March 8, 2023

UK SaxaVord Spaceport’s ‘Clean Room’ Facility Set to Provide ‘Unrivalled Capability’ (Source: Shetland Times)
SaxaVord is developing a satellite payload processing facility (PPF) – to give it the “commercial edge” in the space sector. The PPF, which is being developed with space engineering specialists Plastron UK, will include two “clean rooms” and an airlock. It will allow SaxaVord to host a wider range of satellites by providing enhanced “hazardous handling capabilities” for space hardware.

SaxaVord’ deputy chief executive Scott Hammond said the cleanrooms will give the spaceport “unrivalled capability” to host satellites of up to 1,000kg. “No other spaceport will have this capability,” he added. “This means we can host a multitude of different satellite sizes and that we are not restricted in our offering to the industry. (3/7)

H-3 Failure Could Deal Setback for Japan’s Entire Space Policy (Source: Asahi Shimbun)
The H-3 rocket was billed as a future pillar of Japan’s space business that would help to cement the nation’s footing in the international competition for space exploration. But now, it could take years for such lofty expectations to return. The failure came as a shock for the government. The science and technology ministry, which had insisted that the first launch on Feb. 17 was “aborted,” not “failed,” decided to set up a task force one hour after the failure on March 7.

According to the Basic Plan on Space Policy compiled by the government at the end of 2022, the first H-3 rocket will be successfully launched within the fiscal year that ends this month. After conducting one test launch in fiscal 2023, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., which co-developed the H-3 rocket, will shift to practical operations from fiscal 2024, according to the policy. The H-3 rocket has been tapped for JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) and sending resupplies to the International Space Station on the new HTV-X cargo spacecraft.

In addition, H-3 is expected to deliver supplies in the U.S.-led Artemis lunar exploration program. “If (the failure) is attributed to complicated technical problems, it could take years before the next launch,” Yasunori Matogawa, professor emeritus of JAXA, said. “That would affect the future of MMX and delay (H-3’s) entry into the Artemis program.” (3/8)

NASA Studying Unexpected Performance of Orion’s Heat Shield Ahead of Crew Mission (Source: Ars Technica)
About three months have passed since NASA's Orion spacecraft splashed down into the Pacific Ocean after a flight beyond the Moon and back. At the time, the space agency said the Artemis I mission had successfully met its goals and paved the way for humans to follow suit.

This week, after carefully reviewing data from that Artemis I mission since splashdown, space agency officials reiterated that although there were a few minor issues with the flight, overall it bolstered confidence. As a result NASA's chief of human exploration for deep space, Jim Free, said the agency is targeting "late November" of 2024 for the Artemis II mission.

During this flight, four astronauts—likely including a Canadian—will spend a little more than a week in deep space. After checking out the performance of Orion in low-Earth orbit, the spacecraft will fly into what is known as a "free return trajectory" around the Moon, which will bring them as close as 7,500 km to the surface of the Moon before swinging back. (3/8)

Rocket Lab ‘Very Happy’ with Space Force Plan to Procure Launch Services (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab’s chief executive Peter Beck is candid about his company’s role in reshaping the U.S. government’s approach to buying launch services. “We’re very happy with the outcome,” Beck says of the recent draft solicitation for the next round of national security space launch contracts. Unlike the previous National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 2 procurement, future Phase 3 contracts will allow emerging players to compete head-to-head against incumbents. (3/7)

Department of Energy and NASA Join Forces on Innovative Lunar Experiment (Source: Space Daily)
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are working together to develop a science instrument that will survive the harsh and unforgiving environment of the nighttime lunar surface on the far side of the Moon to attempt first-of-its-kind measurements of the so-called Dark Ages of the Universe.

