February 13, 2023

University of Arizona Space Sciences Compete with Super Bowl for Largest Economic Impact (Source: UofA)
Space is the subject of some of the University of Arizona's most financially impactful research. The university's astronomy and space sciences operations generate as much money for the local economy every year as a Super Bowl, according to an economic impact report delivered by Rounds Consulting Group. The report had several key findings. First, the total yearly economic output of the university's space sciences operations is estimated at roughly $560.5 million. In addition, space sciences activities generate roughly $21.1 million in state, county and municipal taxes every year.

For comparison, Visit Phoenix estimates Sunday's Super Bowl will generate $600 million in economic impact for the Phoenix and Arizona economies. The 2022 Super Bowl generated up to $477 million in economic stimulus, $22 million in tax revenues and nearly 4,700 jobs for the Los Angeles and California economies.

In addition to generating millions of dollars a year, space science operations at UArizona constitute a significant return on investment – to the tune of 5-to-1. This figure is derived from the $20 million on average received by space science departments in state funding every year, and the more than $100 million per year in grants, philanthropic donations and contracts secured by the same departments over the past four years. University space sciences operations directly employ more than 900 students, scientists, faculty, education professionals and operations personnel. (2/8)

Looking for Help With Space Regulations? (Source: FNN)
Creating the technology to get to space is hard enough, something that may be just as or even more difficult, navigating your way through the bureaucratic regulations that you need to comply with. As with most industries, those just getting into it are going to have the hardest time learning about the rules in place. Enter the Association of Commercial Space Professionals, who at the end of February 2023 are hosting a Space Regulatory Bootcamp. It’s designed specifically for startups and is being done in partnership with the Air Force Research Lab. Click here. (2/10)

Antaris Launches Cloud-Built Satellite JANUS-1 Onboard India's SSLV-D2 (Source: Space Daily)
Antaris, creator of the most advanced software platform for space, has announced that the world's first satellite fully conceived, designed and manufactured using the company's end-to-end cloud platform has successfully reached orbit. JANUS-1 rode on the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) SSLV-D2 rocket, which was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre of India under a commercial arrangement with New Space India Limited (NSIL). The satellite features five payloads from a range of global providers, which will be commissioned and begin nominal operations in the coming days. (2/13)

NASA's Satellites Help with Turkey, Syria Earthquake Response (Source: Space Daily)
Following the magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 earthquakes that struck southern Turkey and western Syria Feb. 6, NASA is working to share its aerial views and data from space in ways that can aid relief and recovery workers in the region, as well as improve its ability to model and predict such events. One of NASA's key capabilities is an expertise with synthetic aperture radar, or SAR. Viewing Earth in all weather conditions, day or night, SAR is used to measure how the ground moves and built landscape changes after this type of event. (2/13)

Europe Shoots for the Moon with Role in NASA Program (Source: Space Daily)
European astronauts could walk on the Moon for the first time in the coming years, in exchange for the continent taking on a key role in an ambitious NASA space programme. The US space agency's Artemis program aims to return humans to the Moon for the first time since the historic Apollo missions, which ended in 1972.

For the first time, the European Space Agency (ESA) and European aerospace giant Airbus have been entrusted with supplying vital "service modules" (ESMs) for NASA's Orion spacecraft. In exchange, Europe has three guaranteed seats on the mission's flights, probably from 2027, although discussions are ongoing to try to get earlier spots. (2/10)

Chinese Launches in 2023 Could Double (Source: Space News)
Launches conducted by commercial Chinese launch service providers in 2023 could more than double those attempted last year. The more than 20 launches now planned by commercial launch service providers would be more than the total number of orbital launches conducted by China in 2017, demonstrating the rapid growth in Chinese launch capacity and cadence in recent years. Galactic Energy, which launched its Ceres-1 solid-fuel rocket in January, plans 8-10 launches this year. Space Pioneer could become the first Chinese commercial launch firm to reach orbit with a liquid propellant launch vehicle with its Tianlong-2 currently scheduled to launch by next month. (2/13)

10 Years and $12 Million Later, Residents Fight Against Spaceport (Source: CNN)
A coastal county in Georgia has hopes of becoming a space destination, but residents fear environmental concerns and exploding rockets. Click here. (2/11)

