September 17, 2018

NASA’s New Space Taxis (Source: Air & Space)
As early as next year, the world’s first private, crewed spaceship will take off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport and head for the International Space Station. But independence from Russian launch schedules is not the only thing Americans will have to celebrate. With the first launch in its Commercial Crew Program, NASA is trying something new: opening space exploration to private corporations and astronauts.

As long as their spaceships meet NASA requirements, the companies have had free rein to design and manufacture them however they want, within a fixed government budget. Critically, Boeing and SpaceX will own and operate their spacecraft themselves, free to sell flights to other countries, companies, and even individuals. Although the spacecraft will fly on proven rockets—a United Launch Alliance Atlas V for Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and an in-house Falcon 9 for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon—virtually everything else about the two capsules is brand new. Click here. (9/17)

IAI Sees Multiple Missions for Google Lunar Lander (Source: Space News)
The Israeli company building a lunar lander for a former Google Lunar X Prize team sees opportunities for doing similar spacecraft in the future. IAI is wrapping up work on the SpaceIL lunar lander, scheduled to launch around the end of this year as a secondary payload on a Falcon 9. The lander was originally intended as a one-off mission as part of an effort to stimulate interest in science and engineering in Israel. However, IAI says it now sees "some business in going to the moon" using versions of that lander for other, unidentified customers. (9/17)

French Space Agency Offers Venture Capital (Source: Space News)
The French space agency CNES is setting up its own venture fund. CNES plans to raise up to $116 million for its CosmiCapital fund to invest in companies working in space and related applications in France. CNES says more than 150 companies have already applied for CosmiCapital funding, and plans to invest in four to five companies a year. (9/17)

Spike in Commsat Demand Anticipated (Source: Space News)
Satellite communications providers are planning for a spike in demand. Those efforts include forming partnerships, making acquisitions and developing new business models in anticipation that LEO broadband constellations will result in increased demand for services. "We are speeding towards the day where we see billions of people, 30 billion devices and 50 billion machines connected," said Kevin Steen, CEO of iDirect Technologies, at the World Satellite Business Week conference. (9/17)

GRACE Satellites Offline Due to Instrument Problem (Source: NASA)
Two Earth observation satellites have been offline since July because of a technical issue on one of the satellites. The twin Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) satellites, launched in May, have not acquired science data since mid-July because a problem with the microwave instrument in one of the two satellites. Engineers plan to switch to a backup system in that instrument as an investigation into the anomaly wraps up. The satellites, jointly developed by NASA and the German Research Center for Geosciences, continue the mission of the original GRACE satellites to track changes in global water distribution through precise maps of the Earth's gravitational field. (9/17)

New Mexico Observatory Closure Involved Threat to Employees (Source: AURA)
A solar observatory closed in New Mexico under mysterious circumstances earlier this month will reopen today. The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), which operates the Sunspot Solar Observatory, announced Sunday that the observatory will reopen Monday, but with increased security in expectation of "an unusual number of visitors" expected to visit the site now. AURA previously said only a "security issue" caused it and the National Science Foundation to close the observatory Sept. 6. AURA said it was cooperating with an ongoing law enforcement investigation into criminal activity that occurred at Sacramento Peak, where the observatory is located, and was a concerned a suspect there posed a threat to its employees and visitors. It said it disclosed few details at the time out of concerns sharing more information might impede the investigation. (9/17)

Canadian Space Tourist Owes Tax for Visit to ISS (Source: Canadian Press)
A Canadian space tourist owes the government taxes on what a judge concluded was a "taxable benefit." Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil, flew to the ISS in 2009 on a flight he originally paid for, but was later reimbursed by Cirque du Soleil. A judge concluded that the $32.1 million cost of the flight was considered a taxable benefit provided by the company to Laliberte since the "motivating, essential and overwhelmingly primary purpose of the travel was personal" rather than a business trip benefiting Cirque du Soleil. A spokesperson for Laliberte said he already paid the taxes several years ago, but will consider options for an appeal. (9/17)

Spaceport Camden Landing First Tenant (Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle)
Los Angeles-based aerospace startup ABL Space Systems have agreed with city and county officials at Georgia’s first commercial spaceport for a rocket manufacturing and launch operation. ABL Space Systems will explore launch operations at Spaceport Camden, a 400-acre proposed spaceport in Southeast Georgia. The small satellite launch provider, started by former SpaceX engineers, has developed a rocket designed to place 900 kilograms into low earth orbit, or 650 kilograms into sun synchronous orbit. ABL, which has targeted 2020 for its first commercial launch, is interested in locating engineering, manufacturing and research and development in Camden County in addition to launch activities from Spaceport Camden. (9/14)