There is a lot of water on Earth although in some countries, it is getting harder to access. Water will be needed for many things in the exploration and exploitation of space including drinking water, hydroponic agriculture, and splitting into oxygen and hydrogen for rocket fuel. It is expensive to launch anything into space at this stage of our launch technology.
In 2017, the European Space Agency (ESA) contracted the ArianeGroup to develop Prometheus, a liquid-fueled rocket engine prototype intended to pave the way for the creation of reusable rocket engines. The contract is worth about eighty-five million dollars.
Part 3 of 3 Parts (Please read Parts 1 and 2 first)
Part 2 of 3 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
Part 1 of 3 Parts
The U.S. Air Force commissioned Boeing to construct the unmanned Boeing X-37 also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle in 1999. This space vehicle was about a quarter the size of the Space Shuttle. The project was transferred from NASA to the Department of Defense in 2004.
Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
Part 1 of 2 Parts
Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
Initially, SpaceX had intended to hop the SN3 about five hundred feet. However, since the collapse of the SN3, SpaceX now intends to make test hops with the SN4. If they do, they will only be small hops that do not require that the Raptor engines be relit.
