May 17, 2023

Bayanat, Yahsat and ICEYE to Broaden Commercial Opportunities across the UAE Space-Ecosystem (Source: ICEYE)
Bayanat, a provider of AI-powered geospatial solutions, and Yahsat, the UAE’s flagship satellite solutions provider, announced a collaboration aimed at building national satellite remote sensing and Earth Observation (EO) capabilities within the UAE and  address business opportunities in the local and global EO market.

The program forms part of the two companies’ partnership with ICEYE, a SAR satellite manufacturer. The expansion of Bayanat’s capabilities into the space sector positions the company to drive its growth strategy and become a prominent player in the industry. Bayanat’s program aims to develop a constellation of at least five SAR low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to provide a consistent data stream for end-to-end solutions for SAR applications. (5/17)

How the Decision on Space Command’s Home Will Be Made (Source: Politico)
A furious review is going on within the Air Force about whether to reverse Trump’s decision or abide by it. Whenever it’s done, we’re told by two U.S. officials that the process will start with SECAF Frank Kendall briefing Defense Secretary LLoyd Austin on the result. Austin will then surely inform President Biden about the decision, and it’s up to the commander in chief whether to weigh in. The officials were granted anonymity to detail an internal debate.

According to the people we’ve talked to, the White House still isn’t sure which way the Air Force is leaning. No recommendation has been sent to the National Security Council, so the administration is still a while away from decision time. But when that time comes, Biden faces a no-win moment. If the command stays in Colorado, it’ll look like he’s bending to the will of a blue state. If it moves to Alabama, he’ll be criticized for following Trump’s lead and relocating a key military organization to a state that is enforcing a total abortion ban.

Editor's Note: Unless, perhaps, the ongoing review finds that then-President Trump improperly made his Huntsville decision based on politics. In August 2021, Trump said: “Space force - I sent to Alabama... I hope you know that. (They) said they were looking for a home and I single-handedly said ‘let’s go to Alabama.' They wanted it. I said let’s go to Alabama. I love Alabama.” (5/16)

Astronomers Want Your Help to Identify Risky Asteroids (Source: Universe Today)
You, too, can be an asteroid hunter — thanks to a citizen-science project launched by the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. And you might even get a scientific citation. The project is enlisting human spotters to verify potential detections of space rocks moving through the field of view of the Catalina Sky Survey’s telescopes.

The NASA-funded survey is charged with keeping track of more than a million asteroids, with a principal goal of identifying near-Earth objects that could pose a risk to our planet. More than 14,400 near-Earth objects, or NEOs, have been discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey during the past 30 years, including 1,200 that were identified just in the past year. Would-be participants can register on the Zooniverse citizen-science platform, then scan through series of images captured on a nightly basis by the Catalina Sky Survey’s telescopes. (5/16)

Webb Finds Water, and a New Mystery, in Rare Main-Belt Comet (Source: ESA)
The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has enabled another long-sought scientific breakthrough, this time for Solar System scientists studying the origins of the water that has made life on Earth possible. Using Webb’s NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) instrument, astronomers have confirmed gas – specifically water vapour – around a comet in the main asteroid belt for the first time, proving that water from the primordial Solar System can be preserved as ice in that region. However, the successful detection of water comes with a new puzzle: unlike other comets, Comet 238P/Read had no detectable carbon dioxide. (5/16)

Is Space Tourism Finally About to Take Off in New Mexico? (Source: Albuquerque Journal)
Many of the 800 people on Virgin Galactic’s flight waiting list have had reservations for more than a decade. New Mexicans have waited even longer for the $225 million Spaceport America and its anchor tenant to turn a profit. Although we’ve been disappointed before, Virgin Galactic and the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport that officially opened in October 2011 could finally be on the cusp of a defining moment for both.

It’s been a long wait, but space-tourism could finally be here this summer with monthly suborbital flights launched from Spaceport America’s 12,000-foot runway. The flights cost up to $450,000 apiece. Taxpayers will see little benefit because the expensive tickets are not subject to gross receipts taxes. As an incentive for growing the state’s space industry, New Mexico lawmakers exempted “payloads” launched from spaceport from being subject to GRTs. But they made no distinction between commercial and human cargo. With Virgin Galactic expecting to generate $2.7 million for every six-passenger space flight, that’s a pretty big tax loophole.

