April 26, 2023

SES/Intelsat Merger Would Face Regulatory Obstacles (Source: Space News)
A rumored merger of satellite operators SES and Intelsat would face many regulatory obstacles. SES confirmed last month it was in talks with Intelsat to combine the companies while cautioning there was no guarantee they would reach a deal. Such a merger would create a company with more than 100 satellites in geostationary and medium Earth orbits generating more than $4 billion a year in revenues. However, regulators in the United States or Europe might be wary of approving a merger, analysts note, because of the reduced competition amid a wave of industry consolidation. (4/26)

Classified Documents Leak Included Russia and China Space Assessments (Source: Washington Post)
Among the classified documents leaked by an Air National Guardsman include those assessing competition with China and Russia in space. The intelligence documents state that Russia's space program is in decline because of a lack of revenue from NASA or commercial customers as well as disrupted supply chains. The documents also highlight the capabilities of China "to hold key U.S. and Allied space assets at risk." Those assessments appear similar to public comments made by U.S. officials about the state of both Chinese and Russian space activities. (4/26)

Evolution Space Launches Rocket on Suborbital Flight From Mojave Desert (Source: Parabolic Arc)
A startup, Evolution Space, succeeded in launching a sounding rocket into space from the Mojave Desert over the weekend. Evolution Space of Mojave, California launched its Gold Chain Cowboy (GCC) rocket from the Friends of Amateur Rocketry (FAR) test range. The company said its rocket reached 124.5 kilometers (77.36 miles/408,456 ft) at a speed of Mach 5.2 after liftoff on Saturday, April 22, 2023. (4/25)

NASA Picks Projects for Lunar/Mars Tech Development (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected proposals for technology development from a dozen companies. NASA announced the Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity (ACO) awards Tuesday, funding 16 proposals from 12 companies to advance work on technologies that can support NASA's lunar and Mars exploration plans. Lockheed Martin had three proposals funded while Aerojet Rocketdyne and Blue Origin each had two selected. Click here. (4/25)

Japan's ispace Loses Lunar Lander After Propellant Runs Out (Source: Space News)
A lander built by Japanese company ispace likely ran out of propellant and crashed on the lunar surface Tuesday. The HAKUTO-R M1 lander was scheduled to land at 12:40 p.m. Eastern in the vicinity of Atlas Crater on the moon. The company said it lost contact with the lander just before the scheduled touchdown and could not restore contact. In a later statement, ispace said telemetry showed propellant reached the "lower threshold" during final descent, after which the lander's speed increased, suggesting it ran out of propellant for its engines. The company acknowledged that the spacecraft made a hard landing and that restoring communications "is no longer achievable." The lander carried a set of payloads for commercial and government customers, including a small rover from the UAE. (4/26)

AST SpaceMobile Tests Direct-to-Satellite Phone Link (Source: Space News)
AST SpaceMobile said it has made its first voice calls using the company's test satellite. The company announced it made the call using an unmodified Samsung Galaxy S22, communicating directly with its BlueWalker 3 satellite on AT&T spectrum. The companies have not disclosed any details about the performance of these tests, which they said are continuing as part of plans to offer broadband services including voice, text, data and video for phone users outside terrestrial coverage. The test took place using an FCC license enabling limited experimental use of cellular frequencies as AST SpaceMobile seeks broader approvals for providing commercial services. (4/26)

X-Bow Gains $60 Million USAF Funding for Solid Rocket Motors (Source: Space News)
X-Bow Systems, a startup developing solid propulsion systems, won $60 million in funding. The funding came through a U.S. Air Force Strategic Funding Increase, or STRATFI, agreement, that augments private funding. X-Bow plans to use the funding to continue work on solid rocket motors that use advanced technologies, like additive manufacturing, for aerospace applications such as launch vehicles. (4/26)

Hydrosat Gains $20 Million for Satellites (Source: Space News)
Geospatial data analytics company Hydrosat has secured $20 million in grants and investment. The funding is a combination of a $15 million Series A round from a group of investors and $5 million in government grants. Hydrosat said the funding will allow the company to develop two satellites for launch in 2024 to measure water stress in plants along with other indicators of climate change. (4/26)

