TL;DW:

Does It Make Sense To Put Data Centers In Space?

At some point in the future, yes.

Can They Really Cost Less To Operate?

In theory, yes.

Scott expresses concerns that current startups have not adequately addressed some of the practical challenges, such as cooling.

After just over three months, Starliner is finally coming home, but without the crew, who will be returning with Crew-9 on Dragon next year.

| Undocking scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-09-06, 22:04 | |

|

| | Mission | Boeing Crewed Flight Test | | Landing scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-09-07, 04:03 | | Landing site | White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, USA | | Starliner | SC3-2 (Calypso) | | Crew | None | | Revised mission success criteria | Successful undocking, deorbit, reentry, and landing of Starliner |

Livestreams (undocking)

| Stream | Link | |

|

| | NASA | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_79y0yZs0dc | Boeing | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bZhoHeAimM | Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv5X2yghKhA | NASASpaceflight | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG3eNnzhkpw | The Launch Pad | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueziZxViWCc

Livestreams (landing)

| Stream | Link | |

|

| | NASA | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ0T-cZWh78 | Boeing | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mObfa7Gdky4 | Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O55tEycZjiE | NASASpaceflight | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QngdqJ97lis | The Launch Pad | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueziZxViWCc

Mission Details 🚀

• NASA blog
• NASASpaceflight article

There is considerable industry skepticism that Blue Origin can get New Glenn ready in time to meet that launch window, particularly given the tasks ahead and the inherent challenges in getting to a first launch of a new rocket. For example, the first launch of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur faced months of delays even after it performed a static-fire test on the pad in June 2023.

If New Glenn is not ready by the time the ESCAPADE launch window closes Oct. 21, it’s not clear what payload will fly in its place on the rocket’s inaugural launch, or even what will happen to ESCAPADE itself.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/24628781