The instrument is named the Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment - Night (LuSEE-Night), a collaboration between DOE's Brookhaven and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories, UC Berkeley's Space Science Laboratory, and NASA's Science Mission Directorate. LuSEE-Night is a pathfinder to understand the Moon's radio environment to potentially look at a previously unobserved era in our cosmic history. (3/8)

Quantum Detector Achieves World-Leading Milestone (Source: Space Daily)
Quantum computers hold the promise of operating millions of times faster than conventional computers. But to communicate over long distances, quantum computers will need a dedicated quantum communications network. To help form such a network, a device has been developed by scientists at NASA JPL and Caltech that can count huge numbers of single photons - quantum particles of light - with incredible precision.

Like measuring individual droplets of water while being sprayed by a firehose, the Performance-Enhanced Array for Counting Optical Quanta (PEACOQ) detector is able to measure the precise time each photon hits it, within 100 trillionths of a second, at a rate of 1.5 billion photons per second. No other detector has achieved that rate. Funded by NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program within the agency's Space Operations Mission Directorate and built by JPL's Microdevices Laboratory, the PEACOQ detector must be kept at a cryogenic temperature just one degree above absolute zero.

Part of a wider NASA effort to enable free-space optical communications between space and the ground, PEACOQ is based on the detector developed for NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) technology demonstration. DSOC will launch with NASA's Psyche mission later this year to demonstrate, for the first time, how high-bandwidth optical communications between Earth and deep space could work in the future. While DSOC won't communicate quantum information, its ground terminal at Caltech's Palomar Observatory in Southern California requires the same extreme sensitivity in order to count single photons arriving via laser from the DSOC transceiver as it travels through deep space. (3/6)

Lonestar Successfully Completes $5m in Oversubscribed Seed Financing (Source: Space Daily)
Lonestar Data Holdings Inc. has successfully closed its $5m seed with this financing round being oversubscribed. The round has been led by Scout Ventures and joined by Seldor Capital, 2 Future Holding, The Veteran Fund, Irongate Capital, Atypical Ventures, and KittyHawk Ventures. Lonestar is scheduled to launch a series of data centers to the lunar surface in 2023.

"We believe that expanding the world's economy to encompass the Moon, which happens to be the Earth's most stable satellite, is the next whitespace in the New Space Economy," says Scout Ventures' Founder and Managing Partner, Brad Harrison. "Data security and storage will be a necessary part of leading the new generation of lunar exploration." (3/8)

ISS Maneuvers to Avoid Argentine Satellite (Source: Space News)
The International Space Station maneuvered this week to avoid a commercial imaging satellite. A Progress cargo spacecraft docked to the station fired its thrusters for a little more than six minutes on Monday after controllers were warned of a close approach by what NASA called an Argentine Earth observation satellite. Other sources identified the satellite as NewSat-17, launched in 2020 by Buenos Aires-based Satellogic. The company said it received a notice of potential conjunction from the U.S. Space Force, but was not contacted by NASA; a NASA spokesperson says the agency does not communicate with satellite owners about potential conjunctions as it focuses on the safety of the ISS. (3/8)

Anthony Daniels on How Star Wars Influenced Space Exploration (Source: The National)
As the only actor to have appeared in all 11 Star Wars movies, Anthony Daniels has seen first-hand how the science fiction genre has grown and expanded over the years. The classically trained actor and mime from London, who gave life to C-3PO, the humanoid robot from the franchise, starred in the very first film Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope in 1977. In particular, he says he's noticed the connection between the Star Wars films and how far space exploration has come.

“In the movies, it's not just the actors who are involved, there's hundreds of people behind the camera, and it's the same with space travel,” he tells The National. “It’s not just the men in goldfish bowls over their heads. There's a whole team of people making this happen... Science fiction has become much more intelligent now. Some of the writing is so informed, and of course, the films have encouraged scientific growth,” he says. “Many people I've met who work in space in the past, made it there because of Star Wars, because George [Lucas, the creator of Star Wars] made this world seem available and that you could do it.” (3/7)

