November 12, 2020

Europe Moves Ahead with Ariel Exoplanet Mission (Source: BBC)
European Space Agency member states formally adopted the project on Thursday, signing off two years of feasibility studies. The near-billion-euro observatory is now clear to launch in 2029. Ariel will probe the gases that shroud exoplanets to try to understand how these objects formed and how they have evolved through time. The findings are expected to help put the nature of our own Solar System in some wider context. While it is undoubtedly a grand endeavour for the whole of European space research, Ariel is of particular importance to the UK.

Scientifically, the mission will be led from University College London by principal investigator Prof Giovanna Tinetti. But on the technical front, too, Britain will play a major role. The "business end" of the observatory - its mirror system and instrumentation - will be assembled and tested at RAL Space on the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire. (11/12)

The Occult History Behind NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Source: Supercluster)
Jack Parsons was one of the most influential figures in the history of the American space program. He was also a Marxist, stood accused of espionage, and held a deep fascination with the occult. His interest in the supernatural went far beyond vaudeville magicians and astrology. By 1939, Parsons and his wife Helen Parsons-Smith had fully embraced the teachings of the Ordo Templis Orientis, a central hub for Aleister Crowley’s spiritual and religious philosophy — Thelema.

Aleister Crowley taught that a Thelemite’s central ambition was to achieve a higher state of existence by embracing one’s “True Will,” or one’s ultimate purpose beyond selfishness or ego. In pursuit of that goal, many aspects of Parsons’s life blurred the boundaries between science and mysticism. As a Thelemite, he performed ritual magic, including banishing impure elements with pentagrams, invocating the power of the “Holy Guardian Angel,” and offering daily adorations to the sun. All while pushing the limits in the nascent field of rocket science.

In 1934, Jack Parsons and Edward Forman met PhD candidate Frank Malina at a public CalTech lecture. The trio soon managed to impress Malina’s supervising professor Dr. Theodore van Kármán enough that he allowed the young engineers to conduct experiments at the university’s Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory—GALCIT. With access to CalTech’s resources and equipment, the trio formed the GALCIT Rocket Research Group. Thus, the blueprint for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab was born. What resulted was a bachelor pad for rocket pioneers. Click here. (11/10)

Euroconsult: Record Number of Smallsats Launched in 2020 (Source: Space News)
Despite the coronavirus and the challenges that the pandemic has presented to the space industry, the number of satellite launched in 2020 has hit an all-time high with nearly 1,100 spacecraft delivered to orbit during the first 10 months of the year, an industry analyst said Nov. 10. From Jan. 1 to Nov. 1, some 1,079 satellites have been launched worldwide, 1,029 of which were smallsats, Alexandre Najjar, senior consultant at Euroconsult said.

With seven weeks to go, the number of smallsats launched in 2020 has already shattered the previous record of 385 smallsats launched in 2019. SpaceX  broadband Starlink satellites accounted for 773 of the 1,029 smallsats launched so far in 2020, he said. Counting the 10 satellites India launched over the weekend plus the GPS 3 satellite that SpaceX launched Nov. 5 and roughly a dozen satellites a Chinese Long March 6 launched Nov. 6, the number of satellites this year has surpassed 1,100 since Najjar closed out his count Nov. 1. Dozens more satellites are expected to launch before 2020 ends. (11/12)

Many Firsts for Second SpaceX Crewed Launch (Source: Quartz)
The four astronauts heading to the International Space Station on Nov. 14 will mark a number of firsts—the SpaceX Dragon’s first flight after being officially certified by NASA to fly humans, the first international astronaut onboard a commercial spacecraft, and the first time NASA has packed four people in a space capsule.

The milestone I’m pumped about is way more boring: It’s the first time the FAA has licensed a crewed mission for NASA. The US space agency has its staff fly commercial when they travel between terrestrial research centers for work, and now it’s doing the same when they head for the national laboratory in orbit. The FAA has been licensing satellite launches since 1989, but flying astronauts to orbit was a government business until SpaceX’s crewed flight test of the Dragon earlier this year. (11/11)

Here's What Biden Might Do as President (Source: TIME)
For starters, Biden will surely continue robustly backing the commercial crew and cargo program as it has his fingerprints all over it and it’s been a clear and so-far unalloyed success. The Space Force might be a different matter. Critics argued that it was little more than a vanity project for Trump—a chance to unveil a new logo, new uniforms, and a new seat at the table of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all in the service of work that the U.S. Air Force is doing anyway, such as protecting U.S. assets in low-Earth orbit. Biden could scrap the new branch and fold its services back into the Air Force both to save money and to divorce his Administration from so conspicuously Trump-branded a program.

