April 12, 2023

Heavy-Lift Terran Would Likely Impact Companies Operating Adjacent to LC-16 (Sources: SPACErePORT, Ars Technica)
The Terran R will feature 3.35 million pounds of thrust, comperable to Blue Origin's New Glenn (3.85 million pounds), and a stepped-up version of ULA's Vulcan (3.1 million pounds). The Cape Canaveral Spaceport launch pads hosting New Glenn and Vulcan have large exclusion zones around them, to mitigate the potential impacts of on-pad and near-pad anomalies.

Unlike these facilities, Relativity's LC-16 launch pad is relatively close to Firefly's operations at LC-20, ABL's operations at LC-15, and Stoke Space's operations at LC-14. It will be interesting to see what the Space Force-managed Eastern Range will allow to happen on these launch pads. How many heavy-lift vehicles can co-exist at the spaceport? (4/12)

Biomanufacturing in Space Concepts Tested on ISS by UF (Source: Journal of Space Commerce)
A research team led by Rhodium Scientific and the University of Florida are testing concepts for biomanufacturing in space aboard the ISS. The team is researching how microbes could help make other products in a microgravity environment. The project, which is supported by DARPA, 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. (4/12)

Relativity Space is Not Going to Launch Again Until at Least 2026 (Source: Ars Technica)
A fully expendable version will now be able to lift a staggering 33.5 metric tons. This sets up Relativity to compete directly with the largest players in the global launch industry. "It's a big, bold bet," Relativity's Tim Ellis said. "But it's actually a really obvious decision." The company began discussing the Terran R concept nearly two years ago and has spent considerable time refining the rocket's design. The new plan for the Terran R is significantly changed from what was first announced in June 2021

This places the vehicle firmly into the class of "heavy lift" rockets. Relativity is moving away from an approach to additively manufacturing the entire Terran R rocket. Terran R will still be a "3D printed rocket," but initial versions (at least) will use aluminum alloy straight-section barrels. The days of saying Terran R will be 95 percent additively manufactured are long gone. The rocket will now be powered by 13 Aeon engines, instead of a cluster of seven. The rockets will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic and be refurbished at Relativity's facilities at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Instead of targeting an aspirational launch date of 2024 for the Terran R, Relativity now has a realistic goal of launching the rocket in 2026.

What seems clear is that Ellis is positioning Relativity to compete directly against ULA and Blue Origin as the second provider of medium- and large-lift launch services in the USA and Western world. Ellis correctly sees that this lane remains open with questions about Vulcan's long-term future, Blue Origin's slow movement on New Glenn, and Rocket Lab's focus on a smaller medium-lift rocket, Neutron. Relativity Space is negotiating with NASA to move the one existing commercial launch on Terran 1—the Venture Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 mission—onto another rocket, possibly the Terran R. In other words, there will be no more Terran 1 launches. (4/12)

Delivering Data: What Customers Get Wrong About the Ground Segment (Source: Space News)
Companies are striving to reduce the complexity of the satellite ground segment. Through packaged services, partnerships and APIs, ground segment providers aim to make communicating with satellites as easy as possible. That does not mean that operators can wait until the last minute to consider data delivery. Click here. (4/12)

Relativity Plans Larger Reusable Rocket, Port Canaveral Presence (Source: Relativity)
Relativity is accelerating the company’s focus on Terran R to meet significant market demand. Terran R also represents a large leap toward our mission to build humanity’s multiplanetary future, eventually offering customers a point-to-point space freighter capable of missions from Earth to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Starting in 2026, Terran R will launch from Launch Complex 16 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport.

As a two-stage, 270-foot-tall rocket with an 18-foot diameter and a 5-meter payload fairing, Terran R is a customer-centric launch vehicle designed to meet the needs of commercial companies and government entities sending payloads into LEO, MEO, and GEO. Terran R will prioritize first stage reusability, with the capability of launching: 23,500 kg to LEO with downrange landing; 5,500 kg to a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) with downrange landing; and 33,500 kg max payload to LEO in expendable configuration.

