September 9, 2020

Virgin Galactic Gears Up For Final WhiteKnightTwo Test Flights (Source: Simple Flying)
Virgin Galactic will take another big step towards space tourism next month. The company will embark on the first of its final two crewed test flights using the carrier aircraft WhiteKnightTwo to launch SpaceShipTwo. The flight could take place as early as October 22nd out of Virgin Galactic’s ‘Spaceport’ in New Mexico.

While Virgin Galactic has yet to publicly release the dates of its test flights, CNBC has acquired the information through documents filed with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on September 1st. A Virgin Galactic spokesperson has confirmed the accuracy of the FCC filing but made it clear that the October 22nd date marks the beginning of a flight window.

Therefore, it’s possible that the launch may happen sometime after this date. These test flights in late October will include both the carrier aircraft known as WhiteKnightTwo and the actual plane carrying space tourists – SpaceShipTwo. Before late October, the carrier aircraft, WhiteKnightTwo, will undertake a series of four-hour test flights between October 1st and October 7th. (9/8)

NASA Declines Seat on Russia's Soyuz for US Astronaut ISS Flight (Source: Sputnik)
NASA changed its mind and decided not to buy a seat on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft to deliver its astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) in the spring of 2021, according to Roscosmos' 2019 annual report. In May, NASA chief Jim Bridenstine announced that the option of acquiring a seat on the Soyuz MS-18 manned spacecraft, which would be launched in April 2021, is being considered. In August, a source in the space industry said that for the first time in the history of the ISS, a crew consisting of only Russian cosmonauts would fly on Soyuz MS-18, but there was no official confirmation of this so far. (9/9)

Gilmour Space to Launch Space Machines Company on First Eris Rocket (Source: Space Daily)
Australian rocket company, Gilmour Space Technologies, has secured the first customer for its maiden Eris rocket launch in 2022. Space Machines Company has contracted to launch a 35-kilogram (kg) spacecraft to orbit, the largest payload announced to date by an Australian space company. "This could well be the first Australian payload to be launched to orbit on an Australian rocket, from an Australian launch site," said Adam Gilmour.

Gilmour's first Eris rockets will be launching payloads up to 305 kg into low earth orbits - 215 kg into 500 kilometres sun synchronous orbits or 305 kg into 500 km equatorial orbits. "We've closed two commercial launch contracts in the last few months, and are targeting 12 rockets a year by 2025," he added. "Rockets often get the limelight, but we never forget that the reason we launch is so our customers can do their business in space." (9/9)

GITAI Robot Test Planned Inside the Nanoracks Bishop Airlock (Source: Nanoracks)
In 2021, space robotics start-up GITAI, in collaboration with Nanoracks, will conduct a technical demonstration of a GITAI robot executing versatile tasks inside the Nanoracks’ Bishop Airlock Module installed on Node 3 of the International Space Station (ISS). In this technical demonstration, GITAI’s space robot “S1” will be installed inside Bishop’s pressurized volume to conduct two experiments: IVA (Intra-Vehicular Activity) tasks such as switch and cable operations, and assembly of structures and panels to demonstrate its capability for ISA (In-Space Assembly). (9/9)

Machine-Learning Nanosatellites to Monitor Global Trade (Source: Space Daily)
Nanosatellites, built in Glasgow, will join a fleet of more than 100 objects in low Earth orbit that help to predict the movement of the world's resources, so that businesses and governments can make informed decisions. The four satellites are due to be launched this month, two aboard an Indian PSLV launcher and another two on a Russian Soyuz launcher. Spire uses automatic identification systems aboard ships to track their whereabouts on the oceans. Its network picks up the identity, position, course and speed of each vessel. (9/8)

Gut Microbes Could Allow Space Travelers to Stay Healthy on Long Voyages (Source: Space Daily)
A growing number of studies have focused on gut microbes, and their role in space-related health. They suggest that disruptions in the gut microbiome occur during space travel. One study found that the microbiomes of space travelers on the same mission became more similar to each other during the journey. There was also an increase in bacteria associated with intestinal inflammation and a decrease in those with anti-inflammatory properties.

"Changes in the microbiome are likely to lead to the breakdown of the balanced and complex relationship between microbes and their human host, with potentially severe repercussions on the functionality of body systems," said Silva Turroni. Manipulating the gut microbiome may be a powerful way to maintain health on board a spacecraft. "The literature suggests that nutritional countermeasures based on prebiotics and probiotics hold great promise to protect space travelers," said Turroni.