Fresh Salad in Space? UAE Astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi Harvests Tomatoes at ISS (Source: Khaleej Times)
UAE astronaut Sultan AlNeyadi, who is now a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station (ISS), has begun his six-month research mission by harvesting tomatoes. And they will be used not only for a space study — astronauts will eat them, too. According to Nasa, the Veg-05 space botany study is part of an investigation called ‘Pick-and-Eat Salad-Crop Productivity, Nutritional Value, and Acceptability to Supplement the ISS Food System'. It is "the next step in efforts to address the need for a continuous fresh-food production system in space." (3/8)

NASA: Nothing From Artemis 1 Would Alter Schedule for Artemis 2 (Source: Space News)
NASA officials said Tuesday they saw no major problems from the Artemis 1 mission last fall that would alter the schedule for the crewed Artemis 2 mission. Program managers said they are working several smaller issues, including a greater amount of charred material removed from the Orion capsule's heat shield than expected, but noted that it did not pose a safety issue for the spacecraft. Engineers are also looking into a minor issue with the power system on Orion's service module, as well as repairing damage to the mobile launcher that was greater than expected. That work is not expected to affect the Artemis 2 launch, currently scheduled for late November 2024. (3/8)

Boeing Tests PTES DoD Satellite Ground System (Source: Space News)
Boeing has tested a U.S. military ground system designed to protect satellite communications from jamming attacks. In the demonstration of the Protected Tactical Enterprise Service (PTES) announced Tuesday, Boeing integrated anti-jam software and hardware with the existing military satcom architecture. The company developed the PTES under a $383 million U.S. Air Force contract awarded in 2018, and the system is scheduled to enter service in 2024. (3/8)

Japan's H3 Showed Abnormal Voltage Levels During Failed Launch (Source: NHK)
The H3 second stage showed "abnormal" voltage levels during its failed launch. The Japanese space agency said Wednesday that the second stage received commands to ignite its engine after separating from the first stage. However, it said the electronics involved in the ignition system had abnormal voltage levels. It was not clear what caused the voltage issue and how it might have prevented the engine from igniting. (3/8)

QuadSAT Using Drones to Calibrate Satellite Antennas (Source: Space News)
An antenna verification framework used by geostationary satellite operators has started accepting ground station measurements from drones. QuadSAT, a Danish venture that developed drones to test and calibrate new antennas, said the Satellite Operators Minimum Antenna Performance (SOMAP) group, set up a decade ago to provide guidance for antenna makers, has concluded drones are an acceptable way to test new products. SOMAP was founded by Intelsat, SES, Inmarsat, AsiaSat and Eutelsat to standardize antenna testing. QuadSAT says the SOMAP endorsement will help the company expand services globally to accelerate the deployment of increasingly complex antennas and reduce their risk of interference. (3/8)

DoD Seeks Funding for Classified Space Tracking System (Source: C4ISRnet)
The Defense Department's upcoming budget request will seek funding for a classified space tracking system. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said at a conference this week that the fiscal year 2024 budget will include a request to fund a "resilient suite of airborne and space-based sensors" designed to track moving targets. That would include, he said, tactical space-based systems developed by the Space Force to track a wider range of targets. The White House is expected to release the fiscal year 2024 budget framework, but not necessarily the full request, as soon as Thursday. (3/8)
 
Australia's First Female Astronaut to Train with ESA Astronaut Class (Sources: ESA, ABC.net)
An Australian will train with ESA's next astronaut class. The agency said Wednesday that Katherine Bennell-Pegg, director of space technology at the Australian Space Agency, will join the new class of European astronauts when training starts next month at the European Astronaut Centre. Bennell-Pegg, a dual British citizen, participated in the ESA astronaut selection process and passed all stages of it. The Australian government will reimburse ESA for the training costs, but ESA said that Bennell-Pegg will not join the ESA astronaut corps at the end of training.

