Starman Mission - Spanish Mission to the Moon
-
-
It was time. Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, the Spanish Presidential Plane was making its way towards Sertia, where in a few hours, the Starman Mission would begin from Slalium's Spaceport. Three planes were on their way to Sertia: the Presidential one, taking President Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Sebastián Rubio, Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation; Penny Mourdaunt, Minister of Defence; Anja Karliczek, Minister of Science, Innovation and Research; Donald Tusk, the Speaker of the European Council and Councillor for the Kingdom of Spain; Patricia Scotland, the Spanish Commonwealth's Secretary-General; Jesús Aguilar and Jean-Claude Juncker, former Presidents of the Kingdom of Spain. The Head of the Agencia Espacial Española, Francisco-Javier Benedicto; and General Carlos Brown, the Spanish Commander for the Caribbean and the Pacific; were already in Sertia, supervising everything.
The second plane was taking the entire Royal Family to Sertia: King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor and Princess Sofía were on their way for their first international visit in years. Meanwhile, a third plane from the Spanish Army had departed from Bourbon Military Base, in Nofoaga, Commander Laura Potter, President Lula Namatatiki from Nofoaga, the Spanish Representative on the Nofoagan Parliament and Member of the Nofoagan Majority Marian Fonseca, the Spanish Ambassador to Nofoaga and members of the Nofoagan Government were on their way to Slalium. The Caribbean was reunited, again, in a single place: all together would meet with the Braetha and the Head of the Braetha, Fornithias Cranst; to watch the historical milestone that was about to be set: 4 astronauts from the 3 Caribbean countries (Sertia, Nofoaga and Spain, the latter due to its territories in Nofoaga) would travel to the Moon.
Presidential Plane
2nd January 2025«Ah, my old seat... How have you been? Have you missed me? Alberto, who seats here now?», said former President Aguilar, who was enjoying the trip on the Presidential Plane towards the Kingdom of Sertia. Since he left the job in 2023, he had not been on the Presidential plane ever again. Juncker looked at him, quite amazed that Jesús still remembered where he seated: «Why are you so sure about it? You can remember about these kind of little details?». Aguilar nodded.
«Nobody does right now, except you, Jesús! The plane has enough capacity for me and the team, and I think this is the fullest I have seen this plane so far...», replied Alberto. «To be fair, he has not travelled too much, but that is changing, right boss?», said Sebastián, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation. «Quite indeed, Sebastián. This is the beginning of a new era in our foreign policy. By the way Donald, how is Esteban doing over Europolis? He still keeps his duties at the People's Party», the President sentenced.
«He is being really helpful, Alberto. I am glad to see you decided to send him back to where he belongs», the Speaker of the European Council confessed. «Great... I believe that he did not adapt greatly to the Spanish Government, but I still trust him. He is one of my closest friends, and I know that he is awesome when he is comfortable in his position. Glad to see he is progressing correctly», Alberto noted.
Meanwhile, Jean-Claude Juncker was having a chat with Anja Karliczek, accompanied by two glasses of wine. They were soon joined by the Secretary-General of the Spanish Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland, who did not keep her mouth shut when she saw the former Premier Commissioner and President of Spain driking some Rioja wine: «Jean-Claude! Everytime I get to see you out of a meeting or something, you have a glass of wine in your hand! Will I ever get to see you without one?». Juncker laughed slightly: «Oh, Patricia... This is my first! Anja thought it was a good idea... By the way, don't you know what they say? A glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away... and it's good for your health!», he stated. Anja laughed loudly, and so did Patricia.
Soon enough, the plane started its descent to Slalium's Air Base. During the approach, the first Spaniards to arrive to the celebration could see the island of Sertia, as well as the Miura I seconds before the plane touched down. The plane parked on one of the remote parkings, where General Brown and Francisco Javier greeted the first authorities to arrive. «Has his Majesty arrived yet?», President Feijóo asked General Brown when shaking hands. «Negative, sir. You have been the first to arrive into Sertia. The plane from Nofoaga has not arrived either. Still, Sertian authorities have been summoned for dinner at the hotel this evening, so they all are still on time», noted the General and Commander.
