July 11, 2023

A Growing Market for Thermal Imagery From Space (Source: Space News)
Thermal imagery is a growing field in the Earth observation industry. Startups focused on gathering thermal imagery via satellite are attracting investment, making acquisitions and winning contracts after years of little or no progress. Companies are targeting various applications for thermal imagery, from monitoring climate change to tracking wildfires. They share, though, the conviction that startups can provide the type of data only expensive government satellites supplied in the past. (7/11)

Japan Sets August for Launch of H-2A Launch of Lunar Lander and X-Ray Telescope (Source: JAXA)
Japan's space agency JAXA has set a late August launch date for an X-ray telescope and lunar lander. JAXA announced Tuesday that the launch of the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) and the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) spacecraft on an H-2A rocket is now scheduled for Aug. 26 Japan time. The launch had been planned for May but postponed because of the investigation into an H3 launch failure in March. XRISM is an X-ray telescope that is a replacement for the Hitomi spacecraft, which failed shortly after launch in 2016. SLIM is a mission to demonstrate pinpoint landing technologies on the moon. (7/11)

Russia Recruiting More Cosmonauts (Source: TASS)
Roscosmos is seeking applications for a new cosmonaut class. The agency said Monday it will request applications through late October for a new cosmonaut class it says will be trained for a future Russian space station. Roscosmos did not state how many people it plans to select but stated it is looking for applications from pilots, engineers and IT specialists. (7/11)

NASA Issues Task Orders For Axiom and Collins for Space Suit Work (Source: Space News)
NASA has issued new task orders to two companies working on International Space Station and Artemis spacesuits. The task orders, announced Monday and worth $5 million each, would allow Axiom Space to start studying how to adapt the Artemis suit it is developing for use on the ISS and allow Collins Aerospace to start studying how to adapt an ISS spacesuit for Artemis missions. The task orders help ensure redundancy, NASA said, while allowing the companies to explore additional commercial opportunities for their suit designs. (7/11)

ISRO Opts for 'Failure-Based' Design for Chandrayaan-3 Lunar Mission (Source: Rediff)
India's third lunar mission, set for launch on Friday, is loaded with more fuel, a slew of safety measures and a bigger landing site, with Indian Space Research Organisation saying it has opted for a "failure-based design" for the second attempt to ensure that the rover successfully lands on the moon even if some things go wrong. (7/11)

Whitaker May Be Nominated as FAA Head (Sources: Wall Street Journal, AVweb)
Mike Whitaker, a private pilot who serves as chief operating officer at Supernal, could be nominated to lead the Federal Aviation Administration as early as this week, sources said. Whitaker was the agency's deputy chief from 2013 to 2016 and helped to improve the air traffic system in the US. (7/10)

US Space Command Takes Lessons from Ukraine War (Source: The Hill)
The US Space Command has gleaned crucial insights from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, particularly the vulnerability of satellite communication networks to cyberattacks and the use of "satcom jamming," according to Lt. Gen. John Shaw. The conflict has also highlighted the scale of navigation warfare, prompting countries to reassess their GPS systems and prepare for potential NAVWARs in emerging digital domains. (7/10)

Hanwha Systems Obtains License for Satellite Internet Service in South Korea (Source; Korea Herald)
Hanwha Systems Co. has obtained a government license to operate as a satellite internet service provider, as it ramps up to advance into the space internet sector with an eye on military demand. The authorization by the Ministry of Science and ICT allows Hanwha Systems, the defense and ICT unit under Hanwha Group, to provide high-speed internet service using low-Earth orbit telecommunication satellites for businesses and government organizations, the Seoul-based company said. (7/11)

Defense Innovation Unit Teams with Companies on Space-Based Internet (Source: C4ISRnet)
As the Defense Innovation Unit works to demonstrate a space-based internet capability that could help the Pentagon achieve its vision for a connected battlespace, one of the organization’s biggest challenges has been navigating the military services’ disparate strategies for achieving it. DIU is developing the Hybrid Space Architecture in partnership with the Space Force and the Air Force Research Laboratory to provide internet connectivity from space. The plan is to demonstrate the ability to use commercial satellites and communication systems to provide more bandwidth, security and flexibility to military and civil users. (7/10)

Designing a New Framework for the U.S. Space Force Workforce (Source: Rand)
The U.S. Space Force (USSF), as a new space-centered military force with a relatively small end strength at present, has talent-management needs that differ from those of its sister services. The USSF needs to develop and retain its workforce along career paths that sustain essential technical and warfighting competencies among all guardians and to develop strong candidates for senior leadership positions.

