February 18, 2023

SpaceX Launches Twice in One Day as FAA Proposes $175K Fine (Source: Florida Today)
Two SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets bolted off bicoastal launch pads Friday, taking two types of internet satellites to orbit just after the Federal Aviation Administration announced fining the company for failing to provide data ahead of a similar mission last year. Up first were 51 of SpaceX's custom-built Starlink internet satellites, which launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 11:12 a.m. PST. Just under nine hours later and some 2,300 miles away, another Falcon 9 rocket boosted a large, 12,000-pound internet satellite for British operator Inmarsat from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Both missions were successful and included drone ship landings.

But earlier Friday, the FAA, which oversees commercial launch activities and issues licenses, proposed fining SpaceX $175,000 for failing to submit data ahead of an August 2022 Starlink mission. That flight also began at the Cape. The agency said the fine was being proposed "for failure to submit launch collision analysis trajectory data directly to the FAA prior to the August 19, 2022, launch of the Starlink Group 4-27 mission." (2/18)

Spire Global's Growth Could Bring Profits In 2024 But Revaluation Earlier (Source: Seeking Alpha)
Large amounts of data are available in the world and space. Governments, organizations, and corporations can benefit from such data. Data management is a hot trend unlocking an opportunity that Spire's management determines at a ~$100B TAM. Spire is an industry-leading company that uses its nanosatellites to collect data. Data and related services are sold to its clients. Despite Spire being an already established company, it is in a growth stage and is not expected to be profitable and FCF-positive until 2024.

On the other hand, it is currently reasonably valued and, considering its growth prospect coupled with the expected high profit margins, could prove a fruitful investment in the near future with little downside risk. Spire Global, Inc. is a leading global provider of space-based data, analytics, and space services. (2/17)

SpaceX Matches World in Tonnage to Orbit (Source: Ars Technica)
In its quarterly briefing for Q4 2022, Bryce Technology reported that SpaceX lofted 142,300 kg into orbit during the fourth quarter of last year. China's space program was in second place, with 69,900 kg, followed distantly by NASA, Roscosmos, and Arianespace. SpaceX's cumulative total, consisting primarily of Starlink satellites, nearly matched the cumulative total of all other space agencies and companies in the world.

That's just the beginning ... In response to a tweet about this, SpaceX founder Elon Musk replied that SpaceX intends to nearly triple its mass to orbit this year. "This year should average around 400 tons of useful mass to orbit per quarter," he said. Presumably this means not just an increase in the cadence of Falcon 9 launches, but also some operational Starship missions toward the end of 2023 that begin to carry Starlink satellites. (2/17)

Japan's H3 Designed to Reduce Price, Increase Cadence (Source: Ars Technica)
The H3's predecessor, the H2-A, is a reliable workhorse. But the medium-lift rocket has a price tag of around $90 million, putting it far above the commercial launch market set by the Falcon 9 rocket. So in 2013, JAXA greenlit the development of the next-generation H3 rocket. As it developed the new vehicle, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries focused on cost. The goal was to sell the H3 at $51 million per launch in its base configuration. With a lower price, Japan envisioned doubling its launch cadence from about four to eight missions a year. Now that the H3 is finally here, it will be interesting to see whether it can capture some of the commercial satellite market. (2/17)

Perseverance Begins Third Year on Mars (Source: NASA)
NASA’s Perseverance rover will celebrate its second anniversary on the surface of Mars Saturday, Feb. 18. Since arriving at Jezero Crater in 2021, the six-wheeled, nuclear-powered rover has been examining geologic features and collecting samples of the Red Planet that are central to the first step of the NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return campaign. Scientists want to study Martian samples with powerful lab equipment on Earth to search for signs of ancient microbial life and to better understand the processes that have shaped the surface of Mars. (2/17)