The same could be said about the Artemis lunar program, especially since the 2024 target date—which has never been realistic, given that none of the flight hardware needed for a lunar landing has been flown, or is even fully built yet—was picked to coincide with the last year of a possible Trump second term. What’s more, the day after the election was called for Biden, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine—a champion of the 2024 plan—told Aviation Week that he would be stepping down and allowing the new president to pick his own space agency chief. But bet on Artemis at least to survive.

Way too much of that hardware is already being built and way too many years have gone into developing it for a new Administration to throw it away now. The Space Launch System (SLS)—the 21st century answer to the Saturn V moon rocket—has been in the works since 2004, as has the Orion crew capsule, and both are planned for their first flight sometime in 2021. (11/10)

Biden Just Announced His NASA Transition Team (Source: Business Insider)
President-elect Joe Biden named the members of his transition team for NASA on Tuesday, a key step in determining his administration's agenda for space exploration. Ellen Stofan, who currently leads the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum, will lead the team. Stofan served as NASA's chief scientist from 2013 to 2016.

Other members include Jedidah Isler, an astrophysicist at Dartmouth College who studies supermassive black holes; Bhavya Lal, a space-policy strategist who works with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; and Waleed Abdalati, another former NASA chief scientist (he served from 2011 to 2012) who's now at the University of Colorado.

Aside from naming his team members, Biden hasn't yet released details about his plans for NASA. But based on the transition team's makeup, the Obama administration's priorities, and the 2020 Democratic Party platform, here are four ways Biden might approach space policy. Biden's administration is likely to attempt to reverse budget cuts for Earth science research. The move would align with the 2020 platform of the Democratic Party, which promised to support NASA's "Earth observation missions to better understand how climate change is impacting our home planet." (11/10)

More on Biden's Transition Team (Source: Quartz)
President-elect Biden has announced the teams that will transition NASA and other government space agencies to new leadership in 2021. Let’s do some bold-faced names! First, current NASA chief Jim Bridenstine has said he will step down, which was apparently his plan all along. (Wonder where he winds up?) When it comes to individual agencies, there doesn’t seem to be an obvious commercial space person at the Department of Commerce, but former astronaut and NOAA head Kathy Sullivan is on the list. On the Pentagon team, CSIS’ Andrew Hunter has an interest in space procurement.

The NASA team is lead by Ellen Stofan (former chief NASA scientist, now head of the National Air and Space Museum) and includes Waleed Abdalati (another former NASA chief scientist, now a University of Colorado prof), Jedidah Isler (a Dartmouth University astrophysicist), Bhavya Lal (a space policy researcher at the government lab IDA), Pam Melroy (a former astronaut who has held a number of space policy jobs), Dave Noble (an ACLU official and Obama-era NASA bureaucrat), Shannon Valley (a climate scientist who was an Obama-era White House liaison to NASA), and David Weaver (a former top NASA spokesperson and Biden legislative aide). (11/12)

APT Satellite Orders New Small HTS Satellite From China’s CGWIC (Source: Space News)
Fleet operator APT Satellite has contracted China Great Wall Industry Corp. to build its Apstar-6E satellite based on a new, small high-throughput platform as part of a joint venture. Apstar-6E will be based on the new DFH-3E small GEO platform developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). The satellite will launch around 2023 and provide satellite telecommunication services in the Asia-Pacific region. (11/10)

Trump’s Dismissal of Esper Raises Alarm (Source: LA Times)
President Trump’s decision to fire Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday raised concerns that he may be planning far-reaching military moves in his final weeks in office — and is putting in place new leadership more inclined to go along. Trump named Christopher Miller, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, to take over as acting Defense secretary, bypassing the normal practice of having the Pentagon’s No. 2 official take charge temporarily if the top job becomes vacant.

The White House long has hinted that Trump was likely to fire several top national security aides after the election. In addition to Esper, he is said to be angry at FBI Director Christopher A. Wray for not investigating his political enemies and at CIA Director Gina Haspel for delaying release of classified documents about the 2016 campaign.

