January 20, 2021

NASA Mulls A New SLS Test Despite Technical Concerns (Source: Wall Street Journal)
NASA is wrestling with the decision whether to redo ground checks of a mammoth deep-space rocket’s main engines, which prematurely shut off during an aborted test Saturday. NASA officials on Tuesday said preliminary findings indicated that sensors flagged problems with two out of four main engines of the Space Launch System booster built by Boeing Co. But in a briefing for reporters, they clarified earlier updates by revealing that the testing setback resulted from the combination of a malfunctioning sensor and how Saturday’s test was set up rather than design or production defects with the engines themselves.

Outgoing NASA chief Jim Bridenstine and some top aides emphasized that on top of probable schedule delays, extra testing could stress parts of the 212-foot rocket to the point that performing its mission could be problematic. The agency didn’t give a timeline for a decision, though some of its internal safety guidelines suggest that typically a new test would be necessary to demonstrate reliability of the booster's primary propulsion system. (1/19)

Capitalists in Space (Source: New York Post)
America’s private-sector “conquest” of space continues. The latest: On Sunday, Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit successfully deployed 10 mini satellites into orbit using a two-stage rocket fired from a converted jumbo jet. The company’s LauncherOne rocketed into Earth orbit from “Cosmic Girl,” a specially outfitted Boeing 747-400, over the Pacific. The space vehicle deployed 10 cubesats (miniature research satellites) for NASA’s Launch Services Program. This comes just eight months after an aborted test run last May.

Branson brags that the “magnificent flight” will “unleash a whole new generation of innovators on the path to orbit.” Make it so! Two years ago, Branson’s rocket-powered VSS Unity spaceplane successfully entered suborbital flight above the Earth. In 2018, his Virgin Galactic ferry flew a crew to more than 50 miles above the Earth. Two months ago, Elon Musk’s SpaceX made history by ferrying two astronauts to the International Space Station — the first-ever private manned launch into space. 

Along with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and other firms, SpaceX and Virgin Orbit are finding innovative ways to make launches far cheaper and more practical — and so make space more accessible. VOX Space LLC, a Virgin Orbit subsidiary, is set to launch in October under a $35 million, three-mission contract with the US Space Force. Pay attention: The new Space Age is here. (1/19)

SpaceX Acquires Former Oil Rigs to Serve as Floating Starship Spaceports (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
SpaceX has acquired two former oil drilling rigs to serve as these floating spaceports. Named Phobos and Deimos, after the two moons of Mars, they are currently undergoing modifications to support Starship launch operations. SpaceX has long been hinting at future floating launch and landing sites for their Starship launch system. The super heavy lift launch vehicle will have a large blast danger area and pose noise concerns if launched frequently near populated areas.

Therefore, sea launch platforms will play a key role in the launch cadence SpaceX plans to reach with Starship, including on-orbit refueling flights for deep space missions and transportation from one place to another on Earth. Job postings by SpaceX have indicated that work on offshore launch platforms has begun in Brownsville, Texas, near their Starship manufacturing and launch facilities in Boca Chica.

Positions included crane operators, electricians, and offshore operations engineers, and several of the job listings specified that the position was part of the company’s Starship program. Job descriptions for these positions included responsibilities like “designing and building an operational offshore rocket launch facility” and required the “ability to work on an offshore platform in Brownsville, Texas.” (1/19)

China’s iSpace Advances with IPO Plans, Reusable Launcher Landing Leg Tests (Source: Space News)
Chinese private rocket firm iSpace is planning an IPO while also making progress on technology for a reusable launch vehicle. Beijing-based iSpace is planning to file an initial public offering on the Science and Technology Innovation Board (STAR Market), a market established in 2019 to support tech companies. STAR Market announced the move Jan.12 (Chinese) naming CITIC Securities and Tianfeng Securities as advisory firms.

The STIB was created to focus on companies in high-tech and strategic emerging sectors and support Chinese science and technology innovation, according to Xinhua. Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology Ltd., also known as iSpace, became the first nominally private Chinese company to launch a satellite into orbit in July 2019. The company’s Hyperbola-1 four-stage 20.8-meter-tall solid rocket sent two satellites into low Earth orbit after liftoff from Jiuquan, a national launch center.

Last year the company raised $173 million in series B round funding to back development of a new series of launch vehicles and reusable methalox engines. iSpace is currently developing a 28-meter-tall, 3.35-meter-diameter liquid oxygen-methane launcher named Hyperbola-2. (1/19)

Redwire Acquires Oakman Aerospace (Source: Space News)
Redwire has acquired Oakman Aerospace, a Littleton, Colorado firm known for digital engineering and spacecraft development. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition announced Jan. 19 is the latest sign that Redwire is continuing to move rapidly to establish a multifaceted space company. “Oakman Aerospace adds a critical capability in digital engineering that will significantly enhance our space infrastructure solutions,” Peter Cannito, Redwire chairman and CEO, said.

