June 23, 2023

After Claiming Their Place in Space, Women Run the Show Back on Earth (Source: Florida Today)
Fifty years ago, women trained for spaceflight, but no one could imagine a woman astronaut. Women employed by NASA made significant contributions to sending men to the moon but remained mostly invisible and accounted for a small percentage of the workforce. The first executive position to be held by a woman at NASA wouldn't be filled until 1972. Now, three of NASA's top record-holders for most time in space on a single mission are women.

Today, women account for about 40 percent of the agency's workforce, seven of the agency's ten centers are led by women directors, and women sit at the helm of prominent commercial spaceflight companies like SpaceX. Click here. (6/23)

What the Wreck of the Titan Portends for Commercial Spaceflight (Source: Space News)
The general public understands the risk of spaceflight and has seen what can go fatally wrong. We remember the Apollo 1 fire in 1967 and the very public losses of the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003. Those were with people who were trained astronauts and knew full well, as did their loved ones, what was plainly at risk. Same for the Virgin Galactic calamities, where those involved were trained employees acutely aware of dangers. Titan's passengers were summer tourists looking for a thrill.

Another grim and uncomfortable aspect of this dreadful event is the deployment of government assets in the search for the Titan. At some point, there will be a morbid discussion about the recovery of those lost. How will that be done, if it can be? How long will it take? Is that a reasonable use of taxpayer money? What happens when there’s a private space mishap that strands paying passengers in orbit or on the moon? Will Space Force and NASA be expected to carry out search and rescue or recovery?

The public is used to lives being lost in the pursuit of such thrills as skydiving and mountain climbing. Going to the deepest parts of the ocean or into outer space on a commercial vessel is different. These undertakings are still novel enough to warrant widespread media attention, especially if something goes wrong. Government regulators, private operators, insurance companies, lawyers and lawmakers should pay attention to how this deep ocean disaster plays out and take serious lessons learned for when the private space tourist industry eventually has its “Titan moment.” (6/22)

Video Update: Starship's Future at KSC, Blue Origin's New Hardware, and NASA's SLS! (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
The NSF team as they provide an in-depth flyover of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Explore SpaceX's latest developments with Starship, including the ongoing activity at 39A and modifications to the Falcon Transporter-Erector. Discover Blue Origin's progress at Exploration Park, Launch Complex 36, and the Launch and Landing Facility. Get updates on NASA's SLS as it prepares for the first human flight to the Moon in over 50 years. Don't miss this exciting overview of space exploration! Click here. (6/23)

Upgrades to KSC Ground Systems Near Completion for Artemis II (Source: Space Daily)
As teams with NASA's Exploration Ground Systems Program at Kennedy Space Center prepare for the first major set of integrated ground system tests for Artemis II, the first crewed mission under Artemis, engineers have nearly completed upgrades to mobile launcher 1 and launch pad 39B. Technicians repaired the elevators on the mobile launcher, which sustained damage during Artemis I launch, and teams are evaluating ways to harden the elevators and strengthen blast doors ahead of Artemis II.

Teams are finishing refurbishing the platform's blast plates surrounding the mobile launcher's flame hole to protect it against the powerful exhaust plume from the rocket's engines. At the pad, personnel are modifying the panels on the flame deflector to account for turbulent exhaust flows observed after the first SLS launch. Teams also are testing the crew access arm, the entry and exit point on the mobile launcher astronauts use for access to the Orion spacecraft. This summer, workers will conduct swing tests of the arm to ensure it and supporting mobile launcher systems are certified to support crewed missions. (6/22)

Full Ignition for ESA’s Reusable Rocket Engine (Source: ESA)
Work to develop a reusable engine for European rockets is progressing, with full ignition of an early prototype of Prometheus. According to ArianeGroup, which is developing Prometheus under contact to ESA, testing will continue at the end of 2023 at the German aerospace agency DLR’s test site in Lampoldshausen, Germany.