«Great, thank you General», Alberto said. Then, former President Aguilar greeted his old friend Carlos: «General Brown! Nice to see you again my old friend! I see the Caribbean is treating you well, or that is what you told El País on their report...». The General shook hands with Jesús: «It is, sir. I am really thankful to your Government for giving me the chance to start a new life here... loads of exciting projects to address and lead, and many remaining!», Brown pointed out.
The first Spanish delegation then headed towards the base dependencies, in order to wait for the other planes to arrive.
-
Slalium Air Base
2nd January 2025The second flight expected at Slalium's Air Base arrived right from Nofoaga. The plane was an A330MRT from the Spanish Air Force, which flew from Bourbon Military Base in Nofoaga to the major military base in the neighbouring Sertia, located at the mentioned town. Parked next to the Presidential Plane, the military personnel got the staircase ready upon arrival. Commander Laura Potter was the first to descend from the plane, being followed by the President of the Republic Nofoaga, Lula Namatatiki; the Member of the Majority, of the Nofoagan Parliament and Spanish Representative Marian Fonseca, officials from the Nofoagan Government, the Spanish Ambassador to Nofoaga and officials from the Nofoagan Government and the CCCC.
All of them were greeted by General Carlos Brown, the President of the Spanish Government, Alberto Núñez Feijóo; and the Minister of Defence, Penny Mourdaunt; as they were in a military dependence. Lula put her hair right before exiting the plane, and once shaking hands with General Brown, she was excited to meet the new Spanish President: «President Feijóo, I am so happy to meet you for the first time, and in such exciting conditions. Are you nervous about the mission?», she asked. Feijóo smiled and replied back: «The pleasure is mine, Ms. Namatatiki. Both Mr. Aguilar and Mr. Juncker speak great things about you... they even told me they could not miss the chance of seeing you again tonight! The truth is that my nerves are growing on me as we get closer to the moment». Feijóo also greeted Commander Potter and the members of the Nofoagan Government, including Fonseca, who had finally gotten to shake the hand of a Spanish Government official.
Then, Lula was guided to the base dependencies, to which she entered shouting after she saw her old friend: «Jesúuuuuuuuuuus, how have you been?! I was so sad when I heard you left the job... But look at you know, you look younger, happier, and you seem to sleep better than you did! How have you been?», she shouted excited. Namatatiki then turned her head and saw Jean-Claude: «Commissioner! It is so nice to see you again! Oh wow, this feels like these school promotions meetings...», she expressed. Aguilar greeted Lula: «Lula! You also look really good, what is your secret? Is it that daily skincare you always insisted on when we spoke on the phone? By the way, those nails with the rocket, the Moon... They are fantastic», he exclaimed. Juncker was also happy to see the Nofoagan President.
At last, the Royal Family's aircraft landed at Slalium. The King and the Queen went downstairs together, and they were met by all the authorities present at that time, including a member of the Braetha who was sent to greet the Royal Family. All together, they headed towards the town of Slalium, where they would stay until it was time for launch, and where a dinner between the 3 Governments and other authorities and invited personalities was taking place.
-
Slalium, Sertia
2nd January 2025The Spanish and Nofoagan delegations headed to Slalium, where they were welcomed by the members of the Braetha and the Head of the Braetha, Fornithias Cranst. King Felipe VI found himself, as Head of State, leading the Spanish delegation and being the first to greet Fornithias: «Mr. Cranst, I am very pleased to meet you, as it is a huge honour to finally visit the Kingdom of Sertia. Our nations have a lot in common, share their present, and now they will share this historical milestone that we are beginning to celebrate tonight», the King said. Then it was Feijóo's turn to shake hands with Fornithias: «Nice to see you again, Mr. Cranst! Thank you very much for your hospitality», he added. One by one, the Head of the Braetha and its members welcomed both delegations.
Then, it was time for dinner. As Head of State, it was Felipe's duty and not Alberto's to address the hall on behalf of the Kingdom of Spain. The King, who was wearing a dinner suit, addressed the attendees:
«Head of the Braetha, President of the Republic Nofoaga, President of the Kingdom of Spain, Members of the Braetha, the Nofoagan and Spanish Governments, authorities, ladies and gentlemen.
