June 29, 2023

DoD to Invest in Startup Developing Mobile Space-Launch Platforms (Source: Space News)
The Spaceport Company, a startup developing floating launch pads for space rockets, is one of 17 companies selected to receive government funding this year under the National Security Innovation Capital program. The NSIC program, run by the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit, allocated $35 million in 2023 funding to 17 early-stage companies from different sectors of the tech industry. The Spaceport Company is planning to demonstrate a sea-based launch platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The NSIC funding is for the “design and development of its first full platform for sea-based rocket launches,” DIU said. (6/28)

ULA Shipping Vulcan Upper Stage Back to Factory for More Work (Source: Ars Technica)
ULA technicians at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport have partially disassembled the first Vulcan rocket to send the launch vehicle’s upper stage back to its factory for reinforcements to its paper-thin steel fuel tank. A test article for the Vulcan rocket’s Centaur V upper stage exploded on March 29 during a structural test. After a nearly three-month investigation, ULA engineers determined the upper stage already mounted to the first flight-rated Vulcan rocket inside a hangar in Florida needs more work.

ULA hasn’t ruled out launching the company’s first new Vulcan rocket by the end of the year, but the recovery from the test stand explosion in March eliminated any chance of getting Vulcan off the ground this summer. This also means the Vulcan rocket won’t become operational for the US military until some time next year, following two “certification” flights to demonstrate the vehicle’s performance and reliability.

The main payload for the Vulcan’s first launch is also complete and in storage until it needs to be trucked to Cape Canaveral. The rocket’s debut flight will send a commercial lander built by Astrobotic to the Moon with a package of experiments and tech demo payloads for NASA. Two test satellites for Amazon’s Kuiper broadband network will hitch a ride to space on the first Vulcan rocket. (6/28)

Above: Orbital Develops Energy for Spacecraft Under Recent Awards (Source: Space News)
Above: Orbital is developing technology to provide energy for on-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing with the support of two recent Small Business Innovation Research awards. Under a $75,000 U.S. Air Force contract announced in May, Above: Orbital is working with Ascent Solar Technologies on manufacturing thin-film solar photovoltaics in space. Above: Orbital also is developing rapidly deployable structures for space-based solar panels, communications antenna arrays and other large structures under a $1.7 million U.S. Space Force award announced in March. (6/28)

Orion Heat Shield for Artemis 2 Has Been Installed (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
With some 18 months until the crewed Artemis 2 mission, teams at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida have completed the installation of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield. The 16.5-foot heat shield is designed to protect the Orion capsule and its four crew members from the heat of reentry — nearly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit — after returning from the vicinity of the Moon. According to NASA, conditions inside the vehicle during this time are expected to remain in the mid-70s Fahrenheit (lower 20s Celsius). (6/28)

Rogue Valley Microdevices to Open Microfabrication Facility on Space Coast (Source: Space Coast EDC)
Rogue Valley Microdevices, Inc., an Oregon-based advanced manufacturing company specializing in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), has selected Palm Bay, Florida for the company’s second microfabrication facility, adding 30 jobs over 3 years with an average wage of $59,900, with anticipation of hiring 75 new employees over 5 years with an average wage of $65,267. MEMS and Sensors are integral components in automotive safety systems, aircraft, drones, robotics, drug-delivery systems and disease-diagnostic tools, home and commercial security systems, computer equipment, smartphones, and thousands of other electronic products. (6/28)

OroraTech Selects Spire Global to Provide Eight Satellites for Wildfire Monitoring Constellation (Source: Spire)
Spire Global signed an agreement with OroraTech to build, launch and operate an eight-satellite constellation dedicated to global temperature monitoring. Once operational, it will represent the first and largest constellation of satellites dedicated to tracking and monitoring wildfires. Each spacecraft in the eight-satellite constellation, which will be launched in mid-2024, will carry OroraTech’s proprietary thermal-infrared optical payload and data processing unit with on-orbit fire detection capability. (6/28)

Ramon.Space Raises $26M for Space Computing (Source: Payload)
Space computing company Ramon.Space closed a $26M strategic financing round, just on the heels of finalizing a key manufacturing partnership with Foxconn subsidiary, Ingrasys. Ingrasys and the UAE Strategic Development Fund provided the bulk of the financing, with some participation from existing investors. Ramon.Space has raised more than $45M so far to support its in-space computing tech business. (6/28)

Poland's SpaceForest Launches Test Flight of Suborbital Perun Vehicle (Source: European Spaceflight)
Polish space tech company SpaceForest has confirmed that it performed a test flight of its suborbital Perun launch system on 21 June. The rocket was launched from the Polish Air Force Central Training Ground in Ustka. The flight had initially been planned for June 19 but was postponed due to adverse weather conditions. On June 20, a warning was detected in one of the modules of the rocket further delaying the flight. However, after replacing the module, the rocket was ready for launch on June 21. (6/28)

SpaceNews Names New CEO Andrew Pemberton (Source: Space News)
Andrew Pemberton has been named Chief Executive Officer of SpaceNews, Inc., the world’s largest space-industry trade media brand. A SpaceNews board member since 2014, Pemberton added the title of Chief Marketing Officer in 2022 before moving to the new CEO role. He replaces longtime CEO Greg Thomas, who will transition to Chief Technology Officer. (6/27)

Boeing’s Starliner Saga is Actually a NASA Policy Success (Source: The Hill)
Despite the appearance of failure, the Starliner saga in fact reveals governmental policy success: NASA’s decision to simultaneously fund two distinct vehicles to bring astronauts to the ISS — SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and Boeing’s Starliner — via fixed-price contracts. In a competition for funding with multiple commercial entrants, awarding contracts to two companies provided redundancy and insured NASA against a single company’s failure; fixed-price contracts ensured controlled costs to NASA and to the taxpayer.

