March 7, 2023

Cross-Domain Lessons for Space Traffic Management (Source: Rand)
In this report, the authors examine the issue of space traffic management (STM) and the significant challenge that it poses to spacefaring nations, operators, stakeholders, and all who rely on critical space services and benefits. The ability to maneuver safely in space is at significant risk from increasing levels of space debris and increasing satellite congestion. These risks compound existing spectrum limits for satellite communications and decrease the number of orbits into which satellites and other objects can be placed.

STM is essential to avoid interference and collision. Yet the international community lacks both an agreed-upon STM governance framework and a dedicated coordination mechanism to resolve these risks and limitations. In this report, the authors examine the treaty-based governance systems from both the air and maritime domains as potential models for space and offer key insights from each that may serve as building blocks for an international STM system. Click here. (3/6)

The Small Launch Industry is Brutal—Yes, Even More Than You Thought (Source: Ars Technica)
One of the most honest moments in a new book, When the Heavens Went on Sale, comes during a discussion between two aerospace technicians working at the rocket company Astra in December 2018. On a Sunday, Les Martin and Matt Flanagan were watching football inside an RV parked at Astra's facilities near Oakland, California.

Martin in particular had a lot of experience at launch companies, having worked primarily on test stands for SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Firefly Space, and now Astra. The two were discussing the challenges of the launch industry and musing about how any company ever made money launching rockets. Click here. (3/6)

Elementary School Students Discover EpiPens Turn Extremely Poisonous In Space (Source: IFL Science)
Children from the St. Brother André Elementary School’s Program for Gifted Learners have discovered something that NASA didn't know, but probably should look into: EpiPens turn toxic in space. The students, aged 9-12, designed an experiment to send EpiPens to space, to test the effect of cosmic radiation on epinephrine, the hormone inside EpiPens used to treat severe allergic reactions.

The project was then selected by NASA as part of the Cubes In Space Project, and they had their chance to launch epinephrine samples into space courtesy of the US space organization. One "cube" containing the samples was sent up in a rocket, while another made its way to the edge of space in a high-altitude balloon.

When the samples were returned, they were analyzed at the John Holmes Mass Spectrometry Core Facility at the University of Ottawa. They found that the epinephrine was now only 87 percent pure. The other 13 percent had been transformed into "extremely poisonous" benzoic acid derivatives, according to the University of Ottawa. (3/2)

‘Everyone Should Be Concerned’: Antarctic Sea Ice Reaches Lowest Levels Ever Recorded (Source: The Guardian)
With the continent holding enough ice to raise sea levels by many meters if it was to melt, polar scientists are scrambling for answers. For 44 years, satellites have helped scientists track how much ice is floating on the ocean around Antarctica’s 18,000km coastline. The continent’s fringing waters witness a massive shift each year, with sea ice peaking at about 18m sq km each September before dropping to just above 2m sq km by February.

But across those four decades of satellite observations, there has never been less ice around the continent than there was last week. “We are seeing less ice everywhere. It’s a circumpolar event.” In the southern hemisphere summer of 2022, the amount of sea ice dropped to 1.92m sq km on 25 February – an all-time low based on satellite observations that started in 1979. (3/4)

Japan's H3 Fails on First Launch Attempt (Source: Space News)
Japan's H3 rocket failed in its first launch Monday night. The rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center at 8:37 p.m. Eastern, and the vehicle's first stage, along with two solid-fuel boosters, appeared to perform as planned. However, controllers were unable to confirm that the rocket's second-stage engine ignited as telemetry showed the vehicle losing speed.

Those controllers later sent a destruct signal to the rocket. Neither the Japanese space agency JAXA or vehicle manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries provided additional details about the failure. Japan's science minister said her ministry will work with JAXA to investigate the failure "as promptly and thoroughly as possible." The H3 is Japan's next-generation launch vehicle, intended to replace the existing H-2A at a much lower cost per launch. (3/7)

DoD Institutional and Cultural Barriers Impede Work with Startups (Source: Space News)
Despite progress in some areas, like launch, the Defense Department needs to improve how it works with startups. Many emerging technologies from startups don't stand much of a chance to be part of a DoD program due to institutional and cultural barriers, said Jordan Noone, co-founder and general partner of Embedded Ventures, in an interview.

He cited ingrained barriers in the military procurement system as obstacles that make it difficult for companies to offer innovative technologies to the military despite efforts to create DoD organizations intended to work with startups. These entities, he said, mentor startups and fund research and development projects but are disconnected from the Space Systems Command's procurement offices that manage major programs. (3/7)

Ukraine Space Agency Disagrees with Vega Launch Failure Investigation (Source: Space News)
Ukraine's space agency criticized the findings of an investigation into the failed Vega C launch. That investigation, released last Friday, concluded that the launch failed because of a component from a Ukrainian company that will no longer be used on the rocket. In a statement Monday, the State Space Agency of Ukraine argued that conclusion was "premature" and that European investigators failed to incorporate other potential factors suggested by Ukrainian experts involved in the investigation.