Ursa Major Gains $100 Million for Rocket Engines (Source: TechCrunch)
Engine manufacturer Ursa Major has raised $100 million in additional funding. The company raised the Series D round last fall with little fanfare, with BlackRock and Space Capital contributing to the round. Ursa Major has raised $234 million to date to continue work producing rocket engines for several customers, such as Astra, Phantom Space and Stratolaunch. (4/26)

US and South Korea Agree on Space Exploration Cooperation (Source: Space News)
The governments of the United States and South Korea signed an agreement to enhance cooperation in space exploration. The agreement, signed Tuesday, covers work in "areas of mutual interest" in space science and technology. In remarks at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris said the cooperation would include flying South Korean payloads on commercial lunar landers and expanding work by the two countries to monitor air pollution from space. (4/26)

Blue Origin Participates in a New Round of Collaborations with NASA on Space Tech (Source: GeekWire)
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture is among 12 companies chosen to collaborate with NASA on new technologies that could become part of future missions to the moon and Mars. Blue Origin has signed up to work with NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia and Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama on friction-stir additive manufacturing. It’ll also partner with Langley as well as Ames Research Center in California to work on a metallic thermal protection system.

NASA says Kent, Wash.-based Blue Origin and the other 11 companies will advance capabilities and technologies related to the space agency’s Moon to Mars Objectives. The work will be done under the terms of unfunded Space Act Agreements, following up on an Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity issued last year. That means no money will be transferred between NASA and its partners. Instead, NASA will make its in-house expertise available to help the companies develop products that the space agency could procure for future missions. (4/25)

NASA's Perseverance Rover Loses its Hitchhiking 'Pet Rock' After More Than a Year Together on Mars (Source: Live Science)
After more than a year together on the Red Planet, NASA's Perseverance rover and its hitchhiking "pet rock" have finally parted ways. The stone had been lodged in one of the rover's wheels for more than half of its mission on Mars. Perseverance accidentally picked up the pet rock in its front left wheel on Feb. 4, 2022 or Sol 341 — the 341st Martian day of the mission. (4/24)

Sidus Space Announces Closing of $11.2 Million Public Offering (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus Space closed its underwritten public offering of 34,090,904 shares of its Class A common stock. Each share of Class A common stock and accompanying warrant was sold to the public at a combined price of $0.33. The gross proceeds to the Company from this offering were approximately $11.2 million before deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and other offering expenses. Sidus Space intends to use the net proceeds of the offering for sales and marketing, operational costs, product development, manufacturing expansion and the remaining proceeds for working capital and other general corporate purposes. (4/25)

Space Perspective Works with ABS to Modify and Reactivate Offshore Support Vessel (Source: Workboat 365)
ABS is supporting the reactivation and modification of an offshore support vessel that will function as the world's first marine spaceport for human spaceflight, operated by Space Perspective. Space Perspective will offer six-hour journeys to space in a pressurized capsule propelled by a balloon. The capsule, called Spaceship Neptune, will launch from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport and also from the MS Voyager vessel. The vessel will reside at a nearby Florida seaport, and will initially support missions in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean.

MS Voyager will support balloon pressurization with hydrogen, and retrieve the MS Voyager capsule after its splashdown. ABS will provide engineering and regulatory services. Modifications to the 300-foot-long vessel are now underway, including a balloon launch system, and capsule frame and cradle. (4/21)

Group Aims to Boost High Speed Aero/Space Transport (Source: HSAT Fast Forward)
We remain bullish on a commercial-supersonic world by the end of this decade, and certainly a hypersonic world by the mid 2030s. The hypersonic industrial production effort adds even more R&D muscle and financial resources to the development of the industrial complex supporting the development of ground (multi-sonic wind tunnels, HAPCAT facilities, etc.), and importantly airspace testing (corridors and R&D airspace volumes), development, evaluation, and demonstrations for hypersonic flights. Our Point to Point Working Group in collaboration with our strategic partner, the Global Spaceport Alliance (GSA) will laser focus on a suborbital Spaceport to Spaceport demonstration between two US licensed spaceports. Click here. (4/24)

KSC Director Provides New Video Tour and Update (Source: NASA)
Janet Petro, director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, provides a special aerial tour of the Florida spaceport to update you on what's happening in 2023 and beyond. Click here. (4/25)

Space Force to Lease Historic California Launch Complex to SpaceX (Source: Voice of America)
The U.S. Space Force said on Monday that SpaceX was granted approval to lease a second rocket launch complex at a military base in California, setting the space company up for its fifth launch site in the US. Under the lease, SpaceX will launch its workhorse Falcon rockets from Space Launch Complex-6 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, a military launch site north of Los Angeles where the space company operates another launchpad. It has two others in Florida and its private Starbase site in south Texas.