Ms Bennell-Pegg said she had worked with some fantastic women over her career, but working with women in the space industry was rare. "Less than 27 per cent of the Australian STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workforce are women," she said. Due to a lack of female representation in the field, she had to forge her own path. "There were no real role models for … Australian [female] astronauts at that point," she said. "When I was a kid, there was no space agency, let alone a path to being part of a space sector in Australia. (3/8)

Canadian Astronaut Passes Away (Source: CSA)
Ken Money, a member of Canada's first astronaut class, has passed away. Money was one of the six original Canadian astronauts selected in 1983 and was a backup payload specialist for one shuttle flight, STS-42. He left the astronaut corps in 1992 without flying to space. Money died on Monday at the age of 88. (3/8)

Sidus Space Awarded New Contract for Next Phase of NASA ASTRA Project (Source: Sidus)
Sidus Space was awarded a follow-on agreement for the next phase of NASA’s Autonomous Satellite Technology for Resilient Applications (ASTRA) project. During this phase of the ASTRA project, the Autonomous Systems Lab (ASL) team at NASA’s Stennis Space Center will join Sidus Space to integrate ASTRA’s autonomous operational on-orbit capabilities on a Sidus-built LizzieSat satellite as the organizations transition to the operational phase of the program.

LizzieSat is set to benefit from cutting-edge autonomous operational capabilities that will offer actionable guidance for optimizing its performance, enabling timely maintenance, and more. With the follow-on agreement, Sidus will support development of a NASA Stennis’ communication center – the ASTRA Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at the south Mississippi center. The SSC ASTRA communications POCC will tightly integrate with the Sidus Mission Operations Center (MOC) in Cape Canaveral during on-orbit operations. (3/8)

Relativity Space Has Had a Wild Ride to Launch (Source: Tech Crunch)
The company, which was founded in 2015 by Tim Ellis and Jordan Noone, is best-known for its innovative 3D printing technology: Terran 1 is 85% 3D-printed by mass, and that even includes the rocket engines. The company’s made big bets and has even bigger ambitions, with Relativity CEO Tim Ellis echoing SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s Martian ambitions. Click here. (3/7)

One-of-a-Kind Barbie Dolls Honor Citizen Astronaut and Space Scientist (Source: CollectSpace)
A former NASA engineer who became the first Mexican-born woman to fly into space now has a one-of-a-kind Barbie doll attesting to her being a role model for the next generation of scientists and explorers. Katya "Kat" Echazarreta is one of seven female science, technology, engineering and technology (STEM) leaders chosen by Mattel to be immortalized as a Barbie doll in celebration of International Women's Day on Wednesday (March 8). The other honorees include the former chief executive officer of YouTube, the founder of 23andME and Maggie Aderin-Pocock, a UK-based space scientist and science educator. (3/7)

War in Space: U.S. Officials Debating Rules for a Conflict in Orbit (Source: Washington Post)
Ukraine’s use of commercial satellites to help repel the Russian invasion has bolstered the U.S. Space Force’s interest in exploiting the capabilities of the private sector to develop new technologies for fighting a war in space. But the possible reliance on private companies, and the revolution in technology that has made satellites smaller and more powerful, is forcing DoD to wrestle with difficult questions about what to do if those privately owned satellites are targeted by an adversary.

White House and Pentagon officials have been trying to determine what the policy should be since a top Russian official said in October that Russia could target the growing fleet of commercial satellites if they are used to help Ukraine. Konstantin Vorontsov, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s department for nonproliferation and arms, called the growth of privately operated satellites “an extremely dangerous trend that goes beyond the harmless use of outer-space technologies and has become apparent during the latest developments in Ukraine.” He warned that “quasi-civilian infrastructure may become a legitimate target for retaliation.” (3/8)

Yusaku Maezawa on Embarking on His Space/Art Odyssey (Source: Prestige)
The universe – and how art might save it – according to one remarkable Japanese billionaire, Yusaku Maezawa. We pinch ourselves as we walk into the home of Japanese art collector, Space adventurer, entrepreneur and philanthropist extraordinaire, Yusaku Maezawa, the man whose exploits blazed in klieg lights for the majority of 2022.

