February 25, 2023

India Receives Simulated Crew Module To Test Technologies For Crewed Gaganyaan Flight (Sources: Republic World, The Hindu)
ISRO has received the Simulated Crew Module (SCM) Structure Assembly to test technologies in the Gaganyaan missions. Developed by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, the crew module has been realised by Hyderabad-based Manjira Machine Builders Pvt Ltd. "The SCM will be used in test Vehicle missions to validate crew escape system and other subsystems." Scientists at ISRO have made plans to conduct two test launches of the simulated unmanned crew capsule around year end before placing an unmanned space vehicle in orbit. (2/25)

China Launches Two Satellites Following EVA at TSS (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
The Chinese space program has resumed launches after going over a month without a single launch due to the Chinese New Year and Spring Festival holiday period. On Thursday, Chang Zheng 3B Y93 flew successfully from the Xichang spaceport. This flight, the first of the year for the CZ-3 family, was carrying the Zhongxing 26 geostationary communications satellite. Zhongxing 26, developed by CAST, is a high-throughput Ka-band communications satellite meant to serve the greater East Asia/Australia area.

The Zhongxing 26 spacecraft, internationally known as ChinaSat 26, will become China’s highest-capacity communications satellite with a throughput greater than 100 gigabits per second. The satellite, which cost more than 2.3 billion Chinese yuan, has a coverage area extending from the Horn of Africa to Japan, the Kamchatka Peninsula, and northern Queensland in Australia. (2/24)

BeetleSat Successfully Deploys LEO Satellite Expandable Antenna in Space (Source: Business Wire)
BeetleSat, formerly NSLComm, a leading provider of satellite communication technology and services, today announced the successful deployment of its lightweight, very high data rate, expandable antenna in space. The in-orbit deployment of BeetleSat’s 60 cm expandable antenna from a 6U CubeSat -- an industry first -- marks a significant milestone in the development of the BeetleSat constellation and proves the viability of its proprietary technology.

BeetleSat’s large Ka-band parabolic high-performance antenna, made of proprietary shape memory material, was folded at launch, allowing for low volume and mass. Once in low-Earth orbit (LEO), BeetleSat performed a successful on-demand deployment. (2/24)

Space Force is Taking a ‘Mutual Fund Approach’ to Buying Rocket Launches (Source: CNBC)
The U.S. military is preparing to buy another round of rocket launches from companies next year, and Space Force leadership says they’re taking a new “mutual fund approach” to the acquisition strategy. “As opposed to picking a single stock, we pick two different approaches, because we thought that would best allow the government to pivot,” said Colonel Chad Melone, the chief of the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command’s Launch Procurement & Integration division, in a press briefing on Friday.

Earlier this month the Space Force kicked off the process to buy five years worth of launches, under a lucrative program known as National Security Space Launch Phase 3. In 2020, the second phase of NSSL awarded contracts to two companies – Elon Musk’s SpaceX and United Launch Alliance, the joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin – for about 40 military missions, worth about $1 billion per year.

But, with a number of companies bringing rockets to market, Space Force is splitting NSSL Phase 3 into two groups for about 70 launches. Lane 1 is the new tack, about 30 missions with lower requirements and a more flexible bidding process that allows companies to compete for launches as rockets debut over the coming years. Lane 2 represents the legacy approach, with the Space Force planning to select two companies for about 40 missions that have the most demanding requirements. (2/24)

BE-4 Engine Review Delays ULA Vulcan Debut (Source: Aviation Week)
Additional analysis of a Blue Origin BE-4 qualification engine for United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Vulcan rocket program is pushing the booster’s debut flight to no earlier than May 4. ULA was aiming to launch its first Vulcan rocket from Cape Canaveral in late March. (2/24)

After Vulcan Comes Online, ULA Plans to Dramatically Increase Launch Cadence (Source: Ars Technica)
The chief executive of ULA discussed the development of the next-generation Vulcan rocket, his plans for this year, and the future of his company. The idea was to push the qualification engines through their paces, and beyond their expected flight environment, to find any flaws. During this series of tests, Bruno said, the oxygen pump on one of these engines has consistently produced about 5 percent more oxygen into the engine than expected. This fell outside the bounds of nominal performance but had only been observed in this engine.

"We've arrived at the conclusion that this is simply likely unit-to-unit variation," Bruno said. "The other engines, including the flight engines that are on rocket right now, are all very similar, and of that earlier family that did not have an extra 5 percent of output coming out of the main oxygen pump. Now we're satisfied, and we'll resume testing shortly with the other engine. That testing sequence will run about six weeks."

