April 14, 2022

US Happy With Satellite Companies Sharing Imagery Publicly (Source: Space News)
A top U.S. intelligence official says the government is not restricting the ability of commercial satellite imagery providers to share their data publicly. Stacey Dixon, principal deputy director of national intelligence, said Wednesday that the intelligence community has a "great partnership" with commercial imagery suppliers, adding that those companies' willingness to provide imagery of Russia's invasion of Ukraine to the public is a "great service." That open source information complements classified information, but she warned that the vast amounts of imagery now available also enables sloppy analysis. (4/14)

NASA Pushes Next Crew Launch to NET April 23 (Source: NASA)
The launch of a NASA commercial crew mission has slipped two more days. NASA says it's now targeting no earlier than April 23 for the Crew-4 launch on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. The two-day slip will provide additional time for prelaunch processing, NASA said, and enable backup launch opportunities on both April 24 and 25. NASA will hold a flight readiness review for Crew-4 on Friday. (4/14)

Former Airbus CEO Joins Space Propulsion Startup (Source: Space News)
The former CEO of Airbus Defence and Space will become the chairman of a space propulsion startup. Dirk Hoke will become chairman of the board of Plasmos Inc. in September, a year after his departure from Airbus. Entrepreneur Ali Baghchehsara founded Plasmos last year to develop and additively manufacture spacecraft propulsion systems that combine elements of electric and chemical engines. Plasmos is in the processing of raising funds and 3D-printing its first engine prototype. (4/14)

Accelerators Becoming Vital for Space Startups (Source: Space News)
Startup accelerators are becoming an important ingredient of the evolving space ecosystem. Entrepreneurs say accelerators, which connect founders with advisors and mentors to help raise money and hone their business plans, are particularly helpful for startups looking to break into the military space market. Several startups that went through programs like the Techstars Space Accelerator and Starburst Aerospace's accelerator said they made key connections, including signing up members of their advisory boards, through those programs. (4/14)

JWST Instrument Reaches Target Temperature (Source: BBC)
An instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope has cooled to its cryogenic operating temperature. The Mid-Infrared Instrument, or MIRI, has reached a temperature of 7 kelvins, or –266 degrees Celsius. The instrument requires a special cryocooler to reach that temperature, significantly lower than the other instruments on JWST, in order to function effectively at longer wavelengths. MIRI's optics can now be calibrated as commissioning of the telescope continues. (4/14)

Lunar Dust Sells for Big Bucks at Auction (Source: CollectSpace)
Specks of lunar dust from the Apollo 11 mission sold at auction Wednesday for half a million dollars. The winning bid, from an unidentified person, fell short of projections before the auction by Bonham's of $800,000 to $1.2 million. The dust is contained on electron microscope sampling stubs used to verify the authenticity of a contingency sample bag previously sold at auction after a legal battle. (4/14)

Astronaut Will Celebrate Passover in Space with Help From Brevard Rabbi (Source: Florida Today)
It will be a time different from all others. This Friday evening as the sun settles over Florida, millions will be celebrating Passover on earth while in the heavens, Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe recites blessings over unleavened bread far away from home. Stibbe, the second Israeli astronaut to journey into space, will be using hand-made shemurah — which means guarded in Hebrew — matzah made from wheat gleaned from fields in Ukraine and given to him by Rabbi Zvi Konikov of the Chabad of the Space Coast synagogue based in Satellite Beach. (4/13)

US Hits Boeing With $32M Suit Over Rocket Site Cleanup (Source: Law360)
The federal government slapped Boeing with a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to recover more than $32 million it says the Navy is having to shell out to clean up the groundwater at a California site once used to assemble the rocket that helped launch the Apollo 11 crew to the moon. The civil action relates to a Superfund environmental remediation program at the 5000 acre Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach in California. (4/13)

Star Trek Writer, NASA Scientist, and TV Producer Andre Bormanis Named to Orbital Assembly Corp. Advisory Board (Source: Orbital Assembly)
Orbital Assembly Corp., the only company advancing the development and operation of a commercially viable, space-based business park with gravity, has named Andre Bormanis, scientist, Star Trek TV series writer and television producer to its advisory board. Bormanis has had a lifelong focus on space and science including as a writer, technical consultant, and producer on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise. (4/14)

