April 2, 2022

Florida Couple Finally Makes it to Space on Blue Origin Flight (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The spacebound dreams of Central Florida power couple Marc and Sharon Hagle were finally realized Thursday morning. The two joined four others for the fourth passenger flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard space tourism rocket from the company’s West Texas facility. Marc Hagle is president and CEO of Maitland-based commercial property company Tricor International Corp., and Sharon Hagle is founder of local nonprofit SpaceKids Global.

The two were the last to step out of the capsule upon landing with Sharon giving a fist pump, and then kissing Marc, who called her “Honey Bunny.” They gathered with family members for a group hug immediately after with Sharon saying, “I want you to do it next.” The duo took time out while weightless in space to embrace as well before staring out at the curvature of the Earth. After returning, Marc Hagle marveled at the experience saying it gave him “a lifetime change of expression.”

“You know, when the engines ignited, my energy level just exploded,” he said. “Then when you get to outer space, and you start seeing the blue marble as everybody describes it in the black of space, there’s no way of describing it.” “It was great having a partner with you,” his wife added. “Yes indeedy,” he replied. (4/1)

AstroAccess Announces Second Zero-G Parabolic Flight for 2022 (Source: Space Daily)
AstroAccess, an organization dedicated to promoting disability inclusion in space exploration alongside Space Frontier Foundation, an organization dedicated to the diversification and democratization of space, announced today that they will be flying a second cohort of disabled Ambassadors on a Zero Gravity Corporation flight later this year.

During the parabolic flight, the Ambassadors experience weightlessness and investigate microgravity accessibility solutions to make space travel accessible to everybody. This follows the historic inaugural flight of twelve Disability Ambassadors in October 2021. The flight costs have been sponsored through a generous philanthropic donation from Dylan Taylor, a pioneer and visionary in the space exploration industry. Mr. Taylor supported AstroAccess as part of his Buy One, Give One pledge when he flew aboard the commercial Blue Origin New Shepard Mission NS-19 flight last December. (4/1)

NASA Hopes to Continue Seat Barter with Roscosmos (Source: Space News)
NASA still hopes to complete a seat barter agreement with Roscosmos in time to swap crews for launches this fall, but admits it can't wait much longer. Agency officials said Thursday they are waiting on Roscosmos and the Russian foreign ministry to approve an agreement that would allow cosmonauts to fly on commercial crew vehicles in exchange for NASA astronauts going on Soyuz vehicles.

They said they're still planning to complete the agreement in time to allow a cosmonaut to go on the Crew-5 Crew Dragon mission and an astronaut on Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft in September, but that time is running short to get the agreement in place. Those officials, though, did not give a hard deadline for completing a deal. They added that discussions among all the partners, including Roscosmos, continue about extending the International Space Station to 2030. (4/1)

Slingshot Aerospace to Develop Orbital 'Digital Twin' for Space Environment (Source: Space News)
Slingshot Aerospace won a $25.2 million Space Force contract to develop a "digital twin" of the orbital environment. The contract funds the development of a digital space twin: a high-fidelity, physics-driven simulation of the state of space at a given moment. The virtual environment would allow the Space Force to design spacecraft and plan satellite deployments. The 39-month contract includes $16.8 million from the Space Force's Space Systems Command and $8.4 million from SpaceWERX, a new organization created to tap the commercial market for innovative technologies. (4/1)

SCOUT, USSPACECOM Sign Agreement to Share Space Situational Awareness Services (Source: Space Daily)
SCOUT Inc. a space tech company developing next-generation space traffic management and autonomous proximity operations services, and the Department of Defense of the United State of America (DoD), through the United States Space Command (USSPACECOM), have signed an agreement for space situational awareness (SSA) services and data. The agreement, which was finalized in November of 2021, is in recognition of mutual interest by both parties in the use of space for peaceful purposes and the importance of maintaining safe space flight operations. (3/31)

SES Partners with NorthStar to Tackle Space Sustainability Challenges (Source: Space Daily)
A partnership to enhance Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and ensure a sustainable use of space has been formed between SES, the world's leading satellite-based content connectivity solutions provider, and NorthStar Earth and Space (NorthStar), the first commercial service to monitor space from space, both companies announced today.

