November 6, 2020

Orion is 'Fairing' Well and Moving Ahead Toward Artemis I (Source: Space Daily)
Three spacecraft adapter jettison fairing panels have now been fitted onto Orion's European Service Module as production accelerates inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Teams from across the globe recently completed work to install the four solar array wings, which are housed inside the protective covering of the fairings.

The panels were inspected and moved into place for installation by technicians with Lockheed Martin, the lead contractor for Orion. Once secured, they encapsulate the service module to protect it from harsh environments such as heat, wind, and acoustics as the spacecraft is propelled out of Earth's atmosphere atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket during NASA's Artemis I mission.

The fairing panels, each 14 feet high and 13 feet wide, are individually about the size of a one-car garage. The jettison panels will separate from the service module using a series of timed pyrotechnics, or firings, which will allow the solar array wings to unfurl and provide energy to propel and power the spacecraft for the duration of its mission. (11/5)

Virgin Galactic Posts 3rd Quarter Financials (Source: Virgin Galactic)
Cash position remains strong, with cash and cash equivalents of $742 million as of September 30, 2020. Net loss of $77 million, compared to a $63 million net loss in the second quarter of 2020. GAAP selling, general, and administrative expenses of $31 million, compared to $26 million in the second quarter of 2020. Non-GAAP selling, general and administrative expenses of $26 million in the third quarter of 2020, compared to $23 million in the second quarter of 2020. GAAP research and development expenses of $46 million, compared to $37 million in the second quarter of 2020. Non-GAAP research and development expenses of $43 million in the third quarter of 2020, compared to $35 million in the second quarter of 2020. (11/5)

Orbital Transports Offers Sample-Return Smallsat (Source: Orbital Transports)
“This new smallsat system with sample return capability from Orbital Transports opens the door to whole new avenues of space-related research that have never before been possible,” said Dr. Chris Porada, a professor with microgravity-based biological research experience at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in North Carolina. “Given its numerous unique advantages, it is my prediction that this exciting new platform will quickly become the go-to means for researchers to study the effects of microgravity and space radiation." (11/5)

Satellogic Launches 10 Satellites to Provide High-Resolution Imagery (Source: Space News)
With the successful launch of 10 satellites, Earth observation company Satellogic says it can now move ahead of its rivals in providing high-resolution imagery. A Long March 6 rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at 10:19 p.m. Eastern Nov. 5 and successfully deployed 13 satellites into a sun-synchronous orbit. The primary payload on the launch was a set of 10 ÑuSat imaging satellites for Buenos Aires-based Satellogic.

The 10 satellites bring the company’s constellation to 21 satellites, 14 of which provide high-resolution imagery. That constellation, the company said, can provide four million square kilometers of high-resolution images per day at resolutions as sharp as 70 centimeters, including the ability to revisit locations up to four times per day. (11/6)

Spacety Launches Satellite to Test ThrustMe Iodine Electric Propulsion and Constellation Technologies (Source: Space News)
French propulsion startup ThrustMe is preparing to conduct an in-orbit demonstration of an iodine electric propulsion system on a 12-unit Spacety cubesat launched Nov. 6 at 10:19 Eastern time on a Chinese Long March 6 rocket. “It is a historic launch because it’s the first iodine electric propulsion systems that will be tested in space,” ThrustMe CEO Ane Aanesland said. In addition to ThrustMe’s propulsion, Spacety’s first 12U cubesat houses a laser communications module and autonomous airplane tracking technology, James Zheng, Spacety Luxembourg CEO, said. (11/6)

Space Force Leads First Training Exercise (Source: UPI)
The U.S. Space Force led Schriever Wargame, a two-day space training event attended by 200 people from eight countries, which concluded last week. The wargame began in 2001 under Air Force Space Command, and this week's event was the 14th iteration of the exercise -- and the first under the direction of the newly-created service. This year's wargame included participants from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom as well as the U.S. (11/5)

Space Command Widens Embrace Of Allies (Source: Breaking Defense)
Space Command is considering opening the doors to wider allied participation to other parts of command operations traditionally reserved for US nationals, says new SPACECOM head Army Gen. James Dickinson. “We’re looking internally to my headquarters here at Peterson to bring some of our great allies and partners into our staff and into our operations and processes here at the Combatant Command level as well,” he said. (11/5)

Houston Seeks To Be Home To Space Command (Source: Houston Chronicle)
The U.S. Space Command is looking for a permanent home. Could Space City be the place? Space Command directs military forces as they move beyond the purview of gravity: operating and protecting satellites and working to deter conflict in space. And in this off-planet realm, Houston has plenty of credentials. It led moon landings and operates the International Space Station.

