November 10, 2020

Northrop Grumman Updates Transfer Element Portion of National Team Lunar Lander (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Northrop Grumman’s Sally Richardson, Program Director, Human Landing System, provided key updates on the progress the company is making on its Transfer Element, part of a three-piece Human Landing System (HLS) lunar lander. Northrop Grumman is part of the National Team, also consisting of Blue Origin (project lead), Lockheed Martin, and Draper. Together, the National Team is proposing an integrated lunar lander.

For Northrop Grumman’s part, the Transfer Element will provide docking capability for the integration of the National Team’s lander in Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) as well as “a lot of the necessary services that are needed in flight but that are not needed on the Moon,” said Sally. This includes power for the Ascent/Descent Elements, attitude control, active thermal control, and propulsion. “It enables the two elements that do land on the surface to have those functions offloaded and eliminate the amount of mass they have to carry.” (11/6)

How America’s Space Development Agency is Shaking Up Acquisitions (Source: C4ISRnet)
In March 2019, the Pentagon established a new organization to buy space systems: The Space Development Agency. But this led to some confusion. After all, the U.S. Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center already bought the bulk of the military’s satellites and space systems, and the Space Rapid Capabilities Office acted as a supplement to drive faster programs. The imminent establishment of the U.S. Space Force brought further questions.

SDA was set up to build the National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA), a new proliferated constellation primarily in low Earth orbit that will be made up of hundreds of satellites. That’s a radical departure from traditional military space. Over the last 18 months, the agency has designed the NDSA; issued its first request for proposals; and awarded its first contracts.

The agency planned to launch increasingly large numbers of satellites into orbit in two-year tranches, culminating in a constellation of about 1,000 satellites in 2026. With this spiral development approach, the agency is looking to put mature technology on orbit now, and then provide upgraded capabilities as more tranches go online. In other words: In less time than it traditionally took the Air Force to design and launch one satellite, SDA wanted to launch 1,000. (11/10)

U.S. Air Force Taps Brig. Gen. Purdy to Command 45th Space Wing (Source: Space News)
The Secretary of the Air Force announced that Brig. Gen. Stephen Purdy has been named commander of the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Space Wing and director of the Eastern Range at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. The 45th Space Wing oversees the space launch range in Florida. Purdy is currently serving as Space Force director of plans, programs, and financial management at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.

The leadership change is taking place as the 45th Space Wing is in the process of being reorganized as a space delta. To create its own identity separate from the Air Force, the Space Force is naming its units deltas. The changeover of wings to deltas started this summer when the Space Force deactivated three former U.S. Air Force space wings and replaced them with nine deltas and two garrison commands. The only two wings that have not yet been reorganized are the 45th Space Wing and the 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. (11/10)

NASA May be $2 Billion Short of Sending Astronauts to the Moon by 2024 (Source: Space Explored)
he Senate Appropriations Committee published a draft bill authorizing the 2021 budget for the U.S. government including NASA. If the bill becomes law, NASA is set to receive $23.5 billion in funding for the next fiscal year. That’s an $866 million increase year-over-year, but the amount allocated to developing a human landing system for NASA’s Artemis program to send astronauts to the Moon by 2024 is underfunded by $2 billion.

The space agency has previously said it would need $3 billion allocated to developing a 21st-century human landing system to transport astronauts to the surface of the Moon in time for a 2024 deadline. This deadline is widely viewed as political as it would achieve sending the first woman and next man to the Moon by the end of President Trump’s second term in office. (11/10)

Swamp Watch - Trump Actions at DoD and NSC Put Questionable Characters in Power (Sources: Politico, Defense News, Wall Street Journal)
With Secretary Esper's firing, which seems a retaliatory move by President Trump, controversial figure Anthony Tata will move to an non-confirmed role as Undersecretary of Defense for Policy. Tata is an ardent Trump "loyalist" who "retired from the military in 2009 after an Army inquiry found that he conducted 'at least two' adulterous affairs while serving, considered a crime by the military.

Meanwhile, President Trump has installed a National Security Council official and former aide to Congressman Devin Nunes as chief of staff to new acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller as he continues to shake up the Pentagon’s top ranks in his final months in office. Patel played a key role as a Hill staffer in helping Republicans discredit the Russia probe, has had a number of roles in the Trump administration.