“Firing the secretary of Defense in the waning weeks of the administration undermines national security at a critical moment,” said Sen. Jack Reed, (D-R.I.), the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee and a retired Army officer. Esper suggested that his successor might be more willing than he was to go along with Trump’s questionable uses of the military. “Who’s going to come in behind me?” Esper told the Military Times.“It’s going to be a real ‘yes man.’ And then God help us.” (11/11)

India's Space Commercialization Policy to Bring "Revolutionary Change" (Source: Space News)
The Indian space agency ISRO believes that a new commercialization policy will bring "revolutionary change" to the country's space industry. The Spacecom Policy will allow access to a range of capabilities, including satellite communications capacity, while private launch vehicle companies will be able to launch from ISRO's facilities. The head of Antrix, ISRO's commercial arm, said at the World Satellite Business Week conference that he sees big opportunities for Earth observation data, noting huge requirements for national security as well as mining and land resources sectors. (11/12)

Telesat Gains Canadian Broadband Business, Optimistic For LEO Constellation (Source: Space News)
Telesat remains optimistic about the business prospects of its LEO constellation despite growing competition from SpaceX. Telesat secured a $460 million deal with the Canadian government this week to provide subsidized rural broadband services in the country through its LEO constellation. Telesat has yet to select a company to build those satellites, but a Telesat executive said at World Satellite Business Week that the company was still "completely confident" it could meet ITU deadlines for bringing the system into service. SpaceX's Starlink system, meanwhile, recently won approval from Canadian regulators to provide service in the country and will soon start a beta test there. (11/12)

Ex-Im Bank Sees Billions in Potential Space Industry Deals (Source: Space News)
The Export-Import Bank is reviewing nearly $2 billion in applications for financing space industry deals. The bank, which was once a major player in financing commercial satellite and launch deals involving U.S. manufacturers, was sidelined for several years but has come back after getting a new board and a reauthorization. In addition to the applications currently under review, a bank official said at World Satellite Business Week that it has "easily another billion" of potential deals in its pipeline. (11/12)

Boeing's Starliner Test Flight Slips to 2021 (Source: Space.com)
The next test flight of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle is slipping into next year. NASA officials said this week that the Orbital Flight Test (OFT) 2 mission, a second uncrewed test of the spacecraft, is now expected to launch no earlier than the first quarter of 2021. Development and testing of software, which suffered problems during the original OFT mission last December, is the factor driving that schedule. (11/12)

NASA Certifies SpaceX to Carry Humans, OKs Space Station Mission (Source: UPI)
NASA certified SpaceX's spaceflight system Tuesday to carry astronauts to the International Space Station regularly, clearing the way for a four-person mission there planned for Saturday. Elon Musk's company plans to launch its Crew Dragon capsule, which its four passengers have called Resilience, aloft atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This will mark the first time in the history of spaceflight that four people traveled into space in one capsule. The space shuttles typically carried seven-member crews. Liftoff for the newest crewed mission is planned for 7:49 p.m. EST, barring any interference by the weather. (11/11)

Bridenstine: Now is the Time to Fund ISS Replacement (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine is warning that, without funding for a replacement, the US may lose access to a low Earth orbit lab after the International Space Station ceases operations. "We've been asking Congress to fund the development of commercial habitation in low Earth orbit now for a number of years. And every year ... Congress doesn't fund it," he said. (11/11)

Artemis Gateway Project Suffers Cost and Schedule Problems (Source: Space News)
NASA's lunar Gateway is suffering cost overruns and schedule delays. A report released this week by NASA's Office of Inspector General found that shifting requirements, such as the agency's decision to launch the first two elements together, will prevent the Gateway from being available to support a 2024 lunar landing mission. Those changing requirements have led to cost increases, even on a fixed-price contract awarded to Maxar last year for the Gateway's Power and Propulsion Element. While NASA is addressing the concerns raised by the report, the inspector general said the current approach for developing the Gateway "increases the risk of future schedule delays and additional cost increases." (11/12)

Officials Expect up to 250,000 Day-Trippers to Drive Near Cape for SpaceX Astronaut Launch (Source: Florida Today)
Emergency officials expect up to 250,000 out-of-county day-trippers to converge on viewing spots surrounding the Kennedy Space Center and along the beaches for Saturday's nighttime SpaceX crewed launch to the International Space Station. On top of that, Brevard County Communications Director Don Walker predicts perhaps 250,000 people already within the county — residents, hotel and vacation rental guests, beach-goers — will head outside to watch Saturday's historic launch.

