March 27, 2023

Raising The Artemis Generation In Florida (Source: NASA Watch)
A school principal was fired and/or forced to quit in Florida after a lesson involved Michaelangelo’s nude statue of David. Apparently Florida is going to make all the nude images in history illegal to use in schools. FYI this image was sent to Interstellar space – FROM FLORIDA – TWICE. OMG what will those aliens think? This NASA.gov page points to an image of the plaque on the pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft. It is also here, and here and a million other places.

So Florida’s eventual website censors (you know that is coming following book banning) are going to be busy. NASA Administrator and former D-FL Senator Bill Nelson is a “Florida Man”. I am wondering why he has been so silent about this situation back home. If NASA truly supports the best possible dedication of resources toward the education of the “Artemis Generation” – and wants to have a safe work and living environment for all NASA and contractor employees and their families in Florida (and Texas, Alabama, etc.) then you’d think that Bill Nelson would say something. But he and Pam are in Australia and his Education Office is clueless. Just sayin’. (3/26)

An Explaination for Unusual Radar Signatures in the Outer Solar System (Source: Space Daily)
A study co-authored by Southwest Research Institute Senior Research Scientist Dr. Jason Hofgartner explains the unusual radar signatures of icy satellites orbiting Jupiter and Saturn. Their radar signatures, which differ significantly from those of rocky worlds and most ice on Earth, have long been a vexing question for the scientific community. "The way these objects scatter radar is drastically different than that of the rocky worlds, such as Mars and Earth, as well as smaller bodies such as asteroids and comets," said Dr. Jason Hofgartner.

The objects are also extremely bright, even in areas where they should be darker. "When you're at opposition, the Sun is positioned directly behind you on the line between you and an object, the surface appears much brighter than it would otherwise," Hofgartner said. "This is known as the opposition effect." An icy surface, Hofgartner explained, has an even stronger opposition effect than normal. For every scattering path of light bouncing through the ice, at opposition there is a path in the exact opposite direction. Because the two paths have precisely the same length, they combine coherently, resulting in further brightening. (3/27)

OQ Technology to Become World's Largest 5G NB-IoT LEO-Satellite Operator (Source: Space Daily)
OQ Technology, the world's first and only satellite operator of a 5G NB-IoT constellation, plans to grow its constellation from three to ten satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) this year. The move will turn the company into the largest 5G NB-IoT satellite operator in the world. The seven satellites that will be added to OQ Technology's constellation, are the previously announced "MACSAT" and "PHI-Demo" satellites and five additional 6U nanosatellites, Tiger-4 to Tiger-8, which the company has already ordered. Concluding the launch of the first batch, all remaining satellite launches are planned for this year with the final ones, pending launch conditions, to possibly go into orbit in early 2024. (3/24)

Kongsberg NanoAvionics to Build More 5G Narrowband-IoT Satellites for LEO Constellation (Source: Space Daily)
Smallsat mission integrator and bus manufacturer Kongsberg NanoAvionics (NanoAvionics) has received an order for three further satellites from 5G telecoms operator OQ Technology. They will be added to OQ Technology's existing constellation, turning the company into the largest 5G NB-IoT (narrowband Internet of things) satellite operator in the world. It is NanoAvionics's fourth contract with OQ Technology, having previously supplied Tiger-2, Tiger-3, and MACSAT missions. (3/24)

Dhruva and Kineis to Offer Satellite-Based Services (Source: Space Daily)
India-based full-stack space-engineering solutions provider Dhruva Space and France-based satellite operator and global connectivity provider Kineis have inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), marking a partnership where both companies will collaborate to establish space and ground infrastructure to scale the diversity and impact of satellite-based solutions.

With 9 satellites in orbit, Kineis' services are operational and providing global worldwide coverage today. Thanks to the launch of 25 satellites, Kineis expands and unlocks new services for new applications with its IoT satellite-based connectivity and develops a new product line to facilitate its integration. The new services include logistics and transport, smart agriculture, maritime, network and infrastructure and many other applications. (3/24)

Aerospace Giants Meet in Vietnam to Discuss Sales and Security (Source: Yahoo! Finance)
Over 50 U.S. companies, including aerospace firms such as Lockheed Martin (LMT) and SpaceX, are visiting Vietnam to discuss investment and sales opportunities in the country. The gathering is part of an annual trip put on by the US-ASEAN Business Council, an advocacy group for U.S. corporations operating in 10 Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam.