How Enlisted Troops’ Roles in Space Command Operations are Evolving (Source: Air Force Times)
Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Scott Stalker became the top enlisted leader at U.S. Space Command in August 2020, one year after the organization was resurrected in a vast overhaul of the military space enterprise. He hosted a forum on joint graduate and postgraduate military education in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Feb. 14-16. Click here. (2/16)

Sepulveda: I Am Confident Harlingen Will Find a Replacement for United Launch Alliance (Source: Rio Grande Guardian)
Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda says she is making good progress in finding another manufacturing company to take over the United Launch Alliance facility at Valley International Airport. As first reported in the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service, ULA, a rocket manufacturer and launch service provider co-owned by Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security, announced it would be closing its Harlingen plant over the course of the next year, with the loss of 100 good-paying jobs.

Asked if progress was being made to find an alternative manufacturer, Sepulveda said: “Yes, we I encourage you to reach out to our director over at the airport, Marv [Easterly]. We had a really great conversation yesterday and there’s a lot of interest and so I don’t foresee any issues in that regard.”

“We are working closely with ULA so we can have a smooth transition,” Sepulveda said. “ULA will not be closing until mid-next year, that’s when they vacate the building. So we do have some time. But, we’re working really closely with them to ensure that we have a smooth transition. I have no doubt that we’ll be able to fill that building.” (2/16)

China, Europe Cooperate in Satellite Test (Source: Xinhua)
A China-Europe joint space mission, Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE), has successfully completed a satellite-rocket test, according to the National Space Science Center (NSSC) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). A Chinese satellite team from the SMILE mission recently traveled to the European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC) of the European Space Agency (ESA) to conduct a prototype satellite-rocket joint test, completing the interface docking, satellite separation, and impact tests, said the NSSC. (2/16)

Analyzing Why New Japanese H3 Flagship Rocket Did Not Lift Off (Source: NHK)
Experts are trying to figure out why Japan's new H3 flagship rocket was not able to lift off from a site in southwestern Japan as scheduled. The rocket was set to launch from the Tanegashima Space Center on Friday morning. The heavily anticipated launch from Kagoshima Prefecture had been set for 10:37am. Video images showed the main engine igniting and a large plume of smoke, but the rocket did not lift off.

Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency says it is trying to figure out what happened. JAXA spokesperson Kishi Akitaka said that the main engine ignited, but the solid boosters did not. He said that experts are examining the details. The rocket was carrying an Earth observation satellite to be used to improve disaster management. The H3 was initially slated to launch in fiscal 2020. (2/16)

Space Command Crafting Requirements to Improve Satellite Mobility (Source: C4ISRnet)
As the Pentagon eyes increasing threats in space — from on-orbit debris to enemy spacecraft flying too close for comfort — U.S. Space Command wants its surveillance satellites to be more maneuverable. SPACECOM’s Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. John Shaw said during a Jan. 24 National Security Space Association conference that need for mobility is driving the command to explore options for what he called “dynamic space operations.”

The need, he said, is most evident in the Space Force’s fleet of surveillance satellites that observe activities in space from geosynchronous orbit, about 22,000 miles above the Earth. Ideally, those satellites would move around their orbit to view new areas or to dodge debris or adversary spacecraft. However, because they have a limited amount of fuel and need to stay active until the end of their service life, they’re relatively static. (2/16)

Musk's Starlink Satellites Accelerating Development of Drone Warfare (Source: C4ISRnet)
The widespread use of Starlink, the constellation of internet satellites operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, by Ukrainian troops in defending against Russia’s invasion is accelerating development of drone warfare, according to experts. Since receiving Starlink access terminals last year, the Ukrainian military has not shied away from making use of them. Officers from the Aerorozvidka aerial reconnaissance unit stated in past interviews that their drone pilots rely on Starlink to carry out missions, connecting the UAV team with the artillery one to generate target acquisition on Russian equipment and positions.

More recently, Ukraine officials disclosed that the country’s military was looking to establish strike forces that would be provided with Starlink equipment to create fleets of interoperable drones.

