April 6, 2022

NASA Tries New Ways, Fluid Materials to Build Giant Space Telescopes (Source: NASA)
When it comes to telescopes, bigger is better. Larger telescopes collect more light and allow astronomers to peer farther into space and see distant objects in greater detail. What if there was a way to make a telescope 10 times – or even 100 times – bigger than before? What started as a theoretical question is now a series of experiments to see if fluids can be used to create lenses in microgravity. The next experiment is stowed on the ISS National Laboratory waiting for the arrival of Axiom-1 astronauts to try it out, and is part of Ax-1 Mission Specialist Eytan Stibbe’s research portfolio.

It Starts with Fluids. All liquids have an elastic-like force that holds them together at their surface. On Earth, when droplets of water are small enough (2 mm or smaller), surface tension overcomes gravity and they remain perfectly spherical. In space, blobs of water and other liquids eventually assume a perfect spherical shape. NASA's Fluidic Telescope Experiment, or FLUTE, explores whether it is possible to make high-precision lenses and mirrors in space using liquids.

In December 2021, the team successfully tried out their ideas on two ZeroG parabolic flights. On the ISS, Ax-1 crew member Eytan Stibbe will perform the experiment and former NASA astronaut and Ax-1 commander Michael Lopez-Alegria will serve as his backup. The experiment will take place entirely in microgravity, again using liquid polymers (like the hardened lenses made in the lab at Technion) and will use either UV light or temperature to harden them in-orbit. The lenses will then return to Earth where researchers at Ames will study them. (4/4)

Amazon Launch Contracts Drive Changes to Launch Vehicle Production (Source: Space News)
United Launch Alliance is planning major production improvements for its Vulcan rocket while Arianespace will increase the performance of its Ariane 6 to meet the demands of their new Amazon contracts for Project Kuiper. Amazon’s contracts for up to 83 launches will place the bulk of its 3,236-satellite constellation into orbit, and executives of launch providers said the size of the deal prompted changes in their vehicles and production facilities.

For ULA, that means major investments by itself and its suppliers to support a much higher rate of Vulcan launches, which he later estimated to be 20 to 25 per year. Each Vulcan will carry 45 Kuiper satellites. Arianespace does not expect to need to make improvements in Ariane 6 production or launch operations. However, the company will upgrade the solid-fuel strap-on boosters for the Ariane 64, the version of the Ariane 6 that will launch Kuiper satellites. Each Ariane 6 will carry 35 to 40 Kuiper satellites.
 
Blue Origin did not discuss any changes to the company’s New Glenn needed to accommodate Amazon. Each New Glenn will carry 61 Kuiper satellites. Dave Limp, senior vice president for Amazon Devices and Services, said Amazon chose three launch providers to ensure diversity, and these three in particular because of the larger but unspecified size of Kuiper satellites compared to other broadband constellations. “We do need new, larger launch vehicles that make it economic,” he said. “Many of them are coming online right now.” (4/5)

Civilian Satellites Could Face Legal Test In Russia-Ukraine War (Source: Law360)
Beyond the destroyed cities, thousands killed and millions displaced, Russia's war in Ukraine is bringing to a head legal issues entering a new realm — the use of civilian satellites in a military conflict. "New battlefields are cyber and space," said Chris Johnson, space law adviser for Secure World Foundation. "We haven't had a conflict on Earth break out where the battleground extends to the space domain, where things are targeted in space and destroyed in space. That may be changing."

After invading Ukraine on Feb. 24, Russia cut off civilians' access to the internet. Closing off or restricting online access is a tactic of authoritarian regimes. While Western states over the past 30 years have generally opened internet access to the public, less-open states, such as China and Russia, have tightened their grip over what people can see and share. The Arab Spring in 2010 and 2011 highlighted how connectivity could help mobilize a population to overthrow an authoritarian regime.

Recognizing the importance that broadband communications play in preserving citizens' ability to engage with their government and society, the United Nations in 2016 passed a nonbinding resolution that labeled internet access a basic human right. And increasingly, individuals and corporations have stepped in to supply broadband when officials have tried to restrict access. When Russia shut off internet access in Ukraine, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced the company would send backup satellite dishes to help people stay online. (4/5)

ULA Chief Comments on Amazon Launch Deal (Sources: Space News, ULA)
ULA CEO Tory Bruno called the Amazon launch contracts "a big deal" for the launch industry. He suggested that the investments propelled by the Amazon deal would benefit the U.S. government, a major customer of ULA and engine supplier Blue Origin, because the infrastructure developed for Amazon would be used for government launches. The deal has geopolitical implications as well, coming after Russia stranded Soyuz customers like OneWeb: "Russia is not coming back into the commercial launch marketplace."