The 100-tonne thrust class Prometheus features extensive use of new materials and manufacturing techniques designed to reduce its cost to just a tenth of Ariane 5’s Vulcain 2, an upgraded version of which – Vulcain 2.1 – powers the core stage of Ariane 6. (6/23)

Safran, Terran Orbital to Explore Joint Production of Satellite Propulsion Systems (Source: Space News)
Terran Orbital has signed an agreement with French aerospace giant Safran to explore U.S.-based production of satellite propulsion systems, the companies announced June 23. Under the agreement, Safran Electronics & Defense and Terran Orbital  will investigate opportunities and prerequisites for the production of electric propulsion systems for satellites based on Safran’s PPSX00 plasma thruster. The PPSX00 is a hall effect plasma thruster, recently introduced by Safran for the low Earth orbit satellite market. (6/23)

Newer Starlink Satellites Reduce Reflectivity (Source: Sky & Telescope)
The biggest Starlink satellites are also the faintest. Astronomers monitoring the brightness of the "V2 mini" Starlink satellites that SpaceX started launching earlier this year found them to be significantly darker than older, smaller Starlink satellites. The V2 mini satellites have an average magnitude of 7.1 once in their "brightness mitigation mode" to reduce the amount sunlight they reflect down to the ground.  That average magnitude meets recommendations set by astronomers to minimize the effect such satellites have on observations. (6/23)

Rocket Lab Plans Booster Recovery for Next Electron Mission (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab will attempt a booster recovery on its next Electron launch. The company announced Thursday the "Baby Come Back" launch, scheduled for launch as soon as July 14. That Electron will carry four NASA Starling cubesats for testing formation flying technologies, as well as the Telesat LEO 3 demonstration satellite and two Spire cubesats. Rocket Lab said it will attempt the recover the booster after it splashes down as part of efforts to eventually reuse those boosters. (6/23)

Cosmonauts Complete ISS Spacewalk (Source: Space.com)
Russian cosmonauts completed a six-hour spacewalk outside the ISS Thursday. Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin carried out the spacewalk, which started at 10:24 a.m. Eastern, to remove hardware mounted on the exterior of the station that is no longer needed. Those items, including a science experiment, were tossed away from the station by the cosmonauts. The spacewalkers also retrieved a micrometeoroid experiment and installed high-speed telemetry hardware. (6/23)

Apex Raises $16 Million for Satellite Factory (Source: Space News)
Satellite manufacturer Apex has raised $16 million for a new satellite factory. The company said Thursday that venture firms Andreessen Horowitz and Shield Capital led the Series A round, bringing the total raised by the startup to more than $27 million. The company will use the funding for a facility for mass manufacturing of its Aries satellite bus, the first of which will launch early next year carry payloads from Orbit Fab, Ubotica and an unnamed "tier one" defense contractor. Apex also recently rolled out an online tool to enable potential customers to configure, and get a firm price for, satellite buses. (6/23)

SpiderOak Tests Secure Software in Orbit (Source: Space News)
Cybersecurity specialist SpiderOak says it has successfully tested its OrbitSecure software in orbit. The company said it demonstrated OrbitSecure on a Ball Aerospace payload sent into low Earth orbit in January on a Loft Orbital satellite. The software uses a "zero trust" architecture that provides security at the data level. SpiderOak has also been testing the security software on "flatsat" prototypes in the lab. (6/23)

India to Join Artemis Accords, Expand US Space Cooperation (Source: Space News)
The governments of India and the United States have agreed to expand cooperation in spaceflight. As part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States, the two governments announced Thursday that India had signed the Artemis Accords, a move Modi described in a joint press conference with President Biden as "a big leap forward in our space cooperation."

