July 17, 2018

UK Investment Inspires Smallsat Developers (Source: Space News)
Companies developing small satellites see the British government's decision to develop a spaceport as another endorsement for the burgeoning field. Smallsat developers at the Farnborough International Airshow said that access to space remains a major hurdle for developing constellations of such spacecraft, and that additional launch sites and launch providers will provide both more routine access and lower prices. "We will have choices and prices will come down," said an executive with Gomspace, a Danish smallsat company that announced a contract Monday to provide 10 satellites to a Spanish firm. (7/16)

Maxar to Acquire Neptec (Source: Space News)
Maxar announced Monday it will acquire Canadian space technology company Neptec Design Group Ltd. for $32 million. Neptec makes sensors and electro-mechanical systems for various space applications, including the International Space Station and ESA's upcoming ExoMars rover. Maxar said it sees applications for Neptec's technology for its on-orbit servicing plans as well as NASA's proposed Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway. Neptec will be folded into Maxar's Canadian-based MDA business. (7/16)

Virgin Orbit Signs Deal for UK Launches (Source: Space News)
Virgin Orbit said it signed an agreement for launches from the U.K. to both serve customer needs and bolster the country's space industry. Virgin Orbit formally signed an agreement Monday with officials from Cornwall to study performing LauncherOne missions from Spaceport Cornwall, aka Cornwall Airport Newquay. Patrick McCall, managing director of Virgin Group and chairman of the board of Virgin Orbit, said the company was attracted to the Cornwall site because of customer demand, but also because of a desire to help encourage growth in the U.K. space industry. The company said that it needs to first obtain export control approvals from the U.S. government before beginning detailed discussions with U.K. regulators. (7/16)

Passed-Over UK Site to Continue Spaceport Quest (Source: Shetland News)
A site passed over for a British spaceport said it's pressing ahead with its plans. Unst, in the Shetland Islands, failed to win funding from the British government in its announcements earlier this week. The director of the Shetland Space Centre said there is a "tremendous amount of interest" in developing a vertical launch site in Unst, citing an upcoming visit from an unnamed "global aerospace and defense company." (7/16)

SLS Core Stage Making Progress (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Development of the first core stage of the Space Launch System is making progress, albeit more slowly than previously planned. Boeing, the core-stage prime contractor, recently completed the liquid-oxygen tank of the stage and will be joined with other elements that make up the upper part of the stage. Work on the core stage suffered a setback earlier this year because of paraffin wax contamination in tubing in the stage's engine section, and Boeing has been working to inspect and either clean or replace affected tubing. One recent estimate said that the core stage is about five months behind the current schedule that calls for it to be completed this December. (7/16)

Huntsville Plans Year-Long 50th Anniversary Celebration for Apollo 11 (Source: WHNT)
The 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission is still a year away, but one city is already preparing celebrations of it. Huntsville, Alabama, is planning a year-long commemoration of the anniversary, with the highlight being events around July 16, the date of the launch of the mission on the Saturn 5 rocket developed at the city's Marshall Space Flight Center. The U.S. Space and Rocket Center in the city has a goal of hosting one million visitors next year, in part because of the anniversary. (7/16)

Self-Defense in Space: Protecting Russian Spacecraft from ASAT Attacks (Source: Space Review)
Not only did the Soviet Union develop anti-satellite weapons during the Cold War, it investigated ways to protect its own satellites from ASAT attacks. Bart Hendrickx describes that work and new Russian efforts to develop similar technologies. Click here. (7/16)
 
When Will Commercial Crew Launch? (Source: Space Review)
It’s a simple question, but one seemingly difficult to answer: when will Boeing and SpaceX launch their commercial crew vehicles on their planned test flights? Jeff Foust reports that, as scheduled dates for the first test flights approaches, more delays are expected, although then those new dates will be announced is as uncertain as what that new schedule will be. Click here. (7/16)
 
An Alternative Proposal for a Revolution in Hypersonics and Space (Source: Space Review)
In a recent Aviation Week op-ed, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called on renewed focus on hypersonics for space and other applications. In the first of a two-part response, Mike Snead argues that Gingrich’s solution suffers from a number of problems. Click here. (7/16)
 
NASA’s Dilemma: Governments Don’t Do Innovation (Source: Space Review)
Critics of NASA’s Space Launch System note that SpaceX developed the Falcon 9 far more rapidly and at a far lower cost. John Hollaway turns to a couple of books, including one historical account, to offer other lessons about the differences between government and private-sector innovation. Click here. (7/16)