The January 2024 General Meeting was hosted by Michael Wallis, who emphasized the importance of renewing membership dues. Prasada Rao Gogineni from India extended New Year greetings and discussed his membership and donations. Overall, the meeting covered administrative matters and technical challenges faced by some members.
The meeting covered updates on upcoming space missions, including the AX-3 commercial crew flight and the Artemis missions. Michael Wallis provided updates on the recent malfunction of the Peregrine lander and the successful testing of the Starliner parachute systems. The team also discussed recent space missions, including the testing of Starship’s orbit and reentry testing, as well as issues with the booster stage and its engines.
The team engaged in a conversation about rocketry and space exploration, covering the plans for version 2 and version 3 of the Starship vehicle, with the potential for Extendions to reach an overall height of 150 meters. Additionally, they discussed a documentary on rocketry, the promotion of plasma rockets, China’s rocket technology, and private rocket launches, including a solid fuel rocket launched off a barge floating off the east coast of China. The conversation also touched on the public road to the beach from Brownsville, government attention to space exploration, and the potential for longer trips related to a tour of Starbase, TX.