July 16, 2018

Florida Tech’s Perez Awarded $750,000 for Solar Research (Source: Florida Tech)
Jean Carlos Perez, an assistant professor of physics and space sciences, has been awarded a five-year, nearly $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s prestigious CAREER program. The NSF initiative, known fully as the Faculty Early Career Development Program, is among the agency’s most competitive awards. It is given annually to just a handful of early-career faculty “who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization,” according to the NSF.

The grant will fund Perez’s work on the theoretical understanding of solar wind turbulence near the Sun, a topic that will be in the spotlight soon with the Parker Solar Probe mission to be launched from Kennedy Space Center in August. His work involves understanding the role plasma turbulence has in the heating of the solar corona, which is the 12,000-mile-high ring of superhot plasma that comprises the upper solar atmosphere. (7/16)

Solid Rocket Motor Test Proves New Component for Vega and Ariane-6 Rockets (Source: ESA)
Today's hot firing of the P120C solid-propellant motor at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana proves its flight-worthiness for use on Vega-C next year and on Ariane 6 from 2020. This marks an important milestone in the development schedule of Europe’s new-generation launchers, designed to boost our autonomy in the space arena, and maintain Europe’s global competitiveness.

The test lasted 135 seconds simulating the complete burn time from liftoff and through the first phase of flight. No anomalies were seen and the performance met expectations, though full analysis will take several months. The P120C is 13.5 m long and 3.4 m in diameter and is made using a carbon composite material and built in one segment. It will replace the current P80 as the first stage motor of Vega-C. Two or four P120Cs will be strapped onto Ariane 6 as boosters for liftoff. (7/16)

Airbus Partners with DB Schenker for Alabama Aircraft Assembly Logistics (Source: Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor)
Airbus and DB Schenker have partnered to develop a logistics plan to use waterways to transport components to the Airbus A320 final assembly line in Mobile, Ala. The plan reduces the use of roads for transport. Using a new roll-on/roll-off terminal, its barge, and a newly-dredged section of river, Airbus can use larger vessels to transfer components by water. Larger ocean going vessels are now being used for the international transport of four complete “ship sets” per month. The new logistics plan includes a refurbished pier at the production plant and construction of a new hangar. Airbus first used the new logistics setup for a shipment in May. Editor's Note: This Mobile-based Airbus operation is supported by workers and suppliers in nearby northwest Florida. (7/14)

Hawaii Telescopes Help Unravel Long-Standing Cosmic Mystery (Source: Space Daily)
Astronomers and physicists around the world, including in Hawaii, have begun to unravel a long-standing cosmic mystery. Using a vast array of telescopes in space and on Earth, they have identified a source of cosmic rays--highly energetic particles that continuously rain down on Earth from space.

In a paper published this week in the journal Science, scientists have, for the first time, provided evidence for a known blazar, designated TXS 0506+056, as a source of high-energy neutrinos. At 8:54 p.m. on September 22, 2017, the National Science Foundation-supported IceCube neutrino observatory at the South Pole detected a high energy neutrino from a direction near the constellation Orion. Just 44 seconds later an alert went out to the entire astronomical community. (7/16)

Scotland Site Picked for UK Spaceport (Source: Space News)
The British government announced plans Sunday to develop a new launch site in northern Scotland. The U.K. Space Agency said it will provide $3.3 million to Highlands and Islands Enterprise to begin development of a vertical launch site in Sutherland, on the northern coast of Scotland. That spaceport could start hosting launches in the early 2020s. The agency also announced it will create a separate fund to support development of horizontal launch sites that had previously been the focus of Britain's spaceport efforts. One of those sites, Cornwall Airport Newquay, announced an agreement with Virgin Orbit that could lead to LauncherOne flights from that airport as soon as 2021. (7/15)

Launch Vehicle Funded for UK Spaceport (Source: Space News)
Lockheed Martin and Orbex have received funding from the U.K. to use the Scotland spaceport. The U.K. Space Agency announced Monday morning that Lockheed will receive $31 million to establish launch operations from the spaceport and to develop a British-manufactured upper stage for it. That launch vehicle is believed to be the Electron from Rocket Lab, a company Lockheed Martin made a strategic investment in three years ago. Orbex, a British-based startup working on a small launch vehicle called Prime, received $7 million to support plans to launch from the spaceport. Orbex separately announced a $40 million funding round Monday, which includes the space agency and other government funding as well as from two European venture capital funds. (7/15)

Farnborough Focuses on Space (Source: Space News)
The economics benefits of space will be one of the major themes of this week's Farnborough International Airshow. The event, best known for aviation activities, features a "SpaceZone" with government and company exhibitors, as both British and European governments emphasize the economic benefits of space. At the same time, the British government and British companies will be addressing the impacts that Brexit will have on the country's space industry, while emphasizing new commercial opportunities with the U.S. Editor's Note: Florida once again is sponsoring a large pavilion at Farnborough, featuring Florida aerospace companies and products. (7/15)

Gogo May Split (Source: Space News)
In-flight connectivity provider Gogo is weighing splitting the company. Gogo, struggling to make money, could split its successful business aviation unit from its more troubled commercial aviation unit, company CEO Oakleigh Thorne said Friday, citing "a number of strategic inquiries from financial and strategic acquirers." The company is laying off 55 people and seeks to cut its workforce by 30 percent by 2020. Gogo is a major customer of satellite capacity, leasing from Intelsat and SES among other operators, but company officials said they were confident that downward trends in satellite pricing would continue. (7/15)

Cygnus Departs Space Station (Source: Spaceflight Now)
A Cygnus cargo spacecraft departed from the International Space Station early Sunday. The Cygnus was unberthed by the station's robotic arm and released at 8:37 a.m. Eastern, more than a month and a half after its arrival. The spacecraft will remain in orbit until July 30, releasing several cubesats and performing additional tests before its destructive reentry. The next launch of a Cygnus spacecraft by Northrop Grumman is planned for late this year. (7/15)

U.S. Considers Quantum Comm Tech for Defense Satellites (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon is studying space-related applications for quantum computing. The Air Force Research Laboratory said that quantum computing could be a "very disruptive technology," enabling unhackable satellite communications as well as inertial navigation in areas where GPS is not available. Officials also expressed concern that the U.S. could be faling behind other nations, notably China, in space-related quantum computing applications. (7/15)

India Updates Engine for PSLV (Source: PTI)
India has successfully tested an updated version of an engine used on its launch vehicles. The "high-thrust" version of the Vikas engine performed a 195-second static fire test Sunday at a field center of the Indian space agency ISRO. The Vikas is used on the second stage of of PSLV rocket, the second stage and strap-on boosters of the GSLV, and the core stage of the GSLV Mark 3. ISRO didn't quantify the performance increase the new version of the Vikas would provide those vehicles, or when it would enter service. (7/15)

Blue Origin Denies Price is Set for Suborbital Rides (Source: GeekWire)
Contrary to a recent report, Blue Origin says it has not "seriously discussed" ticket prices for New Shepard suborbital flights. A report by Reuters last week claimed that Blue Origin was planning to charge between $200,000 and $300,000 a ticket for those flights, but a company spokesman said the company has made no specific plans for what it will charge for those flights. The company has yet to start selling tickets, and the spokesman said that will happen "sometime after our first human flights." A company executive said last month that ticket sales would begin next year. (7/15)