June 25, 2023

Launcher's Orbiter Anomaly Follows January Failure on Another Transporter Mission (Source: Space News)
This week's failure is the second in as many missions for Launcher's Orbiter tug. The first Orbiter, launched on Transporter-6 in January, failed when it could not get into the proper attitude after deployment so its solar cells could generate power, which it blamed on a fault with a GPS antenna used for orientation control. None of the smallsat payloads on that Orbiter were deployed.

Between those two Orbiter missions, Launcher was acquired by Vast Space, a company developing commercial space stations. Launcher dropped plans to develop a small launch vehicle after the acquisition but said it would continue to work on Orbiter, flying it on several future Transporter missions. Launcher said it is still planning to fly Orbiter on three Transporter missions in 2024, starting with Transporter-10 in February 2024 that will carry Orbiter SN5. “We are grateful that our current partners and customers are continuing to join us on our next flight,” it stated. (6/23)

SpaceX Changing Starship Stage Separation Ahead of Next Launch (Source: Space News)
SpaceX is changing the approach for separating the two stages of its Starship vehicle to increase payload performance before its next test flight, Elon Musk said June 24. He said that SpaceX had recently decided to switch to a “hot-staging” approach where the Starship upper stage will ignite its engines while still attached to the Super Heavy booster.

Hot-staging, which has been used on Russian launch vehicles for decades, involves igniting the engines on one stage while still attached to its lower stage. Musk said that, for Starship, most of the 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster would be turned off, but a few still firing, when the engines on the Starship upper stage are ignited. Doing so, he said, avoids the loss of thrust during traditional stage separation, where the lower stage shuts down first.

Besides the change in stage separation, Musk said SpaceX made a “tremendous number” of other changes to the vehicle, “well over a thousand.” He didn’t go into details about the changes, but did note the company was continuing work to upgrade the launch pad to avoid the damage caused by the first Starship launch April 20, such as a “steel sandwich” water deluge system. “We’re actually going for overkill on the steel sandwich and the concrete, so that should leave the base of the pad in much better shape than the last time.” (6/24)

Space Investment Tracker Launched at New York Summit (Source; EuroConsult)
Euroconsult, which specializes in the space sector and satellite-enabled verticals, launched its new Financing and Transactions Database, which aims to equip investors, governments and wider stakeholders with the means of tracking financing flows, active players (investors and funding recipients) and business models via a comprehensive dashboard.

The value for those accessing the comprehensive data platform will include the ability to quickly identify high-potential space start-ups attracting the most interest, track competitor activity, define financial strategies, analyze the health of different technological segments or geographical regions, access detailed market intelligence on recent mergers and acquisitions and much more. (6/14)

Colombia, Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and The Swedish Royal Institute of Technology Agree on Joint Space Activities (Source: SSC)
Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm (KTH) have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Government of Colombia regarding joint space activities. It aims to strengthen Colombia's ambitions to develop its national space program, with the help of Swedish research, competence and established space operations infrastructure.

SSC will offer its support utilizing the vast experience of satellite communication and operations as well as rocket launch activities. This expertise is based on the 50 years of experience from operating the most versatile space base Esrange in Sweden as well as the company’s global network of satellite ground stations. Additionally, the LoI includes utilization of space data to fight climate change and enable a more sustainable region in South America, where SSC can provide game changing support through the subsidiary GlobalTrust. (6/15)

Exotrail will Provide Blue Canyon Technologies with Electric Propulsion Systems for NASA’s INCUS Mission (Source: Exotrail)
U.S. based small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider Blue Canyon selected Exotrail to embark Exotrail’s spaceware propulsion systems aboard the company’s Venus-class microsatellite platform, which will be used for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) INCUS mission. (6/22)

World View Names New Chief Financial Officer and Appoints New Member to Its Board of Directors (Source: World View)
World View, a global leader in stratospheric exploration and flight, today announced Stephen Wideman as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and former World View Exploration and Tourism Advisory Board (ExTAB) member Lori Garver to its Board of Directors. (6/20)

Airbus Progresses on Target to Recruit Over 13,000 Employees in 2023 (Source: Airbus)
Airbus is calling on aerospace enthusiasts to join a growing sector as it looks to recruit more than 13,000 people across the globe in 2023. To date, more than 7,000 of those positions have been filled despite a challenging labor market. Plans are already well underway to fill the remaining positions with new hires being instrumental in supporting Airbus’ production ramp-up and decarbonisation ambitions. (6/21)

OroraTech Signs Contract to Deliver Data to European Union (Source: Orora)
OroraTech, the global leader in space-based thermal intelligence, has signed a multi-million contract with the European Space Agency to deliver data to the European Union as part of the Copernicus Contributing Mission (CCM). Leveraging its recently launched in-orbit thermal sensor network, OroraTech will contribute vital data to critical sectors such as emergency services, climate change analysis, marine management, and land management. (6/19)

PLD Space to Operate From Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana (Source: PLD Space)
PLD Space has signed a binding contract with the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) to launch its MIURA 5 micro-launcher from the Guiana Space Centre (CSG). With this agreement, PLD Space becomes one of the few operators that will be able to launch from Kourou. This location is highly sought after by PLD Space's clients. Decades of experience and the ability to reach any orbit are among the big advantages of this spaceport. (6/21)

Miami's City Labs Unveils New Tritium-Based Technology to Power Future NASA Missions (Source: City Labs)
City Labs, a leading Miami, Florida-based manufacturer of tritium power sources, is proud to announce the successful completion of a two-year effort that has culminated in the delivery of a next-generation tritium-based space power source to researchers at NASA. This achievement embodies City Labs' commitment to pioneering advancements in nuclear micropower solutions.

City Labs specializes in designing, developing, and manufacturing ultra-low power, long-life (20+ years) tritium-powered nuclear batteries. These batteries are primarily used to power microelectronics, sensors, and other devices employed in the aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial sectors. (6/20)

Reconstructing Alien Astronomers’ View of Our Home Galaxy’s Chemistry (Source: Max Planck Institute)
Researchers have reconstructed what alien astronomers, observing our Milky Way galaxy from afar, would find if they analyzed our home galaxy’s chemical composition. The study, which is led by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, is relevant for our own understanding of the cosmos: It allows for a new kind of comparison between our home galaxy and the many distant galaxies that we observe from the outside. The results provide part of the answer to the old question whether our home galaxy is special: at least when it comes to chemical composition, the Milky Way is unusual, but not unique. (6/22)