July 14, 2023

Time Running Out for Government to Realize UK’s Space Launch Ambitions, Say MPs (Source: Independent)
Time is running out for the Government to turn the UK’s ambitions for space launches from home soil into reality, MPs have said. In a new report published by the Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, a cross-party group of MPs has criticised the “disjointed approach” to Britain’s space policy which, they said, is hampering launch potential. It said that the UK is on the cusp of establishing Europe’s first small satellite orbital launch capability – but its first attempt did not succeed. The MPs said a UK satellite launch sector can help strengthen the country’s position in the design and manufacture of small satellites, but the Government needs to act fast. (7/13)

House and Senate Appropriators Keep NASA Basically at FY2023 Levels (Source: Space News)
House and Senate appropriators have drafted bills that would fund NASA in 2024 at slightly below its 2023 level. Senate appropriators approved a commerce, justice and science (CJS) spending bill Thursday that would provide $25.0 billion for NASA, less than the $25.4 billion it received in 2023 and the $27.2 billion it requested in 2024. House appropriators are scheduled to mark up their version of a CJS bill at a subcommittee meeting today.

Their bill would give NASA nearly $25.4 billion. Exploration programs would get most, if not all, of what NASA requested but science programs faced significant cuts. Senate appropriators appeared particularly concerned about Mars Sample Return, offering less than a third of what NASA requested for the effort and directing NASA to get the program within a cost cap of no more than $5.3 billion. (7/14)

Space Force's Saltzman Urges Allies to ‘Collectively Train Like We Fight’ (Source: Space News)
The head of the U.S. Space Force says that allied coordination in terrestrial domains should extend to space. Speaking at a conference Thursday in London, Gen. Chance Saltzman, U.S. chief of space operations, said the war in Ukraine demonstrated "the critical importance of timely coordination among partners" that also applies to space. He said the U.S. and its allies must work together on developing space tactics, techniques and procedures, and that "international cooperation is absolutely essential to achieving a safe, stable, secure and sustainable space domain." (7/14)

Maxar Unveils Platform for Imagery Distribution (Source: Space News)
Maxar has unveiled a new platform designed to make it easier and faster to access high-resolution imagery. The Maxar Geospatial Platform (MGP), demonstrated at the Esri User Conference in San Diego this week, offers access to archival and current imagery online and through an application programming interface. Three versions of MGP are available for the general public, subscribers and software developers. MGP will offer access to images from the company's WorldView satellites and future Legion satellites. (7/14)

Houston Company Tests Engine That Would Propel its Spaceplane from California to Japan in 1 Hour (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Venus Aerospace is building a hypersonic spaceplane that would travel from California to Japan in just one hour. Sassie and Andrew Duggleby founded Venus Aerospace in 2020. Sassie is its chief executive – and a seventh-generation Texan – and Andrew is its chief technology officer. The couple has raised $52 million to develop a hypersonic spaceplane. They chose Houston because it promised a one-stop shop for daily business operations, vehicle development and engine testing. The company’s 72 full-time employees could combine the best parts of aviation and rocketry at a 30,000-square-foot facility near their homes.

The company’s Stargazer vehicle would have the umph of a rocket and the convenience of an airplane. It’s being designed to take off horizontally using jet engines. Once away from the airport, its rocket engines would ignite and push Stargazer toward the threshold of space. The engines would then turn off, allowing the vehicle to glide to its final destination. Airlines could be flying them by 2030, at the earliest. (7/13)

Nova-C Lunar Lander Passes Complete Spacecraft Test Run (Source: Intuitive Machines)
Houston-based Intuitive Machines has successfully conducted a complete spacecraft test run of its Nova-C lunar lander – a significant technical achievement in the Company’s efforts to completing its lunar lander. The complete spacecraft test run verified Nova-C’s flight software, flight avionics, liquid oxygen and liquid Methane loading, high-pressure helium system performance, propulsion system complete functionality, and culminating in a hot fire of the Nova-C main engine. (7/13)

India Launches Rocket to Land Spacecraft on Moon (Source: Space Daily)
India launched a rocket on Friday carrying an unmanned spacecraft to land on the Moon, its second attempt to do so as its cut-price space programme seeks to reach new heights. The heavyweight LVM3-M4 rocket lifted off from Sriharikota in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh carrying the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, as thousands of enthusiasts clapped and cheered. (7/14)