Also Trump just made Michael Flynn aide Ezra Cohen-Watnick Acting Undersecretary for Intelligence. Meanwhile at the State Department, "officials and diplomats are shocked, confused and outraged" after Secretary Pompeo failed to recognize Biden's victory. One US diplomat said "I am sick." Another diplomat: "This is actually incredibly scary." This as Pompeo has been lecturing foreign nations about the integrity of their elections. (11/10)

Space Insurers Hoping to Break Even After Recent Losses (Source: Space News)
After two consecutive years of losses, the space insurance industry is hoping to break even this year while seeking continued increases in premiums. Dominique Rora, head of space underwriting at AXA XL, said he expected insurers to break even after suffering several hundred million dollars in losses in 2018 and 2019. Space insurers suffered losses in the last two years primarily because of a decline in revenues rather than an increase in claims.

Rora noted that the losses in 2018 and 2019 were “in family” with what the industry had seen over the last two decades, although losses in 2019 were among the highest during that period. The problem, he said, was that premiums had dropped by half since a peak of about $1 billion in 2012. Premiums dropped because of sharply declining rates for both launch and in-orbit coverage. Those rates have increased since last year, Rora said, but have only returned to levels seen in 2012 to 2014, and far below historic peaks in the early 2000s. (11/10)

Virgin Orbit CEO Hart: Smallsat Launchers Need Governments as Anchor Customers (Source: Space News)
Smallsat launch service providers need governments to invest in a diversity of companies and to avoid creating monopolies, Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart said.
Hart said the industry needs governments to be “anchor customers” to give the industry stability. “Government is a natural partner,” he said. “The key is for government to be a smart buyer, look at systems that fulfill requirements and also fuel innovation,” Hart added. “The only thing that we don’t want government to do is to create large monopolies that stifle innovation.” (11/10)

Astronauts Prepare for Most Crowded Space Station in Years (Source: Space Daily)
Four astronauts who plan to head to the International Space Station on Saturday from Florida say they anticipate the expansion of science and other activities on the orbiting platform. Their arrival at the space station would boost the number of astronauts who live there to seven for the first time in years. Saturday's launch will be the first time four astronauts fly in a space capsule, and the first routine launch in NASA's new commercial spaceflight program. (11/10)

Satellite Manufacturers Have Good Year Despite Pandemic (Source: Space News)
Commercial satellite manufacturers said they have had a good year despite the pandemic. Executives of several manufacturers on a panel at World Satellite Business Week expressed optimism that overall demand for satellite communications would remain strong, driven in part by growing demand for residential broadband services. Companies have been dealing with challenges, though, such as the health of their supply chains. (11/10)

Biden Administration Unlikely to Nix Space Force (Source: Space News)
The incoming Biden administration is unlikely to be a threat to the U.S. Space Force. While the new service is often heralded as a major accomplishment of the Trump administration, space policy analysts say the service has bipartisan support. Any effort to significantly alter or abolish the service would require congressional action, which appears unlikely in a divided Congress. Instead, said one expert, "I think the focus will be on trying to make it work effectively." (11/10)

Space Force Outlines Priorities and Goals (Source: Space News)
The Space Force has outlined its long-term priorities and goals. The service released Monday a document known as the Chief of Space Operations Planning Guidance that is the vision of the current head of the Space Force, Gen. John "Jay" Raymond. Raymond insisted that the Space Force intends to be lean and agile, which are characteristics that are not typically associated with military bureaucracies. It also will work closely with the civilian space community and the commercial space industry, Raymond said. (11/10)

Large Launches Skeptical of Demand for Small Launchers (Source: Space News)
Companies that operate large launch vehicles said they were skeptical there was much demand for smaller vehicles. Executives of those companies said at World Satellite Business Week that they believed that there was only enough demand for two or three small launch companies, and that those companies' business cases were dependent more on government than commercial business. Large launch operators said they believe their vehicles were more effective for launching smallsats, either through dedicated launches of constellations or through rideshare services. (11/10)

SpaceX Opens Operations to Space Force Observation (Source: Space News)
SpaceX won a Space Force contract for monitoring some of its launches. The $29.6 million one-year contract allows the Space Force to monitor and study data from the company's commercial and civil space missions. The contract, part of the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 program, gives the Space Force visibility into SpaceX's operations during an active launch period as it deploys its Starlink broadband internet constellation with its fleet of Falcon 9 rockets. (11/10)

