February 17, 2018

Stealthy Space Startup Testing its Rocket in Alameda, California (Source: KGO)
People around the Alameda Naval Air Station told us it was the sound of SKY7 overhead that made them look around and notice a strange sight. "I heard helicopters, and when I look behind me, I see a giant truck with a huge missile on it," said Madeleine Tonzi. A member of the team who spoke to us outside the former Navy building told us the startup is an aerospace research and development firm that employs about a hundred people in Alameda. Other than that, the company's not ready to say much more.

Though the company isn't saying much to the press, it's talking a lot with local officials. A lease application filed with the City of Alameda gives some clues about what's in the works: a rocket called Astra that the company claims is the world's smallest. The Astra rocket, which is made to carry only 100 kg, is aimed at launching the new generation of small satellites, the document says. (2/17)

How Does Space Change the Human Body? (Source: Astronomy)
Scott and Mark Kelly are identical twin brothers. Though that alone does not make them unique, what does is the fact that they are also both astronauts. In order to take advantage of the Kellys’ unique situation, NASA scientists decided to conduct a detailed study on the twins, aimed at unraveling how nature versus nurture plays out in space. Click here. (2/16)

Branson Hopes to Upstage Elon Musk in Space (Source: Parabolic Arc)
You might think that just getting something into space this year would be accomplishment enough for Branson, who founded Virgin Galactic way back in 1999. On the other hand, a game of one-upmanship with Musk is great publicity whatever the outcome.

It’s been more than a month since the seventh glide test of SpaceShipTwo Unity on Jan. 11. I’m expecting the first powered flight of this second vehicle fairly soon. Given what happened the last time, it’s going to be a very stressful thing to watch. Meanwhile, Virgin Orbit is moving along toward a flight test of LauncherOne around the third quarter of the year. The company recently tweeted about two launch campaign rehearsals it conducted in Mojave. (2/17)

Industry Groups Vie to Sponsor Reception During Space Council Meeting in Florida (Source: Washington Post)
Ahead of the second meeting of the White House’s National Space Council in Florida next week, a consortium of upstart entrepreneurial companies known as the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, which includes SpaceX, decided to host a reception for members of the council, who just happen to be some of the most powerful players in Washington. Headed by Vice President Pence, the policymaking council is made up of the secretaries of State, Commerce, Treasury, Transportation and Defense and other top government officials.

But when the groups representing some of the more traditional space contractors, such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin, caught wind of the party, they complained to the White House, which agreed that they, too, should host the reception. The ultimate party crash? More like “we wanted to make sure the entirety of the industry was represented to the council and not just a subset,” said one industry official. (2/17)

Falcon-9 Vandenberg Launch Delayed Until Wednesday (Source: Parabolic Arc)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California has been delayed until Wednesday, Feb. 21. The launch had been previously scheduled for Feb. 16 and Feb. 18. The primary payload is the Paz satellite for Hisdesat of Spain. The spacecraft will provide radar imaging as well as ship tracking and weather data. The flight will use a previously-flown first stage.

Elon Musk’s company will also launch two of its own satellites, Microsat-2a and Microsat-2b, that will demonstration technologies needed to provide global broadband services. The company plans to orbit 12,000 in two separate constellations for its Starlink broadband service. (2/17)

How the Private Space Industry Could Take Over Lower Earth Orbit — and Make Money (Source: The Verge)
The Trump administration wants to end direct NASA funding for the International Space Station by 2025 — but that doesn’t necessarily mean the US will stop sending people into orbit around Earth by then. Instead, NASA hopes to transition the domain of lower Earth orbit, where the space station resides, to the commercial space industry over the next seven years. But what would it take for private space companies to take over this area of space — and what exactly would they do up there? Click here. (2/16)

Bigelow to Launch New Spaceflight Company (Source: Business Insider)
Robert Bigelow, who made billions forming the hotel chain Budget Suites of America, is gearing up to launch a new spaceflight company called Bigelow Space Operations. Bigelow, age 72, already owns Bigelow Aerospace, which he founded in 1999. That company built an inflatable room, called the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), for NASA to attach to the International Space Station. BEAM launched into orbit and was fully deployed in 2016. Bigelow Aerospace has also reportedly helped conduct research on UFO sightings for a secretive Pentagon program.

