June 3, 2022

Arianespace: First Vega C Launch Expected in July (Source: Space News)
Arianespace has refined the dates of the first flights of the Vega C and Ariane 6 launch vehicles. A company executive said that the first launch of the Vega C is expected in the first week of July, followed by the Ariane 6 debut "towards the end of the year." The company had previously estimated June for the first Vega C launch and the second half of the year for the Ariane 6. Those launches will come after the first Ariane 5 launch of the year, scheduled for June 22 and carrying two communications satellites. (6/2)

Avio Rushing to Expand to Meet Kuiper Launch Demands (Source: Space News)
Avio is rushing to expand facilities to help Arianespace fulfill a contract with Amazon for the Project Kuiper satellites. That contract calls for 18 Ariane 6 launches that will use up to four solid boosters each, produced by Avio. In an interview, Giulio Ranzo, CEO of Avio, said that the contract will maximize the use of its existing production capacity and that the company will consider upgrading that capacity to meet future demand.

Those boosters use the same motor as the first stage of the Vega C, which he said should help that vehicle remain competitive with new small launch vehicles in development. Avio is also considering accelerating work on the Vega E, which replaces a Ukrainian-built upper stage engine with one Avio is developing. (6/2)

NRO Contracts with Imagery Suppliers Will Reshape the Market (Source: Space News)
NRO's award of contracts worth several billion dollars to three commercial imagery companies will reshape the market, one analyst predicts. A report this week by Quilty Analytics said the Electro-Optical Commercial Layer contracts awarded last week confirmed Maxar's position as the "anchor supplier of very high-resolution imagery" for the government, while elevating the other two winners, BlackSky and Planet. The awards also send a strong signal from the NRO that it plans to spend more money on commercial satellite imagery than it has in the past. (6/2)

China Launches First Nine Satellites of Geely's 240-Satellite Constellation (Source: Space News)
A Long March rocket launched nine satellites Thursday for a constellation being developed by a Chinese automaker. The Long March 2C rocket lifted off at midnight Eastern Thursday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center and placed the GeeSAT-5 (01-09) satellites into orbit. The satellites belong to Geespace, a wholly-owned subsidiary of automaker Geely Technology Group. It is developing a constellation of 240 satellites that Geely says will be used to support autonomous driving. (6/2)

Momentus CEO: First Space Tug Mission's Problems Not Unexpected (Source: Space News)
The CEO of Momentus says the company is continuing to work on anomalies suffered by its first space tug after launch last week. John Rood said the problems were not unexpected, but provided few details on the specific issues the Vigoride-3 tug was having. One problem is with the spacecraft's communications system, which was tuned to the wrong frequencies and required Momentus to obtain special temporary authority from the FCC to operate at those different frequencies. Vigoride-3 carried nine satellites for three customers, and Rood said two of those were deployed over the weekend despite the anomalies. (6/2)

NASA's MAVEN Mars Orbiter Exits Safe Mode (Source: Space.com)
NASA's MAVEN Mars orbiter has returned to normal operations after an extended safe mode. MAVEN went into safe mode in February when its inertial measurement units (IMUs) malfunctioned. Controllers spent the last few months developing a stellar navigation mode for the spacecraft, allowing the spacecraft to return to normal operations May 28. Controllers are now working on ways to limit the use of IMUs for certain maneuvers when stellar navigation is not precise enough in order to extend the lifetime of those units. NASA wants to operate MAVEN for up to 10 more years both for science and as a communications relay for spacecraft on the surface. (6/2)

SpaceX Workers Expected to Return to Office (Source: New York Times)
Elon Musk has notified SpaceX employees working remotely that they will have to come back to the office. In a memo this week, Musk told SpaceX employees they need to spend "a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week" or else be fired. It's unclear how many SpaceX employees work remotely given the hands-on nature of launch vehicle and spacecraft manufacturing. Musk issued a similar memo to employees of Tesla, the electric vehicle company he also runs. (6/2)

UAE Official to Lead UN COPUOS (Source: The National)
A United Arab Emirates official is the new chair of the U.N.'s Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). The committee elected Omran Sharaf, who led the UAE's Hope Mars mission, as director for 2022 and 2023 during the committee's opening session this week in Vienna. COPUOS seeks to enhance international cooperation in space and has led the development of treaties and other agreements involving space. (6/2)