After all, when wasn’t he headlining our news cycles? Halfway through the year, he sold a Basquiat at Phillips auction house in New York, on the premise that more people would be able to see it, and by December, was announcing on his digital platform, dearMoon, the crew he’d finalized for his week-long flyby of the Moon this year on Elon Musk’s inaugural SpaceX Starship rocket.

But this isn’t just some joy-riding, showboating space jolly, whereby Maezawa’s riding on the coattails of his 12-day stay on the International Space Station in 2021. This is a “space art” voyage. Consider it like a supreme expression and manifestation of Japan’s hugely experimental Gutai art movement, as Maezawa and his self-curated crew of eight photographers, artists and filmmakers will make their liberated way into the galaxy and attempt to make art within the relative constraints of space travel. Click here. (3/8)

Space Force Allocates Cape Canaveral Launch Pads to Startups (Source: SLD45)
The Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45 has allocated multiple inactive launch pads at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport to launch industry startups. Under the Launch Pad Allocation Strategy (LPAS), Launch Complex 13 will be assigned to Phantom Space and Vaya Space, Launch Complex 14 will be assigned to Stoke Space, and Launch Complex 15 will be assigned to ABL Space. 

LPAS is intended to maximize opportunities for commercial launch service providers, thereby increasing launch capacity at the Eastern Range. The program is also designed to minimize the impacts of these new launchers on each other, and on existing launch programs at the spaceport. This first LPAS allocation effort is focused on small-class launchers. Future allocations are possible for medium, heavy, and super heavy launch vehicles.

Editor's Note: Interestingly, LC-13 has already been converted (and FAA licensed?) for SpaceX's use as a booster landing zone, and LC-14 is protected as a historical site (though "adaptive reuse" is possible). One reason the old launch pads on "ICBM Road" have not been used for decades has been their close proximity to each other, and often within the hazard radius of nearby facilities. Probably these new users will be limited to certain developmental and test work at the launch pads, in advance of (potentially) achieving FAA approvals for launch operations, possibly elsewhere. (3/7)

Hughes, Inmarsat, Airbus Defense and Space Join DIFI Consortium (Source: Satellite Today)
Some of the top companies in the satellite sector — Hughes Network Systems, Inmarsat, and Airbus Defense and Space — are now part of the Digital Intermediate Frequency Interoperability (DIFI) Group. DIFI announced Monday the group now has more than 60 companies. Other companies and entities that joined in the second half of 2022 include: US Army C5ISR Center; SES Engineering; Safran Data Systems; Aurora Borealis Networks; and Rincon Research Corporation.

“DIFI’s mission is to accelerate the digital transformation of the satellite industry,” said DIFI Board Chairman Stuart Daughtridge. “That work starts with developing and making widely available a simple, open, interoperable Digital IF/RF standard that replaces the natural interoperability of analog IF signals and helps prevent vendor lock-in." (3/6)

Boeing’s Ground System for U.S. Satellite Communications Passes Key Test (Source: Space News)
Boeing completed a demonstration of a U.S. military ground system designed to protect satellite communications from jamming attacks, the company announced March 7. In the demonstration of the Protected Tactical Enterprise Service (PTES), Boeing integrated anti-jam software and hardware with the existing military satcom architecture. The company developed the PTES under a $383 million U.S. Air Force contract awarded in 2018. (3/7)

New Cold War Reaches China’s Tiangong Space Station (Source: Asia Times)
On January 25, 2023, Space News reported that the European Space Agency (ESA) no longer intends to send European astronauts to Tiangong, China’s newly completed space station. The report quoted the ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher saying that the agency was already “very busy” with its International Space Station (ISS) commitments and that it currently lacked both the budgetary and political “green light” to engage with China’s space station.

