September 7, 2020

Central Florida Air Force Members Transition to Space Force (Source: Florida Today)
More than two dozen Air Force service members stationed on the Space Coast officially transferred to the Space Force on Wednesday, marking a small part of the overall effort to move thousands to the military's newest branch before the end of the year. The 45th Space Wing confirmed that 26 airmen – 19 officers and seven enlisted – transferred during small ceremonies led by their squadron commanders at Patrick Air Force Base and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. All are assigned to either the space operations or space systems operations career fields.

The local moves are part of a branch-wide effort that started Tuesday to transfer 2,410 active-duty airmen in those two roles to the Space Force over the coming months. The first batch includes airmen who volunteered for the transition in May. To transfer, airmen have to officially separate from the Air Force during the ceremony and re-commit to the new service under the same rank. Both officers and enlisted personnel agreed to a two-year minimum active-duty commitment to the Space Force. (9/4)

Rebuild Arecibo! (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
After experiencing a series of misfortunes ranging from earthquakes to hurricanes to budget cuts, the National Science Foundation‘s (NSF) Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, both a scientific and cultural icon, was seriously damaged when a support cable broke on Aug. 10. For the sake of its continuing science contributions and its cultural value, the observatory should be rebuilt and restored to its full capabilities.

Built in 1963, Arecibo is now the second largest radio telescope in the world. The only radio telescope that is bigger, China’s Five hundred Meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), is still unable to transmit radio waves as powerfully as Arecibo. Its 1,000-foot dish is 20 acres wide. Arecibo plays a major role in detecting potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids and comets by sending radio signals into space to image these objects.

Repairing the observatory may take as long as a year, especially since Puerto Rico is still in peak hurricane season. While the source of funding for the needed repairs remains unclear, Ramon Lugo of the University of Central Florida (UCF) Space Institute, who co-manages Arecibo, and Robert Margetta, an NSF spokesperson, said both support the observatory and its researchers and are committed to returning it to “full operational capacity.” (9/7)

Germany Joins Space Race as Munich Start-Up Begins Rocket Production (Source: Financial Times)
Germany will join the commercial space race on Monday as production begins on what could become the first privately built rocket developed in the country to be fired into orbit. Isar Aerospace, a two-year-old Munich start-up betting on a boom in demand for the delivery of small satellites into low Earth orbit, is aiming to launch its first Spectrum rocket by the end of 2021.

The model, which is 27 metres long and will carry more than one tonne of cargo, can deploy satellites at altitudes between 400km and 1,200km, the company said. Eventually, Isar hopes to launch at least 20 flights a year. The first German rocket to reach outer space was a version of the V2 in 1942. It crossed the Kármán Line, where space begins 100km above the earth’s surface, but did not reach orbit.

Backed by investors including Airbus and venture capital firm Earlybird, Isar is one of three nascent German rocket manufacturers, along with HyImpulse and Rocket Factory Augsburg, planning a launch within the next few years in an attempt to gain a foothold in the growing small-satellite market. (9/7)

Virgin Galactic Plans Next Test Spaceflight for Oct. 22 as it Nears Flying Founder Richard Branson (Source: CNBC)
Virgin Galactic plans to conducts its next crewed spaceflight test on Oct. 22 from Spaceport America in New Mexico. The flight will be the first of two that the space tourism company has planned to complete testing of its SpaceShipTwo spacecraft system and should have just two test pilots on board. If the next two test spaceflights succeed, Virgin Galactic has said it plans to fly founder Sir Richard Branson in the first quarter of 2021. (9/6)