The Challenge | Do YOU Know When the Next Rocket Launch Is?

Create a tool to track international rocket launch information.

MFST (a Marketplace For Space Travelers)

An information knowledge-base for past and upcoming Rocket Launches which will include a marketplace between the Rocket Launching companies and the customers who have payloads. Which will become the space-ticket-office-platform when payloads are humans.

UNICORNS

Project Summary :

The space payload owners (tv companies, governments, universities, research centers, etc.) are always seeking for a proper rocket launch which is suitable for their schedule and budget. On the other hand, private spaceflight companies are looking for customers and payloads for their launches.

The aim of this project is to gather these demands and capacities into a meeting point where they can find;

  • Information about all launches in details,
  • Information about spaceflight companies and their success rates,
  • Help customers to compare and choose the spaceflight company applicable to their schedule and budget,
  • Cover spaceflight companies and payload holders for last minute schedule changes by replacing the unfinished payload with someone else's ready-to-go cargo or payload to minimize the costs to all parties,

We believe that this system will converge into a space traveler online ticketing system when the payloads become humans. :)


Project Goals:

The defined project goals are as follows;

  • Prepare a reliable web site architecture by selecting the right tools and design,
  • Evaluate the NASA provided resources for integration into site database,
  • Evaluate alternative resources that can be integrated into site database (e.g.: mapping services, travel and accommodation services, photographers)


Defined Project Requirements:

  • A dash board can be fine showing the list of launchports and their information , like :
    • active/passive (DB:company/status)
    • Last launch date
    • Upcoming launch date (countdown)
    • Number of total launches (will calculated)
    • Place on world map LINK
    • Last accident/incident date :) (maybe not a good idea)
    • others
  • Weather forecast link for that port
  • A google earth 3D view or similar sites (whatsaround.com !!????) links for viewing the launch
  • Payload informations
    • Country (maybe more than 1)
    • Payload description (DB:payloads/description)
    • Target (LEO. MEO, GEO, interstellar, etc.) (DB:targets)
    • Link to information page (DB:paloads/url)
  • ONline view link, URL etc.
  • As database we can use https://firebase.google.com


- Crawl the data sources on web for more information to be presented on our platform

- TO gather more information provide services to launch holders to provide / fill more information into the platform


Sample Scenarios and Use Cases (detailed project video text):

  • There are and will be many resources on the web including NASA databases that we use with appropriate APIs
  • Not only the curious people who are willing to access and read or watch the past, current or upcoming launches
  • We have a space for those who are willing to find a launch supplier for their payloads or cargo
  • These people will be looking for a spaceflight suitable for their payload and also within their budget.
  • On the other hand the spaceflight suppliers who are looking for a new cargo for their free space in the rocket will use our system to find new partners with suitable payloads. This way all the costs for a spaceflight will be optimized for everybody.
  • Of course the page will give detailed information about the launch site for the visitors. Accommodation, car rentals, restaurants, and for those who want to keep the records of the flight or stream the videos online can hire photographers here.
  • Maybe the deep space experiment organizations may use our system for finding proper resources for them.
  • Why not to become a ticket office of the future,
  • for those who want to go to space, when it becomes available for every human being within proper budget.
  • We named the meeting point "a Marketplace For Space Travelers" and implemented all the details for you. The meeting point of tomorrow, developed today.
  • You can advertise your launch here with all the information you would like to share with the public and interested parties.
  • You can search all possible launches for your payload which are suitable for your project schedule and also your budget.
  • You can catch a last minute flight maybe.
  • You can compare possibilities that suit to your needs.
  • You can check the statistics of launches, success/fail rates, rescheduling rates, and many properties with just one click.
  • You can check the site on map, you can rent a car, you can find a hotel nearby. Hire someone to take a shot of you behind the rocket scene.
  • "welcome to the gate for future of travels"


Resources Accessed:


Project Resources and Documentation Links:

  • Google Drive
    • Brainstorming report
    • Requirement Definitions
    • Design Documents (block diagrams, arhitecture, etc.)
    • Project Presentation
    • Project Movie (drafts)
    • Movie Scripts and scenarios
  • MFST Github Page
    • Source Code
    • Public Documentation

Conclusion:

Our grandparents were going to the city or town marketplace for shopping not to online e-stores, but we do. We believe that, within our lifetime, spaceflight arrangements will be totally carried on online marketplaces. Our online spaceflight arrangement marketplace "a Marketplace For Space Travelers" which is one of a kind for today will be the first step in history.

When the humankind starts to travel in space for regular trips, future versions of this system will be the ticket office for demands and capacity holders.

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SpaceApps is a NASA incubator innovation program.