The countries also agreed to set up a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation by the end of the year that would include launching a "joint effort" of some kind to the ISS in 2024. The countries released few other details about that enhanced cooperation, but outside observers saw India's decision to join the Artemis Accords as a major milestone for a country that traditionally avoided aligning too closely to major space powers. (6/23)

Space Force Missile-Warning Satellites Drawing Congressional Attention (Source: Space News)
Military satellite procurements for strategic defense and communications are drawing increased funding but also congressional scrutiny. A report published Thursday by The Aerospace Corporation called new programs for missile defense and communications satellite systems a "fundamental departure" from past programs. That includes increased use of constellations of low Earth orbit satellites rather than large GEO satellites. House appropriators, meanwhile, have pushed back against Space Force plans to cancel a third GEO satellite for its Next Gen OPIR missile-warning system, saying it was "troubled by the lack of analysis" to back that proposal. (6/23)

Ovzon 3 On Course to Miss Regulatory Deadline After Latest Delay (Source: Space News)
Ovzon is facing another delay for its next GEO communications satellite. The Swedish operator announced this week that it will miss a July-September launch window for the Ovzon 3 satellite because of final assembly and testing delays for the Maxar-built satellite and work to shift the launch from Arianespace to SpaceX. It now expects to launch the satellite no earlier than late this year. Ovzon has a Dec. 31 ITU deadline to start providing services, and will likely need another extension after previously securing a one-year extension because of satellite manufacturing delays. (6/23)

New Discovery on Venus Points Toward Signs of Life (Source: MSN)
Life forms could potentially be able to survive in the conditions in the clouds above Venus. The key point revolves around the presence of the biosignature gas phosphine, which is often identified as a sign of life. It also posits the idea that potential life forms on the planet could use sulphuric acid the way life forms on Earth use water. The paper reads: "Although we consider the prospects for finding life on Venus to be speculative, they are not absent." (6/22)

ATMOS Space Cargo Closes Oversubscribed Seed-Round with €4M for Space Cargo Return Service (Source: Seraphim)
ATMOS Space Cargo has successfully closed its oversubscribed seed round with €4M. ATMOS Space Cargo is a German-based life sciences space transportation company, that designs and manufactures return capsules, opening up the highly anticipated market for ‘microgravity on demand’ for a fraction of current market prices. Their goal is to space transportation affordable and sustainable. Broadening access to space and on-demand microgravity for many scientists, organizations, and private companies from various sectors. (6/22)

Missing Titanic Sub Owner Sued by Florida Couple Who Traveled to Space (Source: Fox 35 Orlando)
An Florida couple sued OceanGate Expeditions CEO Richard Stockton Rush, who died onboard a submersible that went missing Sunday night in the North Atlantic Ocean. Marc and Sharon Hagle filed the lawsuit on February 2023, after Rush reportedly refused to refund the couple the $210,258 they claimed they spent on an expedition that was supposed to take place in June 2018.

The Hagles participated in the fourth crewed flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket in 2021. The Hagles said they originally signed a contract in November 2016, paying a deposit of $20,000 to participate in a submersible dive expedition onboard the vessel "Cyclops 2" (later renamed "Titan"). The suit claims a total of $190,258.00 was wired from the Hagles to OceanGate in February 2018, and the couple were denied a refund after multiple delays and rescheduling attempts. (6/22)

Are the Risks Involved in Sea and Space Tourism Too High? (Source: Al Jazeera)
Commercial companies offering dangerous adventures to the ends of the Earth and beyond are attracting billions of dollars every year.
Governments used to be the main funders of sea and space expeditions. Some of the risks in commercial sea exploration have been exposed by the plight of the five men on board the Titan submersible that went missing.

