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A Weekly Chronicle of Developments in the Space Industry
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November 22, 2021

What is this SPACErePORT? 
The SPACErePORT is a free weekly e-newsletter distributed to ~1500 subscribers. It is supplemented by a daily-updated SPACErePORT blog; a Twitter feed with ~1800 followers; and a spaceports-focused LinkedIn Group with ~280 members. (I also manage the National Space Club's Florida Committee LinkedIn and Twitter feeds.) If you like receiving this free resource, donations are encouraged using the PayPal tip jar, or Venmo using @Edward-Ellegood. I can also publish banner advertisements at affordable rates, or sometimes for free if I support the cause. Happy holidays!

Astronauts Hunker Down as ISS Passes Through Debris Field (Source: TASS)
Operations of the ISS were interrupted early this morning by a "debris field" passing close to the station. The seven people on the station were forced to shelter for a time in their Crew Dragon and Soyuz spacecraft because of unspecified debris passing close to the station. It's unclear what the object or objects are, but flight controllers warned they may make additional close passes to the station on later orbits. (12/15)

Russian ASAT Test Imperils ISS Astronauts, Trashes Orbital Zone (Sources: SpaceFlight Insider, SPACErePORT)
Days after the four Crew-3 Dragon astronauts arrived at the ISS, the seven-person Expedition 66 crew was forced to shelter in place as the outpost passed near a debris field produced from an anti-satellite test. Multiple times over the course of the day, Nov. 15, 2021, the ISS passed near the debris field from a recent Russian anti-satellite missile test. This prompted the station astronauts to close many of the hatches between modules, mainly the axial modules, just in case a debris strike caused depressurization. The debris likely came from Kosmos-1408, a defunct Soviet satellite launched in 1982 that has been dead for decades.

While a DoD statement on the orbital incident made no mention of Russia, CNN reported that two U.S. officials confirmed that a Russian anti-satellite test took place over the weekend, generating the debris event. At the time of the direct-ascent missile test, the two-ton Kosmos-1408 satellite was in an orbit of roughly 400 miles in an inclination of about 82 degrees relative to the equator. Fragments of now-destroyed spacecraft could now be stuck in orbit for years where they will intersect with the orbits of other functional spacecraft. (11/15)

Russia Rejects Accusations of Endangering ISS Astronauts (Source: Washington Post)
Russian officials on Tuesday rejected accusations that they endangered astronauts aboard the International Space Station by conducting a weapons test that created more than 1,500 pieces of space junk. U.S. officials on Monday accused Russia of destroying an old satellite with a missile in what they called a reckless and irresponsible strike. They said the debris could damage the space station, an assessment backed by NATO’s chief. The defunct Russian satellite was orbiting about 40 miles higher than the space station.

The test clearly demonstrates that Russia, “despite its claims of opposing the weaponization of outer space, is willing to ... imperil the exploration and use of outer space by all nations through its reckless and irresponsible behavior,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Russia’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday confirmed carrying out an ASAT test, but insisted that “the U.S. knows for certain that the resulting fragments, in terms of test time and orbital parameters, did not and will not pose a threat to orbital stations, spacecraft and space activities.” It called remarks by U.S. officials “hypocritical.”

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the strike was carried out “with surgical precision” and posed no threat to the space station. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also charged that it is “hypocrisy” to say that Russia creates risks for peaceful activities in space. ISS astronauts and cosmonauts spent two hours in two docked capsules, finally emerging only to have to close and reopen hatches to the station’s individual labs on every orbit, or 1 1/2 hours, as they passed near or through the space debris. (11/16)

Russian MoD: US Perfectly Aware Fragments of Downed Satellite Pose No Threat to Space Activities (Source: Sputnik)
The Russian military confirmed Tuesday that it has carried out a successful test Monday involving the destruction of a dead Soviet Tselina-D radio-surveillance satellite, and stressed that the United States is well aware fragments of the satellite pose no threat to space stations, satellites or space activities in general.

"The Russian Ministry of Defense considers hypocritical the statements of the representatives of the State Department and the Pentagon, who attempted to accuse the Russian Federation of causing 'risks' to cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station and called for the 'development of universal norms that would govern the world community in space exploration'," the ministry said in a statement.

Russia, the military stressed, has repeatedly proposed initiatives at the United Nations to prevent the deployment of weapons in outer space, but these initiatives have been struck down and blocked by the United States. "The draft treaty has been submitted to the UN. However, the United States and its allies are blocking its adoption. Washington openly declares that it does not want to be bound by any obligations in space." (11/18)

Visualizations Show the Extensive Cloud of Debris Russia’s ASAT Test Created (Source: The Verge)
Satellite trackers have been working overtime to figure out just how much dangerous debris Russia created when it destroyed one of its own satellites early Monday — and the picture they’ve painted looks bleak. Multiple visual simulations of Russia’s anti-satellite, or ASAT, test show a widespread cloud of debris that will likely menace other objects in orbit for years. Click here. (11/19)

Nelson and Rogozin Discuss ASAT Test Debris (Source: Space News)
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson discussed the Russian ASAT test with the head of Roscosmos Tuesday as other Russian officials downplayed the incident. Nelson said that he expressed to Dmitry Rogozin "dismay over the danger our astronauts and cosmonauts continue to face on the International Space Station" over Monday's test. Rogozin said that "we are moving on, ensuring the safety of our crews on the ISS, making joint plans." The test, which has created more than 1,500 pieces of tracked debris so far, has been widely condemned by governments, companies and organizations. Russian officials Tuesday acknowledged the test took place, but defense minister Sergei Shoigu claimed "the resulting fragments do not pose any threat to space activities." (11/17)

Russians Knew ASAT Debris Consequences (Source: Space News)
A former U.S. intelligence official says the Russians had to know the consequences of the ASAT test. Sue Gordon, former principal deputy director of national intelligence, called comments like those by Shoigu disingenuous because Russia knows the space environment as well as any nation. Gordon was speaking Tuesday at a Center for Strategic and International Studies online forum with others who also criticized Russia for conducting the test. Kevin O'Connell, former director of the Office of Space Commerce, called the test "an incredibly irresponsible move by the Russians, obviously, and terribly disappointing." (11/17)

Europe Alarmed by Russian ASAT Test (Source: Space News)
The European space industry says it's alarmed by the ASAT test. In sessions at the Space Tech Expo Europe conference Tuesday, agency leaders and company executives all expressed dismay about the test. Philippe Baptiste, head of the French space agency CNES, said models by his agency project a 5% increase in the odds of a collision in low Earth orbit. While sustainability of space activities was already a prominent issue for many, the test created a cloud of its own over proceedings at the conference and questions as to what can be done. (11/17)

Germany Calls for Space Security Rules After Russian ASAT Test (Source: Space Daily)
Germany's government said Tuesday it was "very concerned" by Russia's destruction of one of its own satellites during a missile test, calling for urgent measures to "strengthen security and confidence." ... "We call on all states to engage constructively in this process and in the development of principles for responsible behavior in space," the Germany foreign ministry said in a statement. (11/16)

Japan, Australia Condemn Russia ASAT Test (Source: Space News)
Japan and Australia have joined international condemnation of Russia for testing an anti-satellite weapon Nov. 15 that created over 1,500 pieces of debris in low Earth orbit. In a Nov. 18 statement, Japan’s foreign ministry called the test “an irresponsible behavior that undermines sustainable and stable use of outer space.” The ministry said the test also “runs counter to the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines” adopted unanimously by the member states of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), including Russia, in 2007. (11/19)

South Korea Expresses ASAT Concern, China Silent (Source: Space News)
While South Korea expressed concern about the ASAT test, China has remained quiet. South Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday it was concerned about the test, but did not explicitly mention or criticize Russia. China has yet to make an official statement on the issue. A foreign ministry spokesman said earlier this week that it was "too early" for China to respond. (11/18)

LeoLabs Busy Tracking Russian ASAT Debris Ring (Source: Space News)
The test is keeping one space tracking company busy. LeoLabs is monitoring the growth of debris from the Russian ASAT test, and expects it to spread into a ring over time based on what happened after China's 2007 ASAT test and the 2009 Iridium-Cosmos collision. LeoLabs, which operates a growing network of groundbased radars to track satellites and debris, expects to be issuing collision alerts for many years to help satellite operators dodge the new debris field. (11/17)

Space Force: ASAT Test a Sign Russia Plans Space Weapons (Source: Space News)
Space Force officials say Russia's ASAT test sends an ominous message that Russia is intent on advancing its arsenal of space weapons. Lt. Gen. John Shaw, deputy commander of U.S. Space Command, said Wednesday that Monday's test was the latest in a series by Russia, although the first to intercept a satellite. The test, which created more than 1,500 pieces of debris, indicates Russia is "continuing to show a disregard for the sustainability of space," he said, predicting the debris cloud will grow over time and pose a hazard for all spacefaring nations for years. (11/18)

Pentagon Scrambles to Defend ‘Juicy Targets’ After Rivals’ Space Tests (Source: Defense One)
Russia’s direct ascent anti-satellite launch Monday is adding urgency to the U.S. Space Force’s efforts to better defend U.S. space assets, and has left the Pentagon questioning the implications of Russia’s decision to launch, even when it put its own cosmonauts in danger. “What we’re seeing Russia demonstrate is a weapon. If they can destroy a Russian satellite, they can destroy an American satellite,” U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. Nina M. Armagno said Wednesday at the Ascend space conference in Las Vegas. “It’s not just Russia, it’s China as well.”

Monday’s ASAT test and China’s July test of a hypersonic missile that entered space and orbited the globe has the Pentagon working quickly to develop countermeasures, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Wednesday. “We are concerned about the weaponization of space,” Austin said. “We're working as hard as we can to ensure that we can defend ourselves against a range of threats going forward.” (11/17)

Space Force Wants to Clean Up Junk in Orbit (Source: WIRED)
Finding ways to address this growing halo of space junk, before some orbits, relied upon by satellite companies and space agencies, become so polluted that they’re no longer usable, has now become a major goal of the US government as well as international institutions. To actively tackle the problem, the Space Force’s technology arm, known as SpaceWERX, will begin recruiting the private sector to develop proposals for actually removing debris via a new program called Orbital Prime.

SpaceWERX will initially award dozens of contracts worth $250,000 each, likely starting early next year, to companies that have the ability to whisk trash out of harm’s way, as well as to perform other duties like refueling and repairing orbiting spacecraft to prevent them from becoming derelict. At first, the Space Force will be assessing the range of technologies currently available, says Lieutenant Colonel Brian Holt, the lead for Orbital Prime. “​​If the government, and specifically SpaceWERX, could prime the pump, where could we get the biggest economic bang, with economic prosperity and national security?” asks Holt.

Four months after the initial contracts, the second phase will begin, involving contracts worth $1.5 million each. Phase two will be followed by the deployment of technologies into orbit, in 2023 or 2024. For now, the companies eligible to compete must be based in the US and partnered with researchers at a university or federally-funded research institution. The program’s goal is to “move an entire market area forward,” Holt says. (11/17)

Space Cyber Wargame Exposes Satellite Industry Risks (Source: README)
Space industry executives grappled with a simulated crisis Monday as a hacker compromised a satellite and set it on a collision course with another, creating the possibility of a disastrous cascade of space debris. The collision was averted — but the fictional scenario underscored the very real cybersecurity threats facing the space industry as the number of companies building and operating software-driven satellites has mushroomed.