Andrew Chanin cited Vietnam as an example of how tricky international deals have become since the Ukraine war began. On one hand, Vietnam has heavily relied on Russia in the past for arms sales. On the other, Vietnam offers promising business opportunities for the U.S. and others – its economy grew 8% last year, according to The World Bank. Ultimately, Chanin argued that the United States should engage with Vietnam and other countries amid global tensions with countries like Russia and China. (3/22)

Lynk Selects Dawn Aerospace Propulsion Following an Extensive Industry Trade Study (Source: Space Daily)
Dawn Aerospace has been selected to provide satellite propulsion systems for Lynk, the world's leading satellite-direct-to-standard-phone telecoms company. The partnership will enable Lynk to enhance deployment, life extension, collision avoidance, and de-orbit capabilities as its satellite constellation of 'cell towers in space' grows.

Lynk, the only commercially licensed satellite-to-mobile service provider in the world, leads a global technology shift to provide uninterrupted cellular connectivity across the globe through its Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation. For Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and IoT providers, Lynk's technology will eliminate cellular dead zones in the most remote areas of Earth and deliver ubiquitous service during natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods. (3/24)

Infliation and Demand Driving Up Launch Prices (Source: Space News)
Inflation and high demand are driving up launch prices, industry officials said at a recent conference. Launch customers said at Satellite 2023 they are seeing higher prices in the last year, which they attributed at least in part to growing demand amid limited supply of vehicles as well as inflation. SpaceX raised its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch prices by 8% a year ago, and earlier this year hiked prices for its rideshare services for the second time in 12 months. Customers expect continued near-term price increases, but hope that competition from new vehicles can cause prices to decline. (3/27)

ABL Wins $60 Million DoD Contract for Responsive Launch Demonstration (Source: Space News)
ABL Space Systems won a $60 million contract from the military for demonstrations of tactically responsive space. The strategic funding increase, or STRATFI, award from the U.S. Air Force and Space Force announced Friday includes matching funding from private investors. ABL says the award will demonstrate "operational flexibility for low-cost launches supporting tactically responsive space" using its RS1 launch vehicle. That rocket malfunctioned on its inaugural launch in January. (3/27)

Rocket Lab Sets Mission Turnaround Record With BlackSky Launch (Source: Via Satellite)
Rocket Lab set a new record for turnaround time between missions after it launched two Electron missions seven days apart from two different hemispheres. Rocket Lab completed a successful mission for customer BlackSky late Friday night in New Zealand, launching an Electron rocket at 10:14 p.m. local time, 5:14 a.m. EDT. This mission was seven days after the company’s second launch from its new launch complex in Virginia. (3/24)

India Launches OneWeb Satellites (Source: BBC)
An Indian rocket launched a set of OneWeb satellites Saturday night that effectively completes that company's constellation. The GSLV Mark 3 rocket, also known LVM3, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 11:30 p.m. Eastern carrying 36 satellites. All 36 satellites were successfully deployed and are operational, OneWeb said. With the launch the company now has 618 satellites in orbit, with 588 needed for global coverage. It will take several months to get the satellites into their final orbits and begin service, with OneWeb planning to roll out global coverage by the end of the year. OneWeb will launch several additional spare satellites later this year. (3/27)

Remote Sensing Companies Diversify (Source: Space News)
Remote sensing companies best known for optical imagery are looking to expand into other sectors. Companies such as BlackSky, Maxar and Planet are now moving into novel sensor phenomenologies such as radar, radio frequency and hyperspectral in response to growing demand for more intricate multi-sensor intelligence.  Maxar announced a deal in February with radar imaging company Umbra and earlier this month unveiled a new "RF Solutions" business line, while BlackSky and Planet recently won NRO study contracts for hyperspectral imagery. (3/27)

