January 14, 2019

When Wallops Flight Facility Shuts Down, it Hurts Science — and Potentially Wallops Itself (Source: DelMarVa Now)
As the partial government shutdown began, federal departments and agencies began to close. On the Eastern Shore of Virginia, non-essential employees at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility went home. Halfway across the country, in Iowa, Phil Kaaret began to worry. Kaaret is a professor at the University of Iowa and the principal investigator on an experiment known as HaloSat, a small satellite that orbits the planet and studies the halo of the Milky Way galaxy. He relies on people at Wallops to be able to communicate with his satellite.

Without them, it was possible the scientist was going to miss out on important information. The employees he worked with were declared essential, which means they were able to continue doing their jobs (albeit without pay), after just a few days. If it had been much longer, however, Kaaret would have been concerned. "If I were to be going three weeks without it, I would start worrying not only about the science but also if the satellite itself is OK," Kaaret said.

There is no way to know for sure how many employees are furloughed right now, but many Wallops employees work with people around the world on scientific expeditions. When the government shuts down and they're not able to do their work, it can hurt scientific experimentation. It can also hurt Wallops itself. The facility may miss out on the potential for collaboration with other researchers or groups. Scientists may also opt to go elsewhere, including private companies, to meet their needs when it comes to getting to or studying space. (1/12)

Airbus Wins DARPA Contract to Develop Small Constellation Satellite Bus for Blackjack Program (Source: Airbus)
Airbus Defense and Space Inc. has been awarded a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a satellite bus in support of the Blackjack program.

DARPA describes the Blackjack program as an architecture demonstration intending to show the military utility of global low-earth orbit constellations and mesh networks of lower size, weight and cost. DARPA wants to buy commercial satellite buses and pair them with military sensors and payloads. The bus drives each satellite by generating power, controlling attitude, providing propulsion, transmitting spacecraft telemetry, and providing general payload accommodation including mounting locations for the military sensors. (1/14)

Dragon Cargo Capsule Leaves ISS, Splashes Down Off California Coast (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
A Dragon cargo spacecraft departed from the International Space Station Sunday night and splashed down in the Pacific several hours later. The Dragon spacecraft, flying the CRS-16 cargo mission, was released by the station's robotic arm at 6:33 p.m. Eastern and, after a deorbit burn, splashed down off the Baja California coast at 12:12 a.m. Eastern Monday. The Dragon, launched last month, returned to Earth with science payloads and unneeded station hardware. (1/14)

China Plans More Lunar Missions (Source: Xinhua)
China announced plans for a new series of lunar missions Monday. The missions will follow Chang'e-5, a lunar sample return mission planned for launch late this year. Chang'e-6 will attempt to return samples from the south pole of the moon, Chang'e-7 will perform "comprehensive surveys" at the south pole and Chang'e-8 will test technologies for a future crewed research base.

The Chinese space agency CNSA did not announce a schedule for those missions. Chinese officials also said Monday that it exchanged data with NASA about its Chang'e-4 mission that landed on the far side of the moon, with China providing data on the time and place of the landing so that NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter could image the site afterward. (1/14)

Chinese Company's Boeing Satellite Deal Under Investigation (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Two U.S. government agencies are investigating a satellite deal involving a company backed by a Chinese fund. The Securities and Exchange Commission notified Global IP that it should retain all documents about its work with Boeing for a communications satellite as well as documents involving China Orient Asset Management Co., a Chinese state-owned firm that invested in Global IP.

The Commerce Department is also investigating the deal as it involved export licenses it oversees. Boeing canceled Global IP's contract for a satellite after reports last month that the company was controlled by Chinese investors, raising concerns about transfer of sensitive technologies. (1/14)

Russian Astronomy Spacecraft Unresponsive in Orbit (Source: TASS)
A Russian radio telescope in orbit has malfunctioned. Spektr-R did not respond to commands from spacecraft controllers over the weekend, and efforts to restore contact with the spacecraft will continue today. The spacecraft, launched in 2011, is in a highly elliptical orbit around the Earth with a 10-meter antenna for radio astronomy observations. (1/14)

Government Shutdown Blamed for Space Company's Layoffs (Source: GeekWire)
The ongoing government shutdown has forced one space technology company to lay off 20 percent of its workers. Tethers Unlimited said the company laid off 12 engineers because government employees processing invoices for projects it is doing for NASA and DARPA have been furloughed. The remaining staff are supported by commercial projects, the company said. The partial government shutdown is now in its fourth week, a record for the longest shutdown ever, with no sign of a near-term resolution. (1/14)

Virgin Orbit Confirms Interest in Guam Launches (Source: Guam Daily Post)
Virgin Orbit executives confirm they're interested in performing launches from Guam. The company, developing the LauncherOne vehicle that is air-launched from a Boeing 747, said they believe the island's international airport is "the best first place to go" as it expands launch operations. Virgin Orbit foresees carrying out a campaign of launches from the island over a month of two, rather than basing the system on the island permanently. Those launches would require the airport to have an FAA spaceport license, and the airport authority doesn't expect to submit a license application until March. The first LauncherOne orbital mission, flying from California, is expected to take place early this year. (1/14)

China Offers Elon Musk Permanent Residency (Source: Space Daily)
Tesla boss Elon Musk has been offered a "green card", China said Thursday, a privilege enjoyed by an elite group of foreigners, including several Nobel laureates and a former NBA star. Musk was in China for the ground-breaking of Tesla's first overseas factory, which will allow it to sell vehicles directly in the world's largest market for electric vehicles.

The high-profile entrepreneur met with Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday in Beijing, where they discussed Tesla's China ambitions, said the State Council -- the country's cabinet. "I hope to build Tesla's Shanghai factory into a global example," Musk told Li, according to a readout. "I really love China, I'm willing to visit here more often." (1/10)

Soyuz Spacecraft Assembly to be Fully Monitored by Video Cameras (Source: Space Daily)
Russia's Rocket and Space Corporation Energia has introduced video surveillance at all stages of the construction of Soyuz spacecraft after a drilled hole in the household compartment of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft was found. "There was a video recording system that monitored the main assembly sites. Now, it has been installed in three more assembly areas where operations were carried out without video surveillance," the source said. (1/14)