February 27, 2023

Company Proposes Sea-Based Launch Platforms to Ease Congestion at Traditional Spaceports (Source: Space News)
A startup is proposing to develop sea-based platforms for launches to ease congestion at traditional launch sites. The Spaceport Company says its platforms can host small launch vehicles and operate up and down the East Coast. Such platforms, it argues, would be simpler to develop and operate than trying to build traditional launch pads, which often face significant environmental and regulatory obstacles. The company has a memorandum of understanding with Virginia Space to explore the use of such platforms to augment launch sites at Wallops Island and plans to announce relationships with launch providers in the near future. (2/27)

Problems with NASAs IBEX Spacecraft (Source: NASA)
A NASA space science mission is malfunctioning. NASA said Friday that the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft went into "contingency mode" on Feb. 18 when the flight computer reset. While the computer has undergone resets before, after this one controllers lost the ability to command the spacecraft, although the spacecraft itself appears to be functional. If engineers can't restore normal operations on their own, the spacecraft will perform an autonomous reset and power cycle on March 4. IBEX launched in 2008 and has been in an extended mission since 2011, studying the boundary of heliosphere from a high Earth orbit. (2/27)

China's Megaconstellation Could "Supress" Starlink Service (Source: South China Morning Post)
Chinese officials say the country's proposed megaconstellation could include features to "suppress" Starlink satellites. In a paper published in a Chinese journal this month, a team led by Xu Can of the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) Space Engineering University claimed that the nearly 13,000-satellite Guowang constellation could include satellites with payloads designed for "close-range, long-term surveillance of Starlink satellites" and that constellation would use orbits that would allow it to "suppress Starlink". The paper also claimed that Starlink satellites could maneuver "to actively hit and destroy nearby targets in space," a claim offered without any data to support it. (2/27)

NASA Just Found a New Type of Ancient Asteroid Loaded with Water (Source: Mashable)
Scientists have identified a new type of large, dark space rock in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter that is flush with water. This asteroid group has striking similarities to Ceres, the only dwarf planet within the inner part of the solar system, known for being chock-full of H2O. But these asteroids — though relatively close to Ceres — are orbiting farther out in the belt than their much larger sibling.

The discovery, made with measurements taken at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii, adds to the mounting evidence indicating asteroids in the main belt migrated there from a cold nether region, perhaps beyond the orbit of Neptune or Pluto. Such clues suggest the massive gravity of giant planets in the primitive solar system changed their travel plans, nudging the asteroids to their present location, relatively closer to the sun. (2/25)

CisLunar Industries and Partners Awarded $1.7M Contract by the U.S. Space Force (Source: SpaceWatch Global)
CisLunar Industries alongside partners Astroscale U.S., Colorado State University, and another yet to be named, have been awarded a $1.7M Direct-to-Phase II SBIR contract by SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force (USSF). This newly funded collaboration project directly addresses the Space Force’s desire to make space operations more resilient. The project will focus on a circular propulsion ecosystem based on the ability to recycle metal in space to enable enhanced satellite mobility.

The consortium of Colorado-based organizations will work together to move the project from concept to execution, including developing the propellant rods and delivery systems, and generating market demand. “This contract demonstrates a commitment to building a foundation for long-term success in space by addressing one of the most limiting factors for space platforms: the quantity of propellant on board needed for orbital manoeuvring,” says Gary Calnan of CisLunar Industries.

These Direct-to-Phase II SBIR awards come through Orbital Prime, a SpaceWERX Prime line of business that is part of a greater effort to create partnerships with companies working in the nascent space industry. Orbital Prime’s focus is on accelerating capabilities related to In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM). (2/24)

Launch Complex 14 Like You Have Never Seen It Before (Source: YouTube, Randy Coppola)
Recovered from a restoration commemorative, these lost photos show the renowned Launch Complex 14 from Cape Canaveral's ICBM Road.  Classic daily life photos from a time when this was the cutting edge of the Space Race! Click here. (2/26)

Celestis Flight to Carry Cremains Honoring David and Liliane Webb (Source: Celestis)
United Launch Alliance announced that the launch of their Vulcan rocket’s first mission, that includes the Enterprise Flight for Celestis, is targeted to be May 4, 2023 with a launch window of 4 days. The launch will occur from Launch Complex 41 (LC-41) at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The Enterprise Flight carries the capsule honoring David Webb and Liliane Webb and the lives of 195 other participants from US as well as Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Korea, Japan, New Zealand and UK. Also aboard is the Celestis MindFiles -- archives of messages and photos -- and the Celestis DNA -- genetical genome archive -- from people all over the world.