First JWST Images Coming Next Month (Source: NASA)
The first science images from the James Webb Space Telescope will be released next month. NASA announced Wednesday those images will be publicly released July 12, although NASA and its partners have not disclosed what the telescope will observe for those images. The initial images are intended to "showcase the telescope’s powerful instruments and to preview the science mission to come," one astronomer said. (6/2)

Big Projects, Like NASA's, Often Fail in Predictable Ways (Source: Quartz)
Mega-dams, high-speed rail, Olympics infrastructure, and national IT projects costing more than $1 billion almost inevitably wind up delayed and over-budget, to the point of becoming money-losers. If that reminds you of some projects undertaken by NASA, you see where this is going: Flyvberg and a colleague, Atif Ansar, have written a new case study focused on NASA and SpaceX.

They examine the difference between one-off projects focused on “quantum leaps”—the Space Shuttle or the Space Launch System, say—versus repeatable platforms—containerized shipping, auto manufacturing, and SpaceX’s vehicles. Notably, they insist this isn’t a public-private distinction. Rather, the researchers are focused on organizational principles that lend themselves to successfully delivering transformative projects at scale.

Planners behind projects that attempt to achieve a massive gain in a single leap, they posit, enmesh themselves in psychological patterns that lead to failure. They delude themselves in thinking the actual costs of the project will be much less than expected, because if the real costs were known, the projects would never be attempted. (6/2)

NASA’s New Spacesuit Contract Is a Big, Fat Expensive Gamble (Source: Daily Beast)
NASA astronauts are getting a major wardrobe makeover. The agency announced on Wednesday that it has chosen Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace to build its next generation of spacesuits to be used in the Artemis missions to the moon and those still set to go to the ISS. The companies were selected as a part of the Exploration Extravehicular Activity contract solicitation, which awards the companies a potential $3.5 billion based on the products and services they provide through 2034.

The suit is expected to facilitate exploration on the surface of the moon, as well as spacewalks outside of spacecraft orbiting the Earth and the moon. NASA is currently aiming for the suits to be ready by the Artemis 3 mission currently slated for 2025—poised to be the return of astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in 50 years The agency also said that the two companies will also be helping develop spacesuits for future crewed missions to Mars (though timeline on that is still TBD).

The announcement is yet another sign that the agency is making big bets on private entities to provide the hardware that will be necessary for its next era in space. NASA’s current spacesuits are insufficient for lunar missions. The agency needs something that is capable of withstanding the harsh conditions of the moon’s surface, especially for astronauts tasked with explorations of the south lunar pole—one of the coldest areas of the entire solar system. (6/1)

Asteroid Mining Startup Books First Test Mission with SpaceX (Source: Business Insider)
A new asteroid mining company has booked its first test mission with SpaceX. AstroForge plans to mine asteroids by breaking them up and returning valuable materials to Earth. It was cofounded by former SpaceX engineer Jose Acain and ex-Virgin Orbit and Galactic engineer Matt Gialich. It is scheduled to test its technology in orbit next year, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch.

Asteroid mining has long been tipped as a lucrative industry, but it is yet to become commercially viable. The company will start with platinum group metals, which are used in everything from catalytic converters in cars to electronics. "A very worthwhile metal to have, but they're very limited," said Gialich, who is CEO, on a LinkedIn video. Metallic asteroids contain mostly iron and nickel, but some also have platinum, gold, and cobalt. (6/2)

NASA Still “Pushing” for a Russian Cosmonaut to Fly on Next SpaceX Mission (Source: Ars Technica)
More than three months after the invasion of Ukraine, it is clear from the actions of Russia, the U.S., and the ISS's other partners that they would like to keep the jointly operated facility flying above Earth-bound tensions. But one of the biggest outstanding questions is whether the manner in which astronauts and cosmonauts reach the space station will change.

Prior to the outbreak of hostilities, NASA and Russia had been planning to initiate "seat swaps" this fall, with a cosmonaut, Anna Kikina, flying on SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehicle for the first time. Presently, Kikina is scheduled to launch as part of the "Crew 5" mission in September, which will be commanded by NASA astronaut Nicole Mann. Around the same time, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio would launch on the Soyuz MS-22 mission, commanded by Sergei Prokopyev.