Editor's Note: According to @SpaceOffshore, the vehicle will be shipped from California to Cape Canaveral via the Panama Canal, and the CEO of Port Canaveral mentioned that Relativity has been in talks about using the port in the future. Seems there might be an opportunity for a third-party company to provide landing ship services at Port Canaveral for Relativity, SpaceX, and others. (4/12)

Frank Calvelli: Space Force Eyes Shortened Contract Timelines to Accelerate Launches (Source: Executive Gov)
Frank Calvelli, assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisitions and integration, said the U.S. Space Force plans to drive speed by using fixed-price contracts, developing smaller systems and shortening contract timelines to three years or less to accelerate launches. “Our competitors seem to have figured out speed. It’s time we do the same,” Calvelli said. He said the service should advance “program baseline stability,” reduce non-recurring engineering and leverage commercial satellite buses to move faster. (4/11)

China's 3D Printed Afterburning Liquid Rocket Engine Tested During Recent Mission (Source: Space Daily)
Tianbing Technology has made a breakthrough in rocket technology with the successful first flight of the Tianlong-2 liquid carrier rocket. The rocket used the liquid oxygen kerosene engine TH-11V, which was independently developed by Tianbing Technology. This engine is the world's first closed-cycle supplementary combustion engine that uses 3D printing technology.

During the 285-second flight, the TH-11V engine performed perfectly. This engine design offers several advantages over traditional manufacturing processes. Using 3D printing technology, the number of engine units is reduced by 80%, the manufacturing cycle is shortened by 70% to 80%, and the cost and weight are reduced by 40% to 50%. (4/12)

CHAPEA Yearlong Simulated Mars Mission to Begin in June in Houston (Source: The Guardian)
Four people will spend a year on Mars starting in June, without leaving Houston. The Crew Health Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) is a simulated Mars habitat at the Johnson Space Center where four volunteers will spend a year starting in June to understand issues of working in isolation for extended periods. The 160-square-meter habitat includes private bedrooms and a shared bathroom, along with lab space and a lounge. They will also be able to leave the habitat for "spacewalks" on a simulated Martian surface. (4/12)

Gulfstream Expanding Georgia Service Center (Source: AIN Online)
Gulfstream Aerospace is committing $98.5 million for the second stage expansion of its MRO facility at its customer support center at Georgia's Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (KSAV), the company announced on Thursday. This expansion will nearly double the new-build 202,000-sq-ft service center that the company opened at its KSAV headquarters in 2019.

Slated for completion in early 2024, the new sustainably-designed facility will add 250 jobs and 200,000 sq ft of hangar space and back shops to enhance Gulfstream’s array of MRO services in Savannah. These services include scheduled aircraft maintenance, avionics installations, interior refurbishments, and ground services. (4/10)

Space Force Developing New Plan for High-Capacity Satcom (Source: Space News)
The Space Force will propose a new plan to acquire high-capacity satellite communications. Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, deputy chief of space operations for strategy, plans, programs and requirements, said in an interview that the Joint Chiefs of Staff will will be briefed on the plan in the coming weeks to support work on the Pentagon's fiscal year 2025 budget proposal. The proposal will address the rising demands for high-speed communications across the military services and DoD's regional commands around the world. It will include a mix of DoD, commercial and allied nations' satellite systems, he said. (4/12)

Ball Partners with Loft Orbital and Microsoft for SDA's NExT Satellites (Source: Space News)
Ball Aerospace will work with Loft Orbital and Microsoft to provide 10 satellites for the National Defense Space Architecture Experimental Testbed program, known as NExT. That contract will use Loft's Longbow satellite buses, with Loft also handling spacecraft integration, launch and in-orbit operations. Microsoft will supply the Azure Government cloud and ground station infrastructure. Ball Aerospace will integrate NExT satellites with government-provided payloads in its secure facilities. (4/12)

