January 22, 2021

Blue Origin May Launch Humans in April (Source: Ars Technica)
Blue Origin may launch humans in April. Following the company's New Shepard-14 flight on January 14, it plans one more uncrewed mission before flying passengers, CNBC reports. The next test flight, NS-15, could come as soon as late February, followed by a crewed flight six weeks later, sometime in April.

The company declined to comment on New Shepard's schedule, with a Blue Origin spokesperson saying that the schedule reporting "was speculative and not confirmed." However, this is consistent with what we have heard about the company's plans, that another successful flight would set up human tests. This leaves open the exciting possibility of commercial astronaut flights before the end of 2021. (1/22)

Phantom Space Working on Pathfinding Vehicle (Source: Ars Technica)
In a tweet on Sunday, launch startup Phantom Space said it was nearing completion of a development model for its "Daytona" rocket. "This development model is a manufacturing and design pathfinder of the flight system and will be complete in Q1 this year," the company said. The tweet (now deleted) included an image of what appeared to be this pathfinder inside the factory, with several people standing around.

Everything is not as it seems ... However, sharp-eyed readers noted that the image appeared to be a rendering or perhaps a composite image of a rendered rocket inside a real factory. Eventually, Phantom Space founder Jim Cantrell chimed in, saying, "Guys, its RENDERING - ALL OF IT. Last time I looked, those aren't illegal. Maybe I should review the federal code again." (1/22)

Google's Parent Shuts Down Effort to Deliver Internet Via Balloons (Source: Axios)
Alphabet is shutting down Loon, one of its "moonshots," which aimed to deliver internet service via high-altitude balloons. The effort was one of several approaches designed to get high-speed connectivity to some of the world's most remote spots and proved useful in the aftermath of disasters that shut down traditional infrastructure. "While we’ve found a number of willing partners along the way, we haven’t found a way to get the costs low enough to build a long-term, sustainable business," Loon chief executive Alastair Westgarth said. (1/21)

Northrop's Vulcan Rocket Motor Passes Test (Source: Space News)
Northrop Grumman successfully tested a booster it developed for ULA's Vulcan rocket. Northrop said Thursday it performed a static-fire test of the GEM 63XL solid-fuel booster at a facility in Utah. The test validated the performance of the booster, which generates 449,000 pounds-force of thrust, including how it operates at high temperatures. The GEM 63XL will be used as a strap-on booster for the Vulcan. (1/22)

New SecDef to Focus Space Force on Resilience (Source: Breaking Defense)
Lloyd Austin, President Joe Biden's defense secretary, is signaling a shift toward space resilience and away from "the pugilistic aspects" of the US presence in orbit. Asked about any changes to the 2018 National Defense Strategy regarding space he might recommend, Austin said: “Since the NDS was developed, the recognition of the central role space plays in supporting other services in their warfighting role continues to grow. If confirmed, I will ensure the space domain is carefully considered across the range of upcoming strategic reviews.”

The shout-out regarding the mission of Space Force and Space Command to support other services and other types of military operations is noteworthy, given the loud DoD public relations campaign during the Trump era — led by Gen. Jay Raymond who at one time commanded both — to assert a shift to space operations as warfighting operations. Raymond and other senior officers repeatedly stressed that the force was moving beyond its traditional support role. (1/21)

Virgin Executive Recommends Biden Retention of Space Council (Source: Space News)
An industry executive called on the Biden administration to retain the National Space Council. Mandy Vaughn, chief executive of VOX Space, the government services arm of Virgin Orbit, said Thursday that the council had "demonstrable success" during the Trump administration in advancing space policy issues, including getting new policies through the interagency coordination process. The new administration has not announced its plans for the council, but many individuals and organizations have endorsed retaining it. Vaughn also serves on the council's Users' Advisory Group. (1/22)

EU and ESA Seek Better Cooperation (Source: Space News)
Officials with the European Union and the European Space Agency said they will seek to work more cooperatively. At a conference last week, EU commissioner Thierry Breton went out of his way to praise ESA, and said that the EU will continue to rely on ESA. Relations between the two organizations have frayed in recent years, particularly as the EU took steps that made it appear it was encroaching on ESA's turf. The two organizations are still in negotiations on a partnership agreement that will govern their roles and responsibilities on joint programs like Copernicus and Galileo. (1/22)

Air Force Academy Graduates Space Force Officers (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Air Force Academy will graduate more officers for the Space Force this year. Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, superintendent of the academy, said he expects 116 cadets to graduate this year and commission as Space Force officers, up from 86 last year. The academy has expanded the space curriculum to support the new branch of the military, including courses in space law, strategy and operations, and a program to build satellites. (1/22)

NASA Green Propellant Test a Success (Source: Space News)
A NASA mission to demonstrate a new "green" propellant was a success. The Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM), launched in mid-2019 and operated for 15 months, tested a non-toxic propellant called AF-M315E intended to have performance similar to hydrazine but which is easier and safer to handle. The success of GPIM, those involved in the mission said at a recent conference, is allowing them to move ahead with commercial applications of the propellant, now known as ASCENT. (1/22)

Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo Space Support Vehicle Takes Flight Over Spaceport America (Source: KRQE)
Virgin Galactic flew its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft, without SpaceShipTwo, Thursday. The company said the flight from Spaceport America in New Mexico was designed to provide an opportunity for pilots to simulate SpaceShipTwo's glide and landing phases of flight. A second, similar flight of the aircraft is planned for today. SpaceShipTwo last flew in December on a powered test flight aborted just as its engine ignited because of a computer issue. The company hasn't announced a schedule for the next flight of the suborbital spaceplane. (1/22)

China's Lunar Orbiter Proceeds to Lagrange Point for Continued Research (Source: Sky & Telescope)
China's Chang'e-5 orbiter is heading to the Earth-sun L-1 point. The spacecraft completed its primary mission last month when it released its sample return capsule, containing lunar rocks and regolith collected by the mission's lunar lander, as it flew by Earth. The China Lunar Exploration Program said this week the spacecraft will arrive at the L-1 Lagrange point, about 1.5 million kilometers from the Earth in the direction of the sun, in mid-March to perform observations of the sun and other spacecraft tests. The program said it will evaluate future plans for the spacecraft at that time based on its performance and remaining propellant. (1/22)