So, what would these microbial treatments involve? They may be as simple as nutritionally balanced meals, with lots of fiber to kickstart microbial metabolism in the gut. Other options could be more targeted, including microbial supplements, such as bacteria that secrete immune-boosting substances, or those that synthesize vitamins required for bone growth. (9/9)

D-Orbit Launches its First ION Satellite Carrier (Source: Space Daily)
D-Orbit, a portfolio company of the vertically integrated Noosphere Ventures, founded by entrepreneur Max Polyakov, delivered its first ION Satellite Carrier and successfully tested the orbital transport system. The maiden flight of ION had to be scrapped in March because of the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak and again in August due to persistent adverse weather conditions. Finally, on September 3 the ION SVC LUCAS lifted off on an Arianespace Vega rocket on the VV16 Small Spacecraft Mission Service Proof of Concept Flight.

The rocket placed ION in a Sun-Synchronous orbit at approximately 515 km with the satellite separating correctly from the dispenser at 4:43:45 a.m. In the coming weeks, ION will carry out its mission, named Origin, by deploying a flock of 12 Planet SuperDoves satellites, performing in-orbit demonstration/validation of dedicated payloads, and testing the onboard propulsion module. D-Orbit engineering and manufacturing teams are now performing a series of tests on the spacecraft and preparing for a second launch scheduled for late December 2020 atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The goal is to test advanced orbital maneuvers which will increase the satellite deployment precision of the ION Satellite Carrier. (9/9)

Martian Soil May Not Support Astronaut Agriculture (Source: Planetary News)
In The Martian, Matt Damon’s character is able to survive being marooned on Mars by growing potatoes in the martian soil. While fictional, this plot point reflects a real need for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) to support long-term human space exploration missions. A new study by a team from the Florida Institute of Technology suggests that the martian soil may be more hostile to plant life than previously thought and that the capability of growing martian potatoes will require additional development to make agriculture feasible.

The researchers studied three examples of martian regolith simulants. These simulants are produced from materials found on Earth to reproduce the mineralogy and chemistry of the soil we expect to find on Mars. They found that none of these simulants were able to support plant life on their own, partly due to nitrogen deficiency, and only two were able to do so when nutrient supplements were added. More crucially, none of these simulants could support plant life at all when calcium perchlorate — a common, and toxic, substance on Mars’s surface — was added. Their results suggest that any scheme for ISRU agriculture on the surface of Mars must plan to remediate, or otherwise avoid, the toxic effects of perchlorate before attempting an extraterrestrial harvest. (8/24)

The Women of FAA Space Operations (Source: Medium)
Commercial space operations are one of the most innovative and rapidly developing areas in the FAA. Employees in the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization (ATO) play a critical role supporting the commercial space mission, and women are playing a larger role as the operations become more frequent.

Some high-profile missions this summer included the first manned flight from U.S. soil in a decade: SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and the recent launch of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover. Tere are some testimonials from Hannah Browne, Beth Adams and Jaime McMillon, just a few employees in the ATO who help ensure that the airspace is clear and that the safety of other aircraft is maintained during those important missions. Click here. (8/31)

Meet The Woman Who Will Direct the Next Moon Landing (Source: Air & Space)
At 12 years old, Holly Ridings could already hear an inner engineer voice telling her that she was, in her words, “a fix-it person” and that here was something big, something important to be part of. “I’ve never met a problem that I am not going to try to solve,” she says. “Maybe that’s why I have this job. From that tragedy, my love of engineering, science, and space was born. I loved space after that.”

Ridings, who became NASA’s Chief Flight Director in September 2018, is now one of the first people NASA calls when human spaceflight problems arise. Only 12 others have held this position, and Ridings is the first woman to occupy the post. She follows in the footsteps of such legendary space men as Christopher Kraft Jr. and Apollo flight directors Gene Kranz and Gerry Griffin. And like Kraft, Kranz, and Griffin, she will soon manage the team that will send astronauts to the moon.

Today, she says, all controllers and flight directors, as a part of their training, are required to read the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report. She finds it hard to read. Now, with hindsight, she sees decisions that, had they gone another way, could possibly have changed the outcome. She says, “But we read that just to remind ourselves that the decisions you make every day have life or death consequences.” (7/30)

Satellite Industry Revenues Fall During Pandemic (Source: Euroconsult)
The satellite industry will generate 20% to 30% less revenue this year from inflight Wi-Fi as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a forecast from Euroconsult. Roughly 9,200 aircraft worldwide were equipped with inflight connectivity hardware at the end of 2019, contributing to $1.4 billion in revenue generated that year. The predicted decline translates to roughly $1 billion to $1.1 billion in revenues for 2020.