We find ourselves here today to celebrate that we are about to begin our biggest endeavour together. In a matter of hours, the Miura 1 will be launched from Slalium's Spaceport, heading towards the Moon, in the first mission ever done by an European nation in the 21st Century. It is difficult to find the right words when you see the efforts of thousands of workers being put to the test to realise the dream they have been chasing for five years. It is even more difficult, if I may say so, to try to predict what will happen over the next few days, during which we will be living in total uncertainty, except for communication with the Miura I by radio.
My speech today is based on two essential pillars for the Starman Mission: cooperation between our states and the pursuit of a common goal, dream, illusion and feeling. This adventure that begins today would not be possible without the cooperation that has existed between us from the beginning: this year marks the fifth anniversary of our arrival in Nofoaga to assist its citizens and Government in matters of defence; just as long as we have pursued the dream of reaching the Moon. It was with the construction of the first spaceport there that the dream seemed closer; and it was with our arrival on Sertia that the dream finally began to accelerate. The construction of a second spaceport here on Slalium not only allowed us to create more jobs, helping the local economies of both islands: it also opened the door to a greater margin of error and accelerated all timelines. Today we can proudly shout loud and clear that we have won the space race.
Nofoaga and Sertia are allies and friends of the Kingdom of Spain and I guarantee you today, dear friends, dear Fornithias and dear Lula, that we will not leave you alone. You have not done that, you have helped us to achieve the dream that together, because you are also part of this mission, we are beginning to touch today with the tips of our fingers. We owe you a great deal, and I assure you that Spain and the Spanish people will be there for you in all your needs. Our cooperation with the Caribbean and our friendship with the region is a reference in a model of international relations based on prosperity, friendship and the common progress of our nations, which not only share a part of their history, but now also a region.
Our good will has been demonstrated by the establishment of many measures, such as the Transatlantic Partnership Fund. But if there is one thing that moves us in this region, of which we are part thanks to the cession of the territory occupied by our military bases in Nofoaga, an altruistic gesture, it is friendship: we have rebuilt Nofoaga, we have helped Sertia when we were asked to do so. And I guarantee you, dear friends, that we will remain here to infinity and beyond, if you wish and grant us the great honour of remaining here. We will never leave you alone, we will never leave you behind: Europe may look away, we will not. We will always be by your side, through thick and thin, as you are by ours.
After all, the dream of the Moon may have seemed like an unattainable goal. And I would like to start by thanking the thousands of people who make up the Spanish Space Agency for their work. Without them, what we are witnessing today would not be possible: they have given their all to the Starman project, which today becomes the Starman mission. And it is this common goal that we have achieved with enthusiasm, friendship and a sense of going beyond what seems humanly possible. The last mile remains, the reason for all this, but like you, I am confident. May this mission help us to continue to dream big, to look to the future with greater enthusiasm and to enter a new, even more prosperous phase in our relations. Here's to that.
Thank you very much, and cheers!»
«The King received an ovation from the guests. After him, Lula Namatatiki addressed the hall in second place, with her speech being emotional and in the same page than King Felipe VI. Lastly, it was Fornithias Cranst's turn to address the attendees:
«Your Majesties, President of the Republic Nofoaga, President of the Kingdom of Spain, Members of the Braetha, Members of the Spanish and Nofoagan Governments, authorities, ladies and gentlemen.
I am honoured to be in such good company today. First of all, please allow me to extend a warm welcome to Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain, as well as Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias and Her Royal Highness Princess Sofia. I know that this is their first trip abroad in a long time, and the first for both Princesses, and I am very happy that Sertia has been chosen as the country for this first trip for both of them. I wish you all a warm welcome and hope that you will feel at home during your stay. Allow me also to greet the President of the Republic, Nofoaga, whom I am delighted to see in Sertia.
