June 22, 2022

Virgin Galactic Stock Is Worth Just $4, Analyst Says (Source: Barron's)
Despite how Virgin Galactic’s stock price has been cut in half this year, Wells Fargo believes there is much more downside ahead. On Tuesday, analyst Matthew Akers initiated coverage on Virgin Galactic (ticker: SPCE) with an Underweight rating and a $4 price target. The stock fell 1% to $6.18 after the report. (6/21)

Biden Budget Prioritizes Space Sector (Source: The Hill)
Policy continuity across administrations is rare. But in a relatively small corner of the federal government, efforts are underway within the Department of Commerce to build upon a foundational 2018 National Space Council initiative. In March, the Biden administration proposed a budget of $87.7 million for the Department of Commerce’s (DOC) Office of Space Commerce — $77.7 million above the fiscal year 2021 enacted level. This sizable increase is specifically slated to accelerate development and eventual deployment of a Space Situational Awareness (SSA) capability.

Back in 2018, Space Policy Directive 3 (SPD-3) formalized the transition of SSA functions from the Department of Defense (DOD) Space Command’s 18th Space Control Squadron to the DOC. Implementation was slow, until now. At the core of this budget increase is funding for a program known as the Open Architecture Data Depository (OADR) which will develop and deploy a space tracking system so companies and governments can share a single operational picture, in order to avoid collisions. After 65 years of spaceflight, low-Earth orbit (LEO) is littered with a half a million fragments of old rockets and satellites circling our planet that are larger than 1 centimeter in size, which can cause critical, if not catastrophic, damage upon impact.

Many details remain on how the OADR program will evolve and integrate commercial best practices, but it is clear the Biden administration is committed to the growth of the space economy. While the program is modest by any federal agency scale, the payoff will be enormous. Without the ability to accurately track all orbital objects below 600 kilometers that could threaten human spacecraft, virtually none of the expectations of the growth of the space economy will come to pass. (6/21)

What Does Europe Need to do to Get Ahead in the Global Space Race? (Source: EuroNews)
Luca del Monte, Head of Commercialisation at the European Space Agency (ESA), spoke to Euronews Next about what the agency is doing to stimulate the sector in Europe. Their vision, he says, is to make Europe the most attractive place in the world to establish and launch new space companies. “In the past 20 years or so, the space race has become something more than simply a geopolitical race,” del Monte explained. ESA is making efforts to ensure that Europe has the right ecosystem to stimulate the industry’s European start-up sector, focusing on three main areas.

Firstly, Europe needs to nurture its homegrown science and engineering talent to ensure it remains on the continent. “Europe is rich in brilliant engineers and scientists, but we have to ensure that new generations of entrepreneurs stay in Europe,” del Monte explained. Secondly, Europe needs to ensure that space start-ups have adequate access to capital to launch their ventures into orbit so that Europe can claim a larger slice of the global space economy. Finally, making Europe’s space industry competitive requires speeding up and simplifying the process. ESA is working on improving the speed of their procurement process and introducing new approaches more adapted to the new types of space development. (6/21)

What's Next for Korea's Space Program (Source: Korea Times)
Korea's plan to send a landing module to the Moon by 2031 using a locally developed space rocket has gained momentum thanks to the successful launch of Nuri, according to aerospace experts, Wednesday.The rocket placed a 1.3-ton dummy satellite and a 162.5-kilogram performance verification satellite into a low orbit of 700 kilometers above the Earth, Tuesday, making Korea become the world's seventh country to put a satellite into geosynchronous orbit with its own launch vehicle.

The Ministry of Science and ICT confirmed that the performance verification satellite successfully made two-way communication with the ground station at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) in Daejeon, at 3:01 a.m. on Wednesday. Starting from next Wednesday, four small cube satellites will be released in a row from the performance verification satellite to conduct various science projects, such as the observation of fine dust and geographical features. The science ministry and KARI are also preparing for follow-up space missions, including the exploration of the Moon. (6/22)

Another Test or Launch? NASA Weighs Next Steps for Artemis (Source: WKMG)
Cutting off the final countdown about 20 seconds short of what was planned, NASA still called Monday’s wet dress rehearsal of the Space Launch System rocket a success, based on reaching other objectives. For the first time in all its tests at Launch Pad 39B since the spring, NASA said it fully fueled its most powerful rocket ever, the 322-foot SLS.