DIU Envisions Satellite Refueling Depot in Orbit (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Defense Innovation Unit is seeking proposals from the industry for the capability to prototype satellite refueling services close to the area of geosynchronous orbit, including the development of a "bulk fuel depot." "With the tens of thousands of satellites to comprise the growing space economy, the ability to service and maintain a fleet of service platforms efficiently requires convenient and readily available fuel," said DIU's David Ryan. (4/13)

100 Year Starship and UC Irvine Researchers Partner with Orbital Assembly Corp. to Study Gravity and Human Health Aboard Space Habitats (Source: Orbital Assembly)
Orbital Assembly Corp., the only company advancing the development and operation of the first commercially viable, space-based business park with gravity, is partnering with the 100 Year Starship initiative, seed-funded by DARPA, founded and led former astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison. University of California Irvine professor Ronke Olabisi, Ph.D. will also collaborate on the study of Gravity and Human Health Aboard Space Habitats.

"100 Year Starship is a multidisciplinary initiative dedicated to fostering the capabilities for interstellar travel and OAC is uniquely focused on production of habitats with artificial partial gravity which will be necessary to  achieve that," Dr. Jemison says. "This collaboration, beginning with an initial research grant funded by OAC, can contribute to a broader understanding of health, wellness and optimizing operations in space, an area of growing importance."  (4/12)

Space Force Signs Partnership with Howard University (Source: USSF)
The U.S. Space Force welcomed Howard University to its University Partnership Program during a virtual ceremony April 11. Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David D. Thompson and Howard University Provost and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Anthony K. Wutoh signed the memorandum of understanding from their respective locations at the Pentagon and Howard campus in Washington, D.C.
 
Establishing strategic partnerships with a select set of nationally-renowned universities enables the Space Force to recruit and educate a diverse and tech-savvy Guardian workforce, create opportunities for advanced academic degrees, open channels for university students and ROTC cadet scholarships and establish world-class research opportunities. (4/13)

Scotland Leads the Way in UK Space Sector Jobs (Source: BBC)
Scotland has seen a boost in space jobs and now accounts for a fifth of the UK space workforce, according to a report. A survey of firms by the UK Space Agency showed employment in the sector north of the border grew by nearly 9.6% in 2020, to 8,440. The UK sector as a whole saw its jobs total rise by 6.7%, to 46,995. The announcement comes as the UK's first vertical small satellite launches are set to take place from Scottish spaceports. (4/13)

Russia Sanctions Drive South Korea Business to SpaceX (Source: Korea Times)
Korea's upcoming space missions are expected to depend more on Elon Musk's SpaceX over the next few years, instead of Russia's Soyuz rockets, due to international economic sanctions on Moscow for invading Ukraine, according to aerospace experts. The likelihood of Korea's increased reliance on the American company has grown, since the U.K.'s OneWeb joined hands with SpaceX in March, following Russia's refusal to launch the British firm's satellite.

OneWeb had initially planned to use the Soyuz rocket to launch 36 satellites into space on March 4 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. However, Russia's state-run Roscosmos, which operates the Soyuz rockets, abruptly cancelled the launch, citing the U.K. government's refusal to accept its request to sell the entire stake in OneWeb and guarantee that the company's satellites would not be used for military purposes.

At that time, the Russian space agency also removed the flags of Korea, the U.S., the U.K., Japan and France from its rocket that was supposed to carry OneWeb's satellites, while retaining the Indian flag. Among the six countries whose governments or companies own OneWeb shares, India is the only one that has not joined international sanctions against Russia. (4/14)

Florida Financial Firm Leads Effort to Raise Private Capital for Georgia Spaceport (Source: The Current)
Camden County is forging ahead on plans for its spaceport despite last month’s referendum vote. Last week, three executives from Spearhead Capital Advisers gave the County Commission their plans — in very broad terms — to raise funds for a public-private partnership in Camden. Spearhead, based in Wellington, Florida, bills itself as a “boutique financial services firm focused on providing customized solutions for ultra high-net worth individuals, family offices, and asset management firms.” The company oversees about $2 billion in assets.

Private investors would fund the infrastructure. Both the county and private investors would recoup costs and ultimately profit from fees to use the spaceport. Spearhead agreed to sign nondisclosure agreements with companies that had already expressed interest to the county. It would court other investors as well, but no possibilities were named.