SPAC Companies Spire and Momentus Threatened with NASDAQ and NYSE De-Listing (Source: CNBC)
Two space companies that went public in SPAC deals received delisting warnings Friday. Spire, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange, and Momentus, which trades on Nasdaq, were given the warnings because their share prices had fallen below $1. Each company has six months to get their share prices above $1 or risk being delisted from the exchanges. Both companies went public in mid-2021 through mergers with SPACs. Astra, another space SPAC, received a similar notice last fall and is awaiting Nasdaq's ruling on an extension. (3/27)

Dutch Joint Venture FSO Instruments Targets the Lasercom Market (Source: Via Satellite)
A trio of Dutch organizations are working together to target the laser communications market in the satellite industry. Technology developers Demcon and VDL Group formed a joint venture this month called FSO Instruments to produce laser satellite communication technology. This builds on technology developed by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, known as TNO. 

TNO has developed and built optical instrumentation for space use, particularly for astronomy and Earth observation. TNO recently signed a deal with Sidus Space to deploy its HemiCAT miniature laser communications terminal on a Sidus LizzieSat satellite for an in-orbit demonstration mission. TNO announced March 22 that it signed Raytheon Missiles & Defense (RMD) and AAC Hyperion, part of AAC Clyde Space, as a partner for the project. (3/22)

Canada Extends ISS Commitment to 2030 (Source: Space News)
The Canadian government formally agreed Friday to extend its participation in the International Space Station through 2030. The announcement came as part of a U.S.-Canada summit meeting in Ottawa that also highlighted Canada's role in the lunar Gateway and the upcoming selection of a Canadian astronaut for the Artemis 2 mission. Canada joins Europe and Japan in agreeing to American plans to extend the ISS to 2030. Russia has not committed to that extension but Roscosmos officials did recently endorse a proposal to remain on the ISS to 2028. (3/27)

Russia: ISS Crewmembers to Remain Onboard Until September (Source: TASS)
Roscosmos said Friday the current Soyuz crew on the ISS will remain there until September. Roscosmos confirmed earlier plans to have Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin and Frank Rubio remain on the station until September, returning after the launch of a new crew on Soyuz MS-24. They were to return this month but damage to their Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft prompted the launch of a replacement Soyuz spacecraft, Soyuz MS-23, without a crew in February. Soyuz MS-22 is scheduled to undock and return to Earth uncrewed early Tuesday. (3/27)

UAE Backs Out of Chinese Lunar Lander Collaboration (Source: Space News)
The United Arab Emirates has backed out of an agreement to fly a rover on a Chinese lunar lander. According to a report, the UAE cited the U.S. government's International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR, as the reason for not flying its Rashid 2 rover on the Chang'e-7 lander mission later this decade. The two countries announced an agreement last September to include the 10-kilogram rover on that mission. The development, if confirmed, would be a blow to China's efforts to attract partners for its lunar exploration plans. (3/27)

NASA's Dragonfly Mission to Titan Passes Review (Source: NASA)
A NASA mission to Saturn's moon Titan passed a major review. The agency said the Dragonfly mission passed its preliminary design review earlier this month, allowing the mission to proceed into its next phase of development. The mission, scheduled for launch in 2027, will send a nuclear-powered rotorcraft to Saturn's largest moon, flying through its dense atmosphere to study the moon and look for any biosignatures. (3/27)

Air Force CROWS Wants to Expand Cyber Defenses Within Space Force (Source: C4ISRnet)
A U.S. Air Force office focused on making sure aircraft and weapon systems are hardened against cyber intrusions wants to expand its reach within the Space Force. The Cyber Resiliency Office for Weapon Systems, also known as CROWS, works with acquisition and testing teams to make sure old and new platforms are protected against cyber threats. The organization established Cyber Focus Teams to do this work within Air Force program executive offices and wants to replicate that work within the Space Force. (3/24)

ShuttleFest II Planned in Titusville on April 15 (Source: American Space Museum)
The American Space Museum will host ShuttleFest II on Saturday, April 15 from 9 am to 5 pm at Hyatt Place Titusville, highlighted with the screening of the documentary “Base to Space: Mobile Launch Platform 2.” ShuttleFest II will feature panel discussions on “The Shuttle’s 30 Year Legacy” and “Space Art: The Past Reflects the Future,” as well as several presenters on the making of the documentary and construction of the Mobile Launch Platform 2 (MLB-2). (3/25)