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December 6, 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!
SpaceX to Bring Starship Launches to Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
SpaceX has begun construction on an orbital launch pad for its next-generation Starship at Kennedy Space Center, bringing to the Space Coast the world’s most powerful spacecraft that CEO Elon Musk hopes will eventually take people to Mars. Musk made the announcement Friday on his Twitter account and confirmed the company will still be using Launch Complex 39A at KSC, where it currently launches Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.
“Construction of Starship orbital launch pad at the Cape has begun,” Musk wrote. “39A is hallowed spaceflight ground – no place more deserving of a Starship launch pad!” It’s unclear how the company will juggle launch operations at KSC, although it also operates launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The space center is the launching point for Falcon 9 missions with Crew Dragon for shuttling astronauts to the ISS, and to date, the only pad that has supported the massive Falcon Heavy launches. The company has envisioned building Starship launch pads offshore, but Musk in the past has said SpaceX will continue to consider KSC in addition to the launch pad at its Boca Chica, Texas, spaceport. Musk said KSC will get similar, but improved, ground systems and a tower to what the company has set up in Texas. (12/3)
SpaceX Enters Busy December with Starlink Launch From Florida (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Kicking off a busy end to the company’s 2021 launch campaign, SpaceX launched a group of Starlink satellites from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport on Wednesday evening. The Group 4-3 mission carried 48 Starlink satellites and two rideshare payloads to low Earth orbit. The Falcon 9 first stage tasked with the launch, designated B1060-9, landed successfully downrange on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas. (12/2)
SpaceX Breaks Annual Flight Record (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink satellites, as well as two rideshare payloads for BlackSky, into low Earth orbit atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket. This launch was the 32nd dedicated Starlink mission overall, boosting the total number of satellites launched to date to 1,892. Including this batch, there some 1,700 currently active in orbit around Earth. Currently, 30 more launches are needed to fill this Starlink shell, which is the second being constructed.
This was SpaceX’s 27th launch of 2021, which breaks the company’s record for orbital launches in a calendar year. Overall, this was the 75th flight of a previously-flown booster and the 130th launch of a Falcon 9 rocket since its debut in 2010. (12/2)
Musk Warns of SpaceX Bankruptcy if Raptor Engine Production Problems Persist (Source: Space News)
Problems ramping up production of Raptor engines at SpaceX prompted Elon Musk to warn employees of potential bankruptcy. The Raptor engines are used by the company's Starship launch system, with six in the Starship vehicle itself and at least 29 in its Super Heavy booster needed for orbital flights. Issues increasing production of the engine, though, led to the departure of one senior executive recently. Musk, in an email last Friday to employees, said the "production crisis" was worse than previously thought, calling on workers to come in during the holiday weekend and warning the company faced a "genuine risk of bankruptcy" if it could not launch Starships every two weeks next year.
The first orbital Starship launch is scheduled for no earlier than January. Musk, in tweets Tuesday, backed off somewhat, saying instead that "bankruptcy, while still unlikely, is not impossible" if a global recession halted access to capital needed to develop both Starship and its Starlink constellation. (12/1)
After Financial Incentives Committed, Could SpaceX's Money Troubles Affect McLennan County TX? (Source: KRHD)
Elon Musk has talked about potential bankruptcy for his SpaceX. In a letter to his staff, CEO and founder Musk brought up the potential for bankruptcy. He blamed production delays and said the company could be in trouble if, "they cannot achieve a starship flight rate of at least once every two weeks next year." The letter went out shortly after a SpaceX and McLennan County agreement for a 50,000 square foot expansion.
"It's going to bring a lot of high paying jobs to McLennan county," Judge Scott Felton, president of the Waco McLennan County Economic Development Corporation, told 25 News. "That's the goal." That goal may not be met if the company goes under. The 500 jobs promised and the $6 million the county agreed to pay towards the $150 million projects could never happen.
"We pledged $6 million, but it's not all upfront," Judge Felton said. "It's actually over time as they complete different phases and hire a certain amount of people to be able to access that money." The first payout comes after the company makes a commitment to putting in utilities and other upfront costs. More comes as people are hired and the company invests in equipment. (12/2)
Planetary Scientists are Starting to Get Stirred up by Starship’s Potential (Source: Ars Technica)
A growing number of planetary scientists are looking to SpaceX's Starship vehicle as a means of exploring the Solar System more efficiently. "You can really take advantage of the Starship architecture and get to the outer Solar System in ways we haven't thought about before," NASA Ames scientist Jennifer Heldmann said. "It could provide a revolutionary new way of exploring these worlds."
Go faster, farther ... Earlier this year, some of these scientists began to recognize the urgency of getting NASA on board with using Starship for science missions. So they wrote a white paper, with Heldmann as the lead author, titled "Accelerating Martian and Lunar Science through SpaceX Starship Missions." They called upon the space agency to create a commercial Mars science program.
"NASA must develop a funded program aligned with the development approach for Starship, including a rapid development schedule, relatively high risk tolerance compared to traditional planetary science missions, and ultimately a high ratio of potential science value for the dollars spent if successful," they wrote. (12/1)
Atlas Launch Moved to Dec. 6 After Propellant Ground Storage Leak (Source: NASA)
The Dec. 5 launch of a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 551 rocket carrying the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Space Test Program 3 (STP-3) mission has been scrubbed. During initial operations, a leak was discovered in the Rocket-Propellant-1 (RP-1) ground storage system. Launch of the mission – which hosts NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) and the NASA-U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Ultraviolet Spectro-Coronagraph (UVSC) Pathfinder – is now scheduled for Monday, Dec. 6, at 4:04 a.m. EST. (12/4)
Space Force Rideshare Launch on ULA Atlas Will Help Create ‘Freight Train to Space’ (Source: Air Force Magazine)
The Space Test Program (STP)-3 launch scheduled for Dec. 5 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will prototype new warfighter capabilities, add nuclear launch detection sensors to orbit, and enhance Space Force efforts to improve resiliency in a new “threat-driven paradigm.” In all, 16 payloads from the Space Force, NASA, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and others will ride on the ULA Atlas V 551 vehicle’s longest mission to date, estimated to clock seven hours, 10 minutes at a cost of $1.14 billion. The mission will include combined operational, nuclear detection, and prototype satellites in the areas of optical communication, space domain awareness, and weather. (12/2)
Federal Judge Rules in Favor of ULA in Vaccine Mandate Lawsuit (Source: WAFF)
Federal contractors nationwide are suing over President Biden’s vaccine mandate, including contractors for United Launch Alliance in Decatur. But, a federal judge on Tuesday denied requests by the employees to get their jobs back. A federal judge ruled in favor of ULA in the preliminary injunction request by Decatur employees brought against the company over vaccine mandates.
In the lawsuit, the employees asked the judge to grant a preliminary injunction, which would have banned ULA from forcing unvaccinated employees to resign who had filed religious or medical exemptions. “Judge Kallon primarily found that they hadn’t shown a substantial probability that they would win the case in the end. That’s always the most important,” Huntsville Employment Attorney Robert Lockwood said.
The employees claimed ULA violated their religious freedoms by not accepting their exemptions and wanted a judge to restore their employment immediately. ULA’s argument has been clear, follow company policy for public safety. In this opinion the judge said more harm could come to ULA in keeping unvaccinated workers on the payroll versus them finding a new job. (12/1)
Rocket Lab Plans Larger, Reusable Neutron Rocket to Takes On SpaceX (Source: CNBC)
Rocket Lab on Thursday revealed more about the larger, more powerful Neutron rocket it is developing. “This is Neutron. It is an absolute beast,” Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said in a webcast presentation. Neutron is designed to be 131 feet tall and 23 feet in diameter, and it’s targeting a maximum payload capacity of 15,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit. For reusable launches, Neutron will be able to carry up to 8,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit. These are the first details given about the new rocket since the company announced it announced plans for it earlier in the year.
Beck declined to comment on the price tag of a Neutron launch, but said the rocket “would be a pointless exercise” if Rocket Lab “didn’t think that we would be very cost competitive with anything that’s currently in the market or being proposed.” For comparison, Rocket Lab’s small Electron rocket goes for about $7 million per launch, Firefly’s medium-sized Alpha rocket goes for $15 million per launch, and SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is advertised at $62 million per launch. Click here.
Editor's Note: No word on where Neutron will launch in the US. Virginia's Wallops Island spaceport has some significant limitations for large rockets like Neutron, and maybe also for adding a landing facility. There are probably a couple compatible pads at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, including LC-37 which will be abandoned by ULA as it retires the Delta-4 rocket in ~2024. LC-37 is not just another long-unused pad that would require environmental remediation and ground-up construction. It includes a huge rocket processing facility (still leased from Space Florida, I believe), a launch gantry, and operational fuel/oxidizer infrastructure. (12/2)
Rocket Lab Avoids Ocean Landings for Neutron (Source: Ars Technica)
In its current conception, Neutron is a fairly stubby rocket, and Beck said this shape was designed both for launch and reentry into Earth's atmosphere. Rocket Lab intends to use a wider-shaped rocket to catch more atmospheric drag during reentry, requiring less fuel to slow down. The structure will be made of a proprietary carbon fiber for strength and less mass, Ars reports.