A new cyber threat information sharing group hosted the virtual tabletop exercise to educate attendees at a space technology conference about the importance of industry-wide collaboration to combat cyberattacks. The Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Space-ISAC) said the results of the event — which played out at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ ASCEND space technology conference — will shape how the group builds its 24-hour watch center slated to open next year. (11/17)

McDowell: Starlink Satellites Threatened by ASAT Debris (Source: Business Insider)
Some of the Russian ASAT debris is likely to fall into similar altitudes as Starlink, the network of satellites that Elon Musk's SpaceX sent into orbit to beam internet back to Earth. Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said the debris could crash into Starlink satellites as it spreads. Starlink's network is made up of close to 2,000 satellites, so the impact of any individual loss on the overall network would likely be small.

"If [a satellite] gets hit by one of the bigger pieces of debris... it could completely destroy the satellite into thousands of more pieces," McDowell said. That in turn could create a small chain event. "You could see debris hitting the satellites, causing more debris that then hits more satellites." (11/17)

Scout Space Wins USAF SBIR Award for Space Tracking (Source: Space News)
Another startup has won Air Force funding to study integrating ground- and space-based data for improved space tracking. Scout Space won an Air Force SBIR award to demonstrate that data collected in space, combined with data from traditional ground sensors, significantly improves the accuracy of space debris tracking and can help better predict collisions. The company flew a sensor earlier this year on Orbit Fab's first tanker spacecraft, and is working on its own cubesats that would carry sensors that act as "traffic cameras in space." (11/17)

Policy and Regulatory Issues a Challenge for Orbital Debris Removal (Source: Space News)
The policy challenges of active debris removal aren't necessarily as high as some believe. During a panel discussion at the ASCEND conference last week, industry officials said there are steps companies and governments can take to address the legal and regulatory issues of orbital debris removal. While such initial steps can address some debris, many of the most dangerous objects, such as Russian upper stages, still face significant policy hurdles. (12/15)

It’s Now Time to Protect Earth’s Orbital Environment (Source: Space News)
On November 12, 2021, during the fourth edition of the Paris Peace Forum, actors from all over the world concerned with the rapidly deteriorating state of Earth’s orbital environment have launched the Net Zero Space initiative, calling for ensuring sustainable use of outer space by 2030 by taking urgent steps to reduce the number of space debris. We welcome this multi-actor initiative and support its ambition in gathering both stakeholders from the space sector and political forces to protect the long-term sustainability of outer space.

As the space market is projected to generate more than one trillion dollars by 2040 (Morgan Stanley), or even by 2030 (Bank of America), we should not forget the costly consequences of unsustainable economic development and unmanaged pollution. Beyond strategic capacities, daily technologies such as telecommunications, GPS tracking, but also financial transactions or cloud capacities rely on space infrastructure and are more and more threatened by the increase of the number of space debris. Development of forthcoming technologies with strong social benefits depending on the viability of outer space, such as space-based solar power, would also be severely slowed if not simply prevented by an excessively polluted orbital environment. (11/13)

Space Force Struggling to Take Advantage of Satellite Servicing (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force is not yet ready to take advantage of satellite servicing technologies. At a conference Tuesday, Karl Stolleis, space robotics and logistics team lead of the U.S. Space Force, said the service was still "struggling" with satellite servicing and related technologies, with many still seeing it not being available until far in the future, despite the emergence of commercial systems now. He added that services such as refueling would be game changing for the military, though, giving it more freedom to maneuver satellites without worrying about shortening the satellites' lifetimes. (11/17)

Astroscale and Virgin Orbit Partner on Orbital Servicing (Source: HobbySpace)
Astroscale has signed an agreement with Virgin Orbit to cooperate on a series of space initiatives that will drive the future of space sustainability and on-orbit servicing ecosystem. Astroscale is planning dozens of missions over the next decade and is in discussions with Virgin Orbit to launch as many as 10 of those on Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne. The two companies are also working toward a future joint mission concept focused on satellite servicing. (11/17)

Virgin Orbit Expects Substantial Government Launch Business (Source: Space News)
Virgin Orbit predicts as much as 40% of its business will come from national security customers in five years. The company has already won a handful of contracts to launch U.S. military satellites and is actively pursuing new business in the national security market, executives said at an investor day event Wednesday. CEO Dan Hart said Virgin Orbit has been pushing the U.S. government to increase budgets for responsive launch services. The company is planning six launches next year and is considering buying a second carrier aircraft. (11/18)
 
Virgin Orbit's Begins Pre-Flight Prep Before its End of Year Flight (Source: Space Daily)
A fully assembled rocket that will carry both Department of Defense and Polish SatRevolution satellites to space has arrived at the Mojave Air and Space Port after departing Virgin Orbit's Long Beach rocket factory Monday. The rocket is now being mated to the customized 747 that serves as Virgin Orbit's flying and fully re-usable launch pad and mobile mission control, with expected launch before the end of the year. The mission, named Above the Clouds, would mark Virgin Orbit's third launch of 2021. (11/15)

Branson Sells More Virgin Galactic Stock (Source: Bloomberg)
Richard Branson has sold an additional $300 million in Virgin Galactic stock. Branson sold about 6% of overall Virgin Galactic shares, leaving him with a 11.9% stake. Virgin Galactic said the proceeds of the sale would go to other Virgin travel and leisure businesses. Branson remains the single largest shareholder of the space tourism company. (11/18)

SpaceX Expects Five More Falcon-9 Launches Before 2022 (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
After a lull in launches, SpaceX will be busy for the rest of the year. The company performed two Falcon 9 launches last week, the first since September. At least five more Falcon 9 launches are scheduled through the end of the year, including two NASA satellites, a space station cargo mission, a set of Starlink satellites and a commercial GEO communications satellite. SpaceX has performed 25 Falcon 9 launches so far this year, one short of its record set in 2020. (11/18)

Ex-SpaceX Engineer Accuses Company of Racial Discrimination, Company Says it Was for his Facial Expressions (Source: India Today)
A former SpaceX employee has accused the company of racial discrimination noting that other employees in the same role were given training and documentation that were unavailable to him. The employee, Ajay Reddy, filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk’s space exploration company in federal District Court in Orlando earlier this month. Reddy identifies himself as an Asian-American of Indian descent. He alleged that he was fired from his role as a fairing recovery engineer in May 2020. The lawsuit accused SpaceX of race discrimination, national origin discrimination, retaliation, and breach of contract.

Reddy noted that he also filed a complaint with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Florida Commission on Human Relations in June 2020. SpaceX in its statement to the EEOC noted that Reddy’s final Manager, Robert Hill terminated his employment based on claims that during a group interview Reddy made facial expressions in response to answers the candidate provided. SpaceX claimed that these alleged expressions made the candidate feel uncomfortable. (11/15)

Exolaunch Books More Rideshare Space on SpaceX Rockets (Source: Space News)
Exolaunch has signed a multi-launch contract with SpaceX. The German launch services provider will purchase additional capacity on SpaceX Transporter rideshare missions over the next two years. Exolaunch has previously signed agreements for four SpaceX Transporter missions through 2022. More than 95% of that capacity, at more than 100 satellites and with a combined payload mass of 3,000 kilograms, has already been booked. (11/17)

Musk: Orbital Starship Mission Possible Early Next Year (Source: Space News)
Elon Musk says the first orbital Starship launch could take place early next year, pending regulatory approval. Speaking to two National Academies committees Wednesday, Musk said SpaceX was projecting the launch to take place in January or February. He cautioned that there is a "lot of risk" with that first launch, but expected the company to perform a test program of up to 12 Starship launches in 2022 that would enable commercial flights to begin in 2023. That schedule depends on getting an FAA license, which in turn requires the completion of an environmental review currently projected for the end of this year. (11/18)

SpaceX’s Texas Starbase Prepares Future Starships (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
With a significant milestone under its belt, Ship 20 awaits the next steps in preparing for an orbital velocity flight test, likely watching on as Super Heavy Booster 4 undergoes a more ambitious ground test campaign.  The continued preparations with Ship 20 and Booster 4 continue amid a traffic jam of vehicles back at the Production Site, with parts for Booster 7 and Ship 23 being spotted. At the same time, the new “Wide Bay” – required for the increasing processing cadence – rises out of the ground.

While the test schedule hasn’t followed the highly ambitious timeline outlined at times by Elon Musk via various tweets, the progress of Starship continues to astound. Moreover, the vehicles are coming through the testing without the RUDs (Rapid Unplanned Disassembly) of old and appear to follow a successful design evolution, with more upgrades yet to come. To cater to all these new vehicles, SpaceX is already building a new “Wide Bay” set to be twice the width of the current High Bay.

The engines, which have been upgraded over time, are currently built at SpaceX’s main factory in Hawthorne, California, then transported to McGregor for testing. In addition, flight units meant for the Starship program are currently tested at McGregor before being driven to the Starbase launch facility. While Hawthorne will continue to build the RVac engines, in tandem with working on Raptor evolution designs, McGregor will soon become the hub for Raptor 2 production. Soon after Elon Musk revealed this forward path, groundbreaking occurred on the McGregor site, which has since seen a facility rise out of the ground in double-quick time. (11/14)

FAA Hopes to Finish Boca Chica Environmental Assessment Before 2022 (Source: Reuters)
The FAA hopes to complete an environmental review of SpaceX Starship launches from Boca Chica, Texas, by the end of the year. The agency said Monday that it has a target date of Dec. 31 to complete that environmental review, a key milestone towards licensing Starship/Super Heavy orbital launches from Boca Chica. The FAA said it received more than 17,000 public comments on a draft version of that review released in September. (11/16)

Blue Origin Teaches Space Tourists Who Land in the Desert What to Do if Their Rocket Lands Next to a Cactus (Source: Business Insider)
Jeff Bezos' aerospace company, Blue Origin, teaches its space tourists how to get out of the rocket capsule if there's a cactus in the way of the door, passenger Chris Boshuizen told Insider. It was part of the training that the four-person crew completed before they launched to the edge of space in Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, said Boshuizen, who was onboard the company's spaceflight on October 13.

"We practiced what to do if the capsule lands ... and there's a cactus in front of us," said the entrepreneur and former NASA engineer. The astronauts must wait in the rocket's capsule for the ground crew to come over, Boshuizen said. They will wear steel-toed boots to help push the cactus out of the way, he said. (11/14)

Schedule Complications Delay ULA Launch of GOES-T Satellite From February to March (Source: NOAA)
The launch of a NOAA weather satellite has slipped a couple weeks. NOAA said Thursday that the GOES-T weather satellite will launch on an Atlas 5 on March 1, rather than Feb. 16 as previously announced. NOAA said that "shifts in launch dates for missions scheduled ahead of GOES-T" caused the delay. GOES-T is the third in a series of four GOES-R geostationary weather satellites. Editor's Note: No specifics as to whether this delay was caused by ULA scheduling or Eastern Range scheduling. This mission was previously delayed from Dec. 7 and Jan. 8. (11/19)

Space Coast Re-Launch (Source: Quartz)
Florida's Space Coast is making a [another] comeback thanks to a flurry of launch activity from private space companies. The most prominent entrant is SpaceX, which leased the launchpad used in the Apollo 11 mission from NASA in 2014. Other industry stalwarts like Blue Origin and ULA have also leased nearby pads, as have startups like Firefly and Relativity. Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and the satellite internet company OneWeb have clustered rocket and satellite factories nearby. This year alone, the Space Coast has already seen 37 launches.

