KLX Aerospace Solutions Expands in
South Florida (Source: Florida Trend)
Governor Rick Scott announced that KLX Aerospace Solutions Group will
be expanding their new global headquarters and distribution hub between
Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. KLX Aerospace Solutions Group has
committed to adding over 100 employees due to the expansion. KLX
Aerospace Solutions is a leading distributor and service provider of
aerospace fasteners and consumables and employs over 650 Floridians.
The new facility will include two floors of office space and a storage
and distribution area. (10/27)
China Wins Breakthrough Contract for
Thaicom Telecommunications Satellite (Source: Space News)
China Great Wall Industry Corp.’s win of a contract for a
high-throughput Ka-band broadband satellite for Thailand’s Thaicom is a
breakthrough deal for China’s satellite export industry, which up to
now has relied on domestic demand and special-circumstances orders,
mainly from emerging-market governments.
The contract, from Thaicom subsidiary International Satellite Co. Ltd.,
is valued at $208 million covering the satellite’s construction and
launch, continuing a China Great Wall Industry Corp. (CGWIC) practice
of bundling satellite construction and launch contracts. (10/28)
Cosmic Rays May Threaten Space-Weather
Satellite (Source: Nature)
A US space-weather satellite that is supposed to alert Earth to
incoming solar storms has temporarily dropped offline five times in the
year since it became operational. Its onboard computer may be
experiencing hiccups caused unexpectedly by galactic cosmic rays.
The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) went out of action most
recently on 11 October. In each case, it unexpectedly entered a ‘safe
hold’ in which scientific data stopped flowing and engineers had to
scramble to try to recover the spacecraft. In total, DSCOVR’s
space-weather forecasting instruments have been offline for more than
42 hours since 28 October 2015, when NOAA took the spacecraft over from
NASA, which built and launched it. (10/28)
California Startup Made In Space to
Make Optical Fiber in Orbit (Source: Space.com)
Society is about to take another big step into the age of space-based
manufacturing. Early next year, California-based startup Made In Space
plans to launch a machine to the International Space Station (ISS) that
will produce ZBLAN optical fiber.
ZBLAN has the potential to be much more efficient than the silica-based
fiber currently used in the internet and telecommunications industries,
but it's tough to make here on Earth because the planet's strong
gravitational pull induces imperfections in the ZBLAN crystal lattice,
Made In Space representatives said. (10/28)
How The Universe Would Look If You
Could See Radio Waves (Source: Huffington Post)
Maybe you’ve always wondered what the universe would look like if you
could see radio waves ― or maybe not. Either way, you’ll be wowed by
this extraordinary new view of the cosmos as seen by the Murchison
Widefield Array (MWA) radio telescope in the Australian outback. Even
astronomers are awed by the view, a product of the Galactic and
Extragalactic All-Sky MWA (GLEAM) survey of 300,000 galaxies in
frequencies from 70 to 230 megahertz. Those frequencies are invisible
to the naked eye. Click here.
(10/27)
KSC Evaluating the Groundwork
Challenges for SLS Block 1B Upgrades (Source:
NasaSpaceFlight.com)
NASA’s monster rocket will evolve into an even larger vehicle early in
her lifetime, as the Block 1 rocket grows into the workhorse known as
the Block 1B. With a large increase in capability – and height – the
Block 1B will require a revamp of numerous elements of the KSC ground
systems, ranging from major changes to the new Mobile Launcher, through
to need for a new LH2 storage sphere at the pad. Click here.
(10/27)
Turbines From Outer Space Lift
Lockheed Into New Energy Frontier (Source: Bloomberg)
Lockheed Martin Corp. says engineering tidal turbines to withstand the
relentless pounding of the Earth’s oceans isn’t much different than the
machines it makes to survive the extreme conditions of outer space. The
world’s largest defense contractor is trying to redirect more of its
high-tech military knowledge to civilian markets. Lockheed Martin’s new
mission: apply more than a century of know-how to renewable-energy
technologies that may mitigate the international security challenges of
climate change. (10/25)
Spire CEO: We are Launching Satellites
Every Month (Source: Via Satellite)
Satellite data company Spire is vying to get as many of its satellites
in orbit as possible after launch delays curbed the company’s ability
to reach a desired constellation of 20 satellites by the end of last
year. Today Spire has 12 satellites in orbit, and is aggressively
pushing in hopes of still reaching twice the 2015 goal by the end of
this year.