Between its commitment to fly 60 percent of the Space Force's missions in the next few years, and dozens of launches for Amazon's Project Kuiper megaconstellation, Vulcan has a lengthy manifest through the mid-2020s. "We have to ramp up," Bruno said. "Before the end of 2025 we expect to be really at a tempo, which is flying a couple of times a month, every two weeks." This would be an unprecedented cadence for ULA. However, Bruno said the company is making the investments needed in launch sites in Florida and California, as well as production factories, to meet this demand. (2/24)

2 Colorado Senators Desire a ‘Space National Guard’ (Source: KKTV)
Both of Colorado’s U.S. Senators show support for a new Space National Guard. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper both joined a bipartisan group that desires to introduce the Space National Guard Establishment Act. The bipartisan group is comprised of colleagues of both Bennet and Hickenlooper.

Although a plan has already been developed by the Department of the Air Force, it has yet to be established. This new bill would combine some members from the Air National Guard and Army National Guard. A designated National Guard for the Space Force would help clear any confusion within the organizations. Moreover, the responsibility of the new Guard would allow active duty members to transition to civilian life, as well as giving a designated location for funding. (2/24)

Private Company Gears Up to Launch Remains of Star Trek Actress (Source: Fox Weather)
The cremated remains of Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols will be one of more than 150 capsules aboard the inaugural Vulcan Centaur flight, which will launch the personal effects on an endless journey into space. Celestis, Inc., a Texas-based company, offers memorial flights that start at $2,995 and can cost customers $12,995 or more. Launching cremated remains into space is not a new mission, but sending them beyond the orbit of Earth and the moon has not been completed by a commercial company. (2/24)

Hip-Hop Travels to Space with "Pale Blue Dot" Released from ISS (Source: The Source)
Dr. Kamran Rashid Khan, also known as Lazarus, is ready to make world history by becoming the first music artist to debut his song from the International Space Station. Lazarus is a Detroit-based rapper who frequently toured with Wu-Tang Clan and a practicing physician who treated patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. He has now teamed up with Jim Green, who has served as NASA’s chief scientist for 42 years, to bring the first song in music to realistically and accurately describe space travel from the point of view of an astronaut. (2/24)

As Oman Launches Middle East’s First Spaceport: Is There a Regional Space Race? (Source: Doha News)
Oman intends to construct the first space rocket launch facility in the area this year. The National Aerospace Services Company (Nascom)of the Sultanate will be in charge of the three-year construction project for the Etlaq Space Launch Complex, which will be located in the port city of Duqm. The space rocket launch platform will be utilized to advance both academic study and global cooperation in the space industry. “We have two main goals with the Duqm launch land: to build a launch centre for commercial, professional and educational rocket users to assemble, test and launch from,” Nascom stated. (2/25)

VP Harris Meets with NSC Advisory Group (Source: Space Policy Online)
Vice President Kamala Harris met with members of the National Space Council Users’ Advisory Group yesterday. No big announcements emerged, but the space community is eagerly awaiting action by Harris on recommending what agency should be assigned “mission authorization” to regulate novel space activities, a topic of discussion at the UAG meeting earlier in the day.

The UAG provides advice to the National Space Council, which Harris chairs.  All Space Council members are government officials. The UAG brings a non-government perspective. Their meeting yesterday ended earlier than announced amid hints that members would participate in an important event afterwards. The White House did not reveal it was a meeting with Harris until after the event started. Last night, the White House released a summary and photos of the meeting. (2/24)

Bluetooth Fob Turns iPhones or Android Devices Into Two-Way Satellite Messengers (Source: The Verge)
Bullitt, the company that brought you rugged Cat-branded smartphones with thermal cameras, is stuffing trendy emergency-response satellite tech into a Motorola-branded Bluetooth keychain accessory. The new Motorola Defy Satellite Link can enable almost any smartphone to send and receive text messages in places lacking cellular signals. Qualcomm is also looking to stick similar tech into upcoming high-end Android devices later this year, but Bullitt and MediaTek say their devices will be the first ones you can buy that communicate in both directions. (2/24)

Massive 'Forbidden Planet' Orbits a Strangely Tiny Star Only 4 Tmes its Size (Source: Space.com)
Astronomers have discovered an unusual planetary system consisting of a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a tiny star that is only four times the size of the solar system gas giant. This "forbidden" configuration of a massive planet orbiting a relatively tiny star could challenge theories of how gas giant planets form. The extrasolar planet, or "exoplanet," orbits a red dwarf star designated TOI 5205 that is much cooler and smaller than the sun. The small size and relatively cool temperatures of these M-dwarf stars, the most common type of stellar body in the Milky Way, make them redder than the sun. (2/24)