In a Tweet, Bruno offered the following list of investments to increase ULA capacity as a result of the Amazon deal: "Full up 6 solids. ULA will add a 3rd MLP, a 2nd VIF, a barge, a 2nd robotic Centaur V manufacturing line, factory expansions in our major partners. Hiring several hundred new teammates. and more." (4/6)

Amazon Making Progress on Kuiper Terminals (Source: Space News)
While Amazon spends billions on Kuiper launches, it is also making progress on terminals needed for the broadband constellation. An Amazon executive said the cost to produce antennas for Kuiper is already "well under $500," a figure that supports a business model for the system to scale globally. The comments come after SpaceX raised prices for its Starlink terminals from $499 to up to $599, prices that still require SpaceX to sell the hardware at a loss. (4/6)

Aerospace Execs Pledge to Advance Workforce Diversity (Source: Space News)
Top executives from the space industry signed a pledge Tuesday to advance diversity across the workforce. At the 37th Space Symposium, 23 executives committed to "diversity, equity and inclusion," a term used to describe policies and programs that promote the representation and participation of different races and ethnicities, genders, religions and cultures. The "Space Workforce 2030" pledge commits these companies to annual reporting of data on diversity in their collective technical workforce, and to work with universities to increase the number of diverse and underrepresented students in technical fields needed in the space industry. (4/6)

Rising Demand for Satcomm Services (Source: Space News)
Demand for satellite communications has outstripped supply in markets recovering from the pandemic, one provider believes. Speedcast CEO Joe Spytek said the company is "about nine full satellites short" for meeting demand it sees next year across cruise, energy and other markets that were hit hard by COVID-19. With a lack of available capacity in the market, he expects prices will "start to creep up a little bit," but then come back down once OneWeb and other LEO operators that, unlike SpaceX, sell capacity wholesale, come fully online. (4/6)

New SEC Regulations Could Reduce SPACs (Source: Space News)
New Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations could further reduce interest in mergers with SPACs. Proposed SEC rules published March 30 would align SPAC disclosure and liability rules more closely with those of traditional IPOs. Companies would need to disclose, for example, who would profit from the SPAC deals and at what share price. SPAC underwriters also would be liable for material misstatements of fact, just like the underwriters of traditional IPOs. At a panel during Space Symposium this week, lawyers said the rules could make SPACs less attractive to space and other companies that had considered using them to go public. (4/6)

Orbital Reef Passes Design Review (Source: Space News)
Orbital Reef, a proposed commercial space station, has passed an initial design review. Blue Origin and Sierra Space said Tuesday they completed a system requirements review with NASA that is part of a $130 million Commercial LEO Destinations program award they companies won in December. The review examined the design of Orbital Reef as well as its technical specifications, planned operations and feasibility of development plans. Sierra Space said the review led to no changes in the station's design. (4/6)

Japan's ArkEdge Raises $18.7 Million for Space Tech (Source: Space News)
Japanese startup ArkEdge Space has raised $18.7 million this year to continue developing nanosatellite technologies. The Tokyo-based company, which raised $13.5 million in January, said March 29 that it raised an additional $5.2 million to close a Series A round. ArkEdge Space was awarded a contract in February by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to study navigation and communication technology development for lunar surface activities. Another project the company is pushing forward is launching a constellation of seven multi-functional 6U cubesats by 2025 that will carry communications, Earth observation and other payloads. (4/6)

Benchmark Space Systems Increasing Propulsion System Production (Source: Space News)
Satellite propulsion startup Benchmark Space Systems will triple production capacity to meet growing demand. Benchmark plans to produce more than 150 propulsion systems over the next 18 months for government and commercial satellites destined for low Earth, geostationary and cislunar orbit. Last year, Benchmark demonstrated the performance of its Halcyon thruster on an undisclosed government satellite mission. Since proving Halycon in orbit, much of Benchmark's attention has focused on development of a variant, the Halcyon Avant green bipropellant propulsion system. (4/6)