However, a key NASA official told Ars that there is still no official word on whether the swap will happen. The decision rests with diplomats in Moscow and Washington, DC, and should be finalized in the coming weeks. (6/1)

Fear Grows that US Military Satellite Communications are Falling Behind (Source: Breaking Defense)
The annual "State of Military Communications Technology" poll finds that only about a third of repondents believed that the Pentagon was moving quickly enough to adopt commercial technology and streamlined acquisition rules to be able to make necessary upgrades quickly.

Perhaps the biggest concern for operators is the belief that adversary SATCOM capabilities are outpacing those of the United States, the study notes. This perception persists even though operators acknowledge that DoD systems have steadily become more reliable. (6/1)

In Colorado, Space-Aged Technology Isn’t Only Found in Space (Source: 5280.com)
How does this sound: a flight from Denver to anywhere in the world in under three hours. Plus, you get to skip the security lines at DIA. If Adams County has its way, that dream will manifest at the Colorado Air and Space Port (CASP). Formerly known as the Front Range Airport, this general aviation center changed its name when it received a license for space operations from the FAA in 2018.

But while it’s one of 13 FAA-approved spaceports—essentially commercial space launch sites, as opposed to NASA’s Cape Canaveral complex—don’t expect dramatic rocket launches. Instead, CASP will have spaceplanes that take off and land like traditional aircraft but can leave the atmosphere behind temporarily.

Adams County is betting that space tourism outfits could be using this technology for quick out-and-back suborbital trips by the end of the decade. CASP officials hope the site will be the perfect location for space tourists, says deputy county manager Jim Siedlecki, because they would rather make the 14-mile transfer from DIA to CASP for their flight than board a bus in, say, Albuquerque for a three-hour ride through the desert to New Mexico’s rival Spaceport America. (6/1)

India's First Private Spacecraft Manufacturing Facility Introduced in B'luru (Source: Silicon India)
Ananth Technologies Private Limited (ANANTH), the leading aerospace and defense manufacturer in India, launched their new spacecraft manufacturing facility in Bengaluru. This is the first spacecraft assembly, integration and testing facility in the private sector.

The state-of-the-art facility was inaugurated by S.Somanath, Chairman and Secretary, Department of Space at Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Located at Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board Aerospace Park, Bengaluru, the new establishment is equipped with clean rooms for spacecraft sub-systems manufacturing and is large enough to cater to four spacecraft simultaneously. (6/2)

Gateway’s Propulsion System Testing Throttles Up (Source: NASA)
The powerhouse of Gateway, NASA’s orbiting outpost around the Moon and a critical piece of infrastructure for Artemis, is in the midst of several electric propulsion system tests. The Power and Propulsion Element (PPE), being manufactured by Maxar Technologies, provides Gateway with power, high-rate communications, and propulsion for maneuvers around the Moon and to transit between different orbits.

The PPE will be combined with the Habitation and Logistic Outpost (HALO) before the integrated spacecraft’s launch, targeted for late 2024 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy. Together, these elements will serve as the hub for early Gateway crewed operations and various science and technology demonstrations as the full Gateway station is assembled around it in the coming years. (6/2)

5 Things to Know About NASA’s New Mineral Dust Detector (Source: NASA JPL)
Called EMIT, the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation will analyze dust carried through the atmosphere from dry regions to see what effects it has on the planet. Each year, strong winds carry more than a billion metric tons – or the weight of 10,000 aircraft carriers – of mineral dust from Earth’s deserts and other dry regions through the atmosphere. While scientists know that the dust affects the environment and climate, they don’t have enough data to determine, in detail, what those effects are or may be in the future – at least not yet. Click here. (6/1)

SpaceX to Begin Launching New ‘Shell’ of Starlink Satellites in July (Source: Teslarati)
SpaceX could begin launching the fourth of five orbital ‘shells’ of its first Starlink constellation as early as July, according to a report from a reliable source of SpaceX information.

The initial report tweeted on May 20th by reporter Alejandro Alcantarilla claimed that SpaceX was preparing to start launching “Group 3” of its first 4408-satellite Starlink constellation as early as July 2022. Less than a week later, those claims were confirmed when SpaceX applied for communications permits known as “special temporary authority” licenses or STAs for a launch known as “Starlink Group 3-1” no earlier than late June. (6/1)