April 10, 2023

European Space Investments Get Serious (Source: Space News)
A series of large fundraising deals in Europe since the start of the year is raising hopes that the region could be turning a corner for early-stage space investments. European venture capital activity has lagged far behind the US, where tech investors around a decade ago helped spawn a “newspace” movement that has flooded the industry with entrepreneurial startups. Young companies have long grumbled about how few sizable space-focused venture capital funds are in Europe compared with the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

But there are signs this could be changing as Europe’s plan for a 6 billion euro ($6.4 billion) sovereign multi-orbit connectivity constellation helps galvanize the industry. France-based space services company Exotrail announced in early February it had raised $58 million in a Series B round led by French investors.

Swiss orbital debris removal startup ClearSpace also recently bagged about $29 million in a Series A round led by Dutch early-stage investor OTB Ventures. And The Exploration Company, a Germany-headquartered venture founded a little over a year and a half ago to develop reusable orbital vehicles, secured some $44 million in what it says was a record Series A round for Europe’s space technology sector. (4/10)

Space Force Calls its New Satellite Acquisition Program a Win (Source: FNN)
When the Space Force’s Space Development Agency (SDA) launched 10 of 28 new satellites last week, it highlighted another victory for the new service.  Space Force proved it could execute a speedy, agile procurement process capable of responding to evolving technology, and do it in just 30 months.

The quick turnaround started with solicitations in 2021 and in two-and-a-half years, the satellites went from authority to proceed and then on to launch. The acquisition model follows the Space Force’s plan for a hybrid satellite mix where large and small satellites launch into high and low orbits. The recent launch of the low earth orbit (LEO) satellites met the requirements of being cheaper and faster to produce, with capabilities similar to commercial satellites. (4/7)

Axiom Space's Upcoming ISS Mission Part of Increasing Commercialization of Space (Source: Space Daily)
Ax-2 will be the first private space mission involving both private astronauts -- pilot John Shoffner -- and astronauts representing foreign governments -- mission specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi of Saudi Arabia's first national astronaut program. Ax-2 marks another step toward the growing commercialization of space travel. Sarah Walker, director of SpaceX's Dragon Mission, said SpaceX is "committed to making low-Earth orbit accessible to everyone."

Angela Hart, manager of NASA's Commercial Low Earth Orbit Program Office, elaborated on the agency's vision for a global space marketplace, and what that will look like. "We're expanding the scope of people being touched by these missions," Hart said. "You're going to see that exponentially as we keep doing this. As more people get involved -- you're going to see an explosion that will equate into this marketplace." Hart added that private companies have been crucial to outreach efforts on the ground. (4/6)

Scientists Detect Alien Signals Coming from 5 Nearby Stars (Source: Brighter Side of News)
Are we alone in the universe? Scientists may have just moved us closer to answering this question. The team – led by researchers from the University of Toronto – has streamlined the search for extraterrestrial life by using a new algorithm to organize the data from their telescopes into categories, in order to distinguish between real signals and interference. This has allowed them to quickly sort through the information and find patterns, through an artificial intelligence process known as machine learning.

They discovered eight extraterrestrial signals that seem to have the hallmarks of technology. The study, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, doesn't claim to have found evidence of intelligent aliens, but the researchers believe that using artificial intelligence is a promising way to search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Scientists from the Breakthrough Listen SETI effort say these signals had two features in common with signals that might be created by intelligent aliens: they are present when looking at the star and absent when looking away, and they change in frequency over time in a way that makes them appear far from the telescope. However, these features could arise by chance and further observations are necessary to make any claims about extraterrestrial life. (4/8)

Beyond Gravity Computer Controls Europe’s Jupiter Spacecraft (Source: Beyond Gravity)
Beyond Gravity, a leading supplier to the space industry, provided key products for Europe’s first mission to Jupiter. The Airbus-built Juice satellite is controlled by a computer and protected by thermal insulation from Beyond Gravity. The European Juice spacecraft (Jupiter Icy moons Explorer) will study the largest planet in our Solar System, Jupiter. Juice will launch on April 13 aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou. The ESA mission will investigate Jupiter and three of its largest moons. It will look for water under the ice crust of these moons, which would indicate life-compliant conditions.

