December 12, 2020

NASA Selects Firefly to Launch Cubesats (Source: Firefly)
NASA has selected Firefly Black, the national security and civil space subsidiary of Firefly Aerospace, for the launch of Mission Two of the Venture Class Launch Service Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contract. Mission Two involves launch of two CubeSat constellations to a 550 km Sun-Synchronous Orbit, separated by a minimum of 10 degrees in plane change. Firefly Black will bridge demand between pure small launch capability and that provided by the National Security Space Launch program by providing a family of small-to-medium launchers and in-space transportation services. (12/11)

SpaceX Plans to Cap Busy Week with Launch of Satellite for SiriusXM (Sources: SpaceFlight Now, Florida Today)
A massive radio broadcasting satellite for SiriusXM is set for liftoff Sunday on top of a Falcon 9 rocket, punctuating a busy week for SpaceX that included the debut of a new-generation cargo ship for the International Space Station and a spectacular atmospheric test flight of a prototype rocket over South Texas.Computers controlling a Falcon 9 rocket aborted a launch attempt Friday afternoon.

SpaceX did not specify exactly what caused the abort aside from "ground systems," but a rapidly closing liftoff window meant teams didn't have enough time to troubleshoot the issue. Falcon 9's next launch attempt is slated for no earlier than Sunday around the same time, though SpaceX could push further depending on the severity of the setback. SpaceX's mission is labeled SXM-7 and will replace the more than 10-year-old SXM-5. (12/11)

Space Coast Congressman Backs Trump Election Challenge (Source: Florida Today)
Every state has certified their 2020 presidential election results, in some cases, more than once. But Rep. Bill Posey, a Republican who represents Florida's Space Coast in Washington, isn't satisfied. "I don't think it's been investigated properly," he said. Since election day, Posey has written and co-signed letters to the Department of Justice, the Unites States Postal Service, CIA and other agencies and cited since-debunked claims from lawsuit affidavits, demanding answers.

Speaking to a reporter before the latest Texas lawsuit was filed asking the Supreme Court to throw out the election results in four states won by President-elect Joe Biden, which he has since expressed support for, he said: "I don't know where it's gonna go (in the courts)." Posey is one of 125 House Republicans who signed an amicus brief in support of the Texas suit. National polls indicate that some 70% of Republican voters believe the election was not free and fair, and 78% believe that mail-in voting led to widespread voter fraud. (12/11)

New Mexico County Wants State to Repay Allegedly Misspent Spaceport Tax Revenue (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
A New Mexico county is calling on the state to provide “adequate funding” to operations at Spaceport America and to stop relying on excess gross receipts tax revenue to cover its operational costs. The move comes on the heels of a forensic audit report which accused the spaceport’s former director, Dan Hicks, of misusing tax dollars among other allegations of violating criminal and administrative statutes.

At its Dec. 8 meeting, the Doña Ana County Commission unanimously approved a resolution that calls on the state to stop allowing excess GRT revenue to pay for spaceport expenses the county argues it had not pledged to cover. “The chutzpah that these people used with public funds is quite amazing,” said Commission Chair Lynn Ellins of District 1, who brought forth the resolution, in response to the audit's findings. The resolution also demands the state pay back the funds that the county argues have been misused for years. (12/11)

Swamp Watch: USAF Space Adviser Eyes Spring Exit from Top Job (Source: Air Force Magazine)
A top space policy official in the Department of the Air Force said Dec. 10 he plans to serve in his role until next spring, unless the Trump or Biden administrations nominate someone to fill his post sooner. Shawn Barnes is performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, a job created in December 2019. The position entails laying out military space organization and procurement policy and coordinating with other parts of the Pentagon and the national security enterprise.