Private industry has been attracted to the Space Coast for many of the same reasons NASA was back in the 1950s. After decades of government investment in the site, it has a level of existing launch infrastructure and a specialized local workforce that would be expensive and time consuming to recreate elsewhere. The return of space flight has sparked a renaissance in Brevard County. Developers are building new homes and businesses at a rapid clip. Houses have recovered their pre-financial crisis values and taxable sales have nearly doubled. The local unemployment rate is now below 4%, despite the pandemic recession.

Rocket launch tourism helped bail the county out after Covid-19 outbreaks dried up cruise ship revenue; when SpaceX launched its first manned mission in May 2020, the Space Coast Office of Tourism estimated that 220,000 visitors came and spent $44 million. The Space Coast has hitched its fortunes to its new private partners, which carries its own risks. Some of the scores of businesses that have set up shop in Brevard County will surely fail, and it remains to be seen whether a couple of consolidating winners will be able to establish a sustainable revenue model in the long run. But for now, investment is flowing freely, dozens of companies are building and testing rockets, and the ground beneath Brevard County. (11/18)

Confirmed: Astra to Launch From LC-46 at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space Explored)
A new permit application confirms rumors of Astra launching from Launch Complex 46 as soon as late 2021 or early 2022. The previous launch from SLC-46 was the Orion Ascent Abort 2 test for the Artemis program. Astra currently plans on launching from LC-46 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport as often as 12 times a year for two years – a monthly launch cadence. Sources informed us that Astra was looking at launching from LC-46, with testing occurring as soon as December 2021, and we now have public confirmation of this.

SLC-46 is located at the tip of Cape Canaveral, just south of Blue Origin’s SLC-36. Previously this pad supported the ground-based launches of Trident and Trident II missiles, along with Lockheed Martin’s Athena I and II vehicles. The pad is operated by Space Florida and is available for launch providers to lease. With Astra’s next launch window opening on November 18, we will wait and see if Astra can finally make orbit. We wouldn’t be surprised to see a slip in the timeline for Astra’s debut in Florida should this next launch not go well. Nevertheless, we are excited to see yet another launch provider making its way to the space coast! (11/18)
 
Space Club Hosts Astra for Launch Pad Discussion at Dec. 14 Luncheon (Source: NSCFL)
The National Space Club Florida Committee welcomes Francisco Isenberg as the featured guest speaker for a December 14 in-person luncheon event at the Radisson Resort at Port Canaveral. Mr. Isenberg, principal spaceport development manager for launch services startup Astra, will discuss his company's plans for establishing a launch capability at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport.

Astra, a publicly traded company based in Alameda, California, is developing a rocket for launching small payloads (up to 630 kilograms) to low Earth orbit. The company is currently managing a test campaign to validate the rocket's performance and refine their launch processing approach at the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska. The company's plans for a Cape Canaveral launch site include the use of Launch Complex 46, a site managed by Space Florida. Click here for luncheon information. (11/18)

Astra Stock Could Rally With Next Space Launch (Source: Investor Place)
If at first you don’t succeed, you need to try and try again. It seems as though Astra’s (NASDAQ:ASTR) management has taken that lesson to heart. The company’s first attempt did not go so smoothly. The LV0006 craft had its flight terminated after just 2.5 minutes off the ground. The failure was caused after one of the engines was compromised. This resulted in a scary-looking sideways slide that the rocket never recovered from.

Management has analyzed the factors that caused the situation with LV0006. They are confident that they have identified the issues and have a plan to move forward. There was a leakage from the rocket’s propellant supply system. The leaked ingredients ignited, causing one of the engines to stall. According to the company’s press release, they are implementing the following design changes to its next craft, the LV0007. Management has indicated that it plans to launch very soon and is subject to ideal launch conditions.

I consider the move from the low of $8.45 a “mini-uptrend.” Therefore in my view, ASTR stock recently had a strong candle breakout to $10.60. The key level to watch is the stock’s 200-day moving average of $11.20. Since the stock is still trading below this key level, I expect a lot of volatility in the near future. A successful launch of the LV0007 could provide the catalyst for a large pushup. A breakout of the 200-day moving average would constitute a shift in momentum in the stock. (11/18)

Astra’s Rocket Reaches Orbit on Fourth Attempt (Source: Space News)
Astra Space’s Rocket 3.3 successfully reached orbit on a Nov. 20 launch, the fourth orbital launch attempt by the small launch vehicle startup. The Rocket 3.3 vehicle, with the serial number LV0007, lifted off at 1:16 a.m. Eastern from Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska on Kodiak Island. Astra scrubbed a launch attempt the previous day after more than two hours of delays.

The launch carried a payload for the Space Test Program called STP-27AD2 through a contract arranged by the U.S. Space Force through the Defense Innovation Unit. The payload, designed to measure environmental conditions on the vehicle in flight, intentionally did not separate from the upper stage. (11/20)

Inside Firefly as They Prepare for Their Next Launch Attempt (Source: CNBC)
Firefly is preparing for the second orbital launch attempt of its Alpha rocket, as the venture looks to build out the foundation of its business. “Firefly is aiming to be the next SpaceX, a very transformative space transportation company,” Firefly CEO Tom Markusic told CNBC. The company recently gave CNBC an inside look at its manufacturing and testing facilities near Austin, Texas, as well as during its first Alpha rocket launch in September.

“The rocket gives you the keys to space. It’s critically important, but the big revenue is doing things in space,” Markusic said. Markusic – whose experience includes leadership roles at Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, and SpaceX – compared the lunar lander that Firefly is building, called Blue Ghost, to SpaceX’s series of Dragon capsules, which delivers cargo and people to low Earth orbit. While Firefly’s Alpha rocket is price at $15 million a launch, Markusic says the lunar lander is much more lucrative per mission. Click here. (11/20)

Spaceport America to Seek $2 Million Budget Boost From New Mexico Legislature (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
New Mexico's Spaceport America is seeking more state funding. Spaceport officials told legislators they're seeking an additional $2 million next year to cover operating expenses of the commercial launch site. Without the increase, spaceport leaders warned, they would be forced to cut staffing and curtail operations. About 60% of the overall budget for the spaceport comes from customers. (11/18)

Not Everyone Buys SpinLaunch’s Claims (Source: Parabolic Arc)
SpinLaunch says they're moving closer to an orbital launch capability for their kinetic spin-and-release centrifuge launch system with a successful "Suborbital Accelerator" test launch on 22 October at Spaceport America.  is designed to operate from 800 to 5,000 mph and acts primarily as a test-bed for the Orbital Launch System. Throughout 2022 the startup plans to conduct regular test flights with a variety of vehicles and launch velocities. They say the Suborbital System also offers testing capabilities for satellite qualification. But SpinLaunch’s plan and recent test have generated skepticism too. Click here. (11/18)

Mojave Air, Space Port Gets Good News With Audit (Source: Antelope Valley Press)
The Mojave Air and Space Port received a clean audit report for the 2020-2021 fiscal year, as reported to its Board of Directors, on Tuesday. The firm of Brown Armstrong provided the report, with an “unmodified” opinion on the state of the airport’s books, finding no material errors in financial statements. The audit showed the airport’s total net position increased by $8.48 million, or 24%, to $43.37 million, during the fiscal year which ended June 30.

This reflects an increase in revenues of $8.39 million, or 79%, to $19.01 million. Most of that increase came in the form of higher grant proceeds of more than $6 million for the Taxiway C rehabilitation project. However, operating revenues were also up, by $1.58 million. This was due to higher rent proceeds of $670,000 and an increase in fuel sales and related services of $800,000. (11/21)

Rocket Lab Launches BlackSky Satellites From New Zealand, Tests First Stage Recovery (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab launched a pair of BlackSky imaging satellites Wednesday. An Electron rocket lifted off at 8:38 p.m. Eastern and deployed the two BlackSky Gen-2 satellites into low Earth orbit about an hour later. Rocket Lab used this launch as another test of efforts to recover and reuse the Electron's first stage, this time monitored by a helicopter. The next Electron launch, also carrying two BlackSky satellites, is scheduled for December. (11/18)

Rocket Lab Acquiring Planetary Systems Corp. (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab is acquiring Planetary Systems Corporation (PSC), a manufacturer of satellite separation systems. Rocket Lab said Monday it is paying $42 million plus 1.72 million shares of stock for PSC, with up to an additional 956,000 shares depending on PSC's financial performance in 2022 and 2023. PSC makes systems to allow the deployment of satellites from launch vehicles, including the Lightband system and its Canisterized Satellite Dispenser for deploying small satellites.

Rocket Lab announced the deal along with its third quarter financial results, where it reported an adjusted EBITDA loss of $17.5 million on $5.3 million in revenue. It is targeting its next Electron launch for Wednesday evening. (11/16)
European Vega Rocket Launches French Satellites (Source: Arianespace)
A Vega rocket successfully launched three French military smallsats Tuesday. The Vega lifted off from French Guiana and deployed three CERES satellites into low Earth orbit. The satellites will collect signals intelligence data for the French military. The launch was the 300th by Arianespace from French Guiana. (11/16)

Latest Vega Launch Paves Way for Vega-C (Source: Space Daily)
Last week's Vega mission will be followed by Vega's successor, Vega-C, which will take its first flight in 2022. This starts the transition to Vega-C where for a period, both vehicles will be used. ESA's Vega-C, developed and built by prime contractor Avio in Italy, will be able to perform more launches per year than Vega and offers 800 kg more payload capacity to multiple orbits.

Vega-C is more powerful than Vega and has a larger fairing but will keep the same launch cost as Vega. This is partly achieved through sharing the same P120C motor with Ariane 6 to reduce recurring costs and thus reduce the launch cost per kilogram. Vega-C will use a range of payload carriers for different shapes and sizes of payloads from 1 kg to 2300 kg. (11/18)

Arianespace to Launch Aussie Comsat on Ariane 6 (Source: Space News)
Arianespace has won a contract to launch an Australian communications satellite. The Optus-11 Ku-band communications satellite is set to launch in the second half of 2023 on an Ariane 6 to provide services to the Australia and New Zealand region. The Ariane 6 is officially set to make its debut in the second quarter of 2022, but an ArianeGroup executive said at a conference this week that they're working toward a launch in late 2022. (11/18)

Maiden Flight of Germany’s RFA ONE to Launch Lunar Research Mission From Norway’s Andoya Spaceport (Source: RFA)
Lunar Research Service (LRS) and Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA) have agreed on a launch service contract. RFA will fly a research mission of Ukraine-based LRS with its RFA ONE micro launcher into low-Earth orbit. The flight, which will take place end of 2022 from Andøya, Norway, will be the maiden flight of the German-developed launch vehicle.

Lunar Research Service will use the results of the mission to improve its ground-orbit communications and test a solar concentrator that will be used in the upcoming lunar mission. Among the features of the mission are proprietary satellite design and a developed in-house deployment system. (11/18)

Sweden's Esrange Spaceport Moves Closer to Satellite Launch Capability (Source: Parabolic Arc)
The construction of the new spaceport at Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden is reaching new milestones – heading towards satellite launch capability by 2022. The orbital launch complex is currently being finalized with integration halls for rockets and satellites, expansion of planned fuel plants, launch pads and surrounding technical ground systems, and more.