The first stage will have fixed landing legs, and the rocket will only land back at the launch site rather than offshore. Beck said the costs of marine landings were simply too high, and the goal is to eventually be able to launch a Neutron, land it, and launch again within 24 hours. The upper half of the rocket also has some unique characteristics. The second stage will not be reusable, so it will be as light as possible and suspended above the first stage. It will consist only of a single vacuum-optimized Archimedes engine, fuel tanks, and the payload itself. The payload fairing will open into four separate sections, release the second stage, and then close again before landing back on Earth with the first stage. (12/3)
Rocket Lab Readies Electron for Lift-Off in Fastest Launch Turnaround Yet (Source: Space Daily)
Rocket Lab USA has revealed its next Electron mission is scheduled to take place during a launch window that opens on Dec. 7, fewer than three weeks since Rocket Lab's most recent mission on Nov. 18. These two missions for BlackSky occur 19 days apart and represent Rocket Lab's quickest turnaround in its launch history. The "A Data With Destiny" mission for BlackSky managed through global launch services provider Spaceflight Inc., will be Rocket Lab's 23rd Electron launch and sixth mission of 2021. Rocket Lab will not be attempting to recover Electron for this mission. (12/2)
Rocket Lab Closes Acquisition Of Space Hardware Company Planetary Systems Corp. (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab USA has closed the previously-announced transaction to acquire Planetary Systems Corporation (PSC), a Maryland-based spacecraft separation systems company, for $42 million in cash and 1,720,841 shares of the company’s common stock, plus the potential for an additional 956,023 shares of common stock for a performance earnout based on PSC’s CY 2022 and 2023 financial results. (12/1)
Here’s What it Takes to Transport a NOAA Satellite to From Colorado to Florida (Source: Florida Today)
The unmistakable roar of four jet engines broke the dead-of-night silence at Kennedy Space Center earlier this month, marking the arrival of a massive Air Force transport at the landing facility once used for space shuttles. But this red-eye flight from Buckley Space Force Base near Denver, Colorado, had more than just a few dozen passengers onboard. Deep in the belly of the C-5M Super Galaxy was a full-blown semitruck ready to roll out with a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather satellite in an attached container. Click here. (11/28)
Virgin Orbit Plans Board of Directors (Source: Virgin Orbit)
Virgin Orbit has announced its proposed board of directors once the company completes its merger with a SPAC. The company said Monday the board would include Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart and the two co-founders of NextGen Acquisition Corp. II, the SPAC that announced in August its intent to merge with Virgin Orbit. The board would also include representatives from the Virgin Group and Mubadala, an earlier investor in Virgin Orbit, as well as former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Katrina McFarland and former Air Force general and NASA astronaut Susan Helms. (11/30)
New Mexico and Investors 'Reeled In' by SpinLaunch (Source: American Thinker)
The mechanics of Spinlaunch will never launch a satellite into orbit. But the physics of Spinlaunch is good enough for the Brothers Yaney to gain the backing of New Mexico political leaders. Once N.M. politicians were reeled in, then the big investors. So far, the Brothers Yaney have secured $110 million in investor support and now $2.5 million in additional state money. This is called longlining in the ocean fishing industry and business as usual by corrupt political and business leaders.
The Brothers Yaney ran the same racket in Moriarty, N.M. just eight years ago. Titan Aerospace's goal was to manufacture solar-powered high-flying drones that could provide low-cost internet access to rural areas around the globe. The physics was straightforward; the mechanics were anything but. The Brothers Yaney demonstrated that it would work, then sold the company to Google and left town before it collapsed. Google soon realized that it just bought air and quietly shut down Titan Aerospace in 2017.
Clearly, the Brothers Yaney learned their lesson of not taking federal money or crossing federal law. In 2015, Maximus Yaney pleaded guilty to mortgage fraud with Titan, LLC that he perpetrated in 2007. Surprisingly, they used Titan in the names of both enterprises. The trusting folks in Moriarty never stood a chance, while the Santa Fe politicos were right at home. (12/3)
Petition Drive Takes Aim at Stopping Georgia Spaceport Effort (Source: Brunswick News)
Opponents of a proposed Georgia spaceport are turning to the ballot box in an effort to block the launch site. An environmental group has collected more than 5,000 signatures on petitions it plans to deliver to a county judge next week. If at least 4,100 signatures are validated, it would require Camden County to hold a special election on repealing an agreement the county has to purchase land for the spaceport, effectively killing the project. A county spokesman said the petitions are on "shaky legal ground and significant legal questions will need to be resolved," but backers of the petitions say the state constitution is on their side. (12/1)
Nova Scotia Spaceport Developer Maritime Launch Services Creates US Subsidiary (Source: SpaceQ)
Less than two weeks after revealing its first launch customer, Maritime Launch Services (MLS) today announced its that it had created a new US-based subsidiary that will be led by industry veteran Robert Feierbach.
The new company, Maritime Launch USA Inc., already has an office set up in Washington that officially opened up today. I had the opportunity to meet Feierbach recently at the MLS event in Halifax. He brings 25 years of experience to the company having worked at Space Systems/Loral when it was an MDA company, SES Global, Eutelsat, Hughes, and SpaceX to name a few. He joins Maritime Launch USA Inc. as its President. (12/1)
SLS Engine Issue Could Impact Artemis Launch Schedule (Source: Ars Technica)
There's an issue with an SLS engine controller. This past weekend, rumors emerged about a problem with the controller for one of the four RS-25 engines that power the Space Launch System. NASA has not officially commented, but Aviation Week's Irene Klotz spoke with Aerojet's RS-25 program manager, Jeff Zotti. Troubleshooting the problem began on November 22, Aviation Week reported.
Schedule impacts yet to be determined ... If necessary, "replacing a line or a component … we're probably talking about multiple days. Replacing an engine, we're probably talking about multiple weeks," Zotti told the publication. "On top of that, we have to assess what that does and how that affects the vehicle and the integration activities that are going on," he added. All of that must be factored into a potential delay of the launch, presently scheduled for February 12. A summer launch for the SLS now seems far more likely than spring. (12/3)
NASA Awards Artemis Contract for Future Mega Moon Rocket Boosters (Source: NASA)
NASA has awarded the Booster Production and Operations Contract (BPOC) to Northrop Grumman of Brigham City, Utah, to build boosters for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to support nine SLS flights. Northrop Grumman, the lead booster contractor, has produced booster motors for the first three Artemis missions and is casting the motors for the fourth lunar mission.
This contract, with a value of $3.19 billion, definitizes a letter contract awarded in June 2020 that authorized Northrop Grumman to order long-lead items and build twin boosters for the next six SLS flights. The period of performance extends through Dec. 31, 2031. This includes production and operations for boosters for Artemis IV-VIII and design, development, test, and evaluation of a booster as part of Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension (BOLE) for Artemis IX. (12/2)
Blue Origin Spaceflights’ Latest Superlative: Tallest Astronaut Michael Strahan (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The youngest, the oldest, the first. Blue Origin suborbital flights on its New Shepard rocket keep checking boxes to set new space records. The latest will see Michael Strahan at 6 feet 5 inches tall becoming the tallest person in space. The roughly 11-minute trips that send passengers up past 62 miles of altitude don’t require much in the way of training as the flights are automated from launch to landing, so a wider range of people will be heading up to space. (12/2)
This Pansexual Streamer is About to Become the First Furry in Space (Source: Xtra)
You’ve heard of “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”—now, one person is set to take one giant leap for furrykind. Cameron Bess will become the first openly pansexual person and the first furry to go to space when they join Blue Origin’s third space tourism flight on Dec. 9. Other passengers will include Good Morning America co-host Michael Strahan, and Laura Shepard Churchley, the eldest daughter of Alan Shepard. Bess’ father, venture capitalist and tech executive Lane Bess, will also be on the flight, making them the first parent-child duo to go to space together. (12/2)
Space Tourism? Most Americans Not Interested (Source: Rasmussen Reports)
Even if they could afford it, fewer than a third of Americans would take a space trip on a commercial flight, and most don’t think they’ll ever go to space. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 32% of American Adults would travel into space on a commercial flight, if they could afford it. That’s just slightly higher than the 28% who were interested in space tourism in 2018. Fifty-seven percent (57%) wouldn’t take a commercial space flight, while another 11% are not sure. (12/3)
Should Billionaires be Pursuing Space Tourism? (Source: Toronto Star)
The space tourism industry is expected to exceed $1 billion U.S. dollars in the next decade. While that sounds like lining already-deep pockets, it actually represents jobs across a number of sectors: you need more than rocket scientists and engineers for suborbital flights. There will be plenty of high-paying tech jobs to be sure, but also a number of white collar and blue collar jobs that will receive paychecks as a result of their supporting work. New space tourism companies provide stimulus in the same way that every new industry since the Industrial Revolution has expanded the economy.
Through space exploration, NASA has designed solutions to problems that we no longer have on Earth, through technology like memory foam, insulin pumps and scratch-resistant eyeglass lenses. While there is plenty of skepticism about the probability that any single space tourism flight or company might develop a technology that changes life on Earth, it is clear that part of the moral imperative for these billionaire founders includes technology advancement.
