January 27, 2021

NASA Assessing SLS Engine Test Results (Source: Space Daily)
For the Green Run hot fire test on Jan. 16, NASA set out to acquire test data to support 23 detailed verification objectives. To satisfy the objectives, hot fire test data is used in combination with analysis and testing that has already been completed. These detailed verification objectives are used to certify the design of the Space Launch System rocket's core stage.

The preliminary assessment indicates that the data acquired met the goals for a number of the 23 objectives, such as those related to activities prior to engine ignition. The initial assessment also indicates that data acquired partially met the goals for several additional of the 23 objectives related to simultaneous operations of four RS-25 engines. (1/27)

Space Force Officially Ends Launch Partnerships with Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force on Dec. 31 officially terminated launch technology partnerships signed in October 2018 with Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman. The Air Force awarded Launch Service Agreements to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman and United Launch Alliance. These were six-year public-private partnerships where both the government and the contractors agreed to invest in rocket development and infrastructure required to compete in the National Security Space Launch program.

The plan from day one was to discontinue the LSAs with companies that did not win a National Security Space Launch procurement contract. Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman lost to ULA and SpaceX, which were selected in August 2020. The Space and Missile Systems Center confirmed in a statement to SpaceNews that the LSAs with Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman ended in Dec. 31, 2020.

From October 2018 through December 2020, Blue Origin was paid $255.5 million. The original six-year agreement was worth $500 million. Northrop Grumman got $531.7 million over that same period, nearly two-thirds of the total value of the LSA which was $792 million. “All remaining development activity for the Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman LSA milestones was completed and submitted by Dec. 31, 2020,” SMC said. (1/26)

Global Ice Loss Accelerating at Record Rate, Study Finds (Source: Guardian)
The melting of ice across the planet is accelerating at a record rate, with the melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets speeding up the fastest, research has found. The rate of loss is now in line with the worst-case scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s leading authority on the climate, according to a paper published on Monday in the journal The Cryosphere.

Thomas Slater, lead author and research fellow at the centre for polar observation and modelling at the University of Leeds, warned that the consequences would be felt around the world. “Sea level rise on this scale will have very serious impacts on coastal communities this century,” he said. Over the period studied, the rate of ice loss accelerated by 57%, the paper found, from 0.8tn tonnes a year in the 1990s to 1.2tn tonnes a year by 2017. About half of all the ice lost was from land, which contributes directly to global sea level rises. (1/25)

Big Aerospace Wants Biden To Keep Trump Space Policy Apparatus In Place (Source: NASA Watch)
Yet another effort is being undertaken by Big Aerospace to preserve the status quo. This time its an effort to keep the National Space Council and its utterly useless Users Advisory Group in place. The UAG was not comprised of actual "users" of space but rather was stocked full of political appointees and representatives from Big Aerospace companies who sell things to the  Government. This group never did anything other than to have meetings with powerpoint presentations when in fact the big decisions had already been made by National Space Council staff. After a while many members never bothered to attend -- even before COVID. But it was fun for the members to brag about being on it. (1/25)

NASA Astronaut Nicole Stott : The Artistic Astronaut (Source: Rebellion Research)
Nicole was the last ISS crewmember to return to Earth on a Space Shuttle. Nicole's 28 year NASA career started at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida where she worked as an engineer and manager for the Space Shuttle and ISS programs. Nicole gained valuable hands-on, operational experience with the actual spaceflight hardware and worked alongside the team of people responsible for the "care and feeding" of the vehicles.