“A long day for the team, but I think it was a very successful day,” said launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson. “[We] accomplished a majority of the objectives we had not completed in the prior wet dress.” Blackwell-Thompson said another hydrogen leak was discovered Monday, like in an earlier test, and that issue will need a closer look. Still, the mission managers said SLS is closer to launch than ever before. However, in Tuesday’s teleconference NASA could not answer if that first launch will be delayed even further. NASA said making a final decision on whether another test will be needed should take a couple of days. (6/21)

LZH and TU Berlin Bring 3D Printing to the Moon with Laser and AI (Source: Space Daily)
3D printing on the Moon: Scientists from the Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) and the Technische Universitat Berlin (TU Berlin) are planning a flight to the Moon to melt lunar dust with laser beams. In the MOONRISE project, the research team wants to explore the question of how we can use lasers to build landing sites, roads or buildings out of lunar dust in the future.

To do this, the researchers want to bring a laser system to the lunar surface and melt the lunar dust, a material that is available everywhere on the Moon. Artificial intelligence will support the laser process. The goal is to demonstrate that laser melting works on the Moon - and, in perspective, can be used to produce 3D-printed infrastructure for a lunar base. (6/22)

SpaceX Ramps Up FCC Battle Over Broadband Usage the Company Says Poses an Existential Threat to Starlink (Source: CNBC)
Elon Musk’s SpaceX on Tuesday ramped up a battle over broadband regulations with Dish Network and an affiliate of billionaire Michael Dell, calling for the FCC to address lingering disputes over broadband use that could interfere with its Starlink satellite internet network. At the heart of the dispute is use of the 12-gigahertz band, a range of frequency used for broadband communications, and the frequency’s ability to support both ground-based and space-based services.

In January 2021, the FCC issued a notice asking for comment on how to best use the 12-gigahertz band. Dish and RS Access, funded by Dell’s investment firm, published studies arguing that ground-based 5G networks could share the frequency with low Earth orbit satellite networks, such as Starlink or OneWeb. SpaceX filed its analysis of the Dish and RS Access studies on Tuesday, claiming it needed to correct what it called “some of the most egregious assumptions” in the reports, arguing Starlink users would see interference to the point of causing service outages for customers “74% of the time.”

SpaceX isn’t alone in opposing a potential expansion of 12-gigahertz use. Telecom companies, such as AT&T, tech giants Google and Microsoft, as well as satellite network operators such as Intelsat, OneWeb and SES, all filed comments with the federal agency opposing the change. SpaceX hopes its analysis will persuade the FCC to see that a decision in favor of Dish and RS Access poses what amounts to an existential threat to the company’s Starlink network. (6/21)

Space Force Lacks a ‘Credible’ Five-Year Budget, Congressional Report Says (Source: Air Force Magazine)
The Space Force is running the risk of starting more programs than it can afford, at least according to its five-year budget plan that isn’t “credible,” according to a key congressional panel. The House Appropriations defense subcommittee offered that stark warning as part of the report it submitted alongside its 2023 appropriations bill, which will be considered by the full committee June 22.

Looking to address those financial concerns, House appropriators included a provision in their bill that would require the Secretary of the Air Force, through the assistant secretary for space acquisition and integration, to conduct a risk assessment analysis of the “projected cost, affordability, and executability” of the entire Space Force portfolio of programs and activities and to present the results to lawmakers by Oct. 1. (6/21)

Airbus Plans Laser Communications Terminals for US (Source: Breaking Defense)
Airbus is planning to produce some satellite laser communications terminals in the US, responding to demand for these products. "I would predict that we'll be doing that in the next two years," said Rob Geckle, CEO of Airbus US Space & Defense. Optical communications systems, including optical intersatellite links (OISLs), are critical to enabling so-called meshed networks of large constellations of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites being developed by governments and commercial firms, particularly for high-speed, internet-capable communications from space, although also for other missions such as remote sensing. (6/21)

NASA Announces Artemis Concept Awards for Nuclear Power on Moon (Source: NASA)
NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are working together to advance space nuclear technologies. The agencies have selected three design concept proposals for a fission surface power system design that could be ready to launch by the end of the decade for a demonstration on the Moon. This technology would benefit future exploration under the Artemis umbrella. The contracts, to be awarded through the DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory, are each valued at approximately $5 million. The contracts fund the development of initial design concepts for a 40-kilowatt class fission power system planned to last at least 10 years in the lunar environment.

