August 3, 2020

UAE Space Program to Boost Asia’s Stake in Space Development (Source: SpaceWatch Global)
The UAE’s space programs, especially the successful launch of its Mars Mission, will give a boost to Asia’s lead in Industry 4.0, and make the Emirates “a big stakeholder in the development of developing countries across the globe,” a senior academic told Emirates News Agency, WAM. “Asians are leading the race in terms of the fourth industrial revolution [4IR] in which space technology has a core role. China, India, South Korea, and Japan are at its forefront, and the UAE has joined them with its successful space programmes,” said Dr. Narayanappa Janardhan who is a Senior Research Fellow at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy, EDA, in Abu Dhabi. (8/1)

Belgian Company SpaceBel Forms Hyperspectral Imaging Spinoff (Source: Space News)
A small Belgian company known for its work on European Space Agency programs has created a spinoff company to operate a constellation of five to 10 hyperspectral imaging satellites. SpaceBel, a space systems and software company, will seek to raise around 10 million euros ($11.8 million) in 2021 to initiate development of the constellation and prepare for a demonstration satellite launch in 2023, said Thierry Du Pre-Werson, SpaceBel chief executive. SpaceBel formed the spinoff company, called ScanWorld, in May with Belgian investment firm SRIW, he said. SpaceBel is the primary shareholder, but will gradually dilute its stake through outside investment, he said. (8/3)

Small Launch Startup ABL Secures Over $90 Million in New Funding and Air Force Contracts (Source: Space News)
ABL Space Systems, a three-year-old startup developing a launch vehicle for small satellites, has received two U.S. Air Force contracts worth $44.5 million and secured $49 million in new private funding. Based in  California, ABL is planning the first orbital launch of its RS1 vehicle in 2021. The $44.5 million Air Force contracts include a one-year deal from the tech incubator AFWERX to demonstrate launch technology and an agreement with the Space and Missile Systems Center’s Space Enterprise Consortium to conduct three demonstrations of an RS1 vehicle variant and deployable ground infrastructure in 2022. (8/3)

NASA Taps General Atomics to Build Solar Irradiance Satellite (Source: Space News)
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems won a $32.9 million contract to build NASA’s Total and Spectral solar Irradiance-2 (TSIS-2) spacecraft, a small satellite scheduled to launch in 2023. Under the firm-fixed price, time and materials contract awarded July 6, General Atomics will develop and test the TSIS-2 spacecraft, integrate instruments, and support the launch and in-orbit operations for three years. TSIS-2 will be equipped with the Total Irradiance Monitor and Spectral the Irradiance Monitor built by the University of Colorado Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. (8/3)

Swamp Watch: Trump Does End-Run Around Congress to Install Tata at Senior DoD Post (Source: Washington Post)
Last week the Senate rejected President Trump's controversial nomination of retired Gen. Anthony Tata to become Undersecretary of Defense for Policy. Tata has a history of spouting conspiracy theories, making inflammatory statements about Muslims, and suggesting that a former CIA director should suffer sexual humiliation in prison. “Tata retired as a brigadier general in 2009 under a cloud after the Army inspector general found that he had at least two extramarital affairs, despite adultery being a crime in the military.” A senior GOP Senate aide said: "The administration should consider nominating people who are qualified." 

On Sunday night Tata's nomination was withdrawn, but he was instead “designated as the official performing the duties of the deputy undersecretary of defense for policy.” This circumvents Congress' role in confirming senior officials and providing oversight “to prevent the appointment of unfit characters.”  Trump has said he loves keeping people in “acting” positions, including in the Cabinet. It also circumvents congressional oversight. The president has installed loyalists and ideologues into critical positions when it was clear they could not get confirmed by the GOP-controlled Senate for the job, such as former acting director of national intelligence Ric Grenell. (8/3)

Virgin Galactic Partners with Rolls-Royce to Build an Aircraft for Supersonic Air Travel (Source: CNBC)
Space tourism venture Virgin Galactic announced it signed an agreement with Rolls-Royce to develop an aircraft for supersonic travel, giving a first look on Monday of the coming vehicle’s design. Supersonic travel is a long-term bet for Virgin Galactic, which has been developing reusable spacecraft capable of sending people on short trips to the edge of space for more than a decade.