The authors of this Perspective recommend that, to address these talent-management needs, the USSF consider a new framework — one that is not tied to the traditional Air Force structure of stovepiped career fields and instead aims to build USSF officers' depth and breadth of expertise in both warfighting mission areas and occupational competencies through training and experience. This system would support greater and more-flexible career-growth opportunities for officers, help avoid career silos, and strengthen the USSF's ability to develop and sustain a flexible, agile force with the talent it needs. Click here. (7/10)

If There Were a War in Space, Debris Would Destroy all Remaining Satellites in About 40 Years (Source: Universe Today)
The Kessler syndrome describes a cascade of collisions so numerous that in only forty years after an ASAT test, all of our satellites would be destroyed, overwhelmed by collisions and a cloud of debris that makes Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) unusable. “The calculations also show that anti-satellite tests generate more than 102,000 new pieces of this waste larger than 1 centimetre and that its negative effects take 1,000 years to disappear due to the high altitude at which tests are carried out,” the authors explain.

The problems may have just started, but the potential endgame is catastrophic. An all-out war in space between two superpowers like China and the USA is the ultimate tragedy of the commons. Military satellites are high-value targets, and there’s a strong possibility that in any serious conflict, satellites would be targeted. This is where the future looks bleak, according to the authors, as things could escalate quickly. There may be no way of winning a superpower war on Earth without targeting satellites. “The destruction of enemy satellites, not only military ones but also civil ones as the latter also have a military use, would be critical for winning a war on Earth.” (7/5)

‘Off the Charts’: Earth’s Vital Signs are Going Haywire (Source: WFLA)
In my 3 decade-long career being a weather forecaster, and now Chief Meteorologist and Climate Specialist, I have never observed so many of Earth’s vital signs blinking red. Meteorologists and climate scientists all around the world are in awe by the simultaneous literal “off the charts” records being broken. Yes, it’s climate change.

The steady trend of rising temperatures over the last few decades has placed Earth’s baseline climate so high that achieving these extremes – which used to be rare if not unheard of – is now expected when conditions are ripe. And right now they are, with El Niño’s added heat and several other concurrent, varying natural climate patterns. So, to be more specific, it’s climate change – with other natural patterns piled on top. (6/30)

Florida-Based Helicon Expands in West Virginia (Source: Helicon)
The West Virginia Regional Technology Park is thrilled to announce that Orlando-based Helicon Chemical, a leading innovator in developing drop-in-ready, upgraded binder for government and commercial propulsion systems, is its newest tenant. The Tech Park and Helicon celebrated today with a ribbon cutting event at the South Charleston, West Virginia technology park campus. The event marks a significant milestone in the growth of both Helicon and the West Virginia Regional Technology Park. (7/10)

Astra to Raise Up To $65 Million in Reverse-Split Stock Sale (Source: Space News)
Faced with dwindling cash and a stock delisting, Astra Space announced plans July 10 to perform a reverse split of its stock and sell up to $65 million of it. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission published after the markets closed, Astra said it had signed a sales agreement with Roth Capital Partners under which it will sell up to $65 million of its stock in an “at-the-market” offering, where shares are sold at the going market rate.

Net proceeds from the stock sale, the company said, would go towards working capital and general corporate purposes. That includes development of its next-generation launch vehicle, Rocket 4, as well as continued production of its Astra Spacecraft Engine electric thrusters. The stock sale comes as the company was running low on cash. Astra reported having $62.7 million in cash as of the end of the first quarter, with a net loss of $44.9 million. The company reported no revenue in the first quarter. (7/10)

Thanks Tuberville: Air Force Delays Bonuses and New Assignments Amid Political Feud Over Space Command HQ (Source: NBC News)
The U.S. Air Force is delaying re-enlistment bonuses and planned moves for its personnel after Alabama lawmakers blocked funding for the service amid a political quarrel over the location of Space Command’s new headquarters. The Air Force is taking actions “to avoid exhausting funds” and is putting off orders for planned change of station moves for personnel as well as bonuses for airmen who re-enlist, the Air Force said in a statement Monday. (7/10)

China Prepares to Auction Launch Opportunities (Source: Global Times)
China's Long March rocket launch opportunity will be auctioned for the first time on Thursday in a move that experts believe will reduce the cost of commercial access to space and boost high demand for commercial space applications. The rocket participating in the auction is the Long March-6 carrier rocket developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, a CASC subsidiary. The rocket is expected to be launched by the end of this year, according to the CCTV.