“Their modular open systems architecture design and development approach and proprietary commercial off-the-shelf software suite is transforming the way future space capabilities are designed, developed, deployed and operated.” AE Industrial Partners formed Redwire in June 2020 with the acquisitions of Deep Space Systems and Adcole Space. Since then, Redwire has purchased Made In Space, Roccor, Loadpath and now Oakman Aerospace. (1/19)

New NASA Challenge Offers Prizes for Sprouting Astronaut Food Systems (Source: NASA)
Astronauts need hearty nutrients to maintain a healthy diet in space, but like any of us, they want their food to taste good, too! As NASA develops concepts for longer crewed missions to Mars and beyond, the agency will need innovative and sustainable food systems that check all the boxes. In coordination with the Canadian Space Agency, NASA has opened the Deep Space Food Challenge. The goal is to generate novel food production technologies or systems that require minimal resources and produce minimal waste, while providing safe, nutritious, and tasty food for long-duration human exploration missions. (1/11)

Exotrail Secures French Government Support to Develop Propulsion Technologies for Small GEO Satellites (Source: Space Daily)
The French Armament General Directorate, through the Defence Innovation Agency, is supporting Exotrail to develop technologies allowing small satellites to operate in geostationary orbit. Under the RAPID program, a funding framework operated by the Defence Innovation Agency, Exotrail will mature its technologies and extend their product portfolio to provide thrust vectoring and cold gas propulsion capabilities for customers.

When operating in geostationary orbit, small satellites face unique constraints not served by the market today. With this program called PROXIMA, Exotrail will develop thrust vectoring and cold gas propulsion using unique in-house expertise and capabilities. Exotrail is a France-based space company which designs, develops, and operate mobility solutions for an agile space. (1/17)

German Astronomers Recommend Regulations for Satellite Constellations (Source: Space Daily)
The German Astronomical Society (AG), the German association of amateur astronomers (VdS) and the Society of German-Speaking Planetariums (GDP) comment on the rapid increase in the number of satellites in the night sky. Artificial satellites have significant impact on the perception of the natural starry sky and the exploration of our universe.

The degradation of the night sky has a global impact, but the approval of satellite launches is done exclusively by national authorities, such as the Federal Communications Commission in the US. We hereby express our concern about this and call for international regulations for satellite constellations to ensure the protection of the night sky over the entire electromagnetic spectrum for research and as a human cultural asset. (1/19)

Rocket Lab Readies Second New Zealand Launch Pad (Source: NZ Herald)
Rocket Lab will soon double its capacity with work on a second launch complex expected to be completed within a few months. Work on the second pad began in December 2019 and was expected to be completed at the end of last year. However, it is now on track to be up and running sometime after March this year.

Rocket Lab's head of communications Morgan Bailey said the addition of a second launch pad would enable more small satellite launches which allow for more weather and climate modelling, increased communications and other scientific endeavours. The new pad, called Launch Complex 1 Pad B, will replicate the layout and systems of the current operational Pad A, including a 7.6-ton strongback and launch mount for the Electron rocket. (1/19)

Rocket Lab Launches Secret Satellite (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab launched a secretive communications satellite for OHB Group early Wednesday. An Electron rocket lifted off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand launch site at 2:26 a.m. Eastern and deployed the GMS-T satellite into a polar orbit an hour and 10 minutes later. The satellite was built by OHB for an undisclosed customer, and is intended to "enable specific frequencies" for future services. OHB disclosed no other details about the satellite or the customer, but some analysts have linked it to a Chinese company, GMS Zhaopin, with ties to KLEO Connect, a German company planning a constellation for internet of things services. (1/20)

Biden Administration's SecDef Nominee Concerned About Space Security (Source: Space News)
The Biden administration's nominee for secretary of defense sees growing threats to U.S. national security in space. In a statement submitted for his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday, Lloyd Austin said he will "ensure the space domain is carefully considered across the range of upcoming strategic reviews" and noted threats posed by Chinese and Russian space activities. Space did not come up during the four-hour hearing other than a request by one senator that Austin investigate the decision announced last week to place the headquarters of U.S. Space Command in Alabama. (1/20)

China Launches Mobile Communications Satellite (Source: Xinhua)
China launched a satellite for mobile communications Tuesday. A Long March 3B lifted off at 11:25 a.m. Eastern from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center and placed the Tiantong-1 03 satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit. The satellite is equipped with a large deployable antenna to provide mobile communications services in China and surrounding regions. (1/20)

China's iSpace Plans IPO (Source: Space News)
Chinese launch startup iSpace is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) of stock. In a recent filing, iSpace said it was working with advisory firms on an IPO on China's Science and Technology Innovation Board (STAR Market), a market established in 2019 to support tech companies. The company raised $173 million in a Series B round last year to fund development of its Hyperbola-2 rocket. The first stage of that rocket is intended to be reusable, and iSpace recently showed off progress in development of its landing legs. (1/20)