The hotel mogul now plans "to announce the creation of a new company: Bigelow Space Operations" on Tuesday, according to an email sent to Business Insider. Bigelow Aerospace representatives did not immediately respond to further questions about the announcement. However, according to a recent tweet from Bigelow Aerospace, the new venture may have more to do with finding new uses for the spacecraft that company has already been developing. (2/17)

CASIS Announces Leadership Change (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) has announced that President and Executive Director Gregory H. Johnson plans to leave the nonprofit organization effective March 10, 2018, after serving in that position for nearly five years.

Johnson was named to the position in August 2013 with a mission to lead a diverse team of professionals in the unprecedented challenge to establish a national laboratory in space, the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory, and to foster the growth of a community of users and facilities on the lab for Earth benefit.

A national search for a new executive director will begin immediately. Upon Johnson’s departure, CASIS Chairman of the Board of Directors Lt. General (Ret) James A. Abrahamson will resign from the board and will serve as the interim president and executive director until a permanent replacement is appointed. The chairmanship of the board will be assumed by the Vice-Chairman and Chair-Elect Phillip Schein, M.D. (2/16)

Fake Research Paper Based on Star Trek: Voyager's Worst Episode Published by a Scientific Journal (Source: io9)
“Threshold” is one of the most infamous Star Trek episodes ever. You know what’ we’re talking about—the one with Warp 10 and the weird evolved amphibians. Well, it was also the recent subject of a fake scientific research paper submitted in a test to expose the ever-growing problem of “predatory” scientific journals.

An anonymous biologist looking to expose how easy it was to get fake news into supposedly peer-reviewed scientific journals—inspired by a recent attempt that got a paper about Star Wars’ midi-chlorians published in three different journals—recently submitted a paper titled “Rapid Genetic and Developmental Morphological Change Following Extreme Celerity.” The author was listed as “Doctor Lewis Zimmerman,” which is actually the name of the holoengineer that programmed Voyager’s Emergency Medical Hologram.

The paper was essentially a recap of the events of “Threshold,” the godawful season two episode in which Voyager’s helmsman Tom Paris attempts to break the theoretical “Warp 10” speed barrier, something never done in Trek’s universe. Turns out, it’s for good reason, because apparently when you do reach the “extreme celerity” of Warp 10, you turn into a weird amphibian-person, capture your captain, evolve them into a weird amphibian-person, and then fully evolve into actual space salamanders and mate with each other. (2/16)

Under New Ownership, Sea Launch to Resume in 2019, With Zenit Rockets, From U.S. (Source: Tass)
A Zenit rocket may be manufactured for the first launch under the restarted Sea Launch project in 2019, co-owner of S7 Group Natalia Filyova said. S7 signed a contract with Sea Launch Group in 2016 on the project’s acquisition. Ukraine’s Yuzhmash, the producer of Zenit launchers, earlier reported it would deliver the first two rockets for the Sea Launch project in 2018. She added that the carrier rocket was being produced by Ukraine with Russia’s assistance while the rocket’s final assembly would take place in the United States.

S7 will not give up Ukrainian-made Zenit rocket rockets for Sea Launch until Russia’s Energiya Rocket and Space produces a new launch vehicle for the project. The company plans to sign a memorandum with Energiya Rocket and Space Corporation for the manufacture of 85 Soyuz-5 rockets (50 plus an option for 35) for launches from the floating sea platform. The Ukrainian side was contracted to deliver 12 Zenit rockets by 2022. (2/16)

Spaceport America Gets Support in New Mexico Legislature (Source: Albuquerque Journal)
It was a good legislative session for Spaceport America, the launch site that might one day propel tourists into space. The agency won new confidentiality protections for its aerospace customers in the last hours of the 30-day session, though lawmakers made significant changes to the bill to narrow what can be kept secret. The Spaceport itself is also in line for some extra money in next year’s budget.