The agency said it believed the investigation "casts a shadow over the reputation of the space industry of Ukraine." ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said the investigation was not intended to place blame for the failure on Ukraine or impugn the country's space industry. (3/7)

NASA JPL Making Progress on Institutional Fixes (Source: Space News)
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is making progress on recommendations from an independent review that found institutional problems with the lab. At a committee meeting last week, JPL Director Laurie Leshin said the lab was working on issues like management and workforce raised by the review, which NASA commissioned after the delay in the launch of the Psyche mission. That included having more people work on site rather than remotely, and bringing back employees who had left JPL to work in industry. Psyche remains on schedule for its new launch date of October 2023. (3/7)

Markup Planned for Space-Related Bills (Source: House Energy and Commerce Committee)
The House Energy and Commerce Committee has scheduled a markup session Wednesday for several space-related bills. The session includes two bipartisan bills seeking to modernize the FCC's satellite licensing rules, the Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act and Secure Space Act. Those bills address foreign ownership, space sustainability, license processing timelines and spectrum sharing. Other space-focused bills in the session include the Precision Agriculture Satellite Connectivity Act and the Launch Communications Act. (3/7)

SiriusXM Cuts Workforce (Source: CNBC)
Satellite radio company SiriusXM is cutting 8% of its workforce. The company said Monday is was laying off about 475 people, citing the "uncertain economic environment" and a need to restructure the business. The cuts will come across the company, executives said. (3/7)

NASA's IBEX Spacecraft Back in Operation After Reset (Source: NASA)
A NASA space science spacecraft is back to normal after a computer reset. NASA said Monday that controllers sent a "firecode reset" command to the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) last week after the spacecraft stopped responding to other commands. The reset worked, and the spacecraft is now fully operational. IBEX launched in 2008 and operates in a high Earth orbit to study the boundary of interstellar space. (3/7)

UK Space Agency Picks 8 Projects for $1.9 Million in Grants (Source: UK Space Agency)
The U.K. Space Agency is funding several advanced technology projects by universities and companies. Eight projects received a combined $1.9 million in the funding round announced Tuesday by the agency to work on various advanced technologies to support space exploration. The projects range from in situ resource utilization technologies for Mars to nuclear power and propulsion systems. (3/7)

DoD Scrubs Planned Hypersonic Missile Test at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Florida Today)
The Defense Department confirmed Monday it had planned to conduct a hypersonic missile test from Cape Canaveral last weekend. Various activities and notices, like airspace and marine restrictions, suggested a launch would take place from the Cape on Sunday, although there were no orbital launches scheduled. The Pentagon said Monday it had planned to conduct the test of the hypersonic vehicle on Sunday but scrubbed it because of unspecified issues during prelaunch tests. No new date has been announced for the test. (3/7)

Maritime Launch, EverWind Agree on Green Liquid Oxygen and Other Products for Spaceport (Source: EverWind)
Two Nova Scotia based companies developing world leading projects – EverWind Fuels' green hydrogen project in Point Tupper and Maritime Launch Services Inc.'s Spaceport Nova Scotia near Canso, are working on a green liquid oxygen supply agreement that will further solidify both companies' sector-specific leadership positions and strengthen each party's positive impact on the local economy and environment. (3/7)

Andreessen Horowitz-Backed Satellite Company Prepares Its First Launch (Source: Bloomberg)
In the middle of the night last week, geostationary satellite startup Astranis Space Technology Corp. dispatched its first product from its San Francisco headquarters on a cross-country road trip to Cape Canaveral, Florida. Astranis is one of the largest satellite startups in the US by valuation — $1.4 billion in its latest funding round — and is among a small number of players aiming to operate in the harsh conditions outside the earth’s atmosphere. It’s also the first company to be backed by VC firm Andreessen Horowitz in the growing private space industry. (3/6)

China Plans Robotic Spacecraft to Collect Samples From Asteroid (Source: Space Daily)
The Chinese government has approved a plan to send a robotic spacecraft to collect samples from an asteroid, according to the China National Space Administration's Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center. The mission, called Tianwen 2, is designed to launch a probe to obtain samples from the 2016 HO3, the smallest and closest "quasi-satellite" to Earth, and bring them back. After accomplishing this goal, the main part of the craft will continue to fly toward a main-belt comet to explore it. (3/6)

First Ever Canadian Lunar Rover Will Hunt for Water Ice on the Moon (Source: Space Daily)
The first ever Canadian rover to set wheels on the moon is currently under construction for a mission set to launch as early as 2026. The rover will explore the south polar region of the moon in a search for water ice in the lunar soil. Rovers are simply "mobile robotic vehicles that allow us to explore the surfaces of other planets," explains Chris Herd, a professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and one of the scientific investigators involved in the mission.

