July 13, 2023

Arkansas Government Looking at Possibility of a Spaceport, Cites Success of New Mexico's Spaceport America (Source: KATV)
It seems the Natural State may be headed for the final frontier—Act 477 by the state legislature orders the state Economic Development Commission to conduct a study on the feasibility of constructing a spaceport right here in Arkansas. It all began with a 2022 report by the Arkansas Future Mobility Council, a group of officials, academics, and businessmen, including leaders at Walmart, Entergy, Tyson, and the Arkansas Departments of Transportation and Commerce. The Council recommended that the governor establish an Arkansas space authority to manage a potential spaceport, which they argued would be an economic boon to the state. That view is shared by the sponsors of Act 477.

The Arkansas Future Mobility Council report cited examples provided by the few states with existing spaceports, notably New Mexico's spaceport (Spaceport America), which between 2013 and 2022 created $118 million in direct economic impact and hundreds of jobs. The report asserted that public policy is the 'rocket fuel' needed to initiate a potential international space hub in Arkansas. With Act 477 soon to be in effect, the first steps towards that possibility are being made. (7/11)

Orbital Composites Wins $1.7 Million Space Force Contract (Source: Space News)
Orbital Composites will space qualify technology to manufacture antennas in orbit under a $1.7 million U.S. Space Force contract announced July 13. The Small Business Innovation Research contract, awarded through the SpaceWERX Orbital Prime program, gives an important boost to the Campbell, California, startup’s plans for in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing, Amolak Badesha, Orbital Composites co-founder and CEO, told SpaceNews. “We’re talking about printing outside of the space station and printing much larger structures over time.” (7/13)

Can Life Exist Outside of the Habitable Zone? (Source: Chemistry World)
The notion of a habitable zone in astrobiology is looking ever more shaky. According to the definition on NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration site, this zone of a solar system is ‘The distance from a star at which liquid water could exist on orbiting planets’ surfaces.’ That implies the zone is an annulus with a maximum and minimum radius, which is undermined even in our own solar system by the fact that several worlds, notably Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus, lie outside the conventional habitable zone but have water below their icy crusts kept liquid by tidal heating. Enceladus’s ocean was recently shown to contain phosphates, completing the inventory of elements needed for life as we know it.1

But perhaps habitable zones are both bigger and smaller than we once thought. Astrophysicist Cassandra Hall and colleagues at the University of Georgia, US, have argued that exoplanet searches for signs of life might be more narrowly focused on the ‘photosynthetic habitable zone’ where both liquid water and oxygen-producing photosynthesis can occur.2 They identify five exoplanets seen by the Kepler space telescope that fit this criterion, making them prime targets for spectroscopic examination of their atmospheres. (7/13)

How to Put Your Money Into the Space Economy (Source: Quartz)
Investing in space isn’t easy. As in any frontier technology field, it’s difficult to predict which businesses will be winners and losers, if you’re even right that the sector is primed to soar. Finance experts would argue the right move is a portfolio strategy with balanced exposure to all the different assets in space that are changing the economy back on Earth. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are one way to get there. Click here. (7/12)

NASA Unveils X-59 Supersonic Test Ship At Skunk Works Flight Test Facility (Source: AVweb)
NASA has announced its X-59 supersonic research aircraft has emerged from its construction facility and now sits on the flightline at Lockheed-Martin’s “Skunk Works” in Palmdale, California. The transition occurred in late June, leading up to ongoing ground tests to ensure a safe first flight. The X-59 is expected to help demonstrate that modern technology can reduce sonic booms to much less intrusive “sonic thumps.” (7/11)

Viasat-3 Antenna Suffers Deployment Anomaly (Sources: Space Intel Report, Viasat)
The large Boeing-built Viasat-3 Americas Ka-band broadband satellite launched May 1 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket has suffered a major anomaly in deployment of its Ka-band antenna and could cripple the satellite’s commercial viability, according to industry officials. Launched May 1, Viasat-3 successfully reached geostationary orbit, but the antenna glitch could scrap the satellite's business prospects and trigger a $420 million insurance claim.