Long term, Euroconsult projects the sector will return to growth with between 15,000 and 18,000 aircraft sporting inflight connectivity terminals by 2029. Increased competition between inflight connectivity providers and a large influx of satellite bandwidth over the next five years will drive down capacity costs and improve passenger experience, Euroconsult said. (9/9)

Spain's GMV Acquire UK's Nottingham Scientific (Source: GMV)
Spanish space company GMV has acquired Nottingham Scientific Limited, a British satellite positioning and navigation specialist. GMV merged Nottingham Scientific Limited with its own U.K. division, GMV Innovating Solutions Limited, and rebranded the combined business unit as GMV NSL, the company announced Sept. 7. GMV established a U.K. presence in 2014 that is focused on Earth observation, space debris tracking, mission planning, flight dynamics, navigation, autonomy and robotics. GMV NSL numbers 80 people. Its parent company, GMV, numbered 2,176 people in 2019 and reported annual revenue of more than 236 million euros ($279 million). (9/9)

Russia to Launch Replacement Satellite for Angola After Losing First One in Launch Failure (Source: TASS)
Russia expects to launch Angola’s replacement communications satellite Angosat-2 in March 2022, according to ISS Reshetnev, manufacturer of the satellite platform. The Russian-built Angosat-1 satellite lost contact in December 2017 shortly after launch, and was declared lost in 2018 after multiple attempts to restore contact. Russia is providing satellite communications services to Angola in C- and Ku-band frequencies while Angosat-2 is being manufactured. ISS Reshetnev is building Angosat-2 with a payload from Airbus Defence and Space. (9/9)

Astronomers Find No Signs of Alien Tech After Scanning Over 10 Mmillion Stars (Source: C/Net)
If you have "discover an alien civilization" on your 2020 bingo card, you're going to have to wait a little longer to cross it off. A new large-scale survey of the sky looked into the dark forest of the cosmos, examining over 10 million stars, but failed to turn up any evidence of alien technologies.

The study details a search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), a collection of 4096 antennas planted in the red soil of Western Australia that detects radio signals from space. "They are little spider-like antennas that sit on the ground," explains Chenoa Tremblay. They used the MWA to listen out for "technosignatures," or evidence of alien technology, in a portion of the sky around the Vela constellation.

After listening to the Vela region for 17 hours, no unknown signals were detected. While the survey was able to capture over 10.3 million stellar sources and contained six known exoplanets. The team notes it was like trying to find something in an ocean, but only studying "a volume of water equivalent to a large backyard swimming pool." (9/7)

NOAA’s Former Satellite Now Providing Weather Data to the U.S. Military (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force announced that a geostationary weather satellite previously owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is now in service for the military providing coverage over the Indian Ocean. A satellite that NOAA first launched in 2006 and retired in 2018 has been repurposed as the Electro-Optical Infrared Weather System – Geostationary, or EWS-G1. (9/8)

New Course Prepares Next Generation of U.S. Space Force Officers (Source: LAAFB)
The United States Space Force (USSF) and its premiere acquisition arm, the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) successfully welcomed the incoming class of newly commissioned officers through a brand-new and completely virtual USSF Space Officer Immersion Program from July 7 to 31.

The program was designed by SMC’s Commander’s Action Group (CAG) and is designed to prepare new members for their first assignments within the USSF. The program focuses on a wide range of space-related topics, presented via informational briefings from subject matter experts and senior leaders, assigned readings from selected books, and video presentations to build a strong foundation of understanding. Following the initial four weeks, the officers enter into an 18-32 week-long industry internship and concludes with their entry into formal Undergraduate Space Training (UST). (9/7)

The Future on Hold: America’s Need to Redefine its Space Paradigm (Source: Space Review)
American economic growth in recent decades has been very different than what the country enjoyed in the previous century. Stephen Kostes argues that space exploration and commercialization can help restore that traditional, stronger growth. Click here. (9/8)
 
Making the Transition From the ISS (Source: Space Review)
NASA is emphasizing its low Earth orbit commercialization effort in order to create commercial facilities that can one day succeed the International Space Station. Jeff Foust reports that effort faces challenges, including concerns some might seek to end the ISS too soon. Click here. (9/8)
 
The Artemis Accords: a Shared Framework for Space Exploration (Source: Space Review)
NASA’s Artemis Accords have attracted attention and, in some cases, controversy. Paul Stimers and Abby Dinegar explains why the accords should be seen as an essential part of international cooperation in space exploration. Click here. (9/8)
 
Walking Through the Doors of History: Unlocking a Space Tradition (Source: Space Review)
For decades, astronauts launching on NASA missions have walked through the same doorway at a Kennedy Space Center building, one that has become adorned with stickers from those missions. Kirby Kahler examines that lineup of logos, including those missions that are missing and some of the mysterious patches found there. Click here. (9/8)

