Yes, SpaceX and NASA recently conducted full-scale qualification testing of the docking system for SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System (HLS). The tests took place over 10 days at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and included more than 200 docking scenarios with different speeds and angles

The tests put the Starship into the active docking role, with its hardware being a “chaser” to the Orion target docking system. The tests were meant to ensure that SpaceX’s soft capture system could extend to Orion, while Orion’s passive system stays retracted. 

The real-world results from the tests will help validate computer models of the Moon lander’s docking system

NASA Tests the New Starship Docking System

The Apollo Program delivered 12 American astronauts to the surface of the Moon. But that program ended in 1972, and since then, no human beings have visited. But Artemis will change that. And instead of just visiting the Moon, Artemis’ aim is to establish a longer-term presence on the Moon. That requires more complexity than Apollo did. Astronauts will need to transfer between vehicles. 

All of that activity requires a reliable spacecraft docking system.

When Artemis astronauts blast off from Earth, they’ll be in the four-seat Orion spacecraft. Orion will take them to lunar orbit, where two will transfer into the Starship HLS, and two will remain in Orion. Starship HLS will deliver them to the lunar surface. In the future, the Lunar Gateway will be in orbit around the Moon, and astronauts will move from Orion to the Gateway to the Starship HLS

These transfers are complicated and risky maneuvers. The docking system that will make this work is called SpaceX’s Starship HLS docking system. It’s based on SpaceX’s successful Dragon 2 docking system. The Dragon 2 system allows the Dragon 2 spacecraft to dock with the ISS so crew and equipment can be transferred. It’s been in use since 2020

As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign that will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon, crew will need to move between different spacecraft to carry out lunar landings. NASA and SpaceX recently performed qualification testing for the docking system that will help make that possible. 

For the Artemis III mission, astronauts will ride the Orion spacecraft from Earth to lunar orbit, and then once the two spacecraft are docked, move to the lander, the Starship Human Landing System (HLS) that will bring them to the surface. After surface activities are complete, Starship will return the astronauts to Orion waiting in lunar orbit. During later missions, astronauts will transfer from Orion to Starship via the Gateway lunar space station. Based on SpaceX’s flight-proven Dragon 2 docking system used on missions to the International Space Station, the Starship docking system can be configured to connect the lander to Orion or Gateway

According to NASA, the docking system is based on SpaceX’s flight-proven Dragon 2 docking adapter. The tests took place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center over 10 days. Johnson has a test platform that can simulate more than 200 docking scenarios with varying approach angles and speeds. The agency will use the experimental data to validate computer models that can demonstrate even more docking scenarios

The tests showed that Starship HLS could perform a “soft capture” while in active docking mode. That means the SpaceX rocket would do the hard work of extending its docking ring while Orion maintains course with its docking system retracted. NASA is optimistic about the HLS, noting that SpaceX has completed over 30 mission-specific milestones since being selected to build the Artemis lander. For example, SpaceX has worked with NASA to develop an elevator that will get astronauts from the crew compartment down to the lunar surface

In March 2024, NASA and SpaceX conducted qualification testing for the docking system of NASA’s Starship Lunar Lander (HLS) at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The tests used hardware from SpaceX’s Starship to simulate dockings with NASA’s Orion crew capsule. The tests are part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, which will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon

The Artemis astronauts will use the docking system to transfer astronauts from Artemis to the Starship HLS. The system will also help crew move between different spacecraft

SpaceX’s Starship is a two-stage super heavy lift launch vehicle. It’s the world’s largest and most powerful rocket ever developed, capable of carrying up to 150 metric tonnes fully reusable and 250 metric tonnes expendable. Starship is stacked on top of its booster, Super Heavy

Starship is fully reusable, allowing both stages to be recovered after a mission and to be rapidly reused. It’s also capable of propellant delivery, rendezvous, and planetary lander system. 

SpaceX plans to use Starship for a flight around the Moon carrying Japanese businessman Maezawa Yusaku and several artists in 2023. As part of the Artemis III mission, planned for 2025, two astronauts would transfer to a SpaceX Starship waiting in lunar orbit, which would carry them to the lunar surface. 

Development and manufacturing of Starship takes place at Starbase, one of the world’s first commercial spaceports designed for orbital missions

Please like subscribe comment your precious thoughts on universe discoveries

Full article source google

Best watches on heavy discount on Amazon