Japan Rocket Engine Explodes During Test (Source: Space Daily)
A Japanese rocket engine exploded during a test on Friday, an official said, in the latest blow to the country's space agency. The Epsilon S -- an improved version of the Epsilon rocket that failed to launch in October -- blew up "roughly 50 seconds after ignition", science and technology ministry official Naoya Takegami told AFP. The testing site in the northern prefecture of Akita was engulfed in flames and a huge plume of grey smoke rose into the sky, footage from national broadcaster NHK showed. (7/14)

Uniting Europe: DLR Spearheads Responsive Satellite Deployment Network (Source: Space Daily)
The rapidly expanding realm of information technology is ever-dependent on unobstructed access to space-based data and communication networks, bringing the need for technical mechanisms that can safeguard, repair, reinforce, or develop essential space infrastructures to the forefront.
Ensuring new satellites can be placed and activated in orbit within a matter of hours or days is of prime importance. This level of agility and responsiveness, referred to as 'Responsive Space Capability' in the global military context, has become an area of significant focus in the realm of space technology.

At the forefront of this initiative is the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR), which is taking a lead role in uniting 39 institutions and companies across 13 European Union states and Norway. Together, they are working towards building a robust and scalable network for the responsive deployment of satellites. (7/14)

Rocket Lab to Picked to Boost Synspective's Satellite Constellation (Source: Space Daily)
The US-based small satellite launch service provider Rocket Lab USA has recently signed a deal with Japan's Synspective, an Earth imaging company, for two dedicated Electron launch missions. With this development, Synspective's contracted missions with Rocket Lab have now been extended to a total of six, reflecting the strong and evolving collaboration between the two enterprises.

Since 2020, Rocket Lab has been a key player in the initial deployment of Synspective's synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellation. The satellite constellation is specifically designed to provide millimeter-level change detection of Earth's surface from space, a capability of high importance to various sectors like environment monitoring, disaster response, and infrastructure management. (7/14)

ESA Astronauts Embark on Lunar Geology Training in Norwegian Wilderness (Source: Space Daily)
In the hush of a Norwegian fjord, under the spectral glow of a waning crescent Moon, ESA astronauts Alexander Gerst and Samantha Cristoforetti have started their journey into lunar geology. The astronauts have been meticulously prepared for their first field expedition, equipped with digitally enhanced toolkits and bracing for the rigors of ESA's PANGAEA course. (7/14)

It May Not Have a Cantina, But This Virginia Spaceport is Firing Up its Local Economy (Source: Marketplace)
Last year, the world set a Space Age record by launching more than 180 rockets into orbit, and there were scores of launches to suborbital altitudes. The spaceports where those launches are taking place don’t quite have the gritty ambience of the “wretched hive of scum and villainy” that was Mos Eisley in the original “Star Wars,” but they are starting to see more and more of their local economies tied to the rapidly growing space industry.

One town experiencing that growth is Chincoteague, Virginia, located in perfect viewing distance of  NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. The flight facility is the country’s oldest rocket range in continuous use. The military had its first launch from here in 1945, before NASA even existed, and more than 16,000 have launched from the site since then. (7/13)

Upcoming Launces at Vandenberg Space Force Base Include Firefly, Starlink Missions (Source: Santa Maria Times)
Three upcoming launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base are reportedly set to go in July and include a deployment of Starlink satellites and two top secret missions commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense. A Firefly mission is targeted for Sunday, July 30, according to early reports, and will mark the aerospace company's third overall flight. The most recent was a successful Alpha 2 mission in October 2022 that carried three third-party satellites to low-Earth orbit.

Firefly CEO Bill Weber in a post-launch statement in October 2022 branded the Alpha rocket as a "new orbital launch vehicle available" to commercial and government customers. Further solidifying its fledgling presence in the market, in March Firefly Aerospace was awarded a $112-million NASA contract to deliver multiple lunar payloads in 2026. (7/13)

Rubio Introduces Bill to Strengthen Spaceport Operations (Source: Sen. Marco Rubio)
Currently, the U.S. Space Force (USSF) is wholly reliant on commercial providers, yet lacks the authority to meet commercial entities’ requirements. As USSF and commercial launches increase in the coming years, new authorities are needed to support launch infrastructure to ensure the U.S. maintains its leadership in space.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the Enhancing Spaceport Operations Act to help accommodate the additional launches between USSF and commercial launch providers, ensuring that the U.S. remains competitive with the rising threats from China and Russia. This legislation would directly benefit Space Launch Delta 45, headquartered at Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. (7/11)

Governor, Why Not Target ‘Woke’ Space Program? (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Dear Gov. DeSantis: I’m writing to tell you that you seemed to have overlooked a major purveyor of DEI and wokeness, a powerful Florida entity that openly and publicly pushes diversity and directly targeting our youth. I know you’re concerned because you talk so much about “parents’ rights” (“states rights” recycled for the 21st century).