Beyond Gravity, a leading space supplier, delivered various key products for this mission. “Juice is humankind’s next ambitious mission to the outer Solar System. As a key supplier, we have delivered a wide range of electronic, thermal and mechanical products that make Juice’s exploration of the fascinating planet Jupiter and its moons possible. Together with the launcher structures we are supplying for the Ariane 5 rocket that will take Juice into space, the mission gives us the opportunity to once again showcase the diversity and unmatched reliability of our product portfolio”, says André Wall, CEO Beyond Gravity. The prime contractor of the Juice spacecraft on behalf of ESA is Airbus Defence and Space. (4/8)

Cygnus Cargo Spacecraft Named to Honor Columbia Astronaut (Source: CollectSpace)
The next Cygnus cargo spacecraft to launch to the ISS has been named after a Columbia astronaut. Northrop Grumman announced last week that the Cygnus launching on the NG-19 mission will be named the S.S. Laurel Clark after the astronaut, who died on the STS-107 mission in 2003. The mission, scheduled to launch as soon as May, will be the last to launch on the current version of the Antares rocket as Northrop works with Firefly Aerospace on a new first stage for the vehicle. (4/10)

Vulcan's May Launch Date in Doubt After Centaur Test Anomaly (Source: Ars Technica)
A May launch of the first Vulcan Centaur is in doubt after an incident during a test of another Centaur upper stage. United Launch Alliance said that a Centaur structural article suffered an "anomaly" during a March 29 test at the Marshall Space Flight Center. A leaked image showed a fireball erupting from the test stand from liquid hydrogen that had been loaded into the Centaur for the test. ULA CEO Tory Bruno said late Friday that the test article is still "largely intact" and that would aid in the investigation. The incident, though, has raised doubts about the schedule for the first Vulcan launch, currently set for no earlier than May 4. (4/10)

Russia Plans End of Proton Rocket Production, In Favor of Angara (Source: TASS)
Russian company Khrunichev plans to end production of the Proton M rocket in 2025. Alexey Varochko, CEO of Khrunichev, said production would be phased out as the company turns its attention to the Angara rocket. He did not disclose how many more Protons would be built, and noted that Russian and Kazakhstan, which hosts Proton launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, are in talks about how to use the remaining vehicles. (4/10)

Northrop Grumman and Boeing Compete for PTS Satellite Development (Source: Space News)
Northrop Grumman is developing a military geostationary communications satellite to compete against a Boeing design for a multibillion-dollar program. Northrop says it will build a dedicated satellite to host a Protected Tactical Satcom (PTS) prototype payload for the Space Force. Northrop and Boeing won Space Force contracts in 2020 for those PTS prototypes, with Boeing electing to place its PTS payloads on the upcoming Wideband Global Satcom WGS-11 satellite. Northrop plans to launch its PTS payload, placed on an ESPAStar-HP satellite bus, in 2025. After both PTS versions are evaluated, the Space Force could decide to support either hosted or free-flyer configurations for launch late in the decade as part of a $2.4 billion program. (4/10)

NASA Moon-to-Mars Office to Coordinate Artemis Progress (Source: Space News)
A new NASA office will coordinate overall progress on Artemis missions. NASA established the Moon to Mars Program Office late last month as directed by Congress in an authorization act passed last summer. The office will focus on integrating the various programs underway as part of the Artemis lunar exploration campaign and serve as a "single focal point" for planning upcoming Artemis missions. The office will also ensure that technologies incorporated on those missions can support future "Mars-grade activities" at the agency. The office is led by Amit Kshatriya, previously acting deputy associate administrator for common exploration systems development. (4/10)

Canada Plans Lunar Utility Vehicle for Artemis (Source: Space News)
Canada, flying its first astronaut to the moon on Artemis 2, is proposing a new project that could enable future Canadians to walk on the moon. The recent Canadian federal budget included a plan to spend $1.2 billion Canadian over 13 years on a robotic "lunar utility vehicle" that the government says could support future human lunar missions. Canada currently has seats on Artemis 2 and a later mission to the lunar Gateway to provide the Gateway's robotic arm system. The rover could be a means to obtain additional seats, including those landing on the moon. (4/10)

RAND Recommends Expiration of 'Learning Period' for Commercial Human Spaceflight Regulation (Source: Space News)
A report recommends that Congress allow a "learning period" restricting regulation of commercial human spaceflight to expire. The report released last week by the RAND Corporation found limited progress in developing voluntary industry standards and key metrics for charting the industry's progress. Nonetheless, it concluded that the learning period, which limits the FAA's ability to publish safety regulations for spaceflight participants, be allowed to expire in October so that the FAA can start the process of developing safety regulations in cooperation with industry. It also recommended that the FAA be allocated additional resources to handle that regulatory work. (4/10)

