May 20, 2020

The NASA Monopoly on US Orbital Spaceflight is Ending (Source: Space.com)
NASA's monopoly on American astronaut activities in low-Earth orbit (LEO) is ending, and that's just what the space agency wants. For decades NASA was the only real U.S. space customer, developer and service provider. When you look at LEO activities in terms of "platforms and crew and transportation service providers, you can see it was pretty much a monopolistic paradigm," Phil McAlister, director of the commercial spaceflight division at NASA Headquarters, said May 14 during a virtual meeting of the Human Exploration Operations (HEO) Committee, which is part of NASA's advisory council.

From the International Space Station to astronauts to the space shuttle program and more, NASA had all its LEO bases covered. But partnerships with the commercial sector, other government agencies and international parties have expanded greatly recently, with activities including international crew transport to the space station (by SpaceX and Boeing), private astronauts and planned private crewed missions (a space tourism deal between SpaceX and Space Adventures), and Axiom Space's commercial module on the space station among others. (5/18)

Worms and Wings, Meatballs and Swooshes: NASA Insignias in Popular Culture (Source: Space Review)
NASA is bringing back the “worm” logo for the upcoming SpaceX commercial crew flight, placing it alongside the “meatball” logo. Glen Swanson explores the history of NASA’s various logos and the controversy they have sometimes generated. Click here. (5/18)
 
Can NASA Land Humans on the Moon by 2024? (Source: Space Review)
NASA recently awarded contracts to three companies for initial work on lunar lander concepts to support the agency’s goal of returning humans to the Moon by 2024. Jeff Foust reports on NASA’s optimism that the goal is achievable, and the skepticism many outside the agency have about meeting that deadline. Click here. (5/18)
 
When Washington Went to the Moon: An Interview with Glen Wilson (Source: Space Review)
In the last in a series of interviews made two decades ago, Dwayne Day examines what a 1960s Senate staffer thought of the Apollo program, including proposals to delay the landing past 1969 and the leak of memos critical of the program to Walter Mondale. Click here. (5/18)
 
Explaining China’s Space Ambitions and Goals Through the Lens of Strategic Culture (Source: Space Review)
The recent successful launch of a Long March 5B rocket allows China to proceed with development of a permanent space station, among other projects. Namrata Goswami discusses why Chinese space efforts should be understood through the lessons of Chinese history, rather than grafting Western rationales onto it. Click here. (5/18)
 
Northrop Grumman Wins Big Contract for Missile Warning Satellites (Source: Space News)
Northrop Grumman has won a $2.3 billion contract for missile warning satellites. The Air Force contract, announced Monday, covers two Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared missile warning satellites to be deployed in polar orbits. This latest award funds the development of the satellites and early procurement of hardware, with another contract for production and integration to follow in 2022. Lockheed Martin has separate contracts worth more than $3 billion for three geostationary orbit satellites as part of the same program. All five satellites will be launched by 2029 to provide initial warning of a ballistic or tactical missile attack. (5/19)

SpaceX Rideshares Push Down Small Launcher Prices (Source: Space News)
Satellite operators say that SpaceX's rideshare program is pushing down launch prices. The rideshare program offers low-cost smallsat launch options on both dedicated launches as well as Starlink missions. Planet, which announced last week it will launch six SkySat satellites on two Falcon 9 missions though that program, called the pricing "incredibly competitive," forcing other launch providers to offer similar pricing or otherwise "get more creative" in their services. (5/19)

Relativity Space Captures SpaceX VP to Lead Rocket Development (Source: Space News)
Relativity Space has hired a SpaceX executive to lead development of its rocket factory. Zachary Dunn will join Relativity next month as its vice president of factory development, charged with overseeing work on production of the company's Terran 1 rocket. Dunn worked for more than a decade at SpaceX, most recently as senior vice president of propulsion and launch. Relativity says its Terran 1, build using 3D-printing technology, will make its first launch next year. (5/19)

Spaceplane Carries Solar Power Experiment (Source: Space News)
The X-37B military spaceplane includes an experiment to demonstrate technology for space-based solar power. The spaceplane, launched Sunday, is flying a "photovoltaic radio-frequency antenna module" from the Naval Research Lab that will test converting power generated by a solar panel into microwaves that can be transmitted. That technology is critical to long-running aspirations for space-based solar power that is beamed down to Earth. If the experiment is successful, it could lead to a dedicated satellite mission to test the transmission of energy back to Earth. (5/19)