Musk made somewhat contradictory remarks during his appearance on a Russian state TV show last month, saying that his company banned Starlink from being used in long-range drone strikes by Ukrainian forces. Whether these restrictions are enforced or not, one thing is clear: since being unveiled in 2015, the prospects of Starlink have long expanded beyond the original intention of providing undersupplied regions with high-speed access to the internet. (2/14)

Intuitive Machines’ Post-SPAC War Chest Depleted by Shareholder Redemptions (Source: Tech Crunch)
Lunar technology company Intuitive Machines received far less cash from its merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) than it forecasted, according to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Although Intuitive Machines said the SPAC trust could furnish the company with as much as $301 million in dry powder, shareholders opted to redeem a staggering $279.8 million prior to the transaction closing.

In SPAC deals, shareholders have a right to redeem their shares — and get their money back — which can be a blow to the operating capital for the combined company. The redemptions could reflect a relative weariness amongst investors of SPACs, which saw a huge upswing in popularity in the past few years but have more recently fallen out of favor as post-SPAC companies struggle to stay afloat in the public market.

Despite the high redemptions, Intuitive Machines isn’t exactly without cash. In advance of the merger with SPAC Inflection Point Acquisition Corp., Intuitive Machines shareholders agreed to roll all of their existing equity holdings into the combined company at a value of $700 million. The transaction also came with $55 million of capital from an affiliate of Inflection Point and $26 million in PIPE, or private capital in public equity. (2/15)

South Korea to Work on Building Thailand’s First Spaceport (Source: GCR)
Korea’s Ministry of Science has signed a deal with Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency to carry out a feasibility study for Thailand's proposed spaceport. The study will be conducted “with intense focus on geographical suitability, the site for construction, avoidance of natural disasters, environmental impacts, infrastructure, facilities, rocket types, regulations and a business model”.

Thailand’s space agency will also collaborate with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute to help develop space technology in Thailand. The move came after Lee Jong-ho, Korea’s science minister, and his Thai counterpart Anek Laothamatas discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in the space sector in November. (2/17)

NASA Wants to Explore Uranus. Here's Why That Won't Happen Until the 2040s (Source: Salon)
Neptune and Uranus have long been neglected when it comes to solar system exploration. Many astronomers think that is a shame, as these two planets are particularly weird outliers among the bodies that orbit the Sun. Uranus, for example, the seventh planet from our Sun, has a unique tilt that makes it appear to spin sideways, orbiting the Sun like a rolling ball while circled by nine, dense rings. Both Uranus and Neptune may also have diamond rain in their atmospheres.

As other space missions proceed, Uranus and Neptune are becoming primary next objectives. The mission to Uranus is still in the early stages of development, but the basic design has already been fleshed out. Known as the Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP), the mission will most likely involve a cone-shaped probe that will dive down into Uranus's atmosphere, coupled with a kind of satellite that will get stunning, up-close views of Uranus's many moons.

Sending a probe there will take between eight and 15 years, especially if we want it to get there during a window that makes Uranus's moons the most visible. While NASA hasn't formally announced a launch date yet, it will probably blast off between 2028 and 2038, according to recommendations published last month in the journal Acta Astronautica. That means we might not being gathering data on Uranus until the 2040s at the earliest. (2/16)

Crew Operations Training Gears Up for Starliner and Orion (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Operations to support the upcoming first crew flights of Starliner and Orion are increasing around the Kennedy Space Center as both vehicles head toward that major milestone. Starliner operations have included ULA, NASA, and Space Launch Delta 45 teams, as well as the crew for the vehicle’s upcoming Crew Flight Test (CFT), scheduled for no earlier than mid-April. Meanwhile, Orion operations have centered around water egress practice for the DoD and NASA diving teams who will assist with crew recovery once the capsules splash down at the end of their missions. (2/16)