Together with NorthStar, the teams will be working to launch, develop and evolve NorthStar's SSA products tailored to benefit SES's satellite operations and fleet management. NorthStar will deliver unique SSA services to help satellite operators with safer management of their fleets, minimization of collision risks, and development of space sustainability solutions. (4/1)

ATLANT 3D Nanosystems Developing a Space-Certified Nanofabricator 0G (Source: Space Daily)
ATLANT 3D Nanosystems announces today the collaboration with ESA BIC to further advance the development of ATLANT 3D Nanofabricator 0G systems, the first-ever zero gravity R and D system that allows selective area direct write atomic layer precision.

ATLANT 3D will develop a space-certified Nanofabricator 0G with the goal of going to the International Space Station (ISS) in future missions. The machine will have the full capabilities of the Nanofabricator Lite system, allowing further testing and development of on-demand electronic materials and micro and nanodevice prototyping. This will further enable researchers and innovators with rapid materials and device development in Space. (4/1)

Embry-Riddle-Developed Instruments Headed for Space (Source: Space Daily)
As Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Engineering Physics senior Josh Milford works toward a career in space science, he is already gaining specialized hands-on experience building, calibrating and configuring instruments that will fly aboard satellites due to launch early next month. The project is a culmination of multi-year work that progressed throughout the pandemic.

"While working on this project, I have earned valuable experience working in a laboratory setting and learning how to work with spacecraft instrumentation, both in hardware and software," said Milford, who plans to earn a master's degree in Engineering Physics at Embry-Riddle and then proceed to a Ph.D. program in physics. "Opportunities like this are what really set Embry-Riddle and our Engineering Physics program apart," said Dr. John Hughes. (4/1)

UCF Helping Space Force Study Viability of Using Commercial Rockets to Transport Cargo (Source: Space Daily)
When a natural or humanitarian disaster occurs halfway around the world, the U.S. Space Force (USSF) aims to send a rocket filled with food, water and other essential supplies to the site in one hour. With the help of UCF researchers, they may be able to achieve this goal within the next decade. UCF is one of seven universities to receive funding through the USSF's University Consortium Research Opportunity.

Engineering researchers Michael Kinzel, Tarek Elgohary and Luis Rabelo were awarded the $350,000 grant, which makes them the first UCF researchers to receive funding from the USSF. This project falls under the U.S. Air Force's Rocket Cargo program. USSF is part of the Air Force. The goal is to determine the viability of using commercial rockets to transport cargo quickly and efficiently across the globe.

Ideally, the rockets would be deployed for disaster relief, shipping 100 tons of food, first-aid supplies and blood donations to any location in just one hour. To work out the logistics, UCF researchers will use their expertise to tackle different parts of the process. Kinzel, an expert in computational fluid dynamics, will use numerical analysis and aerodynamics modeling to ensure the cargo gets there safely and on time. (4/1)

SpaceX Hopes Philippines Becomes Asian Foothold for Starlink (Source: Space News)
SpaceX hopes the Philippines will give its Starlink service a first foothold in Southeast Asia. The company is working to secure approvals and set up gateways there, and is also in the process of setting up a wholly owned Philippine subsidiary. The Philippines would be the first Southeastern Asian company served by Starlink, which currently offers broadband services in about 30 nations. (4/1)

Chinese Cargo Craft Re-Enters After Space Station Mission (Source: Space News)
A Chinese cargo spacecraft reentered Thursday ahead of a series of missions heading to and from China's space station. Tianzhou-2 reentered over the South Pacific at 6:40 a.m. Eastern Thursday, several days after undocking from the station. The Shenzhou-13 spacecraft at the station is expected to depart in mid-April, returning three people who have been on the station since October. A new cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou-4, will then launch to the station, followed by the crewed Shenzhou-14 mission in the latter half of May. (4/1)

Northrop Grumman Completes Launch Abort Motor Test for Orion (Source: Northrop Grumman)
Northrop Grumman completed the final test of the launch abort motor for NASA's Orion spacecraft Thursday. The static fire test at a Northrop facility in Utah concluded qualification testing of the motor that is part of the Launch Abort System that would pull the Orion away from the SLS in the event of an accident. The test verified a new insulation formulation for the motor. (4/1)

Paso Robles CA Moves Forward with Spaceport License Application (Source: Paso Robles Press)
A California city is moving ahead with work to get a spaceport license for its airport. The Paso Robles City Council this week approved plans to begin pre-application consultations with the FAA for a spaceport license for the city's airport, with a goal of getting the license by 2024. City officials say one company, Wagner Star Industries, is interesting in flying a proposed spaceplane out of the airport, but the status of that company's technology and funding is uncertain. (4/1)

SpaceX Kicks Off Packed Month of Activities with Polar Launch from Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Florida Today)
SpaceX kicked off a packed month of space-related activities with the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket on Friday, its nose cone crammed with 40 small payloads destined for a nearly polar orbit. Falcon 9's successful liftoff on the first day of the month means SpaceX is, at least right now, on schedule to meet its goal of launching at least four missions in April. The "Just Read the Instructions" drone ship was used for the first-stage booster landing.

