August 30, 2020

Scrubs Scrub Weekend Launchfest (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
SpaceX won’t be launching two rockets on the same day after all. A Starlink launch scheduled for 10:12 a.m today was postponed “due to inclement weather during pre-flight operations,’' SpaceX said in a tweet, adding that the next opportunity for that mission would be Tuesday at 9:29 a.m. Still scheduled for Sunday night is a satellite launch for Argentina at 7:19 p.m., but forecasters give only a 40% chance for favorable weather for the liftoff.

Both satellites are going up atop Falcon 9 rockets but from different pads: Kennedy Space Center’s launch complex 39A for Starlink and the Argentinian SAOCOM 1B satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s launch complex 40. (8/30)

ULA Delta IV Heavy Launch Scrubbed Again, Pushed to Next Week (Source: Click Orlando)
The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket launch of a national security satellite was scrubbed for the second time this week. The liftoff was scheduled for 2:04 a.m. but due to a temperature reading on the rocket the countdown was delayed until 3:28 a.m. Three seconds before the launch on Saturday morning the countddown was stopped autonomously. ULA says that the recycle time will be seven days minimum prior to the next launch attempt. (8/29)

Congress Could Provide Stability to Space Program in an Election Year (Source: Politico)
A new president typically applies his own imprint to NASA, which can complicate the space agency’s major programs that require more than a single election cycle to plan, fund, and execute. One recent historical example is returning American astronauts to the moon. George W. Bush directed NASA to do it in 2004 but the program was canceled by his successor Barack Obama, only to be revived by Donald Trump.

If former Vice President Joe Biden is elected in November, NASA’s overarching space goals could once again be upended (The Democratic Party platform for 2020 refers to "continuing space exploration and discovery” but it offers few specifics or timeline). One way to insulate the space agency from unnecessary turmoil is for Congress to pass a NASA authorization bill for the first time in three years, says Mike French, a former NASA chief of staff who is now vice president of space systems at the Aerospace Industries Association. (8/28)

SpaceX Aiming for First Polar Launch From Florida in 60 Years (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
On August 30, SpaceX is planning to make another entry in the modern-day history books, flying a launch trajectory not seen from Florida’s Space Coast in over 60 years. The mission to launch the SAOCOM-1B payload into a sun-synchronous polar orbit is also part of a rare, two-launch day on the Eastern Range. (8/28)

Boeing and NASA Target December for Second Try at Uncrewed Orbital Demonstration Flight (Source: Tech Crunch)
NASA  and Boeing  have provided some updates around their Commercial Crew plans, which aim to get Boeing’s CST-100 spacecraft certified for regular human flight. The CST-100 and Boeing’s Commercial Crew aspirations hit a snag last year with a first attempt of an uncrewed orbital flight test, which did not go to plan thanks to a couple of software errors that led to an early mission ending, and a failure to reach the International Space Station as intended.

In a blog post on Friday, NASA said that it and partner Boeing were aiming to fly the re-do of that uncrewed test no earlier than December 2020. This will involve flying the fully reusable Starliner CST-100 without anyone on board, in a live, fully automated simulation of how a launch with crew would go, including a rendezvous and docking with the ISS on orbit, and a return trip and controlled landing and capsule recovery. (8/28)

Toyota Land Cruiser Inspires Japan's Upcoming Moon Rover (Source Road Show)
Toyota and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plan to reach the moon with a manned rover before the end of the decade. With the automaker's fuel cell tech onboard, Toyota decided to draw a link between space and Earth with the rover's official name. JAXA and Toyota on Friday announced the manned vehicle will be named the Lunar Cruiser.

The name directly recalls the Toyota Land Cruiser, which first entered production in 1951. In the announcement, the automaker said it based the decision on the "quality, durability and reliability" the Land Cruiser provided in the past, and still offers. The characteristics are especially crucial as Toyota and JAXA continue development. The Lunar Cruiser needs to keep astronauts safe as it roams the moon's surface. (8/28)

AT&T Again Exploring a Deal for DirecTV (Source: Wall Street Journal)
AT&T Inc. is taking a fresh look at its DirecTV business, according to people familiar with the matter, exploring a deal for a service wounded by cord-cutting. The telecom and media giant and its advisers at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. have been in talks with private-equity suitors about the satellite TV unit, some of the people said. Potential bidders include Apollo Global Management Inc., which had expressed interest last year, and Platinum Equity, these people said. (8/28)

Brazilian Partnership to Begin Producing NASA-Designed COVID-19 Ventilator (Source: NASA JPL)
In late April, NASA announced the development of Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally (VITAL), a ventilator prototype designed specifically to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, 28 manufacturers around the world have been licensed to make the device. Now one of those licensees is preparing to begin production in Brazil.

Anvisa, Brazil's counterpart to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, announced approval of this effort during an Aug. 24 press conference with the licensee, a joint partnership between Russer, a medical device manufacturer, and CIMATEC (Manufacturing and Technology Integrated Campus), a nonprofit research and development institution. (8/24)

First Hungarian Commercial Satellite to Launch in 2024 (Source: 4ig.hu)
As a member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU, the United Nations specialised telecommunications agency), Hungary has met all the legal conditions and had all the international agreementsii (geostationary orbit, required frequencies) necessary to serve the country's communications and telecommunications needs with its own satellite since the 1990s. Back in 2004, the Hungarian government leased the track section to a foreign private company. The contract expires in 2024, after which Hungary will once again have the opportunity to control its own orbital position and frequency.

To take advantage of this opportunity, CarpathiaSat CPLC. will be established, which, based on international examples, will set up a fixed orbit and operate Hungary's first communications and telecommunications satellite in close cooperation with the state and private sector. In addition, the company will have the right to operate the geostationary orbital section for the next twenty years. (8/27)