Elon Musk Just Declared this after Dragon rescue Starliner Astronaut Return...

Elon Musk saved the US Space Program if it weren't for Elon Musk we would not be able to fly us astronauts from us soil to the International Space Station there is no doubt about it these are huge words of Praise from former NASA astronaut Charles kamart for Elon Musk recognizing what he and SpaceX just have accomplished and it's absolutely true the story of the Starliner astronauts has finally come to an end they have returned home safely what did Elon Musk declare after this Mission let's find out more on today's episode of alphat tech NASA's Sunni Williams and Butch Wilmore who gained International attention as their planned short stay in space stretched into a more than 9-month politically fraught Mission are finally home Williams and Wilmore alongside NASA's Nick ha and cosmina Alexander gorinov of Russia's Ros Cosmo space agency safely splashed down off the coast of Tallahassee Florida at 557 p.m. ET Tuesday the crew's highly anticipated return came after the crew climbed aboard a SpaceX crew Dragon capsule and departed the International Space Station at 1:05 a.m. ET Tuesday the crew 9 Mission a routine staff rotation jointly operated by NASA and SpaceX the crew 9 capsule launched to the space station in September with ha and gorinov riding alongside two empty seats reserved for Williams and Wilmore who had been on the orbiting laboratory since last June when their original ride a Boeing Starliner spacecraft malfunctioned safely reaching Earth concluded a trip that for Williams and Wilmore has garnered broad interest because of the unexpected nature of their Extended Stay in orbit and the dramatic turn of events that prevented them from returning home aboard the Boeing Starliner vehicle the first person who couldn't be more satisfied with this mission is none other than Elon Musk he tweeted on X congratulations to the SpaceX and NASA teams for another safe astronaut return but he didn't stop at just a tweet he also made a statement in his latest interview following the mission thanks to the excellent work of the SpaceX team working with NASA uh the the astronuts are now safely home additionally congratulations also came from Boeing the very company responsible for manufacturing and assembling Starliner which was at the center of the previous issues welcome home to the crew nine astronauts NASA's Nick ha Sunni Williams and Butch Wilmore and roscosmos cosmina Alexander gorbunov your dedication and unwavering commitment to space exploration inspires us all last summer NASA decided flying the two astronauts home aboard their Boeing Starliner capsule would be too risky and the space agency opted to fold Williams and Wilmore into the International Space Station's regular crew rotation that call is why the pair flew home with ha and gorinov on spacex's crew 9 capsule Williams Wilmore ha and gorinov spent Tuesday morning and afternoon in orbit in the roughly 13t wide 4 meter wide Gumdrop shaped SpaceX crew Dragon spacecraft gradually descending the capsule carried the astronauts from the space station which orbits about 250 Mi 400 km above Earth toward the thick inner layer of our planet's atmosphere around 5:00 p.m. ET the crew Dragon capsule began firing its engines to begin the final phase of the journey re-entry this leg of the journey is considered the most dangerous of any flight home from space the jarring physics of hitting the atmosphere while traveling more than 22 times the speed of sound routinely heats the exterior of returning spacecraft to more than 3,500 de F 1,926 de C and can trigger a communication blackout after plunging toward home the crew Dragon spacecraft deployed two sets of parachutes in quick succession to further slow its descent the capsule decelerated from orbital speeds of more than 177,000 mph 27359 kmph to less than 20 mph 32 kmph as the vehicle hit the ocean after the vehicle hit the ocean a SpaceX rescue ship waiting nearby worked to haul the spacecraft out of the water Williams and Wilmore and their crew mates exited Dragon taking their first breaths of Earthly air in months Medical Teams will evaluate the crew's Health as is routine after astronauts return from space before deciding the next steps ultimately the NASA crew members will return to their home base at Johnson Space Center in Houston with this situation many people will question the future of the Starliner program so how will it happen shortly after docking with the ISS Engineers identified issues with its propulsion system including Thruster malfunctions and helium leaks these problems rendered the spacecraft unfit to safely bring Williams and Wilmore home forcing NASA to extend their mission from a planned 8 days to an extraordinary 286 days the agency ultimately turned to its commercial partner SpaceX whose crew n mission provid Ed the astronauts a ride back to Earth for Boeing the situation was a stark embarrassment its Chief competitor had to step in to rescue the crew of its Flagship spacecraft casting a shadow over the Starliner program's future yet amid the scrutiny Boeing maintained a public show of support on Tuesday the company hosted a watch party to celebrate Williams and wilmore's safe return a gesture that doubled as a nod to the astronaut's resilience and an attempt to shift Focus from its own challenges behind the scenes however the Starliner program's path forward remains uncertain caught in a delicate dance of engineering fixes testing and NASA oversight Steve stick manager of NASA's commercial crew program addressed the situation during a posts Splashdown news conference on March 18th 2025 we're working hand inhand with Boeing on the certification of Starliner getting that vehicle back to flight he said emphasizing the collaborative effort to salvage the program Stitch highlighted the broader lesson of the mission Butch and Sunni returning on Dragon shows how important it is to have two different crew Transportation Systems the SpaceX bailout while a blow to Boeing's Pride reaffirmed NASA's strategy of fostering competition and redundancy with its commercial Partners SpaceX and Boeing to ensure reliable access to space Boeing for its part appears determined to address Starliner flaws stick noted that the company is very committed to resolving the Thruster and helium system issues that derail the initial flight Engineers are scrutinizing the propulsion system testing new seals and rethinking how the thrusters are operated they realized they have an important vehicle and we were very close to having a capability that we would like to field stick explained I think we have some changes we need to make to the way we do those thrusters the way we fire those thrusters and then we can test that on the next flight this summer ground tests will continue as Boeing refines the spacecraft's design