In one sense, we're now two weeks (and a holiday breather) on from SpaceX's most recent test flight of a Starship prototype. In another sense, the test is ongoing and we're still in the middle of a massive research and development effort. 

從某種意義上說，距離 SpaceX 最近一次星艦原型試飛還有兩週（也是假期）。從另一個意義上說，測試仍在進行中，我們仍處於大規模的研發工作之中。

One thing is clear: Starship is a spectacle. The rocket is a 40-story skyscraper, producing unprecedented amounts of power, and launching a few miles away from the viewing public. And, in addition to the company's own livestreams of the launches, enthusiasts broadcast around the clock views of SpaceX's activities in South Texas for thousands to online parse the movement of equipment and rocket parts.

有一點是明確的：星艦是一場奇觀。該火箭是一座 40 層樓的摩天大樓，產生前所未有的能量，並在距離觀眾幾英里的地方發射。而且，除了該公司自己的發射直播外，愛好者還全天候播放 SpaceX 在德克薩斯州南部的活動視圖，讓數千人在線上解析設備和火箭部件的移動情況。

The extremely public display, as well as SpaceX's polarizing owner, is a double-edged sword for understanding Starship test flights. The dramatic views of the launch get people excited about Starship's potential, but at the same time they open the company up to criticism. 

這次極其公開的展示，以及 SpaceX 的兩極分化所有者，對於理解 Starship 試飛來說是一把雙刃劍。這次發射的戲劇性景象讓人們對 Starship 的潛力感到興奮，但同時也讓該公司面臨批評。

One person's "glorious success" is another person's "massive failure." Few call the Starship launches what they are: research.

一個人的「輝煌成功」是另一個人的「巨大失敗」。很少有人將星艦發射稱為“研究”。

SpaceX repeatedly emphasizes the "test" aspect of these flights and, indeed, from the R&D perspective of making progress, there were a number of successes: All 39 Raptor engines worked, the ground infrastructure seems to be in good shape, the "hot-staging" separation process meant the second flight made it further than the first, the rocket reached space, and the flight termination system (a.k.a., onboard safety method to intentionally self-destruct) appeared to trigger much more quickly than before.

SpaceX 反覆強調這些飛行的“測試”方面，事實上，從研發進展的角度來看，取得了許多成功：所有 39 個猛禽發動機都工作正常，地面基礎設施似乎狀況良好，“熱- “分階段”分離過程意味著第二次飛行比第一次飛行更遠，火箭到達太空，並且飛行終止系統（又名，故意自毀的機載安全方法）似乎比以前更快觸發。

Important steps forward, sure. Next stop, Mars? No.

當然，向前邁出了重要的一步。下一站，火星？不。

Starship failed to complete the test mission’s profile by splashing down off the coast of Hawaii, falling short of a lower bar than even the most low-risk Falcon 9 launches for SpaceX. Starship’s booster ripped apart shortly after separation, and Starship itself was destroyed because it was underperforming – or, in SpaceX’s words, “a safe command destruct was appropriately triggered based on available vehicle performance data.”

Starship 未能完成測試任務，在夏威夷海岸濺落，甚至低於 SpaceX 風險最低的獵鷹 9 號發射。 Starship 的助推器在分離後不久就破裂了，Starship 本身也因為性能不佳而被摧毀——或者用 SpaceX 的話說，“根據可用的車輛性能數據，適當地觸發了安全命令銷毀。”

Not great, given the flight time was only a fraction of the planned mission, but not the setback that images of a distant fireball may have you believe.

不太好，因為飛行時間只是規劃任務的一小部分，但也不是遙遠火球影像可能讓你相信的挫折。

Readers, especially space enthusiasts, love to hear estimates of when Starship is going to land on the moon or send people to Mars. But the unfortunate truth is that those timelines are aspirational when talking about missions that rely on technology that’s firmly in the R&D stage. That’s a big reason why I regularly emphasize the comments by SpaceX leadership that Starship won’t be flying people until after completing “hundreds” of successful flights. 