The region is home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, skilled aerospace workers, two- and four-year colleges preparing a future workforce and a spaceport that’s poised for development. Communities in 26 states are chasing the Space Command headquarters. Winning this bid would bring 1,400 jobs and give the region prime strategic and economic positioning as the U.S. expands its role in space. (11/5)

‘Moonbase 8’ Is One of the Best Space Shows in a Year Full of Them (Source: The Ringer)
In 2020, space-faring adventures have been all the rage. From Away and Space Force on Netflix to the Disney+ adaptation of The Right Stuff and HBO’s Avenue 5, we’ve gotten more than our fair share of space exploration on the small screen. The only reason we haven’t peaked with space-related entertainment is because Tom Cruise hasn’t left the planet’s orbit yet.

As a self-professed space obsessive, my hopes for a truly great space-based season of television coming out this year—not including Ridley Scott’s Raised By Wolves, which is more in the spirit of “Westworld on cocaine”—rests in the reliable hands of The Expanse, which is returning for a fifth season. (December 16 can’t come soon enough, for many reasons.) But in the meantime, there’s still one space-adjacent series ready to fill the void, and it’s far and away the most understated of what’s become a crowded category: Moonbase 8, a Showtime comedy

While other astronaut shows have focused on the emotional toll of space exploration or, in the case of Space Force, bureaucratic incompetence on the ground, Moonbase 8 feels weirdly primed for 2020 viewing since the series mines most of its comedy from the characters’ prolonged isolation eating away at their sanity. (11/5)

Philippines Wants to be a Leader in Green Space Tech (Source: TechWire Asia)
The Philippines’ first commercial spaceflight company, Orbital Exploration Technologies, is developing the country’s first suborbital launch vehicles, and they will be powered by renewable, low-cost fuel made from waste plastics. The space travel startup is building a suborbital two-stage rocket, the OrbitX Haribon SLS-1, that will be able to effectively launch payloads of up to 200kg, which Orbital Exploration Technologies (or OrbitX) is targeting to launch between 2023 and 2024.

The startup was founded by Dexter Baño Jr. in 2019, the same year that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the Philippine Space Act, which has paved the way for the setting up of a new Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA).

PhilSA will oversee the establishment of the framework for Philippine space policy around six key development areas with respect to space science and technology applications (SSTAs), including national security and development; hazard management and climate studies; space research and development; space industry capacity building; space education and awareness; and international cooperation. (11/6)

India Set to Launch 10 Satellites (Source: Gulf News)
If all goes well with the Saturday evening launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C49) then the Indian space agency would have slung a total of 328 foreign satellites, all for a fee. The 26-hour countdown for the Saturday rocket launch will begin on Friday afternoon. The rocket with 10 satellites is expected to lift off at 3.02pm on November 7 from the Sriharikota rocket port, a senior official of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) told IANS.

The nine foreign satellites are from: Lithuania (1-technology demonstrator), Luxembourg (4 maritime application satellites by Kleos Space) and the US (4-Lemur multi mission remote sensing satellites). The rocket’s primary payload is India’s radar imaging satellite EOS-01, formerly RISAT-2BR2 with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) that can shoot pictures in all weather conditions. (11/6)

Virgin Galactic’s Quarterly Loss Increases, Plans Next Spaceflight Test for Late November (Source: CNBC)
Virgin Galactic reported a third quarter adjusted EBITDA loss of $66 million on Thursday, notably higher than the $54 million loss in the prior quarter, although the company now has $742 million in cash on hand after completing a common stock offering in August. “During the quarter we made good progress completing the final steps to prepare for VSS Unity’s first rocket-powered test flight from Spaceport America this November,” Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said. That next test flight is expected to occur between Nov. 19 and Nov. 23, the company said. (11/5)