Editor's Note: David Webb lived the end of his lifetime in Central Florida. He was by Buzz Aldrin to serve as founding full professor and chairman of the Department of Space Studies, Center for Aerospace Sciences, University of North Dakota.[2] There, Webb created and established the world's first interdisciplinary graduate degree program in Space Studies. His work with non-profit organizations includes The Webb Vocational Institute, Florida and California Space Grant Consortia, Florida Space Research Foundation, Astronauts Memorial Foundation, Space Studies Institute, National Space Society, U.S. Space Foundation, Mid-West Space Development Corporation, and others. (2/26)

New Chinese Commercial Spaceport to Host First Launch Next Year (Source: Space News)
A launch tower for commercial launches will be completed by the end of the year near China’s coastal Wenchang spaceport and begin hosting regular missions in 2024. Construction and commissioning of the first launch station at Hainan Commercial Launch Site will be completed by the end of this year, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) stated Jan. 29.

Construction began in July 2022 and the facility will include service structures, launch pads, water spray systems, lightning protection towers, and rocket transfer equipment. The first launch will likely be of a Long March 8 rocket developed by CASC for commercial missions and rideshares. A second pad is also planned for Hainan Commercial Launch Site, located on the southern island province of Hainan. Together the new launch facilities are expected to be able to host launch vehicles powered by fuels including kerosene, methane and more. (2/24)

Technical Glitch Delays ISS Crew Launch (Source: Space News)
The launch of a new crew to the ISS was halted by a last-minute technical issue. Controllers called off the Crew-6 launch about two and a half minutes before the scheduled 1:45 a.m. liftoff after detecting an issue with the system that supplies TEA-TEB, a chemical used to ignite the Falcon 9's engines. SpaceX noted it was a ground system problem and not an issue with the Falcon 9 itself. The problem does not appear to affect two other Falcon 9 launches of Starlink satellites scheduled for later Monday. With poor weather forecast for Tuesday and an unfavorable trajectory Wednesday, the next launch opportunity for Crew-6 is Thursday. The mission is transporting four new crewmembers from NASA, Roscosmos and the UAE to the station for a six-month stay. (2/27)

Soyuz Replacement Capsule Arrives at ISS (Source: Space News)
A replacement Soyuz spacecraft arrived at the ISS Saturday night. The Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft, launched late Thursday without a crew, docked with the station's Poisk module at 7:58 p.m. Eastern. Soyuz MS-23 will replace the damaged Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, which experienced a coolant leak in December. Soyuz MS-22 will undock and return to Earth without a crew in March. (2/27)

Space Force Holds Meetings with Launch Companies for New Procurement (Source: Space News)
U.S. Space Force officials will meet with industry this week about a new national security space launch procurement. The meetings in Los Angeles will discuss the first draft request for proposals for the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 procurement, released earlier this month. The procurement covers up to 70 missions from 2025 to 2034 split into two groups. A traditional "Lane 2" features 40 launches of demanding missions that will be split 60-40 between two companies.

The new "Lane 1" will include up to 30 launches that provide opportunities for new entrants whose vehicles are not certified for all the requirements of Lane 2. The Space Development Agency, which is developing constellations of low Earth orbit satellites, could be a customer of those Lane 1 launches, Space Force officials said. A second draft RFP is scheduled for release in May followed by the final version in the summer, with awards in the summer of 2024. (2/27)

Space Council User Group Meets (Source: Space News)
The first meeting of the new membership of the National Space Council's advisory committee focused on commercial space issues. The meeting last week of the Users' Advisory Group (UAG) heard testimony from government officials, many of whom mentioned opportunities and challenges posed by the growing commercial space industry. Several of the UAG's subcommittees will focus on those issues in the coming months. The meeting was the first since the White House announced a new roster of members for the UAG in December. (2/27)

China's Lunar Lander Aims to Put Astronauts on Moon Before Decade's End (Source: Space News)
China unveiled a concept for a lunar lander it hopes will put astronauts on the moon around the end of the decade. The model of the lander, put on display last week in a Beijing museum, shows a staged descent concept with a propulsion stage that would lower the spacecraft most of the way to the surface before jettisoning. The lander segment then touches down and also serves as the ascent stage. The lander is part of a series of spacecraft and launch vehicles under development designed for crewed landings on the moon by the end of the decade. China's crewed lunar landing plan is not formally approved by the Chinese government, but this is likely as its time frame is beyond the scope of the current national five-year plan. (2/27)

The Unbelievable NASA Space Shuttle Designed To Carry 86 Astronauts At Once (Source: Slash Gear)
In considering the future of exploration to the Moon and beyond — Mars, perhaps? — it's worth thinking about how NASA will move all of the people and gear that will brave that great beyond. One option may be to look backward at a shuttle design that was intended for high capacity people movement (with a maximum capacity of 86).