“With more than 50 years of experience from launching rockets and balloons, Esrange Space Center is already one of the most active and versatile launch sites in the world. And with the new spaceport capability the base will be able provide a platform for space companies to develop their next generation rocket technologies and launch their satellites”, says Philip Påhlsson, Project Manager of New Esrange. (11/21)

Europe Hopes Network of Local Spaceports Will Support Spaceflight Needs (Source: Space News)
European small launch companies are looking to European commercial spaceports to be established rather than shipping rockets farther afield. Panelists at a conference this week said geography has a part to play in the push for European spaceports because, with sensitive equipment, transit is an issue in terms of intellectual property, red tape and time, as well as potential damage. New launch infrastructure also brings aspects of sovereignty and independence to the European value chain. Several launch sites are being developed in Europe that will be ready to support flights as soon as next year. (11/18)

Spain's PLD Space Exhibits the First Privately-Developed Spanish Rocket (Source: Space Daily)
PLD Space has achieved a new milestone with the official presentation in Madrid of its MIURA 1 rocket, that has been exhibited fully assembled for the first time in the capital's National Museum of Natural Science. This suborbital vehicle is a key step in launch vehicle development, a pathfinder for MIURA 5 development. From the beginning, the objective of PLD Space has been to become the European Microlauncher Company, through the use of reusable rockets dedicated to the launch of small satellites. (11/18)

Spain's Pangea Aerospace Hot Fire Tests World's First MethaLox Aerospike Engine (Source: Space Daily)
Pangea Aerospace, a company from Barcelona, has fired several times the first MethaLox aerospike engine in the world in their first try, at DLR Lampoldshausen facilities. The company has reached a major milestone for rocket propulsion, after the success of the hot fire test campaign of its aerospike engine. Pangea Aerospace has ignited and hot fired several times a 20kN regeneratively cooled aerospike engine, called DemoP1.

The engine is extremely low cost to produce, as it is completely additively manufactured (metallic 3D printing) in only two pieces. Pangea Aerospace has been able to improve solve the thermal problem of this kind of engine (they are very difficult to cool down) thanks to additive manufacturing and new materials, such as GR Cop42 (a NASA developed copper alloy). (11/18)

Canada and Ukraine Start Construction of Spaceport in Nova Scotia (Source: Ukrinform)
An official ceremony was held in Canada to mark the start of the construction of a joint Ukrainian-Canadian spaceport in the east of the country.
"On November 18, in Halifax, the space agencies of Ukraine and Canada signed a joint statement of partnership, and on November 19, a solemn ceremony of laying a ‘cornerstone’ of the Ukrainian-Canadian space launch complex was held," the Embassy of Ukraine in Canada reported. (11/20)

Proposed Nova Scotia Spaceport Announces Deal with NanoRacks for Payload Aboard Ukrainian Cyclone-4M Rocket (Source: Toronto Star)
The company behind the push to build Canada’s first commercial spaceport, to be located on the tip of northeastern Nova Scotia, announced on Friday the first payload client for its initial rocket launch, which it expects near the end of 2023. Stephen Matier, president and CEO of Maritime Launch Services, told reporters in Halifax that Nanoracks, a leading commercial payload provider to the International Space Station, will use the spaceport to deploy small satellites for its customers.

Matier also announced that his company had signed a letter of intent to launch small satellites for Nova Scotia-based GALAXIA Mission Systems. As well, he revealed preliminary designs for a launch control centre to be built at the spaceport site near Canso, N.S., complete with a visitor and educational center. Matier said the first payload will be launched aboard a Ukrainian-built Cyclone-4M rocket. (11/19)

Launch of the Proton Rocket From Baikonur Postponed for Upper Stage Issue (Source: TASS)
The launch of the Proton-M carrier rocket with the Express-AMU3 and Express-AMU7 telecommunication satellites has been postponed from December 6 to December 12. According to the head of Roscosmos, the launch was postponed due to the need to finalize the upper stage. In December last year, Rogozin said that the launch of satellites was postponed to the end of 2021. In mid-November, Roskosmos announced plans to launch them on December 6. (11/18)

Russia, Kazakhstan, UAE Plan to Modernize Baikonur's Gagarin Launch Complex for Soyuz-2 Rockets (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Roscosmos, the UAE Space Agency, and the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan signed a joint Letter of Intent confirming the interest of the parties to implement space projects in trilateral format. In particular, the document states the mutual intention to shortly start a detailed analysis of the tripartite project to modernize the historical Site 1 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, from which the first human spaceflight took place.

Currently, this launch complex is not used due to the decommissioning of the Soyuz-FG carrier rocket in 2019, with the last rocket of the type launched in late September 2019. If successfully implemented, the Gagarin’s Start project will revive the complex, allowing it to accept modern modifications of the Soyuz-2 launch vehicles. The parties plan to involve private investors into the project and to continue further joint commercial operation of the complex. According to experts, the project will enable the parties to present competitive offers on the international space launches market. (11/18)

China Launches Remote Sensing Satellite (Source: Xinhua)
China launched a new satellite from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern province of Shanxi on Saturday. The satellite, Gaofen-11 03, was launched by a Long March-4B rocket and entered the planned orbit successfully. Developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the satellite will be mainly used for land surveys, city planning, land rights confirmation, road network design, crop yield estimation and disaster prevention and mitigation. (11/20)

Space Force General: 'We're Not as Advanced as the Chinese or the Russians' with Hypersonic Missiles (Source: The Hill)
American hypersonic missile capabilities are "not as advanced" as those of China or Russia, Space Force General David Thompson said Saturday at the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada, signaling that the U.S. is behind in developing the newest and most cutting-edge weaponry. Thompson admitted during an interview that the U.S. lagging behind the other two countries is potentially dangerous for national security.

"We have catching up to do very quickly, the Chinese have an incredible hypersonic program," he said. "It's a very concerning development ... it greatly complicates the strategic warning problem." (11/20)

Rogozin: Russia Doesn’t Lag Behind in Military Space Field (Source: TASS)
Russia does not lag behind in terms of military space, Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin said. "We are definitely not lagging behind anyone in terms of military space," Rogozin said. The Roscosmos chief pointed out that apart from civilian products, the Russian space corporation develops the material basis for the Strategic Missile Forces and the nuclear submarine fleet. (11/20)

Russia Ready to Discuss All Space Security Issues With US (Source: Sputnik)
Russia is ready to discuss the entire spectrum of space security issues with all interested countries, including the US. "We confirm our readiness to discuss the entire spectrum of space security issues with all interested states, including the United States. We are convinced that the launch of negotiations on an international agreement prohibiting the deployment of any types of weapons in space, the use or threat of the use of force against or with space objects - the right way to reduce tensions and relieve states' concerns in the context of ensuring the safety of space activities," Maria Zakharova said. (11/18)

China and Russia Set Up Space Weather Monitoring Center (Source: Space Daily)
A space weather center set up by China and Russia began operating on Tuesday to provide services for aviation operators around the world. The China-Russia Consortium Global Space Weather Center monitors space weather events including solar activities and releases advisories for aviation operators, said Zhang Xiaoxin, director of the National Satellite Meteorological Center's space weather department. (11/18)

Allies Eyeing ‘Niche’ Space Capabilities for Warfighting with US (Source: Breaking Defense)
The US Space Force and its like-minded counterparts are increasingly eyeing ways to avoid duplicating capabilities, with the American service setting up a series of agreements in hopes of  each country bringing its best hand to the fight.

“There may be future architectures for some mission area [where] we get together as allies and say, you know, we’ll concentrate on this piece here in the United States, and maybe the UK agrees to concentrate on this piece, and Australia concentrates on this piece. And together we bring an integrated by design architecture forward,” Lt. Gen. John Shaw, Space Command deputy, said. (11/20)

Japan to Establish Second Space Defense Unit (Source: Space News)
Japan will launch a second space defense unit within the next 18 months to monitor electromagnetic threats to its satellites. The second Space Operations Squadron will be located at an air base in the western part of Japan as part of efforts "to secure the stable use of outer space," the country's defense minister said. The second squadron's establishment indicates that Japan would further deepen its cooperation with the United States on space security issues. (11/16)

France Boosts Space Surveillance (Source: Space Daily)
France on Tuesday boosted its space surveillance capabilities with the launch of three electromagnetic-monitoring military satellites, one of only four nations known to operate this kind of technology. A Vega rocket carrying the Ceres satellites took off from Kourou in French Guiana, and placed them into orbit soon after.

Unlike conventional surveillance satellites, these are able to locate items emitting electromagnetic energy at all times of the day and night, in all weather including from behind clouds. France joins the United States, China and Russia in operating such technology, part of a space defense strategy unveiled in 2019 to deal with emerging threats to its interests in orbit. (11/16)

New Report Calls for US Long-Term Strategic Vision for Space (Source: Space News)
U.S. national security space organizations released a report proposing ways to boost the nation's space economy and technology base. The "State of the Space Industrial Base 2021" report concluded that while investment in space is at an all-time high, it lacks a long-term vision that poses strategic concerns. The report argues that the government, particularly the Defense Department and intelligence community, should better support the space industry by procuring commercially provided services rather than develop systems in-house. It also backs plans for a "space superhighway" that takes advantage of commercial innovations for in-space logistics to build infrastructure. Both NASA and the Space Force endorsed the report. (11/19)

‘This is Urgent’: Bipartisan Proposal for UFO Office Pushes New Boundaries (Source: Politico)
A bipartisan proposal to create a more expansive military and intelligence program to study UFOs is urgently needed to determine whether unexplained sightings by Navy and Air Force pilots pose a threat or are evidence of some “other entity,” the lead sponsor said Wednesday. “If it is technology possessed by adversaries or any other entity, we need to know,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said in her first interview about the effort. “Burying our heads in the sand is neither a strategy nor an acceptable approach.”

Gillibrand is behind an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that is being debated this week to create an ‘‘Anomaly Surveillance and Resolution Office” with authority to pursue “any resource, capability, asset, or process of the Department and the intelligence community” to get to the bottom of the sightings of “unidentified aerial phenomena," or UAPs. It would also require regular public reports about sensitive topics that until recently were considered to be on the fringe, including whether the government has any materials from the incidents of UFOs or data on any biological or health effects linked to any encounters. (11/17)

Space Command Reorganization Planned (Source: Breaking Defense)
U.S. Space Command is planning a reorganization to streamline how it operates. The proposed reorganization, which may not be formally announced until next spring, would create a Joint Force Space Component Command that would be a "central hub" for the command's missions. The new command is intended to streamline convoluted chains of command. (11/16)

Satcom Jammer by L3Harris Passes Space Force Review (Source: Space News)
A satellite communications jammer developed for the Space Force will allow the service to "dominate the electromagnetic spectrum." The Counter-Communications Systems (CCS) Block 10.2 was developed by L3Harris under a U.S. Space Force contract valued at $284 million to date. The upgraded jammer has passed a critical design review, the company said, with plans to produce 16 units by 2025. (11/16)

Iceye and US Army Explore Use of SAR Imagery (Source: Space News)
The U.S. subsidiary of Finnish synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging company Iceye has signed a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Army. Under the cooperative research and development agreement with the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Technical Center, the organizations will work together to explore ways the Army can benefit from access to SAR imagery and data. The topics include SAR satellite tasking, SAR data downlink, image processing and image dissemination to meet various Army and Defense Department requirements. (11/18)

Tyvak to Put Air Force Satellite in Very Low Orbit (Source: Space News)
Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems has won an Air Force contract for an experimental satellite in very low Earth orbit (VLEO). The $8.4 million contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate is for the Precise flight experiment, which seeks to better understand the physics of the upper atmosphere. Tyvak will supply a spacecraft for the experiment that will be capable of maneuvering between LEO and VLEO, defined as altitudes of 250 to 450 kilometers, for conducting sensor payload measurements. The mission is scheduled to launch in 2024. (11/19)

