX (keep in mind that this involves making some assumptions since their financials are not public) and how the low launch costs of Falcon rely on the profitability of Starlink, which may not necessarily be passed on to customers.
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