Redwire Acquires Roccor (Source: Space News)
Redwire acquired Roccor, a Longmont, Colorado company known for deployable spacecraft structures, and signaled its intention to continue expanding in an effort to become a leading space infrastructure company. “Redwire is in a growth mode,” said Peter Cannito, Redwire chairman and CEO. “We are looking to strategically develop the company by adding differentiated capabilities that enhance our space infrastructure strategy.” (11/4)

After Month-Long Stand Down, SpaceX Launches GPS III From Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 mission with the fourth GPSII satellite on Thursday. The launch followed a scrub on 2 October, when Falcon 9 aborted two seconds before liftoff. The resulting investigation identified an issue within the gas generators on some first stage engines and prompted several engine swaps across the Falcon 9 fleet and affected multiple upcoming launches. The Falcon 9 first stage landed on Of Course I Still Love You, one of SpaceX’s Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ships. One of SpaceX’s fairing recovery ships, GO Ms. Chief, was positioned downrange to recover the fairing halves after their splashdown. (11/6)

Emirati Designers Unveil Rocket-Shaped 'Space Fountain' to Celebrate Recent Missions (Source: The National)
A group of Emirati designers created a space-themed fountain to celebrate the UAE's recent missions.  The structure resembles the Japanese rocket that launched an Emirati-built Mars spacecraft. The team hope to draw the interest of developers and create a cultural landmark somewhere in the Emirates. The main structure would be 30 metrers in height, with water cascading below it as though it were steam from the rocket's engines. Click here. Editor's Note: Something similar would be a great monument/attraction on the Space Coast. (11/6)

Florida's Charlie Crist for Space Subcommittee Chair? (Source: Politico)
Rep. Kendra Horn’s loss on Tuesday night means the race is on to wield the gavel of the House space subcommittee. Horn, an Oklahoma Democrat who lost to Stephanie Bice, became chair of the Science Space Subcommittee when she was first elected to Congress in 2018. There are six other Democrats on the subcommittee: Zoe Lofgren and Ami Bera of California, Ed Perlmutter of Colorado, Charlie Crist of Florida and Don Beyer and Jennifer Wexton of Virginia.

Perlmutter is not eligible to chair the subcommittee, because his primary committee is House Financial Services, according to a congressional staffer. Democratic caucus rules states that lawmakers can serve in leadership roles only on their primary committee. Beyer’s spokesperson also said that because he’s already the top Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, the top space post will “go to someone else.” Another member who is not planning to seek the gavel is Bera. “Rep. Bera has no plans to seek chairmanship of the subcommittee,” said his communications director Travis Horne. (11/6)

Viasat CEO Stepping Down (Source: Space News)
Longtime Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg is stepping aside. The company announced that Dankberg will become executive chairman of the satellite operator while Rick Baldridge, Viasat's chief operating officer, takes over as CEO while retaining his role as president. Dankberg noted he has been CEO for nearly 35 years, but in recent years Baldridge had handled much of the executive management work at the company. The announcement came as part of the company's financial results, where it reported $554 million in revenues for the second quarter of its 2021 fiscal year, a $38 million decrease from the same period a year earlier due primarily to the drop in commercial airline traffic caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Viasat is still pursuing a low Earth orbit constellation, which Dankberg said is motivated more by providing additional bandwidth rather than reducing latency. (11/6)

EchoStar Launch Slips to 2022 (Source: Space News)
EchoStar says the launch of its Jupiter-3 broadband satellite has slipped to 2022. The company said Thursday the COVID-19 pandemic slowed satellite manufacturing and created uncertainty in the launch market, delaying its launch from 2021. EchoStar executives said the delay could be beneficial, allowing it to take advantage of changes in the launch market. The company reported a slight increase in revenues in its latest quarter over a year ago, as it added subscribers to its broadband business. (11/6)

