January 29, 2021

SpaceX Engaged in Legal Battle with Oil Company for Land to Drill for Gas (Source: Sputnik)
SpaceX is locked in a legal battle with Dallas Petroleum Group, which claims ownership of some inactive wells sitting on the same 806-acre piece of leased by the SpaceX subsidiary Lone Star Mineral Development. The spat of land in question is located near SpaceX's Boca Chica launch site, which according to the company's CEO would be used exclusively for Starship super heavy-lift launch vehicles design for long-duration space missions.

Tim George, an attorney representing the subsidiary, said that SpaceX plans to use the methane it extracts from the ground "in connection with their rocket facility operations". This comes after Elon Musk said in December that he relocated to Texas to focus on SpaceX's Starship vehicle and Tesla Inc.'s new battery factory, which is currently under construction in Austin. In August, Dallas Petroleum took the dispute to the Railroad Commission of Texas, a state regulatory agency.

In response, SpaceX's land-acquisition front company Dogleg Park LLC said in a filing to the court that Dallas Petroleum had locked SpaceX out of the property and asserted ownership claims for the "sole purpose of extorting money from SpaceX". (1/27)

China Launches Spy Satellites (Source: Xinhua)
China launched a set of military reconnaissance satellites Thursday night. The Long March 4C rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 11:47 p.m. Eastern and placed into orbit a second group of Yaogan-31 satellites. Chinese media reports state that the satellites will be used for "electromagnetic environment surveys" but Western observers believe the satellites are used for naval reconnaissance. (1/29)

Dickinson’s Guidance to Space Troops: Prepare for ’Competitive and Dangerous’ Environment (Source: Space News)
The head of U.S. Space Command is warning of a "far more competitive and dangerous" environment in space. U.S. Army Gen. James Dickinson is expected to release a "commander's strategic vision" document today that will outline his goals for the command and the threats he sees to U.S. space assets. He said keeping satellites safe from hostile attack will require a coordinated response involving all elements of the U.S. military and allies. In the document, Dickinson said Space Command troops will need to educate themselves on what other countries and potential adversaries are doing in space, and become proficient in the use of advanced technology. The command will build closer ties with other government agencies that are involved in space activities, and with the commercial industry. (1/29)

NASA Considers Alternatives to SLS for Launching Europa Clipper (Source: Space News)
NASA is taking a step toward launching its Europa Clipper mission on a commercial vehicle rather than the Space Launch System. NASA this week issued a request for information seeking input from companies who have launch vehicles that could launch the mission. NASA's plan, outlined in the document, calls for a launch of Europa Clipper in October 2024, arriving at Jupiter five and a half years later after flybys of Mars and Earth. A provision in the fiscal year 2021 appropriations bill passed last month gave NASA the ability to use a commercial vehicle if the SLS was not available or if payload compatibility issues could not be resolved. SpaceX's Falcon Heavy is the leading option to launch the mission if NASA does not use SLS. (1/29)

Mars Orbiter Could Adjust Orbit to Extend Battery Life (Source: Space News)
NASA is considering adjusting the orbit of one of its Mars missions to support Mars 2020. The change in orbit for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is designed to reduce the workload on its batteries and extend the life of the orbiter so it can serve as a communications relay for the Perseverance rover. That shift, though, could adversely affect some science MRO performs, as well as its ability to support other missions. Agency officials said at a meeting this week they will decide on any change in MRO's orbit in a few months, assuming Mars 2020 lands safely. (1/29)

Russia's Glavkosmos to Sell Tourism Flights to Space Station (Source: Space News)
Glavkosmos is getting into the space tourism business. The company, the commercial arm of Roscosmos, confirmed this week it will sell up to four seats on Soyuz missions in 2022 and 2023 in the form of two dedicated Soyuz missions to the International Space Station. Roscosmos previously sold seats through Space Adventures, including two dedicated Soyuz missions of its own scheduled for December and in 2023. Glavkosmos and Roscosmos reportedly have a number of potential customers for those Soyuz seats. (1/29)