NASA Scraps Old Mobile Launch Platform at KSC (Source: CollectSpace)
NASA is scrapping a mobile launch platform at the Kennedy Space Center that dated back to the Apollo program. Mobile Launch Platform-2 was built in the 1960s and used for both Apollo and shuttle missions. With no plans to use the platform, NASA decided to scrap the platform to free up space where a new mobile launcher will be built for the SLS. NASA received no expressions of interest from museums or other organizations that wanted to preserve the platform. (1/20)

Astronomers Await JWST to Find Massive Black Hole (Source: New York Times)
Astronomers are on the lookout for a missing black hole that should weigh 10 billion times the mass of the sun. The galaxy, located in the cluster Abell 2261, should have a black hole of that size based on similar galaxies, but observations showed a dip in brightness at the center of the galaxy instead. Some astronomers speculate that the black hole is there but currently quiescent and therefore difficult to detect, while others think the black hole might have been ejected from the galaxy. All are counting on future observations by the James Webb Space Telescope to resolve the mystery. (1/20)

Aurora Insight Plans Cubesat Launch on SpaceX Mission (Source: Space News)
A startup that collects data on radiofrequency transmissions will launch its first operational cubesat this week. Aurora Insight will fly the Bravo cubesat, built by NanoAvonics, on the SpaceX Transporter-1 launch. The company plans to use data from Bravo and a second cubesat, Charlie, to augment terrestrial sensors that gather data to map  the availability of radio frequency spectrum and wireless infrastructure. The company flew a technology demonstration cubesat, Alpha, in late 2018. [SpaceNews]
 
Judicial Review for Scottish Spaceport (Source: The Herald)
A court will allow a legal challenge to a Scottish spaceport to proceed. A Scottish court ruled that a judicial review of the proposed Space Hub Sutherland spaceport can continue, with a one-day hearing scheduled for April. Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen, the largest private landowner in Scotland, sought the review because of what he said were environmental concerns about the proposed spaceport. He is also an investor in a competing spaceport project in the Shetland Islands. [The Herald (Scotland)]

China's Lunar Samples Less Dense Than Expected (Source: Reuters)
Samples collected by China's Chang'e-5 lunar mission may have a lower density than expected. Chinese scientists said the lower density would explain why the spacecraft returned 1.73 kilograms of material rather than the expected 2 kilograms, even though the spacecraft completed its sampling work ahead of schedule. Officials said they were establishing plans to share samples with other nations, and wouldn't rule out doing so with the United States despite restrictions in U.S. law regarding bilateral cooperation between NASA and Chinese organizations. [Reuters]

India to License Logo Use for Merchandise (Source: Business Today)
ISRO is getting into the merchandise business. The Indian space agency recently announced an opportunity for companies to work with the agency on creating space-themed merchandise involving the ISRO logo or linked to its missions. Such merchandise "can play a game-changing role in creating awareness and kindling interest" by the public in ISRO's missions, the agency said in its announcement. ISRO added that some kinds of merchandise were excluded from any licensing deals, such as doormats, slippers or other items that "might affect the reputation or image of the organisation." (1/19)

SpaceX’s Second Super Heavy Booster Enters Production in South Texas (Source: Teslarati)
SpaceX’s South Texas Starship factory has begun fabricating a second Super Heavy booster and taken a significant step forward on the first prototype. Set to be the largest operational rocket stage ever built by more than a factor of two, Super Heavy is the booster tasked with launching a fully fueled and loaded Starship out of the bulk of Earth’s atmosphere. Powered by up to 28 Raptor engines, Super Heavy and Starship will weigh upwards of 5000 metric tons and produce anywhere from 5600 to 7700 metric tons of thrust at liftoff.

Most importantly, though SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has noted that an optimized Starship might be able to reach orbit on a one-way trip, a giant, reasonably efficient booster like Super Heavy is necessary to send Starship into a healthy orbit with all the extra hardware and mass needed to make the orbital spaceship reusable. More than twice as heavy and two-thirds as tall as SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, that will be no small feat. (1/20)

South Australia to be First Australian State to Send a Satellite Into Space (Source: Cosmos)
South Australia premier Steven Marshall today announced a $6.5 million partnership with the growing South Australian space industry to send a locally made small satellite into low Earth orbit in 2022. Marshall says SA is the first Australian state government to embark on such an undertaking. Dubbed the SASAT1 Space Services Mission, the satellite will gather information designed to assist and improve such things as emergency services, environment and water-quality monitoring, and mining and bushfire mitigation.

The mission will be led by the SmartSat Cooperative Research Center (CRC) at the University of South Australia, with private SA space companies adding expertise. Adelaide-based Inovor Technologies will design, build and test the 6-unit Apogee satellite bus and deliver it to the launch contractor. Myriota will handle Internet of Things (IoT) space services. (1/20)