A major difference between Viasat-3 and almost any other communications satellite in geostationary orbit is the enormous reflector — one of the largest ever sent into space — tethered to an extremely long boom arm. The boom arm tethering the reflector is a direct, but larger, derivative of the James Webb Space Telescope’s mission-critical sunshade mid-booms.

The reflector’s very large size is possible because its truss, boundary cables and cable net supporting the wire-woven mesh are fabricated with carbon fiber, reinforced-polymers and graphite to provide the necessary elasticity and rigidity during deployment — and for long-term reliability. The reflector’s mesh consists of extremely fine gold-plated wire woven to be flexible and lightweight with excellent electrical reflection properties for the high-frequency Ka-band. (6/12)

Viasat Stock Plunges (Source: CNBC)
Viasat’s stock dropped in trading on Thursday after the company disclosed its most recently launched communications satellite suffered a malfunction. “We’re disappointed by the recent developments,” Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg said in a statement. Shares of Viasat fell as much as 23% in premarket trading from its previous close at $42.98 a share. (7/12)

Rep. Dale Strong Blocks 2nd Attempt to Delay Space Command Move to Alabama (Source: AL.com)
U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Huntsville) has blocked a second try by Colorado lawmakers to pass national defense spending legislation that would delay selection of a permanent U.S. Space Command home keeping the headquarters in their state, Strong’s office said today. After an earlier, failed attempt in the House Armed Services Committee to block a headquarters move to Alabama, Colorado U.S. Reps. Doug Lamborn and Lauren Boebert introduced new legislation into the National Defense Authorization Act, Strong’s office said. Their two amendments “would have effectively allowed SPACECOM to continue building up the temporary headquarters in Colorado Springs,” Strong said. (7/12)

A Look at SpaceX's Starship Upgrades as it Prepares for Second Flight (Source: Payload)
SpaceX will be using Booster 9 and Starship 25 for its second OFT. SpaceX has made 1,000+ modifications to Starship, including significant adjustments to the thrust vector controls, staging, liftoff, and flight termination system. Click here. (7/11)

Lawmakers Have Questions About Next-Gen OPIR Plan (Source: Air Force Times)
The US Space Force's plan to reduce the number of satellites in the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared program has raised concerns among lawmakers. The program was originally set to launch three geosynchronous and two polar-orbiting spacecraft, but the 2024 budget proposes removing one GEO satellite from the constellation. (7/12)

North Carolina Beats Alabama for HondaJet Expansion (Source: WGHP)
Greensboro NC is getting a big win. On Tuesday, HondaJet’s president and CEO confirmed the company is expanding at Piedmont Triad International Airport. State leaders approved nearly $4 million in incentives for the company to build a new production facility at the Piedmont Triad International Airport. This includes 280 new jobs, a more than $55 million investment and annual salaries averaging $88,761. Greensboro beat out Albertville, Alabama. (7/11)

Robot Team on Lunar Exploration Tour (Source: Space Daily)
On the Moon, there are raw materials that humanity could one day mine and use. Various space agencies, such as the European Space Agency (ESA), are already planning missions to better explore Earth's satellite and find minerals. This calls for appropriate exploration vehicles. Swiss researchers led by ETH Zurich are now pursuing the idea of sending not just one solitary rover on an exploration tour, but rather an entire team of vehicles and flying devices that complement each other.

