December 18, 2020

Georgia's Spaceport and the Sunk Cost Fallacy (Source: Spaceport Facts)
Retired USAF General Bob Dickman, a resident of the Georgia county hoping to host Spaceport Camden, sent a letter to the local newspaper. He wrote: “Whether the investment in Spaceport Camden over the past years was spent wisely is not relevant to whether the spaceport should go forward. As any business investor knows, the decision to proceed with a project should depend on the potential return on investment going forward. Sunk cost are 'sunk.' If the Spaceport were canceled now, the return on investment would be zero. Going forward brings potential benefits. ... Will all the gains be realized? Probably not. But some will, and that’s better than walking away and getting nothing.”

Spaceport opponent Steve Weinkle disagrees, citing the Sunk Cost Fallacy, defined as “the idea that a company or organization is more likely to continue with a project if they have already invested a lot of money, time, or effort in it, even when continuing is not the best thing to do.” Weinkle pointed to what he called the "economic failure" of similar state-backed spaceport ventures like Spaceport America, Pacific Spaceport Complex, Oklahoma Spaceport, and even Wallops’ Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. "None are economically self-sufficient. None have produced the jobs or economic diversity promised by spaceport hucksters." (12/18)

China Says Cooperation with U.S. on Lunar Samples Depends on U.S. Policy (Source: Xinhua)
China is willing to cooperate with the United States on the scientific study of its new lunar samples, but whether such cooperation takes place depends on the policy of the U.S. government, according to an official from the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on Thursday. China is open to cooperation with governmental agencies, enterprises and institutions, as well as scientists and engineers, from the United States, on the basis of mutual benefit and the peaceful use of space, said Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the CNSA, at a press conference on the Chang'e-5 lunar mission. (12/18)

Removing Space Debris Requires Action and Caution (Source: Tech Crunch)
Depending on who you ask, space debris is either a nonissue that will solve itself or a critical problem that threatens the future of space exploration. We interviewed dozens of experts across industry, academia and the regulatory landscape to better understand which of these viewpoints is closer to the truth, and to consider what ought to be done going forward. Click here. (12/18)

Space Force Commander Explains How the New Military Service Operates Like a Startup (Source: Tech Crunch)
General John W. “Jay” Raymond spoke at TechCrunch Sessions: Space and explained how the youngest military branch operates like a startup. “In some ways, we’re a startup as well,” Gen. Raymond said. “The National Defense Authorization Act provided us great a great opportunity. And that’s to be bold, think differently, start with a clean sheet of paper, and build processes that work for us as needed to operate in the domain we’re responsible for.”

Gen. Raymond explained one of his mantras is big is slow. “And if you’re going to be a big organization, you’re going to be a slower organization,” he said, explaining that his team has worked hard over the last year to “flatten the bureaucracy, reduce layers of command, get the experts that are operating our capabilities, close to a decision-maker, or better yet pushed the decision making down to that to their level. (12/18)

UCF-Developed Sensor Passes First Test, On Track for Future Moon Missions (Source: UCF)
A prototype sensor that detects Moon dust by shooting lasers through the sky has successfully completed its first hurdle. That means UCF is one step closer to building the real instrument that could fly to the moon on a future mission. UCF researchers designed the Ejecta STORM instrument to scan the area around a lunar lander for moondust and other hazards based on a concept planetary scientist Phil Metzger came up with about 10 years ago.

Ejecta STORM stands for the Ejecta Sheet Tracking, Opacity and Regolith Maturity. NASA funded a proposal to study this instrument about a year ago. Earlier this month, a prototype that students helped build went onto a tethered rocket system for a few test flights, courtesy of the commercial partner Masten Space Systems, a space transportation company based in California.

Understanding how dust behaves on the moon and other planetary surfaces is critical for future space exploration missions. When a spacecraft lands or takes off, the dust it kicks off could damage engines, sandblast a nearby lunar outpost, or even impact a spacecraft orbiting the moon. There is also interest in knowing how dust on the lunar surface will behave when people are walking on it or rovers are driving around, says project co-investigator Adrienne Dove. (12/18)

NASA Releases Best Practices Handbook to Help Improve Space Safety (Source: Space Daily)
NASA has released the first iteration of its Spacecraft Conjunction Assessment and Collision Avoidance Best Practices Handbook to share information on best practices for coordinating in-orbit activity in a safe and responsible manner. The agency aims for these best practices to bolster stability, reduce current and future operational risks, and contribute to a sustainable space environment for future public and private sector activities.

