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November 1, 2021
SpaceX Delays Launch of Four NASA Astronauts to ISS From Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Sources: SPACErePORT, The Verge, Florida Today)
SpaceX's fifth human spaceflight, its third operational crew transport mission for NASA, has been rescheduled from Sunday to Wednesday for its lift off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport due to downrange weather. Four NASA astronauts will be aboard the Crew-3 mission, riding a new reusable Dragon capsule, along with supplies and experiments.
Once Crew-3 arrives, there will be a changing of the guard. The four Crew-2 astronauts already on board the space station will greet the incoming astronauts and get them settled. Then in mid-November, the Crew-2 members will climb into their own Crew Dragon and return back to Earth. As for the Crew-3 astronauts, they’ll be on board the ISS for six months, scheduled to come back sometime in the spring of next year. (10/30)
SpaceX Needed to Tame Toilet Trouble Before Crew-3 Launch (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
SpaceX is taming some toilet troubles in its capsules before it launches four more astronauts. The company and NASA want to make sure the toilet leaks won’t compromise the capsule launching early Sunday from Kennedy Space Center or another one that’s been parked at the International Space Station since April.
During SpaceX’s first private flight last month, a tube came unglued, spilling urine onto fans and beneath the floor, said William Gerstenmaier, a SpaceX vice president who used to work for NASA. The same problem was recently discovered inside the Dragon capsule at the space station, he told reporters Monday night. As a permanent fix, SpaceX has welded on the urine-flushing tube that’s inside the company’s newest capsule, named Endurance by its U.S.-German crew. NASA isn’t quite finished reviewing the last-minute fix. (10/26)
Boeing Takes Big Financial Hit From CST-100 Starliner Delays (Source: Space Policy Online)
Boeing is taking a $185 million 1Q2021 earnings charge for commercial crew (i.e. CST-100 Starliner). That's on top of $410 million charge in 4Q2019. That's all for the long-delayed OFT-2 test mission, which Boeing--not NASA--must pay for since it's a fixed price contract. (10/26)
UAE Considers NASA Commercial Crew Alternative for Sending Astronauts to ISS (Source: Space News)
The United Arab Emirates is examining a range of options for flying its astronauts. The country's first astronaut went to the International Space Station on a Soyuz in 2019, primarily because that was the only option available. However, an official with the center that runs the U.A.E.'s space program said that, with commercial crew vehicles now in service, they are considering options such as buying a seat on a commercial flight to the station or a mission like Inspiration4 that simply orbits the Earth, as well as government-to-government agreements. The U.A.E. has four astronauts, including two selected earlier this year. (10/29)
Rogozin: SpaceX Ships Have Gained Enough Experience to Carry Russian Cosmonauts (Source: TASS)
The head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin expressed the opinion that the Crew Dragon ships of the Ilona Mask SpaceX company have gained sufficient experience so that Russian cosmonauts can fly on them as part of cross flights. "From our point of view, SpaceX has gained enough experience to be able to send representatives of our crews on their ships," Rogozin told reporters. According to the head of Roscosmos, on Tuesday, the topic of cross flights in negotiations with NASA may be raised. (10/25)
Russia Launches Cargo to ISS (Source: Space.com)
A Progress cargo spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station after a launch Wednesday night. A Soyuz-2 rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 8 p.m. Eastern and placed the Progress MS-18 cargo spacecraft into orbit. That spacecraft, carrying more than 2,400 kilograms of supplies, is taking a traditional two-day approach to the ISS, with docking scheduled for Friday. (10/28)
Rogozin: Space Tourists Should be Kept Away From Astronauts (Source: The National)
Space tourists could “distract crews and cause disruptions” on orbital stations, Russia's space chief has said. Roscosmos director general Dmitry Rogozin said a dedicated area on space stations for such tourists was required to minimize disruption to proper missions. He said the Russian space agency would be adding a module for tourists to the next station it develops. His comments came as Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX take more VIP tourists into orbit. (10/27)
Russia Will Fly Four Tourists to Space Station in 2024 (Source: Sputnik)
Earlier this month, a Russian actress and a film director spent 12 days in orbit making the world's first movie in space. Director General of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin said that the space mission for the film crew of "The Challenge" was "a solid five". Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of the Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos, has signed a preliminary agreement under which two commercial flights of Soyuz spacecraft will be carried out in 2024. (10/28)
SpaceX Rideshare Program Beats Small Rockets for Emirati Launch Contract (Source: Teslarati)
The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) space agency has contracted with SpaceX to launch a domestically-built Earth observation satellite on a Falcon 9 rideshare mission. Known as MBZ SAT, the ~700 kg (~1550 lb) spacecraft will be the second domestic imaging satellite (mostly) built by the UAE itself and, among several other upgrades, will nearly double its resolving power from KhalifaSat’s 0.7m/pixel to ~0.4m/pixel – not far off from the unclassified state of the art.
That makes the mission a bit of a jewel in the crown of SpaceX’s Smallsat Rideshare Program, which is intentionally branded as a more hands-off, public-transit-like utility that offers extremely low prices at the cost of more traditional white-glove launch services. For a direct contract with SpaceX itself, the Smallsat Rideshare Program charges a minimum of $1 million to launch up to 200 kg (440 lb) on one payload adapter. Anything beyond that 200 kg mark costs the same, so twice the payload on the same adapter would cost exactly twice as much. For a fee, SpaceX also offers fueling services and gives customers the option of buying SpaceX-built adapters and deployment mechanisms or bringing their own.
Above all else, MZB SAT is almost perfectly sized and destined for the perfect orbit (500 km) to be launched on one of several new small rockets that could be operational by H2 2023. That list includes Firefly’s Alpha, Relativity’s Terran 1, ABL Space’s RS1, and several other vehicles specifically designed to launch small satellites in the 300-1000 kg range. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket ultimately won over the UAE, firmly demonstrating that industry-best pricing paired with the most reliable rocket currently flying is a hard combination to beat. (10/28)
ULA Sets Nov. 22 for Space Force Launch (Source: Space News)
United Launch Alliance has rescheduled a Space Force mission for next month. ULA says the Space Test Program (STP) 3 mission will launch Nov. 22 on an Atlas 5 from Cape Canaveral. STP-3 was previously scheduled to launch in June but postponed to investigate an issue with the Atlas 5's RL10 upper stage engine. The STP-3 mission is carrying the STPSat-6 satellite built by Northrop Grumman and several secondary payloads. (10/27)
ULA Workers Protest Vaccine Mandate in Alabama (Source: WAAY)
Several protests against the federal COVID vaccine mandate were held outside the United Launch Alliance facility in Decatur this week. "I think it's not only one, a violation of our Constitutional rights to mandate our vaccine, but I think it's evil," ULA welder Hunter Creger said. "I think it's evil what they're doing to us."
It's honestly a lose-lose situation. On one hand, the company risks losing work; on the other, they'll lose their employees. In the last few weeks, ULA said, several of its contracts were modified with strict requirements to make sure all employees will be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Protesters say forcing them to get the vaccine is un-American, but the company says it was done to keep them safe. (10/27)
ULA Worker Suspended Pending Further Investigation (Source: WHNT)
The organizer of the employee demonstrations in front of United Launch Alliance in Decatur is now facing backlash for his role. The group has been protesting both day and night against the plant’s vaccination mandate that they believe is wrong. Hunter Creger is now out of a job. Creger, an employee at ULA, was sent home suspended by the company, pending further investigation.
Creger, a Laser Weld Technician at ULA, reported for his day shift at the rocket parts manufacturing plant on Wednesday for the first time this week. On Monday and Tuesday, Creger organized a protest with other employees to raise their voices in unison over the company’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate. The mandate requires the federal workers at the plant to be vaccinated by Friday, October 29, or face termination. (10/27)
Air Force is First to Face Troops’ Rejection of Vaccine Mandate as Thousands Avoid Shots (Source: Washington Post)
Up to 12,000 Air Force personnel have rejected orders to get fully vaccinated against the coronavirus despite a Pentagon mandate, and officials say it is too late for them to do so by the Tuesday deadline, posing the first major test for military leaders whose August directive has been met with defiance among a segment of the force.
The vast majority of active-duty airmen, more than 96 percent, are at least partially vaccinated, according to data from the Air Force. But officials have warned that, barring an approved medical or religious exemption, those who defy lawful orders to be fully immunized are subject to punishment, including possible dismissal from the service, or they could be charged in the military justice system.
Editor's Note: Apart from the Covid-19 vaccine, DoD already administers 17 different vaccine requirements for the prevention of infectious diseases among military personnel. The vaccines are administered to military personnel on the basis of military occupation, the location of the deployment, and mission requirements. (10/29)
Florida Is Suing Biden Administration—and NASA—Over Federal Vaccine Mandate (Source: Daily Beast)
The state of Florida, under Gov. Ron DeSantis, is filing suit against the Biden administration—and NASA—to halt the COVID-19 vaccine mandate imposed on federal contractors. The lawsuit, announced by Attorney General Ashley Moody, argues that even if Biden had the authority to carry out such a mandate under the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, doing so would still be unconstitutional because “the manner in which they were enacted violates fundamental principles of administrative and procurement law.”
The lawsuit alleges the government is simply paying “lip service” to improve the economy and federal procurement efficiency and that the real goal is to “get more people vaccinated and decrease the spread of COVID-19.” However, the latter has been made very clear by the Biden administration since day one. The state unabashedly claims that the mandate would cause irreparable harm and “interfere with Florida’s employment policies and threaten Florida with economic harm and the loss of federal contracts,” including its frequent collaborations with the U.S. space program. Florida has reported nearly 59,000 deaths from the virus. (10/28)
From NASA to Blue Origin, the Cutting-Edge Space Industry has Old Problems: Sexism and Harassment (Source: Florida Today)
The space industry, a cutting-edge field rife with romanticized goals of exploration, has an ancient problem: sexism and harassment. Organizations from private spaceflight companies to public agencies like NASA have been the subject of behavior accusations in recent months that range from the inappropriate to potentially criminal.
A group of former and current Blue Origin employees published an essay last month calling out sexism at Jeff Bezos' spaceflight company. Dozens have joined a Facebook group dedicated to offering support in dealing with inappropriate behavior on the job, leading some to make their stories public. NASA even changed its code of conduct for members of the media, potentially giving officials more leeway in enforcing bans of people caught behaving badly.