Meteorite Found! Space Rock From brilliant Fireball Over Europe Located in France (Source: Space.com)
A cosmic find lit up the search of a meteorite-hunting citizen science project. Volunteers searching north of Rouen, France near the northern coast spotted a meteorite from fireball event 2023 CX1. The space rock originated with a small asteroid that burned up dramatically over Europe around 10 p.m. EST Feb. 12, just hours after astronomer Krisztián Sárneczky discovered it from a telescope in Hungary. (2/16)

'Pristine' Meteorite Contaminated with Table Salt Upon Crash Landing on Earth (Source: Space.com)
A meteorite that crashed into a driveway in Winchcombe, England, became contaminated with a sprinkling of table salt within hours of landing, dashing hopes that it could be a "pristine" example of a primitive type of space rock. The Winchcombe meteorite, which fragmented and fell onto the Gloucestershire driveway and a nearby sheep field in February 2021, was recovered and stored in sealed bags very soon after it landed — within hours for the fragment found on the driveway and within days for the rubble in the sheep field.

But even so, new research finds, the meteorite had already begun to change due to its interactions with Earth's atmosphere and surface. "what "We've shown that there's really no such thing as a pristine meteorite — terrestrial alteration begins the moment it encounters Earth's atmosphere, and we can see it in these samples, which we analyzed just a couple of months after the meteorite landed."

Calcium sulfate and calcite were found on the outside of the meteorite, on what is known as the fusion crust — the melted surface of the meteorite that forms as it screams through the atmosphere at tens of thousands of miles an hour. That placement indicates that the salts formed quickly as the meteorite fragments awaited discovery in the sheep field. (2/16)

NASA Names Moon Mountain After Black Mathematician and 'Hidden Figure' Melba Mouton (Source: Space.com)
NASA named a huge moon landmark after a prominent Black mathematician who worked during at the agency the "Hidden Figures" era. The name of Melba Mouton (1929–1990) will be designated by NASA on a Delaware-size flat moon mountain near the water-rich lunar south pole. The moon's south pole is a target of Artemis program astronauts, who are expected to land as soon as 2025. (2/16)

NASA Prepares for Crewed Starliner Test Flight (Source: WESH)
NASA and Boeing on Friday announced that the much-delayed first crewed Starliner flight is on track for an April launch from the Kennedy Space Center. Boeing’s Starliner is the second spacecraft that’s part of the NASA commercial crew program. But unlike SpaceX’s Dragon, it has yet to carry an astronaut to the International Space Station.

NASA and Boeing flight managers gave an update on the Starliner test mission with astronauts, saying it’s a critical hurdle. “Really this is the final piece to say that the vehicle is ready to go fly the missions and become human-rated for that mission,” said Steve Stich with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Stich added that they are 80% done preparing for the eight-day mission to the ISS which will have two crew members. (2/17)

Russia’s Highest Grossing Movie Cheburashka Shown in Space (Source: TASS)
Russian cosmonauts at the ISS Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin and Anna Kikina watched the Cheburashka motion picture while in orbit, Roscosmos said. "A new story about the adventures of a big-eared creature has already been seen by over 20 mln viewers on Earth. Now they are joined by three more - the Hero of Russia, pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation Sergey Prokopyev and Roscosmos cosmonauts, Dmitry Petelin and Anna Kikina. Russian members of the ISS crew watched Cheburashka right in orbit," the state corporation’s statement said. (2/16)

Stockholder Alleges Virgin Galactic Lied About Flight Tests (Source: Gizmodo)
A Virgin Galactic stockholder is taking the company’s execs to task, saying their penchant for covering up major failures encountered during tests of its Unity spaceplane have tanked investors’ chances of winning big in the commercial space race. In a new lawsuit filed Monday in Delaware district court, stockholder Yousef Abughazaleh claims that the spaceflight company, its execs, and its billionaire founder Richard Branson lied about just how good and safe its spaceplanes were, all in order to inflate the company’s stock price and let execs cash out in more than $1.3 billion of common stock. The suit was filed on behalf of Virgin Galactic Holdings Incorporated. (2/17)

AI Startup Used Satellite Imagery to Trace the Path of Chinese Balloon (Source: Space News)
Days after a Chinese spy balloon was shot down by the U.S. military off the coast of South Carolina, AI startup Synthetaic backtracked the balloon’s trajectory across the continental United States using Earth imaging data from Planet Labs satellites. Synthetaic backtracked the balloon’s trajectory across the continental United States using Earth imaging data from Planet satellites. Synthetaic founder Corey Jaskolski first saw the balloon in the satellite data over the Atlantic about two hours before an Air Force fighter jet took it down Feb. 4.

