November 11, 2020

Why Lockheed Martin Wants to Launch Small Satellites From Shetland (Source: Verdict)
Lockheed Martin is transferring its small satellite launch operations to Shetland Space Center, located on the archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, after the UK Government gave the US aerospace and defence company permission in October. But what makes Shetland a good location for space launches, and how does it fit into the UK’s wider plans to become a significant player in the small satellite launch market?

Raytheon to Acquire Small Satellite Manufacturer Blue Canyon Technologies (Source: Space News)
Raytheon Technologies announced Nov. 10 it intends to acquire Blue Canyon Technologies, a manufacturer of small satellites and spacecraft components. Blue Canyon is a privately held company. Raytheon did not disclose the value of the acquisition. The transaction is expected to close by early 2021, pending regulatory approvals.

Blue Canyon Technologies, based in Boulder, Colorado, will be merged into Raytheon Intelligence & Space, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Blue Canyon has a commercial satellite business but has been growing its defense sales. The company currently has more than 90 satellites in production for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the U.S. Air Force and NASA. (11/10)

Under the plans, Lockheed Martin Space will move its UK Pathfinder Launch operations to Lamba Ness on the island of Unst. The move to Shetland and broader push around satellite launches from across the British Isles is part of LaunchUK – the UK’s spaceflight program. While discussions are still underway around Lockheed Martin’s future launch partner, Shetland provides easy access to several orbits favoured for low earth orbit small satellite operations. (11/9)

Firefly Closes In on Debut Flight with Rocket Delivery to Vandenberg Launch Site (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Across the world, several startup launch providers such as Relativity Space, Astra, Virgin Orbit, and others are currently in fierce competition with one another to bring their in-development rockets into operation and obtain a share of the ever-growing small satellite launch market. One of those companies – Texas-based Firefly Aerospace – has taken a substantial step in these efforts with the shipment of their first flight-ready vehicle to its launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

That vehicle is known as Alpha: a two-stage rocket that Firefly hopes to launch no earlier than 22 December from Space Launch Complex 2 West (SLC-2W). The company is aiming to deploy several small satellites into orbit during this flight as part of the Dedicated Research and Education Accelerator Mission (DREAM). Alpha itself will stand 29 meters (95 feet) tall when fully stacked and is said to be capable of delivering up to 1,000 kilograms (2,204 pounds) of payload to a low-inclination 200 kilometer orbit and 630 kilograms (1,388 pounds) to a 500 kilometer Sun-synchronous orbit. (11/9)

SpaceX Begins Assembling First Starship Super Heavy Booster in South Texas (Source: Teslarati)
SpaceX has taken the first unequivocal step towards orbital Starship launches, kicking off assembly of the first Super Heavy booster (first stage) – a necessity for recoverable spaceship missions to Earth orbit and beyond. Although SpaceX could technically get away with building much smaller booster prototypes to support Starship’s initial orbital test flights, perhaps going as far as simply modifying Starship’s proven tank design, rocketry really doesn’t lend itself to modularity.

Be it out of confidence or necessity, SpaceX appears to be moving directly from Starship prototype development to full-scale Super Heavy booster production and testing. The first conveniently labeled Super Heavy booster rings were spotted around September 22nd. In the six or so weeks since then, SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas factory has relentlessly churned out at least as many sections of stacked booster rings – now strewn about the ever-growing campus. (11/9)

ispace US Headquarters to Land in Denver Area (Source: North Denver News)
ispace, inc. announced that it has selected Colorado as the location for its newest office. The company will open its new U.S.-based workplace in the Denver metropolitan area.

“Colorado is a proven leader in the aerospace sector and one of the best places to live and to start or run a business. ispace joins Adams County’s Spaceport and Colorado Springs’ Space Command to further reinforce that the path to space exploration and the good paying jobs that come with it goes through Colorado,” said Governor Jared Polis.

Colorado’s aerospace industry density, highly skilled workforce, and job growth incentives were key considerations in the ispace decision. The Denver Metro region is more competitive and more attractive than competing markets in part due to lower costs associated with market entry as well as the strong partnership between the State, local economic development partners and the industry. (11/9)

China to Open its Gigantic FAST Telescope to Global Scientists in 2021 (Source: CGTN)
China will open its Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, to global scientists next year for research work, said the National Astronomical Observatories (NAO) on Thursday. The observatory, which began full operation in January 2020 after passing a series of technical and performance assessments, has the highest sensitivity to detect cosmic phenomena. It's 2.5 times more sensitive than Puerto Rico's 305-meter-diameter Arecibo telescope, which holds the second spot. (11/7)

Detecting Pollution From Individual Ships From Space (Source: ESA)
Maritime transport has a direct impact on air quality in many coastal cities. Commercial ships and vessels burn fuel for energy and emit several types of air pollution as a by-product, causing the degradation of air quality. A past study estimated that shipping emissions are globally responsible for around 400 000 premature deaths from lung cancer and cardiovascular disease, and 14 million childhood asthma cases each year.

Monitoring ships to comply with these regulations is still an unresolved issue. The open ocean covers vast areas, with limited or no capacity to perform local checks. This is where satellites, such as the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite, come in handy. For the first time, scientists, using data from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite, are now able to detect nitrogen dioxide plumes from individual ships from space. (11/9)

Alex Trebek helped NASA Recruit Astronauts (Source: AL.com)
If you’re seeking new brain-talent, the late great Alex Trebek was an excellent choice to ask for help finding it. Following news today of the “Jeopardy!” host’s death from pancreatic cancer at age 80, NASA posted a remembrance of Trebek to NASA’s Twitter feed: “Earlier this year, he helped us recruit the next generation of astronauts – a testament to his dedication to challenging us to expand our knowledge.” (11/8)