It’s a turnaround from past years, when some lawmakers slammed the $220 million Spaceport as a poor investment for taxpayers or floated the idea of selling it. Legislators on Thursday credited the Spaceport’s new executive director, Dan Hicks, for giving them the confidence to make the agency a priority this year. Hicks, a longtime executive at the nearby White Sands Missile Range, took over the Spaceport in late 2016.

“It’s an asset that’s been underutilized,” said Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, a Gallup Democrat and chairwoman of the House appropriations committee. “It’s a better investment now.” The budget proposal sent to Gov. Susana Martinez includes about $10 million to build a new hangar at the Spaceport in addition to an increased operating budget to pay for engineers and other staff. (2/16)

Spacewalkers Repairing ISS Robotic Arm Again (Source: AP)
Astronauts have started a spacewalk outside the International Space Station to complete repairs of its robotic arm. Mark Vande Hei and Norishige Kanai started the planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk at 7:00 a.m. Eastern. The two will wrap up work to replace a latching end effector, or "hand," on the Canadarm2 robotic arm carried out during a spacewalk last month. The spacewalk was previously planned for Thursday but delayed a day by the rescheduled Progress cargo spacecraft docking, which took place Thursday. (2/16)

Air Force Plans Small Launcher Procurement (Source: Space News)
The Air Force's budget proposal includes a program to purchase small launch services. The "small launch" program expects to spend nearly $200 million over five years to acquire launch services from companies like Stratolaunch and Virgin Orbit. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said the goal is to "have a variety of launch capabilities in order to have assured access to space." (2/16)

Robonaut is Broken on ISS. Will Return to Earth (Source: IEEE Spectrum)
NASA plans to bring Robonaut 2, its malfunctioning robot on the ISS, back to Earth for repairs. The humanoid robot has not been working normally on the station since work in 2014 to add legs to the unit. Engineers believe the robot is suffering from electrical problems that are degrading some of its electronics. NASA plans to ship Robonaut back to Earth on an upcoming cargo mission, where it will be either repaired or replaced with another unit.(2/15)

Trump's Privatized ISS 'Not Impossible,' But Would Require 'Renegotiation' (Source: Space Daily)
The White House reportedly plans to request $150 million "to enable the development and maturation of commercial entities and capabilities, which will ensure that commercial successors to the station are operational when they are needed." The ISS costs up to $4 billion a year and the US government has already spent nearly $100 billion over more than a decade to keep it up and running.

A proper reaction to Trump's statement should be based on a precise understanding of the word "privatization." The ISS has been built based on a number of international treaties and one cannot simply dodge these agreements, let alone attempt to privatize the whole station. If a private contractor is to take over the US-owned parts of the ISS, this would be a "fundamental change" that "would at least require renegotiation of the space station agreement," says von der Dunk. (2/16)

Kepler Data Reveals 95 New Exoplanets (Source: Space.com)
Astronomers analyzing data from NASA's Kepler spacecraft have identified 95 new exoplanets. Scientists used data from Kepler's extended mission, known as K2, to find planets ranging in size from smaller than the Earth to larger than Jupiter. The discoveries bring the total number of exoplanets found by Kepler to nearly 2,440, about two thirds of all exoplanets discovered to date. (2/16)

Boeing CEO: Elon Musk and SpaceX are 'Adding Energy to the Space Market' (Source: CNBC)
Boeing is undeterred by all the buzz around SpaceX and its founder Elon Musk, which launched its Falcon Heavy rocket into history last week. "They're adding energy to the space market and we like the attention that that's generating," said Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg. "I think it's good for the country."

"We are building the first rocket to Mars, and, as I told you, it's about 36 stories tall," Muilenburg said. "It's first test flight is in 2019... I firmly believe that the first person that gets to Mars is going to get there on a Boeing rocket." Development for both Falcon Heavy and SLS began about seven years ago. But, while Falcon Heavy roared to life on Feb. 7 at Kennedy Space Center, the first flight for SLS slipped to 2020. (2/16)

Air Force and Aerojet Rocketdyne Renegotiating AR1 Agreement (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Air Force and Aerojet Rocketdyne are working to revise an agreement to support development of the company’s AR1 rocket engine, as questions continue about the engine’s long-term future. The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) confirmed that Aerojet Rocketdyne is seeking to revise the Rocket Propulsion System (RPS) award the company received in 2016 to reduce the fraction of development costs the company has to pay.