Intelsat 40e Satellite to Support Mobile Connectivity (Source: Space News)
A new Intelsat satellite will allow the operator to serve the growing demand for in-flight connectivity. The Intelsat 40e satellite, launched early Friday, should be ready to begin operations from 91 degrees west in GEO by the end of May. Its primary mission is to provide connectivity for planes, boats and land vehicles on the move over North America, focusing on serving the commercial aviation market. It is Intelsat's first high-throughput satellite over North America. Intelsat is preparing to launch Galaxy 37, the last of its satellite for clearing C-band spectrum, in the summer. (4/10)

What is Snapdragon Satellite? (Source: Android Authority)
Ground-to-satellite communication from the palm of your hand is no longer a thing of spy novels and sci-fi television. The latest iPhone can already connect to satellites in times of emergency and now, chipset maker Qualcomm is bringing the technology to Android phones too. We first heard about Snapdragon Satellite in early 2023 and the first phones sporting it are right around the corner.

As the name suggests, Snapdragon Satellite is Qualcomm’s entry into the ground-to-satellite connectivity arena. The vast majority of Android smartphones already run Qualcomm’s Snapdragon family of SoCs, meaning the feature will have a broader reach than Apple’s satellite connectivity in the latest iPhone. In fact, it’s expected to come to all 5G-equipped Qualcomm chipsets going forward. Yes, even the lower-end 4-series chips.

Just like the other smartphone satellite connectivity options we’ve seen so far, Snapdragon Satellite isn’t meant to replace your cell phone plan. Instead, it’s only for those times when you lose both cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. Perhaps when you’re lost in the wilderness or relaxing on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. (4/9)

ClearSpace and LeoLabs Partner to Advance a Safer, More Sustainable Space Environment (Source: Clearspace Today)
ClearSpace, the in-orbit satellite servicing company announced today a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with LeoLabs, the world’s leading commercial provider of low Earth orbit (LEO) Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and Space Traffic Management (STM) services. The MOU recognizes the two companies’ shared vision of a safe and sustainable space ecosystem and their mutual efforts in making this vision a reality.

This strategic partnership comes at a time when both companies are finding commercial success within government and industrial markets. In 2022, for example, ClearSpace received a Phase B demo contract from the UK Space Agency to demonstrate its active debris removal technology and LeoLabs received a contract to help support the development of a US, civil-led STM prototype from the US Department of Commerce. The partnership announced today signals a desire to build on this mutual success and previous collaborative efforts, such as the joint LEO Kinetic Space Safety Workshop.

The MOU also serves as a formal declaration of ClearSpace and LeoLabs’ intent to work together on several new initiatives. These initiatives include thought leadership opportunities that promote space safety and responsible stewardship of the space environment, as well as business opportunities that promote their services and programs. In addition, they have agreed to exchange advisory board appointments, with Dr. Timothy Maclay from ClearSpace becoming a member of LeoLabs’ Commercial Strategic Advisory Board and LeoLabs’ Dr. Darren McKnight joining ClearSpace’s Advisory Board. (4/3)

Maxar Moves Forward in Robotic Assembly Demo (Source: Maxar)
Watching astronauts endure zero-gravity conditions during space walks to install or fix components shows the challenge of assembling hardware in space environments. Now imagine doing that without humans, instead using robots to overcome the same challenges remotely. That’s what Maxar is testing, and we showed progress in a demo recently completed in Pasadena, California. New video shows a robotic arm picking up and placing an object in a simulated space environment during an end-to-end test of a representative mission planned for SPIDER. (4/3)

Rhodium Scientific to Test the Concept of Biomanufacturing in Space (Source: CASIS)
When you pack for an extended trip, you usually bring everything you will need while you are away—food, clothing, medication, and other necessities. But what do you do if your trip takes you to space, where cargo room is extremely limited and expensive? A team of researchers from Rhodium Scientific and the University of Florida propose that you pack some useful microbes along with your essentials. These microbes could help make other products you might need during your stay.