And some non-selected entrants and concepts awarded initial funding in earlier rounds can still be developed if there is interest outside NASA. This strategy should be replicated moving forward as NASA refocuses on pursuing exploration outside of low-Earth orbit. Delays are always disappointing, but shouldn’t distract from the bigger successes of the Commercial Crew model. Using multiple private-sector contractors, plus fixed-price contracts, is a recipe for success and resilience that avoids overreliance on one provider while protecting taxpayers. (6/27)

UAE Satellite Blasts Into Space on Russian Rocket (Source: The National)
A UAE satellite was carried into space by a Russian Soyuz rocket on Tuesday, helping to pave the way for a collaboration between the Emirates and the UN created to broaden access to space travel. The PHI-Demo CubeSat, a 20kg modular satellite, lifted-off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia at aboard a Soyuz-2 carrier. (6/27)

The Future of Space Exploration is a Transforming, Animal-Like Robot (Source: ABC News)
A real-life transforming robot designed to mimic the movement of animals that roam Planet Earth will eventually change the way other planets and celestial bodies will be explored, researchers say. The robot, nicknamed the "Morphobot," was inspired by animals such as birds, meerkats and seals, and can perform different modes of movement to navigate its environment, including flying, rolling, crawling, crouching, balancing and tumbling.By mimicking animals' limb repurposing abilities, the mobile robots can be designed with multi-functional limbs to navigate complex terrains by adapting their movement strategies, the researchers said. (6/27)

Real Estate Investor Envisions Las Vegas Spaceport West of City (Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal)
“I own the land, bought it in November, and have been working on a concept for about a year,” Rob Lauer said. “This is not something that’s going to happen overnight.” Lauer expects that within 10 years at least one of the 37 companies that are developing aircraft that can take off and land on a runway will produce a vehicle that can achieve Earth orbit and possibly visit an orbiting hotel in space as a tourism venture.

He figures outside Las Vegas is the perfect place to build the spaceport because of the millions of tourists who come to the city for a unique travel experience, with gamblers who don’t flinch at betting thousands of dollars on a poker hand, a roll of the dice or a spin on a roulette wheel. But a tourism expert is skeptical about a spaceport being a roaring success, even with high-profile space travelers like William Shatner already making a short voyage. (6/27)

Virgin Galactic Under Fire for Offering $450,000 Commercial Space Flights After the Titan Submersible Tragedy (Source: Business Insider)
The internet is roasting Virgin Galactic for launching its first commercial space flight less than a week after the Titan submersible tragedy. The company will send three passengers from the Italian Air Force and National Research Council into space on the Galactic 01 mission. They are set to be accompanied by five Virgin Galactic crew members — one astronaut instructor and four pilots.

Virgin Galactic is also selling tickets for future commercial space flights at $450,000 each, encouraging prospective clients to "reserve" their place "in history," per a brochure found on the website. But social-media users had a field day roasting the company for its poor timing: The Titan submersible imploded last week while carrying a few billionaire tourists on an expedition to see the Titanic shipwreck. (6/28)

Alabama Delegation Woos Industry in Paris (Source: 1819 News)
The Alabama Department of Commerce, led by Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield, attended the 2023 Paris Air Show with the aim of building on the $3.6 billion in new capital investments made by the aerospace industry in Alabama since 2016. The delegation held meetings with several aerospace companies, including Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Kratos, and GKN Aerospace, resulting in potential new projects and strengthened relationships with existing partners. (6/27)

P&W to Expand Georgia Workforce (Source: Aerospace Manufacturing)
Pratt & Whitney plans to invest $206 million to expand its Columbus, Ga., business, which supports both commercial and military engine programs. The investment is expected to create approximately 400 new jobs by the end of 2028. (6/27)

Study: US Needs Counterspace Weapons for Space Superiority (Source: Air and Space Forces)
The Space Force and U.S. Space Command should field counterspace weapons and related capabilities to ensure space superiority in the future, according to a senior Space Force operator and also a new paper from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. Fielding such weapons will require a shift in mindset and major changes in policy, classification, force structure, and personnel, said Maj. Gen. David N. Miller, director of operations, training, and force development for U.S. Space Command. (6/27)

How the ‘Stormbringers’ are Preparing for War in Space (Source: Defense One)
As the U.S. Space Force prepares for conflict in space, the service’s orbital warfare unit is training its guardians to respond to provocations from Russia or China. Based at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, Space Delta 9 aims to “cultivate a deep understanding” of “offensive and defensive fires” so it can preserve access to space and respond to on-orbit threats if necessary, said Space Delta 9 Commander Col. Mark Bigley.

Since most military space technology remains classified, the Pentagon has not been explicit about what “offensive” weapons might look like in the space domain—or whether it would involve jamming or physically destroying an adversary’s spacecraft. (6/27)

KBR Teams with McCallie, Awarded $300M NASA Mission Integration Enhancement Contract (Source: KBR)
KBR is pleased to announce it is a subcontractor to McCallie Associates, Inc., a certified small business selected to provide mission and instrument systems engineering services at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Maryland and Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The Systems Engineering Advanced Services II (SEAS II) contract has a five-year period of performance with a total value of $300 million. SEAS II supports NASA's Mission Engineering and Systems Analysis Division and related Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate organizations. (6/28)