Battelle Energy Alliance, the managing and operating contractor for Idaho National Laboratory, led the procurement sponsored by NASA. Idaho National Laboratory will award 12-month contracts to the following companies to each develop preliminary designs: Lockheed Martin (partnered with BWXT and Creare), Westinghouse (partnered with Aerojet Rocketdyne), and IX (a joint venture of Intuitive Machines and X-Energy, partnered with Maxar and Boeing). (6/21)

NASA Shifts Science Schedule for InSight Mars Lander (Source: NASA/JPL)
NASA will sacrifice months of life of the InSight Mars lander to gain several more weeks of science. NASA previously planned to shut down the seismometer on InSight by the end of the month to conserve power, keeping the lander alive until about December as its solar power levels decline. However, NASA said Tuesday it will keep the seismometer running until late August or early September by tapping spacecraft batteries. However, that will discharge the batteries, causing the mission to end when the seismometer shuts down. That maximizes the science the lander can produce, project officials said, rather than keeping the lander alive with no science benefit. (6/22)

House Slices Into Proposed NASA Budget Increase (Source: Space News)
A House spending bill would provide NASA with a smaller increase than requested. A draft spending bill released Tuesday offers more than $25.4 billion for NASA, a 5.8% increase from what the agency received in 2022 but more than $500 million below the agency's request for fiscal year 2023 released in March. The bill trims spending increases across exploration, science and technology accounts, although it includes few details about specific programs. The House appropriations commerce, justice and science subcommittee will mark up the bill this evening. (6/22)

China Launches Kuaizhou Small Rocket (Source: Space News)
China's Kuaizhou-1A returned to flight Tuesday night, six months after a launch failure. The small rocket lifted off at 10:08 p.m. Eastern from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and successfully placed into orbit a satellite called Tianxing-1. The satellite is set to be used for experiments including "space environment detection," according to Chinese space authorities and media. The Kuaizhou-1A has flown 15 times since 2017, but this was the first launch since a failure in December 2021. [SpaceNews]

Viasat Shareholders Approve Inmarsat Acquisition (Source: Viasat)
Viasat shareholders have approved its proposed acquisition of Inmarsat. Viasat said Tuesday that its shareholders approved the deal, announced last fall, in a special meeting. Viasat expects the transaction to close in the second half of this year, subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. (6/22)

NASA and SpaceX to Test Strategies for Preventing Satellite Collisions (Source: Space News)
NASA and SpaceX will begin testing strategies for preventing autonomous satellites from crashing into each other. NASA's Starling mission will test "satellite swarms" with four cubesats working in coordination. Starling originally planned to launch into an orbit at 555 kilometers, but since Starlink satellites operate in that orbit, the satellites will operate 10 kilometers higher. After its six-month primary mission to test satellite swarm technologies, NASA and SpaceX will test collision-avoidance strategies using those satellites. (6/22)

SmallSat Alliance Sponsors Collegiate Space Competition (Source: Space News)
The SmallSat Alliance is inviting U.S. university students to propose space-related solutions for formidable technical and policy challenges. The first Collegiate Space Competition focuses on earth science and environmental monitoring as well as space congestion and orbital debris. The Collegiate Space Competition is designed to bolster space-sector recruiting and publicize the wide range of skills and talents space companies need. The competition will provide cash prizes for both technical and nontechnical submissions. (6/22)

SpaceX Expanding to Austin Texas (Source: Austin Business Journal)
SpaceX is establishing a new facility near Austin, Texas. The company has acquired dozens of acres of land east of the city under the codename Project Echo and won approval to build a warehouse there. SpaceX has not commented on what it will use the site for, with just two job openings for it currently: a facilities engineer and a software engineer. (6/22)