The contract for the mission was awarded to Canadensys Aerospace Corporation, by the Canadian Space Agency and involves NASA, several industry partners and academic researchers including Herd brought aboard to share their expertise. The lunar rover will weigh about 30 kilograms and will take along six scientific payloads designed to gather data, five of which are Canadian. (3/6)

University Teams Forge Forward in NASA Moon Metal Production Challenge (Source: Space Daily)
Seven university teams were selected to develop concepts supporting metal production on the Moon in NASA's 2023 annual Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing (BIG) Idea Challenge: Lunar Forge. The awards total about $1.1 million, with values between $120,000 and $180,000 based on each team's proposed concept. The challenge is a unique collaboration between NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate's (STMD) Game Changing Development (GCD) program and NASA's Office of STEM Engagement Space Grant Project. Click here. (3/6)

NASA Seeks Commercial Near Space Network Services (Source: Space Daily)
The Near Space Network provides missions within 2 million kilometers (1.2 million miles) of Earth with robust communications and navigation services. Using a blend of government and commercial assets, the network supports science, human spaceflight, and technology demonstration missions exploring our planet, the Moon, and beyond. In February 2023, NASA issued the Near Space Network Services request for proposal (RFP) seeking relay and direct-to-Earth service providers for integration into the network's expanding portfolio.

These services include relays, either near-Earth or at the Moon, that will allow missions without a direct connection to send critical data back to Earth. The RFP is also seeking direct-to-Earth services, which allows spacecraft to communicate with a ground station on Earth rather than a relay. Both modes of transmission allow for essential science, telemetry, and tracking data to reach Earth for investigation and discovery. (3/5)

Failure of Virgin Orbit Satellite Has Distracted Investors From 'Real Gold' in Britain's Space Industry (Source: This Is Money)
The failure of the Virgin Orbit satellite has distracted investors from the 'real gold' in Britain's space industry, a major fund manager has warned. Mark Boggett, who runs London-listed Seraphim Space, said bosses should focus on boosting home-grown space talent – rather than high-profile industry setbacks. (3/5)

Virgin Galactic to Renew Spaceplane Flights (Source: Voice of America)
Virgin Galactic has completed improvements to its VSS Unity spaceplane. The company plans to restart a passenger flight program this year, the company said. Virgin Galactic suspended flights of the Unity and its carrier plane, the VMS Eve, in 2021 to work on the craft. The VSS Unity launches from the surface of the Eve after that plane carries the spacecraft up. The company hopes to do monthly flights after that to serve the 800 customers who have already purchased trips on the spaceplane. In February, Galactic re-opened ticket sales to the public. The cost of a flight is about $450,000 per person. (3/5)

Australia and East Asia in Space (Source: The Interpreter)
The global trend indicates that risk-taking and hyper-entrepreneurial New Space (private Space industry) entities are likely to be the leaders in the next phase of the Space race. If Australia is to become a significant player in the second Space race, it must continue to bolster its relationships with partners in the Indo-Pacific so that it can renew and strengthen ties with East Asia to realise its ambitions in Space. Click here. (3/6)

Nail Polish Company Brings NASA Missions to Your Fingertips (Source: CollectSpace)
A new line of limited edition nail polishes aims at putting some of NASA's greatest missions not only at, but on your fingertips. ORLY, a Los Angeles-based nail care brand, has introduced a new collection of space-themed lacquers and wrap sets that celebrate the past, present and future of space exploration. (3/5)

Space Travel Can Solve World’s ‘Grand Challenges’, Astronaut Declares (Source: The Herald)
We live in a world that appears to be more divided than it has for many decades, but if everyone had the chance to view earth from space, people would perhaps see we are more connected than we realize. Anousheh Ansari is one of the few people who have been able to view the world from space, having undertaken an 11-day expedition in 2006. She declared the voyage was “life changing” and left her in no doubt that the problems facing the world can only be solved when there is unity of purpose between nations. Click here. (3/5)

Redwire’s Roll-Out Solar Arrays To Enable Lunar Power Infrastructure For Astrobotic VSAT Program (Source: RedWire)
Jacksonville-based Redwire Corp. announced that its Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) technology is being used by Astrobotic Technology for its Lunar Vertical Solar Array (VSAT) program. Astrobotic was awarded a contract from NASA in 2021 to create initial designs for vertical solar array technologies and a follow-on contract in 2022 to further advance VSAT systems.

To help provide power for the various activities on the lunar surface as part of the Artemis program and beyond, NASA requires vertical solar arrays that can autonomously deploy at least 32 feet high and retract for relocation if necessary. Through VSAT, ROSA will be a key enabler of sustainable and reliable power to support critical lunar surface activities and infrastructure, including lunar habitats, rovers, and construction systems. (3/1)

North Korea Develops New Rocket Engine (Source: TASS)
North Korean engineers achieved success in development of a powerful engine for a carrier rocket, which will allow the country to launch various satellites, DPRK National Aerospace Development Administration Deputy Director Pak Kyong-Su said. "DPRK achieved total success in develop high-power rocket engine, designed to take a carrier rocket into space, which makes it possible to guarantee launch of various satellites to their relevant orbits," the official said. He also said that DPRK managed to make its satellites multi-purpose and highly efficient. (3/6)