According to experts and whistleblowers, the idealistic nature of space exploration and sharp focus on "the mission" adds to a dangerous dynamic in which women, already a minority in the high-tech workplace, might be willing to put up with unacceptable behaviors to achieve success. If left unresolved, insiders are concerned this culture could someday extend to astronauts on assignment or deep space colonization efforts. Click here. (10/28)
Senators Concerned Over DoD’s Sexual Assault Overhaul Timeline (Source: FNN)
The DoD is pledging major resources in its plan to overhaul the way it treats sexual assault in the military, however, a handful of powerful senators are questioning the Pentagon’s timeline for those changes. Eight lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, including Sens. Diane Feinstein (D-CA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), wrote to Secretary Lloyd Austin with concerns that DoD’s plan will take too long to implement. “We write to express our disappointment and concern with the vague approach and lax timeline the Department of Defense has laid out,” the senators wrote this week. (10/29)
Blue Origin's New Glenn: Building the Road to Space at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Blue Origin)
Down in Florida we’re hard at work building our orbital rocket, New Glenn. This is the rocket that will help build the road to space. Here's a video featuring rocket production and launch pad activities at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Click here. (10/15)
Blue Origin Has its Eye on UAE Desert for Spaceport (Source: The National)
Blue Origin is looking at the UAE’s desert as a possible location for a spaceport for tourists. The company has successfully sent eight people into space through its New Shepard suborbital flights — including Star Trek actor William Shatner, 90, who became the oldest person in space. In an exclusive interview with The National, Brent Sherwood, senior vice president of advanced development programs for Blue Origin, said the UAE was an “obvious choice” for a spaceport and that it was looking to expand its launch sites from the current one in El Paso, Texas.
“Now that we are operational for tourism, the next thing we are looking at is other locations around the planet to establish launch and landing sites for New Shepard,” he said. “It’s an obvious place to look here. All we really need is some desert. One of the endearing qualities of the West Texas desert is that it is hard to get to the El Paso airport. You have to drive for a couple of hours and it is in the middle of nowhere. (10/26)
UAE Considers India's Rockets to Launch Small Satellites From New Spaceport (Source: India Today)
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) could use low-cost launch vehicles developed by the Indian Space and Research Organization (ISRO) for lifting off its small satellites. Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology and Chairperson of UAE Space Agency, said that the two nations are looking at a wide variety of scientific cooperation in the space sector.
"We spoke during the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) with ISRO, looking at different aspects that are important to both countries. ISRO provides a low-cost launch capacity that we would like to explore for smaller satellites launching out of UAE," the UAE Space Agency chief said. India has been known worldwide for its cost-effective missions to Moon and Mars and its success ratio in launching satellites with its indigenous launch vehicles. (10/28)
The Battle for Boca Chica (Source: Space Review)
An environmental review of SpaceX’s proposed Starship launch plans from Boca Chica, Texas, has created sharp differences of opinion. Jeff Foust reports on public feedback from those strongly in favor of the company’s launch plans and those with equally strong objections. Click here. (10/26)
Astra Postpones Alaska Launch Attempt for Range Upgrades (Source: Astra)
Astra is postponing a launch that had been scheduled for this week. The company said in a regulatory filing that its next Rocket 3.3 mission, LV0007, won't take place in a window that opened Wednesday through the end of the month because the spaceport at Kodiak Island, Alaska, had not completed range upgrades in time. Astra says it hopes to attempt the launch during a second window that opens Nov. 5. (10/27)
Rocket Builder ABL Raises $200 Million, Increasing Valuation to $2.4 Billion (Source: CNBC)
Rocket builder ABL Space on Monday announced the close of a $200 million round of funding from existing investors. The financing increases the private space company's valuation to $2.4 billion. ABL aims to launch its first RS1 rocket from Alaska before the end of this year, president Dan Piemont told CNBC in September.
The funds came from existing investors, which include T. Rowe Price, Fidelity Management, Venrock, New Science Ventures, Lynett Capital, and Lockheed Martin Ventures. The company has raised $420 million to date. The company noted that its manifest features 14 customers and a backlog of 75 contracted launches. That includes a bulk order from Lockheed Martin earlier this year. The company signed a long-term agreement with ABL for up to 58 rockets for launches through 2029. (10/25)
Lockheed Martin's Aerojet Rocketdyne Acquisition (Source: Space News)
Lockheed Martin says it won't complete its acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne before the end of the year, as originally hoped. Lockheed CEO James Taiclet said in an earnings call Tuesday that the closing of the deal has been delayed by the regulatory approval process, and that he now expects it to be done in the first quarter of 2022. Some companies and regulators oppose the deal because it would mean the only remaining major independent developer of solid-rocket motors would be owned by one of the companies that uses them, forcing competitors to work with Lockheed. (10/27)
DOD Says Lockheed Once Again Largest Contractor In 2020 (Source: Law360)
Lockheed Martin Corp. was the largest recipient of defense contracts in fiscal year 2020, raking in $72.9 billion from the U.S. Department of Defense, the DOD said in a report Friday detailing its annual defense contract and payroll spending. (10/25)
Spain's Sener Aerospacial Plans Demo on Rocket Factory Augsburg Launch (Source: Rocket Factory Augsburg)
Sener Aerospacial of Spain signed a contract to launch its E.T.Pack technology demonstrator on the RFA One rocket from Germany's Rocket Factory Augsburg AG. E.T.Pack is a deorbit device for satellites and rocket stages that includes an electrodynamic tether. (10/27)
China's Kuaizhou-1A Rocket Launches Satellite (Source: Xinhua)
A Kuaizhou-1A carrier rocket carrying the Jilin-1 Gaofen 02F satellite blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwest China, Oct. 27, 2021. The satellite was launched at 2:19 p.m. (Beijing Time) and entered the planned orbit. (10/28)
China Sets New National Launch Record with Kuaizhou-1A Mission (Source: Space News)
China set a new national record for orbital launches in a calendar year with the launch of a commercial remote sensing satellite on a Kuaizhou-1A solid rocket Wednesday. The Kuaizhou-1A lifted off from a transporter erector launcher into clear blue skies above the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on Oct. 27. The Jilin-1 Gaofen (“high resolution”) 02F remote sensing satellite was successfully inserted into its intended orbit. (10/27)
Japan Launches NavSat on H-2A Rocket (Source: Spaceflight Now)
Japan launched a navigation satellite Monday night. An H-2A rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center at 10:19 p.m. Eastern, deploying the QZS 1R satellite into an inclined geostationary transfer orbit. The spacecraft will replace the existing QZS 1 satellite launched in 2010 that provides augmentation signals to improve the accuracy of GPS services in the Asia Pacific region. (10/26)
Ariane 6 Undergoing Preparations for 2022 Debut (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
ArianeGroup and the European Space Agency are carrying out preparations for the maiden launch of the Ariane 6 rocket next year. Ariane 6 represents the next generation of the Ariane family of rockets, intended to allow its customers lower-cost access to space. The rocket and launch pad still have an extensive test program ahead of them, with a current target launch date in the second half of 2022.
Ariane 6 is the sixth member of the Ariane family of rockets, whose development began in the 1970s to allow the ESA (European Space Agency) to place its own satellites–and commercial payloads–into geostationary orbit. From 1979 to 2003, the Ariane 1, 2, 3 and 4 rockets launched 144 times with 137 successes. (10/29)
Announcement of Opportunity to Fly Payloads on ESA’s Space Rider (Source: ESA)
ESA is offering the opportunity for payloads to ride on board the first return flight, and future flights, to low orbit of its reusable Space Rider. Applications should reach ESA by 30 November. Space Rider’s planned debut is in 2023. Launched on a Vega-C rocket, it will provide a laboratory in space for an array of applications, orbit altitudes and inclinations. ESA has released a dedicated Announcement of Opportunity with no restriction on nationality for commercial or institutional customers.
Scientific experimentation in microgravity for pharmaceutics and biology are key examples of a Space Rider service. Other examples include in-orbit demonstration and validation of technologies for applications such as robotics for exploration, instrumentation for Earth observation, surveillance for Earth disaster monitoring, and satellites inspection. (10/26)
UK Space Startups Reveal Plans for Cleaner Rocket Launches (Source: Space.com)
Rocket launches can inject huge amounts of soot into higher layers of Earth's atmosphere, depending on their fuel, possibly contributing to climate change. A pair of British rocket startups now claim their rocket technology can reduce spaceflight's environmental footprint by switching to renewable fuel.
Both of these startups plan to launch their rockets from different spaceports located in Scottish wilderness, and being green has been part of their pitch from the start. While Edinburgh-based Skyrora plans to fly their rockets using rocket fuel made from non-recyclable plastics. Their counterpart, the Inverness-based Orbex, is betting on biopropane, a natural gas made as a byproduct during biodiesel production. (10/25)
0-G Launch and Canary Islands Aeronautic and Aerospace Cluster Plan Flights and Air Launch Service (Source: Parabolic Arc)
0-G Launch, an innovative Washington DC-based provider of the Space Jet™ horizontal rocket air-launch and microgravity service aircraft, and the Canary Islands Aeronautic and Aerospace Cluster -CAAC, an international center of excellence dedicated to promoting companies in the aeronautical-aerospace sector in the archipelago, today announced the signature of an agreement to initiate consumer zero-gravity parabolic flights from the islands in 2023.
The agreement was signed during an in-person ceremony at the World Air Traffic Management (ATM) Conference in Madrid. As first part of this agreement, 0-G Launch will fly its Space Jet™ to the Canary Islands to make exciting zero-gravity parabolic flight experiences locally available on a yearly basis. CAAC will organize and manage the media outreach and logistics to ensure that these unique flights are actively promoted among the nearly 13 million tourists that visit the archipelago annually. (10/27)
Russia to Create Krylo-SV Reusable Rocket Prototype by Late 2022 (Source: TASS)
A prototype of a Krylo-SV reusable wing-deployable space rocket will be created by late 2022, Head of Russia’s State Space Corporation Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin told a press conference at the 72nd International Astronautical Congress in Dubai on Monday. "This project is called Krylo-SV. We are planning to create this rocket’s prototype at the end of next year," Rogozin said.