Japan's ispace Plans April 25 Lunar Landing (Source: ispace)
Japanese lunar lander company ispace has set a date for its first lunar landing. The company said Tuesday that its HAKUTO-R M1 spacecraft is scheduled to land no earlier than April 25 at 12:40 p.m. Eastern. The spacecraft launched in December and is now orbiting the moon at altitudes between 100 and 2,300 kilometers. It will circularize its orbit at 100 kilometers before attempting the landing. The company has backup landing dates of April 26, May 1 and May 3. (4/12)

Microsoft AI to Help Locate Satellite Imagery (Source: GeekWire)
Microsoft is using AI to help locate satellite imagery. The company demonstrated that technology for the Defense Innovation Unit, showing how someone could use a chat interface powered by GPT, the same AI technology used by Microsoft's Bing search engine, to help locate imagery from existing catalogs. The interface could also be used to request new imagery. (4/12)

Astra Gets 180-Day Extension to Avoid Nasdaq Delisting (Source: SEC)
Astra has won a 180-day extension from Nasdaq to avoid delisting. The company said Tuesday that Nasdaq agreed to the extension, giving the company until the beginning of October to be in compliance with a requirement that its stock trade at a minimum of $1 a share. Had Nasdaq not granted the extension, it could have been delisted from the exchange. Astra says it has plans to get back in compliance but has not disclosed details. Shares in Astra closed Tuesday at 39 cents. (4/12)

Space Florida Begins Search for New President and CEO (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida held a special Board of Directors meeting to announce a nationwide search process for a new President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The board set May 1 as the deadline to accept applications. Space Florida’s current President and CEO, Frank DiBello, recently announced his retirement, effective June 30. The search for a new President and CEO is being led by Chair Nuñez, Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue, and Space Florida Board Members Sonya Deen-Hartley, Rodney Cruise, and Mori Hosseini.

The search committee begins its work during a time when the commercial space industry is growing and expanding by the day. Since 2007, Space Florida alone had a $5.9 billion economic impact on the state and, beginning in 2023, Space Florida projects to have a $1.1 billion annual economic impact.

The next President and CEO will be tasked with solidifying Florida’s dominance as the leading global hub for space technology, research, manufacturing, commercial launch, and exploration. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of leadership and a deep understanding of Florida’s expansive aerospace industry. For those interested in the position, a portal to upload a resume, cover letter, and references is now available at www.spaceflorida.gov/transition. (4/11)

Ubotica Slashes Satellite Data Overload with On-Board AI Solution (Source: Generation Space)
Ubotica Technologies announced the CogniSAT-CRC solution which maximizes Earth Observation asset utilization using flight proven CogniSAT technology. Using state of the art lossless image compression, and a flight-proven AI-based Cloud Detection and Removal algorithm, CogniSAT-CRC delivers at least a six-fold increase in useful data capture per orbit for earth observation satellites thereby maximizing the areas of interest scanned during each orbit. (4/11)

Why Do NASA’s New Spacesuits Cost $3.5 Billion? (Source: Click Orlando)
Last year, NASA awarded $228 million to Axiom to continue development of the agency's new space suits. It’s a similar arrangement with ferrying cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station. NASA contracts with several commercial companies - SpaceX, Boeing and Northrup Grumman - to service the ISS. Axiom Space is one of two commercial companies selected by NASA to build the suits (Collins Aerospace is the other). Competition, particularly within the space industry, has driven down costs and spawned innovation.

The requirements of today’s spacesuit are stringent - design insulation to protect against 400-degree temperature swings, provide cooling, supply oxygen, remove carbon dioxide, offer an outer layer that guards against rips or tears while the inner layer is soft and comfortable, and deliver all of this in a package that allows complete mobility to where an astronaut can move freely in space. The new suits must also accommodate at least 90% of the U.S. male and female population. Existing suits limit who can spacewalk because the suits are tailored to a specific height or gender and interchangeable components are not readily available in space. (4/10)

Texas County Leaders Approve Creation of Spaceport Development Corp. (Source: Midland Reporter-Telegram)
The Midland County Commissioners’ Court approved a resolution to authorize the creation of the Midland Spaceport Development Corp. on Monday. Sara Harris from the Midland Development Corp. said the establishment of the spaceport corporation will enable Midland to be eligible for funding from the state.

