“There are imperatives to be met for a launch, especially with humans on board”, explains Philippe Henarejos, editor-in-chief of the magazine Sky & Space about the takeoff of the SpaceX capsule postponed to Wednesday. The launch was due to take place Sunday, October 30, but a storm of powerful winds could disrupt the trajectory of the capsule, NASA announced in a statement. Four astronauts (Raja Chari, Tom Marshbun, Kayla Barron and Matthias Maurer) must join the International Space Station to carry out a scientific mission there. They will be living in the ISS just a few days with Thomas Pesquet, Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur and Akihiko Hoshide who will return to Earth at the beginning of November.
franceinfo: Is the weather a classic hazard for this type of operation?
Philippe Henarejos: Yes, there are requirements to be respected for a launch and especially for a launch with humans on board. There, in this case, it is about very fast high winds which can pose problem to the rocket when it crosses these layers of cloud. And even if it happens in Florida, it is almost November and therefore the weather is more capricious this season.
How does this type of take-off work?
It’s never easy, but you have a feeling of simplicity with SpaceX. When you look at the astronauts inside, they don’t handle much, everything looks quite uncluttered. The technology of launches is mastered since it has been around for decades. You have to reach a speed of about 28,000 kilometers per hour to orbit in low orbit around the Earth. Usually it takes 8-9 minutes. To reach the ISS, the international space station, you have to launch at the right time so that rendezvous operations in orbit are facilitated. Basically, we leave when we cross the space station to spend as little fuel as possible and spend as little time in transfer.
Why did SpaceX, a private company, become the official operator of NASA, a public administration?
SpaceX is not just a subcontractor to NASA. Elon Musk, its famous CEO, first wanted to make, in a way, a private space agency, more than a company. That is to say, he has a vision: he develops vessels, he develops launchers for the exploration of space and more precisely for the exploration of Mars. In a way, NASA only has to rent these new ships instead of having to build them.
Does the United States no longer have the means to finance these vessels?
NASA has the means. But we must recognize that what was an advantage of NASA to go to the Moon in the 1960s: its administration and its bureaucracy, today it is a bit of a drag. We see it in particular with the chaotic development of the lunar super rocket which should start next February, which is very late and whose costs have skyrocketed. But with SpaceX, there is a solution that exists, which is easy, all you have to do is take out the checkbook, and that’s what NASA is doing.
What does it mean for humans to continue to go into space?
It is necessary to know what is the goal pursued by the presence of Man in space. If it’s exploration – going to the Moon, going to Mars – well you have to keep going to keep learning. Space is a hostile environment and to become familiar with it we must continue to develop systems to continue these explorations which serve knowledge and all of us. If it is to go into space just to go into space, we can clearly see that we are going around in circles.