DoD's Constellation Will Support Commercial Imagery Transfer (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon's Space Development Agency (SDA) will allow commercial satellite imagery providers to transfer data through its upcoming constellation. Under a recent deal signed with SDA, Capella Space will attempt to connect one of the company's imaging satellites to SDA's network of satellites in low Earth orbit. SDA Director Derek Tournear said doing so benefits both companies and the military, since it would allow companies to quickly transmit images to military users. Imagery providers will have to install SDA-approved optical inter-satellite links on their satellites. The data would be passed to SDA's Transport Layer, a mesh network of communications satellites that will start deployment next year. (11/18)

NGA Seeks Analysis of Non-Classified Imagery, Data (Source: Space News)
The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) is interested not just in unclassified data, but unclassified analysis of that data. Dave Gauthier, director of NGA's Commercial and Business Operations Group, said his agency was looking at ways to take unclassified data, such as commercial imagery, and instead of combining it with classified data, "leave the data in that unclassified domain, and then exploit it there organically." Another option, he said, is to have companies do the analysis themselves and provide analytics services to NGA. (11/16)

Intelsat and OneWeb Test Broadband Service to US Army (Source: Space News)
Intelsat and OneWeb provided broadband internet service to U.S. Army users via satellites in low Earth orbit and in geostationary orbit in a test this month. The event at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland was an attempt to show Army buyers that satellite communications from LEO and GEO is not an either-or proposition, and both can be seamlessly integrated. The test gave the end user a single interface to operate four terminals communicating with OneWeb satellites in LEO and Intelsat GEO satellites. The intent of this demonstration was to give the Army a taste of managed satcom services, although the Army has yet to articulate specifically what it needs or what it plans to buy. (11/16)

USU SDL Wins Huge AFRL Space Contract (Source: Space News)
Utah State University's Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) has won a billion-dollar contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory. The five-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract covers work on "space and nuclear advanced prototypes, experiments and technology," according to a statement. AFRL said the contract "solidifies the long-term strategic partnership" between the lab and SDL. (11/16)
Sierra Space Raises $1.4 Billion for Commercial Space Station (Source: Space News)
Sierra Space announced Friday it has raised $1.4 billion to further development of key elements of a commercial space station. The company, spun off from Sierra Nevada Corporation in April, raised a Series A round led by General Atlantic, Coatue and Moore Strategic Ventures, with participation from several other investors. The company says the funding will accelerate development of its Dream Chaser spacecraft and LIFE habitat, both part of the Orbital Reef commercial space station concept announced last month. (11/19)

Investors' Bet Values Sierra Space at $4.5 Billion (Source: Bloomberg)
General Atlantic and Coatue Management led a $1.4 billion investment in Sierra Space, valuing the Sierra Nevada Corp. subsidiary at $4.5 billion, its CEO said in an interview. The Colorado-based company will spend proceeds from the funding round on advancing plans for affordable space transportation as well as habitation and manufacturing in orbit, Sierra Space Chief Executive Officer Tom Vice said. Other new investors include Moore Strategic Ventures, BlackRock Private Equity Partners and AE Industrial Partners, he said. Family offices associated with billionaires Stan Druckenmiller and Vincent Viola also participated in the funding round, people with knowledge of the matter said. (11/19)

Axiom-1 Science & the Push Toward Greater Commercialization of Space Research (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
When the Axiom-1 mission lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center early next year, it will take with it four humans on the first-ever all-private astronaut flight to the ISS (International Space Station). At its core, the mission focuses on science and education, and the four-person crew will conduct 25 experiments with more than 100 hours of hands-on, human-tended research during the mission’s eight-day stay aboard the outpost.

While a relatively short flight, Axiom-1 will feature three crew customers in Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, and Eytan Stibbe, with a research focus based on their individual scientific goals and partnerships with various organizations. Click here. (11/17)

For 1st Axiom Launch with SpaceX, Civilian Science Plays Into New Space Station Goals (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Axiom Space is gearing up for its first launch in just over three months, in which it has partnered with SpaceX using Crew Dragon from Kennedy Space Center to send civilians to the International Space Station. The paying customers won’t be just enjoying the view. They have a big list of jobs to do, too. Each of the three civilians have arranged experiments and other activities that range from testing human cells that have stopped dividing for the Mayo Clinic to mapping the Great Lakes region for The Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

Officials with Houston-based Axiom Space say the approach falls in line with their business plan to eventually build their own commercial space station as a replacement for the ISS. The Axiom crew — Larry Connor, Mark Pathy and Eytan Stibbe — paid Axiom $55 million each for the trip.

Axiom has plans to send up a private module to connect to the International Space Station as early as 2024, and in time to send up several before eventually disconnecting from the ISS and becoming part of its own privately run space station. The goal of that space station is to cater to customers who seek out not just space tourism, but meaningful use of low-Earth orbit opportunities, Maender said. (11/17)

Orbite’s Plans for Space Training Complex (Somewhere in the US) Get a Boost From French Designer Philippe Starck (Source: GeekWire)
The French designer who created the look for Virgin Galactic, Spaceport America and Axiom Space’s orbital habitat has taken on yet another space-centric project: the space training complex planned by a Seattle-based venture called Orbite. Orbite says Philippe Starck will design its Astronaut Training and Spaceflight Gateway Complex, which is expected to consist of multiple buildings and go into operation at a U.S. location in late 2023 or 2024.

For now, that’s about all that can be said about the project. Further details, including the site selected for the complex and the specifics of Starck’s vision for the facility, will be announced in the months ahead. “We will have to wait a little more during the winter,” Orbite co-founder Nicolas Gaume told GeekWire. “We thought it was great to announce that such an amazing designer, who shares so much of our vision for astronaut orientation, preparation and training, could be disclosed.” (11/17)

Sidus Space, Formerly Craig Technologies, To Go Public (Source: Sidus Space)
Space Coast-based Sidus Space, formerly Craig Technologies, has submitted paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission relating to a proposed initial public offering of its common stock. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. The initial public offering is expected to take place after the SEC completes its review process, subject to market and other conditions.

Sidus announced in October that they have closed a private placement of $3 million of its Class A common stock. Sidus Space describes itself as a "Space-as-a-Service company focused on commercial satellite design, manufacture, launch, and data collection, with a vision to enable space flight heritage status for new technologies and deliver data and predictive analytics to both domestic and global customers." (10/29)

Hydrosat Raises $10 Million Seed Round to Assess Climate Change From Space (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Hydrosat, the geospatial data and analytics company, announces a new Seed Round raising $10M to create its thermal infrared satellite constellation. Today’s funding brings Hydrosat’s total capital raised to over $15M. The oversubscribed venture round was led by OTB Ventures, a leading European venture firm with a dedicated space investment vehicle, OTB Space Program I. Freeflow Ventures, Cultivation Capital, Santa Barbara Venture Partners, and Expon Capital also participated in the round.

Hydrosat began as a satellite company monitoring the water cycle to rapidly detect environmental stress brought about by climate change. Recent climate disasters, ranging from drought on the West Coast to flash floods on the East Coast of the United States, illustrates the growing importance of this technology as the world’s major governments meet this month for the United Nations COP26 Climate Change Conference. (11/16)

Kepler Communications, Through Germany, Registers 114,852-Satellite S-band LEO Constellation (Source: Space Intel Report)
Canada-based Kepler Communications has registered with international regulators a constellation of 114,582 S-band satellites in 1,152 different orbits between 200 and 1,000 kilometers in altitude. The constellation, called Aether-C, is part of Kepler’s ambitious plan to offer orbital connectivity services to other satellite operators. A separate constellation, called Aether-K, is comprised of 332 satellites in 12 orbital planes in a 600-kilometer orbit to provide radio-frequency-based inter-satellite links for real-time data relay. (11/17)

Australia's Fleet Space Raises $26 Million for Smallsat IoT Constellation (Source: Space News)
Australian satellite operator Fleet Space Technologies raised $26.4 million in a Series B round. The round, announced Tuesday, was led by several existing investors and values the company at $126 million. Fleet is developing a constellation of smallsats to provide internet-of-things services. With funding from the latest round, Fleet Space plans to expand its manufacturing capability and hire 70 skilled workers. (11/17)

French Satellite Startup Kinéis Gets Regulatory Nod for U.S. Expansion (Source: Space News)
French startup Kinéis secured regulatory approval Nov. 18 to connect internet of things devices in the United States to its planned nanosatellite constellation. The permission from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to provide services in the country marks a key milestone for Kinéis, which raised about $110 million last year to deploy 25 satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO) in 2023.

The satellites, which Rocket Lab has been contracted to launch, will replace a system of seven payloads hosted aboard U.S. and European weather satellies and one experimental cubesat that has been generating revenue for Kinéis. The legacy system, called Argos and established as a French-U.S. undertaking involving NASA, NOAA and the French space agency CNES, collects humidity, sea level and other one-way data points from maritime beacons. (11/19)

SPAC Fatigue Slows Deal Development (Source: Space News)
SPAC deals, which were very active in space and other industries early this year, are waning in interest. At a conference this week, a Morgan Stanley director said the market "fatigue" in SPACs is demonstrated by a sharp decrease in funding going into concurrent investment rounds called PIPEs, as well as higher rates of redemption by shareholders of SPACs. That creates significant uncertainty in how much capital a company will get through a SPAC merger. The SPAC market likely won't improve, he concluded, until companies that have gone public through SPACs demonstrate they can meet their technical and financial milestones. (11/19)

Space Industry Supply Chain Issues Different For Traditional and NewSpace Companies (Source: Space News)
Traditional space companies face different supply chain challenges than newer ones. Industry officials said that the disruptions caused by the pandemic exacerbated existing weaknesses in the supply chain used by companies working on traditional government or commercial satellite programs, where there is little excess capacity. Companies working on satellite constellations, by contrast, deal with higher volumes of components, and face issues more like automotive or consumer electronics companies regarding supplies. Supply chain issues for the space industry could be a topic for the National Space Council at its first meeting next month. (12/15)

SpaceX Wants India's New Satcom Policy to Focus on Access, Not Pricing (Source: Economic Times)
Elon Musk’s SpaceX wants India's government to ensure that the upcoming satcom policy “focuses more on access and less on pricing” of internet-from-space services to attract top dollars from global investors and boost satellite broadband penetration across rural India. This is since new-age broadband from space technology via numerous low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites is likely to be at least 7-to-8 times more expensive than terrestrial broadband services. (11/15)

Isotropic Systems Joins UK Government and ESA Consortium Led by CGI to Develop Hybrid Satellite Communications for Trains (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Isotropic Systems has joined the consortium led by CGI, which has been selected by the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the UK Space Agency, and the European Space Agency (ESA), to develop a demonstration of a hybrid satellite communications and terrestrial network for use on trains. The project is part of a joint initiative in the UK to demonstrate the integrated use of 5G in the area of transport and logistics. (11/18)

UK Space Agency Funds Further Research Into New Laser-Based Satellite Communications System (Source: Space Daily)
The UK Space Agency has awarded almost £650,000 to Northumbria University to continue world-leading work to develop the first commercially available laser-based inter-satellite communications system. By using lasers instead of radio frequency, the CubeSats become much more secure and can transmit 1,000 times more data per second. (12/15)

US Buyer of British Broadband Satellites Battles National Security Fears (Source: The Telegraph)
The US satellite company behind the £5.5bn takeover of Britain’s Inmarsat is offering to set up an international headquarters in London to get the deal past regulators. Viasat is in initial discussions with ministers over making legally binding undertakings alongside the deal announced last week, which combines two of the world’s biggest satellite internet operators.