Japan Formalizes New Space Squadron (Source: AP)
The Japanese military has formally established a unit devoted to space operations. The Space Operations Squadron, part of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, is charged with protecting Japanese satellites from both orbital debris and potential attack. The unit starts with a staff of 20, and will grow to 100 by 2023. (5/19)

SpaceX and NASA to Fly Graduate Photos to ISS (Source: Florida Today)
SpaceX and NASA will fly graduation photos for the Class of 2020. High school and college graduates unable to participate in physical graduation ceremonies this year because of the pandemic can instead upload graduation photos to SpaceX's website. A mosaic of those images will be flown on next week's Demo-2 mission. The deadline for uploading photos is Wednesday. (5/19)

Mars Mud May Flow Like Pahoehoe (Source: BBC)
On Mars, mud could flow like lava. Newly published research examined how mud would flow in Martian conditions and found that, because of the planet's low atmospheric pressure, the mud moved in flows like ropes, resembling a type of lava called pahoehoe. As seen from space, scientists said it's not possible to tell the difference between lava and mud flows on Mars. "Without a geologist on the ground to hit them with a hammer, it will be hard to tell," one researcher said. (5/19)

United Launch Alliance Still On Track to Meet 2020 Launch Schedule (Source: Defense News)
United Launch Alliance does not project any delays to rocket launches scheduled this year despite the ongoing global pandemic, its chief executive said Saturday. “I’m not anticipating any impacts at all — knock on wood — to our manifest,” ULA CEO Tory Bruno told journalists during a roundtable ahead of the May 17 launch of the Atlas V, which put the X-37B space plane back into orbit. “The rockets are coming through the factory, we have 29 rockets in build right now.” So far, the company, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, has had only one confirmed COVID-19 case among its employees, Bruno added. (5/18)

OneWeb Wants Bonuses for Remaining Staff (Source: Space News)
OneWeb is seeking court permission to provide retention bonuses to its remaining staff. The satellite operator, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March, said it needs to provide incentive payments to its "skeletal team" of employees to prevent them from leaving. OneWeb laid off about 85% of its staff when it filed for Chapter 11. The exact size of the incentive payments would be based on the proceeds of OneWeb's spectrum sale, for which an auction is scheduled for July 2. (5/20)

Ariane 6 Maiden Flight Likely Slipping to 2021 (Source: Space News)
The inaugural launch of Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket appears all but certain to slip into 2021 because of development delays the European Space Agency and the rocket’s manufacturer ArianeGroup attribute to the coronavirus pandemic. Daniel Neuenschwander, the director of space transportation at the European Space Agency, told SpaceNews the coronavirus slowed or halted work on three Ariane 6 development projects.

Arianespace, the Evry, France-based company that markets Europe’s Ariane and Vega family of rockets, began the year banking on Ariane 6 making its debut between October and December. But that launch forecast was made two months before the coronavirus pandemic led to widespread shutdowns, including one that idled the Guiana Space Centre where the Ariane 6 launchpad remains unfinished. That work is expected to ramp back up next week as workers who flew to French Guiana from mainland Europe to help reopen the spaceport complete a 14-day quarantine. (5/20)

Japan Launches HTV to ISS (Source: Spaceflight Now)
The last of an initial generation of Japanese cargo spacecraft has launched. An H-2B rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on Wednesday, placing the HTV-9 cargo spacecraft into orbit. The spacecraft is carrying more than four tons of cargo for the station, including a final set of new batteries for the station's power system. A new version of the cargo spacecraft, called HTV-X, will begin flights to the station in 2022. The H-2 Transfer Vehicle has been deployed from the H-2B rocket's upper stage, setting the stage for the ship's rendezvous and arrival at the International Space Station on Monday, May 25. (5/20)

NASA's Human Spaceflight Chief Abruptly Resigns (Source: Space News)
The head of NASA's human spaceflight programs, Doug Loverro, has abruptly resigned over what he calls a "mistake." NASA announced Tuesday that Loverro resigned as associate administrator for human exploration and operations after less than six months on the job. NASA did not disclose the reason for Loverro's resignation, but Loverro said in a memo that he took an unspecified "risk" that had consequences for him: "it is clear that I made a mistake in that choice for which I alone must bear the consequences."

