Just saw my first rocket launch today!

- ESA is evaluating adapting the Ariane 6 launch vehicle for human spaceflight, studying necessary modifications and certification for crewed missions. - Assessment focuses on safety upgrades, human-rating requirements, and design changes to support astronauts and crewed spacecraft. - The initiative aims to provide Europe with an independent crew access capability to

- Orbital data centers promise lower latency and global coverage but face major engineering challenges. - Heat rejection in vacuum, radiation shielding, and reliability without physical maintenance are significant hurdles. - High launch and deployment costs, limited power availability, and strict mass constraints complicate designs. - Economic and regulatory uncertainties, plus competition from improving

- The author says they’ve started losing faith in SpaceX, citing recent developments despite previously admiring Falcon 9’s reliability and launch cadence. - They accept Starship’s expected failures but criticize SpaceX for repeatedly making unrealistic promises about Starship’s capabilities. - The post cites a Raptor 3 failure on flight