July 19, 2019

Space In Africa Closes Investment Round (Source: Space Daily)
Space in Africa, the authority on news, data, and market analysis for the African space industry, has successfully completed its seed funding round. While the terms were not disclosed, the funds raised are being used to hire additional reporters and analysts to expand coverage for its subscription news service and specialised industry reports.

The GDP of the African continent has doubled in the last 10 years to over USD 2.2 trillion. Amidst this economic expansion, Temidayo explains that "the African space market is now worth over USD 7 billion in terms of annually generated revenue, and we project that it is likely to grow by over 40% in the next five years to exceed USD 10 billion by 2024.

There are thousands of people employed across the African space industry, and our local technology skills set is growing alongside international partners and home-grown NewSpace startups. African engineers are increasingly collaborating on satellite construction, while local innovators are providing new application solutions across communications, natural resources, and public services." (7/17)

MRO Training Center Gets Funding (Source: GCAC)
The U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration is investing $12.25 million in the city of Pensacola to help establish a new aircraft maintenance training facility at Pensacola International Airport (PNS), officials said Thursday. The money will be matched by more than $36 million in local and state funds. The new facility, a 175,000 square foot hangar, will be used for commercial and technological aviation and will create 400 jobs. ST Engineering says the new facility will have state of the art technology including robotic delivery systems.

The building will be able to withstand winds of 170 mph. Mayor Grover Robinson says this is a part of "Project Titan," which will eventually include four hangars, the one already operating, the one announced Thursday and two more at the PNS campus. The new hangar will be similar to the first, but a significant difference will be the attachment of a l65,000 square-foot support services center. “The Support Services Center will enclose all of our customer reps’ offices; it will have our engineering areas, it will have our procurement, our logistics management will be there,” said Bill Hafner. (7/18)

Blue Origin Fires Blue Moon Engine at Full-Duration (Source: GeekWire)
Blue Origin says it's tested the engine it is developing for its Blue Moon lander for a full-duration burn. A company executive said Thursday that the BE-7 had completed a six-minute burn at a test stand at the Marshall Space Flight Center recently, one he described as a full-duration burn. The BE-7, which uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, is being developed by Blue Origin for the Blue Moon lander that the company unveiled in May. (7/19)

NASA Extends Eight Astrophysycs Missions (Source: Space News)
NASA has approved extensions for eight astrophysics missions. In the latest senior review of such missions, NASA decided to provide three-year extensions for all eight under consideration, ranging from the Hubble and Chandra observatories to smaller spacecraft and an instrument on the ISS. Excluded from the senior review was the SOFIA airborne observatory, for which NASA conducted two separate reviews of its science and operations. (7/18)

Draper Developing Guidance for Lunar Landers (Source: Space News)
The organization that developed the Apollo Guidance Computer is working on technologies to enable future lunar landers. Draper developed the computers for Apollo and says it has technologies available that can enable precise landings by future landers. Draper is also one of nine companies that is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, and plans to compete for future mission opportunities after not being selected for the first round of missions in May. (7/18)

Little Damage to Starhopper After Test Glitch (Source: Brownsville Herald)
SpaceX says its Starhopper vehicle suffered little damage during a static-fire test Tuesday. The vehicle, a prototype of the company's next-generation Starship vehicle, was engulfed in a fireball after the test at SpaceX's South Texas test site. That postponed its initial free flight, which had been scheduled for Wednesday. Elon Musk said the fireball was from a post-test fuel leak that caused only minor damage, and that the hover test had been rescheduled for next week. (7/18)

UK Cooperation With US on Small Satellites and Responsive Launch (Source: Space News)
The United States and the United Kingdom will cooperate more closely in the areas of small satellites and responsive launch. U.K. Defence Minister Penny Mordaunt announced Thursday that the U.K. will become the first international partner of Operation Olympic Defender, an effort started by U.S. Strategic Command in 2013 to strengthen deterrence against hostile actors in space.

The U.K. additionally will be investing nearly $34 million over the next year to launch a constellation of smallsats to provide "live high resolution video beamed directly into the cockpit of our aircraft providing pilots with unprecedented levels of battle awareness." To support the small satellite project, the Royal Air Force is partnering with Virgin Orbit, including assigning a Royal Air Force test pilot to the company. (7/18)

ULA Delta IV with GPS III SV02 Launch Delayed (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
The flight of a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) rocket tasked with sending the GPS III SV02 satellite to orbit has been delayed. ULA stated that “an anomaly” that occurred during component testing with another supplier. While not directly related to the rocket itself, the company stated that there was a “cross-over concern.”

ULA stated that it has decided that, after further evaluation, more time was required to “replace and retest the component on the launch vehicle.” The contract of the GPS III system has been estimated to be worth as much as $7.2 billion. As such, ULA’s caution would appear to be understandable. As such, ULA has decided to postpone the launch until no earlier than Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. (7/18)

5000 Rockets Launched at Once for World Record Attempt (Source: Inside Edition)
It was a countdown to what many hope will be a new world record. Five thousand rockets were launched at the same time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission that put people on the moon. The record was attempted at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, a city dedicated to space exploration. More than 100 volunteers dedicated their time assembling the rockets that would be part of the mission. Click here. (7/18)

NASA's Webb Telescope Shines with American Ingenuity (Source: Phys.org)
The task of building the world's most complex and powerful space telescope, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has required steadfast contribution from across the United States. In total, 29 states throughout the U.S. have lent a hand manufacturing, assembling, and testing Webb components. After launch, Webb's science and data will reach a global audience.

Webb's 18 innovative lightweight beryllium mirrors had to make 14 stops at 11 different places across 8 states (visiting some states more than once) around the U.S. to complete their manufacturing. Their journey began in beryllium mines in Utah, and then moved across the country for processing and polishing. Explore an interactive map showing the journey of the mirrors. After the spacecraft is fully assembled in California, the telescope will journey to French Guiana for lift-off, and the beginning of their final journey to space. (7/19)

China's Mars Mission (Source: TIME)
TIME gets a tour of a simulated Mars Base in China's Gobi Desert, a facility designed to educate a generation of hopeful astronauts as China makes a big push into space exploration. Click here. (7/17)