Spire’s holdup is not in the company’s ability to gain customers,
produce satellites, or sign launch contracts. On the contrary, the
company recently won a landmark contract with the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the U.S., has been in the
spotlight for effectively producing and using small satellites, or
smallsats, and has inked launch agreements with a wide variety of
providers, including India’s Antrix. (10/26)
Midland Spaceport a Compatible Landing
Site for Dream Chaser (Source: SPACErePORT)
The Midland Development Corporation and Sierra Nevada on Nov. 3 will
present the successful result of an effort to establish the Midland
International Air & Space Port as a designated compatible landing
site for Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser reusable spaceplane. (10/26)
Election Only the Start of a Long-Term
NASA Transition (Source: Space News)
A presidential transition process that will start in earnest at NASA
after Election Day in November will not wrap up until long after
Inauguration Day in January, an agency official said Oct. 25. While
both Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican
candidate Donald Trump established transition teams after accepting
their parties’ nominations this summer, months ahead of the Nov. 8
general election, that planning has yet to involve “landing teams” for
NASA. Click here.
(10/27)
Iron-Loving Bacteria a Model For Mars
Life (Source: Space.com)
Single-celled microbes are considered a living example of the kind of
life that might exist elsewhere in the universe, as they are able to
survive some of the extreme conditions that exist on other worlds.
New research on the bacterium Tepidibacillus decaturensis shows that it
could be a model organism for what might live on Mars, should any
creature inhabit the Red Planet. This microorganism, found in water
more than a mile underground in the Illinois Basin in a formation known
as Mount Simon Sandstone, has been shown to be moderately tolerant of
heat and salt and able to persist in an anoxic environment. Mars itself
is believed to harbor similarly briny surface water without the
presence of oxygen. (10/27)
Space is All the Same Temperature.
Coincidence? (Source: New Scientist)
The temperature of the cosmic microwave background – the radiation
bathing all of space – is remarkably uniform. It varies by less than
0.001 degrees from a chilly 2.725 kelvin. But while that might seem
natural enough, this consistency is a real puzzle. For two widely
separated areas of the cosmos to reach thermal equilibrium, heat needs
enough time to travel from one to the other.
Even if this happens at the speed of light, the universe is just too
young for this to have happened. Cosmologists try to explain this
uniformity using the hypothesis known as inflation. It replaces the
simple idea of a big bang with one in which there was also a moment of
exponential expansion. This sudden, faster-than-light increase in the
size of the universe allows it to have started off smaller than an
atom, when it would have had plenty of time to equalize its
temperature. (10/26)
The Space Industry’s New Bet: Putting
an “App Store” in Orbit (Source: Quartz)
The influx of Silicon Valley talent and money into the space sector has
naturally brought with it some classic Silicon Valley business
plans—and now, space firms are eager to replicate the market-creating
power of an app store in orbit.
The next generation of satellite entrepreneurs shouldn’t have to worry
about carefully building satellites in clean rooms, plotting orbital
mechanics, and finding a rocket to launch on. They can just think of
space as a place where a unique collection of hardware can provide
useful data and communications options.
To that end, Vector, a company that is developing a small rocket to
deliver small satellites to space, is also investing in a software
development kit for a platform called Galactic Sky. The kit will allow
developers to build and test an application that could operate on
satellites with standardized communications and sensing equipment.
(10/26)
Samsung Isn’t the Only One with
Lithium Ion Battery Problems. Just Ask NASA (Source: WIRED)
On June 14, 2016, four researchers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
were preparing to ship a waist-high, ape-like robot named RoboSimian
off-site. They had built the bot to rescue people from dangerous
situations that human rescuers can’t hack. The scientists swapped one
lithium-ion battery for a fresh one, then left for lunch to let the new
power supply charge.