Swamp Watch: Trump Fires DoD Secretary (Source: Space News)
President Trump fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper Monday. Trump didn't give a reason for removing Esper, but Esper had been at odds with Trump on issues such as the use of the military to quell protests this summer. Congressional Democrats criticized the decision to terminate a high-level cabinet official so close to the end of the current administration. Christopher Miller, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, will serve as acting defense secretary. (11/10)

Japan's Ispace Opens US Office (Source: Space News)
Japanese lunar lander company ispace has opened a U.S. office. The company said the office in Denver will work on a new, larger version of its lunar lander to serve NASA and other American customers. The Tokyo-based company hopes the U.S. office will be able to tap into American engineering expertise and also have a better understanding of U.S. customers. (11/10)

Hughes to Produce New Satcomm System for Helicopters (Source: Space News)
Hughes is ready to produce a beyond-line-of-sight satellite communications system for government and commercial helicopters. Hughes and industry partners obtained FAA certification in May for the HeloSat communications system, which was tested over several months by communicating with Intelsat and Inmarsat satellites. Hughes sees potential military, civil government and commercial applications for enhanced helicopter communications. (11/10)

NASA Advances Exploration Tech with 20 Partnership Agreements (Source: NASA)
NASA announced a new round of partnerships with companies to support space technology development. NASA announced Monday 20 partnerships with 17 companies on a range of space technology projects. That work will be done under unfunded Space Act Agreements over the next one to two years. Among the companies selected are Aerojet Rocketdyne, Blue Origin, Maxar and SpaceX. (11/10)

Relativity Space Tests Rocket Engine (Source: Ars Technica)
Relativity Space has performed a full-duration test of the engine that will power its small launch vehicle. Relativity performed a 187-second test firing of the Aeon 1 engine at the Stennis Space Center, the company announced Monday. The engine will be used on its Terran 1 rocket, which Relativity says is on track for a first launch next year. (11/10)

L3Harris Wins Contract to Apply Artificial Intelligence to Remotely Sensed Data (Source: Space News)
L3Harris Technologies will help the U.S. Defense Department extract information and insight from satellite and airborne imagery under a three-year U.S. Army Research Laboratory contract. L3Harris will develop and demonstrate an artificial intelligence-machine learning interface for Defense Department applications under the multimillion-dollar contract announced Oct. 26. (11/9)

Blue Origin Venture Fleshes Out Plans for 2023 Cargo Delivery to the Moon (Source: GeekWire)
Blue Origin is working on a landing system that could put astronauts on the moon by as early as 2024 — but it’s also keeping its options open to deliver a ton of cargo to the lunar surface a year before that. Blue Origin’s chief scientist, Steve Squyres, outlined the current state of plans for an Amazon-like cargo delivery to the moon today during a virtual symposium presented by the University of Washington’s Space Policy and Research Center.

The idea isn’t exactly new: Blue Origin floated its Blue Moon cargo lander concept with the Trump administration in early 2017, even before President Donald Trump formally took office. And a Blue Origin executive mentioned the 2023 date for a cargo landing more than two years ago during a Seattle-area space conference. But Squyres’ remarks served to confirm that the 2023 mission, which would provide an early test of the technology for the crewed landing system, is still part of Bezos’ grand vision for creating a sustainable human presence on the moon. “We must go back to the moon, and this time to stay,” Bezos told me in 2018. (11/6)

Pentagon Worries That Satellite Attacks Could Spark ‘Mutually Assured Destruction’ (Source: GeekWire)
In the years ahead, the long-running nightmare of the nuclear Cold War — mutually assured destruction — could return in a new context on the final frontier, a Pentagon adviser said today at a Seattle-based space policy conference. Brad Townsend, a space strategy and policy adviser to the leadership of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, raised the alarm about anti-satellite weapons, or ASATs, during a virtual symposium sponsored by the University of Washington’s Space Policy and Research Center.