County commissioners approved their half of the interlocal agreement, the City of Midland must approve it as well. The Midland City Council will take up the item at its meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday. According to Harris, there was previously a spaceport development corporation in Midland in 2014 but it was dissolved in 2020. Harris said it is now the right time to re-form it. (4/10)

More Georgia Spaceport Records Released (Source: Brunswick News)
Camden County officials have agreed to release all its spaceport records — sort of. A Camden County grand jury is still reviewing documents that have not been released until its probe is complete. Steve Weinkle, a longtime critic of the county's efforts to establish a spaceport, said he is still wading through reams of documents. One thing that he noticed early on is the monthly payments of $27,500 to a consultant totaling $593,000.

For that money, records show a memorandum of understanding with a company from India, an agreement to provide Stuckey's pecan rolls as promotional gifts and negotiations with a moon landing company that worked out of an AT&T store in a mall in New Jersey. The consultant also met with an Air Force official in New Mexico, but those conversations ended when the officer retired from military service. None of the information found so far is a surprise, Weinkle said. "We were paying this guy $27,500 a month for this stuff," he said. "Everything we presumed and said was happening, happened the way we thought."

"There was an acknowledgement that spaceports cannot exist without subsidies," he said. "The county never did a risk assessment based on economics. "Camden never did a risk assessment because they know the truth." Weinkle is still curious about the records that have not been released, including at least 511,000 emails in the hands of the grand jury. He said it will be very time-consuming to review the emails and they have to be reviewed individually. (4/10)

Why the Moon Is the Next Tourism Frontier (Source: The Walrus)
Within our lifetime, booking a trip to outer space could be as easy as buying a plane ticket to Europe. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is already advertising orbital flights for the ultrarich. The next frontier, for some entrepreneurs, is the moon. It’s been over fifty years since humans set foot on its surface, but a Jetsons-esque world of lunar hotels, commercial space walks, and rover rides might not be so far away. We asked Chris Lewicki, a former NASA engineer whose company, gravityLab, tests how human activities would function off planet, what’s next for space tourism.

What can tourists actually do when they get to space? I see two types of space tourism emerging. The first will be more focused on adventure, not dissimilar to climbing Everest. It’s going to be more of a challenge: cramped quarters, limited supplies, bad food. The other type will be more of a luxury approach. Space stations that orbit Earth are roomier and can be built with better viewpoints and amenities—not to mention a way for people to wash their underwear during their trip. (4/11)

China Releases Rocket Rideshare Schedule in 2023, 2024 (Source: Xinhua)
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) has announced its rocket rideshare program schedule in 2023 and 2024. The program will include nine launch opportunities, with the launch windows running from August 2023 to the fourth quarter of 2024. The CASC's subsidiaries -- the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology and the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology -- will develop the carrier rockets. The China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) will provide launch services.

CGWIC has completed three rideshare launches since 2021, using the Long March-6, Long March-8, and Long March-2D carrier rockets. Since Long March launch vehicles entered the international market in 1990, CGWIC has completed 79 commercial launches for 72 international and 74 domestic satellites. (4/10)

Space Force to Simplify Timelines, Purchases as Launches Surge (Source: C4ISRnet)
The U.S. Space Force’s acquisition plan for its next phase of National Security Space Launch contracts will make it easier for the Space Development Agency to buy and schedule launch missions, according to the organization’s director. Derek Tournear said the agency worked closely with the Space Force’s primary acquisition arm, Space Systems Command, to inform its strategy for NSSL Phase 3, which the service will use to fund launch missions between fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2034.

The service released a draft solicitation for the effort in February and plans to issue a final version this summer. Speaking during the Mitchell Institute’s Spacepower Security Forum in Arlington, Virginia, Tournear was clear that SDA will use the Space Force’s contracting mechanism for future launches. But that hasn’t always been the case for the agency, which was created to rapidly develop and field large constellations of small satellites. (4/10)