While New York-listed Viasat will keep the US as its headquarters, the company is understood to have raised the possibility of establishing the UK as a base for its global mobility division, which focused on providing satellite internet for flights and ships outside the US. In addition, it has said it is prepared to extend pledges to continue working with the Ministry of Defense, made when the company was bought by private equity firms in 2019. (11/14)

Viasat Could Headquarter in London with Inmarsat Acquisition (Source: The Telegraph)
Viasat is considering steps such as establishing an "international headquarters" in London to win British government approval of its acquisition of Inmarsat. The discussions reportedly involve placing the combined company's global mobility headquarters in London, although Viasat itself would remain headquartered in the United States. Viasat would also pledge to continue working with the U.K.'s Ministry of Defense. (12/15)

South Korea's Contec Buying Satellite (Source: Space News)
A South Korean operator of ground stations is buying its first satellite. Contec has signed a contract with smallsat mission integrator NanoAvionics for an Earth observation satellite that will launch in the second half of 2023 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The satellite, which will be equipped with Contec's laser communications terminal and a medium-resolution camera, is part of the company's effort to diversify its business portfolio ahead of its Series C funding round next year (12/15)

SES Orders Two Satellites from Thales Alenia (Source: Space News)
SES ordered two replacement Ku-band communications satellites Thursday for broadcast services. Thales Alenia Space will build the ASTRA 1P and ASTRA 1Q spacecraft for a launch in 2024 to 19.2 degrees East, where they will serve major broadcasters across Germany, France and Spain. ASTRA 1Q will feature a software-defined payload that will allow it to be reprogrammed for other applications if needed. (11/19)

Blockchain Space Applications Explored (Source: Space News)
The space community is exploring various applications of blockchain technology. Blockchain could provide tools, for example, to help an individual task a commercial satellite to collect imagery of a remote location, receive the imagery with confidence in the integrity of every pixel and transfer payment securely to the satellite operator. It could also be the foundation for an international space traffic management system with organizations around the world supplying information on the location of orbital assets along with planned maneuvers. Advocates of blockchain technology acknowledge there is significant hype about it, particularly when it comes to cryptocurrencies, but that the technology can provide accountability and decentralization. (11/16)

Blockchain Cubesat Could Precede Constellation (Source: Space News)
Villanova University researchers are conducting a series of experiments that could help define future blockchain constellations. Researchers programmed a singleboard computer to serve as a node for the Ethereum Private blockchain on a cubesat that will launch on a Firefly Alpha rocket early next year. The satellite will test the ability of the blockchain node to process transactions in space and could be the precursor for a constellation that would enable blockchain transactions with other satellites. (11/17)

Minerva Space Technologies Raises $150 Million for NFT Space Applications (Source: Space News)
A startup seeks to use a technology associated with cryptocurrency and digital collectables for space domain awareness. Minerva Space Technologies has secured a $150 million credit facility to fund work on technology using non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that would contain information about observations of satellites and debris. Minerva plans to correlate visual observations with radar and telemetry from public and private sources to provide a clear picture of the space domain. In addition, Minerva plans to operate satellites and sensors in geostationary and cislunar space. (11/19)

Cosmic Shielding Corp. Develops Printable Polymer for Radiation Shielding (Source: Spaced Ventures)
Cosmic Shielding is building a better frontier by conquering the harsh environment of space. Their state of the art solution is built from decades of radiation physics research and experiments overseen by NASA. Not to mention built by a team of world-leading nuclear & helio physicists. CSC’s advanced multifunctional shielding composite is based off of its revolutionary and patented Multifunctional Shielding Polymer (MSP) - a highly versatile polymer that allows the company to 3D print shielding solutions to virtually any form factor and application. Due to its unique fiber structure, CSC’s MSP can be printed to remain flexible for use in space suits, or modified for rigidity for use in component capsules and structural elements. (11/17)

Fusion Reactors Used to Test Spacecraft Heat Shields (Source: Space Daily)
Spacecraft have long used heat shields for protection during entry into planetary atmospheres. Future missions to the outer solar system will need more sophisticated materials than currently exist. The extreme heating conditions needed to study new shield materials are, however, very difficult to achieve experimentally on Earth.

Scientists working at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility at General Atomics (GA) recently developed an innovative approach that uses the conditions inside a fusion reactor for testing heat shield materials.

During high-speed atmospheric entries of up to 100,000 miles per hour, such as those required in missions to the Solar System's gas giants, the atmospheric gas surrounding the spacecraft turns into plasma (a mixture of ions and electrons) and spacecraft temperatures increase to more than 10,000 F. To protect the scientific payload, the heat shield material burns (or ablates) in a controlled manner, which pulls the excess heat away from the core of the spacecraft. (11/15)

Inversion Raises $10 Million to Develop Cargo Reentry Capsule (Source: Space News)
Inversion has raised $10 million in seed funding to develop a reentry capsule to bring cargo from space back to Earth. The startup has designed a reusable capsule to conduct round trips to space, allowing it to deliver cargo to space stations and bring items back. The company's founders say they will try to fill an emerging need in the space industry for a "high cadence and affordable capability" to deliver cargo to space and bring supplies back. The seed funding will help accelerate development of a small demonstrator that could be launched in 2023. (11/17)

Startup Outpost Plans Inflatable Heat Shield for Returning Payloads to Earth (Source: Space News)
Two Made In Space co-founders teamed up with a paragliding expert to found a startup focused on returning satellites and payloads from orbit. Outpost plans to return satellites weighing about 200 kilograms using an inflatable heat shield and guided landing by paraglider. Outpost executives are talking with prospective customers who are developing space hardware, sensors and payloads that they would like to return from orbit. (11/19)

An Assessment of EU Decarbonization Options Including Astroelectricity (Source: Space Review)
The European Union is seeking to “decarbonize” its energy supplies by the middle of the century. Mike Snead examines the role that space-based solar power could play to do so compared to alternative energy sources. Click here. (11/16)

ESA Ministers Approve Strategy to Work on Terrestrial and Space Safety Issues (Source: Space News)
The member states of the European Space Agency have endorsed a strategy to support work on terrestrial and space safety issues while also planning for future space exploration projects. A resolution approved by ESA’s Council of Ministers at its Intermediate Ministerial Meeting Nov. 19 backed a plan, published by the agency in October, for working on three “accelerators” in climate, crisis response and protection of space assets, as well as two “inspirators” in human spaceflight and planetary exploration. (11/19)
Congressmen Challenge NTSB Role for Spaceflight Accident Investigations (Source: Space Policy Online)
The top two House Republicans who oversee commercial space activities are challenging a new action by the National Transportation Safety Board to exert more authority in investigating commercial space accidents. In a letter to the NTSB they asked for more information and Rep. Brian Babin introduced a resolution stating that commercial space launch is a developmental activity, not a mode of transportation.

In the letter to NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy, Babin and Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) said the Board’s “attempts to expand its authority would alter the long-standing commercial space accident investigation process and significantly impact the commercial space launch industry, U.S. economic competitiveness, scientific discovery, space exploration, international cooperation, national security, and safety.” (11/19)
 
Why Does Bernie Sanders Think Billionaires Should Get Out of Space? (Source: Reason)
In his 1982 high school graduation speech, Amazon founder and Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos regaled the audience with his pie-in-the-sky aspirations of building space hotels, amusement parks, and yachts to populate extraterrestrial colonies. Merely four decades later, he hasn't quite achieved his lofty goal, but he launched himself (and friends) into space via his self-funded space company—something that hadn't seemed possible for pretty much the entirety of human existence, up until a mad-dash billionaire traffic jam earlier this year.

"Frankly, it is not acceptable…that the two wealthiest people in this country, Mr. [Elon] Musk and Mr. Bezos, take control of our space efforts to return to the moon," said Senator Bernie Sanders in a Senate floor speech criticizing components of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, which might include a $10 billion government contract awarded to Blue Origin. "This is not something for two billionaires to be directing; this is something for the American people to be determining." (11/19)

House Passes Infrastructure Bill with $1.115 Billion for NASA (Source: Space Policy Online)
The House finally passed the second bill to address President Biden’s infrastructure agenda. This “human infrastructure” bill has $1.115 billion for NASA, far less than what NASA Administrator Bill Nelson once hoped for, but would be a significant boost for the agency on top of its regular appropriations nonetheless. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

After a bitter battle not only between Democrats and Republicans but within the Democratic party itself, the bill, H.R. 5376, passed this morning 220-213. The vote on the Build Back Better Act (BBBA) came after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) waged a filibuster-like delay, speaking on the floor of the House for 8 hours and 32 minutes starting at 8:38 pm ET last night and ending at 5:10 am ET this morning. (11/19)

Resetting Artemis (Source: Space Review)
The conclusion of a legal dispute involving the development of a human lunar landing system allows NASA to move forward with that aspect of the Artemis program, but with delays. Jeff Foust reports on the latest changes to the schedule for returning humans to the Moon, and whether that schedule can hold up. Click here. (11/16) 
 
NASA Will Spend $93 Billion on Artemis Moon Program by 2025, Report Estimates (Source: Space.com)
Putting boots on the moon is an expensive proposition. NASA's spending on its Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on and around the moon by the end of the decade, is projected to reach a total of $93 billion by 2025, according to a new audit by the NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG).

"Moreover, while NASA has several initiatives underway aimed at increasing affordability, we project the current production cost of a single SLS/Orion system to be $4.1 billion per launch," the OIG report states, referring to the Orion crew capsule and Space Launch System rocket, which are core Artemis elements.

"Looking ahead, without capturing, accurately reporting and reducing the cost of future SLS/Orion missions, the Agency will face significant challenges to sustaining its Artemis program in its current configuration," adds the 73-page report. For comparison, the U.S. spent $28 billion on NASA's Apollo moon program between 1960 and 1973, according to the nonprofit Planetary Society. That's about $280 billion in today's dollars. (11/15)

NASA IG Warns of More Artemis Delays (Source: Space News)
NASA's inspector general warned of further delays in NASA's Artemis program to return humans to the moon. In a report Monday, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) said that development of the Human Landing System lunar lander will likely take far longer than what NASA and SpaceX project. Based on the experience from other recent spaceflight systems, OIG estimated a delay of up to 3.4 years from the original date of late 2024 for the first crewed landing.

NASA last week pushed back that landing to no earlier than 2025. The report also called on NASA to improve cost accounting for the overall Artemis program, projecting that NASA will spend $93 billion on it from 2012 through 2025. The report also pegged the cost of a single SLS/Orion mission at $4.1 billion. (11/16)

NASA Receives 11th Consecutive Clean Financial Audit Opinion (Source: Space Daily)
For the 11th straight year, NASA has received an unmodified, or "clean," opinion from an external auditor on its fiscal year 2021 financial statements. The rating is the best possible audit opinion, certifying that NASA's financial statements conform with accepted accounting principles for federal agencies and accurately present the agency's financial position. (11/16)

Orion Spacecraft Production Continues with Lockheed, Airbus for Artemis 2 and 3 (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
The arrival of the second Orion European Service Module (ESM) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in October signified the beginning of months of final assembly of the first crewed Orion spacecraft that will fly four people on the Artemis 2 mission. Following the delivery of the ESM from prime contractor Airbus Defense and Space to Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin, the two primary elements of the Artemis 2 Orion Service Module are now being bolted together.