Prior to being selected as an Astronaut, Nicole worked for 2 years at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston as a Flight Simulation Engineer (FSE) in the NASA Aircraft Operations Division. As an FSE she flew as a crewmember onboard the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA) helping to train astronaut pilots to fly the Space Shuttle. She also flew a range of other missions in the NASA T38's and the KC135 ("Vomit Comet"). Nicole retired from NASA in 2015. She is the founder of the Space for Art Foundation. Click here. (1/19) https://www.rebellionresearch.com/blog/nasa-astronaut-nicole-stott-the-artistic-astronaut

Asteroid Naming Contest Sparks Discussion of Women in Astronomy (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
The selection of the late astronomer Ada Amelia Carrera Rodriguez as the winner of an asteroid-naming contest sparked an online panel discussion by the contest’s sponsors about the role of women in astronomy. In a joint project, the SETI Institute and the company Unistellar sponsored a “Name the Asteroid” contest in late 2020 for near-Earth asteroid 1999 AP10, also known as Asteroid 159402, which drew over 120 entries.

At Unistellar‘s Winter Solstice Virtual Star Party on Dec. 21, 2020, the company announced Carrera, a Mexican astronomer, who died earlier that year at age 84, as the contest winner. Her selection was celebrated in an online discussion on Jan. 13, 2021, titled “Women in Astronomy,” which promoted awareness of Carrera and her accomplishments and recognized the growing number of women in the field.  Contest organizers plan to submit the name to the International Astronomical Union Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature for formal approval. (1/26)

SpaceWorks Validates Autonomous Precision Landing (Source: SpaceWorks)
SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc. (SEI), along with its partners Earthly Dynamics, LLC (EDC) and Aerial Delivery Solutions, LLC (ADS), has validated autonomous and precision landing of a space-based payload return capsule through a series of successful low-altitude drop tests. The tests in Dunnellon, Florida on November 19th are the latest in a steady progression to develop SpaceWorks' product line of entry capsules, including the RED-25 and RED-4U that provide on-demand and low-cost downmass capabilities from Earth orbit.
 
This test campaign consisted of three airplane drop tests of a RED-4U prototype equipped with a guided ram-air parafoil with in-canopy actuators. The prototype drop test article was designated as Suborbital Test Vehicle #2 (STV-2). The parafoil is built by Aerial Delivery Solutions, LLC, and the actuators and flight software are developed by Earthly Dynamics, LLC. Tests were conducted at altitudes of approximately 7500 feet in 25 knot winds, achieving precision landings to a pre-specified target. (1/26)

Space Command Chief Supports Commerce Dept. Role in Space Traffic Management (Source: Space News)
The head of U.S. Space Command says he supports giving the Commerce Department responsibility for civil space traffic management (STM). U.S. Army Gen. James Dickinson said allowing the Commerce Department to handle civil STM is similar to having the FAA manage civilian air traffic management, while the military manages its own airspace. The Defense Department is working with the Commerce Department on how to handle STM, a process that started with Space Policy Directive 3 in 2018. (1/27)

Speedcast Reorganized After Bankruptcy (Source: Space News)
Satellite communications provider Speedcast has won approval to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. A federal bankruptcy court approved a plan for Speedcast to reorganize under a new owner, private equity firm Centerbridge Partners, a process that will be completed by the end of March. Centerbridge, one of SpeedCast’s largest creditors prior to filing for bankruptcy protection, is making an additional investment of $500 million in the company, which will be used to repay its debtor-in-possession financing and make payments to vendors. Speedcast filed for Chapter 11 last April after the pandemic weakened demand for its connectivity services to cruise lines, oil rigs and other customer platforms. (1/27)

Lockheed Martin Earnings Slip in 4th Quarter (Source: Reuters)
Lockheed Martin missed earnings projections for its fiscal fourth quarter. The company said Tuesday that the pandemic slowed down deliveries of F-35 fighters and disrupted its supply chain. Lockheed's space business unit reported net sales of nearly $11.9 billion for 2020, a 9% increase over 2019, but its operating profit of $1.15 billion fell 4% from 2019. (1/27)