Finally, there is something to be said for the possibility that even a few of the tourists who take the journey to the edge of space come back psychologically changed by their experience. The “Overview Effect” was a term first coined by writer Frank White in 1987 when describing the constellation of thoughts and emotions some astronauts report experiencing during their time observing earth from space. (12/4)
In Defense of Space Billionaires (Source: Catalyst)
So-called ‘space billionaires’ have received a lot of attention, and a lot of public ire this year. But much of the commentary on the subject misses the real point of space exploration.
Some commentators view Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, and other private space escapades as nothing more than vanity projects, or wasteful escapism. Rather, these projects have two big upsides that are not always considered; the first is of a more practical nature, and the second is somewhat harder to pin down, though pivotal to the human experience.
The primary benefit of these private space missions is that every rocket launch generates an incredible amount of data that informs future space flight, and can also help improve technological capabilities here on earth. The more rockets that are launched, the better scientists understand how these technologies work, enabling them to recreate safe space transport more dependably in the future. Plus, many of these missions serve to launch important satellites into orbit, improving and maintaining the global positioning, information transmission, and security systems that we have come to rely on in everyday life, and at the highest levels of our government. (12/3)
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Coming in January 2022: Spaceport Summit / SpaceCom Conference in Orlando (Source: SPACErePORT)
SpaceCom, the Global Commercial Space Conference & Exhibition, connects private and public sectors enabling new, lucrative opportunities in space-earth ventures, advancing the business of space, and protecting our planet. Planned for Jan. 12-12 in Orlando, this year's event will feature NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana (former KSC Director), Current KSC Director Janet Petro, Space Launch Delta 45 Commander Brig. Gen. Stephen Purdy, FAA Associate Administrator for AST Wayne Monteith, and a lot of other industry leaders. Click here. (12/3)
Coming in January 2022: Space Day in Tallahassee on Jan. 27 (Source: SPACErePORT)
Florida's annual Space Day will be held in the Florida Capitol on January 27 during the state's legislative session. The event brings the state's aerospace industry and government leaders together to focus statewide attention on aerospace industry development, including advocating for pro-aerospace policies and appropriations such as Space Florida's annual budget. Click here. (12/3)
Coming in March 2022: New Deep Space Exhibit at KSC Visitor Complex (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The Deep Space Launch Complex, a new 50,000-square-foot exhibit at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, is set to open in March 2022. This is another major Central Florida attraction for promoting space exploration and discovery. Click here for renderings. (12/2)
Space Club Invites Florida Award Nominations (Source: NSCFL)
The National Space Club Florida Committee is accepting nominations for its premier award, the 2022 Dr. Kurt H. Debus Award, for significant contributions to the advancement, awareness, and improvement of aerospace in Florida. The nominee must have made significant contributions to the space industry in Florida through either technical achievement, education, or the management of aerospace related activities. The nominee must have been either actively engaged in their working career or have retired from it since the most recently conferred Debus Award. The nominee must be recognized for having been actively engaged in community service as an advocate and supporter of space. Click here. (11/30)
White House Releases Space Policy Priorities (Source: Space News)
The White House released its space policy priorities Wednesday. The seven-page "United States Space Priorities Framework" document, released just before the first meeting of the National Space Council in the Biden administration, set out priorities ranging from supporting the peaceful and sustainable use of space to using space data for climate change and supporting STEM education. It also backs continued U.S. leadership in space exploration and space science, as well as defending national security interests in space. The report says little about how those priorities will be implemented, instead serving as a guide for the council's work. (12/2)
Biden Admin to Strengthen Ability to Detect 'Hostile Acts' in Space with New Policy Framework (Source: Fox News)
The Biden administration is accelerating its transition to a "more resilient" national security space posture and will strengthen its ability to detect and attribute hostile acts in space as part of the White House's new framework for U.S. space policy priorities. The White House said in its framework that space "underpins our national security and ability to respond decisively to crises around the world." The White House said that information collected from space informs national decision makers about "evolving threats to U.S., allied and partner interests."
"Space capabilities enable the U.S. military to protect and defend the U.S. homeland and to advance the national and collective security interests of the United States and its allies and partners," the White House said. The framework notes that the "intensifying strategic competition" around the globe "presents a serious threat to U.S. national security interests, including in space." (12/1)
Senators Urge Biden Action on Space Debris (Source: Space Policy Online)
The bipartisan leadership of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee has sent letters to Vice President Harris and Secretary of Commerce Raimondo urging them to step up efforts to address the threat from space debris. Russia’s recent antisatellite test created more than 1,500 new pieces of trackable debris, underscoring the need to find ways to maintain the long-term sustainability of the space environment they said. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Roger Wicker (R-MS), the chair and ranking member of the full committee, and Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), chair and ranking member of the Space and Science subcommittee, signed both letters.
Wicker is a long-standing advocate for addressing the space debris issue through NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce (OSC) and for elevating that office within the Department of Commerce to increase its visibility and clout. His Space Preservation and Conjunction Emergency (SPACE) Act passed the Senate earlier this year as part of the U.S. Innovation and Competitiveness Act.
In the letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, the bipartisan group pointed out that efforts begun during the Trump Administration to create an Open Access Data Repository (OADR) of data from government and commercial sources on the location of space objects have slowed. The OSC has been without a permanent director since the change in Administrations and the Senators urge her to appoint someone to provide the needed leadership to move forward. (11/30)
Seizing the Space Debris Moment From Russia (Source: Breaking Defense)
Russia’s recent anti-satellite weapons test created two parallel, but seemingly contradictory policy opportunities for the United States Space Force: supporting the establishment of an international moratorium on peacetime debris-creating events, while simultaneously developing the capability to rapidly replace lost or damaged assets through diversified launch.
The Russian direct ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) weapons test created upwards of 1,500 unique pieces of trackable debris, to say nothing of pieces too small to be tracked yet still dangerous to both the International Space Station and existing satellite constellations. The threat of this debris, as with other tests by China and India, will last for years, if not decades.
A simple truth: the last thing humanity needs is the creation of unnecessary space debris through events such as ASAT tests. It is here that leaders in the Pentagon should support efforts to create international norms of behavior in space, in particular by supporting a moratorium on peace-time debris-creating events such as ASAT tests. Indeed, based on the recent National Space Council meeting it appears that the Biden Administration is preparing to outline new global norms for military space. (12/3)
Rubio Introduces Bill to Address Chinese Space Threat (Source: Sen. Rubio)
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the Space Protection of American Command and Enterprise (SPACE) Act to address the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ongoing effort to replace the US as the global leader of space industry under its Made in China 2025 industrial plan. Tim Chrisman of the Association for the Future said, “China’s space program is advancing rapidly enabled in part by leveraging the theft of intellectual property from U.S. companies. The SPACE Act is an important tool in stemming the tide of that theft.”
The bill seeks to prevent the U.S. Dept. of Commerce and NASA from acquiring telecommunications or aerospace hardware/software and/or services from Chinese organizations. It increases SEC reporting requirements for foreign investment in critical US space companies. It requires the National Space Council to submit a report to Congress on space investment competition from China and Russia that would usurp US economic leadership in commercial space, including an interagency strategy to protect U.S. supply chains in space industrialization.
It would require an interagency annual report to Congress with a classified annex by the secretaries of the departments of Defense, Commerce, and Treasury on foreign investment in U.S. space exploration, manufacturing, telecommunications, and national security, including the countries of origin, sources of funds, and any other information according to the secretaries of Defense, Commerce, and Treasury departments. (12/3)
How the U.S. Space Force is Trying to Bring Order to Increasingly Messy Outer Space (Source: Washington Post)
Despite nearly seven decades of human exploration and activity in space, rules governing conduct remain a work in progress. Space is a burgeoning economic engine and an essential part of global civil, commercial and military operations, but the current space environment looks something like the early eras of driving or flying, with rapid growth in the number of cars, planes and operators, yet only the most basic traffic laws. Space has its own considerations that increase complexity — including growing congestion and debris, laws of physics that define motion very differently than on Earth, and a lack of international borders.
To address this complicated domain, there exists a legal framework in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and in four other core space treaties adopted over the following 12 years, along with a number of voluntary international measures supported by the United States, such as the United Nations’ Debris Mitigation Guidelines and Guidelines for the Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities. Additionally, in July, the Defense Department publicly shared long-standing operational practices in space, intended to assist in the ongoing development of voluntary guidelines and reduce the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculation.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin outlined five “tenets of responsible behavior in space”: operating in, from, to and through space in a professional manner; limiting the generation of long-lived debris; avoiding the creation of harmful interference; maintaining safe separation and trajectory; and communicating and making notifications to enhance the safety and stability of the domain. The U.S. Space Command is leading the department’s work on these tenets, as we are using the concepts as a basis of our conversations with spacefaring nations around the world. (11/29)
Biden Taps Former Air Force Procurement Official LaPlante to Run Pentagon Acquisitions (Source: Space News)
President Biden has nominated William LaPlante to be the Defense Department’s top procurement official, the White House announced Nov. 30. LaPlante, if confirmed by the Senate, will fill the post of undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, which has been vacant since Ellen Lord stepped down Jan. 20. Biden in April tapped the director of the Defense Innovation Unit Michael Brown to run DoD acquisitions but Brown withdrew his nomination in July. (11/30)
National Space Council Is Back and Focused on Security (Source: WIRED)
“While our space exploration takes us to the moon, Mars, and the edge of our solar system, I believe we also have the responsibility to look to our home planet,” VP Harris said at the meeting, which was held at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, and was streamed online. She was introduced by senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly of Arizona, who said that “space exploration has the incredible capacity to inspire future generations” while citing his own inspiration from “Neil and Buzz.”