Lockheed Martin is processing Orion flight hardware for Artemis 2 and Artemis 3 as a part of their Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations (ATLO) in the Armstrong Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building at KSC. As they process the Artemis 2 Orion Crew and Service Modules to be mated next year, the ATLO team also received the next Crew Module (CM) pressure vessel and is also simultaneously beginning build-up of the Crew Module and Crew Module Adapter (CMA) structures for Artemis 3. (11/16)

NASA Seeks Fission System to Power Exploration on the Moon’s Surface and Beyond (Source: NASA)
Exploration of the Moon and Mars requires the power of human imagination and vision. It also takes the power of electricity to bring science and technology to life when astronauts land and stay on the surface. NASA has plans for a robust presence on the Moon under Artemis and eventually Mars, including the development of a fission surface power system for safe, efficient, and reliable electrical power.

Fission surface power – in conjunction with solar cells, batteries, and fuel cells – can provide the power to operate rovers, conduct experiments, and use the Moon’s resources to produce water, propellant, and other supplies for life support. NASA, in coordination with the Department of Energy (DOE), is asking American companies for design concepts for a fission surface power system that could be ready to launch within a decade for a demonstration on the Moon. The system should be capable of autonomous operation from the deck of a lunar lander or a lunar surface rover. (11/19)

Ukraine's Plus Ultra Plans Lunar Satcom Constellation (Source: Space News)
Plus Ultra will launch the first in a series of communications satellites to provide services at the moon. That mission, set to launch in the fourth quarter of 2023, would see the roughly 400-kilogram satellite sent into geosynchronous transfer orbit, then use its electric thrusters to go to lunar orbit. The satellite is the first in a constellation called Harmony intended to provide high-bandwidth communications for missions on and around the moon. (11/19)

Intuitive Machines to Deliver Four NASA Lunar Payloads on Lander (Source: Space News)
NASA selected Intuitive Machines to deliver four payloads to the lunar surface in 2024. The IM-3 lander will carry payloads ranging from small rovers to a laser retroreflector, landing in the Reiner Gamma region of the moon. Intuitive Machines has won three of the seven Commercial Lunar Payload Services task orders awarded to date. The first two Intuitive Machines missions, along with one by Astrobotic, are all scheduled for launch next year. (11/18)

UCF Names Its Microgravity Research Center in Honor of Stephen W. Hawking (Source: UCF)
The University of Central Florida today is one step closer to becoming the first American university to name a research center after the late, world-renowned theoretical physicist Stephen W. Hawking. The UCF’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved on Thursday that UCF’s Center for Microgravity Research, would now be known as the Stephen W. Hawking Center for Microgravity Research and Education. The last step will be approval by the Space Florida Board of Directors.

The establishment of this Center brings to fulfillment Professor Hawking’s personal aspiration to support microgravity space research in the United States. That enthusiasm was generated years ago after a Zero-gravity flight at the Cape sponsored by Space Florida, which then connected him with UCF. In the ensuing years, UCF continued to build its reputation as a space research institution and a team of specialists formed the Center for Microgravity Research. Physics Professor Joshua Colwell, who has worked on multiple NASA missions, began collaborating with a team of colleagues and students to build expertise in microgravity research – a key area of interest for Hawking.

Editor's Note: As I recall it, this would have happened years ago if an influential local legislator didn't object to the re-naming on the grounds that Dr. Hawking was an atheist. (11/19)

Embry-Riddle Students Sending Camera to Space (Source: WFTV)
In a small lab at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, engineering students are putting the final touches on a project three years in the making. If the project is successful, it will last just 15 minutes yet provide information that will help guide missions to the moon and beyond. The “Eagle Cam” project will send a small box on a lunar probe to the moon in 2022. The camera will jettison from the spacecraft prior to landing, establish a Wi-Fi signal, and capture the first-ever pictures of a lander, landing on the moon’s surface. (11/12)

Washington State University Conquers Lunar Dust with BIG Idea Dust Mitigation Concept (Source: NASA)
Dust on Earth creates a nuisance in our homes and causes a few allergic sneezes. It might seem benign, but mitigating Earth’s dust has been the focus of extensive terrestrial engineering with applications from mining to food to cosmetics. NASA’s 2021 Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing (BIG) Idea Challenge tasked teams of college students to develop novel dust mitigation (or dust tolerant) concepts to aid NASA in engineering technologies that could be used for crewed or uncrewed Moon exploration applications.

On Nov. 18, at the 2021 BIG Idea Virtual Forum, Washington State University with “Leidenfrost dusting as a novel tool for lunar dust mitigation,” advised by Jacob Leachman, scored highest across evaluation criteria among the seven finalist teams to take the top honor. Washington State University's concept uses a liquid cryogen spray bar and a handheld sprayer to clean dust from spacesuits. The team proposed a spray bar that uses cryogenic liquid droplets to lift and transport lunar dust from spacesuit materials. (11/19)

Court Concluded Blue Origin Had No Chance of Winning Lunar Lander Contract (Source: Space News)
A federal court opinion released Thursday explained why Blue Origin lost its lawsuit regarding NASA's Human Landing System program. The court concluded that Blue Origin did not have standing in the case because it did not have a "substantial chance" of winning an award, and that even if it had standing, it would have lost on the merits of the case. The opinion revealed that Blue Origin, which in July offered to cut its price by $2 billion, increased its offer during court arguments to more than $3 billion. It also claimed that it would have proposed a single-element lander, like SpaceX's Starship, had it known how NASA would treat flight readiness reviews. The court rejected those and other Blue Origin arguments in dismissing the case. (11/19)

Northrop Grumman Taps Automotive Industry for Lunar Rover Work (Source: Space News)
Northrop Grumman is teaming with several aerospace and automotive companies on a lunar rover concept. Northrop unveiled the design of a lunar terrain vehicle rover Tuesday that could be used by astronauts on future Artemis missions but also be operated remotely. Northrop is working with Intuitive Machines and Lunar Outpost, as well as automotive companies AVL and Michelin. NASA issued a request for information this summer on lunar rover concepts, but has not set a schedule for procuring a rover. (11/17)

Wilson to Lead Northrop Grumman Space Unit (Source: Northrop Grumman)
Northrop Grumman has selected Tom Wilson as the new head of its space systems unit. Wilson will become corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Space Systems in January. He is currently general manager of Northrop Grumman's Strategic Space Systems division. Wilson will succeed Blake Larson, who is retiring in February after more than 40 years with Northrop and legacy companies. (11/19)

NASA's Perseverance Rover on Mars Just Collected its 3rd Sample (Source: Space.com)
NASA's Perseverance rover has socked away another Martian sample to send home to Earth. The car-sized Perseverance rover drilled a core sample on Monday (Nov. 15), filling a titanium tube with Red Planet rock for the third time ever. "Another little piece of Mars to carry with me. My latest sample is from a rock loaded with the greenish mineral olivine, and there are several ideas among my science team about how it got there...," Perseverance team members wrote via the rover's official Twitter account. (11/17)

NASA Scientist 'Certain' of Life on Mars After Taking Images on Planet's Surface (Source: Mirror)
Before his death earlier this year aged 97, NASA scientist Gilbert V. Levin was convinced he had found life on Mars. It was sparked by Levin supervising NASA's Viking space probe program 45 years earlier, where a pair of unmanned space missions landed on the red planet. The aim of the program, which was the first from earth to touch down on Mars, was to detect any gas or microorganisms on the planet's surface. Using a testing method called Labeled Release (LR), the Viking landers conducted experiments in four separate locations. They also took the first high-resolution pictures of its surface.

Why didn't other scientists believe Gilbert V. Levin's theory of life on Mars? Levin's discovery wasn't steadfast with another experiment using a different method, the Viking Molecular Analysis Experiment, returning no evidence of organic substances. The second discovery led to the conclusion that what Levin's probe had found was instead likely to be, "mimicking life, but not life." Levin however, didn't accept the conclusions from the second probe. In 2019 he wrote: “Inexplicably, over the 43 years since Viking none of NASA’s subsequent Mars landers has carried a life detection instrument to follow up on these exciting results.”

Levin also claimed that much of the microbial discoveries on mars could have actually come from earth. This theory was supported by NASA scientist Chris McKay who agreed that the two planets had undoubtedly been “swapping spit” for billions of years. Levin's findings may have since gained backing after an experiment that indicated that micro-organisms could survive in the brutal cold and radiation was carried out on the outside of the International Space Station, indicating that microorganisms could also live on Mars. (11/18)

Life on Mars Search Could Be Misled by False Fossils (Source: Space Daily)
Mars explorers searching for signs of ancient life could be fooled by fossil-like specimens created by chemical processes, research suggests. Rocks on Mars may contain numerous types of non-biological deposits that look similar to the kinds of fossils likely to be found if the planet ever supported life, a study says. Telling these false fossils apart from what could be evidence of ancient life on the surface of Mars - which was temporarily habitable four billion years ago - is key to the success of current and future missions, researchers say.

Astrobiologists from the Universities of Edinburgh and Oxford reviewed evidence of all known processes that could have created lifelike deposits in rocks on Mars. They identified dozens of processes - with many more likely still undiscovered - that can produce structures that mimic those of microscopic, simple lifeforms that may once have existed on Mars. (11/18)

China Could Land Humans on Moon by 2030 (Source: Space News)
A senior Chinese official in its lunar exploration program says that a human landing by Chinese astronauts by 2030 is "entirely possible." Ye Peijian, a senior designer and engineer in China's lunar program, said in a recent interview that a human landing by 2030 is feasible if the country remains committed to the effort and continues technology development needed for it. Ye's words do not equate to an official statement of China formally approving crewed lunar landings, but do reflect recent progress and successes and ongoing development of capabilities needed for such a program. If progress on the various elements proceeds, China could include a moon landing as part of space plans for the country's next five-year plan, covering 2026-2030. (12/15)
Four Russian Cosmonauts Selected to Prepare for Flights on Crew Dragon (Source: Interfax)
The Cosmonaut Training Center (CPC) has selected four candidates to prepare for flights on the American spacecraft Crew Dragon, the head of the Center Maxim Kharlamov told Interfax. "These are four people, the main crew member of the USCV-5 and his backup, and the main (crew member - IF) and his backup USCV-6," Kharlamov said. According to him, in the near future the candidates should be submitted to the state commission for approval. (11/17)

Russia’s TASS News Agency to Open Permanent Bureau on ISS (Source: TASS)
The TASS Russian News Agency will be the first of all global mass media outlets to open a permanent bureau on the International Space Station. A memorandum of cooperation by TASS and the Russian space corporation Roscosmos for a joint project was signed by TASS Director General Sergei Mikhailov and Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin on November 17.

The first TASS correspondent onboard the orbital outpost will be Hero of Russia, cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin. His task will be to report on the space station’s daily routine. His reports will be available to the agency’s readership from TASS news resources and his photo and video contributions will be uploaded to the agency’s website and official pages on social media. (11/17)

Possible ISS Leak Pinpointed on Russian Zvezda Module (Source: TASS)
Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov detected a possible air leak spot in the intermediate chamber of the Zvezda module aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the cosmonaut told the Flight Control Center during a communications session on Monday. The Russian cosmonaut said he had traced the possible spot of the continued air leak while inspecting the Zvezda module’s intermediate chamber at the weekend. (11/15)

Medical Experiments in Space (Source: Space Daily)
Thursday saw the launch of the mission 'Cosmic Kiss' to the International Space Station (ISS). German astronaut Dr. Matthias Maurer forms part of the crew. Plans for the mission include approximately 100 scientific projects, four of which will be led by researchers from Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin. These will focus on the monitoring of changes in body temperature and muscle properties during space missions; improvements in training programs aimed at preventing muscle loss; and changes in cell-to-cell contacts under zero gravity conditions.