China Launches Smallsats on Long March 6 Rocket (Source: Xinhua)
A Long March 6 rocket launched a set of smallsats Thursday night. The rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at 10:19 p.m. Eastern and placed 13 smallsats into orbit. Ten of the satellites are imaging spacecraft for Satellogic, while the other three are for Chinese institutions. (11/6)

GEO Satellite Orders Surge (Source: Space News)
A surge of C-band satellite orders has been a bonanza for the satellite manufacturing industry. Intelsat and SES ordered a combined 13 satellites from four manufacturers as part of the C-band spectrum clearing process. Those orders bring to 17 the total number of commercial GEO communications satellites ordered so far this year, a surge in demand that is welcome but also, satellite industry observers caution, unlikely to be sustained. (11/6)

Japan Drafting Space Resources Legislation (Source: Japan Times)
The Japanese government is drafting space resources legislation. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party said Thursday it backs legislation that would grant companies rights to space resources they extract. The bill would be similar to a 2015 U.S. law, as well as legislation in Luxembourg and the United Arab Emirates. Japan is one of the first countries to sign on to the NASA-led Artemis Accords, which endorsed a similar approach to space resources. The Liberal Democratic Party is consulting with other parties on the bill and hopes to pass it during the current session of the parliament. (11/6)

Sierra Nevada Hires Kavandi (Source: SNC)
Sierra Nevada Corporation has selected a former astronaut and NASA center director to run its space business. The company said Thursday that it was promoting Janet Kavandi to executive vice president for its Space Systems Group, responsible for all aspects of its space business. Kavandi, a veteran of three shuttle flights, joined SNC as a senior vice president last year after stepping down as director of NASA's Glenn Research Center. Editor's Note: Kavandi is among the people who might be tapped to run NASA in a Biden administration. (11/6)

NASA Seeeks Ideas for 'Visually Communicating' Artemis (Source: NASA)
NASA is looking for ideas for how to visually communicate the Artemis program. The agency released an announcement for proposals for potential partnerships to "visually bring the public along for the ride" on Artemis missions, starting with the first crewed mission, Artemis 2, in 2023. The agency is interested primarily in new camera technologies for providing imagery, such as virtual reality and ultra-HD systems. Proposals are due to NASA Dec. 11. (11/6)

New Study: 300 Million Earthlike Planets in Milky Way (Source: New York Times)
A new study estimates there are 300 million Earthlike planets in the Milky Way galaxy. The paper bases that figure on data from NASA's Kepler mission, which provided an estimate for the fraction of sun-like stars that have planets with sizes and orbits similar to the Earth. Scientists said they were intentionally very conservative with their calculations, although their estimate is twice as large as another study in 2013 also based on Kepler data. The new study also excludes smaller red dwarf stars, which are more numerous than sun-like stars and can also host habitable exoplanets. (11/6)

New Plans Afoot Beyond Pluto (Source: Space Daily)
New Horizons is healthy and continuing to send data back from the flyby of the Kuiper Belt object (KBO) Arrokoth back in late 2018 and early 2019, even as it speeds deeper into the Kuiper Belt and farther from the Earth and the Sun. By next spring, New Horizons will be 50 times as far from the Sun as the Earth is - only the fifth operating spacecraft to reach that distance. But as far as we've come, there's much more ahead! We plan to upgrade the spacecraft system and instrument software aboard New Horizons to enhance the mission's scientific capabilities and to search for new KBO targets to study or even fly by. (11/6)

Air-Leaking Crack in ISS Russian Module Might Get Repaired in December (Source: Sputnik)
A supply of nitrogen and repair materials will be delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) in December that can be used to fully fix the crack in the shell of the Zvezda module, ISS Russian Segment Flight Director Vladimir Solovyov said. "The cosmonauts covered the crack with a tape. Specialists of the TSNIIMASH research center and the Khrunichev research center [both part of the Russian state space agency, Roscosmos] are currently clarifying the cause of the crack and determine the technology for its complete elimination. In December, we will probably deliver nitrogen and sealants to the ISS," Solovyov said. (11/5)