The National Space Council is intended to coordinate policies and priorities across numerous government agencies that deal with everything from space observations to launches, communications, and security. Former president George H. W. Bush created the original council in 1989, which was led by his vice president, Dan Quayle. Then the organization was disbanded in 1993. Former president Donald Trump revived the council in 2017, and then-VP Mike Pence headed it for a series of eight meetings. In March, President Biden’s national security advisers announced that the administration would revive the council.
The meeting brought together leaders from more than a dozen federal agencies and included advisers from the space industry and military. In conjunction with the meeting, President Biden signed an executive order adding five new members to the council: the secretaries of education, labor, agriculture, and interior, as well as the national climate adviser. The additions are aimed at ensuring that the benefits of American space activities are applied broadly throughout society, Harris said. (12/1)
Sustainability and Security a Theme of Space Council Meeting (Source: Space News)
Space sustainability and security, including Russia's ASAT test, was a theme of Wednesday's National Space Council meeting. Vice President Kamala Harris and other officials condemned as "irresponsible" that mid-November ASAT test that destroyed a defunct Russian satellite and created at least 1,500 pieces of trackable debris. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks called on all nations to refrain from such tests in the future, as part of efforts to promote rules and norms of behavior in space.
The meeting was a sign the Biden Administration is focusing on space security, building upon previous work such as tenets for responsible behavior in space issued by the Defense Department this summer. Those efforts, though, may be hindered by the lack of a Senate-confirmed official at the Pentagon in charge of space policy. (12/2)
How America Wins the Future (Source: Space Review)
The National Space Council meets this week for the first time in the Biden Administration. Frank Slazer argues the meeting is a prime opportunity for the White House to demonstrate its commitment to securing American leadership in space. Click here. (11/29)
Vice President Highlights STEM in First National Space Council Meeting (Source: Space Daily)
Vice President Kamala Harris chaired the first National Space Council meeting of the Biden-Harris Administration Wednesday, Dec. 1 at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington. Prior to the meeting, President Biden expanded the number of participants of the council by executive order, reflecting the Biden-Harris administration's broad priorities and creating the largest, most diverse space council in the nation's history.
During the meeting, Vice President Harris led a discussion about how the United States should capitalize on opportunities in space, including promoting peaceful exploration and reducing the risk of miscalculation or conflict in space, addressing the climate crisis, and building a stronger STEM workforce. Vice President Harris also announced the release of the United States Space Priorities Framework, which will guide the council's efforts to develop and implement national space policy and strategy. (12/2)
STEM Education Should be a National Security Priority (Source: Space Force Journal)
Spacepower is an inherently technological instrument of politics and a state’s ability to exert influence in the space domain is linked to its technical-informational base. Many proposals to adapt the DoD to a more technological future focus on either 1) improving the efficiency by which the DoD accesses capabilities in the defense industrial base; or 2) increasing the proportion of the overall industrial base accessible to the DoD. These proposals fail to fully address the nature of great power competition in the 21st century.
A comprehensive understanding of national security policy ought to prioritize scientific and technological education. Education fortifies defense needs by increasing the capacity of the scientific base, developing the technical understanding of non-technologists, improving resilience to disinformation, and inspiring interest in space and other abstract domains. Editor's Note: During this week's I/ITSEC conference in Orlando, DoD leadership pointed to the massive priority placed on STEM by our 'peer adversary' China, with students doing relatively complex math in elementary schools, while that is far from the case in the US. (1/31)
China to Livestream First Space Class from Tiangong Space Station (Source: Xinhua)
China will livestream to the world the first space class from its space station Tiangong in the upcoming days, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced Thursday. China will launch a space science education brand "Tiangong Class" -- the first of its kind -- to give full play to the Chinese space station, according to the CMSA.
In the "Tiangong Class," Chinese astronauts will become the "teachers in space" and interact with students, especially teenagers. With the progress of the manned space flight mission, the "Tiangong Class" will introduce a series of classes focusing on the construction of the Chinese space station and its in-orbit operation, the CMSA said. (12/2)
Space Force General: China, Russia 'Catching Up Quickly to US' (Source: Fox News)
China and Russia have regularly attacked U.S. space-based assets, so far causing "reversible" damage, a Space Force official has said. Gen. David Thompson of the U.S. Space Force said "We are still the best in the world, clearly in terms of capability... They’re catching up quickly. We should be concerned by the end of this decade if we don’t adapt."
Some military officials and experts have recently urged greater development and deployment of satellites to boost the U.S. military’s constellations around the planet in order to strengthen the fidelity of sensing, particularly in response to a successful Chinese hypersonic weapons test. John Venable of the Heritage Foundation told Fox News in October that adding more satellites was one of the "two big things" the government needs to do in order to keep pace with China’s development. (12/1)
Space Force Has a Plan for Training Its Troops. Now It Must Figure Out What They Need to Learn (Source: Defense One)
Unlike its earthbound sister services, the Space Force can’t simply head out to some terrestrial exercise range to train its troops, develop new tactics, or peer into the future of weaponry. Nor do Space Force units have a natural deploy-and-rebuild cycle that affords time for advanced training. So the two-year-old service is creating a new force-generation concept and modeling and simulation environments, a top Space Force leader said.
“Whether it's missile warning or precision, navigation, timing, military satellite communications— all of that doesn't stop. None of it stops,” said Lt. Gen. Chance Saltzman, the Space Force’s deputy chief of space operations, nuclear, and cyber. “So how do I figure out how to organize and present the forces where it preserves some residual capacity to do the advanced training?” The answer, Saltzman told a virtual audience at a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event, is a new force-generation model that uses rotations to create time for Guardians to be away from the immediate duties.
This model will also allow Guardians to get much-needed practice for the first war in space. A lot of times what we do is we may have a good idea, but since we haven't tested it on any kind of range capability, we haven't tested against a thinking adversary, I'm not sure whether it would qualify as a tactic or a good idea at this point. And so as we build out the modeling and sim capability to really put our tactics to the test, then we'll be able to lean more on the operators to employ those tactics should they need to mitigate a threat.” Click here. (12/2)
No Space Force Presence at Nation's Largest Military Simulation and Training Event (Source: SPACErePORT)
The Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC) is the world's largest modeling, simulation and training event, held annually in Orlando at the end of November. This year's I/ITSEC featured technical papers, panels, and military senior-leader discussions about the growing need for education and training coordination and interoperability among the military services. Unfortunately, while the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines were well represented with exhibits, paper presentations, and flag-officer policy discussions, the Space Force had no visible presence.
I/ITSEC is held in Orlando because it is a global hotspot for simulation and training (S&T) tech development and policy, with several major military S&T organizations based in and around the research park adjacent to the University of Central Florida. The Space Force's absence at I/ITSEC is unusual as they are actively engaged in standing up their STARCOM organization for guardian education and training, with plans to make simulation an important part of the program. (12/2)
Space Force Welcomes North Carolina A&T to the University Partnership Program (Source: US Space Force)
The U.S. Space Force added North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University to its University Partnership Program during a virtual ceremony Dec. 1. N.C. A&T Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. and Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David D. Thompson signed the memorandum of understanding from their respective locations on campus in East Greensboro, North Carolina and at the Pentagon.
“Just over a year ago, I visited the campus of North Carolina A&T when we were first developing the concept for the University Partnership Program,” Thompson said. “From that first conversation with Chancellor Martin and University leaders, we knew A&T would be a model institution and critical partner to the Space Force as we built the initiative to deliver a STEM-focused workforce and advance space-related research of importance to the nation.”
Establishing strategic partnerships with a select set of nationally-renowned universities allows the Space Force to recruit and educate a diverse, high-caliber workforce, offer opportunities to advance research in specific areas of interest, and develop a 21st century, technology-savvy military service. (12/1)
Russian and Chinese Military Space Efforts Inevitable Given US Focus (Source: Space News)
Counterspace activities by China and Russia are a "natural consequence" of U.S. reliance on space assets, a Space Force general says. Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, deputy chief of operations for the Space Force, said at an event Monday that Russia's ASAT test and China's recent demonstration of an orbital hypersonic weapon are evidence of work by both countries to deny the U.S. access to space assets the military relies upon in a conflict. He said the U.S. is looking for ways to counter those weapons while also pushing for a framework for "responsible behavior" in space. "The Space Force sees as one its primary responsibilities to deter a war that starts or extends into space," he said. (11/30)
Space Law Hasn’t Been Changed Since 1967, But the UN Aims to Update Laws and Keep Space Peaceful (Source: Space Review)
Russia’s antisatellite test comes as the United Nations considers a proposal for studying norms of behavior for space activities. Michelle Hanlon and Greg Autry explain how that UN effort is a major step forward in addressing the limitations of existing international space law. Click here. (11/29)
U.S. Satellites Are Being Attacked Every Day According To Space Force General (Source: The Drive)
U.S. Space Force's General David Thompson, the service's second in command, said last week that Russia and China are launching "reversible attacks," such as electronic warfare jamming, temporarily blinding optics with lasers, and cyber attacks, on U.S. satellites "every single day." He also disclosed that a small Russian satellite used to conduct an on-orbit anti-satellite weapon test back in 2019 had first gotten so close to an American one that there were concerns an actual attack was imminent.