Quantum Brilliance Exploring Space-Based Quantum Computing Applications (Source: Space News)
Quantum Brilliance, an Australian and German quantum computing startup, is eager to identify space-based applications for its technology. The company is at Space Symposium, this week to talk with potential customers about its technology. Quantum Brilliance is working to develop quantum computers that can outperform conventional microprocessors, like GPUs, for the same size, weight and power, and don't require the cooling that other quantum computers need. (4/6)

Vande Hei: Cosmonaut Flight Suits Were Not a Political Statement (Source: Washington Post)
The yellow-and-blue flight suits worn by Russian cosmonauts who arrived on the ISS last month had nothing to do with Ukraine. NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei said in a briefing Tuesday that the cosmonauts wore the suits to honor the Russian university they all attended, whose school colors are yellow and blue. Vande Hei said the cosmonauts were "kind of blindsided" by reactions to the suits, which some had speculated were a symbol of protest of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He said he did talk with his Russian crewmates about the invasion, but that they were not lengthy discussions and that he was focused on working together on the station. (4/6)

Why Landing a Spaceship on the Moon is Still So Challenging (Source: Mashable)
When spacecraft land on Earth, they use the atmosphere to slow down, as we saw when Space Shuttles and Apollo capsules returned. But the moon's atmosphere is extremely thin, comparable to the far outskirts of Earth's atmosphere, where the International Space Station orbits. This means that slowing down is dependent on firing out bounties of propellent.

"There's no atmosphere, so we cannot float down," Palotai explained. "There's nothing slowing you down except your engine." Crucially, this gives astronauts smaller margins for error. Propellant is limited. NASA does provide enough fuel to tackle unexpected things — like a crucial flight correction — said Percy. But the mission, generally, can't afford any major mishaps. "It's literally a one-shot thing," Palotai said. (4/2)

NASA SLS Tests to Resume After AX-1 SpaceX Launch at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space News)
NASA says it will wait until after a commercial crew mission to the space station before doing another practice countdown for the SLS. The second wet dress rehearsal for the SLS was scrubbed Monday after several technical problems that NASA officials said Tuesday were not serious. The agency said it will wait until after the Falcon 9 launch of the Ax-1 Crew Dragon mission, scheduled for Friday, before trying again to load propellants into the SLS and go through a countdown that stops just before engine ignition. (4/6)

Space Command's Commercial Integration Strategy to Boost Capabilities (Source: Space News)
U.S. Space Command has developed a strategy to give it more access to cutting-edge technology from the private sector. The "commercial integration strategy" submitted to Pentagon leadership calls for more government-industry partnerships to give Space Command easier access to commercial space services. Space Command is interested in commercial capabilities in space domain awareness, command and control, artificial intelligence and big data management, modeling and simulation, space control systems and satellite communications and terminals. Such collaboration is "absolutely where we have to go," said Gen. James Dickinson, head of Space Command. (4/6)

DOD Funding Request Validates Importance of Space Force (Source: Space News)
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said a proposed 40% increase in the Space Force's budget for 2023 was a recognition of the importance of the service. Kendall said the extra funding is needed to "transform our capabilities in space to meet our pacing challenge: China, China, China." That includes development of constellations for missile tracking and communications.

Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond, also speaking at Space Symposium Tuesday, said the service cannot continue to acquire satellites and deploy constellations the same way it has in the past given the complexities to the current space environment. The proposed budget increase, he said, would allow the service to "pivot" to new satellites and new ways of deploying constellations so they are less vulnerable. (4/6)

Astranis Buys Falcon-9 Launch for Four Satellites (Source: Astranis)
Astranis has ordered a SpaceX Falcon 9 to launch several of its small GEO satellites. Astranis said Tuesday it purchased the launch for a 2023 mission that will carry four MicroGEO satellites for its customers. A dedicated launch is "a huge de-risker" for the company, said CEO John Gedmark, reducing the uncertainties associated with rideshare. Its first satellite is launching as a rideshare on a Falcon Heavy launch later this year. (4/6)

Rocket Lab to Attempt Midair Booster Recovery on Next Launch (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab confirmed its next Electron launch will feature an attempt to recover the first stage in midair. The company said Tuesday it will try to catch the descending booster using a helicopter after previously retrieving boosters after they splashed down. The midair recovery, if successful, would allow Rocket Lab to reuse the booster later this year. The launch is scheduled for later this month, carrying 34 payloads on a dedicated rideshare mission. (4/6)