Virgin Galactic said it completed a mission concept review alongside NASA of its supersonic vehicle design and now will work with the Federal Aviation Administration to create a framework for certifying the aircraft for flight. Previously Boeing’s venture arm invested $20 million in Virgin Galactic, specifically toward helping the company build a supersonic aircraft. (8/3)

L3Harris Completes Review for Experimental Air Force NavSat (Source: Space News)
L3Harris has completed the critical design review for an experimental navigation satellite. The review will allow the company to proceed with construction of the Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3) for the U.S. Air Force, with launch scheduled for 2022. NTS-3 is intended to demonstrate that a spacecraft in higher geosynchronous orbit can supplement the Global Positioning System that operates from medium Earth orbit. The Space Enterprise Consortium selected L3Harris for the $84 million NTS-3 contract in 2018. (8/3)

BAE Completes Collins Aerospace GPS Unit Acquisition (Source: Space News)
BAE Systems has completed the acquisition of the Collins Aerospace military Global Positioning System business. BAE said Friday it closed the $1.9 billion acquisition of the Collins business from United Technologies Corp., which sold the unit in order to clear the antitrust regulatory requirements of its merger with Raytheon. Collins military GPS will be integrated into BAE Systems' Electronic Systems sector. (8/3)

Raytheon Designing Prototype Weather Satellite for Space Force (Source: Space News)
Raytheon is designing a prototype weather satellite for the U.S. Space Force. Raytheon's proposed Theater Weather Imaging and Cloud Characterization satellite will include a day-night band to enable observations at night with illumination from the moon. That system draws heavily on technology from the firm's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer used on other weather satellites. Through the Electro Optical/Infrared Weather System program, the Space Force seeks to deploy a constellation of satellites to provide weather data before its current constellation of Defense Meteorological Satellites cease operations. (8/3)

Interim CEO for Spaceport America, and a $12 Million 2021 Budget (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Spaceport America has an interim CEO as an investigation continues. Scott McLaughlin, who joined the spaceport in 2019, said at a meeting of the spaceport's board Friday he is serving as acting CEO. Dan Hicks, who has been CEO since 2016, was placed on administrative leave in June after a complaint alleging misconduct was filed with the state government. The board approved at that meeting an operating budget of just under $12 million for fiscal year 2021. (8/3)

Space Coast Legislator Hospitalized with COVID (Source: Florida Today)
Space Coast state legislator Randy Fine (R-Palm Bay) has been hospitalized with the COVID-19 viris. The state representative put the following message on Facebook: "So I got the x-ray back and it wasn't what I expected. Doctor said I have some pretty serious damage in my lungs and is ordering me admitted to the hospital." (8/2)

Biden Statement on the Successful Splashdown of NASA-SpaceX Dragon Endeavour (Source: Medium)
Congratulations to NASA, SpaceX, astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, and all the hardworking women and men who made possible a successful conclusion to this historic mission. The first American splashdown in 45 years was executed with precision and professionalism, just like the entirety of this awe-inspiring trip to the International Space Station.

This is a victory for American innovation and persistence, and I am proud of the role President Obama and I had in fighting to ensure that commercial crew flights from American soil would become a reality. As president, I look forward to leading a bold space program that will continue to send astronaut heroes to expand our exploration and scientific frontiers through investments in research and technology to help millions of people here on Earth. (8/2)

Hazardous Landing Zone Turns Into Trump Boat Parade (Source: USCG, CBS, Florida Today)
Not long after the Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the coast of Pensacola Beach, a swarm of private watercraft encircled the capsule, despite warnings of potential safety hazards for both the boaters and the astronauts aboard Dragon. Boaters were videotaped approaching very close to the craft, one carrying TRUMP campaign flags, before being chased off by the Coast Guard. "Numerous boaters ignored the Coast Guard crews’ requests and decided to  encroach the area, putting themselves and those involved in the operation in potential danger."

“The actions of those boaters today were not representative of the average boating community, and they put themselves and others at risk through their actions,” according to a Coast Guard statement. “A comprehensive review of this operation will be conducted.” (8/2)