According to mobile-device tracking data compiled by AirSage, about 220,000 devices from outside Brevard County were detected here on May 30, Space Coast Office of Tourism Executive Director Peter Cranis said. That sum included about 70,000 out-of-state mobile devices. Cranis said the first SpaceX human space launch generated $27 million to $28 million in economic impact in Brevard — a welcome boost during the coronavirus-triggered recession. (11/12)

Panel Endorses NASA Mars Sample Return (Source: Space News)
An independent panel endorsed NASA's Mars Sample Return plans, but recommended the agency delay the launches of two follow-on missions. The report by the panel, released this week, supported the overall approach that calls for two missions to pick up samples collected by the Mars 2020 rover and return them to Earth. However, the panel recommended delaying the launches of those missions from 2026 to as late as 2028 because NASA's current development schedule for them is too aggressive. The panel also estimated that NASA's cost of those missions could be about $1 billion higher than earlier estimates of $2.9-3.3 billion. NASA said it would study those recommendations and make a decision on the schedule for those future missions "on the time scale of a year or so." (11/12)

Kleos Space Raises $13.8 Million for Ship Tracking Constellation (Source: Space News)
Kleos Space raised a new round of funding to support deployment of a ship-tracking satellite constellation. Kleos said Wednesday it raised $13.8 million after launching its first four satellites on an Indian PSLV mission last weekend. The company said the funding will support the deployment of a second set of four satellites in mid-2021 and development of a third set to be launched by the end of 2021. The satellites are designed to geolocate radio frequency signals and pinpoint the location of the sources, allowing them to track ships even if they do not broadcast identification signals. (11/12)

Japan's Ispace Hires SpaceX's O'Neill for Colorado-Based Lunar Lander Work (Source: Quartz)
Japan’s ispace announced plans to open a new US office in Colorado. The company said a team of engineers there will develop a large lunar lander to compete for NASA robotic exploration contracts. Kursten O’Neill is the new director of that program, after spending seven years at SpaceX leading the development of the Falcon 9 Block 5 and the Falcon Heavy. Her new job features smaller vehicles but equally large challenges. (11/12)

Elon Musk's Completely Bonkers, Most Excellent Year (Source: Vanity Fair)
Elon Musk is on a mission. He’s on a mission to Mars. He’s on a mission to save humanity from its reliance on fossil fuels, which could destroy the planet and kill us all. He’s on a mission to save us from artificial intelligence algorithms going rogue and machines ending human life as we know it. He’s on a mission to help save a group of boys trapped underground in Thailand. A mission to transport people from Los Angeles to San Francisco in giant air tubes. A mission to build ventilators for hamstrung hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic.

He’s on a mission to prove the coronavirus fatality rate is greatly overstated. To dig tunnels underground to alleviate the fatuous cycle of traffic jams. To save journalism. To mitigate the effects of climate change. To transport people in earthbound rockets from one continent to the next in mere minutes. To inhabit other planets before the sun explodes and turns our oceans into boiling vats of water, our skies into steam-filled death, our lands into carbon crusts of darkness. He’s on a mission to inhabit other star systems. All of these missions are completely possible in the realm of physics and science, especially with Elon Musk’s brain working to solve these problems. Click here. (11/10)

Spaceflight Inc. Fills Out its Line of Sherpa Orbital Transfer Vehicles for Small Satellites (Source: GeekWire)
Spaceflight Inc. unveiled two new options for its Sherpa orbital transfer vehicle — one that uses an environmentally friendly chemical thruster system to help get small satellites where they need to go, and another that’s powered by an electric propulsion system. Such options add propulsive capability to the standard Sherpa-FX model, which is due to make its first flight as a secondary payload for a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch by as early as December.

For years, Spaceflight has served as a broker and concierge for other people’s payloads — basically bundling small satellites for launch on rockets ranging from the Falcon 9 to Rocket Lab’s Electron and India’s PSLV. The company hit a significant milestone in 2018 when it arranged for the launch of 64 satellites on a single Falcon 9. During that mission, a pair of free-flying spacecraft served as deployment platforms. That blazed a trail for the Sherpa program, and the effort got an extra boost this year after Spaceflight Inc.’s acquisition by Japan’s Mitsui & Co. (11/12)

Best Manufacturing: Blue Origin Engine Facility in Alabama (Source: ENR)
For 20 years now, ENR Southeast’s annual Best Projects competition has recognized the region’s best examples of outstanding construction and design, thereby showcasing the myriad components that go into building a great project. Constructing Blue Origin's 400,000-sq-ft facility in Alabama for manufacturing liquid-fueled rocket engines in just 10 months was a true space race, as the design changed extensively as the project evolved. Adapting to dramatic alterations in building layouts, spacing and heights required teamwide collaboration to maintain the owner’s operational and quality requirements. (10/28)