To test the concept of biomanufacturing in space, the research team is leveraging the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory. The project, which is supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), launched on SpaceX’s 27th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission and is now being carried out by ISS crew members. As part of DARPA’s Biomanufacturing: Survival, Utility, and Reliability beyond Earth (B-SURE) program, the investigation will examine how gravity affects the production of therapeutics and nutrients from bacteria and yeast. (4/6)

Commercial Spaceflight Safety Regulations Report Shows Work Remains to be Done (Source: Exterra)
RAND Corporation has published a Commercial Spaceflight Safety and Regulations Report requested by the US Congress. The RAND researchers determined that work remains to be done by standards development organizations (SDOs) which have developed voluntary standards related to commercial spaceflight that could affect participant safety.

They found that there are still many concerns among stakeholders about the slow pace of the process, and that many companies have adopted their own safety practices that may or may not involve SDO standards. In addition, it is difficult to assess what those specific company standards might be because the companies view them as proprietary.

The RAND researchers recommended the following: a) The FAA moratorium on Commercial Spaceflight Safety Regulations should be allowed to expire; b) Sufficient resources should be supplied to the FAA for the development of new regulations; c) Space Aerospace Rulemaking Committees should be established; d) Development of key metric development while continuing voluntary consensus standards; and e) Limited formal rulemaking should be considered. The research was sponsored by the FAA. (4/7)

We're About to Witness Something That Could Vastly Change the Future, and Absolutely No One is Ready (Source: Daily Kos)
Right now, on a platform outside Brownsville, a 394 foot rocket is sitting on the pad. Based on notices issued to airmen and sailors, that rocket could leave the pad as early as next week. When it does, it could radically redefine space travel, make orbital flight as cheap as airfare, and set the stage for opening the Solar System to the human race. It could also leave SpaceX, and Musk, completely in control of a monopoly on the future. Or, it might simply fail.

If you have a satellite to put in orbit, particularly a large satellite, not using SpaceX right now takes a lot of explaining. Just hating Musk is rarely seen by a corporate board as a good reason to swallow tens of millions in extra launch costs. This is why United Launch Alliance, once the biggest launch provider in the U.S., is reportedly up for sale. That brings us to Starship.

Musk has declared that once it is up and running the cost to orbit via Starship will be $10/kg. Not $10K. Just $10. That’s because the cost of flying the rocket no longer includes the cost of the rocket. It’s just fuel, maintenance, and paying someone to run that backwards clock. In terms of allowing almost anything in space—whether it’s a probe to the planets or a new telescope that dwarfs the James Webb, that’s a fantastic development. It opens up ideas that are literally impossible under the current cost to orbit regime. (4/8)

Science Research on Ax-2 to Build Better Life on Earth (Source: Axiom Space)
Among the more than 20 experiments that will be conducted on Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), Axiom Space has partnered with the Rakia Mission, Cosmic Shielding Corporation, and King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, in collaboration with the Saudi Space Commission and Nanoracks, to advance physical science research aboard the International Space Station (ISS). These experiments will help us better understand atmospheric activity, protection against space radiation, and how weather modification works in low-gravity conditions. Click here. (4/4)

Remnants of Long-Lost Blockhouse From 1st Florida Rocket Launch Unearthed by UCF Students (Source: Florida Today)
Cloaked by choking green vegetation, a small exposed patch of concrete caught the eye of college students and volunteers searching off an anthill-dotted dirt lane for signs of the long-lost Bumper 8 blockhouse at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. After chopping away thorny brush and thick roots with hacksaws and shears, the University of Central Florida archaeological team unearthed the 20-by-20-foot foundation of the crudely built structure at historic Launch Complex 3.

This makeshift blockhouse marks where technicians launched Bumper 8 on July 24, 1950 — America's first rocket from the Cape. "This is just incredible. We've got the Marsten matting located at the rear of this. Right now, that's one of the most exciting parts to me," said Jamie Draper, director of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum, standing atop the concrete foundation. Since late January, the Bumper blockhouse site has been targeted by about 20 students with UCF's Department of Anthropology.

They systematically surveyed and GPS-mapped a 700- to 900-square-meter grid across abandoned Launch Complex 3, digging periodic "shovel test pits" to study what lies below the surface. The concrete foundation was found, cleared of soil and vegetation, and briefly studied during the students' final week of field work, which wrapped up Wednesday. Discoveries include nails, thick window glass shards, wires, cables and pieces of the blockhouse viewing-periscope mirror, said Tom Penders, Space Launch Delta 45 cultural resources manager. (4/9)