Left alone in the lab, RoboSimian’s battery did what such batteries
famously do: went boom. Plumes of smoke vented from the robot’s exposed
torso, followed by a burst of flame. Fire filled the room, then
stabilized at the size of a toxic campfire. (10/27)
OneWeb in Talks With Japan’s SoftBank
About Potential Linkup (Source: Wall Street Journal)
OneWe, a satellite-internet startup whose backers include Airbus Group
SE and entrepreneur Richard Branson, is in talks with Japan’s SoftBank
Group Corp. about a potential strategic linkup, according to people
familiar with the matter.
No deal has been finalized, these people said, and OneWeb
representatives also have engaged in discussions with other possible
suitors. It isn’t clear whether SoftBank, a global internet and
telecommunications company with an interest in satellite technology, is
seeking to become a minority funder or to acquire a significant stake
in OneWeb. The talks haven’t been reported before.
They were initiated as part of OneWeb’s effort to raise roughly $500
million this fall to support its previously announced constellation of
some 640 small, low-Earth orbit satellites designed to deliver fast
broadband connections in rural and emerging markets. But as discussions
with SoftBank progressed, according to one person familiar with the
matter, the focus shifted to the possibility of a broader transaction.
(10/25)
Northrop Grumman Profit Rises 16.7
Percent (Source: Reuters)
U.S. weapons maker Northrop Grumman reported a 16.7 percent rise in
quarterly profit, partly helped by higher sales in its aerospace
systems business, which makes the center sections of the F-35 fighter
jets. The company's net earnings rose to $602 million in the third
quarter ended Sept. 30, from $516 million a year earlier. Total sales
rose 2.9 percent to $6.16 billion. (10/26)
Long-Awaited NASA Plum Brook Rocket
Tests Delayed (Source: Sandusky Register)
The relaunch process for NASA Plum Brook’s rocket testing chamber
backfired a bit. Space officials expected to reactivate the B-2
facility this fall with its first project occurring there in almost 20
years. But several complications pushed back the Morpheus vehicle
testing until January. The tests should take about six weeks to
complete. (10/28)
New, Detailed Photo Shows Crater
Created When Europe's Mars Lander Crashed (Source: Mashable)
A new image beamed home by NASA's powerful Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
(MRO) at the red planet shows that the European Space Agency's
Schiaparelli lander did indeed crash hard into the world during its
attempted landing on Oct. 19. The MRO took a photo of Schiaparelli last
week, revealing the site of the crater, but the new high-resolution
photo shows more of the details of the crash site and its surroundings.
(10/28)
China's Heavy Lift Rocket Readied for
First Mission (Source: Xinhua)
China has rolled out its new heavy-lift rocket for a launch next week.
The Long March 5 moved to its launch pad at the Wenchang Satellite
Launch Center on the island of Hainan Friday for a launch expected some
time next week. The Long March 5 is China's largest rocket yet
developed, with a payload capacity similar to the largest U.S. launch
vehicle currently in service, the Delta 4 Heavy. (10/28)
DynCorp May Soon Be On the Market
(Source: Washington Business Journal)
Citing three unnamed sources, Debtwire reported last month that DynCorp
International Inc. hired SunTrust to help advise it on a potential
sale. (10/27)
KSC Employees are NASA Proud
(Source: NASA)
NASA is known as a great place to work for several reasons. Hear real
employees share their personal motivations and stories about why they
are proud to work at NASA. Click here.
(10/24)
Satellites Activated to Assess
Earthquake Damage in Italy (Source: Thales)
In response to a request from Italian authorities, the European Union’s
Copernicus Emergency Management Services were immediately activated to
provide satellite-based damage assessment of the affected areas.
The powerful radars on the Sentinel-1 and COSMO-SkyMed satellites [both
built by Thales Alenia Space as prime contractor] provide a rapid
assessment of the impact on any region, as well as detailed images of
the specific areas where damage occurs. They both use synthetic
aperture radars (SAR) that can “see” through clouds day or night and in
any weather, and can measure ground movements to within a centimeter.
(10/28)
How DARPA's Space Surveillance
Telescope Works (Source: DARPA)
The innovative design of DARPA's Space Surveillance Telescope (SST)
allows for a short focal length, wide field of view, and a compact
optical train. The SST's mirrors are some of the steepest aspherical
curvatures ever to be polished and allow the telescope to have the
fastest optics of its aperture class. These features combine to provide
orders of magnitude improvements in deep space surveillance. Click here.