So why in heaven’s name are you ignoring NASA and Kennedy Space Center? They have a “diversity and inclusion” statement right on their website. Can’t you make them retract that statement? You could threaten to withhold funding like you’ve done with schools. You could enact legislation that at the very least, forces them to divert funds and time defending themselves, and exposes them as dangerous wokeness allies. (7/14)

Hill Battle Over SPACECOM HQ Seeps Into Pentagon’s Annual $4.1B Reprogramming Request (Source: Breaking Defense)
The long-burning battle on Capitol Hill over whether to base US Space Command headquarters in Colorado or Alabama has spilled into congressional deliberations on the Pentagon’s annual request to reprogram current year funds — with a group of Colorado lawmakers accusing House Armed Services Committee Chair Rep. Mike Rogers of holding up $4.1 billion to force a decision. (7/13)

Australia Space Agency Reassures Sector It Has Support (Source: Cosmos)
The Australian Space Agency says the future of its flagship “Moon to Mars” initiative is assured despite a component being axed under recent Federal Government funding cuts. The space industry initiative returned to the public spotlight in March when NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pamela Melroy toured Australia. To mark the event Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic announced $8 million in grants for two consortia bidding to design and build prototype moon mining rovers for the NASA-led project.

Space industry representatives who have spoken to Cosmos off the record for fear of losing contracts, say they are increasingly demoralised by Minister Husic’s apparent lack of interest in the emerging hi-tech sector and point to the fact that space is not listed as one of Minister Husic’s priorities under the Reconstruction Fund. Instead it has been instructed to direct its efforts towards renewable and low emission technologies, medical science, defence capability and “value-adding” the agricultural and resource industries.

But the ASA says the Federal government “continues to support Australia’s space sector with investments across a range of portfolios, including $34.2m in core funding for the Australian Space Agency.” It points out Australian space startups affected by the government’s shift in priorities can instead seek support from the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund. (7/14)

A Rocket Alternative to SpaceX Inches Toward Its First Launch (Source: New York Times)
Building a rocket is difficult. Preparing a new rocket for its first flight is even more difficult. That has proved true for the Vulcan, a new rocket developed by the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin. The first Vulcan was supposed to launch in May, but a propellant tank cracked during testing in March. Hydrogen leaking from the tank ignited in a fireball, destroying the Vulcan’s upper stage and damaging the test stand.

In a telephone round table with reporters on Thursday, Tory Bruno, the chief executive of the United Launch Alliance, said the problem was now well understood, a fix was in the works and the first Vulcan launch was expected to occur later this year. A decade ago, United Launch Alliance had a monopoly on national security launches, using its Atlas V and Delta IV rockets, which have had near-flawless flight rockets. But it had almost no commercial customers, because the rockets were expensive.

After SpaceX sued, the military opened the door to certifying SpaceX’s rockets for national security missions. Some in Congress, notably John McCain, the Arizona senator, increasingly questioned how the American military could rely on the Atlas V because its booster stage was powered by Russian-built RD-180 engines. So far this year, the United Launch Alliance has launched just one rocket, a Delta IV, compared with nearly 50 launched by SpaceX. (7/14)

Congress Prepares to Continue Throwing Money at NASA’s Space Launch System (Source: Tech Crunch)
Congress will pour billions more dollars into the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and its associated architecture, even as NASA science missions remain vulnerable to cuts. Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees recommend earmarking around $25 billion for NASA for the next fiscal year (FY 24), which is in line with the amount of funding the agency received this year (FY 23). However, both branches of Congress recommend increasing the portion of that funding that would go toward the Artemis program and its transportation cornerstones, SLS and the Orion crew capsule. (7/13)

Coldest Star Known to Emit Radio Waves is Smaller Than Jupiter (Source: Cosmos)
A brown dwarf star analysed by astronomers at the University of Sydney is the coldest known to emit radio waves. The “ultracool brown dwarf” is only 425°C on its surface, according to analysis of the wavelengths and brightness of light coming from the star. By comparison, our Sun – a bright, yellow, average-sized star in the prime of its life – has a surface temperature of more than 5,000°C. (7/14)

Mass Has Different Definitions. The Moon’s Orbit Confirms Two are Equivalent (Source: Science News)
Mass is mass is mass. Physicists have three different definitions of mass, all thought to be equivalent. Measurements of the distance between Earth and the moon confirm that two of those masses are one and the same to higher precision than ever before, physicists report. That result confirms one of the most basic foundations of physics: Newton’s third law of motion.