As the Roscosmos chief said, the technology used by US-based SpaceX is not suitable for Russia. "Based on ballistic calculations, if we lift off from the Vostochny spaceport [in the Russian Far East], the boundary of the Sea of Okhotsk and our Far Eastern coast in the Khabarovsk Region will be a landing site for rocket stages. This is a completely undeveloped area and a place where we can recover our rocket module seems to be very complex," Rogozin explained. (10/25)
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A Once-Quiet Battle to Replace the Space Station Suddenly is Red Hot (Source: Ars Technica)
The sprawling International Space Station—so long a beacon of hope, unity, and technological achievement; so gleaming and bright it can be seen from a city's downtown as it passes overhead—is nearer the end of its life than the beginning. And time is running out to replace the station before it's gone. Now, we're finally getting a glimpse of what the future might look like and how fierce the competition may be.
A Houston-based company called Axiom Space has been most public about its intentions, talking for a few years now about developing the world's "first commercial space station." But this week, two other options emerged for NASA: Nanoracks and Lockheed Martin announced their intent to build a space station called "Starlab," and another team led by Blue Origin and Sierra Space revealed plans to construct an "Orbital Reef." There will likely be more bidders soon offering private station concepts as well.
For the first time, Congress looks like it will appropriate significant funding for what NASA calls "Commercial LEO Destinations." And the government money may eventually get much, much bigger. Presently, NASA spends about $4 billion annually for its low-Earth-orbit program. This includes maintenance of the space station itself, cargo and crew transportation, space communications, and more. No one expects NASA to spend this much on commercial space stations, but it will need to spend a sizable fraction of its current ISS budget if any of these commercial stations are to be fully realized. (10/28)
Blue Origin Teams With Sierra Space, Boeing and Others on ‘Orbital Reef’ Space Station Project (Source: GeekWire)
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture is joining forces with Colorado-based Sierra Space and a host of other partners, including Boeing, to propose building a space-based “mixed-use business park” called Orbital Reef. The plan, announced today at the International Astronautical Congress in Dubai, is among about a dozen proposals being submitted to NASA for a share of development funds under a program that’s aimed at preparing the way for replacing the International Space Station.
If Blue Origin and its partners follow through on the plan, the basic version of Orbital Reef would be in low Earth orbit sometime during the latter half of the 2020s — in time for an orderly transition from ISS operations. That version would include power-generating capability, a core module with picture windows looking down on Earth, an inflatable habitat provided by Sierra Space and a Boeing-built science lab.
Blue Origin’s senior vice president of advanced development programs, Brent Sherwood, told GeekWire that Orbital Reef would cost “at least an order of magnitude less” than the International Space Station. The development cost for the International Space Station is typically estimated at $100 billion, which would imply a cost in the range of $10 billion for Orbital Reef. (10/25)
Voyager, Nanoracks, Lockheed Martin Team Up to Launch Space Station (Source: Cheddar)
Voyager, Nanoracks, and Lockheed Martin are all teaming up to develop the first-ever free-flying commercial space station with room for a crew of four astronauts. The private companies are joining forces as part of NASA’s greater mission to retire the International Space Station by the year 2030. The low-earth orbit space station will be called "Starlab," and is planned to achieve operational capability by 2027. Lisa Callahan, Vice President and General Manager of Commercial Civil Space at Lockheed Martin, and Matthew J. Kuta, President and Chief Operating Officer of Voyager Space, joined Cheddar’s Opening Bell for this video segment. Click here. (10/25)
Private Space Stations Will Soon Be In Orbit (Source: The Economist)
On October 21 a consortium led by Lockheed Martin, one of America’s biggest aerospace companies, announced plans to build a permanently crewed commercial space station called Starlab, and launch it into orbit around Earth by 2027. Not to be outdone, on the 25th, Blue Origin unveiled plans for a yet more ambitious effort. Orbital Reef is a joint venture with (among others) Lockheed’s competitor Boeing. It will host up to ten people and will serve, as Blue Origin put it, as a “mixed-use business park.” The hope is that this orbiting industrial estate will open by the end of the decade.
Private-enterprise missions to orbit are not new. Mr Bezos’s rival Elon Musk, for example, has been offering them, via his rocketry firm SpaceX, for several years. But these two projects, if they succeed, will be on a far grander scale. Eye-catching though they are, however, they are not alone. Several other firms, egged on in some cases by NASA, that country’s space agency, have similar ideas. The firms’ owners hope to make money. Acting together with NASA, these motives seem likely, some time this decade, to result in the first real settlement of outer space by private enterprise. (10/27)
Revised Budget Package Provides Less for NASA Infrastructure (Source: Space News)
A revised version of the budget reconciliation spending package provides less funding for NASA infrastructure repairs. The updated $1.75 trillion bill, released Thursday, includes $750 million to repair NASA facilities, compared to $4 billion in the original House version of the bill. NASA had requested more than $5 billion for work such as fixing damage caused by recent hurricanes. The new bill also slightly reduces funding for climate change activities at NASA. As with earlier versions of the bill, it includes no funding for a second Human Landing System contract, something NASA sought earlier this year. (10/29)
NASA Wants to Buy SLS Rockets at Half Price, Fly Them Into the 2050s (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA has asked the US aerospace industry how it would go about "maximizing the long-term efficiency and sustainability" of the Space Launch System rocket and its associated ground systems. The request comes as NASA and its chief contractor for the rocket, Boeing, are nearing the launch pad after a long, arduous, and expensive development process that has lasted more than a decade. The heavy lift SLS rocket, carrying an Orion space capsule, should finally make its debut during the first half of 2022.
In its request NASA says it would like to fly the SLS rocket for "30 years or more" as a national capability. Moreover, the agency wants the rocket to become a "sustainable and affordable system for moving humans and large cargo payloads to cislunar and deep-space destinations." NASA sees itself as the "anchor tenant" of the launch system and procuring one crewed flight per year for the next decade or longer. Where appropriate, the agency said, industry will "market" the large launch vehicle to other customers, including the science community and other government and non-government entities.
How does one make a system that has been anything but affordable and sustainable into something that is affordable and sustainable? NASA says it wants to transition ownership of rocket production and ground services to the private industry. In return, this private contractor should build and launch the SLS at a substantial savings of 50 percent or more off of the current industry "baseline per flight cost." Notably, NASA has never publicly stated this baseline flight cost. (10/28)
NASA Seeks Input to Position Mega-Rocket for Long-Term Exploration (Source: Space Daily)
NASA is preparing for the first flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, along with other flight hardware for the next several Artemis missions in production around the country. The agency also is looking forward to future missions and working to transition SLS from design and development to production and operations to support NASA's long-term exploration goals.
To accomplish this goal, NASA has invited industry to submit responses to a Request for Information (RFI) to assist NASA in maximizing the long-term efficiency of the SLS rocket's super-heavy-lift, national launch capabilities while streamlining operations to minimize production, operations, and maintenance costs. NASA will use the information received to inform plans for production and operations of the SLS rocket beginning on or about Artemis V to ensure this national asset is available for decades of deep space exploration to the Moon, Mars and beyond. (10/27)
Musk Says He Wants to Use Wealth to Get Humans to Mars, Not Pay Taxes (Source: Futurism)
It didn’t come as a shock when Tesla CEO Elon Musk criticized a plan to tax billionaires earlier this week over a plan to tax billionaires. The billionaire — who also happens to be the richest person in the world — has other goals in mind for his tremendous wealth: making humanity interplanetary. “My plan is to use the money to get humanity to Mars and preserve the light of consciousness,” he tweeted today.
Thanks to Tesla closing a massive deal with rental car company Hertz this week, Musk’s personal net worth is closing in on $300 billion — which, just to be clear, is an absolutely obscene amount of money, despite the majority being tied up in shares. Musk also resorted to a common conservative talking point: that the ultra-wealthy can only pay so much.
“US national debt is ~$28,900 billion or ~$229k per taxpayer,” Musk argued in a tweet on Wednesday. “Even taxing all ‘billionaires’ at 100 percent would only make a small dent in that number, so obviously the rest must come from the general public. This is basic math.” Ironically, Musk has often relied on government spending to grow his businesses. (10/28)
SpaceX’s Path to Refueling Starships in Space is Clearer Than it Seems (Source: Teslarati)
The question of how SpaceX will make Starship the world’s most rapidly, fully, and cheaply reusable rocket is a hard one, but it’s not all that difficult to extrapolate from where the company is today. The sum total of SpaceX’s official discussions of orbital refueling can be summed up in a sentence included verbatim in CEO Elon Musk’s 2017, 2018, and 2019 Starship presentations: “propellant settled by milli G acceleration using control thrusters.”
The principles behind such a ‘settled propellant transfer’ are fairly simple and intuitive. The crucial question is how much acceleration the process requires and how expensive that continuous acceleration ends up being. According to Kutter et al’s 2006 paper, the answer is surprising: assuming a 100 metric ton (~220,000 lb) spacecraft pair accelerates at 0.0001G (one ten-thousandth of Earth gravity) to transfer propellant, they would need to consume just 45 kg (100 lb) of hydrogen and oxygen propellant per hour to maintain that acceleration.
With large enough pipes (on the order of 20-50 cm or 8-20 in) connecting each Starship’s tanks, SpaceX should have no trouble transferring 1000+ tons of propellant in a handful of hours. Ultimately, that means that settled propellant transfer even at the scale of Starship should incur a performance ‘tax’ of no more than 20-50 tons of propellant per refueling. All transfers leading up to the worst-case 1600-ton scenario should also be substantially more efficient. Overall, that means that fully refueling an orbiting Starship or depot with ~1200 tons of propellant – requiring anywhere from 8 to 14+ tanker launches – should be surprisingly efficient, with perhaps 80% or more of the propellant launched remaining usable by the end of the process. (10/24)
SpaceX Flexes Giant Starship-Catching "Chopsticks" for the First Time (Source: Futurism)
SpaceX has flexed the “Chopsticks” arm of its massive Starship-catching tower for the first time this morning at the company’s testing facilities in South Texas. The “Mechazilla” tower, as SpaceX CEO Elon Musk likes to call it, is meant to ensure that the space company’s heavy lift rocket called Starship and its accompanying Super Heavy booster make a soft landing. It is a truly wild concept that could quickly turn into a disaster unless everything goes perfectly to plan. (10/28)
NASA Employee Says SpaceX's Starship Is About to Change Everything (Source: Futurism)
NASA Jet Propulsion Lab system architect Casey Handmer is impressed with SpaceX’s progress toward developing a rocket capable of sending astronauts to the Moon and even Mars. “Two years ago Starship was a design concept and a mock up,” Handmer wrote in a lengthy post on his personal blog about the hyper-ambitious rocket. “Today it’s a 95 percent complete prototype that will soon fly to space and may even make it back in one piece.”