aiming to restore confidence in its Rel liability the next chapter for Starliner is likely an uncrewed test flight a critical step to validate the fixes without risking human lives stick suggested that this Mission if successful could pave the way for NASA certification positioning Starliner to join spacex's crew dragon in routine crew rotations to the ISS we're not far from having that second system operational he said optimistically though he acknowledged the road ahead requires precision and patience should the uncrewed flight succeed Starliner could begin carrying astronauts as early as 2026 potentially redeeming its Rocky debut and securing Boeing's place in NASA's ambitious plans for low earth orbit and beyond beyond the technical narrative stick reserved special praise for Williams and Wilmore whose adaptability turned a potential crisis into a testament to human endurance one of the things that stood out to me about this mission was their resilience and that of their families he said they launched on what was going to be a short test flight with Boeing and then they moved very quickly into station increment operations becoming seamlessly part of the International Space Station their transition from test pilots to long-term ISS crew members showcased their experience and professionalism qualities honed over years of training and prior missions for Williams a former Naval aviator with two previous space flights and Wilmore a veteran of both shuttle and soyou missions the Extended Stay was a challenge they met with Grace supported by families who weathered the uncertainty back on Earth the Starliner Saga is far from over for Boeing it's a high stakes Endeavor to prove that its spacecraft can overcome its troubled start and compete with SpaceX which has solidified its reputation with reliable crew Dragon missions for NASA it's a balancing act nurturing a second commercial crew provider while ensuring astronaut safety and for Williams and Wilmore it's a story of survival and adaptability that will echo in spaceflight lore as testing continues and the next flight looms the Aerospace Community watches closely eager to see if Starliner can rise from its setbacks to claim its place Among the Stars wrapping up this exciting news let's turn our attention to a company often referred to as a smaller version of SpaceX rocket lab recently rocket lab has completed the deployment of a constellation of Internet of Things satellites for French company canas on March 17th 2025 rocket lab successfully concluded a significant mil Stone by completing the deployment of a 25 satellite constellation for the French Internet of Things iot company canas the final launch executed with Precision saw an electron rocket soar into the night sky from pad a at rocket lab's launch complex one on New Zealand's picturesque Mahia Peninsula lifting off at 9:31 p.m. eastern time the rocket carried the last batch of five satellites which were expertly deployed by the electron Innovative kickstage into sun synchronous orbits at an altitude of 650 km the deployment finalized just over an hour after launch marked the culmination of a multi-mission contract signed between rocket lab and canas back in 2021 this Fifth and final mission capped a series of launches that began in June 2024 with subsequent liftoffs in September and November 2024 and most recently on February 8th 2025 each Mission delivered five satellites compact yet powerful spacecraft each weighing 28 kg into orbit steadily building K's ambitious iot constellation designed to revolutionize Global connectivity these satellites are equipped to provide iot communication services and Maritime tracking capabilities through automatic identification system AIS transponders canas has set its sights on commencing Commercial operations on June 1st 2025 promising data delivery with an impressive latency of no more than 15 minutes a game for Industries relying on realtime information the partnership between rocket lab and canas has been a testament to Ingenuity and collaboration since 2018 we have spearheaded an ambitious project and this launch the final chapter in a series of five represents the crowning achievement of an extraordinary effort alongside steadfast Partners like rocket lab said Kristoff vassel chairman of can supervisory board by deploying our iot dedicated constellation in less than a year we're entering a trans formative era where the data harvested by our satellites will open a wealth of opportunities for our clients and partners across the globe canas anticipates profitability as early as this year projecting annual revenues of 20 million EUR 22 million by 2026 with ambitions to scale that figure to 100 million EUR within the next8 years for Rocket lab this launch underscored its growing prominence in the small satellite launch market remarkably it was the company's second mission in just over 72 hours following the successful deployment of a radar Imaging satellite for Japanese firm IQs on March 14th 2025 this latest canas launch marked rocket lab's fourth electron mission of the Year aligning with the company's bold forecast of conducting more than 20 launches in 2025 including missions with its Hasty suborbital variant Peter Beck rocket lab's Visionary chief executive highlighted the company's unique value proposition while many constellation operators endure years long waits for their initial missions we've delivered K's entire constellation in under a year offering 100% dedicated launches this allowed them to dictate launch site timing and orbital parameters optimizing coverage for all 25 spacecraft rocket Labs electron rocket has proven itself a perfect match for the rising demand for tailored constellation deployments unlike the increasingly popular lowcost ride share options provided by competitors like SpaceX electron offers customers unparalleled control over their Mission profiles this year alone rocket Labs launches including those for IQs and imaging specialist black Sky have exclusively served clients building satellite constellations reinforcing the company's niche as a leader in Precision launches the electrons ability to place satellites into exact orbits on a customer's preferred schedule has become a compelling alternative for operators seeking flexibility over cost alone the canas constellation's completion is more than a technical Triumph it signals a a broader shift in how space-based iot services are poised to reshape industries from Logistics and shipping to environmental monitoring and Beyond with rocket lab's reliable execution and Ken's Forward Thinking Vision this partnership exemplifies how Innovative engineering and strategic collaboration can turn ambitious ideas into orbital reality Paving the way for a more connected future that's all for today's episode thank you so much for watching and see you next time and