August 24, 2020

Northrop Grumman Deciding OmegA's Fate (Source: Space News)
Northrop Grumman says it has not yet made a final decision on the future of its OmegA rocket after losing an Air Force competition. A company spokesperson said Friday that the company is waiting until after the Air Force briefs the company on the reasons why the vehicle was not selected. Northrop Grumman lost to SpaceX and United Launch Alliance in the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 competition earlier this month. There have been reports that the company already notified employees that it would no longer pursue OmegA, but the spokesperson declined to comment on them.

Editor's Note: Northrop Grumman has had a growing presence at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport in support of OmegA, and has spent several millions of dollars to develop launch site infrastructure for the program. The plan has been to launch OmegA from Launch Complex 39B, sharing access to the pad with NASA's SLS rocket. (8/24)

Scotland to Join Space Race by 2023, Says Rocket Firm (Source: The  Times)
Scotland is on track to host full rocket launches within three years, an Edinburgh company has claimed. In May Skyrora carried out the first rocket test of its kind in the UK for half a century. The company put its Skylark L rocket through its paces at the Kildermorie estate, near Alness in the Highlands. Now it has carried out a rocket test in Iceland, paving the way for it to launch its full-sized rocket, Skyrora XL, which would carry satellites into orbit. (8/24)

Sorry, Elon: The Pentagon Is Allowed to Price Shop (Source: PJ Media)
The Air Force’s recently-awarded launch contracts to Elon Musk’s SpaceX and the United Launch Alliance have sparked controversy in the world of commercial space flight. Musk fired off an angry tweet at his competitor, calling them a “complete waste of taxpayer money.” But for anyone objectively looking at the numbers within the new contract specifically, Musk’s recent comments make no sense. ULA will receive $336 million from the Pentagon for two missions in Phase 2 of the National Security Space Launch, while SpaceX will get $316 million for just one. SpaceX’s $316 million price tag came despite Musk promising Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy pricing between $90 million and $150 million.  

It’s unclear whether the company missed its initial cost estimate or if it just believed that it could get away with bidding higher for this contract. Regardless of the reasoning, the price tag was indeed surprising, and it’s likely why the company only received 40-percent of the Pentagon’s contracts this go-around. [Editor's Note: My guess is SpaceX's higher price has a lot to do with its need to develop new launch pad infrastructure for the DoD missions.]  

SpaceX almost singlehandedly broke the launch monopoly that inhibited American space exploration for far too many years. Since then, the company has pushed the goals and aspirations of space travel into the 21st century, and its efforts have played a huge role in significantly driving down industry costs. Not only is all of this good, it’s just cool. We’re back in space in a big way. Observing Musk’s daring successes brings to mind the days of Thomas Edison and Howard Hughes. (8/22)

New Crew Dragon Capsule Arrives in Florida for Next NASA Astronaut Launch (Source: Teslarati)
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule destined to complete the company’s first operational mission to the International Space Station (ISS) – designated Crew-1 – has been delivered to SpaceX processing facilities in Florida. The C207 capsule was in the final stages of wrapping up integration at the SpaceX factory in California in early August. Over the weekend, capsule C207 completed the trek from California to Florida and arrived at SpaceX facilities at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport on Tuesday, August 18.

Ahead of shipment from California, capsule C207 was outfitted with a trunk section featuring upgraded solar panels intended to extend Crew Dragon’s previous limitation of ~120 days in orbit. The upgraded solar panels should extend the limitation and mitigate the amount of solar cell degredation that occurs while in orbit allowing the Crew Dragon – and astronauts – to remain in orbit for as long as six months meeting NASA’s long-duration mission requirements. (8/23)

Russian Designer Questions Utility of SpaceX Spacesuit (Source: Sputnik)
SpaceX's Crew Dragon space suits are impressively designed, but their safety level remains an open question, said Vladimir Pirozhkov, CEO of the KINETICA High Complexity Prototyping Center at the National University of Science and Technology MISiS. According to the renowned industrial designer, the sleek space garb developed by the celebrated Hollywood costume designer Jose Fernandez should be regarded as personal protective equipment worn en route from Earth to the International Space Station (ISS), rather than a spacesuit. (8/24)

China Launches Imaging Satellite (Source: Space News)
China launched another Gaofen-9 imaging satellite Saturday night. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 10:27 p.m. Eastern and placed the fifth Gaofen-9 satellite into orbit. The satellites in this series are capable of providing sub-meter imaging. Also on the launch were two secondary payloads: Tiantuo-5, a small technology demonstration satellite developed by the National University of Defense Technology, and a "multi-functional test satellite" developed by the People’s Liberation Army to verify new technologies related to communications, navigation and remote sensing. (8/24)