“Starship matters,” Handmer writes. “It’s not just a really big rocket, like any other rocket on steroids. It’s a continuing and dedicated attempt to achieve the ‘Holy Grail’ of rocketry, a fully and rapidly reusable orbital class rocket that can be mass manufactured.” He was also somewhat excoriating toward his employer, predicting that Starship is going to render many of the agency’s grand ambitions moot. “Artemis will continue to limp awkwardly on with occasional half-hearted press releases, Eric Berger scoops, and middling budgets,” he wrote.
“At some point Starship will demonstrate an automated Lunar landing and return with a few tonnes of Moon rocks," he wrote. “It may take a year or three,” he wrote, “but Starship will happen and it will change everything.” (10/29)
NASA, National Geographic Partner to Show Inside Artemis Moon Mission (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected National Geographic to help tell the story of Artemis II, the first Artemis flight that will carry astronauts around the Moon and back to Earth aboard the agency’s Orion spacecraft. Following a competitive selection process, NASA and National Geographic entered into a non-reimbursable (no-exchange-of-funds) Space Act Agreement to collaborate on compact, lightweight audiovisual hardware to fly inside Orion and related support for the project. (10/29)
NASA Drops Epic Sci-Fi Video of Human Space Exploration Across the Universe (Source: C/Net)
NASA may be focused on hard science, but it's not opposed to dabbling in a bit of science fiction. On Tuesday, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center shared its vision for future human space exploration, and it's inspiring. The Visions of the Future video shows off exotic vacation destinations booked through the fictional Exoplanet Travel Bureau. "At least as important as the spacefaring rockets and satellites is the explorer and the inspiration to make the journey," said NASA Goddard. Click here. (10/20)
Terraforming: Why the Moon is a Better Target Than Mars (Source: Big Think)
At first glance, it might appear that Mars is much better suited for terraforming than the Moon. After all, Mars already has large quantities of water on it: in both the solid and gaseous phases. Mars had a past where liquid water was rife on the surface, and probably spent more than the first billion years of its existence with oceans and rivers throughout its surface. Mars is larger and more massive than the Moon; it has a higher gravitational acceleration than the Moon does at its surface; and its atmosphere, while thin, is rich in carbon dioxide.
But Mars also faces issues that the Moon doesn’t. For one, Mars is farther from the Sun, meaning that we receive less energy from the Sun on every square meter of area. For another, Mars’s atmosphere is a tremendous hazard, with high winds, routine sandstorms, and terrain that changes as readily as sand dunes do on Earth. Mars, having no protective magnetic field like Earth does, is also subjected to bombardment by solar wind particles.
By contrast, the Moon is a much more favorable environment by many metrics. A one-way journey to the Moon takes mere days, the same as it did in the Apollo era. Editor's Note: This article fails to acknowledge that the Moon is simply too small to maintain an atmosphere. Maybe the title should replace "terraforming" with "colonization". Click here. (10/27)
Engineering the Arts for Space: Developing the Concept of “Mission Laureates” (Source: Space Review)
There has long been a link between the arts and NASA missions. Christopher Cokinos describes how those links can be strengthened by a new concept to involve all kinds of creative people into those missions. Click here. (10/26)
NASA Claims Their New Space Engine Can Reach 99% the Speed of Light (Source: Brighter Side)
NASA engineer David Burns has produced an engine concept that, he says, could theoretically accelerate to 99 percent of the speed of light - all without using propellant. He's posted it to the NASA Technical Reports Server under the heading "Helical Engine", and, on paper, it works by exploiting the way mass can change at relativistic speeds - those close to the speed of light in a vacuum. It has not yet been reviewed by an expert.
Understandably this paper has caused buzz approaching levels seen in the early days of the EM Drive. And yes, even some headlines claiming the engine could 'violate the laws of physics'. But while this concept is fascinating, it's definitely not going to break physics anytime soon.
As a thought experiment to explain his concept, Burns describes a box with a weight inside, threaded on a line, with a spring at each end bouncing the weight back and forth. In a vacuum - such as space - the effect of this would be to wiggle the entire box, with the weight seeming to stand still, like a gif stabilized around the weight. Overall, the box would stay wiggling in the same spot - but if the mass of the weight were to increase in only one direction, it would generate a greater push in that direction, and therefore thrust. (10/28)
What Computing Tech Will Drive Future Space Exploration? (Source: IEEE Spectrum)
At the heart of every successful space mission is a sophisticated and capable computer system. But which kind of computing system will best serve humankind's future, more ambitious space explorations? Even for earthly applications, it can be challenging to develop computers that are the right size, weight, power, and cost. Often one of these desirable features are achieved at the expense of another. For example, more powerful computing systems tend be less energy efficient.
"In space processing applications, these tradeoffs are even more critical, where large volumes of data need to be processed within strict execution time and power consumption constraints," explains Michael Cannizzaro at the NSF Center for Space, High-Performance, and Resilient Computing. Cannizzaro has been studying and comparing different computing architectures for space applications, and has narrowed in on a choice. As part of his Masters thesis completed this past summer, he is recommending that RISC-V—which has been gaining much traction recently—could be an attractive option for future space missions. (10/27)
Is Outer Space a De Jure Common-Pool Resource? (Source: Space Review)
Two of the more controversial elements of the Artemis Accords involve safety zones and rights to use extracted resources. Dennis O’Brien argues, that, as current written, those provisions could run afoul of space law. Click here. (10/26)
Airbus, Air Liquide and ispace Europe Launch EURO2MOON (Source: Space Daily)
In a context of increased momentum around space exploration, Airbus Defence and Space, Air Liquide and ispace Europe have announced the joint creation of EURO2MOON. This non-profit organization will be dedicated to promoting a better use of lunar natural resources, while accelerating the cis-lunar economy and federating industrial efforts across Europe.
Bringing in complementary expertise from public and private partners, EURO2MOON will focus on topics related to the exploration of the lunar surface and the utilization of its resources in a commercial and sustainable way. Topics to be addressed will also include long duration transport, life support, energy needs for scientific and commercial applications. EURO2MOON aims to position the European industry as a leader of the rising cis-lunar economy, creating a strong industrial ecosystem based on an ambitious "In Situ Resources Utilization" (ISRU) vision. (10/27)
Airbus Ventures Invests in Tokyo-Based ispace (Source: Space News)
Airbus Ventures announced an investment Oct. 25 in ispace, the Toyko-based company preparing to send its first lander to the moon next year. Airbus Ventures brought ispace into its portfolio because “it’s an extraordinary team that has positioned the right technologies at the right time,” said Lewis Pinault, the Airbus Ventures partner who leads the firm’s investments in Asia. “They have every chance of being the first private company on the moon.” (10/25)
Swarms of Robots Could Explore Lunar Hills (Source: Charles River Analytics)
Charles River Analytics is working with Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Novel Engineering for Swarm Technologies Lab to develop swarms of robots to explore lunar hills, craters and lava tubes without human intervention. If it works, teams of four to ten robots will be smart enough to divvy up tasks by recognizing the jobs each one is best suited to perform. The robots also will need to recognize their own wear and tear. (10/27)
Firefly Lunar Lander Design Passes Review (Source: Ars Technica)
Firefly Aerospace's first lunar lander has passed its critical design review. The company said Monday its Blue Ghost lander passed that milestone recently, allowing it to move into full-scale development and assembly. The company is building Blue Ghost for a 2023 mission as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program. The lander will be able to carry 155 kilograms of payload to the lunar surface and will transmit high-definition video. (10/26)
Innovative Single-Person Spacecraft Design Passes Leak Test (Source: Space.com)
A spacecraft designed to eventually replace many spacewalking astronaut activities passed two key pressure tests in September, representatives from the company building the spacecraft said. The spacecraft concept from Maryland-based Genesis Engineering Solutions is just big enough for one person; an astronaut would float inside the spacecraft for several hours and use robotic arms to manipulate equipment. Propulsive thrusters would allow the spacecraft to nestle close to a target, similar to NASA's Manned Maneuvering Unit jetpack that was briefly tested on astronaut spacesuits in the 1980s. (10/5)
Moon Motorcycle Concept by Russian Automotive Designer is Just Wild (Source: Space.com)
Andrew Fabishevskiy, a Moscow-based automotive and industrial designer, has created a concept design for a lunar motorcycle and hopes to build a full-size prototype. Inspired by the Lunar Rover Vehicle used on Apollo 15, 16 and 17, Fabishevskiy took the notion of a simple electric bike and conceptualized a trellis framework that would contain the battery and integral component parts. Click here. (10/28)
France's Spartan Space Plans Emergency Lunar Habitat (Source: The National)
Spartan Space, a French start-up, was displaying an inflatable lunar habitat. Called Euro Hab, the habitat could host up to four astronauts and is designed to offer a secondary shelter while their spacecraft is on the lunar surface. “Our goal is that it can be used as a safe haven if the primary habitat is failing,” Mohamed Makthoum, from Spartan Space, told The National.
“It would act like a shelter. For the lunar habitat like the Apollo era, the astronaut could only explore to a certain degree before the light support system on their suit failed, so they would have to come back again. “The purpose of this habitat is that you put something at the edge of their limit and the astronaut could explore without worries.” The balloon will be installed on the lander and inflate automatically once the command is sent. (10/27)
Dubai’s MBRSC to Collaborate with Airbus on Lunar Mission (Source: Gulf Business)
Dubai’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) has signed an agreement with both Airbus. The MOU with Airbus is to collaborate on the Emirates Lunar Mission. The two entities will collaborate in the field of material testing in-situ on the surface of the Moon by means of the material adhesive demonstration (MAD) experiment. (10/28)
First Lunar Constellation Satellite to Travel to the Moon in 2023 (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Plus Ultra Space Outpost (Plus Ultra) and Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA) have jointly signed an agreement for launching a demonstrator mission to the Moon. RFA will launch Plus Ultra’s demonstrator mission towards the end of 2023 on the RFA ONE launch system. Plus Ultra’s first satellite will launch into a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), from where it will use its own propulsion to reach lunar orbit and become the first satellite to initialize Plus Ultra’s cis-lunar constellation “Harmony”. The satellite will also be the first private orbiter with electric propulsion going to and orbiting the Moon.