The researchers equipped three ANYmal - a type of legged robot developed at ETH - with a range of measuring and analysis instruments that would potentially make them suitable exploration devices in the future. They tested these robots on various terrains in Switzerland and at the European Space Resources Innovation Centre (ESRIC) in Luxembourg, where, a few months ago, the Swiss team won a European competition for lunar exploration robots together with colleagues from Germany. (7/13)

Perseverance Rover Finds Preserved Organic Matter on Mars (Source: Gizmodo)
Researchers poring over imagery and data from the Perseverance rover on Mars have found evidence of organic molecules in the planet’s Jezero Crater, potentially providing evidence of the planet’s carbon cycles and its ability to host life. The discovery is by no means a confirmation that life once existed on Mars, but it is a sign that the conditions necessary for life as we know it once did. Perseverance is investigating many aspects of the fourth planet from the Sun, but chief among them is whether or not Mars hosted life in its ancient past.

The researchers found signals of organic molecules in all ten of the targets Perseverance scrutinized with its SHERLOC instrument (that’s short for the Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals instrument). The team’s recent research describing the organic-mineral associations around Jezero was published today in Nature. (7/12)

HawkEye 360 Raises $58 Million for Block-3 Satellites (Source: Space News)
HawkEye 360 has raised an additional $58 million. The company announced the Series D-1 round Thursday, led by funds and accounts managed by BlackRock with additional funding provided by Manhattan Venture Partners and existing investors. HawkEye 360 operates 21 satellites that collect radio-frequency data that can be used to detect and track objects such as vessels and vehicles. The funds will support development of an improved "Block 3" satellite design as well as new tools, incorporating artificial intelligence and other technologies, to extract information from the data those satellites collect. (7/13)

Biden Nominates Space Force’s Whiting to Head SPACECOM, Guetlein for Promotion - Tuberville Blocks (Source: Space News)
Two Space Force generals are in line for promotions and new assignments. The White House announced Tuesday it nominated Lt. Gens. Stephen Whiting and Michael Guetlein for promotions to four-star generals. Whiting, currently commander of the Space Force's Space Operations Command, is expected to become the next commander of U.S. Space Command, while Guetlein, commander of the Space Force's Space Systems Command, is in line to be the next vice chief of space operations of the Space Force. However, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has placed a hold on all flag officer nominations to protest a Defense Department policy that covers certain abortion-related travel expenses for service members. (7/13)

Rocket Lab Launch to Test Reusability Upgrades (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab's next Electron launch will test upgrades to support reusability. The "Baby Come Back" mission, scheduled for launch late Friday, incorporates changes as part of a shift in strategy by the company to allow the boosters to splash down rather than catch them in mid-air. The changes on this launch include additional waterproofing of certain booster components as well as changes in how the booster is loaded onto the ship after splashdown. Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said the company is taking a "methodical" approach to reusability and the company has not announced when it expects to be able to refly a booster. (7/13)

China Refines Lunar Mission Architecture (Source: Xinhua)
Chinese officials have offered details on how they propose to land humans on the moon by 2030. The mission architecture released this week would use two launches, one carrying a lunar lander and the other a crewed spacecraft. The lander and spacecraft would dock in lunar orbit, with astronauts then transferring to the lander to go to the lunar surface. That strategy requires development of the crewed spacecraft and lander as well as the Long March 10 rocket, lunar spacesuits and a rover. (7/13)

Australian Funding Move Casts Doubt on Proposed Space Manufacturing Facility (Source: Cosmos)
A proposed space manufacturing facility in an Australian city may not get off the ground. The government of South Australia announced plans in late 2021 for the Australian Space Park in Adelaide, a $45 million facility that would be shared by several space companies, including Fleet, ATSpace and Q-CTRL. However, companies were informed last month that the state government was delaying its planned investment in the project to focus on other priorities. Two companies have since backed out of the project, raising doubts about the future of the effort. (7/13)

Virgin Galactic Sets NET Aug. 10 for Next Commercial Flight (Source: Virgin Galactic)
Virgin Galactic has set a date for its second commercial SpaceShipTwo flight. The company announced Thursday that the "Galactic 02" mission is set for no earlier than Aug. 10 from Spaceport America in New Mexico. The mission will be the first private astronaut mission, with three of the 800 customers it has signed up to date on board. The company said it would later announce the crew for the flight. (7/13)