An early draft of the space shuttle from the 1970s would have looked a lot more like a bus or airplane than the finished product that eventually flew 135 total missions before landing for the final time in July 2011. The design is both intriguing and a potential starting point for the future of human spaceflight. Click here. (2/25)

Investing in Space: Texts From Orbit (Source: CNBC)
Satellite communications are in a new era of disruption, and “direct to device” has become one of the hottest topics in the past year. So I caught up with Lynk CEO Chris Miller to have him explain the significance of a text message sent by a Lynk team in an area outside of D.C. that has no cell coverage. “I asked them to send that text message from one of our phones,” Miller said. “It’s using a SIM card that our satellite recognizes as being a paid subscriber.”

What Lynk is doing – and Miller argues that his company is the world leader in the satellite direct to device market – is nothing short of revolutionary. The satellites act like cell towers in space, connecting to devices on the ground in areas where there is limited or no service. They’re part of a technology shift, in which satellite companies partner with terrestrial mobile network operators (MNOs) and device makers to fill in the coverage gaps across the Earth. So far, the satellite operators of Globalstar, Iridium, SpaceX, and AST SpaceMobile are also chasing this untapped market.

In Miller’s view, Lynk has a head start. The company has flown five test satellites since 2018 and has three operational satellites in orbit. It plans on “launching many more this year” and has an eventual goal of up to 5,000 satellites in orbit. Lynk plans to roll out commercial service this spring. Miller says Lynk’s tech allows its satellites “to connect to every type of mobile phone on Earth.” ... “We’re years ahead of everybody else. There are lots of companies hyping what they’re going to do years from now, but we’re doing it today,” Miller said. (2/23)

Study: Texas Leads Nation for Aerospace (Source: Houston Business Journal)
Texas continues to make its mark in defense and aerospace with a new study naming it the top state in the nation to invest in the sector. In its ninth year, the index report of the national and international aerospace and defense markets carried out by the international professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, or PwC, determined that Texas was the most inviting state in the nation for such activity, followed by Georgia and North Carolina at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. The report has listed the Lone Star State in the top spot for the past two consecutive years.

With more than 138,000 professionals in the fields at more than 1,800 installations across the state operated by 18 of the world’s top 20 aerospace manufacturers, Texas was found to be best equipped foster defense and aerospace growth. In addition to being a key state for SpaceX and Blue Origin missions, Texas also has two FAA-licensed spaceports — the Houston Spaceport and the Midland International Air and Space Port — not to mention NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. JSC now has an annual budget of $5.56 billion and more than 90 active agreements in place with all branches of the U.S. armed forces. The $1.5 billion complex sits on 1,620 acres in Clear Lake and has over 11,000 employees and contractors.

Austin is headquarters to the U.S. Army Futures Command, a key research hub for the military that employs more than 26,000 personnel worldwide, working on integrating more technology into the military branch. Houston is home to companies such as Axiom Space, which is working with SpaceX to send private missions to the ISS, and Intuitive Machines Inc. Collins Aerospace, a division of Raytheon Technologies, opened its own facility in Houston last year. The review also determined that Texas ranks third in the nation in aerospace product and part manufacturing firms and second in exports, valued at $8.4 billion in 2022. (2/22)

Egypt Launches Horus 1 Satellite for Remote Sensing from China (Source: Egypt Independent)
The CEO of the Egyptian Space Agency (EgSA), Sherif Sedky, announced that Egypt has successfully launched the “Horus 1” satellite from the launch base in northwest China. The satellite was built under strategic cooperation between Egypt and China. “(The) Horus 1 satellite is the beginning of a group of remote sensing satellites, and it is being developed through the full participation of a team of Egyptian and Chinese experts, to localize satellite manufacturing technology.” (2/25)