Inertial mass determines how easily an object accelerates in response to a force. Then there’s active gravitational mass, which determines the strength of an object’s gravitational field. Rounding out the trio is passive gravitational mass, which dictates the force on an object in a given gravitational field. “It is a big question in physics why these masses are all the same,” says theoretical physicist Claus Lämmerzahl of the University of Bremen in Germany. So scientists want to be sure they aren’t slightly different. (7/13)

House Inserts Anti-Abortion and Other 'Anti-Woke' Measures in Defense Bill, Imperiling Passage (Source: New York Times)
In hours of floor debate on Thursday, Republicans made the case for attaching an array of social policy dictates to the defense legislation, arguing that they were working to thwart a bid by the Biden administration to inject its progressive vision into every area of government, including the Pentagon. A divided House voted on Thursday to overturn a Pentagon policy guaranteeing abortion access to service members regardless of where they are stationed and to bar health services for transgender military personnel, imperiling passage of the annual defense bill.

“The MAGA majority is using our defense bill to get one stop closer to the only thing they really care about: a nationwide abortion ban,” said Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA). Democratic support is seen as crucial for passing the defense bill in the narrowly split House. Editor's Note: The bill includes multiple spaceport and space transportation provisions. (7/13)

ULA Creates Fix for Centaur V Hydrogen Leak, Targets Late 2023 for Inaugural Vulcan Centaur Launch (Source: SpaceRef)
The inaugural launch of United Launch Alliance’s next-generation Vulcan-Centaur heavy-lift rocket will now take place in 2023, according to a recent announcement by ULA CEO and President Tory Bruno. Bruno said ULA had determined the source of the hydrogen leak that caused a Centaur V upper stage to explode on March 29 during a test at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center — and that the company had developed a fix for the leak on future rockets. The explosion forced ULA to delay the inaugural launch, initially scheduled for May, pending that investigation. (7/13)

Lockheed Martin to Fly Demo Mission on Firefly Alpha Rocket (Source: SpaceRef)
Lockheed Martin has signed a launch deal with Firefly Aerospace for a technology demonstration mission that will launch aboard Firefly’s Alpha vehicle, though some key details about the mission have yet to be disclosed. Featuring a weight-reducing carbon composite sandwich structure and Firefly’s patented tap-off cycle propulsion technology using LOX/RP-1 fuel, the two-stage Alpha rocket is designed to provide affordable launch services to customers. It has the capability to lift more than 2,200 pounds to low Earth orbit, and 1,388 pounds to Sun-synchronous orbit. (7/13)

Bipartisan Measure Aims to Force Release of UFO Records (Source: New York Times)
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, is pushing legislation to create a commission with broad authority to declassify government documents about UFOs and extraterrestrial matters, in an attempt to force the government to share all that it knows about unidentified phenomena. The measure offers the possibility of pushing back against the conspiracy theories that surround discussions of U.F.O.s and fears that the government is hiding critical information from the public.

The legislation, which Mr. Schumer will introduce as an amendment to the annual defense policy bill, has bipartisan support, including that of Senator Mike Rounds, Republican of South Dakota, and Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, who has championed legislation that has forced the government to release a series of reports on unidentified phenomena. Support in the House is also likely. On Wednesday, the chamber included a narrower measure in its version of the annual defense bill that would push the Pentagon to release documents about unidentified aerial phenomena. (7/13)

Senate Chops Budget for Mars Sample Return (Source: Ars Technica)
The US Senate on Thursday slashed the budget for NASA's ambitious mission to return soil and rock samples from Mars' surface. NASA had asked for $949 million to support its Mars Sample Return mission, or MSR, in fiscal year 2024. In its proposed budget for the space agency, released Thursday, the Senate offered just $300 million and threatened to take that amount away. (7/13)