Through Harmony’s commercial communications and navigation services for upcoming lunar missions, Plus Ultra will change the paradigm of lunar operations. It’ll turn communications and navigation from a carefully managed resource into an on-demand, dependable service that enables new capabilities on the Moon, like continuous remote operations, pinpoint landings, precise surface navigation, and polar and far side access. The satellite will reach its operational orbit in 2024, providing the first 24/7 high-speed broadband communications of up to 100 Mbps per user between the Moon, including cis-lunar orbit, and anywhere on Earth. (10/28)
Ingenuity Drone Flies Again on Mars (Source: NASA)
NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter made its 14th flight this week, testing its ability to fly in a thinner Martian atmosphere. The flight, lasting just 23 seconds on Sunday, took the helicopter five meters above the ground before landing two meters from its takeoff spot. The brief flight demonstrated the ability of Ingenuity to operate its rotors at higher speeds, allowing it to generate sufficient lift despite decreased atmospheric pressure because of changing seasons at Jezero Crater. (10/27)
Cyprus Aims for Mars with X-Ray Rock Dating Instrument (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Tiny Cyprus aims to join the global space exploration drive by developing a compact, X-Ray instrument capable of dating Martian soil and rock samples relatively accurately to potentially reveal more about the Red Planet’s geological history and offer a glimpse of Earth’s own future. George Danos, President of the Cyprus Space Exploration Organization, told reporters on Thursday that the 1.5 million euro ($1.75 million) European Union funded project is a first for Cyprus and aims to be completed over the next 18 months. (10/22)
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NASA Still Studying Lucy Solar Panel Problem (Source: NASA)
NASA is taking more time to study the solar panel problem with the Lucy spacecraft. NASA said Wednesday that one solar array which did not latch into place after deployment appears to be between 75% and 95% deployed. The spacecraft is in a standard cruise mode and has performed several small maneuvers with no adverse effect on the partially deployed array. Engineers are studying options, including leaving the array in its current state, with no attempt to redeploy the array expected before mid-November. (10/28)
JWST Launch Preparations Underway (Source: Space News)
Launch preparations for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope are on track. During a panel discussion at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) Wednesday, NASA, ESA and Arianespace officials said they remain on schedule for the Dec. 18 launch of JWST on an Ariane 5. Reviews are taking place this week to confirm the Ariane 5 launched over the weekend performed as expected, and the formal launch campaign will begin next week. NASA has at least 11 days of schedule margin for JWST. (10/28)
Controversy Erupts Over Naming NASA's Next Big Telescope (Source: Axios)
A debate is raging about whether a revolutionary telescope should be named for a former NASA administrator accused of being involved in the ousting of members of LGBTQ+ communities from their federal jobs during the 1950s and 1960s. Astronomy has been reckoning with a history of discrimination and harassment for years. The naming of the field's soon-to-be-launched flagship telescope — which will bring generations of astronomers new data — also helps set the tone for the next era of space science.
Telescopes are typically named for famous scientists who made seminal contributions to astronomy. Webb's political background makes him something of an outlier as a choice for a spacecraft's namesake. The telescope was named by former NASA administrator Sean O’Keefe in 2002, a choice that took many in the community by surprise, according to Alexandra Witze in Nature. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein said that kind of naming should not be allowed to happen again: "It should not be up to one person alone." (10/26)
NASA Awards $15M for Asteroid Hunting Telescopes on Maui (Source: Space Daily)
The University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy (IfA) received a $15 million NASA grant to continue its world-leading efforts to discover Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) and Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs). IfA's Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) atop Haleakala currently finds nearly as many NEOs and PHAs as the rest of the world's observatories combined, and nearly 60% of the largest and most dangerous ones with sizes greater than 140 meters across. (10/26)
How Asteroid, Comet Strikes May Have Delayed Evolution of Earth's Atmosphere (Source: Brighter Side)
A team of scientists analyzed remnants of ancient asteroids and modeled the effects of their collisions to show that the strikes took place more often than previously thought and may have delayed when oxygen started accumulating on the planet. The new models can help scientists understand more precisely when the planet started its path toward becoming the Earth we know today. (10/24)
The Mystery Behind a Nearby Alien Beacon Is Solved (Source: Daily Beast)
Back in April 2019, an Australian telescope picked up a very tantalizing radio signal that seemed to emanate from our closest neighboring star. The signal didn’t have any obvious explanation. Instead, it seemed to possess the hallmarks of something created by intelligent alien life. And in fact, that was the whole point of the research project that stumbled on the signal. Called Breakthrough Listen, the $100 million effort has spent the last five years using state-of-the-art telescopes around the world to listen in on signs of extraterrestrial life from around the galaxy.
The 2019 signal, called “blc1,” was exactly what the Breakthrough researchers were hoping to find. Detected by the Parkes Murriyang radio telescope in southeastern Australia, blc1 was coming right from Proxima Centauri, a star just 4.2 light-years away, and home to two planets—one of which is thought to be potentially habitable to life. According to Sofia Sheikh from the Berkeley SETI Research Center, the signal was “uniquely similar to the kind of signal we would expect from space.”
Over the last two years, the Breakthrough team has pored over the data and finally come back with a verdict on blc1. Bad news: It’s not aliens. “We can confidently say that blc1 is consistent with human radio frequency interference from some sort of ground-based technology.” A deep dive into the data found over 60 “copies” of the blc1 signal, all with very clear signs of being radio interference. Sheikh and her colleagues don’t consider this investigation to be a total loss. In her view, it’s an opportunity to improve the algorithms designed to weed out human interference. (10/25)
Ultrahot, Ultrafast Explosion Called 'the Camel' Has Astronomers Puzzled (Source: Live Science)
In October 2020, astronomers detected an enormous, ancient explosion tearing through a galaxy several billion light-years from Earth. The blast appeared out of nowhere, reached peak brightness within a few days and then rapidly vanished again within a month — indicating that an extreme cosmic event, like the formation of a black hole or neutron star, had just occurred. Astronomers call sudden, bright blasts like these fast blue optical transients (FBOTs), named for their extreme "blue" heat and incredibly rapid evolution.
But, if you prefer, you can call this one "the Camel." Behind the blast, a powerful engine seethed for months. The team found that the blast glowed with X-ray emissions long after its visible light faded. This stream of X-rays suggests that something powerful, like a black hole or a neutron star, was driving the Camel's intense emissions, the team suggested. It could be that FBOTs represent a rarely seen moment of cosmic creation — blasts that occur the instant an old star implodes, collapsing into a massive black hole or fast-spinning neutron star before our very eyes. (10/29)
Jupiter's Great Red Spot is "Breaking Our Rules," NASA Data Show (Source: Axios)
Massive and drifting slowly across Jupiter, the Great Red Spot extends hundreds of miles into the planet's atmosphere, new data from NASA's Juno mission reveals. By studying the depths of Jupiter, researchers can learn more about how the planet formed and shaped the development of others in the solar system, and how weather works on other worlds.
Data from two instruments on NASA's Juno mission show the Great Red Spot is between 300 and 500 kilometers, or 186 and 311 miles, deep, according to two papers published today. The white, red and brown hued jet streams surrounding the Great Red Spot are up to 3,000 km (1,800 mi) deep. The intrigue: The roots of the storm extend below the cloud tops, and where, at least on Earth, sunlight warms the atmosphere and creates water vapor that rises, condenses and forms clouds and rain.
Jupiter then goes "beyond our simple ideas of water and sunlight being the only driver of weather. That was really surprising," says Scott Bolton of the Southwest Research Institute and principal investigator of the Juno mission. The finding could help to answer a question that fascinates scientists: how has the storm persisted for centuries? (10/28)
Signs of First Planet Found Outside Our Galaxy (Source: BBC)
Astronomers have found hints of what could be the first planet ever to be discovered outside our galaxy. Nearly 5,000 "exoplanets" - worlds orbiting stars beyond our Sun - have been found so far, but all of these have been located within the Milky Way galaxy. The possible planet signal discovered by NASA's Chandra X-Ray Telescope is in the Messier 51 galaxy. This is located some 28 million light-years away from the Milky Way.
This new result is based on transits, where the passage of a planet in front of a star blocks some of the star's light and yields a characteristic dip in brightness that can be detected by telescopes. This general technique has already been used to find thousands of exoplanets. (10/25)
Toward the Detection of the Nanohertz Gravitational-Wave Background (Source: Space Daily)
The European Pulsar Timing Array (EPTA) is a scientific collaboration bringing together teams of astronomers around the largest European radio telescopes, as well as groups specialized in data analysis and modelling of gravitational-wave (GW) signals. It has published a detailed analysis of a candidate signal for the since-long sought gravitational-wave background (GWB) due to in-spiraling supermassive black-hole binaries.
Although a detection cannot be claimed yet, this represents another significant step in the effort to finally unveil GWs at very low frequencies, of order one billionth of a Hertz. In fact, the candidate signal has emerged from an unprecedented detailed analysis and using two independent methodologies. Moreover, the signal shares strong similarities with those found from the analyses of other teams. (10/28)
Are We Alone in the Universe? NASA Calls for a "New Framework" (Source: Space Daily)
How do we understand the significance of new scientific results related to the search for life? When would we be able to say, "yes, extraterrestrial life has been found?" NASA scientists are encouraging the scientific community to establish a new framework that provides context for findings related to the search for life. Writing in the journal Nature, they propose creating a scale for evaluating and combining different lines of evidence that would ultimately lead to answering the ultimate question: Are we alone in the universe? (10/28)
NASA, FEMA Host Alliance For Climate Action Series (Source: Space Daily)
NASA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) co-hosted the Alliances for Climate Action, a virtual series to address rising demand for accurate, timely, and actionable information at a time of rapid global climate change. The first event, featuring NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, took place on Oct. 6. Attendees throughout the series will learn about progress in climate research, engage with industry peers, and identify opportunities for collaboration. The series is free an open to the public. (10/26)
‘Hundreds’ Of China Hypersonic Tests vs. 9 US; Hyten Says US Moves Too Slowly (Source: Breaking Defense)
In what may be his valedictory remarks as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. John Hyten continued his quest to prod the Pentagon acquisition elephant to move faster. One telling example: China, he said, has performed “hundreds” of tests of hypersonic weapons in the last five years, compared to nine the United States has performed.