A bipartisan bill to close that loophole was grounded by a House committee in 2022. The Journal Editorial Board supported the initial exemptions on taxes, but hopes state lawmakers will take another look at closing the loophole as the space industry takes off. Then, all New Mexicans can benefit from the trips to the edge of space, and not just the few who actually experience microgravity and breathtaking views of the Earth’s curvature. (5/15)

Weddings in Space: Couples Rush to be First — But it’s Not Cheap (Source: New York Post)
This wedding space is truly out of this world. If the thought of nuptials on Earth sounds a little boring, a space travel company wants to give you the opportunity to get hitched at a venue looking down on the third rock from the sun instead. The company, called Space Perspective, is offering couples an unforgettable way to say “I do” — putting lovers into orbit using a carbon-neutral balloon with giant windows to make the most of the ultimate view of planet Earth.

According to Jane Poynter, the co-founder of Space Perspective, the waiting list to get married amongst the stars is already light-years long. “We’ve already had people wanting to be the first marriage in space, so we’ll see who is the first,” Poynter told The Cool Down. The company assured its spacecraft, Neptune, offers a gentle experience for newlyweds. (5/15)

How Hainan Is Parlaying Space Tourism Into Populist Support (Source: Bloomberg)
China’s version of Cape Canaveral has bigger implications beyond rocket kitsch and overpriced hotels. Eight stories above the sidewalks of Longlou, a small rural town in Wenchang on the southern island of Hainan, about 80 tourists from different Chinese provinces gathered on the top of an apartment building on the evening of May 10. The crowd, including several families with young children and teenagers, was there to see the launch of the Long March-7 Y7, a rocket carrying the Tianzhou-6 cargo craft bound for the nation’s Tiangong space station.

Longlou is usually a sleepy area whose muddy roads are dotted with minimarts, a handful of restaurants and empty commercial stores waiting to be leased. But during rocket launch days, eateries, hotels and other businesses spring into action, with hairdressers offering rocket-shaped buzzcuts and impromptu stalls appearing to hawk space snow globes and plastic astronauts. At these times, residential buildings can charge hundreds of yuan for one visitor to go up to watch the spectacle. A no-frills hotel with rooms that usually cost 250 yuan a night can easily charge more than 1,000 yuan. (5/15)

Stratolaunch Touts Successful Test Off Vandenberg Space Force Base Coast (Source: Noozhawk)
An odd-looking aircraft touted as the largest operating in the world helped successfully conduct a key test off the coast of Vandenberg Space Force Base on Saturday, and set the stage for a hypersonic flight later this year. Stratolaunch, which is headquartered in Mojave, announced that its Roc carrier plane demonstrated that the Talon-A launch system can cleanly and safely separate hypersonic vehicles from the aircraft’s center-wing pylon. The flight originated from the Mojave Air & Spaceport Saturday morning before traveling west for the test. (5/15)

Alabama Lawmakers Speak Out After Report Biden ‘May Halt Plans’ on U.S. Space Command (Source: WHNT)
Alabama lawmakers have issued statements reacting to a report that claims the Biden Administration is looking to ‘halt plans’ to move U.S. Space Command to Huntsville over Alabama’s restrictive abortion law. “Alabama is the only choice for Space Command Headquarters — no ifs, ands or buts about it. The contest wasn’t even close. The Pentagon knows it. And the White House knows it. I’ll keep saying it, and Alabama will keep proving it until HQ is officially in Huntsville," said Gov. Kay Ivey.

Space National Guard Debate Leaves Colorado Units 'Orphaned' (Source: The Gazette)
When the Space Force was established in late 2019, more than 1,000 Air National Guard members focused on space missions were left behind. A debate about their future is still raging, leaving the airmen in limbo some three years later. Lawmakers are debating a new Space National Guard that could leave the 16 space-focused guard units, including seven in Colorado, in place. They've come to be known as "orphan units," left behind in an Air Force that is no longer technically responsible for training or equipping them. (5/15)

Bioprinting Research to Make History on ISS (Source: WFIRM)
The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) will make history this month when the first bioprinted solid tissue constructs soar to the International Space Station (ISS) on board the next all private astronaut mission by commercial space leader Axiom Space. The Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) launch by Houston-based Axiom Space is launching from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport The crew will conduct extensive scientific research experiments including WFIRM’s vascularized tissue research – which won first place in the NASA Vascular Tissue Challenge in 2021. (5/15)