Ariane 6 Upper Stage Engine Tests Planned (Source: Ariane Group)
The first Ariane 6 upper stage is ready for engine tests. Ariane Group said the first completed upper stage of the rocket recently left a factory in Bremen, Germany, for hot-fire testing at a facility operated by the German space agency DLR. The stage will undergo up to four hot-fire tests to qualify the stage for flight. The first Ariane 6 launch is scheduled for the second quarter of 2022. (1/29)

Michigan Spaceports Effort Advances with Selection of Control Center Site (Source: WLUC)
Two proposed Michigan spaceports will share a command center. The Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association said Thursday it selected Chippewa County International Airport in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to be a command and control center for the state's proposed spaceport system. That center will oversee launches from horizontal and vertical launch sites elsewhere in the state. Those spaceports are still in their earliest planning phases, and no launch companies have signed agreements to use them. (1/29)

Inside the C.I.A., She Became a Spy for Planet Earth (Source: New York Times)
Linda Zall played a starring role in American science that led to decades of major advances. But she never described her breakthroughs on television, or had books written about her. Dr. Zall’s decades of service to science were done in the secretive warrens of the Central Intelligence Agency. Now, at 70, she’s telling her story — at least the parts she’s allowed to talk about — and admirers are praising her highly classified struggle to put the nation’s spy satellites onto a radical new job: environmental sleuthing.

“It was fun,” she said of her C.I.A. career. “It was really a lot of fun.” Dr. Zall’s program, established in 1992, was a kind of wayback machine that looked to as long ago as 1960. In so doing, it provided a new baseline for assessing the pace and scope of planetary change. Ultimately, it led to hundreds of papers, studies and reports — some classified top secret, some public, some by the National Academy of Sciences, the premier scientific advisory group to the federal government. The accumulated riches included up to six decades of prime data on planetary shifts in snowfall and blizzards, sea ice and glaciers.

The top-secret images that Dr. Zall succeeded in repurposing for environmental inquiries came from satellites that were some of Washington’s crown jewels. The spy satellites would zero in on such targets as deadly weapons and render images that in some cases were said to be good enough to show a car’s license plate. The first reconnaissance satellite, known as Corona, was launched in 1960. Federal experts have put the overall cost of its hundreds of successors at more than $50 billion. (1/28)

European Team to Collaborate in Optical Communication (Source: Space Daily)
Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands (Airbus DS NL) have signed a memorandum of understanding for collaborative activities regarding ground equipment for space-to-ground optical communication. The agreement will accelerate the development of commercially viable optical ground stations that will be offered by Airbus DS NL and used by SSC in delivering ground network services.

One of the collaborative activities in developing this capability includes optical communication tests against the CubeLCT optical terminal on the Photo Images Cross Laser (PIXL-1) Mission, organised in close co-operation with project partner TESAT. PIXL-1 was to be launched the 22nd of January but the Space-X rideshare mission launch was scubbed. (1/25)

Lilium Plans to Bring Flying Taxi Network to Florida (Source: DroneDJ)
Air taxi startup Lilium and Ferrovial SE plan to jointly develop 10 "vertiports" in Florida, establishing "an efficient and environmentally friendly alternative transport network connecting locations across" the state. (1/28)

Rocket Lab-Launched OHB Satellite Poses Collision Risk with OneWeb Constellation (Sources: Space Intel Report, Space News, Advanced Television)
OHB says they will slightly modify the orbit of a satellite launched on Jan. 20 aboard a Rocket Lab Electron launch vehicle. Electron released the sole satellite on the mission, GMS-T, 70 minutes after liftoff. “Perfect orbit, payload deployed. Hello 2021!” tweeted Peter Beck, chief executive of Rocket Lab. But now it appears the satellite poses a risk to OneWeb's constellation of satellites.

OneWeb’s official statement says: “OneWeb has become aware in the last 24 hours that an unnotified satellite, now known to be manufactured and launched by OHB, has been placed in an orbit creating a direct collision risk with our satellites on multiple occasions in each 24 hour cycle. OneWeb notes that this is an unproven test satellite, that has not switched-on its propulsion system according to OHB – and has unknown collision avoidance capability.”