He noted that China and Russia are already experimenting with methods to disable other nations’ satellites in the event of a future conflict. But in the course of destroying an enemy satellite, attackers could set off a catastrophic chain reaction of out-of-control orbital debris. “If nations start arming with ASATs as a way to deter other nations from attacking their orbital assets, they risk creating a new form of mutually assured destruction,” he said. (11/6)

Blue Origin and Aerojet Get in on NASA Partnerships for New Space Technologies (Source: GeekWire)
Blue Origin and Aerojet Rocketdyne are among 17 companies that have struck deals with NASA to develop new technologies for space missions. The 20 collaborative projects are part of a program managed by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. The selected projects will be governed by unfunded Space Act Agreements. No funds will be exchanged, but the companies will gain access to NASA expertise and testing services that carry an estimated value of $15.5 million. (11/9)

Moon 2020-Something (Source: Space Review)
The Trump Administration called for a human return to the Moon by 2024, a goal that many were skeptical about before the election and now seems increasingly unlikely. Jeff Foust reports on how plans to return humans to the Moon might change under a new administration. Click here. (11/9)
 
Closing the Business Case (Source: Space Review)
As the Biden administration prepares to take office, it faces decisions on its next steps in space policy. Robert Oler discusses why it should focus on measures to close the business case for human spaceflight. Click here. (11/9)
 
How ISRO Handled the Pandemic (Source: Space Review)
India conducted its first launch of 2020 on Saturday after a long hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Ajey Lele argues India’s space agency did not handle the pandemic as well as its counterparts in other nations. Click here. (11/9)
 
Chinese Denouncement of Space Militarization Featured in UN Resolution (Source: Space Daily)
The Disarmament and International Security Committee (First Committee) of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly adopted Friday a resolution about weapons in outer space, which contains the concept of "a community of shared future for humankind" put forward by China. A preambular paragraph of the resolution, titled "No First Placement of Weapons in Outer Space", reaffirmed that practical measures should be examined and taken in the search for agreements to prevent an arms race in outer space in a common effort toward a community of shared future for mankind.

"No First Placement of Weapons in Outer Space" is a traditional resolution of the UNGA First Committee and has been adopted by a vote every year since 2014. The concept of "a community of shared future for humankind" has been included in the resolution since 2017. (11/9)

Russia Looks for Actress to Steal Tom Cruise Space Movie Thunder (Source: Space Review)
Tom Cruise is reportedly interested in filming a movie on the International Space Station as soon as next fall, but a Russian project could get there first. Tony Quine examines what is known about this Russian movie set to film on the station next year, including the unusual approach the project is taking to select its lead actress. Click here. (11/9)

Japan’s Visionary Space Port (Source: Leonard David)
The creation of Space Port Japan is being advanced, a move to make the country a base for future space travel business. This proposal for a complex commercial facility connects conventional means of transportation with the operation of commercial horizontal takeoff and landing spacecraft. Also in the planning is to have the Space Port City Concept support various learning and discovery venues about space, research and business bases.

A Space Port Japan Association membership includes the Obayashi Corporation, Dentsu Inc., Airbus Japan, Nippon Television Network Corporation and the Mitsubishi Estate. According to a Space Port Japan document, “Spaceport City will be a place of unlimited dramas and sensations. The city will finally open in 202X.” To help float the idea of such a facility, Tokyo-based Noiz Architects has crafted a series of renderings showing the space port anchored in Tokyo Bay. (11/9)

SpaceX Explains Why the U.S. Space Force is Paying $316 Million for a Single Launch (Source: Space News)
When the U.S. Air Force announced Aug. 7 that SpaceX received a $316 million contract to launch a National Reconnaissance Office satellite in fiscal year 2022, many were surprised by the large price tag. SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell explained that the contract pays for launch services but also covers expenses for infrastructure and other items required for national security launches.

“The launch was not that expensive,” Shotwell said during a panel discussion at the virtual World Satellite Business Week conference hosted by Euroconsult. The $316 million contract was the first awarded to SpaceX under the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 launch service procurement. The other provider selected in this program, United Launch Alliance, was awarded $337 million to launch two missions comparable to the one awarded to SpaceX.

This raised eyebrows because SpaceX’s previous national security launch bids were priced much lower than ULA’s. A recent Falcon Heavy launch contract SpaceX won from NASA, for example, was $117 million. In the first Phase 2 award, ULA is launching two missions almost for the price of one SpaceX mission. SpaceX is however charging the government for the cost of an extended payload fairing, upgrades to the company’s West Coast launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force in California, and a vertical integration facility required for NRO missions. The price “reflects mostly the infrastructure,” Shotwell said. (11/9)