March 16, 2018

Kanematsu Partners with Vector to Market Launches in Asia (Source: Vector)
On the heels of its strategic investment in Vector made in January 2017, Kanematsu Corporation ("KG") has entered into an exclusive representative agreement with Vector, a nanosatellite launch company, to sell its products and services in Japan and three Asian countries including India, Thailand and South Korea. Based on the execution of this representative agreement, KG will provide customers with services stimulating demand for micro-satellite launch throughout Asia. (3/14)

Why Would We Need a U.S. Space Force, Anyway? (Source: Popular Mechanics)
The Air Force, which runs most of America's space-related defense activities, is strongly opposed to the Space Force. “When I was head of STRATCOM I thought I was commanding the U.S. space forces,” said USAF Gen. Robert Kehler (ret.). Like many who come from USAF, he's lukewarm on the idea of a Space Force. (The Secretary of the Air Force sidestepped questions about Trump in a separate meeting yesterday.) But he reiterated to the committee that the U.S. military must change its mindset about space.

American forces must “gain and maintain space superiority” as a condition for fighting, he said. This echoes the way the USAF first gains control of the airspace above before engaging in a ground campaign. One reason that superiority may erode is that disparate space-related efforts are scattered across the Army, Air Force, and Navy, not to mention intelligence officers, National Reconnaissance Office and Space and Missile Systems Center.

Doug Loverro, a former DoD Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, noted that fighting in space is different than fighting anywhere else, in the same way that the Navy prepares for unique combat at sea. “We lack that focus for space, one of our five main warfighting domains,” he said. (3/14)

The Military Race for Space Will Turn on the Ability to Choose Commercial Services (Source: Defense One)
Like a befuddled consumer facing an entire aisle of jams and jellies, the Pentagon can’t figure out how to buy smart in an exploding market. The Pentagon’s drive to better harness orbital capabilities for missile defense, desert firefights, and everything in between is running “headlong into an acquisition process that doesn’t allow you to get there until the late 2020s,” said retired Gen. Robert Kehler. (3/14)

How The International Space Station Could Operate Commercially (Source: IBD)
Boeing envisions commercial developments in the biotech and fiber-optic industries helping fund the International Space Station after government funding runs out for the orbiting laboratory. Operating costs for the ISS have been estimated at $3 billion-$4 billion a year, with the bulk coming from the U.S. government. Boeing has a contract with NASA to operate and maintain the ISS, which is also used by more than a dozen other countries.

But under President Trump's 2019 budget request, federal ISS outlays will end in 2025 as the administration pushes NASA to shift resources toward a moon base. John Vollmer, Boeing's ISS chief engineer, has been on the program since its inception and told IBD recently that a public-private partnership might be the answer for the future of the space station, which has been in service for 20 years.

"Ultimately, the government is trying to reduce the cost so they can spend more money on deep space," he said in an interview at Boeing's facility near NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. "We understand that and support that. What we need to do ... is look at those technologies that are mature enough to become commercialized" to fund the station. Editor's Note: ...And we must look at those processes that are mature enough to privatize. (3/14)

UK Spaceport Would Bring Opportunities for Britain (Source: Sky News)
Dreams of a spaceport for Britain will be a step closer to reality with new laws to cash in on the commercial opportunities of outer space. The Space Industry Bill, due to be given Royal Assent later, will enable launches from UK spaceports to help British companies enjoy quicker and cheaper access to outer space.

Currently, satellites must be launched into orbit from spaceports abroad, exposing British firms to substantial cost, delay and bureaucracy. The legislation aims to present new opportunities in the commercial space race, increasing Britain's share of the global space economy from 6.5% to 10% by 2030. (3/15)

Scott Kelly’s Medical Monitoring has Spawned Some Horrible Press Coverage (Source: Ars Technica)
Something very strange happened in the world of science news this week. A month-and-a-half-old press release, which reiterated news that was released in 2017, suddenly spawned a flurry of coverage. To make matters worse, a lot of that coverage repeated claims that range from biologically nonsensical to impossible. So if you've seen any mention of astronaut Scott Kelly's DNA this week, it's probably best if you immediately forget anything you read about it.

But there's quite a bit more to it than that. First and foremost, the Kelly twins' DNA is not identical. Every time a cell divides, it typically picks up a mutation or two. Further mutations happen simply because of the stresses of life, which expose us all to some radiation and DNA-damaging chemicals, no matter how careful we are about diet and sunscreen. Over the years, the Kelly twins' cells have undoubtedly picked up collections of distinctive mutations.

As a result, the more relevant comparison (and one NASA did) is Scott's DNA before and after his time in space. That can tell us how many changes were picked up while in space. But as noted above, he had probably pick up some mutations even if he sat here on Earth. (3/15)

Orbital Adding Hundreds in Arizona as Part of Large $200 Million Rocket Push (Source: Phoenix Business Journal)
Orbital ATK’s presence in Arizona continues to grow as it plans to hire 350 high-paying positions within the next year and a half while it prepares to build the largest rocket yet in Arizona. After becoming experts in building small- and medium-class rockets, the company now is moving into the heavyweight arena, and Arizona is a big part of that progression, said Mike Laidley, vice president for next generation launch system, based in Chandler. (3/15)

Space Florida's DiBello Forecasting Thousands of Launches in Future Years (Source: Florida Politics)
The market for private space launches is heading toward 800 to 1,000 launches a year of satellites and other space hardware; the Florida Spaceport at Cape Canaveral needs to be positioned to host as much of that business as possible, Space Florida President Frank DiBello told his board Wednesday.

“We’re not going to be able to capture all of that [business] at Florida Spaceport but we sure are going to try,” DiBello said. His prediction came in his quarterly briefing of the Space Florida board that controls Florida’s investments into the state-chartered corporation that runs private spaceport facilities at and around Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and promotes the space industry in Florida. (3/14)

Georgia Spaceport Could Trigger 12 Cumberland Island Evacuations a Year (Source: Savannah Morning News)
Portions of Cumberland Island National Seashore could be evacuated a dozen times a year to accommodate rocket launches from a proposed commercial spaceport less than ten miles away on the mainland, according to a draft environmental impact statement the Federal Aviation Administration released last week.

The more than 400-page document evaluates the impacts of construction and operation of the proposed launch facility at the selected brownfield site. The FAA tapped Virginia-based consultants Leidos to produce the review, for which project sponsor Camden County is paying more than $700,000.

“Launches from the launch site would be generally to the east, resulting in launch closure and hazard areas that could include portions of Cumberland Island and Little Cumberland Island,” the document states. Closures could last up to 12 hours on each launch day and up to three hours in a smaller area that does not include the islands for each test and rehearsal. All told, launches, tests and rehearsals are estimated to take place up to 36 times a year. (3/14)

A Revered Rocket Scientist Set In Motion China’s Mass Surveillance of its Citizens (Source: Science)
It's rare that a scientist becomes a folk hero. But in China, Qian Xuesen draws crowds almost a decade after his death. On a Saturday morning in a three-story museum here, tourists admire Qian's faded green sofa set, the worn leather briefcase he carried for 4 decades, and a picture of him shaking hands with opera star Luciano Pavarotti. Click here. (3/15)