The coordination of individual projects falls under the remit of the national space program of the German Space Agency at German Aerospace Center (DLR) and will be handled in conjunction with the European Space Agency (ESA). Charite's four projects receive more than euro 1.5 million in funding from the DLR with funds from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). (11/12)

Canadian Deep Food Space Challenge Emphasizes Biodiversity in Entries (Source: SpaceQ)
From insects to microalgae, the semi-finalists of the Canadian Deep Space Food Challenge are offering a range of ideas to sustainably feed astronauts of the future. The joint NASA-Canadian Space Agency competition is looking to create food that will not only help astronauts, but may also benefit people in areas of food scarcity on Earth – which is an especially pressing problem giving the accelerating pace of global warming.

Semi-finalists going to Phase 2 will conduct a kitchen demonstration of their technologies at an equivalent of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4. NASA considers tested technologies that have completed TRL 5 ready for a prototype demonstration on either the ground, or in space, which would then achieve TRL 6 if completed. Winners of Phase 2 (up to four) receive up to $100,000 in grant funding and a chance to pass to a Phase 3 of the competition. A full system demonstration will be made in fall 2022 under Phase 3 with further funding and possible non-monetary prizes, and then the grand prize winner will be selected in spring 2024. (11/15)

NASA’s Trippy Thought: Build Space Homes Out of Mushrooms (Source: Daily Beast)
When we think of NASA, we tend to think big, like enormous rockets, sprawling space stations, and massive telescopes that allow us to peer billions of light-years into the vastness of space. Currently, however, NASA is experimenting with a technology that starts out microscopically small, but that may have a huge impact on humanity’s future forays into the final frontier: fungus.

Taking its inspiration from the emerging field of “mycotecture” (a portmanteau that fuses architecture with mycology, the study of fungi), a research team at NASA Ames Research Center is looking at how fungi like mushrooms can be used to grow habitats and other structures in extraterrestrial environments. It’s not magic—it’s science. Evolutionary biologist and astrobiologist Lynn Rothschild leads this unusual shroom-inspired mission. Her best way of describing the work is through the word “cool,” and it’s hard to disagree.

Using mushrooms to build structures capable of withstanding the rigors of space exploration might seem far-fetched, but it turns out that they are well suited for the task. Blocks made of reishi mushrooms, for example, are strong enough to bear thousands of PSI. Thanks to their high concentration of carbon fibers, they have the potential to function as storage batteries. And according to Rothschild, fungi are also well-suited for creating structures in space because transporting their spores is so efficient in terms of cost, mass, and effort. (11/16)

NASA Mission to Nudge Satellite Awaiting Ride to Space from Vandenberg SFB (Source: Noozhawk)
Sounding like a science fiction plot, NASA's next mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base will aim to nudge — at 15,000 mph — an asteroid off its flight path in a test of a technology to defend planet Earth. A SpaceX Falcon rocket will carry the NASA spacecraft into orbit after a liftoff from Space Launch Complex-4 on the South Base at 10:21 p.m. Tuesday. The mission has an instantaneous window or just one chance a day to get off the ground for its proper placement in space.

That spacecraft, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, will explore whether intentionally crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid can change its course in a $330 million mission. DART’s target is an asteroid moonlet called Dimorphos — Greek for “two forms.” Dimorphos orbits a larger asteroid named Didymos, or twin. (11/19)

SOFIA Airborne Telescope Gets No Love in Decadal Survey (Source: Space News)
The future of NASA's SOFIA airborne observatory remains in limbo after a vote of no-confidence by the astrophysics decadal survey. The final report by the survey earlier this month recommended that NASA terminate SOFIA, citing its high costs and low scientific productivity. NASA proposed terminating SOFIA in its fiscal year 2022 budget request; the House restored funding for SOFIA but the Senate was silent in its spending bill. A final decision will come when the House and Senate conference the two versions of the bill. (12/15)

NASA Slowly Restoring Hubble Instruments (Source: Space.com)
NASA is making slow progress in restoring the Hubble Space Telescope's instruments to normal operations. The instruments went into safe mode last month because a computer timing issue. One instrument, the Advanced Camera for Surveys, resumed operations earlier this month. NASA said Tuesday it's working to bring back online another instrument, the Wide Field Camera 3. It's also working on a more permanent fix to the timing issue, but said it may take several weeks to implement those changes. (11/17)

Webb Telescope is About to Take an Unprecedented Look at These Intriguing Exoplanets (Source: CNN)
When the James Webb Space Telescope launches in December, astronomers around the world are expecting to find the unexpected, said Sara Seager, astrophysicist and planetary scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Telescope time has been granted to a number of proposals by astronomers who want to observe an intriguing range of exoplanets.

Some of these could share similar characteristics with planets we recognize in our own cosmological backyard, while others couldn't be more opposite. Webb was not designed to find signs of life on other planets, but it can shed light on the mysteries of planetary evolution, as well as their atmospheres and what chemistry exists within them. Click here. (11/20)

Are We About to Find Life on Venus? (Source: Daily Beast)
Phosphine has been at the center of a passionate debate among scientists concerned with life: what it is, what it needs to survive, and where it could be located elsewhere in the universe. On one side are scientists and their supporters who, a year ago, claimed they had detected signs of phosphine in the practically unlivable atmosphere of Venus. These researchers set off the alarms that perhaps we have discovered signs of extraterrestrial life on another world. On the other side are critics who have credibly questioned the science behind the original phosphine claim.

Between the two camps is a powerful mediator: NASA’s top scientist, who recently penned a paper to address the increasingly heated argument over its possible presence on Venus, and to urge scientists searching for alien life to be a little more careful. Now a new group of scientists—including some members of the team that first posited phosphine on Venus—is stepping back, taking a deep breath and trying to make sense of what they describe as an important and ongoing argument. “One year after the original announcement, the tentative discovery of PH3 in the clouds of Venus continues to bring much interest and controversy,” they wrote.

“People might think that the Venus phosphine story is over, that the discovery is debunked or that it is wrong, that the signal is not there,” Janusz Petkowski, an expert in so-called “biosignature gases” at MIT and a co-author of both the original phosphine paper and the latest one, told The Daily Beast. “That is not the case,” Petkowski added. “The Venusian phosphine story is very much alive and a topic of an intense scientific debate.” (11/18)

Interstellar Probe Could be Successor to the Voyager Missions (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
With Voyagers 1 and 2 set to run out of power in approximately a decade, NASA is considering a follow up interstellar probe that could last 50 to 100 years. The space agency asked a team of scientists and engineers at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL) to explore a possible $1.5 billion mission to study the interstellar medium or region of space between the Sun and the closest nearby stars. Such a mission would require the involvement of multiple generations of scientists and engineers. A report by the JHUAPL group complete with spacecraft design is expected to be released in several weeks. (11/14)

Galaxy Collisions Preview Milky Way’s Fate (Source: Scientific American)
In approximately five billion years, as the sun expands into a red giant star roughly the diameter of Earth’s orbit around it, our galaxy will collide with its nearest large neighbor, Andromeda. As gravity draws the pair toward each other for a close encounter, stars will be ripped from their orbits to make spectacular tails, and gas and dust will be squeezed toward the approaching nuclei, destroying the stately, grand spirals that have existed for almost three quarters of the age of the universe.

Eventually the centers of the galaxies will merge, and the gas pouring toward the center will ignite an explosion of star formation, producing stars more than 100 times faster than either galaxy does today. It will also feed the now quiet supermassive black holes that lurk at the centers of both galaxies. The black holes will grow while releasing a storm of energetic particles and radiation that will easily outshine the light from all the stars in both galaxies combined. After another 100 million years or so, the two supermassive black holes will spiral toward each other and merge into a single black hole in a cataclysm that will send strong gravitational waves reverberating throughout space. (11/17)

NASA Considers Innovative Business Model for $500 Million Earth Science Campaign (Source: Space News)
NASA JPL is soliciting information on how private sector innovation could help make the most out of a $500 million budget to obtain data on Earth’s changing surface. JPL issued a Request For Information seeking “industry feedback on whether a commercial purchase, a public-private partnership, or other arrangement between the U.S. space industry and NASA could provide the scientific community with substantially the same capabilities as multiple NISARs.” NISAR is the NASA-Indian Space Research Organization Synthetic-Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite scheduled to launch in 2023. (11/19)

NASA Astronaut to be First Black Woman to Join ISS Crew (Source: Times of India)
Two decades after the International Space Station became humanity's long-lasting home in orbit, Jessica Watkins, a NASA astronaut, is poised to become the first black woman to join its crew for a long-term mission. NASA on Tuesday assigned Watkins, a geologist raised in Lafayette, Colorado, to serve as a mission specialist. She will fly to the ISS in April on SpaceX's "Crew-4" commercial crew mission and spend six months aboard the ISS. (11/17)

Rubins Joins Army Reserve (Source: Army Times)
A NASA astronaut is joining the U.S. Army Reserve. Kate Rubins was sworn in earlier this month into the Army Reserve at the rank of major. A veteran of two long-duration ISS missions, Rubins said she decided to join the Army Reserve after doing medical volunteer work during the pandemic. She said she hoped to refine her leadership skills in the Army Reserve. (11/18)

Musk Versus Bezos: a Real Rivalry or a Fake Feud? (Source: Space Review)
The rivalry between Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk in space is often considered one of the key competitions in the modern space industry. Ben Little ponders if that feud is genuine or if it’s played up to mask the fact their ventures are more complementary. Click here. (11/16)

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Florida Aerospace Calendar
Click HERE to suggest new items and corrections.

Dec. 1 - Falcon-9 launch, Starlink satellites deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, 6:20 p.m. - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

Dec. 4 - Atlas-5 launch, STP-3 satellite deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, 4:04 a.m. - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

Dec. 9 - Falcon-9 launch, NASA IXPE satellite deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, 1:00 a.m. - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

Dec. 9-10 - High Speed Aerospace Transportation Workshop, Midland TX Spaceport - https://bit.ly/3AT17HW

Dec. 10 - National Space Club Celebrate Space Banquet, Port Canaveral Radisson, 6:00 p.m. - https://www.nscfl.org/our-events/

Dec. 14 - National Space Club luncheon featuring Astra's Francisco Isenberg, Port Canaveral Radisson, 11:30 a.m. - https://www.nscfl.org/our-events/

Dec. 18 - Falcon-9 launch, Turksat 5B satellite deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, 10:58 p.m. - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

Dec. 21 - Falcon-9 launch, CRS-24 space station cargo delivery, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, 5:06 a.m. - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

Jan. TBD - Falcon-9 launch, COSMO-SkyMed satellite deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

Jan. TBD - Falcon-9 launch, Transporter 3 rideshare satellites deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

Jan. TBD - Atlas-5 launch, USSF-8 satellite deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

Jan. TBD - Falcon-9 launch, Starlink satellites deployment, 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. 12 - NASA SLS Artemis 1 launch, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

Feb. TBD - Atlas-5 launch, CST-100 Starliner Uncrewed Orbital Flight Test 2, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - 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 - Falcon-Heavy launch, USSF-44 satellite deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Time TBD - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

Mar. 1 - Atlas-5 launch, GOES-T satellite deployment, Cape Canaveral Spaceport, 4:40 p.m. - http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

Apr. 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

Jun. TBD - Vulcan Centaur launch, Peregrine satellite deployment, 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 any SPACErePORT advertisers.






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