How did it come to this? Hyten pointed to a painting, located on the fourth floor of the Pentagon, to illustrate how things have changed for the US military since the days of the space race. [With our first satellite launchers] our approach at the time was to test and instrument the heck out of it, fail, learn what failed, build another one, fire, learn what failed. Build another one, fire it, learn what failed. If you want to go fast,” he said. “That’s what you do.”
But for the Pentagon, there are myriad obstacles in the way of such an approach these days. There’s the bureaucracy. There’s Congress. And, Hyten said, of course there’s the media. “So now, whatever you’re testing, whether it’s a missile, an airplane, missile defense system, if it fails, you guys put it on the front page of every newspaper in the world, in the country, that says, ‘missile defense test fails.’ There’s one test that we actually meant to fail because we were trying to drive it to failure. And the headline still said, ‘missile defense test fails,’ and there’s hearings and everything that we go through and we stopped for two years.” (10/28)
US, Russian, Chinese Satellites Seen Maneuvering (Source: Breaking Defense)
New data visualizations show how U.S., Russian and Chinese satellites are maneuvering around one another. Space situational awareness company COMSPOC produced videos that show how USA 271, a space surveillance satellite, approached China's SJ-20, only to have SJ-20 quickly move away. In another case, a Chinese satellite timed a maneuver in the vicinity of its upper stage in such a way to allow it to slip away undetected. (10/29)
To Shore Up U.S. Space Dominance, Biden Administration Must Boost Japan-U.S. Alliance (Source: Space News)
“While America is still the dominant military power on the planet today, we are being more effectively challenged militarily than at any other time in our history,” said U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall in September. Nowhere has this been more evident than in space. Gen. John Raymond, chief of the U.S. Space Force, pointedly stated that China is “developing a series of capabilities to deny us our access to space and to keep us from having those advantages.”
Of particular concern, Raymond cited reversible jammers, directed energy weapons, such as lasers, and kinetic missiles as examples of technologies that China could use to disable or destroy U.S. or allied satellites. Enter Japan. For several years, Washington and Tokyo have coordinated on military projects, but they have been inhibited by structural impediments on both sides. As the Biden administration looks for ways to counter China in space, here is a recipe that leverages Japan’s considerable capabilities. (10/28)
Space Force Plans Joint Exercises with South Korea (Source: Space News)
Joint drills between the U.S. Space Force and South Korea's air force will focus on enhancing space situational awareness capabilities. Those drills, part of an agreement between the organizations announced in August, will help the South Korean air force improve its capabilities to monitor objects that approach its satellites, and to provide warnings of reentering objects. The two militaries are also working to cooperate on satellite navigation, as South Korea prepares to develop a regional satellite navigation system compatible with GPS. (10/28)
L3Harris Awarded $121 Million to Upgrade Space Force Weapons (Source: C4ISRnet)
The U.S. Space Force has awarded L3Harris Technologies $121 million to upgrade 16 secretive weapons that can jam enemy communications. Under the contract, L3Harris will upgrade fielded Block 10.2 Counter Communications Systems, which can “reversibly deny satellite communications, early warning and propaganda,” according to the Oct. 22 announcement. The systems are spread out over Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado, Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and classified locations. (10/25)
DoD CIO Nominee Cites Ligado's Threat to Agency's GPS (Source: Breaking Defense)
John Sherman, nominee for Defense Department CIO, says that the issue of radio spectrum sharing with Ligado is something he would closely monitor, citing use of the L-band frequency commercially as "an unacceptable threat to bleed over" into GPS spectrum. Ligado was given FCC permission to use a portion of the radio spectrum in the L-band frequency. That range, Sherman said, was dangerously close to GPS, representing “an unacceptable threat to bleed over in that spectrum” — an echo of long-held DoD concerns. (10/28)
DoD Space Agency Changes Course on Satellite Procurement in Wake of Maxar’s Protest (Source: Space News)
In response to a protest filed Oct. 8 by Maxar Technologies, the Defense Department’s Space Development Agency is canceling a solicitation issued Aug. 30 seeking bids for 126 satellites and will start over with a new procurement, the agency said. SDA is pulling back the request for proposals (RFP) for the Transport Layer Tranche 1 — a mesh network of small communications satellites in low Earth orbit projected to start launching in 2024.
The RFP drew a protest from Maxar which filed a complaint with the Government Accountability Office challenging the solicitation on grounds that the terms unfairly favored certain companies over others. “There was an appearance that we limited competition,” said SDA Director Derek Tournear. GAO dismissed the protest after SDA agreed to cancel the solicitation and reopen a new one under a different contracting mechanism known as Other Transaction Authority. (10/28)
AFRL and Industry Launch Revolutionary Satellite Technologies (Source: AFRL)
The Air Force Research Laboratory has partnered with ThermAvant Technologies and Maxar Technologies to develop and deploy the next generation of spacecraft thermal control technology. The groundbreaking technology, Oscillating Heat Pipes (OHPs), provides lightweight and highly-efficient temperature control on higher-power, yet smaller spacecraft. The OHP was recently launched in the second quarter of 2021 on a Maxar-built satellite. (10/25)
Space Startups Selected for Air Force Accelerator Program in New Mexico (Source: Space News)
A new accelerator program funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory and the U.S. Space Force announced Oct. 27 it has selected six U.S. and international startups for its first cohort. The program called “Soft Landing” was created to attract space industry startups to New Mexico, where AFRL is based. The lab has been actively supporting the space industry, sponsoring the Hyperspace and Catalyst Campus accelerator programs.
Gabe Mounce, deputy director of SpaceWERX, said these accelerators help businesses figure out how they might work with the federal government. “And we are making it easier for the Space Force and other government partners to learn about emerging technologies,” he said. Click here to see the list. (10/27)
Imagery Industry Seeking Direct DoD Sales In Wake Of Tiny NRO Bid (Source: Breaking Defense)
In recent months, commercial remote sensing company representatives have become increasingly jaded with long-standing promises by the National Reconnaissance Office to increase its acquisition from, and support of, the burgeoning industry. At least some industry execs now say they are pivoting marketing efforts away from the NRO and instead focusing on direct sales to other US national security customers, such as the military services and Combatant Commands — and even foreign governments.
This is in part because many commercial remote sensing firms, both in the US and abroad, have been funded by short-term venture capital, and waiting for substantial contracts come to fruition can be a life or death matter. Many in industry had their hopes raised in the waning years of the Trump administration, and more recently by strong congressional pressure on the agency to take commercial providers seriously. (10/22)
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Satellite Maker Terran Orbital Strikes $1.58 Billion SPAC Deal (Sources: Wall Street Journal, Space News)
Satellite maker Terran Orbital Corp. is merging with a special-purpose acquisition company to go public at a $1.58 billion valuation, the companies said, the latest in a string of space-related companies to list through a SPAC. Florida-based Terran designs and builds satellites for customers including NASA, ESA, DoD, and EchoStar Corp., a provider of satellite and internet communication services.
The transaction, expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022, would list Terran Orbital shares on the New York Stock Exchange with an initial valuation of $1.58 billion. Terran Orbital is merging with Tailwind Two Acquisition Corp., a SPAC that holds $345 million in capital. A concurrent private investment in public equity (PIPE) round is providing an additional $50 million.
Terran Orbital announced an agreement last month with Space Florida to establish a manufacturing facility at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport large enough to produce more than 1,000 satellites per year. In addition to filling customer orders, Terran Orbital is establishing its own constellation of small Earth-observation satellites to offer customers speedy access to global imagery captured day and night thanks to synthetic-aperture radar. (10/28)
Amazon’s Project Kuiper and Verizon Join Forces on Satellite and Cellular Connectivity (Source: GeekWire)
Amazon’s Project Kuiper and Verizon Communications say they’ll collaborate on connectivity solutions that capitalize on Kuiper’s future broadband satellite constellation as well as Verizon’s terrestrial 4G/LTE and 5G data networks. The Amazon-Verizon partnership will focus on rural communities and other regions that are currently underserved when it comes to broadband data services, the two companies said.
Last year, Amazon received the Federal Communications Commission’s conditional go-ahead to deploy 3,236 satellites that would provide broadband internet access across the globe from low Earth orbit, or LEO. Amazon says it plans to invest more than $10 billion in Project Kuiper — and the company currently has more than 700 employees working on the project. Antennas for the ground terminals are being tested in Redmond and elsewhere, but the satellite design hasn’t yet been unveiled.
So far, nine satellite launches using United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rockets have been reserved, and although Amazon hasn’t yet announced a schedule for satellite deployment or the start of service, at least half of the 3,236 satellites must be in orbit by mid-2026 to satisfy FCC licensing requirements. (10/26)
SpaceX and Vodaphone Talk Spectrum for UK Starlink Service (Source: The Telegraph)
SpaceX is in talks with mobile phone operator Vodaphone to access spectrum for services in the United Kingdom. Vodaphone said in a British regulatory filing that it is open to discussions with satellite operators about the use of a frequency band used for links between satellites and gateways. That could make it easier for SpaceX to expand its Starlink services in the U.K., although it did not comment on the filing. (10/25)
OneWeb Working Toward Deal to Provide Coverage in Saudi Arabia (Source: Space News)
OneWeb is working with a Saudi company on a $200 million joint venture to provide services in the Middle East. OneWeb is collaborating with NEOM Tech & Digital Holding Company, a business entity Saudi Arabia created as part of an effort to develop a planned modern city and tourist destination in the northwest of the country. NEOM is spending $170 million to buy satellite capacity from OneWeb under a seven-year contract, and is investing $30 million in a joint venture with OneWeb that will resell the capacity in Saudi Arabia, the broader Middle East and neighboring East African countries. (10/28)
Dish Says FCC Ignored Evidence SpaceX Interfered With Satellites (Source: Bloomberg)
Dish Network Corp. is arguing in the D.C. Circuit that the Federal Communications Commission inappropriately ignored evidence in a proceeding to allow Space Exploration Holdings LLC to use the 12 GHz band. The FCC ignored unrebutted expert studies that show SpaceX’s satellites would exceed the band’s power limits, causing “unacceptable” interference with Dish’s satellites that serve more than 22 million families in the U.S., Dish said. Dish in May filed the complaint at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in response to an FCC order authorizing SpaceX satellites. (10/27)
White House Nominates Rosenworcel and Sohn to FCC, Rosenworcel to Replace Ajit Pai as Chair (Source: Reuters)
The White House has nominated acting FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to be the next permanent chair of the commission. The White House said Tuesday it was nominating Rosenworcel, who has been an FCC commissioner since 2012 and acting chairwoman since January. She has been an advocate of expanding broadband availability. The White House also nominated Gigi Sohn to be an FCC commissioner, filling a seat that has been empty since January. Sohn previously was an aide to Tom Wheeler when he served as FCC chairman in the Obama administration. (10/27)
Analytical Space (Now Hedron) Raises $17.8 Million for Satellite Constellation (Source: Space News)
Space communications company Analytical Space has raised $17.8 million and changed its name. The newly renamed Hedron raised the Series A round from a group of investors led by Fine Structure Venture. Hedron intends to use the funding to roll out the first orbital plane of a constellation of optical and radio-frequency communication satellites to provide data relay services for other spacecraft. (10/26)
Satellogic Signs Agreement to Provide Dedicated Satellite Constellation to the Republic of Paraguay (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Satellogic, a leader in sub-meter resolution satellite imagery collection, announced today that it has signed a letter of intent (the “LOI”) with Agencia Espacial del Paraguay (“AEP”) to develop a Space-as-a-Service program for the country. As a result of this LOI, Satellogic and AEP will undertake various technological and scientific projects in accordance with AEP’s Institutional Strategic Plan and the Space Policy of Paraguay.