“The threats are really growing and expanding every single day. And it’s really an evolution of activity that’s been happening for a long time,” Thompson, told Rogin. “We’re really at a point now where there’s a whole host of ways that our space systems can be threatened...Right now, Space Force is dealing with what Thompson calls 'reversible attacks' on U.S. government satellites (meaning attacks that don’t permanently damage the satellites) 'every single day,'" according to Rogin. "Both China and Russia are regularly attacking U.S. satellites with non-kinetic means, including lasers, radio frequency jammers, and cyber attacks, he said." (11/30)
Russia Launches Military Satellite (Source: TASS)
Russia launched a military satellite Wednesday night. A Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off at 8:09 p.m. Eastern from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome and placed its payload into a highly elliptical orbit. Russian officials did not disclose the mission of the satellite, but it is believed to be the latest in a series of missile early warning spacecraft. (11/29)
Griffin: China's Hypersonic Vehicle is Disruptive Tech (Source: Space News)
Former Pentagon official Mike Griffin called Chinese tests of a hypersonic glide vehicle a "disruptive technology" designed to overmatch the U.S. military. Hypersonic missiles in development by China and Russia are designed to remove the advantage U.S. conventional forces have and "can take us down to their level," he said at an event Tuesday. Griffin said the United States now has to play catchup and needs to increase funding for the Space Development Agency and the Missile Defense Agency which are developing sensor satellites to detect and track hypersonic missiles. (12/1)
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NASA Awards $415 Million for Commercial Space Stations (Source: Space News)
NASA selected three companies for more than $400 million in awards to advance concepts for commercial space stations that could succeed the International Space Station. The awards announced Thursday went to teams led by Blue Origin for the Orbital Reef station, Nanoracks for the Starlab station, and Northrop Grumman for an as-yet-unnamed station that would make use of technologies developed for the Cygnus cargo spacecraft and HALO module for the lunar Gateway.
The awards cover work through mid-decade to mature the three designs. NASA will hold another competition for these three teams and other companies to certify stations for use by NASA astronauts and purchase initial services. Both NASA and the companies said they were confident those stations could be ready before the ISS is due to be retired at the end of the decade, despite warnings in a report earlier this week by NASA's inspector general. (12/2)
NASA IG Warns of ISS Structural Unknowns, Potential Gap (Source: Space News)
NASA's inspector general warned of a gap in low Earth orbit between the ISS and commercial successors. In a report Tuesday, the inspector general said that persistent, if small, air leaks in one Russian module, whose cause has yet to be understood, "raises potential implications for the Station's long-term structural health." NASA hopes to operate the ISS through the end of the decade, transitioning to commercial space stations starting in the late 2020s. However, the report said NASA's projected development schedules for those stations are optimistic, and that any commercial station "is not likely to be ready until well after 2030." (12/1)
NASA Selects Orbital Reef to Develop Space Station Replacement (Source: Blue Origin)
Orbital Reef, led by partners Blue Origin and Sierra Space, was selected today by NASA for a funded Space Act Agreement for collaboration to design a commercially owned and operated space station in low Earth orbit (LEO). NASA’s Commercial LEO Development program aims to shift NASA’s research and exploration activities in LEO to commercial space stations, helping stimulate a growing space economy before the International Space Station is retired. The Orbital Reef team includes Boeing, Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering Solutions, and Arizona State University. (12/2)
NASA Gets Diversity of Solutions with Private Space Station Plan (Source: Ars Technica)
With these grants, NASA has selected a mix of large and small US companies and old and new players in low Earth orbit.
"We have a very diverse group of companies in terms of age, size, and business strategy," Phil McAlister, NASA's director of commercial spaceflight, said during a call with the media after the awards were announced. "I think this diversity will make NASA's strategy for commercial destinations very robust, and it will ensure a healthy competition in the days ahead."
Combined, these awards give NASA four different potential private approaches to pursue. McAlister said the goal is for NASA to provide less than 40 percent of the costs to design, develop, and launch these facilities, with private industry paying the remaining 60 percent or more. In turn, the private stations will be able to host other governmental customers, businesses, and space tourism. (12/3)
Private Habitats, Not Just the International Space Station, May Be Needed to Get Astronauts to Mars (Source: Space.com)
Private space stations may end up being a key stepping stone on humanity's path to Mars. NASA aims to put astronauts on the moon in this decade and on the Red Planet in the 2030s. To help make these ambitious goals a reality, the agency is performing lots of research aboard the International Space Station (ISS) — monitoring astronaut health, behavior and performance on year-long orbital missions, for example, to better understand the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body and mind.
But the venerable ISS, which is 23 years old and has hosted rotating astronaut crews continuously since November 2000, may not be around long enough to see this work through, according to a new report by the NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG). (12/1)
OAC Raises $600K for Orbital Station Project (Source: OAC)
Orbital Assembly Corporation (OAC) is excited to announce our raise on Netcapital passed $600,000! OAC is a leader in the race to make space available to everyone by building the Voyager-class of Space Stations – a gravity simulating on-orbit habitation environments for leisure, commercial and industrial activities. The company designs and plans to construct large, gravity-equipped platforms, with on-orbit services projected to begin in 2023. OAC is focused on low Earth orbit design, construction, and operation of large-scale, habitable structures. We believe that for the first time, space tourists and other inhabitants will be able to experience long periods in space without the debilitating long-term effects of zero gravity. (11/30)
Amid Boeing Delays NASA to Award SpaceX Three More Commercial Crew Flights (Source: Space News)
NASA announced Dec. 3 its intent to purchase three more commercial crew missions from SpaceX as a hedge against further delays in the certification of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner.
NASA issued a contract notification announcing its plans to issue a sole-source award to SpaceX for three missions. Those missions would be in addition to the six “post-certification missions,” or PCMs, that SpaceX won as part of its $2.6 billion Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract in 2014. The announcement did not state the price of those three new missions. (12/3)
Space Station Tweaks Orbit to Avoid Pegasus Stage (Source: CBS)
The space station tweaked its orbit early Friday to avoid a close approach by a spent Pegasus stage. Thrusters on a Progress cargo spacecraft docked to the station fired for about two and a half minutes, adjusting the station's orbit by 310 meters to keep the station clear of the Pegasus upper stage that had been projected to come close to the station. Roscosmos played up the close approach in recent days despite a low risk of a collision. (12/3)
Russia: US Pegasus Rocket Debris to Approach Space Station on December 3 (Source: TASS)
A fragment of a US Pegasus rocket will fly at a distance of 5.4 km from the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday afternoon, the press office of the Russian space agency Roscosmos reported on Wednesday.
"A stage fragment of a Pegasus carrier rocket launched in 1994 will approach the International Space Station on the afternoon of December 3. According to the data of the Main Information and Analysis Center of the Automated Warning System of Hazardous Situations in near-Earth Space, the object is expected to approach the ISS at a minimum distance of 5.4 km at 13:33 Moscow time on Friday," the statement says. (12/1)
ISS Spacewalk Delayed by Debris Risk (Source: Space News)
NASA postponed an International Space Station spacewalk scheduled for this morning because of a "debris notification." NASA announced overnight that the spacewalk by astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron was postponed after the agency was notified of an unspecified piece of space debris and concluded it did not have enough time to assess the risk. NASA has not set a new date for the spacewalk.
At a briefing Monday, station managers said they concluded the additional debris created by Russia's ASAT test two weeks ago created only a small additional risk for the spacewalk that was "in family" with risks in past spacewalks. Separately, the leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee, citing the recent ASAT test, sent a letter Monday to Vice President Kamala Harris, asking her to make space sustainability an issue at this week's National Space Council meeting. The senators also wrote Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, asking for an update on space traffic management work at the department. (11/30)
NASA's Second Pepper Harvest Sets Record on Space Station (Source: Space Daily)
The longest - and perhaps the spiciest - plant experiment in the history of the International Space Station, Plant Habitat-04 (PH-04), concluded recently, 137 days after it began. On Nov. 26, Expedition 66 Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei harvested and with other members of the crew sampled some of the 26 chile peppers grown from four plants in the orbiting laboratory's Advanced Plant Habitat (APH), with PH-04 also breaking the record for feeding the most astronauts from a crop grown in space. (12/2)
Astronauts Replace ISS Antenna (Source: Space.com)
Two NASA astronauts replaced a broken antenna on the ISS during a spacewalk Thursday. Astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron spend six hours and 32 minutes outside the station, successfully replacing a malfunctioning S-band antenna on the station's truss with a backup. The two completed that work ahead of schedule, allowing them to perform a few additional "get-ahead" tasks before heading back inside the station. The spacewalk was the first for Barron and the fifth for Marshburn who, at age 61, is now the oldest person to have walked in space. (12/3)
New Class of NASA Astronauts Coming Monday (Source: NASA)
NASA will announce a new class of astronauts next week. The agency said Thursday that it will introduce the 2021 astronaut class in a ceremony Monday at the Johnson Space Center. The new astronauts will begin two years of training in January, after which they will be eligible for flight assignments. (12/3)
Could Humanity Send Astronauts to Alpha Centauri Like in 'Lost in Space'? (Source: Space.com)
Will humans ever find themselves at home at Alpha Centauri? With life on Earth facing increasing challenges as humans battle against massive problems like climate change and its ever-worsening consequences, people often wonder if humanity could possibly live on another planet. In the show "Lost in Space," which got a 2018 revival on Netflix after its original iteration in the 1960s, the Space Family Robinson family pursues doing exactly that.