Their organizers say their trips help fund new areas of science and industry. So how are these multibillion-dollar industries contributing to science? And how do these adventures benefit society? Click here. (6/22)

D-Orbit Secures Four Multi-Million Contracts with ASI and ESA (Source: D-Orbit)
Space logistics and orbital transportation company D-Orbit secured four multi-million contracts under the framework of Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). These contracts represent a great opportunity to take part in national projects that will mark historic milestones the space sector and cooperate with some of the most renown and innovative Italian companies in the industry. (6/22)

New Monument Will Honor Florida's Role in Space Exploration (Source: Collect Space)
Florida's historic, present and future role in space exploration will be recognized by a new landmark, now that lawmakers have given the "go" for the launch of the monument in the state's capital. Florida's legislature unanimously voted to establish the Florida Space Exploration Monument, a new installation in Tallahassee to pay tribute to not only "the past achievements and contributions of individuals who have made this state a leader in space exploration, but also serve in the future to inspire individuals to help maintain this state's role as such."

The Department of Management Services will also develop a plan for erecting the monument, including its cost and designating an "appropriate public area" for its addition to the capitol complex, to be submitted to the Governor of Florida, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House by July 1 of next year. The plan, which will also outline the schedule for the project, will be authored with the recommendations of the Florida Historical Commission and Division of Historical Resources of the Department of State.

Florida is already home to several monuments honoring space exploration. The U.S. Space Walk of Fame Foundation, a non-profit working to preserve the history of the space program, erected monuments to the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle program workforces in Space View Park in Titusville. The foundation then donated the statues to the city. Kennedy Space Center also hosts the Space Mirror Memorial, a black granite monument that was designated by Congress in 1991 "as the national memorial to astronauts who die in the line of duty." (6/21)

Roof and Building Repairs Discussed at Spaceport America Board Meeting (Source: Source NM)
Repairs and renovations at New Mexico’s spaceport were prominent topics at last week’s New Mexico Spaceport Authority governance meeting. The spaceport is hosting the Spaceport America Cup Wednesday – where about 150 student teams from universities compete with different rocket designs and fuel types. The competition accounts for about 80% of all launches from the spaceport.

Washed-out roads and flash flooding postponed parts of the 2022 competition, and the agency is still working through some of the repairs from last year’s heavy monsoon season. Completed repairs included fixing all 40 skylights after some started leaking into the Gateway to Space building, leased to spaceflight company Virgin Galactic. The building houses the company’s hangar for its space plane, control room and offices. (6/21)

Over 1,700 Students From Across the Globe Gather for Spaceport America Cup (Source: KVIA)
Students and instructors from more than 150 institutions around the world gathered at Spaceport America for the Spaceport America Cup competition. The event is "the world's largest intercollegiate rocket engineering conference and competition." The countries competing in Wednesday's event include Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Nepal, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the UAE, the UK, and the US. (6/21)

Las Vegas' New Gateway to Space? (Source: KSNV)
The Securities and Exchange Commission has granted permission for a Las Vegas-based company to begin selling stock in its effort to build a spaceport on 240 acres of land it acquired about 15 minutes outside Pahrump. The Las Vegas Spaceport, according to CEO Rob Lauer, will be a spaceport as well as a development featuring a hotel and casino to attract space tourism, but also provide education and training facilities to prepare the scientists and space pilots of the future. (6/21)

North Korea Repaves Spaceport Launchpad After Recent Failure (Source: NKPro)
North Korea has begun repaving the new launchpad used for the country’s failed military satellite launch, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery, as the ruling party promised again this week to attempt another launch “in a short span of time.” Planet Labs high-resolution imagery shows repaving efforts began between June 16 and 18 throughout the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground complex, including on the new coastal launchpad, on the new and old rocket engine test stands and near the old launchpad. (6/22)

Launcher’s Orbiter Glitches in Orbit, Forcing Emergency Deployment of Space Startups’ Payloads (Source: Tech Crunch)
Launcher’s Orbiter spacecraft experienced an anomaly after reaching orbit that will likely result in the premature end of its customers’ missions. While the spacecraft successfully separated from the launch vehicle, it experienced a software-related issue that induced a high rate of rotation. This issue, in addition to critically low fuel and battery levels, forced Launcher to make the “emergency decision” to deploy customer payloads earlier than anticipated.