The satellite, GMS-T, is a protype Low Earth Orbiting craft that was launched in order to secure orbital slots and frequencies granted to Thales Alenia and intended for use by the (failed) LeoSat constellation. The frequency permissions are due to expire January 29. The controversy is not helped by SES also now claiming certain rights to the orbital positions, saying that on January 1 it had placed a renamed O3b satellite MCSAT-2 into the orbit (at 8062 kms) using rights granted to the French National Frequency Agency (ANFR). (1/29)

AST and New Providence Want to Delay Merger (Sources: Space Intel Report, Motley Fool)
Startup mobile satellite service provider AST & Science LLC and its special purpose acquisition (SPAC) investor, New Providence Acquisition Corp., want to postpone their merger and subsequent stock-market placement by two months, to June 15, to give New Providence time to schedule a shareholder meeting.

The extension will give prospective investors in the publicly traded AST SpaceMobile additional time to study one of the most extravagant sets of promises ever made for a commercial space company. According to the AST website, "the technology is highly proprietary, and exactly how it works cannot be disclosed." And as for when it will arrive, all management will say is that it will happen in "the next few years." (1/29)

DOJ Investigating SpaceX Over Hiring Discrimination Complaint (Source: Daily Beast)
The Department of Justice is investigating Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX in connection with complaints of employment discrimination. The agency’s division of Immigrant and Employee Rights wrote in court documents filed this week that it had received a complaint of hiring discrimination from a non-U.S. citizen in May. According to the DOJ, SpaceX denied requests for the company’s hiring documents and then refused to comply with a subpoena.

A Justice Department attorney wrote, “The charge alleges that on or about March 10, 2020, during the Charging Party’s interview for the position of Technology Strategy Associate, SpaceX made inquiries about his citizenship status and ultimately failed to hire him for the position because he is not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.” SpaceX has not yet responded to the allegations. Editor's Note: With a large part of its business focused on DoD and other US Government customers, in sensitive national security and weaponry realms, it seems US citizenship might be a preferred for a "Technology Strategy" position. (1/28)

What’s Holding Up the Next Test of SpaceX’s Starship? Elon Musk Blames the FAA (Source: Washington Post)
SpaceX’s Starship was on the launchpad Thursday, apparently ready to fly in the latest iteration of the spacecraft SpaceX hopes will take people to Mars. The spacecraft, known as SN9, or serial number 9, was filled with propellant, letting off plumes of steam on the launchpad, as fans waited. But it didn’t fly. Instead, Elon Musk took to Twitter to bash the FAA, which licenses launches and is charged with protecting people and property on the ground.

“Unlike its aircraft division, which is fine, the FAA space division has a fundamentally broken regulatory structure,” he wrote. “Their rules are meant for a handful of expendable launches per year from a few government facilities. Under those rules, humanity will never get to Mars.” On Thursday, the FAA said, “We will continue working with SpaceX to resolve outstanding safety issues before we approve the next test flight.”

An official with knowledge of the FAA’s thinking pushed back against Musk’s allegations and said the agency had been in constant contact with SpaceX over the flight and was very close to issuing the modification to the license required for the flight. The agency is “not purposefully slowing the process down,” said the source. The FAA has “a responsibility to the American people and particularly those who live in the southern Texas area to make sure they are not put at undue risk.” The person said the FAA, rather, was “pedaling very fast” and “doing everything to speed things up to become more efficient and more effective and agile while still maintaining public safety.” (1/28)

Can Astronaut Thinking Heal America At Last? (Source: Ozy)
A new generation of change-makers has seized upon the idea in ways unimaginable in 1987. Annahita Nezami, a London psychologist, did her doctorate on the therapeutic value of the Overview Effect. She started Virtual Reality Overview Effect (VROE), a company that’s releasing a pilot project this month as a “meaning-driven technology” for use with psychotherapy and a tool for individuals and groups. Jeremy Nickel, a Unitarian Universalist minister in Colorado, has started a burgeoning online spiritual community, EvolVR, that uses the Overview Effect in twice-weekly virtual reality meditations. (1/28)