Losers and (Sore) Winners (Source: Space Review)
Earlier this month the Air Force announced it was awarding a new round of launch contracts for national security payloads to SpaceX and United Launch Alliance. Jeff Foust reports that, despite winning an award, SpaceX is still unhappy with how the competition unfolded. Click here. (8/24)
 
The National Aeronautics and Space and Arms Control Administration (NASACA)? (Source: Space Review)
As NASA achieved the Apollo program’s goal of landing astronauts on the Moon, it was concerned about its future. Dwayne Day uncovers a proposal in historical documents where NASA sought to play a role in arms control. Click here. (8/24)
 
NASA’s Artemis Accords: the Path to a United Space Law or a Divided One? (Source: Space Review)
The proposed Artemis Accords for countries that want to cooperate on NASA’s lunar exploration plans has attracted interest, but also some criticism. Guoyu Wang examines the various elements of the accords and the effect they could have on international space law. Click here. (8/24)
 
Reaching for the Stars: Structural Reform in the Private Space Sector in India (Source: Space Review)
The Indian government has announced a series of initiatives to support the development of a private space industry in the country. Anirudh Rastogi and Varun Baliga discuss what the government has announced, and what more it needs to do. Click here. (8/24)

5G, LEO Satellites Dominate US Army Plans for Next ITN Iteration (Source: Janes)
Incorporation of 5G mobile networking technologies and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite capabilities into US Army operations are expected to dominate development work on the service’s next iteration of its Integrated Tactical Network (ITN), the head of the army’s Program Executive Officer for Command, Control, and Communications - Tactical (PEO C3T) said.

PEO C3T chief Army Brigadier General Robert Collins broadly outlined the service’s upcoming objectives and preliminary requirements for Capability Set 25 of the ITN. Brig Gen Collins assumed command of the PEO C3T directorate from Army Lieutenant General David Bassett in June after Lt Gen Bassett assumed command of the Defense Contract Management Agency. (8/21)

NOAA Plans RFI for Commercial Weather Data (Source: Space News)
NOAA will issue a request for information next month regarding commercial satellite weather data. NOAA officials said last week that they will use the responses to decide whether to conduct a new Commercial Weather Data Pilot program like the one used to evaluate commercial radio occultation data. That earlier effort concluded with a report in June finding that industry can provide radio occultation data with sufficient quality to support NOAA's operational weather forecasting needs. NOAA says it's open to a wide range of new satellite data that can be provided commercially to serve its needs. (8/24)

NASA Seeks Ideas for Artemis Astronaut-Supported Science (Source: Space News)
NASA is soliciting ideas on the science astronauts should carry out on the first Artemis lunar landing mission. NASA said Friday it's seeking short white papers, due early next month, on the science that astronauts could carry out on the Artemis 3 mission, which is scheduled to land in the south polar regions of the moon in 2024. Those ideas will assist a science definition team within the agency that supports work on the overall objectives of the mission. NASA is also looking at what kinds of instrumentation, from handheld equipment to experiments deployed on the lunar surface, can be used on that mission. (8/24)

NASA Perseveres Through Pandemic, Looks Ahead to 2021 (Source: Space Daily)
With 2020 more than half way through, NASA is gearing up for a busy rest of the year and 2021. Following the recent successful launch of a Mars rover and safely bringing home astronauts from low-Earth orbit aboard a new commercial spacecraft, NASA is looking forward to more exploration firsts now through 2021. The agency is sending the first woman and next man to the Moon in 2024, establishing sustainable exploration by the end of the decade as part of the Artemis program while getting ready for human exploration of Mars. Click here. (8/24)

Is Northrop Grumman's Pegasus Carrier Aircraft Supporting DoD Research (Source: The Drive)
Northrop Grumman's Stargazer conducted a curious flight from Edwards Air Force Base in California, out past the Channel Islands off the state's coast and into the Pacific Ocean, and back yesterday. The aircraft, the only Lockheed L-1011 Tristar still flying today, which normally operates from the Mojave Air and Space Port, is best known as the mothership for the Pegasus XL space launch rocket, but has been involved other advanced aerospace testing in the past.