As Her Majesty and Mrs Namatatiki have both said, albeit in different ways, this is an historic day. Today, from Slalium, four brave astronauts, two Spaniards, a Nofoagan and a Sertian, will leave for the Moon. Their mission will be to take our three countries, an entire region, into space. And they will do it from here, from Slalium, where, together with the Kingdom of Spain, we have built a spaceport that has given us the key to a world full of possibilities. First of all, I would like to thank the AEE staff for their efforts and the Spanish Government for the gesture of including us and Nofoaga in this mission, which, as Your Majesty rightly said, is a joint adventure that we share with pleasure and joy.
This historic day undoubtedly marks the beginning of a new phase in our relationship, but I would like to save some of that euphoria for D-Day: when our astronauts set foot on the Moon. We have indeed won the space race, and with the launch of Miura I comes a host of incredible opportunities for the Caribbean, opportunities that we welcome with open hands and excitement.
I would also like to express my gratitude for the commitment of the Kingdom of Spain, reaffirmed today by His Majesty the King, to this region and its prosperity. Both Sertia and Nofoaga, as Mrs Namatatiki said, are delighted that Spain is part of this region and indeed the ties that bind us together are stronger than ever. This close and flourishing relationship is the foundation of the Starman Mission and I hope it will be the starting point for many more adventures and initiatives together. Today we take the first step towards a future of cooperation and even greater friendship, and believe me when I say that we are very excited.
To conclude, I would like to drink a toast to us, to our astronauts, to the efforts made, to the staff of the Spanish Space Agency, to our great friendship and to everything that unites us. May this joy be the beginning of a week of great and very good news, and may it end with a resounding success in all that our three governments have set out to achieve.
Thank you very much, and cheers!»
After the protocolary speeches, everyone proceded to have dinner together. The moment of truth was just getting closer and closer...
-
Slalium's Spaceport
3rd January 2025 - 02.00 Caribbean TimeExtracted from the RTVE Official Broadcast, images offered by the Agencia Espacial Española
We are receiving new images from the Slalium Spaceport, where the Miura I crew has departed for the launch pad. We are in T-3 hours and counting, and these are the names of the four brave astronauts who, in a few days and if everything goes as it should, will set foot on the Moon. On board of the Miura I are Pablo Álvarez Fernández and Sara García Alonso from Spain, Christopher Huie from Nofoaga and Jonathan Parse from Sertia. Former astronaut Pedro Duque is joining us today...
The astronauts then arrived at the White Room, from where they entered the Miura I, the close-out preparations took place. Soon enough, the astronauts were safely secured in their seats and Pablo Álvarez assumed the Starman Mission command. The conckpit switch configurations were checked by the team, and after positive feedback, Álvarez started the air-to-ground voice checks with Launch Control in Slalium: «Launch Control, this is Miura 1 performing air-to-ground voice checks. Can you hear us?». Launch control replied back: «This is Slalium's Launch Control. We can hear you loud and clear, Miura I. 5 out of 5». Then, Álvarez proceeded to perform the same checks with Mission Control in Sevilla, where the Headquarters of the Agencia Espacial Española were located at: «Sevilla Mission Control, this is Miura 1 performing air-to-ground voice checks. Can you hear us?». Mission control responded: «Loud and clear, Miura I. Good luck!».
With no leaks on the crew hatch, the White Room close-out was complete and the close-out crew began their retreat to fallback area. The time kept counting down, and with 45 minutes on the clock, the Launch Director gave permission gave permission to go for loading fuel into the rocket. Seven minutes later, the spacecraft launch escape system was up and running. With 35 minutes left for launch, the fuel loading began. When the clock went down to T-20 minutes, the clock was held for 15 minutes, during which inertial measurement unit preflight alignments were completed and the Shuttle Test Director conducted the final launch team briefings.
The clock then resumed its way down to zero, and the second stage started getting liquid oxygen, the onboard computers and backup flight system transitioned to launch configuration, the fuell cell thermal conditioning started and the cabin vent valves were closed. With 9 minutes on the clock, the countdown was held again. The Launch Director, Mission Management Team and Shuttle Test Director started polling their teams for a go for launch, after they received a new weather report and analysed all the data they had at that moment. Everything was looking great, and the three teams decided to go for launch.