Boeing Posts Record Annual Loss (Source: CNBC)
Boeing reported a record net loss that topped $11.9 billion in 2020 — results that worsened after it pushed out when it expects to start deliveries of its 777X plane to late 2023, taking a $6.5 billion charge in the fourth quarter against that wide-body program as the coronavirus pandemic hits aircraft demand. The company lost a whopping $15.25 a share in the fourth quarter on an adjusted basis. Analysts had forecast a loss of $1.80 share. The company also booked a $468 million write-down against “abnormal production costs” on the 737 Max program. Boeing’s fourth quarter revenue dropped 15% from a year earlier to $15.3 billion, better than analysts’ forecasts for $15.07 billion in sales. The company’s net loss for the three months widened to $8.4 billion from a $1.01 billion in the fourth quarter of 2019. (1/27)

Colorado Delegation Urges Biden to Reconsider Space Command HQ Decision (Source: Space Policy Online)
Colorado's congressional delegation is asking the Biden administration to reconsider the Air Force's decision to move the headquarters of U.S. Space Command to Alabama. In a letter Tuesday, the entire nine-member delegation asked President Biden to reconsider that decision, announced in the final days of the Trump administration. Their letter cited, among other issues, claims of political influence in the selection process. Gen. James Dickinson, head of Space Command, said Tuesday any move of the command's headquarters would take five to six years since new facilities will have to be built first at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama to host the command. (1/27)

DoD Projects Flew on SpaceX Rideshare (Source: Space News)
A SpaceX rideshare mission included several technology demonstrations and payloads of interest to the U.S. military. Blue Canyon Technologies deployed new satellite components it plans to incorporate in DARPA satellites, while other smallsats carried laser communications payloads that allow satellites to pass massive amounts of data to other satellites and to ground stations. DARPA and the Space Development Agency had hoped to fly two satellites of their own to test laser intersatellite links, but the spacecraft were damaged in prelaunch processing. (1/27)

Japan's H3 First Stage Sent to Spaceport (Source: Space News)
The first stage of the first H3 rocket is heading to its Japanese launch site. The stage, unveiled earlier this week, is being shipped to the Tanegashima Space Center for a series of tests scheduled to start next month. The Japanese space agency JAXA has not set a date for the first H3 launch other than stating that it will take place during the fiscal year that begins April 1. (1/27)

Apollo Fusion to Provide Propulsion for York Constellation (Source: Space News)
Electric propulsion company Apollo Fusion has won an order from York Space Systems. Apollo Fusion will provide its Apollo Constellation Engine electric thrusters for a constellation of at least 10 satellites York is building. The order is the fourth for Apollo Fusion, accounting for more than 20 thrusters and with options for up to 200 more. The company says its ability to scale up production of the thrusters is a major reason why it has secured those orders. (1/27)

Barbs Fly Over Satellite Projects From Musk, Bezos (Source: CNBC)
Another war of words has broken out between Amazon and SpaceX about their satellite constellations. SpaceX is seeking FCC permission to revise the license of its Starlink satellites to lower their orbits. In one recent filing with the FCC, SpaceX dismissed criticism from Amazon and its "still nascent" plans for the Project Kuiper constellation. "It does not serve the public to hamstring Starlink today for an Amazon satellite system that is at best several years away from operation," SpaceX's Elon Musk tweeted about the filing, prompting a response from Amazon that SpaceX wanted to "smother competition in the cradle if they can." The filing is just the latest in a long-running debate that also involves several other operators who oppose SpaceX's proposed license modification. (1/27)

OSIRIS-REx Mission Set for May Departure From Bennu Back to Earth (Source: NASA)
NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will make one more flyby of the asteroid Bennu before departing for Earth. The spacecraft touched down on the surface of the asteroid in October to collect samples, and original plans did not call for the spacecraft to return to the vicinity of the asteroid before maneuvering to return the samples to Earth. NASA said Tuesday that the spacecraft will make one final flyby in April, approaching to within about three kilometers of the landing spot on Bennu. The flyby will allow scientists to observe the touchdown location and also check if the spacecraft's instruments were impaired in any way by dust kicked up from the sample collection campaign. OSIRIS-REx will start its journey back to Earth in May, arriving in September 2023. (1/27)