That award, known as an other transaction authority (OTA), currently requires Aerojet Rocketdyne to cover one third of the costs of work on the AR1 engine. In the company’s latest quarterly filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Nov. 2, it said it had spent $86.1 million on AR1 research and development, out of total costs incurred to date of $236.6 million.

“Aerojet Rocketdyne has approached the Air Force about reducing the industry cost share on the AR1 RPS OTA from 1/3 to 1/6,” SMC said in its response. “The Air Force has gained the necessary approvals to do so, if a mutually beneficial arrangement can be reached with Aerojet Rocketdyne. (2/16)

140 Successful Tests for Vinci, the [Government Funded] Engine for Ariane 6 (Source: Space Daily)
The re-ignitable Vinci, engine, which will power the upper stage of the Ariane 6 launcher, has now successfully completed its last two subsystems qualification campaigns (M6 and M7) with 140 engine tests conducted. The tests in campaigns M6 and M7, vital for qualification of the engine subsystems, were carried out on the PF52 bench at the ArianeGroup site in Vernon, France, and on the German Aerospace Center DLR's P4.1 bench in Lampoldshausen, Germany.

The Vinci engine was developed by ArianeGroup for Ariane 6 and provides the future European launcher with extreme versatility. Its main feature is its multiple ignition capability: Vinci will be able to re-ignite in flight as many times as necessary, in order to place several payloads in orbit at different locations, according to the specific needs of the mission. This engine will enable Ariane 6 to carry out all types of missions, regardless of duration and target orbit, particularly the deployment of satellite constellations, for which demand will continue to grow. (2/16)

Amateur Astronauts Flock to Starfighters Aerospace as Space Travel Becomes Reality (Source: Observer)
As NASA and its commercial partners are preparing to soon support the first crewed missions to take flight from Florida since 2011, private companies like the Starfighters are anticipating that a new wave of public interest in spaceflight will follow. Originally an aerobatic airshow team with over 500 performances under their belt, the Starfighters are lobbying to become the first certified astronaut training fleet endorsed by NASA to prepare both private pilot and non-pilot citizens for the rigors of space travel. Click here. (2/15) 

A Disruptor-in-Chief is Driving Japan's Space Dream (Source: Nikkei)
Takafumi Horie, the maverick internet entrepreneur, is hoping to transform Japan's space industry. Interstellar Technologies, which Horie founded in 2013 but has its origins in 2006 in one of his previous enterprises, plans to launch a rocket this spring, aiming to be the first Japanese company to privately reach space. The 45-year-old disruptor-in-chief envisages a future in which Japan is a space-industry powerhouse, competing with the U.S. in a race that will be driven by private companies rather than governments. It will be a daunting task. Click here. (2/16)

Five Years after the Chelyabinsk Meteor: NASA Leads Efforts in Planetary Defense (Source: NASA)
NASA’s Near Earth Object (NEO) Observations Program has been growing in response to increased awareness of asteroid impact risks. The program focuses on finding asteroids 460 feet (140 meters) and larger that represent the most severe impact risks to Earth. The goal of the program is to find at least 90 percent of these asteroids early enough to allow deflection or other preparations for impact mitigation. By January 2018, discovery of near-Earth objects of all sizes had surpassed the 17,500 mark – an 84 percent increase since January 2013.

“Thanks to upgraded telescopes coming online in recent years, the rate of asteroid discovery has increased considerably,” said Kelly Fast, manager of NASA’s NEO Observations Program. “Over 8,000 of these larger asteroids are now being tracked. However, there are over twice that number still out there to be found.”

In January 2016, NASA established a Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), tasked with ensuring the early detection of potentially hazardous objects – asteroids and comets whose orbits can bring them within about 5 million miles (8 million kilometers) of Earth, and of a size large enough to reach Earth’s surface.  PDCO is responsible for tracking and characterizing any potentially hazardous objects, issuing warnings about potential impacts, and providing timely and accurate communications about any actual impact threat while leading the coordination of U.S. Government planning for a response. (2/15)

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