About 25 minutes after liftoff and the rocket's arc toward the south, SpaceX confirmed some of the "rideshare" payloads had started being deployed. Rideshare missions allow several customers to launch small satellites on one Falcon 9 rocket and divide the costs. Friday's launch was SpaceX's fourth rideshare to date, thus labeled Transporter-4. (4/1)

NASA to Delay Mars Sample Return, Switch to Dual-Lander Approach (Source: Space News)
NASA is revising and delaying the next phase of its Mars Sample Return campaign. An agency official said that the Sample Retrieval Lander would be split into two spacecraft:  One lander carrying a European rover to pick up samples cached by the Perseverance mission, and another carrying the rocket that will launch those samples into orbit. Splitting the lander into two smaller ones allows NASA to use landing technologies demonstrated on previous missions, reducing risk. NASA will launch those landers in 2028, two years later than previously planned, returning samples in 2033. (4/1)

On the Road to Cultured Meat for Astronauts and Earthlings (Source: Space Daily)
Cultured meat could be a game changer for the environment, food security, human health and animal welfare. But some challenges prevent it from reaching its full potential. Now ESA is supporting researchers to explore the possibility of growing cultured meat to feed astronauts. Overcoming the challenges of growing meat in space could also help us find solutions to produce it sustainably and effectively on Earth.

The idea of feeding astronauts on long-duration missions with cultured meat was initially proposed by ESA engineer Paolo Corradi. Paolo explains: "For long-term human exploration missions far from Earth, we would need to transport a large amount of long-shelf-life food. This comes with the risk of food becoming degraded over time or even lost, which would significantly limit the degree of self-sustainability and resilience of the mission." (4/1)

ESA-Developed Solid Rocket Motor Enters Production (Source: Space Daily)
ESA's Ariane 6 and Vega-C will soon join the family of launch vehicles operating from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana to guarantee more opportunities for Europe to reach space. The P120C motor, which will power both Ariane 6 and Vega-C, will soon come into operations with the Vega-C inaugural flight.

The 'C' stands for 'common' as P120C will be used as the first stage of Vega-C and two or four will be used as strap-on boosters for Ariane 6. To successfully develop a motor for use on two very different launch vehicles is a pivotal achievement of European industry. This strategy reduced development costs, benefits from economies of scale, and creates an opportunity for Europe to scale up production. (4/1)

Could a Refined Space Weather Model Help Scientists Find Life Elsewhere (Source: Space Daily)
A refinement to a space weather model developed by a center director at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) could help scientists check out which planets outside our solar system are likely to have someone home. Exoplanets are what planets are called when they orbit stars outside our own solar system, and the effort to winnow out those that could harbor life has been intensifying.

Now at the Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR) at UAH, a part of the University of Alabama System, research by Dr. Junxiang Hu along with collaborators has developed a model for tracking stellar energetic particles that can influence the creation of life on exoplanets. These stellar energetic particles are too far away to be directly measured, so they need to be modeled from remote sensing inputs. (3/31)

SpaceCom Partner Reinstates Legacy Name “Space Congress” (Source: CCTS)
The Canaveral Council of Technical Societies and NASA Kennedy Space Center, producers of the Spaceport Summit, announce today they will reinstate their legacy name – Space Congress. After partnering with SpaceCom in 2022– the Global Commercial Space Conference & Exposition, it was apparent that Space Congress’ decades-long legacy of industry leadership was stronger than ever.

The partnership solidified Space Congress's position as the event that has represented the entire Space Program and Space Coast since 1962. The partnership between Space Congress and SpaceCom provides a necessary forum for government and commercial companies to work together to further the science of space exploration, facilitate business and investment opportunities, cultivate on-planet solutions, and push the limits of what can be accomplished in space. (4/1)