The LOI provides a framework for the start-up and development of a dedicated satellite constellation network. Satellogic’s Dedicated Satellite Constellation Program enables municipal, state, and national governments to manage a fleet of satellites over a specific area of interest and develop a geospatial imaging program at unmatched frequency, resolution, and cost. (10/26)
AAC Clyde Space Teams with Orbcomm and Saab on Maritime Satcom Demos (Source: AAC Clyde Space)
AAC Clyde Space AB signed a memorandum of understanding with Orbcomm and Saab to develop maritime communication services based on a VHF Data Exchange System. The firms plan to conduct space-based and terrestrial demonstrations as part of their campaign to establish a global maritime communication network for ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communications. (10/27)
Israel's IAI Unveils New Small Satellite Bus (Source: Space News)
Israel Aerospace Industries announced a new small GEO satellite bus Monday. The company says its Mini Communications Satellite (MCS) will weigh 600 to 700 kilograms but carry a fully digital payload that can be reconfigured in orbit and last for 14 years. The company is leveraging technologies developed for the Israeli government's Dror-1 communications satellite it is building. IAI has not announced any sales of MCS yet but an executive said it is in negotiations with a couple potential customers. (10/25)
Step Inside the Cleanroom Where a Revolutionary Satellite is Taking Shape (Source: C/Net)
In a massive clean room in the middle of Denver, a giant satellite sits dormant, waiting for its journey into orbit. Engineers with Lockheed Martin's Space division move around its hulking body, indistinguishable from one another in their face masks and full-body protective suits. I've been given rare access to see the GOES-T, a massive weather satellite Lockheed Martin is building for NOAA and NASA. The satellite is destined to enter geostationary orbit, a bit more than 22,000 miles above Earth's surface, and collect huge amounts of data about weather here on Earth and in space.
"We're getting 30 times the data down on this satellite as they did on the previous satellites," says GOES-T's deputy program manager, Alreen Knaub. "We're doing space weather, sun weather and Earth weather." From the initial fabrication of the circuit boards inside the satellite to the final testing, the team at Lockheed Martin Space is concerned with precision at every stage of the build. This isn't "measure twice, then cut once." This is measure countless times with lasers, reposition, measure again, repeatedly torture test, show it to the lady in the orange hairnet, then take your one chance for launch.
Though many of these components were once soldered by hand, much of the fabrication is now done with the help of automation. Walking around the SEC lab, I see machines programmed to solder circuitry, and robotic arms whir as they lay down components on circuit boards. Gone are the electrical engineers identifying tiny resistors based on their color-coded stripes -- instead, long spools of plastic-sealed components are wound up like film reels, ready to be loaded into the machines for automated assembly. (10/28)
SES Satellite to Support Aircraft Connectivity (Source: Space News)
The newest SES communications satellite will support the company's growing aviation connectivity business. The SES-17 satellite launched on an Ariane 5 Saturday night and is on track to enter service at 67.1 degrees west in GEO in mid-2022. SES-17 will be "the anchor for our growth for the next several years," company CEO Steve Collar said before the launch. SES has signed up in-flight connectivity provider Thales InFlyt Experience as anchor customer to serve growing demand for in-flight broadband. (10/26)
Italy's D-Orbit Explores Oman-Based Satellite Manufacture (Source: Times of Oman)
D-Orbit of Italy is discussing a potential partnership with International Emerging Technology Company of Oman to establish a satellite manufacturing and space logistics facility in Oman. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding at the International Astronautical Congress. (10/27)
Indonesia Orders ComSat From Thales Alenia (Source: Space News)
Indonesia has ordered a high-throughput communications satellite from Thales Alenia Space. The HTS 113BT satellite, slated for launch in 2024, will be operated in geostationary orbit by Telkomsat, a subsidiary of Indonesian state-owned telecoms operator Telkom. The satellite, based on Thales Alenia's Spacebus 4000B2 bus, will weigh about 4,000 kilograms at launch with a C- and Ku-band payload. It will take the place of Nusantara-2, formerly Palapa-N1, which was destroyed when a Chinese Long March 3B rocket failed in April 2020. (10/29)
A World Without Access to Space (Source: Space Daily)
Just over the past 18 months the population of low-orbiting active satellites has grown from 1,918 to several thousand. And, this is only the beginning of population growth, as more than 50,000 new satellites are in production and will be added to near-Earth space over the next few years. So, what's the big deal? There are two problems. First the shear number of satellites to be added to already close orbits creates a nightmare traffic situation. Second, the 60+ years of accumulated junk and debris is filling all of near-Earth space and we cannot not see it, let alone do anything about it.
But, we have simply ignored it. Sometime in the near future, the mass and distribution of junk and active satellites will exceed the capacity of space to safely contain the debris generated by the addition of the 50,000+ new satellites into orbits that are already approaching gridlock. When this limit is reached our ability to travel in space may be greatly diminished.
When will this happen? No one knows the answer, but It could be soon. As more and more satellites are launched, the frequency of collision events will dramatically increase. After that, low-Earth orbits will begin to experience exponential collisions among the many old and new satellite constellations. After that, all space-related services may end. Can remedial action wait until this gridlocking event starts? (10/25)
Steve Wozniak's Stealthy Space Startup Privateer Hires Chief Scientific Adviser (Source: Space.com)
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak's new space company is really starting to take shape. Hawaii-based Privateer remains in stealth mode a month after Wozniak and co-founder Alex Fielding announced its existence, but we know the company aims to tackle humanity's growing problem with space junk, which threatens to hinder our exploration of the final frontier. And Privateer will focus, at least initially, on improving our knowledge of the teeming orbital population.
"We really got started with the goal of building … the Google Maps of space," Fielding told TechCrunch recently. The company has just hired one of the people who will lead this ambitious effort, tapping aerodynamicist and "space environmentalist" Moriba Jah as its chief scientific adviser. "We are so proud to have a scientist and human of Moriba's caliber joining the Privateer team. His knowledge of this issue is only exceeded by his passion for building solutions to address it," Wozniak said in an emailed statement. (10/25)
UK Funds Studies to Remove Two Spacecraft From LEO (Source: Space News)
The UK Space Agency has awarded study contracts for a mission to remove two spacecraft from low Earth orbit by 2025. Consortiums led by Swiss startup ClearSpace and Japan-based Astroscale received just under £700,000 ($1 million) between them to complete mission feasibility studies by the end of March.
The UK Space Agency is funding the study contracts and said it is collaborating with the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) on the project. They signed an agreement in January to support international efforts for promoting space sustainability through a series of events and engagement activities. Under the Active Debris Removal Phase 0-A Feasibility Study, Astroscale and ClearSpace are tasked with researching how to de-orbit two defunct satellites that were not built with retrieval and removal in mind. (10/26)
Shijian-21: Satellite Crusher or Space Debris Cleaner? (Source: Asia Times)
Just months ago China conducted not one, but two hypersonic missiles tests, both of which circled the earth before hitting their targets. The shock waves from these tests are still reverberating in the Pentagon and the White House, as fears of a new arms race looms. US Senator Angus King described the new weapon as a “strategic game-changer with the dangerous potential to fundamentally undermine strategic stability as we know it.”
Chinese officials said it was “a peaceful space experiment.” Adding fuel to that fire, China expanded that tech gap just a bit further this week as it launched a new satellite that analysts say can be used as a weapon capable of grabbing and crushing American satellites. The Shijian-21 satellite was sent aloft ostensibly for cleaning “space debris,” according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., Beijing’s state-run space company. The company stated that the satellite is “tasked with demonstrating technologies to alleviate and neutralize space debris.” (10/28)
New ESA Advisory Report Recommends Urgent Steps to Accelerate Europe’s Use of Space (Source: Parabolic Arc)
With warnings about an imminent climate crisis and decreasing competitiveness, an independent advisory group has recommended the European Space Agency (ESA) urgently transform the way it uses space by establishing accelerators in three key areas leveraging commercialization, user-driven approaches and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
The independent High-Level Advisory Group on Accelerating the Use of Space in Europe was appointed by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher. The group recommended the space agency focus on 1) Rapid and Resilient Crisis Response; 2) Space for a Green Future; and 3) Protection of Space Assets. The advisory group warned that fierce international competition and a global competition for talent threaten to leave Europe behind as the space industry is transformed. (10/24)
On the 50th Anniversary of Black Arrow, British Space Industry is on the Verge of a Return (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Fifty years ago, a small rocket lifted off from the Australian Outback on a mission of contradictions. While the launch of Black Arrow R3 with the Prospero satellite aboard would be Britain’s first successful satellite launch, it also marked the end of the country’s ambitions to be a major player in the space industry. Over the following decades, the British space industry has re-grown and now stands ready to reach again for the stars.
Deploying Prospero was the last in a series of four missions for the Black Arrow program, which included two suborbital tests and a failed orbital launch attempt before the successful launch, which took place on 28 October 1971. Successfully orbiting a satellite – making the UK the sixth country to demonstrate an orbital launch capability – marked the pinnacle of Britain’s rocketry program. However, by the time of the launch, the end of the project had already been confirmed, with foreign launchers seen as a cheaper alternative.