During the 45 minutes the countdown was held, the members of the 3 delegations from the Kingdom of Spain, the Kingdom of Sertia and the Republic Nofoaga arrived to the grandstand reserved for them, which was next to the general grandstands where thousands of people were already waiting for lift off. Then, the countdown started moving again, and the nerves began to grow within Launch Control, Mission Control and the people watching, including politicians. The Director of the Agencia Espacial Española was in the Launch Control dependencies, accompanied by the Minister of Science, Innovation and Research.
Extracted from the RTVE Official Broadcast, images offered by the Agencia Espacial Española. Bold indicates time, all words following are said by the Launch Director. Words in cursive are said by AEE personnel. RTVE did not say a single word, only offered images. Communication takes place in Spanish
T-9 (05.51 Sertian Local Time): Start automatic ground launch sequencer.
► The automatic ground launch sequencer has been succesfully started
T-7 minutes and 30 seconds: Retract orbiter access arm.
► Orbiter access arm retracted.
T-5 minutes: Start auxiliary power units, arm solid rocket booster range safety safe and arm devices.
► Everything up and running.
T-3 minutes, 55 seconds: Start orbiter aerosurface profile test, followed by main engine gimbal profile test.
► Aerosurface profile test positive, main engine gimbal profile test positive. General feedback remains positive.
T-2 minutes and 55 seconds: Retract gaseous oxygen vent arm.
► Gaseous oxygen vent arm retracted.
T-2 minutes: Crew members close and lock your visors, please. Good luck.
PA: Visors closed and locked.
T-50 seconds: Transfer Miura I from ground to internal power.
► Transfer is complete.
T-31 seconds: Ground launch sequencer is go for auto sequence start.
► Confirm.
T-16 seconds: Activate launch pad sound suppression system.
► Launch pad sound suppression system activated.
T-10 seconds: Activate main engine hydrogen burnoff system.
► Main engine hydrogen burnoff system activated, ten seconds remaining.The crowd then began to shout every number from 10 to 0. Everyone was expectant, nervous, excited. Some even felt emotional. RTVE then offered a split image of the rocket and the crowd counting down to zero.
10...
9...
8...
7...
T-6.6 Seconds: Main engine start.
► Main engine started, we are ready.6...
5...
4...
3...
2...
1...
T-0 (06.00 Sertian Time): Lift off!
The Muira I lifted off to the sky successfully. The crowd clapped and cheered, so did the delegations. Nevertheless, in the Launch and Mission control dependencies, someone could have cut the atmosphere with a knife. Everyone was nervous, everything seemed to be working just perfectly.
Extracted from the RTVE Official Broadcast, images offered by the Agencia Espacial Española. Bold indicates time, all words following are said by the Launch Director. Words in cursive are said by AEE personnel. RTVE only offered images, if any comment is made, it will be denoted.
T+58 seconds: Miura I has reached Max Q.
► Affirm, every system is within normal ranges.*T+2 minutes and 35 seconds: First stage cutting off and separating.
PA: Affirm.
► Separation confirmed.T+11 minutes: Second stage cutting off and separating.
PA: Affirm. We are on our way to the Moon, everything is normal here!
► Separation confirmed, transfering control to Sevilla Mission Control.(The rooms in Slalium and in Sevilla explode into cheers and joy)
T+11 minutes and 15 seconds: Miura 1, this is Sevilla Mission Control. Can you hear us?
PA: Loud and clear, Sevilla! Miura 1 on its way to the Moon!RTVE: And that is it! The Agencia Espacial Española has done it! Miura 1 is on its way to the Moon! From Radiotelevisión Española, congratulations to the big time at the Agencia Espacial Española for this major achivement in our history.
Meanwhile, in Slalium, everyone was celebrating in the grandstands. One by one, Francisco-Javier Benedicto and Anja Karliczek greeted and congratulated the Agencia Espacial Española workers, who then were met by the Royal Family, the Spanish President, the Head of the Braetha and the President of the Republic Nofoaga. The Kingdom of Spain, the Kingdom of Sertia and the Republic Nofoaga had done it: they had launched a rocket towards the Moon. Now, another countdown had been started... soon, the Miura I crew would begin their approach to the Moon.
The Kingdom of Spain