NASA’s First New Wind Tunnel in 40 Years Will Turn Science Fiction to Fact (Source: Virginian-Pilot)
NASA Langley is building its first new wind tunnel in over 40 years. The NASA Flight Dynamic Research Facility, a project Fremaux has been pursuing for 25 years, will replace two smaller wind tunnels that are around 80 years old. The center’s most recent and largest, the National Transonic Facility, was built in 1980. The $43.2-million federal government contract to design and build the 25,000-square-foot facility went to BL Harbert International, a construction company based in Birmingham, Alabama. It is expected to open in early 2025. (7/12)

MIT's Hoffman, a Former Astronaut, Subject of Discrimination Lawsuit (Source: Boston.com)
A former associate program director at MIT is suing the university and a prominent aeronautics professor over alleged sex and race discrimination. The federal lawsuit claims that former NASA astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman, who is now a professor and director of the Massachusetts Space Grant program (MSG) at MIT, degraded the former MSG associate director, kept her from advancing in her career at MIT, and kept her from getting paid properly for her work. The plaintiff, Raji Patel, is described in the lawsuit as being “a woman of Indian descent.” She worked at MIT for 20 years, beginning in 2002 and ending with her resignation in 2022. (7/12)

Spaceport America’s Unrestricted Airspace (Source: KRQE)
Did you know that Spaceport America is the first commercial facility of its kind? It provides capabilities for commercial space engineering operations, manufacturing, and testing, as well as serving as a launch site. Wednesday’s NewSpace Nexus fun fact is that Spaceport America features 6,000 square miles of surface and unlimited restrictions on airspace. The White House is the only other location with unlimited restrictions on airspace. (7/12)

FCC Nominees Win Committee Approval (Source: Space Policy Online)
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee approved the nominations of three FCC commissioners and the agency’s Inspector General. The next stop is a confirmation vote by the full Senate, but opposition voiced by some committee members suggests it will not be clear sailing. The Federal Communications Commission licenses the use of radio frequencies for non-government users. Every spacecraft needs to communicate back to Earth, so the FCC plays a significant though often underappreciated role in space activities. (7/12)

Opposition Group Questions MLS Adherence to Canadian Launch Regulations (Source: Local Journalism Initiative)
Maritime Launch Services (MLS) took one more step last week toward its goal of becoming Canada’s first commercial spaceport when a rocketry team from Ontario’s York University conducted a suborbital launch from the Spaceport Nova Scotia site. While MLS didn’t issue a press release about the launch window in July, the Action Against Canso Spaceport group was aware of the July 5 launch date.

On July 4, the group made a post questioning Transport Canada’s regulations regarding the dimensions required for the launch site, which is defined by Transport Canada as, “An area authorized and used for high power rocket launch activities. This includes all areas required for preparation, launch, recovery, public viewing and parking.” A Transport Canada-Canadian Launch Safety Office document, Requirements for Launching High Power Rockets in Canada, dated Jan. 4, 2000, states: “In no case shall the minimum dimension of the launch site be less than one-half the estimated maximum altitude of the high power rocket.” (7/12)

FAA, Camden County Seek Dismissal of Lawsuit About Georgia Spaceport (Sources: Tribune & Georgian, Brunswick News)
The Federal Aviation Administration and Camden County seek to end a lawsuit about Spaceport Camden because, well, there's no Spaceport Camden. Opponents alleged that the FAA ignored many concerns about the risks of rockets launched over Cumberland and Little Cumberland islands, where there are dozens of residences and historic structures, and environmentally marshes and wetlands. (7/12)

Senate Defense Panel Leaves National Security Space Launch Unsecured (Source: Space News)
In the misguided effort to promote increased competition, the U.S. Senate Armed Service Committee has proposed changes to how the U.S. Space Force selects providers of national security launch services. Their attempted legislative override of the U.S. Space Force’s proposed contractor standards is reckless, and U.S. space leaders fear that it may compromise the success of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) — the government program intended to assure access to space for the U.S. Department of Defense.

On June 22, the Senate Armed Services Committee advanced language within the 2024 National Defense Authorization Agreement that would open NSSL contracts for the most stressing orbits to more than two providers. The U.S. Space Force has warned that adding an additional provider would increase costs and waste agency resources.

The U.S. Space Force has taken no issue with (and has actively fought to promote) utilization of more contractors within the NSSL; that said, it has also made it clear that expanding the NSSL Program for high-risk missions to new, unproven providers in the manner that the committee is advocating would unnecessarily increase the potential for mission failure and added national security vulnerabilities. (7/13)