That issue appears to involve some aspect of Artemis program procurement, and not commercial crew. The timing of the resignation, a little more than a week before the Demo-2 commercial crew launch, has nonetheless surprised many and raised questions about the agency. In a statement, Rep. Kendra Horn (D-OK), chair of the House space subcommittee, said she was "deeply concerned" about the resignation, and that "we need answers." (5/20)

USAF Wants SDA Transferred to USSF (Source: Space News)
The Secretary of the Air Force says that the Pentagon's Space Development Agency (SDA) needs to be transferred to the new Space Force sooner rather than later. In a May 6 memo to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Barrett said the SDA, currently a Pentagon agency under the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, should be part of the Space Force "as soon as possible." Current plans would delay moving SDA to the Space Force until October 2022, but Barrett argued that such a delay would not meet the intent of Congress and postpones alignment of space acquisition activities. The Pentagon created the SDA early last year, prior to the establishment of the Space Force, in response to criticism that the military was not keeping up with the innovation happening in the space industry. (5/20)

Avio Hopes for Three Vega Launches Before 2021 (Source: Space News)
Avio hopes to compress schedules enough to allow three Vega launches to take place by the end of the year. The company is planning a return-to-flight mission for the small launch vehicle in June, followed by a second launch in August. The company then expects to perform a third launch by the end of the year. The closure of Vega's spaceport in French Guiana by the pandemic delayed that return-to-flight mission of dozens of smallsats, which had been scheduled for March. As part of efforts to tighten launch timelines, Avio will keep a team of launch personnel at the spaceport between the June and August launches. [SpaceNews]

New Regulations for Satellite Remote Sensing (Source: Space News)
The Commerce Department released Tuesday long-awaited reforms to commercial remote sensing regulations. The new regulations, completed a year after the release of a draft rule and months of interagency coordination, does away with many of the restrictions previously imposed on commercial imaging spacecraft. Those systems with capabilities similar to what's available from foreign competitors will be subject to just a "bare minimum of conditions." Those that offer better capabilities only available from other U.S. systems will face slightly more stringent regulations, primarily involving shutter control and limitations on imaging other space objects. (5/20)

York Space Systems Opens Colorado Production Facility (Source: Space News)
Smallsat manufacturer York Space Systems has opened a new production facility in Denver. The factory, three times larger than its previous facility, will allow the company to work on 20 satellites simultaneously. The company has a goal of delivering a satellite within two months of contract award by next year. The company has also hired Barry Behnken as its new vice president of engineering. He had a 20-year Air Force career that included work as a National Reconnaissance Office program director, and later worked for Raytheon. (5/20)

ManTech Wins Space Force Launch Engineering Contract (Source: Space News)
ManTech has won a $20.9 million contract extension for Space Force launch engineering work. The extension covers work through September as the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) continues to evaluate proposals for a 10-year launch systems engineering and integration contract, work currently performed by ManTech. The contract supports the SMC launch enterprise at Los Angeles Air Force Base as well as the Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg launch sites. (5/20)

Potential Anomaly for SpaceX Starship Test (Source: Teslarati)
A static-fire test of a SpaceX Starship prototype appears to have gone awry. The SN4 Starship vehicle, mounted on a test stand at the company's Boca Chica, Texas, site, fired its single Raptor engine for a few seconds Tuesday afternoon. However, flames were visible around the base of the vehicle after the engine shut down. Road closures, normally lifted after the completion of a test, remain in place, suggesting crews may be having problems safing the vehicle after the test. SpaceX was preparing to perform a low-altitude hop test of the vehicle in the near future, although the FAA has yet to publish a new or revised experimental permit needed for the flight. (5/20)

Branson Sells Virgin Galactic Shares (Source: Bloomberg)
Richard Branson has started to sell his Virgin Galactic shares. The company reported that Branson's holding company, Vieco 10, sold 2.6 million shares, valued at $41 million, last week. Virgin Galactic announced early last week that Vieco 10 was planning to sell up to 25 million shares, a little more than 20% of its stake in the company. Branson is working to raise money to finance some of his other ventures, like airline Virgin Atlantic, that are in distress because of the economic effects of the pandemic. (5/20)

John Glenn's Widow Dies From COVID-19 (Source: Columbus Dispatch)
Annie Glenn, widow of John Glenn, has died at the age of 100. Glenn died of complications from COVID-19 early Tuesday at a nursing home in Minnesota. The Glenns met in childhood and married in 1943. John Glenn passed away in 2016. A memorial service, held online because of the pandemic, is scheduled for June 6. (5/20)