After clearing the Channel Islands, the aircraft, which carries the civil registration code N140SC, had entered in a long, elliptical race track orbit and had begun to climb, eventually reaching an altitude of around 40,000 feet while facing out into the Pacific. That altitude and direction is notable as is matches the release profile of a Pegasus XL rocket. However, as other observers noted, there were no Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) alerting other aircraft and ships down below of a potential launch, as is typically required. In addition, Pegasus XLs are often mated to Stargazer at Vandenberg Air Force Base, which is where the launches are then usually staged from. (8/24)

Voyager Space Holdings, Inc. Launches NewSpace IP Exchange (Source: Voyager)
Voyager Space Holdings announced the launch of the Voyager Space IP Exchange (VSIPX), the first and only patent and intellectual property marketplace tailored to the space industry. With access to the full range of critical space mission technologies, buyers and sellers can leverage the searchable VSIPX to expand their current intellectual property portfolios or realize value from underutilized segments of their own portfolios.

The commercial space industry has traditionally been dominated by a small number of large companies, yet hundreds of space companies have been founded and funded in the last 20 years. Many of these startups face an uphill battle around research and development programs, and are often unable to compete when it comes to building and maintaining patent portfolios. The VSIPX addresses this problem by offering NewSpace companies of any size access to the missing pieces of their mission-enabling solutions. (8/24)

Greenland Ice Sheet Loss 'Beyong Point of No Return' (Source: CNN)
Greenland's ice sheet has melted to a point of no return, and efforts to slow global warming will not stop it from disintegrating. That's according to a new study by researchers at Ohio State University. "The ice sheet is now in this new dynamic state, where even if we went back to a climate that was more like what we had 20 or 30 years ago, we would still be pretty quickly losing mass," Ian Howat, co-author of the study and a professor at Ohio State University, said.

Greenland's ice sheet dumps more than 280 billion metric tons of melting ice into the ocean each year, making it the greatest single contributor to global sea level rise, according to Michalea King, the lead author of the study and researcher at Ohio State University. The ice loss has been so massive in recent years, she said, that it has caused a measurable change in the gravitational field over Greenland. (8/24)

Earth Lost a 'Staggering' 28 Trillion Tonnes of Ice in Just 23 Years (Source: Science Alert)
Scientists analysed satellite surveys of glaciers, mountains, and ice sheets between 1994 and 2017 to identify the impact of global warming. Describing the ice loss as "staggering," the group found that melting glaciers and ice sheets could cause sea levels to rise dramatically, possibly reaching a meter by the end of the century.

"To put that in context, every centimeter of sea-level rise means about a million people will be displaced from their low-lying homelands," Professor Andy Shepherd, director of Leeds University's Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, told The Guardian. The dramatic loss of ice could have other severe consequences, including major disruption to the biological health of Arctic and Antarctic waters and reducing the planet's ability to reflect solar radiation back into space. The findings match the worst-case-scenario predictions outlined by the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the scientists have confirmed. (8/24)

Russia Starts Work on New Soyuz-6 Rocket (Source: TASS)
The Samara-based Progress Space Rocket Center is carrying out work jointly with the Energia Space Rocket Corporation on the conceptual design of a new Soyuz-6 carrier rocket. The rocket’s conceptual designing is planned after the federal space agency Roscosmos studies the scientific and technical report on the space rocket system with the Soyuz-6 carrier rocket, it said. Roscosmos plans to create the Soyuz-6 rocket using the Soyuz-5 launch vehicle as its basis. The flight tests of the new rocket are due to begin at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in 2025. (8/24)

Russia Preps for a Rare Angara Launch (Source: TASS)
An Angara rocket has arrived at a Russian spaceport for the vehicle's first launch in nearly six years. The Angara-A5 rocket arrived at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia last week to begin preparations for a launch this fall. The Angara-A5, long touted as the country's next-generation heavy-lift rocket, has performed just one launch, carrying a test payload on a flight in December 2014. (8/24)

Russia Plans to Restore Sea Launch Cosmodrome (Source: RIA Novosti)
The Sea Launch nautical cosmodrome transported from the United States to Russia will be restored, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov told reporters at the Army-2020 forum. Borisov also said that a week ago he personally inspected the floating cosmodrome moored near Vladivostok. "The preliminary amount for the restoration of Sea Launch is about 35 billion rubles," he said.

Earlier it became known that Rosatom estimates the cost of restoration at 84 billion rubles in 2020 prices - or 91 billion rubles in forecasted prices, taking into account inflation. The purchase price of the complex itself from S7 is estimated at 11 billion rubles. Rosatom experts have predicted five scenarios for the operation of the complex, but in three of them it does not reach self-sufficiency. "As for the future, we would like a specialized operator to be engaged in launch services. This specialized operator must be precisely tailored to the commercial success of Sea Launch," Borisov told reporters. (8/24)