讀者，尤其是太空愛好者，喜歡聽到有關星際飛船何時登陸月球或將人類送往火星的估計。但不幸的事實是，當談論依賴於牢牢處於研發階段的技術的任務時，這些時間表是理想的。這就是為什麼我經常強調 SpaceX 領導層的評論，即星艦在完成「數百次」成功飛行之前不會載人。

Starship needs to get to orbit, deliver satellites, demonstrate orbital refueling, safely re-enter the atmosphere and more before I start taking announcements like “landing cargo on the moon by so-and-so year” seriously, let alone fly people. In the middle of all those technological advancements, government regulators face allegations that SpaceX is moving too fast and breaking things, as well as criticism from the company that federal licenses aren’t getting approved quickly enough.

在我開始認真對待「某某年將貨物登陸月球」之類的公告之前，星際飛船需要進入軌道、運送衛星、演示軌道加油、安全地重新進入大氣層等等，更不用說載人了。在所有這些技術進步的過程中，政府監管機構面臨著有關 SpaceX 發展太快、破壞事物的指控，以及該公司對該公司聯邦許可證批准速度不夠快的批評。

There are plenty of ways to read the tea leaves for how quickly the Starship program will play out. You can chart the momentum of Falcon 9 launches over the past 13 years and assume a similar trajectory for Starship. Or you could extrapolate the lag between initial estimates of when Starship would be ready to launch again (as early as June) to when it actually was ready to get back off the ground (October). 

有很多方法可以預測星艦計劃的實施速度。您可以繪製過去 13 年中獵鷹 9 號發射的勢頭，並假設 Starship 也有類似的軌跡。或者，您可以推斷 Starship 準備再次發射的最初估計時間（最早在 6 月）到它實際準備好返回地面的時間（10 月）之間的滯後時間。

The reality is that Starship is still firmly in the R&D stage. Any purported timelines aren’t nearly as firm.

現實情況是，Starship 仍處於研發階段。任何所謂的時間表都沒有那麼確定。

What’s up

這是怎麼回事

U.S. and China continued to dominate the world’s rocket launches in Q3 with 32 and 20, respectively. Russia and India conducted a distant four and three orbital launches, respectively, during the third quarter. – BryceTech

美國和中國在第三季繼續主導全球火箭發射，分別為 32 和 20 次。俄羅斯和印度在第三季分別進行了四次和三次遠程軌道發射。 – 布萊斯科技

White House says the U.S. government would be ‘foolish to walk away from’ SpaceX innovation: Despite the White House condemning CEO Elon Musk’s recent comments, National Security Counsel spokesman John Kirby said the federal government is not planning to withdraw any contracts to Musk’s company. – CNBC

白宮表示，美國政府「放棄」SpaceX 的創新將是愚蠢的：儘管白宮譴責執行長馬斯克最近的言論，但國家安全顧問發言人約翰柯比表示，聯邦政府不打算撤回與馬斯克公司的任何合約。 – CNBC

Elon Musk and Israel reach agreement over use of Starlink in Gaza, with the SpaceX CEO having previously proposed using the satellite communications system in the region. Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi reportedly said the agreement with Musk means Starlink can only be operated in Israel and Gaza with Israeli approval. – Reuters

伊隆馬斯克和以色列就在加薩使用星鏈達成協議，SpaceX 執行長先前曾提議在該地區使用衛星通訊系統。據報道，以色列通訊部長什洛莫·卡希表示，與馬斯克達成的協議意味著星鏈只能在以色列和加薩地帶運作並獲得以色列批准。 - 路透社

China shows off Tiangong space station in new photos that give a clear look at the orbiting habitat and its three modules. – Ars Technica

中國在新照片中展示了天宮太空站，清晰地展示了軌道棲息地及其三個模組。 – Ars Technica

NASA chief Nelson tours India and the UAE, holding meetings with his government counterparts to discuss further space cooperation. – NASA

美國太空總署局長尼爾森訪問印度和阿聯酋，與政府同行舉行會議，討論進一步的太空合作。 – 美國太空總署

York and SDA announce successful demo of Link 16 connectivity with PWSA satellites, with the Space Development Agency saying the company’s satellites launched earlier this year as part of Tranche 0 in the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture completed the technical milestone in a recent demonstration. – SDA / York