Orbiter was carrying several customer payloads, including Starfish Space, Innova Space, and TRL11, a space startup developing video for in-space applications. (6/21)

Spinning Spacecraft Adds Unwelcome Twist to Starfish Space’s Docking Test Mission (Source: GeekWire)
On a recent SpaceX Transporter launch, Otter Pup and several other spacecraft were attached to Launcher’s Orbiter SN3, a space tug that’s designed to release piggyback payloads at different times. Soon after Orbiter SN3 separated from the Falcon 9 upper stage, it experienced an anomaly that set it spinning at a rate on the order of one revolution per second, far outside the bounds of normal operating conditions. With fuel and power levels were critically low, the team made an emergency decision to deploy Otter Pup immediately.

Launcher and Starfish Space said that quick action “gave the Otter Pup mission a chance to continue.” With assistance from Astro Digital and ground station partners, Starfish’s team contacted Otter Pup and determined that it was generating power — but was also spinning because of the circumstances of its emergency deployment. The spacecraft, which is about the size of a dorm-room fridge, has drifted several kilometers away from its Orbiter mothership.

Starfish’s mission plan called for Otter Pup to execute a series of maneuvers leading up to a rendezvous and docking with Orbiter. Such maneuvers would demonstrate that Starfish’s guidance and navigation system, electric propulsion system and electrostatic capture system all work in orbit as designed. But Link said the maneuvers can’t be done unless the spinning can be stabilized. (6/21)

Space Travel Alters Gene Expression in White Blood Cells, Weakening Our Immune System (Source: Frontiers)
Evidence is mounting that astronauts are more susceptible to infections while in space. For example, astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) commonly suffer from skin rashes, as well as respiratory and non-respiratory diseases. Astronauts are also known to shed more live virus particles, for example Epstein-Barr virus, varicella-zoster responsible for shingles, herpes-simplex-1 responsible for sores, and cytomegalovirus.

These observations suggest that our immune system might be weakened by space travel. But what could cause such an immune deficit? “Here we show that the expression of many genes related to immune functions rapidly decreases when astronauts reach space, while the opposite happens when they return to Earth after six months aboard the ISS,” said Dr. Odette Laneuville. (6/22)

Space Tech to Shrink as the Limits of Quantum Physics are Tested on Earth and Beyond (Source: University of Warwick)
A UK-wide consortium is developing technologies to use nanoparticles as state-of-the-art sensors on small, shoebox-sized satellites known as CubeSats. The Universities of Warwick, Swansea and Strathclyde have been awarded £250k to further research into nanoparticles and quantum physics in the application of space technology. (6/21)

Is Quantum Gravity Slowing Down Neutrinos? (Source: Physics World)
Ultra-relativistic neutrinos blasted into space during gamma-ray bursts are slowed down by the effects of quantum gravity. That is the conclusion of physicists in Italy, Poland and Norway, who have spotted seven neutrinos that arrived on Earth later than expected, compared to their companion gamma rays. One prediction is that particles moving very near to the speed of light will lose energy because of a quantum gravitational effect. The faster the particle is moving, the more the effect is enhanced. (6/21)

NASA-Funded Robotic Solar-Powered System May Illuminate Dark Regions of the Moon (Source: Interesting Engineering)
Maxar Technologies, a start-up, has presented a viable technological solution to overcome the challenge of working in permanently shaded areas on the Moon. Working with NASA, the company is developing a system that will light up the areas covered in permanent darkness. The concept is called Light Bender. The technological solution works by reflecting incoming sunlight to solar panels positioned in dark regions.

The proposed Light Bender design is based on a 65-foot (20-meter) high pole, or telescoping mast. It will be made up of two 32-feet (10-meter) reflectors, one on the bottom and one on the top. Robots will be trained to autonomously assemble and deploy the pair of reflectors on the lunar surface. The bottom reflector will capture sunlight and reflect it to the secondary mirror, which will then reflect light to the receiver. (6/22)