The advent of small commercial launch vehicles around the world in the last few years has drawn interest from companies in Britain, with two startups – Orbex and Skyrora – now in a race to succeed Black Arrow and make Britain’s second satellite launch. Orbex is developing its Prime rocket, while Skyrora is building the Skyrora-XL vehicle. With both companies currently targeting late 2022 for their first launch and developing launch facilities in the United Kingdom, the race is on. Two US companies, ABL Space Systems and Virgin Orbit, have also expressed an interest in launching from the United Kingdom. (10/28)
IAC Hosts Elected Officials to Boost Space Interests (Source: Space News)
The International Astronautical Congress hosted a group of elected leaders to build support for space. The meeting of parliamentarians, held over the weekend, was designed to get more political leaders interested in space by having them discuss beneficial space applications. The meeting did not go into potential obstacles to the use of space, like growing concerns over orbital debris. (10/25)
Industry Group Working to Accelerate Partnerships for Space Innovation (Source: PRWeb)
NewSpace New Mexico (NewSpace), a 501(c)(3) non-profit that is uniting and igniting the business-focused commercial space ecosystem, is creating a data-driven platform intended to facilitate partnerships and accelerate innovation. The platform, developed in partnership with data science and analytics firm RS21, will improve virtual collaboration, learning environments and co-innovation for its more than one hundred members in government, industry and academia.
The platform will support a public-facing website, a real-time stakeholder engagement dashboard and a membership management application that centralizes NewSpace membership sign-up, access and security features. As it develops, the platform will also incorporate open source and procured data of interest to the NewSpace community to enhance knowledge management and connect members to national and international opportunities. (10/27)
CASIS and Estée Lauder Team for ISS Research (Source: Space News)
The nonprofit that runs the ISS National Lab is partnering with a cosmetics company on space station research. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) said Thursday it will work with Estée Lauder to solicit microgravity projects aimed at reducing plastic waste. Estée Lauder plans to provide funding to support one or more flight projects to see if microgravity can support the production of biopolymers as an alternative to conventional petrochemical plastics. (10/29)
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Satellite Solar: an Explainer (Source: Cosmos)
The theory is relatively straightforward. Satellites powered by solar already routinely move around in their orbits of Earth. Plans are being devised to expand this harvesting potential, then direct the energy back to Earth as a constant, on-tap power source. “Photovoltaic panels are obviously the most important part of a satellite,” says Way. “The solar panels capture the photons and convert them into electrons. This is the form that can be beamed back to Earth.”
This energy would be wirelessly dispatched via a large antenna down to a receiver – called a rectenna – on Earth, where the electromagnetic energy is converted into current and distributed. “These beams can be microwave beams,” say Way. “People can get concerned about having a big beam like that, but they won’t hurt you. There are safety limits that control the beam’s maximum intensity.”
Of the models so far proposed, each satellite design aims to generate around 3.4GW of electricity, transmit the microwave power at 2.45GHz with a maximum beam intensity of around 230W/m2 (one quarter of the intensity of midday sunlight) to produce around 2GW of electrical power to the grid. The antenna needs to be directed towards Earth all times, while the rectenna will need to be kilometers wide to capture the microwave beam. (10/26)
Former Canadian Astronaut Not Among Trudeau's New Cabinet Members (Source: SpaceQ)
The first Canadian in space is no longer part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet. Marc Garneau was not assigned a post when Trudeau formed a new government after recent elections. Garneau previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Transport. He is rumored to be under consideration to be Canada's next ambassador to France. (10/28)
German Astronaut Could Be 600th Person in Space (Source: Collect Space)
A German astronaut on Crew-3 will be the 600th person in space by one metric. Matthias Maurer is one of three first-time astronauts on Crew-3, but NASA is considering him the 600th person. Those statistics are based on counting people who have flown at least 50 miles high and thus eligible for astronaut wings by U.S. government agencies; that includes some people on suborbital flights that did not go above 100 kilometers, the Kármán Line used by international organizations as the demarcation of space. "Six hundred in 60 years, it makes for about 10 people a year, but I think in the next few years we'll see an exponential rise," Maurer said. (10/28)
Poland Joins Artemis Accords (Source: Space News)
Poland is the latest company to sign the Artemis Accords. The president of the Polish Space Agency, Grzegorz Wrochna, signed the agreement in a ceremony at the IAC along with NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. Poland is the 13th country to join the Accords, which outline best practices for safe and sustainable space exploration. Wrochna said he hoped the agreement would be the first step in a process with NASA to allow Polish companies to participate in the Artemis program. (10/27)
How Space Tourism Could Affect Older People (Source: Space Review)
The two oldest people to fly to space both did so this year as space tourism opens up new opportunities for a wider range of people. Nick Caplan and Christopher Newman discuss some of the issues associated with the elderly going to space on even brief suborbital flights. Click here. (10/26)
Space Juggling and Dance Could Make Suborbital Flights More Fun (Source: Space.com)
A "space juggler" plans to release a film the week of Nov. 7 about the joys and challenges of doing performance art in zero gravity. Adam Dipert is a nuclear physicist, professional circus performer and dancer who first stumbled upon microgravity movements after helping to purchase a parabolic flight for a friend's 40th birthday. Dipert became fascinated with how the human body moves during such flights, which switch quickly between microgravity, Earth gravity and multiple "Gs" (multiples of Earth gravity) across 15 or 30 parabolas.
His film, "Dreaming of Space Juggling", will be released on the Space Juggler website sometime in early November – watch that site and associated social feeds for the exact date. Dipert also plans a series of educational videos around the week of Nov. 21, focusing on matters such as how a parabolic flight works, and making demonstrations with physical objects. (10/25)
UCF Football’s Space-Themed Uniforms and the University’s Connection to the Cosmos (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
When the University of Central Florida football team rocketed onto the field at Bounce House Stadium last week, they did so with a nod to NASA’s space program. The players sported their alternate space-themed uniforms honoring the 40th anniversary of the shuttle program as they took on the Memphis Tigers. Here are some other interesting facts about UCF’s long relationship with NASA and space exploration.
The creation of the University of Central Florida in Orlando was largely because of its close proximity to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center. The school was originally called Florida Technological University and was unofficially known as “Space University.” It was founded as an incubator to support the growth of the space industry, the country’s pursuit to the moon and future space exploration.
The school officially welcomed its first class of students Oct. 7, 1968, the same year the Apollo 8 mission sent astronauts to orbit the moon. The university received its first grant for $12,500 from NASA the same year it opened, and in 1969, famed Orlando astronaut John Young gave the first commencement speech. (10/22)
Space Club Hosts Nov. 9 In-Person Luncheon with President of Embry-Riddle (Source: NSCFL)
The National Space Club Florida Committee welcomes P. Barry Butler, Ph.D., as the featured guest speaker for a Nov. 9 in-person luncheon event at the Radisson Resort at Port Canaveral. Dr. Butler, president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, will discuss his institution's growing role and strategy for space enterprise expansion, innovation, and workforce development.
Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Embry-Riddle's two residential campuses, dozens of satellite campuses (many at U.S. military installations worldwide), and growing online degree programs support the continued development of our nation's aerospace industry. The Daytona Beach campus has seen impressive expansion over the past decade, with a growing focus on space science, commercial space operations, and space traffic management programs, all contributing to Florida's efforts to attract, develop, and maintain a vibrant space industry. (10/27)
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Florida Aerospace Calendar
Click HERE to suggest new items and corrections.
Nov. 2 - NASA KSC Small Business Outreach - Doing Business with KSC Primes, 10:30 a.m. - https://bit.ly/30Qvcei
Nov. 2-5 - Veteran Entrepreneur Training Symposium 2021 (VETS’21), Orlando DoubleTree at SeaWorld - https://bit.ly/3oLw7GC
Nov. 3 - Falcon-9 launch, Crew 3 astronaut transport to ISS, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, 1:10 a.m. - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
Nov. TBD - Falcon-9 launch, Starlink satellites deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
Nov. 9 - National Space Club luncheon, featuring Embry-Riddle President Barry Butler, Ph.D., Port Canaveral Radisson, 11:30 a.m. - https://www.nscfl.org/our-events/
Nov. 17 - Miami Live 2021, Why Is Florida's Commercial Aerospace Booming?, 11:00 a.m. - https://twitter.com/SpaceFlorida/status/1450531158274547719?s=20
Nov. 18 - Falcon-9 launch, COSMO-SkyMed satellite deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
Nov. 22 - Atlas-5 launch, STP-3 satellite deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
Nov. TBD - Falcon-9 launch, Turksat 5B satellite deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
Dec. 4 - Falcon-9 launch, CRS-24 space station cargo delivery, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
Dec. 9-10 - High Speed Aerospace Transportation Workshop, Midland TX Spaceport - https://bit.ly/3AT17HW
Dec. TBD - Atlas-5 launch, CST-100 Starliner Uncrewed Orbital Flight Test 2, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
Dec. 13 - Falcon-9 launch, NASA IXPE satellite deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
Dec. 14 - National Space Club luncheon, featuring TBD, Port Canaveral Radisson, 11:30 a.m. - https://www.nscfl.org/our-events/
Dec. TBD - Falcon-9 launch, Transporter 3 rideshare satellites deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
Dec. TBD - Atlas-5 launch, USSF-8 satellite deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
Jan. TBD - Atlas-5 launch, CST-100 Crewed Orbital Flight Test, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
Jan. 10-12 - SpaceCom 2022 conference, Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel, Orlando - https://spacecomexpo.com
Feb. TBD - NASA SLS Artemis 1 launch, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
Feb. 16 - Atlas-5 launch, GOES-T satellite deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, 4:40 p.m. - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
Feb. 21 - Falcon-9 launch, Axiom 1 commercial ISS crew, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
Feb. TBD - Vulcan Centaur launch, Peregrine satellite deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, 4:40 p.m. - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
Feb. TBD - Falcon-Heavy launch, USSF-44 satellite deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
Feb. TBD - Falcon-Heavy launch, USSF-52 satellite deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
Apr. 15 - Falcon-9 launch, NASA crew launch to ISS, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
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SPACErePORT news and editorial summaries are distilled and organized by me and don’t necessarily reflect my opinions or anyone else's.
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