April 19, 2022

China Readies for Next Missions to Space Station (Source: Space Daily)
The crews of China's Shenzhou-14 and Shenzhou-15 missions have been selected, and are carrying out relevant training and mission preparations. Both crews will stay in orbit for six months, and they will for the first time rotate in orbit to realize the uninterrupted manned residence, said Huang Weifen, chief designer of the China manned space program's astronaut system. The two crews, totaling six astronauts, will live together in orbit for five to 10 days. (4/19)

Cosmonauts Prepare European Robotic Arm on ISS Spacewalk (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
Two Russian cosmonauts performed a spacewalk outside the International Space Station Monday to begin activation of a robotic arm. Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev spent six hours and 37 minutes outside the station during a spacewalk that started at about 11 a.m. Eastern. The spacewalk was the first of two planned this month to begin commissioning the European Robotic Arm on the Nauka module. The two cosmonauts will perform a second spacewalk next Thursday. (4/19)

Axiom Ax-1 Astronauts Get ISS Visit Extension (Source: NASA)
The four private astronauts on the Ax-1 mission on the ISS will get a little extra time in space. NASA said Monday that the return of the Crew Dragon spacecraft would be delayed because of weather in splashdown locations off the Florida coast. The spacecraft is now scheduled to undock and splash down on Wednesday, weather permitting. (4/19)

Boeing to Provide Key Space Capabilities to Australia (Source: Jane's Information Group)
Boeing is developing a new operations center in Australia in collaboration with ExoAnalytic to support the space capabilities of the Australian Defense Force. The partners are building "a local capability to rapidly respond to real-time ADF tasking" while meeting the service's "requirements and priorities."  (4/18)

Astronaut Slated to Become First Black Woman to Stay Long-Term on Space Station (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
A couple of space rookies are joining a couple of veterans on a trip to the International Space Station this week, but one of them will open a new door of diversity as the first Black woman assigned for long-term duty on board. Jessica Watkins, 33, is heading the ISS for her first trip to space as part of the Crew-4 mission set to launch on a new SpaceX Crew Dragon named Freedom.

Watkins arrived at the former shuttle landing facility at KSC on Monday with crewmates Commander Kjell Lindgren and pilot Bob Hines of NASA as well as European Space Agency mission specialist Samantha Cristoforetti. Their launch to the ISS is planned for Saturday. (4/19)

It’s Time for Women to Make History in Space (Source: Fortune)
When I started my career at Boeing in the 1980s, there were very few women in leadership positions not just in Boeing, but across all industrial companies. I was told early in my career that I didn’t fit the leadership mold. I laughed too much, and I smiled too much. Women were supposed to look a certain way. Act a certain way.  Now, there’s a general recognition that being authentic is probably the most valuable form of diversity we have.

Companies, including Boeing, are also more open to considering flexible and remote work arrangements than ever before, which has the potential of enabling many more women and men to balance their demands at home with those in the office. Nearly 25% of professional jobs in North America paying $100,000 or more are expected to be remote by the end of this year, up from more than 15% today, estimates career site Ladders. Less than four percent of these jobs were remote before the pandemic.

In addition, shareholders are pushing companies to embrace diversity. Exchange-traded funds and debt financial products based on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are becoming mainstream, as sustainability-linked funds and bonds attract record inflows. Today, as we stand on the precipice of returning to the moon and exploring deep space, we are also dealing with untold hardships and humanitarian issues on earth. We need to ensure that women can contribute to making progress on both fronts. (4/12)

Rivada Plans 600 Satellite Constellation, but Encounters Spectrum Challenge (Source: Space News)
A new broadband constellation proposal is facing legal challenges. Rivada Networks announced last month a plan to deploy 600 broadband satellites using spectrum belonging to German company Kleo Connect. Rivada acquired EightyLEO, a European investment vehicle with a minority stake in Kleo Connect, and also bought a majority of Trion Space, a Liechtenstein shell company that controls Kleo's spectrum filings. That's prompted legal disputes between Chinese and European shareholders in Kleo Connect, with the Chinese shareholders seeking to block the spectrum transfer. While Rivada is moving ahead with its satellite project, its CEO warned of "a whirlpool of litigation for years" because of the dispute. (4/19)

