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)
No comments:
Post a Comment