Northop Grumman Wins Bid to Build Next Generation of US ICBMs (Source: Space News)
Northrop Grumman won a $13.3 billion Air Force contract Tuesday to build a next-generation ICBM. The Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) is the follow-on to the Minuteman 3 ICBM and will be deployed starting in the late 2020s. The contract Tuesday runs for eight years to cover development of the missile, with the overall GBSD program projected to cost $63 billion over 20 years. Northrop Grumman received the sole-source contract after the only other bidder, Boeing, dropped out late last year. (9/9)

China's Landspace Raises $175 Million for Launch Vehicle (Source: Space News)
Chinese launch vehicle developer Landspace has raised $175 million in a new funding round. The Series C+ funding round was jointly led by Sequoia Capital China, Country Garden Venture Capital, Matrix Partners China and Cornerstone Capital. Landspace is working toward an inaugural launch of the Zhuque-2 medium-class rocket in June 2021, and has in recent months tested its engines, fueled by methane and liquid oxygen. The funding comes two weeks after another Chinese launch firm, iSpace, secured $173 million in series B funding. (9/9)

Separate Funding for Air Force and Space Force in CR (Source: Space News)
The White House wants Air Force and Space Force funding separated in an upcoming stopgap spending bill. The administration, in a request to Congress this week for changes, or "anomalies," to an upcoming continuing resolution, said it wanted Space Force funding for four major funding lines, ranging from operations to procurement, placed in separate funding accounts from the Air Force. Without that separation, the White House argued, there would be an administrative burden that "would adversely impact Space Force's mission execution." Congressional leadership has been in discussions with the White House about a continuing resolution to keep the government open when fiscal year 2021 begins Oct. 1, likely running into December. (9/9)

Will the Space Force Need a Heavy Lift Launcher? (Source: Space News)
The Space Force says it's too soon to say if they will need future "super heavy" launch vehicles like SpaceX's Starship. At a RAND Corporation forum Tuesday, Brig. Gen. D. Jason Cothern, who oversees launch services procurement for the U.S. Space Force, said the vehicles currently under contract for national security space missions meet the military's needs for the near future, with the service focused on mission success. Demands for future launch systems will depend on what new threats to national security emerge. (9/9)

NASA's Juno Mission May Be Extended (Source: Space News)
NASA's Juno mission is seeking a long-term extension to broaden the science it will do at Jupiter. The spacecraft, whose prime mission studying Jupiter from orbit ends next July, is seeking an extended mission that would run through September 2025. Changes in the spacecraft's elliptical orbit around Jupiter open up new science opportunities, according to the project's principal investigator, such as flybys of some of Jupiter's largest moons and studies of the planet's rings. NASA will decide on whether to fund that extended mission proposal by the end of the year. (9/9)

Jupiter Has Many Many Moons (Source: Sky & Telescope)
A new study argues that Jupiter might have as many as 600 moons. The research, which will be presented at a European conference later this month, is based on the discovery of about four dozen potential moons detected over a small area of the sky around Jupiter by a Hawaiian telescope. Extrapolating that result led astronomers to conclude the planet could have 600 moons at least 800 meters across. Jupiter currently has 79 confirmed moons. (9/9)

NASA Selects Koerner to Lead Orion Program (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected a new manager of the Orion program. Catherine Koerner took over as Orion program manager Tuesday, succeeding Mark Kirasich, who earlier this year was named head of the agency's Advanced Exploration Systems Division. Koerner has 30 years of human spaceflight experience, most recently as head of the Human Health and Performance Directorate at the Johnson Space Center. (9/9)

Germany Considers Sea Launch Platform (Source: BBC)
Germany is considering building a launch pad in the North Sea for small launch vehicles. The platform, which would be located with the country's exclusive economic zone within the North Sea, could be used by German startups developing small launchers. The Federation of German Industries is lobbying the German government to invest $35 million in the launch platform. (9/9)

NASA Wants More Lunar Payload Deliveries (Source: NASA)
NASA has issued another task order for its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. The task order seeks proposals for carrying about 100 kilograms of science and technology demonstration payloads to a nonpolar region of the moon in 2022. The 14 companies previously selected to be part of CLPS are eligible to bid on the task order, but the agency did not disclose when it expected to select a winner. NASA previously awarded contracts for CLPS missions to Astrobotic, Intuitive Machines and Masten Space Systems. (9/9)

Space Coast Jobs Agency Supports Aerospace Workforce Pipeline (Source: CareerSource Brevard)
AERO-FLEX is an Employer-Defined pre-apprenticeship program with a framework that ensures employers will have access to pre-screened, work-ready, and industry-skilled talent. AERO-FLEX is in response to industry's demand for a program that can be
customized to suit individualized industry workforce needs and differences. Contact Clinton Hatcher at chatcher@careersourcebrevard.com. (9/9)