The director general’s remarks come several years after the stall of efforts to prepare European astronauts for flights on China’s space station. This had been a major development following decades of cooperation between the two space agencies. In 2016, a Chinese astronaut participated in an ESA astronaut training course. The next year, two European astronauts carried out sea survival training with their Chinese counterparts. But after 2017, the budding human spaceflight cooperation between the two sides hit a snag.

The assertion that budgetary constraints are holding the ESA back from participating in Tiangong’s mission has its merits. As pointed out by Eric Berger, the senior space editor at Ars Technica, ESA funding is less than one-third of NASA’s. The European agency must be choosier about how it uses its limited resources. But politics undoubtedly exerted the greatest influence on the ESA’s decision. Click here. (3/6)

Reverse Entrepreneurship; Turning NASA Solutions into Innovative Startups (Source: NASA)
In Daytona Florida, just an hour north of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University is doing something unique with its Technology Transfer University Program. “Entrepreneurship traditionally starts with a problem, but because we have the NASA technology, we are starting with a solution," said Dr. Ramy Rahimi at Embry-Riddle. "I devised a process called reverse entrepreneurship, like reverse engineering, in which we create problem-solution-fit in reverse. We use a more robust business model, which focuses on feasibility.”

Dr. Rahimi's students work individually and in groups to take a NASA-developed technology through the stages of ideation and commercialization along Dr. Rahimi’s distinct reverse entrepreneurship continuum. The course adopts NASA-Developed Technology through the NASA Technology Transfer Program T2U to repurpose space technology and generate new startup and venture ideas. This program goes beyond the academic use-case of T2U; these students are developing real business concepts around these technologies and then leveraging the tools available to them through ERAU to incorporate their startups and license the NASA technology. (3/7)

Airbus Wins Contract From Angola for Earth Observation Satellite Angeo-1 (Source: Space Daily)
As part of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit, Airbus Defence and Space has announced an agreement for Angeo-1, the first very high performance Angolan Earth observation satellite, to be manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space in France, which strengthens the collaboration between the two countries. Angola has already developed various operational applications using satellite imagery from Airbus Defence and Space, such as land use mapping, agriculture monitoring and maritime surveillance and also operates its own telecommunications satellite (Angosat-2).

An Airbus S250 optical satellite, Angeo-1 builds upon Airbus' more than 30 year experience in building highly reliable space systems. Once in operation, it will become the most advanced satellite in its class in the region, positioning Angola as a leading space power. This satellite will further foster the development of the country in many different sectors, improving the life of Angolan citizens. Sovereign access to satellite imagery will make a significant contribution to the development of infrastructure, mapping of natural resources, maritime surveillance including fisheries, agriculture and population. (3/6)

SpaceX CRS-27 Delivers Truck Load of Research Projects to ISS (Source: Space Daily)
NASA's 27th SpaceX commercial resupply services (CRS) mission is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in March. The scientific experiments and technology demonstrations carried by the uncrewed Dragon spacecraft examine how the heart changes in space, test a student-designed camera mount, compare surfaces that control biofilm formation, and more. Click here. (3/7)

Suborbital Spaceflight’s Next Chapter (Source: Space Review)
Suborbital human spaceflight appeared to open a new era nearly two years ago, but those flights have recently been on hold because of mishaps and maintenance. Jeff Foust reports on those companies’ plans to resume flights of customers, including researchers, and the role NASA is playing to support the industry. Click here. (3/7)
 
Managing Ocean Sustainability From Above: Leveraging Space Capabilities to Combat Illegal Fishing (Source: Space Review)
There would seem to be little in common between the space industry and efforts worldwide to stop illegal fishing. Cody Knipfer explains how satellites have become key tools in efforts to identify and halt such fishing operations. Click here. (3/7)
 
The Falcon 9 Achieves the Shuttle’s Dreams (Source: Space Review)
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is launching at a frenetic pace for both its own Starlink satellites as well as for government and commercial customers. In the process, Francis Castanos notes, it has passed a goal set long ago for the Space Shuttle. Click here. (3/7)