Even "Instant" Quantum Behavior is Still Limited by the Speed of Light (Source: Big Think)
Quantum tunneling is a bizarre phenomenon that enables otherwise "forbidden" barriers to sometimes be overcome: by directly transitioning into the final state. In 2019, researchers sought to measure the speed at which quantum tunneling can be observed to occur, and found that it was instantaneous. However, at no point does any quantum process, even quantum tunneling, actually break or exceed the speed of light. The universal speed limit, the speed of light, always applies. (7/13)

Satellite Security Lags Decades Behind the State of the Art (Source: Space Daily)
Thousands of satellites are currently orbiting the Earth, and there will be many more in the future. Researchers from Ruhr University Bochum and the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security in Saarbrucken have assessed the security of these systems from an IT perspective. They analysed three current low-earth orbit satellites and found that, from a technical point of view, hardly any modern security concepts were implemented. Various security mechanisms that are standard in modern mobile phones and laptops were not to be found: for example, there was no separation of code and data. Interviews with satellite developers also revealed that the industry relies primarily on security through obscurity. (7/13)

Muon Space Awarded Additional Funding From AFLMC and DIU to Collect Space Weather Data (Source: Space Daily)
Muon Space has been awarded an option to their contract with Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLMC)'s Weather Systems Branch and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to collect ionospheric data on their MuSat-2 satellite mission. The performance period for this contract is two years extending through September 2024. This is an optional expansion in scope to the original contract awarded to Muon Space in September 2022 to develop a space-based prototype for global weather sensing. (7/13)

China Begins Construction of Ultra-Low Orbit Satellite Constellation (Source: Space Daily)
The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Limited (CASIC) has announced the official start to the construction of an ultra-low orbit satellite constellation. The CASIC made the announcement at the opening of the 9th China (International) Commercial Aerospace Forum. The CASIC said the first satellite of the ultra-low orbit satellite constellation will be launched in December, carrying payloads such as an optical remote sensing camera, spaceborne intelligent processing equipment and an atomic oxygen detector. (7/13)

In Brazil, Stargazers Escape Cities in Search of 'Astro-Tourism' (Source: Space Daily)
Awestruck by the oranges and blues of the Jewel Box star cluster, part of the Southern Cross constellation, Pedro Froes manages to get out a few words: "It's incredible." Froes is viewing the stars from a telescope in Desengano State Park, a rural patch of Brazil largely spared from light pollution, located some 260 kilometers (160 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro. Desengano is Latin America's first "International Dark Sky Park," as designated by the global light pollution tracker DarkSky. And Froes is one of the park's growing number of "astro-tourists," drawn there by its isolation from cities and the light they spew into the night sky. (7/13)

Arctic Weather Satellite Progressing Toward Launch (Source: Space Daily)
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Arctic Weather Satellite has passed its Critical Design Review, a key step to start the manufacturing of the satellite ahead of planned launch in 2024. AAC Clyde Space supplies the mission's main instrument, as well as core avionics, under contracts valued at a total of 13.5 MEUR (approx. 160 MSEK). AAC Clyde Space has developed a passive microwave radiometer specifically for the mission, which will provide data for Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), Nowcasting (NWC). (7/13)

OceanMind Selects Spire Global's Satellite Ship-Tracking Data to Combat Illegal Fishing (Source: Space Daily)
Spire Global was selected by OceanMind, a leader in marine enforcement and compliance, to extend its agreement in providing real-time automatic identification system (AIS) vessel-tracking data. Spire has been providing AIS data to OceanMind since 2019. OceanMind supports fisheries enforcement officials, seafood buyers and non-governmental organizations to understand the compliance of fishing activities globally. By integrating Spire's suite of AIS solutions into its platform, OceanMind aims to identify and prioritize suspected illegal fishing globally and deliver actionable insights to enforcement officials, streamlining their investigations. (7/13)