The show sees the family journeying out to a planet in Alpha Centauri, the closest solar system to our own. Season 3 of "Lost in Space" premieres today (Dec. 1) on Netflix. But what might it actually be like for humans to not only travel to our nearby stellar neighborhood but actually live there? Click here. (12/1)
How Space Exploration is Advancing Remote Medicine (Source: CBC)
As billionaires race to the stars, many have been quick to throw shade on the rich for spending money on joyrides to space instead of solving problems on Earth. But a Canadian astronaut is reminding people that space exploration has the power to contribute to life-changing advances on our planet. "You can argue whether or not we need to go to Mars. I think that's not the point. We will go to Mars because it's there and we want to explore," said Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques.
"But going to Mars is going to require figuring out recycling. We're going to become masters at air, water and recycling, at food production. That's going to help us on Earth." In an interview with CBC News, the astronaut and family physician said that while essentials such as health care, education, employment and security should always take priority, he believes a fraction of our resources must also be devoted to dreaming big — through the arts, exploration and science.
One of the key examples noted in the paper is the Bio-Monitor, wearable technology that Saint-Jacques tried out during his 204-day mission aboard the International Space Station from 2018 to 2019. During his mission, the smart shirt continuously monitored Saint-Jacques's heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, temperature, physical activity and blood oxygen levels. (11/24)
No Damage to JWST as NASA and Arianespace Prepare for Dec. 22 Launch (Source: Space News)
NASA says engineers found no signs of damage to the James Webb Space Telescope from a payload processing incident earlier this month. The agency said late Wednesday that tests showed no evidence of harm to any components after a clamp band securing the spacecraft to a launch vehicle adapter unexpectedly released, imparting vibrations to the spacecraft. Fueling of JWST was scheduled to start late last week, keeping the spacecraft on track for a revised launch date of Dec. 22. (11/29)
The Biggest ‘Oh No’ Moment in the Solar System (Source: The Atlantic)
You know that feeling when you’re playing Jenga, and the blocks are stacked remarkably high, and then someone bumps the table? And as the tower wobbles, everyone just watches in wide-eyed panic, willing it to stabilize with a desperate, silent prayer: Please don’t fall, please don’t fall.
I can only assume that’s how it felt last month, when technicians were working on NASA’s new space telescope and a very important clamp suddenly unclamped, sending vibrations coursing through the entire instrument. Officials didn’t provide details about the mood in the room at that moment, but it must have been something along the lines of Oh no, oh no, oh no. This particular Jenga tower is a $10 billion telescope, and NASA has been playing the game for 25 years, carefully arranging piece after piece to produce one of the most sophisticated scientific instruments in human history.
Despite the rogue clamp, the telescope was still very much intact. But engineers had to run extra tests to make sure that the unexpected jolt had not damaged any of its components. A committee established specifically to investigate the incident eventually concluded that the observatory looked fine. The space Jenga was safe. (12/1)
NASA Restores Another Hubble Instrument (Source: NASA)
NASA has restored operations of another instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA said Monday that engineers recovered the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph on Sunday, the third instrument restored since a problem with synchronization messages put the instruments into safe mode last month. The project is working on software changes to prevent a similar safe mode from happening in the future. (11/30)
A New Approach to Flagship Space Telescopes (Source: Space Review)
The long-awaited astrophysics decadal survey, with its recommendations for future space-based observatories, was finally released in early November. Jeff Foust reports on how the decadal, rather than recommending a single large mission, offered a new approach for doing a series of such missions in the next few decades. Click here. (11/29)
Smallest Exoplanet Yet Discovered (Source: Science News)
Astronomers have discovered the smallest exoplanet yet, a world that completes a year in less than eight hours. Astronomers detected the planet, called GJ 367b, in data from NASA's TESS spacecraft. The planet has a mass 55% that of Earth, but a density slightly higher than iron. The planet may be the remnant of a larger planet whose outer, less dense layers were stripped away in a collision. The planet's short year is due to its orbit being so close to its star, creating estimated surface temperatures of 1,400ºC. (12/3)
430-Foot Asteroid Expected to Swipe Past Earth on Monday (Source: Space Daily)
An asteroid that measures the same size as the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza, is expected to pass by Earth on Monday afternoon, according to NASA. The 430-foot asteroid, 1994 WR12, will pass by our planet at a distance of 3.8 million miles. The space rock was first identified in 1994 by American astronomer Carolyn S. Shoemaker. NASA's official measurement puts the asteroid at closer to 390 feet and says it will whisk past Earth by 3.82 million miles. (11/29)
Astronomers Discover Ancient Brown Dwarf with Lithium Deposits Intact (Source: Space News)
A team of researchers at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) and the Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica (INAOE), Mexico, has discovered lithium in the oldest and coldest brown dwarf where the presence of this valuable element has been confirmed so far. This substellar object, called Reid 1B, preserves intact the earliest known lithium deposit in our cosmic neighborhood, dating back to a time before the formation of the binary system to which it belongs. (11/26)
So Metal: Newly Discovered Exoplanet is Likely Over 80 Percent Iron (Source: Ars Technica)
Researchers have announced finding what appears to be an extremely iron-rich planet that, at least composition-wise, is very similar to Mercury. The difference is that it's nearly on top of its star and is probably hot enough that any iron on the surface could potentially be molten.
The new planet was found orbiting a red dwarf star named GJ 367 that's about 30 light years from Earth. Red dwarfs are small, dim stars, which makes identifying planets around them easier. A planet that orbits between a red dwarf and Earth will block out proportionally more of the star's light. And, because the star is low mass, a planet's gravity will cause it to shift further when it orbits, creating larger Doppler shifts in the light originating from the star. (12/3)
To Find the Origin of the Oceans, Look in Outer Space (Source: The Economist)
Earth—the quintessential blue planet—has not always been covered by water. Around 4.6bn years ago, in the solar system’s early years, the energetic young sun’s radiation meant the zone immediately surrounding it was hot and dry. Earth, then coalescing from dust and gas in this region, thus began as a desiccated rock. How it subsequently acquired its oceans has long puzzled planetary scientists.
One possible source of Earth’s water is carbonaceous (c-type) asteroids, the most common variety. But it cannot be the sole source, because water in chunks of these that have landed as meteorites does not match the isotopic fingerprint of terrestrial water. This fingerprint is the ratio of normal water (H2O, made from hydrogen and oxygen) to heavy water (D2O and HDO, which both include deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen that has a neutron in its nucleus alongside the proton characteristic of every hydrogen atom). Water from c-type asteroids has more deuterium in it than does terrestrial water. (12/1)
Europe Provides Mars-Orbit Data Services to China's Mars Rover (Source: ESA)
Europe and China cooperated on a communications link for China's Mars rover. In the test last month, China commanded the Zhurong rover to transmit data to ESA's Mars Express orbiter as it passed overhead. Mars Express received the transmission and relayed it back to Earth. Differences in frequencies supported by the rover and orbiter mean two-way communications between them is not possible, but the rover could be commanded to transmit "in the blind" at frequencies Mars Express could receive. ESA said the test was successful, and that additional ones are planned to see how Mars Express could act as a relay for Zhurong. (12/2)
ESA's Solar Orbiter Makes Earth Flyby for Gravity Boost (Source: ESA)
The European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter swung by Earth early Saturday. The spacecraft passed just 460 kilometers above the Earth during the gravity assist flyby, intended to line up the spacecraft for a series of Venus flybys to put the spacecraft in its final science orbit to study the sun. The spacecraft was in good condition after the flyby. (11/29)
Nissan Joins Japan's Lunar Rover Race (Source: Kyodo)
Another Japanese automaker is getting into the lunar rover business. Nissan announced Thursday it has developed a prototype of a small robotic lunar rover it developed in cooperation with the Japanese space agency JAXA. The rover uses technologies Nissan first developed for terrestrial electric vehicles. The company said it will continue to work on the rover for at least another year, but didn't disclose when it might be ready to send to the moon. Toyota is already working with JAXA on concepts for a large pressurized rover for future crewed lunar missions. (12/2)
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Planet Nears SPAC Completion (Source: Planet)
Planet says it expects to close its SPAC merger next week with strong investor support. The company said Thursday that only about 2% of shareholders in dMY Technology Group, Inc. IV, the SPAC that is merging with Planet, have redeemed their shares. Planet expects the merger to give the company at least $589 million in gross proceeds, based on the holdings of the SPAC as well as separate private placements, valuing Planet at $2.8 billion. Shareholders of dMY Technology Group, Inc. IV will meet today to approve the merger. (12/3)
Australia's Q-Ctrl Raises $25 Million for Quantum Sensors for Space (Source: Space News)
Australian startup Q-Ctrl has raised $25 million to develop software for space-qualified quantum sensors. Airbus Ventures led the Series B round, which Q-Ctrl says will accelerate the development of quantum technology to realize new data-as-a-service markets from LEO, the moon and beyond. Q-Ctrl aims to leverage the experience Airbus Ventures, the VC arm of Airbus Group, has in Earth observation missions as it develops infrastructure software to improve quantum sensing solutions. (12/1)
Anuvu Raises $50 Million for Small GEO Constellation (Source: Space News)
Anuvu has raised $50 million to fund a series of small GEO satellites. The growth capital will support the first two satellites Anuvu ordered in July from Astranis as part of a planned eight-satellite constellation to provide broadband on aircraft, boats and remote locations worldwide. The funding came from a group of investors that include Apollo Capital Management, Sound Point Capital and Arbour Lane Capital Management. Those investors rescued Anuvu, formerly known as Global Eagle, from bankruptcy in March. (12/1)
China's ADA Space Raises $55.6 Million for 192-Satellite Constellation (Source: Space News)