“We then started tracing backwards across the United States and got a total of four hits: two in South Carolina, one in Missouri, and one in Canada. The hit that we got in Canada was over snow and ice, and we were still able to pick up the balloon,” he said. “We were able to take measurements from the pixels and validate it was about 148 feet in diameter and flying at 58,000 feet. Once we had those calculations, we knew for sure it was the balloon. As soon as we found it, we had a signature that we could use in RAIC and we could start working our way backwards.” (2/17)

Cruise Ship, Launch Schedules Sometimes Clash on Space Coast (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Ramping up launches at the nation’s busiest spaceport has increased conflicts with cruise ships at Port Canaveral, a space-industry official told lawmakers. With launches from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral expected to approach 100 this year, Dale Ketcham, Space Florida’s vice president of government and external relations, said talks are underway to address increasing issues involving cruise ships arriving and departing at Port Canaveral.

“These are big problems,” Ketcham told members of the Senate Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security Committee on Wednesday. “They’re great problems to have. But they are serious problems that demand serious solutions.” Before launches, general exclusion zones for watercraft are imposed, with set hours and distances that change depending on the flight path. Similar temporary flight restrictions are set by the FAA. The zones are intended to prevent encounters in the air or, in cases of launch malfunctions, prevent problems with debris in the water.

Ketcham indicated timing conflicts, with launches delaying cruise ship departures and arrivals, will only increase as the space industry hopes to double and triple the number of launches from the cape. “If those cruise ships are delayed, you know, even an hour, then that ripples over into Orlando International Airport [flights],” Ketcham said. “And most of the people on those flights are cruise passengers. And they get delayed. And that trickles into the national airspace across the country. So, there are a lot of moving parts.” (2/16)

Space Florida Seeks $18.5 Million Budget From Legislature (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Space Florida’s state funding has changed little over the past decade. Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed a $114.8 billion budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year that would provide $18.5 million to Space Florida, the same as in the current year. The proposal includes $6 million for aerospace industry financing, business development and infrastructure and $1 million to support research and commercialization projects. “We’d like to think we’ve done a good job with those limited resources based upon where we were and where we are today,” Dale Ketcham said. (2/16)

Space Coast Tax Incentive Rejection Highlights Florida Competitive Deficiency (Source: Florida Today)
The Brevard County Commission's decision to reject a property tax break for a semiconductor company considering opening a new production facility in Palm Bay has raised questions about whether the move could set a precedent, hindering the voter-approved incentive program ― and potentially the Space Coast economy. Neal Johnson, chairman of the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast Ad Valorem Tax Abatement Council, said this was the first time in recent years that the County Commission has turned down a tax break through its property tax incentive program, after an incentive earlier had been recommended by the advisory board he chairs.

UCF's Sean Snaith added, the reality is that some states aggressively offer incentives to companies in return for jobs, and Florida currently has a less-robust state incentive program. So that can put Florida at a competitive disadvantage, and results in companies seeking incentives from Florida's counties and cities, instead of from the state itself. (2/13)

Biotech Startup Awarded Up To $500K (Source: CASIS)
Machine Bio, Inc., a biotechnology startup from Claremont, CA, has been selected to receive up to $500,000 in grant funding through the Technology in Space Prize in partnership with the MassChallenge startup accelerator program. The company seeks to leverage the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory to advance technology that synthesizes pure protein from DNA in microgravity. (2/17)