'Dead' Telescope Discovers Jupiter's Twin From Beyond the Grave (Source: Live Science)
NASA's Kepler space telescope has spotted a Jupiter look-alike in a new discovery, even though the instrument stopped operations four years ago. An international team of astrophysicists using NASA's Kepler space telescope, which ceased operations in 2018, have discovered an exoplanet similar to Jupiter located 17,000 light-years from Earth, making it the farthest exoplanet ever found by Kepler. The exoplanet, officially designated K2-2016-BLG-0005Lb, was spotted in data captured by Kepler in 2016. Throughout its lifetime, Kepler observed over 2,700 now-confirmed planets. (4/5)

Arctic Simulation of Moon-Like Habitat Shows Wellbeing Sessions can Improve Mental Health in Extreme Isolation (Source: University of Surrey)
Researchers have partnered with SAGA Space Architects to investigate the psychological impact of social isolation in harsh environments, such as on the Moon. This research formed part of the LUNARK project which explored how humans could survive on the Moon and have successful habitats there in the future. For the LUNARK project, architects designed an airtight, portable, foldable pod that enables its occupants to live self-sufficiently.

To investigate the impact of social isolation on the men, the researchers measured their perceptions of time, their positive and negative emotions, levels of satisfaction of basic psychological needs (e.g. self-esteem and control), behavioral intentions (for example, whether they developed aggressive tendencies) and coping strategies. The participants kept daily diaries and completed a 20-minute questionnaire daily.

The two participants were limited in how much they could communicate with the outside world. They had no access to the internet but could use a satellite phone to send daily messages (up to 160 characters) to the headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. The results showed that their desire for social contact increased over time, whereas negative feelings of alienation, depression, helplessness, and unworthiness did not. Talking about personal matters and engaging in leisure time was associated with a decrease in these negative feelings, but also increased the desire for social contact. (4/5)

Embry-Riddle Undergrad’s Research on ‘Space Mice’ Tops National Conference (Source: Flagler Live)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University senior Olivia Siu won first place in the undergraduate Brain and Behavior category of the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS) annual poster session for her research on how simulated cosmic radiation affects the behavior and cognition of male and female mice. The world’s largest general scientific organization, the AAAS hosted about 180 total student participants in this year’s virtual competition. (4/4)

Texas County Forms Spaceport Corporation for Midland Space Effort (Source: NewsWest 9)
The Midland County Commissioners took a big step recently in trying to reestablish a spaceport corporation. This would help bring in new funding for the Midland Spaceport. The county wants to be prepared when more spaceport funding becomes available in a year. There has already been $1 million invested in an engine testing area near runway 16.

"If we have grants that can come in and provide more economic development, I think it would be beneficial to the city," said Robin Donnelly of the Midland County Commissioners Court. "In order for us to carry forward and improve our situation at the airport and the spaceport, we created this so that we could get the funding. It's required by the Governor's Office that you have this because it is created under Texas Law in a certain section of the code."

"It is one of the fastest and we are right in the middle of it," Donnelly said. "We have Blue Origin, we've got SpaceX, we've got several others, and we're the only spaceport with a part 35 airport connected to it. So, we have a lot of people looking at us, and they come in here to go to Van Horn and to look at other things so I think it's going to be beneficial." (3/15)

Dark Clouds: The Secret Meteorological Satellite Program (Source: Space Review)
In the second part of his study of early military weather satellite efforts, Dwayne Day examines how the US Army supported work by RCA on weather satellite programs that led to proposals for satellites to assist reconnaissance spacecraft. Click here. (4/5)
 
Space Travelers by Any Other Name (Source: Space Review)
One group of private individuals flew suborbitally on New Shepard last week while another group is set to fly to the International Space Station later this week. Jeff Foust reports on the perceptions of such individuals and what the industry is doing to make the experience seem less exclusive. Click here. (4/5)
 
Keep Space Dialogue Going, Astronautics Federation Says (Source: Space Review)
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed many space ties to the breaking point. Philippe Cosyn describes how one organization wants to keep peaceful cooperation in space going despite what’s happening on Earth. Click here. (4/5)
 
Effective Altruism, Corporate Responsibility, and Space Sustainability (Source: Space Review)
Companies in the aerospace and defense industry say they are taking steps to address environmental and sustainability issues. Layla Martin finds flaws in their arguments and a need for them to be more responsible, particularly when it comes to space sustainability. Click here. (4/5)