A Monday night Space Force statement said a letter of support for the decision was signed on Friday by Space Launch Delta 30 commander Col. Rob Long. The statement did not mention a duration for SpaceX's lease. The new launch site, vacated last year by the Boeing-Lockheed joint venture United Launch Alliance (for their retiring Delta-Heavy rocket), gives SpaceX more room to handle an increasingly busy launch schedule for commercial and government satellite launches.

The site was originally developed for Titan III rockets and the Manned Orbiting Laboratory, but these were cancelled before construction of SLC-6 was complete. The complex was later rebuilt to serve as the west coast launch site for the Space Shuttle, but went unused due to budget, safety and political considerations. The pad was subsequently used for Lockheed Martin Athena rocket launches before being modified to support ULA's Delta IV launch vehicle family. (4/25)

Virgin Orbit Collapse Shows Risk of Entering the Space Economy (Source: Verdict)
Virgin Orbit could not mitigate the high rates of failure and risk associated with the space economy. The company had lofty ambitions and was responsible for the first attempt to launch a rocket from UK soil; however, this launch ended in failure. More recently, in April of this year, the SpaceX Starship launch failed due to issues with a pressurant valve on the rocket.

The European Space Agency delayed the launch of its JUICE spacecraft this month too, due to weather. The margins are very thin for the opportunities to launch rockets, so the preparation needs to be perfect. This is extremely difficult considering the complexity of these operations, so delays are very common.

The delay, subsequent failure, and ensuing bankruptcy proceedings have damaged the reputation of what was meant to be a crucial milestone for the UK space industry. Nine satellites were also lost during the failed launch, including four from the US and UK defence agencies. While the satellites were insured, new ones will need to be constructed. (4/24)

FAA Let SpaceX Launch Starship Without the Usual Pad Protections (Source: Quartz)
The multi-year bureaucratic clash over the environmental impact of the world’s largest rocket considered everything from endangered birds and historical monuments to exhaust and construction noise, but the FAA didn’t anticipate one thing: dust. The rocket engines blasted away at the launch gantry and the ground below it with more than 6,000 metric tons of force. All that energy led ultra-strong concrete at the base of the launch structure to dissolve, hurling chunks of rubble into the ocean and pelting the site where journalists set up remote cameras to capture the event, even punching through a car parked there. These areas are kept clear of people for safety reasons, but the fusillade was still unusual.

It’s not clear why SpaceX didn’t use flame deflecting infrastructure, which is part of the launch setup for its Falcon rockets. One theory, advanced by Eric Roesch, an expert in environmental impact analyses, is that obtaining approval to build it from the US Army Corps of Engineers would require months or years that SpaceX didn’t want to spend. SpaceX’s application for such a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers was withdrawn in 2022 after it declined to consider alternate sites for Starship, like its launch facilities at Cape Canaveral.

Final word on any links between destruction at the site and destruction of the rocket in flight will wait on a thorough engineering analysis. Musk said that the launch site might be ready to go in one to two months, but that’s likely an optimistic estimate. Besides figuring out what went wrong with the rocket itself, the company will need to repair its launch infrastructure and win the approval of the FAA again. (4/26)

Four Canadian CubeSat Project Satellites Deployed From ISS (Source: SpaceQ)
Early this morning aboard the ISS, the Nanoracks CubeSat Deployer completed its 25th mission deploying six CubeSats, including four from Canada. Almost six years to the date that the Canadian CubeSat Program was announced, another batch of four CubeSat’s we’re deployed from the ISS. The CubeSats NEUDOSE from McMaster University, AuroraSat from the Aurora Research Institute, Ex-Alta 2 from the University of Alberta and YukonSat from the Yukon University we’re deployed in two batches. (4/24)

Is Sex in Space Being Taken Seriously by the Emerging Space Tourism Sector? (Source: Cranfield University)
It could be a crucial question posed by the expected growth in space tourism over the next decade – namely what would a human conception in space mean for the sector? That’s the situation posed by an international group of scientists, clinicians and other interested parties, who have authored a consultative green paper led by David Cullen, Professor of Astrobiology & Space Biotechnology at Cranfield University.

