November 21, 2020

Space Force Ponders NSSL Revamp For New Missions (Source: Breaking Defense)
Space Force is eyeing a new R&D effort to explore launch tech for cutting-edge missions, such as debris removal and lunar orbit ops, for the multi-billion National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program’s next phase — instead of simply heading into a new contract competition.

“We’re trying to be careful that we don’t box ourselves in. We really want to take advantage of the opportunity to understand what we’re facing, and make sure that we have the right plan in place,” said Col. Robert Bongiovi, director of the Space and Missile Systems Center’s (SMC) launch enterprise systems directorate. Instead of asking for new bids from launch providers for the next five years, Space Force has issued a Request For Information for support to NSSL’s future program planning — asking industry to tell them what new capabilities may be on tap by the end of the decade. (11/19)

Lunar Gateway’s Studio Apartment Design Moves Forward (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA’s commercial partner for the small living space for astronauts to be part of the lunar Gateway space station has completed its design review and is ready to begin building once NASA gives them more money. Northrop Grumman Corp. was awarded the $187 million contract to design the Habitation and Logistics Outpost, known as HALO, one of the first parts for the Gateway structure planned to orbit the moon and support NASA’s Artemis program.

The company’s design is based on its Cygnus spacecraft that is already in use for resupply missions to the International Space Station. The contract ran through the company’s preliminary design review as well as allowed for subcontracts to begin obtaining some hardware elements that take longer times to procure. But before it gets cracking on building it, NASA has to award another contract, which it expects to do before the end of the year. (11/19)

"Satellite" Falls From Sky Onto Navajo Nation (Source: Arizona Central)
It's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's a satellite. Or maybe a weather balloon. Navajo Nation officials say it fell from the sky on Wednesday and landed in a remote area of Dennehotso, a community about 25 miles east of Kayenta. Tully Begay, vice president of the tribe's Dennehotso Chapter, told The Arizona Republic the object landed about 1,200 feet from his home while he was away in Tuba City.

The cause of the crash was unknown and the "satellite material" was released to employees from a company called Polar Field Services, she said. Company officials did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. According to the company website, the Colorado-based firm specializes in providing logistics and support for expeditions to locations in extreme climates. While tribal officials said the object appeared to be a satellite, it appears to be similar to a weather balloon instrument that crashed in Michigan last year. (11/19)

MDA Receives Commercial Contracts for On-Orbit Servicing Technologies (Source: Space Daily)
The OSAM-1 mission, formerly known as Restore-L, will demonstrate robotic servicing technologies in orbit, including satellite refueling, assembly and in-space manufacturing. The SPIDER payload's lightweight 16-foot (5-metre) robotic arm will assemble multiple antenna reflector elements to form a single, functional 9-foot (3-metre) communications Ka-band antenna.

MDA has announced that it has signed multiple contracts with Maxar Technologies to provide advanced space robotics technologies for the Space Infrastructure Dexterous Robot (SPIDER), a technology demonstration on NASA's On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing 1 (OSAM-1) mission. (11/18)

Omnispace Selects Exolaunch to Deliver Two Next-Generation Satellites (Source: Space Daily)
Omnispace, the company that is reinventing mobile communications by building a global hybrid network, today signed a launch agreement with Exolaunch, the rideshare launch and deployment services provider for the New Space industry. Exolaunch will deliver two Thales Alenia Space-built satellites into orbit aboard SpaceX's rideshare missions.

Exolaunch will provide launch, mission management, integration and deployment services for the two Omnispace satellites, targeted for launch in 2022. Omnispace is combining the global footprint of a non-geostationary orbit satellite constellation with the world's leading mobile wireless networks into a seamless 'one global network.' (11/18)

Starlink Satellites are About to Ruin Stargazing for Everyone (Source: Space Daily)
I walk outside my rural Saskatchewan house before dawn and look up, expecting to have my breath taken away by the sheer number of stars overhead. I'm a professional astronomer, but I still appreciate naked-eye stargazing as much as an eager child. This is the first place I've lived that's dark enough to easily see the Milky Way, and I'm stunned and awed every time I look up.

This time though, I curse softly. There's a bright satellite. And another following behind. And another. And another. I used to be excited about seeing artificial satellites, but now I know what's coming. We're about to undergo a dramatic transition in our experience of satellites. No longer will you escape your city for a camping trip and see the stars unobstructed: you will have to look through a grid of crawling, bright satellites no matter how remote your location. (11/19)

Constellations and Earth Observation Sats Raise Collision Risks in High Inclination Orbits (Source: Space Daily)
Sun-synchronous orbits are orbits that are ideal for earth observations in connection with civil and defense applications. Therefore, many satellites have been placed in such orbits. Since these orbits have inclinations that require satellites to pass over north and south polar regions during each circuit around the planet the probability of collisions with debris and other satellites is increased as compared to satellites in low-inclination orbits.

This increased danger has not been significant until recently. The explosive increase in low altitude constellation launches, however has changed the situation. Prior to 2010 there were only about 1200 active satellites in low orbits. Today, as many as 40,000 new satellites are planned and being launched at a high rate. Many of these will be in high-inclination orbits. The inclination of such orbits is critical because the density of objects in orbit varies with the latitude over which the object is flying.

This density increases dramatically as the objects approach each polar region, creating a much higher probability of collisions in the polar regions. Any collision will result in debris that circles the Earth and increases the entire debris population. Thus, a single collision happening in a polar region will increase the danger of more collisions all around the Earth. (11/18)

Virginia Economic Review Highlights Aerospace (Source: ISSUU)
Th third-quarter 2020 issue of the Virginia Economic Review highlights Virginia’s place at the forefront of the aerospace industry, including launch operations at the Wallops Island spaceport. Click here. (10/5)

Biden-Trump Transition Could Require Space Pivot (Source: Quartz)
President-elect Joe Biden is beginning to stock his new administration. Some Democrats worry that his White House staff will be too friendly to business, but his space appointments could face the opposite criticism. Under the previous three presidents, many successes for the US space program emerged from public-private partnerships, while many traditional government-led contracts suffered massive cost overages.

President Trump’s National Space Council pushed regulatory reforms to enable more commercial activity in space, and its primary goal—rushing astronauts back the moon by 2024 depends on the engineering efforts of private firms. The only problem is that this plan is not getting off the ground in time. NASA’s Inspector General released a report this month that summed it up: “[W]e believe the Agency will be hard-pressed to land astronauts on the Moon by the end of 2024.”

That means the next administration will need an alternate vision for space exploration—either a re-working of the lunar timeline, or something more drastic. (11/19)

Russia to Launch First Satellite to Monitor Arctic Climate in February 2021 (Source: Sputnik)
Russia's Arktika-M, the first satellite to monitor the Arctic climate and environment, is going to be launched in February 2021, a source in the space and rocket industry told Sputnik. In October, a spokesperson for the Russian space corporation Roscosmos told Sputnik that the launch of Arktika-M had been delayed until 2021 over the need for additional checks. (11/16)