Space Exploration Group Offers Space Advice for Biden Administration (Source: CDSE)
The Coalition for Deep Space Exploration has released the paper "A Space Exploration Roadmap for the New Administration" outlining the current landscape of key space activities & offering recommendations on how the nation can continue to work toward reaching exploration goals. Programs in science and human space exploration need constancy of purpose, bipartisan support, and sufficient funding to continue to generate benefits to the planet and to its citizens. This paper outlines the current landscape of space activities that are critical for the future of both the US and humanity, and offers recommendations on how the government can continue to work toward achieving critical national goals in space. Click here. (1/28)

Space Florida Applauds Governor's Support in Budget Proposal (Source: SPACErePORT)
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has released a proposed budget for legislative consideration during the 2021 Legislative Session. The budget request focuses on economic growth and includes various space-related items: $12.5 million for Space Florida operations; $6 million for Space Florida aerospace financing and infrastructure projects; $6.75 million for Space, Defense and Rural Infrastructure grants; and $11 million to be split among multiple economic development incentive programs, including the Qualified Defense Contractor and Space Flight (QDSC) grant program.

Space Florida released the following statement in support of the budget request: "Space Florida commends Governor DeSantis on his continued commitment to the economic growth and policies that benefit the State. Florida’s aerospace industry, which saw a fast pace of 31 launches in 2020, remains a key part of the State’s strategy for post-pandemic recovery. With the new budget, the Governor has empowered Florida to remain a world leader in space commerce and exploration."

Gov. DeSantis' budget proposal tops $96.6 billion for the fiscal year that begins in July 2021. It represents an increase of $4.3 billion over the current-year budget. The state's House and Senate chambers will consider the DeSantis request, but typically develop their own budget proposals with substantially different priorities. With its history of success in a key economic sector for the state, Space Florida usually receives a consistent level of appropriated funding each year, as reflected in the Governor's request. Space Florida and the state's spaceports also benefit from a separate line of millions of dollars in programmed funding for infrastructure from the Florida Department of Transportation. (1/28)

MIT Profs Back Colleague Facing 'Flawed' Fraud Charges (Sources: Law360, Chemistry World)
Faculty members at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are rallying around a mechanical engineering professor who was indicted Tuesday for allegedly seeking U.S. grant funding while hiding his ties to Chinese research institutions, signing onto a letter urging the school to do all it can to support the professor. In a letter signed by more than 100 faculty members, the group said MIT needs to "stand forthrightly, proudly, and energetically behind" Gang Chen, who directs MIT's nanotech laboratory and solid-state solar thermal energy center.

The letter takes issue, for example, with the government’s assertion that Chen received about $29 million in foreign funding since 2013, including $19 million from the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in China. "Our understanding is that Professor Chen did not receive $29 million. MIT was the recipient of this money, which benefited the institute, the research programs of many of its faculty, and its students," the faculty members wrote. Dr. Chen was taken into custody on 14 January and faces several charges, including wire fraud, that together carry a jail sentence of up to 30 years and $750,000 (£550,000) in fines. (1/28)

Congresswoman Said California Wildfires Intentionally Set With Space Lasers (Source: Intelligencer)
Newly elected Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s views are controversial. Among other things, she has backed the QAnon conspiracy theory and believed deadly school shootings at Parkland, Sandy Hook, and Las Vegas were staged. Just over two years ago, Greene suggested in a Facebook post that wildfires in California were not natural. Forests don’t just catch fire, you know. Rather, the blazes had been started by PG&E, in conjunction with the Rothschilds, using a space laser, in order to clear room for a high-speed rail project.

Editor's Note: She cited a plan by California-based Solaren Corp. to launch a Solar Power Satellite to convert solar power into electricity, which would be converted to radio frequency (RF) power and transmitted to an earth receiving station. Solaren has not yet launched such a satellite. (1/28)

This Is Why You Must Never Try And Colonize A Super-Earth Planet (Source: Forbes)
When we look at our most successful exoplanet-hunting missions — Kepler and TESS — the most abundant class of world that they found is an in-between type: commonly known as super-Earths. Despite the allure of a planet that might be Earth-like, only larger and with more room for life forms on it, super-Earths are nothing like our science fiction imaginings. Here’s why you must never try and colonize one. Click here. (1/28)