Saudis Identify Two Astronauts Set for Axiom ISS Mission (Source: Space News)
The government of Saudi Arabia revealed Sunday the two astronauts who will fly to the ISS this spring on a private astronaut mission. The Saudi Space Commission said that Rayyanah Barnawi, a cancer researcher, and Ali Alqarni, a fighter pilot, will go to the station as soon as this May on Axiom Space's Ax-2 private astronaut mission. The Saudi government had previously been identified as the likely customer for two of the four seats on Ax-2, but neither Axiom nor Saudi officials had confirmed that or identified who they selected for the mission. Ax-2 will spend 10 days at the station in the second in a series of private astronaut missions by Axiom as it develops commercial modules for the ISS that will be precursors for a standalone space station. (2/13)

Loft Orbital Forms Subsidiary for National Security Work (Source: Space News)
Space infrastructure startup Loft Orbital has formed a new subsidiary to work with U.S. national security customers. Loft Orbital said its Loft Federal unit will allow the company to "maintain our culture and expand our work and partnership with the federal government." The company builds "condosats," or satellites carrying payloads from multiple customers that want to avoid the hassle and expense of owning satellites. Loft Orbital and other companies in this space-as-a-service sector of the industry are eyeing new opportunities as the Space Force looks to increase reliance on commercial services. (2/13)

Plasmos Offers In-Space Transport and De-Orbit Services (Source: Space News)
Propulsion company Plasmos revealed plans to offer in-space transportation and to return payloads to Earth. Plasmos said its "Space Truck" will transport payloads to altitudes as high as 1,400 kilometers to carry out a variety of missions, and have the ability to return small payloads to Earth using a precision landing system. The first demonstration flight of Space Truck is scheduled for 2024. (2/13)

CAPSTONE Lunar Cubesat Recovers Communications (Source: Space News)
One cubesat orbiting the moon has recovered from a communications issue while another cubesat has a thruster problem that will keep it from going into orbit. NASA said last week that the CAPSTONE cubesat resumed normal communications after a glitch in late January that prevented the spacecraft from receiving commands. A timer on the spacecraft triggered a reboot of its computer, solving the problem.

However, NASA said that the Lunar Flashlight cubesat, launched in December to orbit the moon and look for water ice at the south pole, won't be able to go into orbit because of a thruster problem engineers have been unable to resolve. Controllers are working on an alternative plan to put the spacecraft into a very high Earth orbit that will fly by the lunar south pole once a month, enabling it to carry out its science mission. (2/13)

Demand Remains High for Small Launchers (Source: Space News)
Despite pressures on small launch vehicle developers, others in the industry say that demand for launch is as high as ever. During a panel at last week's SmallSat Symposium, satellite operators and launch aggregators said there was not a big enough supply of launch vehicles, and called for continued development of additional vehicles to provide a greater range of options for customers. Those comments came two days after another panel at the same conference where launch industry officials warned of an impending "bloodletting" in the industry as launch vehicle companies run into technical and financial problems. (2/13)

Cleanup at Alaska Spaceport After January's ABL Launch Failure (Source: APM)
Cleanup work continues at an Alaska launch site damaged by a failed launch a month ago. ABL Space System's first RS1 rocket malfunctioned and crashed near its launch pad seconds after liftoff Jan. 10, causing an explosion that damaged pad facilities. Alaska Aerospace Corporation, which runs the launch site, says it has been working to clean up debris and is bringing in an environmental firm to sample soil and groundwater for any contamination from the rocket's fuel. Alaska Aerospace hopes to have repairs and other cleanup, including any environmental remediation work, completed in three to four months. (2/13)

Shaquille O'Neal Joins Blue Origin Club (Source: CollectSpace)
A fast-food chain founded by retired basketball star Shaquille O'Neal is joining forces with Blue Origin. O'Neal and others at the Big Chicken chain of restaurants will be "ambassadors" for Club for the Future, the educational nonprofit arm of Blue Origin. That partnership will include having restaurant patrons create postcards that will be flown on Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital vehicle. The organizations did not announce when the first flight of postcards created through the agreement will take place. (2/13)