It highlights that the emerging space tourism sector has not openly considered or discussed the risks of sex in space or prepared suitable mitigation approaches. It argues it is unrealistic to assume all future space tourists will abstain from sexual activities – opening the possibility of human conception and the early stages of human reproduction occurring in space.

This appears to pose several risks, those of a biological nature such as embryo developmental risks and those of a commercial nature such as liability, litigation, and reputational damage. The authors recommend that an open discussion is now needed within the space tourism industry to consider the risks. (4/24)

Intuitive Machines Keeps Space Exploration Ambitions Alive (Source: Market Beat)
Space exploration infrastructure services and machines manufacturer Intuitive Machines already has two strikes against it right out of the gate. The stock went public through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) reverse merger on Feb. 14, 2023. The mere notion of a SPAC sounds alarm bells with good reason. Countless SPACs collapsed into oblivion as the hype vaporized in the past two years. Caution should always be warranted when it comes to SPAC companies.

Furthermore, the implosion of the much-hyped Virgin Galactic stock and the bankruptcy of Virgin Orbit fueled more negative sentiment on the industry casting an even larger dark shadow. Intuitive Machines already has two strikes against it. With that said, this space exploration company deserves a look. Click here. (4/24)

Amazon’s Satellite-Internet Ambitions Move Closer to Reality (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Amazon's satellite-powered internet business is closer to getting off the ground. The company recently unveiled the antennas that future subscribers of its Project Kuiper internet service would need to communicate with the satellites it plans to start mass producing this year. It isn’t clear when the first of those satellites will be blasted into orbit, but Amazon has said it expects to begin delivering broadband connections for some customers by the end of 2024. (4/25)

China's Space Achievements Transforming Agriculture (Source: Xinhua)
The importance and benefits of space science and technology are highlighted once again as China celebrates the Space Day of China on Monday. Over 400 activities, such as exhibitions, science popularization lectures, space knowledge competitions, and relevant seminars, are held nationwide. Technologies and products inspired by space achievements have been applied in various fields nationwide. Being a major agricultural country, China is transforming its agriculture with the help of its space undertakings to enhance productivity and increase farmers' income.

On a recent day, Chen Ping, a farmer in Susong County, Anhui Province, fed his crayfish using a drone. While farmers typically feed their crayfish manually on a boat, Chen skillfully flew his drone about five meters above the water, evenly spreading the food. Since its official launch in 2020, the BDS has been operating continuously, steadily, and reliably, providing powerful satellite navigation services.

More than 100,000 agricultural machines have been installed with the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) automatic driving system, covering agricultural production processes such as deep plowing, rice transplanting, sowing, plant protection, harvesting, straw treatment, and drying, according to the China Satellite Navigation Office. (4/24)

Construction Plan Unveiled for China's International Lunar Research Station (Source: Xinhua)
A senior Chinese space expert on Tuesday unveiled a plan for the construction of the International Lunar Research Station initiated by China and extended an invitation to organizations and scientists around the world to participate in the program. The building of the International Lunar Research Station will be carried out in three phases, with a basic model of the station expected to be completed by around 2030, said Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program.

Wu made the remarks during a speech at the International Deep Space Exploration Conference held in Hefei, the capital of east China's Anhui Province. According to the scientist, the upcoming Chang'e-6, Chang'e-7, and Chang'e-8 missions will play an important role in the first phase of construction of the research station to form the basic model of the research station. Chang'e-6 will be launched around 2024 to collect samples from the far side of the moon while Chang'e-7 will be launched around 2026 to carry out a detailed investigation of the environment and resources of the lunar south pole, Wu said. (4/25)