Chinese satellite imaging company ADA Space raised $55.6 million. The Series B round was led by Hengjian Holding, an investment vehicle of the Guangdong Provincial People's government. The company is planning a constellation of 192 satellites to provide imagery at resolutions of 1 to 4 meters and is developing artificial intelligence tools for analyzing those images. (11/30)
Astroscale Raises $109 Million for Satellite Servicing and Debris Removal (Source: Space News)
Astroscale raised $109 million in a new funding round Thursday. The company raised the Series F round from Japanese and European investors, bringing the total amount raised by the Tokyo-based company to $300 million. Astroscale says it will use the funds to accelerate several projects to service satellites and remove debris. It plans to continue tests of its ELSA-d satellite, demonstrating technologies to capture debris, later this year. (11/29)
OneWeb May Use Astroscale to De-Orbit Satellite (Source: Space News)
OneWeb may consider Astroscale's services to remove a defunct satellite. OneWeb says that one of its satellites, launched last February, failed in orbit because of a software issue shortly after completing its orbit-raising maneuvers. The company, which has emphasized its commitment to space sustainability, says it will consider options from companies like Astroscale to deorbit that satellite but added it's still "very early days" in those plans. (11/29)
Kymeta Developing OneWeb Flat Antenna (Source: Space News)
Antenna maker Kymeta announced a partnership with OneWeb to develop a flat panel antenna for use with OneWeb's satellite constellation. Kymeta said the antenna will be based on the u8 terminal it launched commercially in November 2020 and will be available to purchase by the third quarter of 2022. Kymeta said Wednesday its agreement with OneWeb also paves the way to terminals for mobility applications on land and at sea. Engineering teams from both companies aim to make the new terminal compatible with satellites in GEO as well. (12/1)
SpaceX Plans to Build ‘Several Million’ Starlink User Terminals Per Year, V2 Satellite Launches Reliant on Starship (Source: Space Explored)
In an internal email, Elon Musk announced that SpaceX intends to build “several million [Starlink user terminal] units per year.” In order to have the internet bandwidth to support this goal, SpaceX will need to deploy its V2 Starlink satellites in orbit. It turns out, however, that this goal is entirely reliant on its next-gen Starship rocket that is currently in development in South Texas.
Unfortunately, the Raptor production crisis is much worse than it seemed a few weeks ago. It’s possible that Raptor engine production issues could limit SpaceX’s ability to fly Starship operationally in 2022. The company is depending on Starship in order to fly the second major version of Starlink internet satellites, according to Musk. Current Falcon rockets cannot support V2 satellite launches, Musk reveals: "The consequences for SpaceX if we can’t get enough reliable Raptors made is that we then can’t fly Starship, which means we then can’t fly Starlink Satellite V2 (Falcon has neither the volume nor the mass to orbit needed for satellite V2)." (11/29)
SpaceX’s Starlink Is Testing Internet Service for Aircraft (Source: Bloomberg)
SpaceX’s Starlink unit is testing its space-based internet service with several aircraft and wants to offer in-flight connection to airlines “as soon as possible,” a company vice president said. Starlink is in talks with several airlines about offering in-flight broadband connections, said Jonathan Hofeller, vice president of commercial sales. That would put the company in direct competition with Viasat Inc., Intelsat SA, Telesat Corp. and others.
Starlink is producing six satellites a week at its assembly site near Seattle, Hofeller said. It is also moving to a more sophisticated version. He didn’t disclose details of the testing or how advanced the company’s discussions with airlines are. (11/30)
Companies Want to Extend Crypto and Blockchain Networks to Space (Source: Space News)
Companies are examining ways to extend cryptocurrency networks to space. Blockstream Satellite and SpaceChain are among the companies testing the use of satellites to transmit cryptocurrency transactions either using capacity on existing communications satellites or by developing their own spacecraft. SpaceChain installed an Ethereum node on the ISS in August to conduct tests to ensure the node can perform secure transactions. (11/29)
NASA and Industry Embrace Laser Communications (Source: Space Daily)
Our televisions and computer screens display news, movies, and shows in high-definition, allowing viewers a clear and vibrant experience. Fiber optic connections send laser light densely packed with data through cables to bring these experiences to users. NASA and commercial aerospace companies are applying similar technologies to space communications, bringing optical speeds to the final frontier. Free-space optical communications leverages recent advancements in telecommunications to allow spacecraft to send high-resolution images and videos over laser links. (11/30)
The Future of Networks in Space (Source: FNN)
A new space race of vital importance to the United States has emerged. The race to get to space has become a superhighway used by several nations and a burgeoning commercial space industry. The new race has two concerns. One, improving communications services in space among satellites, and between satellites and earth. Two, protecting vital and growing commercial and government space assets on which so many federal missions depend. In this exclusive executive briefing, the following experts will discuss the wide-area broadband about to go out of this world. Click here. (11/18)
Space Project Crowdfunding Takes Off (Source: Space News)
Crowdfunding has come a long way since Spire, then called NanoSatisfi, raised $106,000 in 2012 to send two cubesats to the International Space Station. At the time, crowdfunding campaign backers could claim T-shirts, images and tweets from orbit. Now that small companies can award shares through crowdfunding websites like Netcapital, Wefunder, Kickstarter and Spaced Ventures, dozens of space companies are going that. The results are mixed.
Solstar Space Co. has raised $1.35 million from 1,154 investors to establish "Commercial WiFi in Space." Orbital Assembly Corp. has collected $617,794 to build space stations with simulated gravity in Earth orbit, cislunar space and throughout the solar system. Launchspace Technologies investors have contributed $231,200 for work to observe and capture orbital debris. Aphelion Aerospace has raised $128,917 for a "low-cost, eco-friendly" small launch vehicle. Exo-Space has amassed $142,446 for FeatherEdge, an on-orbit data processing device.
With transaction fees of about 5 percent, crowdfunding offers "efficient access to capital," said Solstar CEO Brian Barnett. Solstar has raised enough money through three crowdfunding campaigns to hire engineers, product developers and government contract proposal writers. (12/1)
DARPA Tackles Space Manufacturing (Source: Space News)
DARPA is starting the Defense Department's first project related to space manufacturing. DARPA's biological technologies office has kicked off a project called B-SURE, short for biomanufacturing, survival, utility and reliability beyond Earth, that will study adapting microbes to space conditions in a way that could allow "in-space production of molecules relevant to space flight," according to the agency. DARPA called B-SURE "an important first step in addressing fundamental biomanufacturing questions to develop this capability." (11/30)
Thales Alenia Space Invests in Advanced Technology for Human Spaceflight (Source: Space Daily)
Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales 67% and Leonardo 33%, has inaugurated a new Friction Stir Welding facility at one of its production sites in Turin, which will double production capacity of pressurized modules, for the production of the future orbiting and surface infrastructures. The only company in Europe to use this type of processing for pressurized habitation modules, Thales Alenia Space introduced friction welding technology in 2015, with a first operating facility used for the production of Cygnus, the pressurized cargo modules for the refueling of the International Space Station, an extremely complex type of structure, which enables exploration and human space flight. (11/26)
Raytheon, SEAKR Merger Finalized (Source: Defense News)
Raytheon Technologies has completed the acquisition of SEAKR Engineering, with SEAKR and its 540 employees coming under the Raytheon Intelligence & Space unit. SEAKR's autonomous mission management is part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Project Blackjack. (11/30)
Lightfoot Ascends at Lockheed Martin Space Unit (Source: Space News)
Lockheed Martin has named Robert Lightfoot its new executive vice president for space. Lightfoot spent 29 years at NASA, including more than a year as acting administrator in 2017 and 2018. He joined Lockheed in 2019 and is currently vice president of operations in its space unit. He takes on the new role Jan. 1 replacing Rick Ambrose, who announced plans in October to retire. (12/1)
DOD Orders More Anti-Jam GPS Devices from BAE (Source: Defense News)
US Defense Logistics Agency orders for BAE Systems GPS modules with anti-jam capabilities have reached $641 million. "Military operations require assured positioning, navigation, and timing and our customers are shifting to M-Code to harden their GPS systems against jamming and spoofing," said Frank Zane, navigation and sensor systems business development director at BAE Systems. (12/3)
Intelsat and SES Now Eligible for $2 Billion for Clearing C-Band Spectrum (Source: Space News)
Intelsat and SES will get more than $2 billion after beating a deadline for clearing part of the C-band spectrum in the U.S. The companies said the FCC validated the completion of activities necessary for vacating a 120-megahertz swath of the spectrum by Dec. 5, making them eligible for accelerated clearing payments. Satellite operators have two more years to clear the rest of the 300-megahertz band for terrestrial 5G services, with $9.7 billion in total payments offered to them. (11/29)
Broker Urges Court to Revive $3.1B Satellite Deal Dispute (Source: Law360)
Broker Blemheim Capital Holdings has urged the Fourth Circuit to revive its case alleging Airbus, Lockheed Martin and South Korea wrongly cut it from a $3.1 billion military satellite deal, saying its claims were timely and South Korea shouldn't be considered sovereignly immune. A district court mistakenly found the South Korean government was immune to the suit, as the disputed satellite deal and overarching sale of F-35 fighter jets that it stems from both fall under an exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act that applies to commercial activities by foreign governments. (12/1)
JAXA Plans Industry Consortium to Develop Reusable Launcher (Source: Nikkei)
The Japanese space agency JAXA plans to work with a group of companies on a reusable launch vehicle project. As many as 30 companies, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and ANA Holdings, will be part of the effort to develop a reusable vehicle that could perform its first launch in 2030. The project is intended to keep Japan's launch industry competitive amid efforts by SpaceX in particular to develop reusable rockets that can sharply reduce launch costs. (11/30)
Indian Company Tests 3D-Printed Engine (Source: Ars Technica)
The startup company Skyroot Aerospace says it has test-fired India's first privately developed fully cryogenic rocket engine, successfully demonstrating the technology that will power the upper stages of its upcoming Vikram-2 orbital launch vehicle. The rocket engine, named Dhawan-1, is fueled by liquefied natural gas and liquid oxygen, The Economic Times reports.