Delta Air Lines Considers Starlink for In-Flight Broadband (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Delta Air Lines is in discussions with SpaceX about using the Starlink broadband network on its airliners. Delta CEO Ed Bastian said his company has talked with SpaceX about installing Starlink terminals on aircraft, but declined to go into details. While SpaceX has targeted aviation as one potential market for Starlink, the company still must get terminals certified for use on commercial aircraft and installed on them, a process that can take years. (4/19)

Cyber Experts Skeptical of UK's Arqit Quantum Claims (Source: Wall Street Journal)
A British startup that plans to use satellites as part of a quantum encryption network may be overstating its technology. Arqit Quantum went public through a SPAC deal last year with promises to offer encryption technologies that are not vulnerable to quantum computing. Its system will include satellites to distribute encryption keys, and the company announced a partnership with Virgin Orbit. However, cybersecurity experts are skeptical about the utility of Arqit's technology. The company is also facing scrutiny for revenue projections that may be overly optimistic. (4/19)

A Second Chance at the Moon (Source: Space Review)
NASA announced last month it will hold a new competition to select a second lunar lander for the Artemis program alongside SpaceX’s Starship. Jeff Foust reports this gives companies that lost the first time a second shot, but perhaps with different designs and different partners. Click here. (4/18)
 
Investing in These Innovations Will Get Us to Mars and Beyond (Source: Space Review)
The further exploration of the solar system, including human missions to Mars, requires more than just new launch vehicles. Dylan Taylor discusses some other enabling technologies for missions to Mars and beyond. Click here. (4/18)
 
How Solar Storms Can Destroy Satellites with Ease (Source: Space Review)
In February, most of a batch of newly launched Starlink satellites reentered after a solar storm. Piyush Mehta explains how an increasingly active Sun poses a range of threats to the ever-growing population of satellites in orbit. Click here. (4/18)

VP Harris: No More US ASAT Tests (Source: Space News)
Vice President Kamala Harris announced Monday that the United States will not conduct destructive anti-satellite weapons tests, calling on other nations to do the same. Harris, in a speech at Vandenberg Space Force Base, announced a ban on destructive direct-ascent ASAT tests, calling them "dangerous" because of the large amounts of debris they create. The ban is one step toward creating "new norms for responsible behavior in space,"  she said, asking other nations to follow the U.S. lead in this area. Space policy experts hailed the announcement as a necessary step to keep outer space safe and sustainable. However, some Republican members of Congress criticized it as "completely unnecessary" and doing nothing to deter adversaries like China and Russia. (4/19)

NASA Rollback of SLS Challenge June Launch Plans (Source: Space News)
NASA officials said Monday that it's unclear how long the SLS will remain back in the Vehicle Assembly Building after it's rolled back from the pad. The vehicle will return to the VAB next Tuesday to fix a hydrogen leak and replace a helium valve while nitrogen gas supplies at the pad are upgraded. Officials said they are looking at several options that involve varying amounts of work on the SLS while back in the VAB, but said even a "quick turn" option would still take weeks. They acknowledged a launch in a window from June 6 to 16 is now "challenged" but declined to speculate on a new schedule. (4/19)

Lockheed Martin Proposes Multi-Orbit Missile Defense Network (Source: Space News)
Lockheed Martin is proposing a multi-orbit network to enable communications among missile defense satellites. The Defense Department is spending billions of dollars on new missile warning sensors in GEO and polar orbits, but they will not be connected with constellations in low and medium Earth orbits. The company says those systems would be more effective if they had inter-satellite links to allow one system to pass data on to other systems. One way to do that is to add data-relay payloads to GPS satellites produced by Lockheed, or to work with companies developing commercial data-relay satellite systems in MEO. (4/19)

Embraer Brings Over 150 Jobs to Space Coast Facility (Source: Embraer)
Embraer, one of the largest aerospace companies in the world, is now hiring for more than 150 open positions at its Melbourne, Florida facility. The company is hiring for multiple positions including Assembly Technicians, A&P Technicians, Aircraft Painters, Quality Inspectors and Manufacturing Engineers.

Embraer’s Melbourne campus serves as the company’s headquarters for its Executive Jets unit. Opened in 2011, the facility is home to the assembly line for two of the company’s light-jet aircraft: the Phenom 100EV and the Phenom 300E. Employees also work on the final assembly of the Praetor 500 and Praetor 600, the most disruptive and technologically advanced mid-sized jets on the market. In addition, the 67-acre campus includes a 58,000 square ft. Global Customer Center and state-of-the-art Engineering and Technology Center. (4/19)