The auction is set to kick off at 3 pm on Thursday (July 13). The starting price is 80,000 yuan ($11,078) per kilogram. Other rocket launch opportunities are scheduled for 2024, according to a list released by the CASC in April. There are a total of nine launch missions, providing different launch services for international and domestic markets, including "piggy-back" and "packet" launches. (7/9)

How Engineers on the Ground Fixed the Juice Spacecraft’s Stuck Antenna (Source: Digital Trends)
Earlier this year, the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Juice spacecraft launched on its mission to investigate the icy moons of Jupiter. The launch went off smoothly, but there was a problem during the spacecraft deployment phase: an antenna was stuck and wasn’t deploying properly. After several weeks of work and various attempts at fixes, the Juice team succeeded in getting the antenna deployed, and now ESA has shared more information about the problem and how it was solved. Click here. (7/9)

A Bet Against Quantum Gravity (Source: Quanta)
Is gravity quantum in nature, just like all the other particles and forces? Or is it fundamentally different? For nearly a century, physicists have attempted to define gravity using the framework of quantum mechanics. But it turns out that “quantizing” gravity leads to some thorny dead ends. To chart a path forward, the physicist Jonathan Oppenheim and his students have proposed a different idea: What if gravity simply can’t be quantized? Building on work from the 1990s, Oppenheim’s theory keeps gravity classical and then searches for a way to couple the quantum and classical realms.

Such hybrid theories could solve long-standing problems in physics. But they also lead to a conclusion that many physicists may find unsettling: the universe is deeply random. To make his point, Oppenheim made a bet with two quantum gravity researchers that he’s right. Upcoming experiments could determine the winner of the bet. Click here. (7/10)

NASA Scientist Kate Calvin Discusses How Climate Change is Affecting Everyday Life (Source: CBS News)
Kate Calvin, NASA chief scientist and climate adviser, breaks down on "Face the Nation" how climate change is driving some of the most recent weather and health events. Click here. (7/9)

A Crisis and an Opportunity for European Space Access (Source: Space Review)
The final Ariane 5 launched last week, temporarily depriving Europe of independent access to space because of launch failures and vehicle delays. Jeff Foust reports on how Europe reached that state and how it is turning to a commercial rival to get through a near-term crisis. Click here. (7/10)
 
Don’t Jeopardize National Security in the Name of Competition (Source: Space Review)
The Space Force is preparing for a new round of launch contracts that will open up opportunities for additional launch providers. Jonathan Ward, though, warns against one proposed congressional change to that approach that he fears could put key missions at risk. Click here. (7/10)
 
Reality is Underrated: Fox’s “Stars on Mars” Takes Off (Source: Space Review)
Expectations were low about a reality TV series set on a fake Mars. However, Dwayne Day describes how he was pleasantly surprised by how the show and its cast of C-list celebrities have handled the challenges of life on “Mars”. Click here. (7/10)

Voyager Space Signs MoU with ISRO and IN-SPACe to Explore Utilization of Gaganyaan Spacecraft for the Starlab Space Station (Source: Voyager Space)
Voyager Space (Voyager), a global leader in space exploration, is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Department of Space and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe) to explore opportunities for the utilization of ISRO's Gaganyaan crewed spacecraft to service Starlab, a first-of-its-kind, continuously crewed, free-flying space station.

The objective is to jointly study the potential use of ISRO's Gaganyaan spacecraft to provide crewed flights to the Starlab station. Furthermore, Voyager and IN-SPACe will seek additional collaboration opportunities with various stakeholders within the Indian space ecosystem, including research institutions, commercial entities, and government agencies. (7/10)

AI, Quantum and Nuclear Technologies are Key to Lockheed Martin’s Vision for Space 2050 (Source: Space News)
Artificial intelligence, quantum computing and nuclear power are among the key technologies Lockheed Martin sees as important for future space missions. Through a project called Destination: Space 2050, Lockheed Martin executives are exploring, for example, how AI could assist scientific exploration of locations where communications with remote sensors would be disrupted by high latency. Click here. (7/10)

L3Harris Seeks $17.98M in County and City Property Tax Breaks for Plan to Add 201 Space Coast Jobs (Source: Florida Today)
High-tech and defense powerhouse L3Harris Technologies Inc. is proposing a $294.1 million expansion of its Palm Bay campus that would create 201 high-paying jobs at the company and 212 spinoff jobs. Details of the proposal were revealed in documents filed with Brevard County and Palm Bay governments, as Melbourne-based L3Harris is seeking property tax breaks totaling $17.98 million from the county and city. L3Harris said it is considering five other states for the expansion, but winning tax breaks from Brevard and Palm Bay could help solidify the Space Coast for its expansion. (7/10)