August 9, 2020

Air University Teaches Space as a Warfighting Domain (Source: USAF)
Air University is changing the way it educates about space. In all levels of professional military education and select professional continuing education curricula, the university will now be presenting space curriculum that is focused on developing joint-minded graduates who are prepared for joint, all-domain conflict, where the space domain is likely to be contested, degraded and operationally limited. The transition is driven, in large part, by the dramatically and rapidly changing global military-political environment that has emphasized more than ever the strategic importance of the ultimate high ground. (8/8)

Defense Department Space Policy Official Stephen Kitay Stepping Down (Source: Space News)
Stephen Kitay, deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, has resigned from his position and will leave the Pentagon on Aug. 21. Kitay, a political appointee, announced his resignation in a social media post Aug. 8. “It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve our Nation in this administration for over three years alongside the men and women in the Department of Defense,” Kitay wrote.

Kitay said he is leaving to pursue a “very exciting opportunity in the private sector.” As head of DoD space policy since June 2017, Kitay was responsible for the department’s strategy in space-related issues and activities in international space cooperation. Kitay was a central player in the establishment of U.S. Space Command and the U.S. Space Force. (8/8)

Bezos and Elon Musk’s Plans to Colonize Space are Even Crazier Than We Thought (Source: New York Post)
As a child, Elon Musk would read comic books and sci-fi novels and dream of fantastical worlds. Now the tech entrepreneur is on the verge of visiting one. Musk’s focus narrowed some 20 years ago while poking around NASA’s website. He noticed that there was no timetable for a manned mission to Mars. He later called the lack of vision “shocking.”

Musk, then already a millionaire from the sale of a software company, ditched Silicon Valley for Los Angeles, in order to be closer to the aerospace industry, and set his sights on the stars. Now the future of space is largely in his and the hands of other free-spending, big-dreaming billionaires like him, including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. But what will this future look like? Some answers can be found in the new book “Star Settlers: The Billionaires, Geniuses, and Crazed Visionaries Out to Conquer the Universe” by Fred Nadis, out now. Click here. (8/8)

Blue Origin to Provide ULA's Vulcan Propulsion for National Security Space Launch Program (Source: Blue Origin)
“We are disappointed in the decision that New Glenn was not selected for the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 2 Launch Services Procurement (LSP). We submitted an incredibly compelling offer for the national security community and the U.S. taxpayer. Blue Origin’s offer was based on New Glenn’s heavy-lift performance, unprecedented private investment of more than $2.5 billion, and a very competitive single basic launch service price for any mission across the entire ordering period.

"We are proceeding with New Glenn development to fulfill our current commercial contracts, pursue a large and growing commercial market, and enter into new civil space launch contracts. We remain confident New Glenn will play a critical role for the national security community in the future due to the increasing realization that space is a contested domain and a robust, responsive, and resilient launch capability is ever more vital to U.S security." (8/7)

Aerojet Rocketdyne to Provide ULA's Vulcan Centaur Key Propulsion for Next Generation of Air Force Launch Services (Source: Aerojet)
The U.S. Air Force selected ULA as one of two launch service providers under the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 Launch Services Procurement (LSP). Aerojet Rocketdyne will provide two RL10 rocket engines to power the upper stage of ULA’s Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle, as well as the thrusters that control the stage while in flight and the composite overwrapped pressure vessels that store gases required for operation of the launch vehicle.

Under the LSP contract, ULA will support approximately 60% of missions starting in 2022 and continuing through the next five years. The RL10 engine’s outstanding performance and reliability has made it the upper-stage engine of choice for the nation. Built in West Palm Beach, Florida, the RL10 engine is currently used to power the upper stages of ULA’s Delta IV and Atlas V rockets, and has supported earlier versions of those vehicles dating back to the early 1960s. (8/7)

Lawmakers Renew Push for U.S. Space Command Headquarters at Vandenberg (Source: NoozHawk)
California lawmakers have renewed their push for Vandenberg Air Force Base to be chosen as the home for U.S. Space Command headquarters after the military restarted the process to expand the number of candidates in consideration. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, along with Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, wrote to the secretary of the Air Force to express strong support for selection of the Santa Barbara County base as the permanent location for the organization.

“Our Central Coast community is eager to welcome the U.S. Space Command to Vandenberg Air Force Base,” Carbajal said. “Vandenberg has garnered support for the U.S. Space Command nomination from a variety of local and state stakeholders, boasts an unparalleled talent pool, and is a prime location to host the U.S. Space Command. Nowhere is better suited for U.S. Space Command than Vandenberg Air Force Base.” U.S. Space Command returned in 2019 as the 11th “combatant command,” joining others such as European Command and Cyber Command focused on geographical areas or unique missions. (8/8)

Dayton Faces Nationwide Competition in its Quest to Win Space Command HQ (Source: Dayton Daily News)
In aiming for the stars, Dayton faces tough nationwide competition. Communities across the nation have forwarded bids to serve as the new permanent home for the headquarters of U.S. Space Command . Different observers see different front-runners. And depending on whom you ask, the quest to host Space Command is either a solid chance for cities to raise their national profiles — or a political exercise.

John Boyd, principal of New Jersey-based site selection firm The Boyd Co. Inc., initially didn’t see Dayton as a front-runner in the competition when the Dayton Daily News first interviewed him in May. At the time, he called Dayton “more of an outlier candidate.” Boyd has since revised that opinion. “In recent weeks we’ve seen a number of things happen that have enhanced Dayton’s case and the way that Dayton is viewed by industry analysts as a legitimate contender for this historic project,” Boyd told the Dayton Daily News in July.

In May, the Pentagon set criteria for what leaders want in a new Space Command home, inviting communities to make their best case. Immediately, leaders of the Dayton Development Coalition and other regional advocates spoke up for the Gem City, and in July came word from the Pentagon that, in fact, Dayton met Department of Defense criteria. (8/9)

You Can Book a Weightless Flight with Zero Gravity Again After Hiatus Due to Coronavirus (Source: Space.com)
Zero Gravity Corporation (Zero-G), a company that offers weightless experiences so you can floatt like an astronaut, is returning to the skies after taking a pause during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Some passengers fly for the thrill of weightlessness, while scientists use the plane to conduct microgravity experiments, but everybody on board floats for brief periods of time during the flights. The company halted its flights temporarily during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and are resuming flights this month, with the next flight set take place Aug. 16 from Long Beach, California. (8/9)

Arecibo Observatory Weathers Tropical Storm Isaias to Track Potentially Dangerous Asteroid (Source: Space.com)
A famed radio telescope overcame Tropical Storm Isaias to determine the threat level  a space rock zooming by Earth. In both cases, happily, everything worked out just fine. Astronomers with the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico were supposed to observe the close-flying asteroid 2020 NK1 from July 30 to 31, when the object would be within close range (5 million miles) of the radar-probing telescope. Unfortunately, that timing fell exactly when Tropical Storm Isaias was supposed to crash into Puerto Rico. Arecibo, which was hit hard by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and closed due to an earthquake this past winter, shut down once again to minimize harm to their staff and observing equipment. (8/8)