May 21, 2018

ARCA Space Founder Taken Into Custody by Homeland Security (Source: Parabolic Arc)
After having fraud charges dropped against him in New Mexico, ARCA Space Founder Dumitru Popescu has more legal woes. Dumitru was taken into custody by the Department of Homeland Security this morning, without warning. When Dumitru was arrested in October of last year, The DHS cancelled his business visa, and provided him with a temporary visa, allowing him to stay until his case ended.

Despite all charges against Dumitru being dismissed and Dumitru’s immediate efforts to restore his legal status in the US, he was taken into custody before he had a chance to do so. The DHS agent in charge of Dumitru is also denying Dumitru the right to speak to his immigration attorney, telling Dumitru something to the effect of “You don’t have this right, because you don’t exist.” Dumitru was also told he will be held at a detention center for around 2 weeks before being deported.

Dumitru also suffers from a life-threatening medical condition that requires medication, and the last time he was taken into custody, he was denied medication for 5 days, leaving him in extremely poor condition. (5/21)

Ariane Chief Seems Frustrated with SpaceX for Driving Down Launch Prices (Source: Ars Technica)
The France-based Ariane Group is the primary contractor for the Ariane 5 launch vehicle, and it has also begun developing the Ariane 6 rocket. The firm has a reliable record but it also faces an uncertain future in an increasingly competitive launch market. Like Russia and ULA, the Ariane Group faces pricing pressure from SpaceX, which offers launch prices as low as $62 million for its Falcon 9 rocket. It has specifically developed the Ariane 6 rocket to compete with the Falcon 9 booster.

The chief executive of Ariane Group, Alain Charmeau, expressed frustration with SpaceX and attributed its success to subsidized launches for the US government. When pressed on the price pressure that SpaceX has introduced into the launch market, Charmeau's central argument is that this has only been possible because, "SpaceX is charging the US government 100 million per launch, but launches for European customers are much cheaper." Essentially, he says, launches for the US military and NASA are subsidizing SpaceX's commercial launch business.

This may be so, but the prices that SpaceX has offered to the US Department of Defense for spy satellites and cargo and crew launches for NASA are below those of what other launch companies charge. And while $100 million or more for a military launch is significantly higher than a $62 million commercial launch, government contracts come with extra restrictions, reviews, and requirements that drive up this price. (5/21)

Pentagon Considers Space Based Tracking for Hypersonic Weapons (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon is considering development of space-based missile tracking satellites to deal with the threat of hypersonic weapons. The Trump administration is expected to seek funds in 2020 to begin work on a constellation of missile-watching sensors that could fill gaps in tracking of hypersonic cruise missiles reportedly being developed by Russia and China. The concept has a number of proponents in the Pentagon, including the heads of the Missile Defense Agency and Strategic Command, as well as Mike Griffin, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering. (5/21)

Orbital ATK Launches Cargo to ISS From Virginia Spaceport (Source: Space News)
An Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station after a successful launch early this morning. An Antares rocket lifted off from Wallops Island, Virginia, at 4:44 a.m. Eastern and placed the Cygnus into orbit less than 10 minutes later. The launch was delayed a day because of weather. The Cygnus, scheduled to arrive at the ISS early Thursday, is carrying more than 3,300 kilograms of hardware, experiments and supplies for the station. (5/21)

China Launches Lunar Data Relay Satellite (Source: GB Times)
China launched a relay satellite for its upcoming lunar lander mission Sunday. The Long March 4C rocket carrying the Queqiao satellite took off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 5:28 p.m. Eastern. The spacecraft is bound for the Earth-moon L-2 Lagrange point, where it will serve as a communications relay for the Chang'e-4 mission. That mission will be the first to attempt a landing on the lunar farside, which is out of direct contact with Earth. Chang'e-4 is scheduled for launch late this year. (5/21)

Martian Deadlines (Source: Space Review)
Can setting a specific date as a goal for a human Mars mission provide the impetus to make it happen? Jeff Foust examines some perspectives on the issue based on discussion at a recent conference. Click here. (5/21)
 
Sheriff Elon Musk? Who Will Govern Human Space Habitats, And How? (Source: Space Review)
If humans are going to live and work in space, they will need governance models that could differ from how things work on Earth.  Eytan Tepper argues that research needs to begin now on what paradigms for space governance would work best for future settlements beyond Earth. Click here. (5/21)
 
WFIRST’s Second Chance (Source: Space Review)
NASA’s 2019 budget request proposed cancelling WFIRST, the next large astrophysics mission after the James Webb Space Telescope. Jeff Foust reports that things are looking up for the mission, even if it is not out of the woods yet. Click here. (5/21)