The assistant secretary job was created alongside the Space Force in the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, signed one year ago this month. Barnes does not formally hold the assistant secretary title because he has not been nominated or confirmed to the job. At the same time, though, he also serves as deputy assistant secretary—a position that requires neither a Presidential endorsement nor the Senate’s approval. (12/10)

Site Visits Cap Process for Space Command HQ Selection (Source: Politico)
The Air Force this week began began eyeballing the six bases competing to host the headquarters of the reestablished U.S. Space Command and is expected to wrap on the visits by Dec. 18, spokespeople for two cities in the running told us. A small team of Air Force personnel led by a colonel are evaluating proposed locations of the headquarters, the utilities and infrastructure available and any planned renovations for the 1,400 personnel, Reggie Ash, the chief defense development officer at the Colorado Springs Chamber, said.

The Air Force will also conduct virtual site visits on Dec. 21 and 22, when each community in the running will have an hour to show off why the city is such a great place to live, including highlighting support for the military, Ash said. The Air Force intends to choose in January between Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico; Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska; Patrick Space Force Base in Florida; Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado; Port San Antonio in Texas; and Redstone Army Airfield in Alabama.

Cities are starting to bring out the big guns. Former head of U.S. Strategic Command Retired Adm. James Ellis and retired astronaut Clayton Anderson on Thursday announced their support for basing the command at Offutt. Ellis argues that locating it with the U.S. Strategic Command, which oversees nuclear weapons, “would make a great deal of sense.” Meanwhile, retired Gen. William Shelton, a former commander of Air Force Space Command, made the case for Colorado Springs in an op-ed in the Colorado Springs Gazette. (12/11)

ERAU Alumna Wins NASA Trailblazer Award for Work on Manned Rocket Mission (Source: ERAU)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University alumna Nathalie Quintero ('15) was one of two early-career systems engineers at The Boeing Company to earn NASA’s Space Flight Awareness Trailblazer Award for her work on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the world’s most powerful rocket that will land the first woman and next man on the moon.

Quintero, who came to the United States from Caracas, Venezuela, as a dual citizen, earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering degree, with a double minor in Aerospace Life Sciences and Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing, from Embry-Riddle, and then a master’s in Systems Engineering from Cornell University while working full-time. (12/2)

Santa Set to Visit ISS (Source: Politico)
Santa is set to visit the International Space Station on Christmas Eve to celebrate the 20th anniversary of continuous human presence on the orbiting lab. Earth-bound viewers can watch the fly-by on NORAD’s Santa Tracker. The seven astronauts who will be aboard better hope they were good this year. The stop will take Santa 250 miles above Earth but he’s expected to stay on schedule for other gift deliveries since the reindeer can travel faster and make up time in zero gravity. (12/2)

Streamlined FAA Launch/Reentry Rule Posted in Final Form, Effective March 2021 (Source: Federal Register)
This rule streamlines and increases flexibility in the FAA's commercial space launch and reentry regulations, and removes obsolete requirements. It consolidates and revises multiple regulatory parts and applies a single set of licensing and safety regulations across several types of operations and vehicles. The rule describes the requirements to obtain a vehicle operator license, the safety requirements, and the terms and conditions of a vehicle operator license. This rule is effective March 10, 2021. Click here.

Editor's Note: On the topic of Space Support Vehicles (SSV), a new class of vehicle (defined in Section 50902(22) of title 51) like a carrier aircraft for air-launches or a vehicle used for spaceflight training, the rule states that SSV rules are beyond the scope of this current rule, and will be promulgated pursuant to Section 44737. (12/10)

Aerion Breaks Ground on Florida HQ and Production Park (Source: AIN Online)
Aerion Supersonic today said it has started development of its $300 million, two-million-sq-ft headquarters complex at Florida’s Orlando Melbourne International Airport (MLB). Dubbed Aerion Park, the 110-acre campus will house facilities for research, design, production, and interior completions of the company’s AS2 supersonic business jet and future hypersonic aircraft. Production of the Mach 1.4 AS2 is slated to begin in 2023, followed by first flight in 2025 and service entry in 2027. (12/10)