約克和SDA 宣布成功展示了Link 16 與PWSA 衛星的連接，太空發展局表示，該公司今年早些時候發射的衛星，作為擴散戰士太空架構中第0 階段的一部分，在最近的一次演示中完成了技術里程碑。 – SDA / 約克

NASA pauses Hubble science operations due to gyroscope problem, noting that the telescope’s instruments are “stable” and “in good health.” The spacecraft has gone in and out of “safe mode” due to an unstable gyroscope. – NASA

由於陀螺儀問題，美國宇航局暫停了哈伯科學操作，並指出該望遠鏡的儀器「穩定」且「狀況良好」。由於陀螺儀不穩定，航天器進入和退出“安全模式”。 – 美國太空總署

Firefly to launch next mission for Lockheed Martin, preparing its Alpha rocket to launch as soon as December. – Firefly / Lockheed Martin

螢火蟲公司將為洛克希德馬丁公司發射下一次任務，並準備其阿爾法火箭最早於 12 月發射。 - 螢火蟲/洛克希德馬丁公司

The Mars horizon captured from orbit: NASA’s Odyssey orbiter, which has been circling the red planet for more than two decades, captured a detailed view of Mars from asimilar vantage point of photos captured by astronauts on the International Space Station. – NASA

從軌道上拍攝到的火星地平線：美國宇航局的奧德賽軌道飛行器已經圍繞這顆紅色星球運行了二十多年，它從與國際太空站宇航員拍攝的照片類似的有利位置拍攝到了火星的詳細視圖。 – 美國太空總署

Ariane 6 rocket targeting mid-2024 launch, the European Space Agency said, after passing a key, seven-minute test firing of the vehicle’s Vulcain 2.1 engine. ESA says the launch is aimed for between June 15 and July 31. – SpaceNews

歐洲太空總署表示，阿麗亞娜 6 號火箭計畫於 2024 年中期發射，此前該火箭的 Vulcain 2.1 發動機已通過了為期 7 分鐘的關鍵試射。 ESA 表示此次發射計劃於 6 月 15 日至 7 月 31 日期間進行。– SpaceNews

North Korea launches first spy satellite into orbit after two previously failed launches. – New York Times

北韓在兩次發射失敗後將第一顆間諜衛星送入軌道。 - 紐約時報

Firefly test fires Miranda rocket engine as the company works toward the first launches of Northrop Grumman’s Antares 330 and MLV rockets. – Firefly

隨著公司致力於諾斯羅普·格魯曼公司 Antares 330 和 MLV 火箭的首次發射，螢火蟲測試了米蘭達火箭發動機。 – 螢火蟲

Satellogic to build satellites in India through Tata deal, with the satellite imagery company to help Tata Advanced Systems Limited manufacture satellites for the country’s government and commercial use. – Satellogic

Satellogic 將透過塔塔協議在印度建造衛星，並與衛星圖像公司協助塔塔先進系統有限公司製造供該國政府和商業使用的衛星。 – 衛星邏輯

NASA postponed Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s moon Titan by a year, citing “incredibly large uncertainties” in upcoming annual budgets. – SpaceNews

美國宇航局將土星衛星泰坦的蜻蜓任務推遲了一年，理由是即將到來的年度預算存在「令人難以置信的巨大不確定性」。 – 太空新聞

Industry maneuvers

行業演習

SpaceX acquired parachute maker Pioneer for $2.2 million in bankruptcy deal. The company served as the supplier of the drogue parachutes for SpaceX’s Dragon capsules. – The Information

SpaceX 以 220 萬美元的破產協議收購了降落傘製造商 Pioneer。該公司是 SpaceX Dragon 太空艙錐套降落傘的供應商。 - 資訊

UK Space Agency invests $59 million in 12 space projects, with the United Kingdom agency’s funding also matched by the private sector for a variety of research and development projects. – Via Satellite

英國航太局向 12 個航太計畫投資 5,900 萬美元，私部門也為各種研發項目提供了配套資金。 – 透過衛星

Rocket Lab adds Maryland facility for producing composite parts, a 113,000-square-foot former Lockheed Martin complex that will build space structures including spacecraft buses, satellite dispensers and more. – Rocket Lab