Emerging commercial ventures, such as satellite servicing, in-space manufacturing, and tourism, as well as new technologies enabling small satellites and large constellations of satellites, present serious challenges for safely and responsibly using space in a stable, sustainable manner. These challenges affect not only the United States, but also its allies and industry partners. (12/16)

Peter Beck on Rocket Lab’s Expanding Orbit (Source: Tech Crunch)
Reusable rockets could change the economics for small launch, Beck said. “The economics of small launch against larger rideshares are always going to be different, because you have a much smaller launch vehicle to amortize your costs over,” he explained, “However, this is the reason that small dedicated launch is so valuable, you get your own rocket and all the things that comes with that. But if you can get that and have a platform that’s closer to rideshare costs, then that’s really transformational for the industry.” Regarding the loss of a vehicle in July, Beck said that it was tough but not unexpected in this industry. Click here. (12/18)

Swamp Watch: DoD Halts Biden Transition Briefings (Source: Axios)
Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller ordered a Pentagon-wide halt to cooperation with the transition of President-elect Biden, shocking officials across the Defense Department. Biden transition director Yohannes Abraham contradicted the Pentagon's official response to this story on Friday afternoon, telling reporters, "Let me be clear: there was no mutually agreed upon holiday break." The Washington Post published a story on Wednesday night revealing how much money would be saved if Biden halted construction of Trump's border wall. Trump officials blame the leak on the Biden transition team

Meetings between President Trump's team and the Biden team are going on throughout the government, after a delayed start as the administration dragged its feet on officially recognizing Biden as president-elect. Then on Thursday night, Miller — who was appointed Nov. 9, when Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper right after the election — ordered officials throughout the building to cancel scheduled transition meetings. (12/18)

Russia Planning Lighter Weight Spacecraft for Human Lunar Missions (Source: RIA Novosti)
The option to create a lightweight version of the Orel spacecraft, code-named Eaglet, is being worked out at the Energia rocket and space corporation (part of Roscosmos ) to organize manned flights to the moon. In connection with the reduction of the crew from four people in the Orel to two in the Orlyonok, the mass of the crew's life support system will be reduced. Earlier, the head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin announced the need to immediately start developing a new Russian manned spacecraft for flights to orbital stations . Then there was no talk of flights to the moon. (12/17)

Biden't China Space Dilemma (Source: Politico)
Some of Biden’s top space advisers have argued that it’s important to cooperate with China in space, even as Beijing’s behavior continues to threaten America in nearly every other area. Despite China’s theft of intellectual property, humans rights violations and weapons to threaten U.S. troops, “trying to exclude them I think is a failing strategy,” Pam Melroy, a former astronaut who is serving on Biden’s NASA transition team and is among those being considered to lead the space agency, told us before the election. “It’s very important that we engage."

One of the biggest barriers is Capitol Hill , where lawmakers imposed a ban on the two nations working together unless a mission is vetted by the FBI for any risks of data sharing. And the man behind that barrier — former Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) — doesn’t think his namesake Wolf Amendment is going away any time soon.

The U.S. used common pursuits in orbit to ease tensions with Russia on Earth during the Cold War, but the situation with Beijing is very different. Whereas the former Soviet Union was crippled and in need of American help, China would be coming to the U.S. as an almost equal, having already accomplished difficult missions like this week’s return of lunar samples. (12/18)

Bills Moving to Protect Lunar Heritage Sites (Source: Politico)
It’s one small step for future agreements governing neighborly relations in space. The House this week passed a bill to protect the Apollo landing sites on the lunar surface. It has major implications for preserving history but also commercial activities such as mining, according to Michelle Hanlon, the co-founder of For All Moonkind, a nonprofit focused on preserving historical sites in space. By requiring companies who want to partner with NASA not to disturb historic sites, it sets precedent for private actors to leave others’ exploration equipment alone.

There is currently no legal definition of what should be protected or how far away other spacecraft should operate from other players, Hanlon said. The Senate has its own version. The House legislation would require NASA’s private partners to protect the Apollo landing site, while the Senate bill would make preserving historic locations a requirement for getting a federal license for space operations. Under the House plan, companies going to the moon without NASA would not be bound by the restrictions. (12/18)

GAO Sees High Risk in Artemis Assessment (Source: Politico)
NASA’s management of acquisition programs has been designated as “high-risk” by the Government Accountability Office for three decades. And its main efforts to return humans to the moon are no different, the government watchdog warned in a new assessment this week.