(10/27)
Article VI of the Outer Space Treaty
is not Self-Executing and Should Not be Treated as an Obstacle to
Private Space Activity (Source: Ground Based Space Matters)
There are many claims these days that a new regulatory regime needs to
be in place in order for a private entity to operate in outer space.
These claims should not be treated as correct to the extent that they
claim that private parties may not operate in outer space unless
authorized and continuously supervised. As noted in a previous post,
not all provisions of the Outer Space Treaty are self-executing, so
until Congress acts, those treaty provisions don’t bind private
operators. That logic applies to the treaty’s Article VI as well. Click
here.
(10/14)
SpaceX Ignored Harassment Of Welder,
Jury Told (Source: Law360)
Counsel for a woman accusing SpaceX of permitting sexual harassment
said Friday during closing arguments that the company ignored clear
signs of harassment and then refused to accommodate her psychological
disability caused by the harassment, while SpaceX countered that the
woman's claims are delusions spawned by a mental disorder. (10/28)
'We're Not Doing Our Job,' NASA Leader
Tells Alabama Rocket Engineers (Source: Huntsville Times)
"We are not doing our job," NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman told
a roomful of aerospace engineers in Huntsville. "I can put it clearly
on us." An aerospace engineer herself, Newman was speaking about the
hurdles the profession puts in front of women and minority students.
"We said, 'You have to be the best and brightest in calculus and math
and physics.' Well, how intimidating is that?" Newman asked. "No, no,
no. I say it's a different conversation. 'You want to find life in the
universe? You want to build rockets? Then, you're in.'" Instead of
filtering students out, Newman said government, academia and industry
today are looking for ways "to filter every single one of those young
folks in."
If young people see themselves helping solve the world's problems,
Newman said afterward, engineers should respond, "OK, well you know an
engineer does that, and here are the tools. You take your math, your
calculus and they're just tools. You need to be proficient, but you
don't need to be the best student in class at that. (10/27)
SES Records Video Growth
(Source: Broadband TV News)
Growth in the number of HD channels and the first contribution from RR
Media has helped SES increase the proportion of its revenues derived
from its video business. Reported video revenues of €1,026.8 million
contributed to a total of €1,490.1 million, in line with the prior
period. Profit for the first nine months of the year was €824 million.
Karim Michel Sabbagh, President and CEO said: “These results
demonstrate that SES’s differentiated strategy is enabling the return
to sustainable long-term growth, with third quarter revenue higher than
both the previous two quarters (same scope). The positive growth
dynamics in global video are accelerating and MX1 is already gaining
market traction, as demonstrated by the recent contract for global
distribution of the English Premier League.” (10/28)
Amazon May Not Be Bezos' Biggest
Accomplishment (Source: CNBC)
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos discussed his vision of making space travel more
affordable for the next generation of entrepreneurs. He plans to use
Blue Origin, his aerospace manufacturing company, to build reusable
rockets that use far less fuel, and effectively "lower the admission
price" of space and make it more accessible. He said when he started
Amazon, he didn't have to build any of the infrastructure because the
internet was already invented and there was an existing system for
delivery and payment.
Now, after benefiting from all the "infrastructure" that was laid
before he founded the e-commerce giant in 1994, he says it's his turn
to do the "heavy lifting." He envisions a future where all "heavy
industry" exists in space. This way, he says, we can both preserve the
planet and reap the benefits of outer space resources, like unlimited
solar energy.
"I believe it's incredibly important that we humans go out into space …
We need to do that to preserve the Earth," he said. "The engineering
challenge involved with building a highly profitable, reusable vehicle
is gigantic," he added. "But if you can do that, it's a game changer."
(10/27)
Russian Scientists Will Track Sea
Lions From Space (Source: Tass)
Researchers at the Kamchatka branch of the Pacific Institute of
Geography of Russia’s Science Academy’s Far East Department now have
the opportunity to monitor Steller sea lions that are on Russia’s Red
List of Threatened Species, from space, the Komandorsky Nature
Reserve’s Spokesman Alexei Veledinsky told TASS on Friday. The
researchers succeeded in installing five GPS tags on two full-grown sea
lionesses and three cubs on the national park’s territory. (10/28)
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