Going to space next year? ... "This is a completely 'Made-in-India' cryogenic engine developed using 3D printing with a super-alloy, reducing manufacturing time by more than 95 percent," said Pawan Kumar Chandana, co-founder and chief executive at Skyroot Aerospace. "This test makes us one of the very few companies in the world to have successfully demonstrated this technology." Skyroot is aiming to make its first launch attempt in 2022. (12/3)
India Plans Uncrewed Tests of Crew Spacecraft (Source: Hindustan Times)
India plans to perform two uncrewed tests for its Gaganyaan human spaceflight program next year. The first of the two test flights of the spacecraft could take place as early as January, said Jitendra Singh, minister of state for space in the Indian government. That schedule would allow for a first crewed flight in 2023. The Gaganyaan program originally had a goal of launching humans by August 2022, but suffered delays because of the pandemic. (11/30)
Manpower Audit at ISRO Worries Staff; Not Aimed at Reducing Workforce (Source: Times of India)
The Department of Space (DoS) has constituted an expert committee to audit human resources at ISRO, arrive at an assessment of future requirements, and make recommendations for optimal deployment of manpower for R&D. The Center is implementing reforms in the sector that will also transform the space agency's role in coming years.
Whispers have been circulating about an audit looking into their skill set, projects they are associated with, their age, and other details, making scientists and engineers worried. Top brass says the committee is only carrying out a periodic exercise as mandated by the DoS secretariat and that there is no need for fear while its report is awaited. (12/3)
Pulsar Fusion Demonstrates Green Mach-7 Rocket in Switzerland (Source: Space Daily)
On Saturday 26 November, In the sleepy mountain town of Gstaad - Switzerland, British company Pulsar Fusion demonstrated its latest green hybrid rocket engine.
An impressive visual plume effect of supersonic shock diamonds, typical of a high temperature high mass flow rate rocket exhaust, could be seen through the snowstorm as the team operated the engine in quickly changing conditions. The exhaust speeds of the engine were recorded at Mach 7. This engine would be capable of launching a small rocket to an altitude of several 10s of km, well above UK airspace, or powering the upper stage of a rocket with a larger booster stage into orbit. (11/30)
Spain's PLD Space Prepares for Suborbital Test Flight (Source: Space News)
PLD Space, the Spanish launch vehicle startup, is preparing for a suborbital test flight next year. The company showed off a fully assembled Miura 1 reusable suborbital rocket earlier this month ahead of tests that will lead up to a flight in the second half of 2022. The rocket is designed to reach a maximum altitude of 150 kilometers while carrying a payload of up to 100 kilograms and is a stepping stone to the company's Miura 5 orbital rocket. (11/29)
France and Italy Agree on Launcher Cooperation for Ariane 6 and Vega C (Source: Reuters)
The governments of France and Italy signed an agreement to continue cooperation on launch vehicle development. The deal, announced Friday, ensures continued collaboration between the countries on the Ariane 6 and Vega C. Both vehicles are scheduled to make their inaugural launches next year. (11/29)
Galileo Pathfinder Satellite Ends Service (Source: SSTL)
The pathfinder satellite for Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system has been decommissioned. Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) said last week that it shut down the GIOVE-A satellite, which it built, nearly 16 years after its launch. GIOVE-A launched in late 2005 to put into service the spectrum that the Galileo system would later use for navigation services. ESA used GIOVE-A for several years then handed it back to SSTL, which used the satellite for tests such as measurements of the radiation environment in medium Earth orbit. (11/29)
Big Data Throttling the Space Engine (Source: BBN Times)
Information is vital for organizations as it helps them in knowing what can be the best option for increasing sales and focusing on improving the productivity of their organization. With big data being available from diverse sources, businesses are provided with actionable insights from information stored in varying databases. Sources of data are increasing every day; information is being collected even from the sky. The reducing cost of purchasing, launching, and maintaining a satellite is encouraging companies to explore big data in space.
With improved satellites and enhanced sensors, corporations are now holding information which once analyzed can help them in making decisions that will be beneficial for the entire country. Big data in space is also referred to as spatial data. This information is considered to be crucial as data collected from space can help people across the globe to have a foresight into the future course of events in our environment. (12/2)
Climate Change Brings Stunning Shifts in Rainfall Across US (Source: USA Today)
Think your area has had more rain than usual? You're probably right. Think your area has had less rain than usual? Again, you're probably right. Our reporters used 126 years of monthly data from NOAA to analyze average annual precipitation at 344 climate divisions. They used daily precipitation data from weather stations to measure the change in frequency of extreme rain events across the U.S. from 1951-2020.
We found more than half of the nation's 344 climate divisions had their wettest periods on record since 2018. We calculated the same rolling averages for states. "East of the Rockies, more rain is falling, and it’s coming in more intense bursts," our report finds. "In the West, people are waiting longer to see any rain at all. "Taken together, the reporting reveals a stunning shift in the way precipitation falls in America." (12/3)
Humanity's Unlikely Gateway to Space (Source: BBC)
The world's first and most secretive space base, Baikonur Cosmodrome, sits in the middle of a vast Central Asian desert, 2,600km south-east of Moscow and 1,300km from Kazakhstan's two main cities, Nur-Sultan and Almaty. It was from this remote part of the western steppe in 1957 that the Soviet Union successfully launched the first artificial satellite – Sputnik 1 – into orbit around Earth. Four years later, in 1961, Yuri Gagarin launched from here to become the first human to fly into space aboard the Vostok 1. And in 1963, Valentina Tereshkova launched from Baikonur as the first woman in space.
After the retirement of NASA's Space Shuttle program in 2011, Baikonur became the planet's only working launch site to the International Space Station (ISS). Now, 60 years after Gagarin's historic first flight, it remains the world's main spaceport. But how and why did a dusty outpost in the wilds of western Kazakhstan become humanity's unlikely gateway to outer space? Click here. (12/1)
SpaceNews Picks "Private Astronauts" as 2021 Awardee (Source: Space News)
More than 20 private astronauts — individuals on suborbital and orbital flights not conducted on behalf of government — have gone up and back in 2021. Kudos to the billionaires who made this possible but especially the non-billionaires like Wally Funk, William Shatner, Sian Proctor, Chris Sembroski and Hayley Arcenaux who showed that everyone from tubby 90-year-olds to 29-year-olds with prosthetic body parts can make the trip.
Since 2017, the SpaceNews editorial staff has selected 40 individuals and organizations embodying the hard work and innovation propelling the space industry to unparalleled levels of activity. 2021 has seen a record number of private astronauts making their way to space. Our first SpaceNews Awards selection for 2021 recognizes the Private Astronaut for epitomizing the year’s ups and downs. (11/30)
Space Club Invites Nominations for Florida Award (Source: NSCFL)
The National Space Club Florida Committee is accepting nominations for its premier award, the 2022 Dr. Kurt H. Debus Award, for significant contributions to the advancement, awareness, and improvement of aerospace in Florida. The nominee must have made significant contributions to the space industry in Florida through either technical achievement, education, or the management of aerospace related activities. The nominee must have been either actively engaged in their working career or have retired from it since the most recently conferred Debus Award. The nominee must be recognized for having been actively engaged in community service as an advocate and supporter of space. Click here. (12/4)
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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. Thanks!
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Florida Aerospace Calendar
Click HERE to suggest new items and corrections.
Dec. 6 - 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 - Spaceport Summit and SpaceCom 2022 conference, Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel, Orlando - https://spacecomexpo.com
Jan. 22 - Women In Defense Space Coast Chapter 9th anniversary event, Larsen Motorsports, Palm Bay, 11:30 a.m. - http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07eiwaqnc457de039a&llr=smyyv8nab
Jan. 27 - Florida Space Day, Capitol Building, Tallahassee - http://floridaspaceday.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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