The Orion crew vehicle built by Lockheed Martin, the Space Launch System rocket developed by Boeing, and Exploration Ground Systems, which support the assembly, test, and launch of the two systems as well as recovery of the crew vehicle, all face significant delays and cost growth that could delay missions for years. Compounding the problem is too much turnover at the space agency. “These challenges have also been exacerbated in some instances by NASA changing leadership responsible for the programs working on major development efforts,” GAO said. (12/18)

Soyuz Rocket Launches OneWeb Satellites at Vostochny (Source: Arianespace)
A Soyuz rocket launched Friday morning carrying three dozen OneWeb satellites. The Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East at 7:26 a.m. Eastern. The 36 satellites on board will be released in groups of four over a four-hour period. The launch resumes the deployment of OneWeb's broadband constellation that was put on hold when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March. The company emerged from Chapter 11 this fall under a new ownership group led by the Bharti Global and the British government. (12/18)

Vega Cable Problem Confirmed as Launch Failure Cause (Source: Space News)
An independent investigation confirmed that improperly connected cables caused the failure of a Vega launch last month. The European Space Agency announced Friday that the investigation found two cables used in the thrust vector control system of the Vega's upper stage were inverted, causing the stage to tumble seconds after ignition on the Nov. 16 launch. The investigation found that "misleading" procedures contributed to the cables to be misconnected and that inspections failed to detect the problem. The investigation recommended both more detailed inspections of the next two Vega rockets, which have already been built, and changes in assembly and testing procedures for future Vega rockets. Arianespace estimates the Vega will be ready to return to flight by late March. (12/18)

Raymond: China's Space Program a Concern for Space Force (Source: Space News)
The head of the U.S. Space Force said that China's space program is "concerning." Gen. John Raymond, speaking at a conference Thursday, said China "has gone from zero to 60 really quick" in space and now has "a very robust program." Raymond said China is developing cutting-edge space systems in an effort to match the space capabilities of the United States, but is also pursuing technologies that could be used as weapons against American satellites. The Space Force is responding by taking steps to innovate faster, Raymond said. (12/18)

ULA Expects First Vulcan Launch in Late 2021 (Source: Space News)
United Launch Alliance expects the first Vulcan launch to take place in no earlier than late 2021. ULA CEO Tory Bruno said Thursday that ULA is confident that both the launch vehicle and its first customer, Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander, will be on the launch pad "by the end of next year." The timeline for Vulcan's first flight has slipped over the past two years because ULA does not yet have flight-qualified BE-4 main engines for Vulcan's first stage, and those engines won't arrive until the summer of 2021. Bruno said testing is being done with pathfinder engines recently delivered to ULA to help ease the integration of the flight engines when they arrive. The Vulcan launch is one of 10 launches ULA plans to perform in 2021. (12/18)

CesiumAstro Raises $15 Million for Phased Array Comm Payloads (Source: Space News)
A startup has raised a new round of funding to fuel its development of active phased array satellite antennas. CesiumAstro raised $15 million in an investment round in November led by Airbus Ventures and Kleiner Perkins. The company has raised $29.2 million to date to establish its business of selling phased array communications and radio frequency sensing payloads for government and commercial customers. With the latest funding, CesiumAstro plans to launch two cubesats to prove its technology in space and to expand the number of frequencies it offers customers. (12/18)

Boeing, Jacksonville Aviation Authority Approve Agreement for New Hangar, Office Space at Cecil Airport/Spaceport (Source: FDCA)
Boeing has entered into a 25-year lease agreement with the Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) to grow its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations at its Cecil Field site, located at Cecil Airport/Spaceport. Under the agreement, JAA will construct and lease to Boeing new facilities on approximately 30 acres near Boeing’s existing MRO site. The deal is expected to result in Boeing adding about 400 more jobs at Cecil Airport. The average wage of the new jobs will be more than $65,000 plus benefits.

Boeing Cecil Field is one of the company’s longstanding facilities. Since opening in 1999, its employees have maintained, modified and upgraded nearly 1,000 aircraft for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, including the F/A-18 A-D Hornet, F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler. It is home to a Flight Control Repair Center that provides structural repairs to F/A-18 A-F and EA-18G flight control surfaces, and where the Boeing team converts F/A-18 Super Hornets into flight demonstration aircraft for the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angel squadron. Boeing’s support for the U.S. Air Force QF-16 program, which converts retired F-16s into the next generation of combat training and testing for autonomous aerial targets, is also based at Boeing Cecil Field. (12/18)

New Satellite Propulsion Test Facility to Propel UK into New Space Age (Source: Space Daily)
A new gold standard national rocket test facility will soon open its doors. The new center will allow UK companies and academics to fire up and test state-of-the-art space propulsion engines at up to 1.5kN in high-altitude vacuum, an equivalent test altitude of 140,000ft. It will cement the international reputation of the Westcott Space Cluster - where the site will be based - in propulsion. Based in Aylesbury Vale Enterprise Zone, the facility, which is expected to create around 60 jobs, is due for completion in early 2021 and will offer companies a more affordable test facility than international rivals. (12/18)