火箭實驗室在馬裡蘭州增加了生產複合材料零件的設施，這是一座佔地 113,000 平方英尺的前洛克希德馬丁綜合設施，將建造包括太空船巴士、衛星分配器等在內的太空結構。 – 火箭實驗室

MDA to expand in the UK: The Canadian space company aims to double its workforce in the United Kingdom to 150 by the end of next year, having acquired a division of satellite communications equipment maker SatixFy earlier this year. – MDA

MDA 將在英國擴張：這家加拿大航太公司今年稍早收購了衛星通訊設備製造商 SatixFy 的一個部門，計劃到明年底將其在英國的員工人數增加一倍，達到 150 人。 – MDA

Satellogic granted NOAA license key to U.S. expansion: In support of the company’s plan to redomicile in the U.S. next year, the NOAA license followed a review of Satellogic’s “national security, foreign policy, and U.S. international risks and obligations.” – Satellogic

Satellogic 授予NOAA 許可證對美國擴張至關重要：為了支持該公司明年在美國遷址的計劃，NOAA 許可證是在對Satellogic 的「國家安全、外交政策以及美國國際風險和義務」進行審查後獲得的。 – 衛星邏輯

Amazon announces AWS ‘private connectivity’ plan through Kuiper, saying the company’s coming satellite internet service will allow enterprise and government customers to “to move data privately from a remote location directly into AWS without ever touching the public internet.” The company will pilot the service through early Kuiper partners Verizon, Vodafone and Japan’s NTT. – Amazon

亞馬遜透過 Kuiper 宣布了 AWS 的“私有連接”計劃，稱該公司即將推出的衛星互聯網服務將允許企業和政府客戶“將數據從遠端位置直接私下轉移到 AWS，而無需接觸公共互聯網。”該公司將透過早期 Kuiper 合作夥伴 Verizon、沃達豐和日本 NTT 試點該服務。 - 亞馬遜

Loft Orbital advertising virtual satellite missions that offer customers the ability to deploy and test software applications on the company’s spacecraft. – Loft

Loft Orbital 宣傳虛擬衛星任務，讓客戶能夠在該公司的太空船上部署和測試軟體應用程式。 – 閣樓

Boldly going

大膽前行

Amanda Knez named COO at gravityLab, coming to the artificial gravity startup after tenures at ABL, Rocket Lab and SpaceX. – Knez

阿曼達·克內茲 (Amanda Knez) 被任命為 GravityLab 首席營運官，在 ABL、Rocket Lab 和 SpaceX 任職後，她加入了這家人造重力新創公司。 – 克內茲

Skip Williams and Jim Congdon appointed to LightRidge Solutions' C-suite as Chief Technology Officer and Chief Software Officer, respectively. Williams joins the space sensors company from L3Harris, while Congdon was previously the Chief Software Architect of LightRidge's GEOST. – LightRidge

Skip Williams 和 Jim Congdon 被任命為 LightRidge Solutions 的最高管理層，分別擔任技術長和首席軟體長。 Williams 從 L3Harris 加入空間感測器公司，而 Congdon 之前是 LightRidge 的 GEOST 的首席軟體架構師。 – LightRidge

Kevin Sagis named Chief Product Officer at rocket launcher ABL, joining the company after serving as Virgin Orbit's Chief Engineer for a decade, and Lockheed Martin's Chief Engineer for the Extended Medium Range Ballistic Missile (EMRBM) program before that. — ABL

凱文·薩吉斯(Kevin Sagis) 被任命為火箭發射公司ABL 的首席產品官，他在加入該公司之前曾擔任維珍軌道公司(Virgin Orbit) 的首席工程師十年，此前還擔任過洛克希德馬丁公司(Lockheed Martin) 增程中程彈道飛彈(EMRBM) 專案的首席工程師。 — ABL

On the horizon

在地平線上

Dec. 1: SpaceX Falcon 9 launches Starlink satellites from Florida.

12 月 1 日：SpaceX 獵鷹 9 號從佛羅裡達州發射星鏈衛星。

Dec. 5: SpaceX Falcon 9 launches Starlink satellites from Florida.

12 月 5 日：SpaceX 獵鷹 9 號從佛羅裡達州發射星鏈衛星。