Camden has spent over $11 million so far to receive a site operator’s launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration in December. Additional, more stringent licensing is required for each small launch planned for a 400-acre site on the marsh a few miles west of Cumberland Island. The Spearhead executives praised Camden’s setting near recreational beach as well as near major transportation hubs, echoing County Administrator Steve Howard’s talking point that the spaceport could be a catalyst for the development of a “silicon marsh.” (4/12)

India Looks to Conduct Demo, Orbital Flight of Reusable Launch Vehicle (Source: India Today)
India is planning to conduct a demonstration flight and a orbital launching of a reusable launch vehicle in the coming months as it looks to target the commercial space sector. Isro has been working on a Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstration Program to develop a vehicle that can be used multiple times, unlike now when we use a new launch vehicle for every mission.

ISRO chief S Somnath has said the reusable vehicle is critical for strategic users rather than commercial users, allowing India to take a payload into space and bring it back safely. "We will have a landing demonstration soon, followed by an orbital launching demonstration," he said. "We are also looking at how future launch vehicles can be built and how to bring down the cost of the launcher. Currently, the price per kg is typically $20,000. We have to bring it down to $5,000. This will be possible only by bringing reusability into the rocket," Somnath said. (4/12)

SpaceX Nearly Ready to Roll Out Florida Starship Tower, Blue Origin Facility Update (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Multiple Starship launch tower sections are under construction, groundwork at Pad 39A for that tower continues, and SLS sits on Pad 39B waiting for its next WDR attempt. This video provides an aerial tour of SpaceX's major facility projects at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, and Blue Origin's growing launch and rocket production facilities just down the road. Click here. (4/12)

Florida K-5 Students Compete in Space Art Contest (Source: Space Florida)
As Chair of Space Florida’s Board of Directors, I am proud to launch Florida’s Space Art competition for K-5 students. This is an exciting opportunity for students to showcase their creativity and artistic talent while highlighting Florida’s iconic space coast, space travel, and exploration. I look forward to seeing all the submissions that, no doubt, will be out of this world. The Florida Space Art Contest is open to all K-5 students in Florida. Click here. (4/13)

Guarding Against Greenwashing in Space (Source: Space News)
This increased industry attention to space sustainability seems to be a positive trend. Any increased awareness and commitment to sustainable operations should contribute to positive outcomes for all. However, the reality is not that straightforward. The voluntary commitments that industry actors are making to space sustainability — while laudable — are inconsistent across individual operators and groups, and are in many cases not clearly or measurably tied to operational and/or financial performance. In some cases, companies are promoting the same voluntary practices that they are also lobbying against being added to regulatory requirements.

Increased corporate attention to voluntary environmental commitments is not just a trend in the space sector. Terrestrial industry sectors are also emphasizing Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) reporting and performance. The Economist Impact reports that, as of 2020, there are over 600 different standards or frameworks for reporting ESG performance in the business sector. But increased reporting does not inherently translate to meaningful stewardship. Greenwashing – a practice in which sustainability pledges are used as marketing to give the appearance of acting in environmentally responsible ways, rather than representing meaningful operational change or practice – exists.

Marketing ESG data should not be confused with making environmental commitments for our own operating domain. As the space industry seeks to demonstrate its commitment to sustainable use of the space environment, we must be clear in differentiating the discussion of ESG as an opportunity for sales of space data from our discussion of commitments for the space environment. (4/12)

NASA's New Material Built to Withstand Extreme Conditions (Source: Space Daily)
NASA innovators recently developed a new metal alloy using a 3D printing process that dramatically improves the strength and durability of the components and parts used in aviation and space exploration, resulting in better and longer-lasting performance. NASA Alloy GRX-810, an oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloy, can endure temperatures over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, is more malleable, and can survive more than 1,000 times longer than existing state-of-the-art alloys. These new alloys can be used to build aerospace parts for high temperature applications, like those inside aircraft and rocket engines. (4/13)

Race is On for China's First Domestic Satellite Listed Firm (Source: Space Daily)
China's commercial aerospace sector has embraced a wave of IPO plans recently, as private enterprises hasten to "aim for the stars" and become the country's first domestically listed aerospace company. In March, Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co, the country's first commercial remote sensing satellite firm, is planning to file an IPO, according to the website of Haitong Securities.

The move came after rocket startup Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology said in January that it planned to be listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board or the STAR Market on the Shanghai bourse. The company, better known as iSpace, was the country's first private firm to launch a satellite into orbit in 2019. Behind the IPO wave of Chinese aerospace-related startups is the huge transformation of the country's commercial aerospace industry, which quickly turned from scratch to mastering manufacturing and innovative capabilities over the past five years, industry experts said. (4/13)