July 22, 2023

NASA’s New Satellite Experiment Cuts Out the Middle Man: Humans (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The army of Earth’s orbiting satellites continues to swell, but the latest batch from NASA will have a leg up on the others. They won’t have to rely on humans to tell them what to do. The set of four small satellites are part of NASA’s Starling mission, which mission managers out of Ames Research Center in California said are designed to work as a “swarm.” They made it to space on a Rocket Lab launch from New Zealand late Monday.

Their goal is to test out technology for positioning, networking, maneuvering and decision-making without any input from mission control, according to NASA’s mission overview. “Starling, and the capabilities it brings for autonomous command and control for swarms of small spacecraft, will enhance NASA’s abilities for future science and exploration missions,” said program manager Roger Hunter. It’s the next step in robotic space exploration, which Hunter said will be key for deep-space missions that have the hurdle of delayed communication to and from Earth. (7/18)

Lamborghini and Houston Methodist Team to Test Components on ISS (Source: CASIS)
Automobili Lamborghini is an iconic manufacturer of luxury sports cars whose mission has evolved to “raise the bar and go beyond the status quo to build a brand new, limitless world.” To test the performance and viability of carbon fiber materials, the automotive team partnered with seasoned space researchers at the Houston Methodist Research Institute (HMRI) to send five proprietary samples to the orbiting laboratory.

These samples, which included 3D-printed carbon fiber components developed by Lamborghini for aerospace applications, flew under the sponsorship of the ISS National Laboratory. The researchers examined how the materials were affected by the space environment, which could aid in the development of enhanced technologies for implantable drug delivery devices developed by HMRI for patients on Earth. (7/21)

FAA Reauthorization Wins House Passage (Source: Flying)
The US House has passed the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, a comprehensive bill to fund the Federal Aviation Administration and its programs for the next five years. The legislation, which was passed with a 351-69 vote, appropriates $4 billion per year for the Airport Improvement Program, addresses air traffic control staffing shortages and the mandatory retirement age of commercial pilots. "This bipartisan legislation will take us to new heights in aerospace innovation and safety, and we thank Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Larsen, and the committee for moving this bill swiftly through the process," said AIA President and CEO Eric Fanning. (7/20)

Once Again, the US Public Says NASA Should Prioritize Asteroid Defense (Source: Ars Technica)
The Pew Research Center published the results of a new public survey on Thursday, the 54th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the Moon. The survey assessed Americans' attitudes toward space exploration and space policy issues. The survey found that Americans broadly support the national space agency, NASA. Three-quarters of respondents had a favorable opinion of NASA, compared to just 9 percent with an unfavorable opinion.

However, as several previous surveys have found, the public has far different priorities for NASA than are expressed in the space agency's budget. In this new report, based on a large survey of 10,329 US adults, the highest support came for "monitor asteroids, other objects that could hit the Earth" (60 percent) and "monitor key parts of the Earth's climate system" (50 percent). Sending astronauts to the Moon (12 percent) and Mars (11 percent) lagged far behind as top priorities for respondents.

Additionally, support for deep space exploration by humans was especially low among women. Just 9 percent of female respondents listed sending humans to the Moon as a "top priority" for NASA, and 7 percent of women said the same about sending humans to Mars.  These priorities come in stark contrast to the funds NASA actually spends on exploration. In fiscal year 2024, for example, NASA has asked Congress for $210 million to continue the development of the Near-Earth Object Surveyor mission. Planned for a launch in 2028, this planetary defense mission will detect, track, and characterize impact hazards from asteroids and comets. NASA also proposes to spend about $2.5 million on Earth Science missions. (7/20)

SpaceX’s Swarm Technologies is Halting New Device Sales (Source: Tech Crunch)
Swarm, the Internet-of-Things connectivity provider that was acquired by SpaceX, will no longer be selling new devices, according to an email sent to customers earlier this month. The news appears to be directly related to SpaceX’s forthcoming expansion into the satellite-to-cell market, with Swarm telling customers that it plans to offer a version of its low-power M138 modem that is compatible with SpaceX’s Direct to Cell network. While Swarm said that it will continue to support ongoing VHF communications between Earth and space using its SwarmBEEs satellite constellation, it does seem like it will ultimately yield to its parent company’s ambitions to connect mobile phones and IoT devices on its own network. (7/20)

Ghana Approves National Space Policy (Source: Modern Ghana)
The Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, has confirmed that the National Space Policy has been approved by the Cabinet. The policy is expected to serve as the framework for utilizing space science and technology to drive national development. (7/210

New Zealand Launches Aerospace Strategy (Source: RNZ)
New Zealand is unlikely to send people to space any time soon, but the country's newly-launched Aerospace Strategy will help support the sector's continued development, MBIE says. The strategy runs until 2030 and revolves around five goals, including actively supporting space exploration, and being at the forefront of sustainable space activities. (7/21)

South Korea Makes Strides in Lunar Mission to Catch Up in Global Space Race (Source: Korea Times)
In Korea, scientists are making blocks from moon soil simulant for space architecture and testing newly developed rovers and satellites in the world's largest chamber for recreating the harsh environment on Earth's only natural satellite. They ultimately hope to be able to build structures on the lunar surface, which will enable space construction and manned explorations.

As a latecomer to the global space race that is aiming to land on the moon in the next decade, the country is working to equip itself with the right scientific capabilities for future missions. The projects at the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) are an example of what the local research community is doing to advance space exploration. (7/21)

Spaceport Opponents Request Zoning Change to Block Potential Michigan Spaceport (Source: WLUC)
Powell Township could soon ban rocket launch sites and spaceports, like the one proposed at Granot Loma. At Wednesday night’s Powell Township Planning Commission meeting, residents who oppose the launch site delivered a petition that asks the township to amend its zoning ordinance. (7/20)

Chinese Astronauts Perform TSS Spacewalk (Source: Xinhua)
Chinese astronauts performed a spacewalk Thursday at the Tiangong space station. Jing Haipeng and Zhu Yangzhu spent about eight hours outside the station, installing a set of panoramic cameras on the exterior of two station modules. The spacewalk was the first by the Shenzhou-16 crew since their arrival at Tiangong in late May. (7/21)

NASA Stresses Role in Addressing Climate Change (Source: Space News)
NASA is playing up its role in addressing climate change despite fiscal and political challenges. At a briefing Thursday, agency leadership highlighted its activities, from Earth science missions to research into sustainable aviation, intended to better understand and respond to climate change. This attention comes amid a summer of extreme weather events, from heat waves to floods and wildfires, linked to climate change. However, NASA's efforts face obstacles from a budget that will be no better than flat for Earth science next year. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in the briefing that he would ensure the "least possible effect" of budget cuts on climate research. A new poll also found that, while the general public sees climate science as a top priority for NASA, there are sharp differences between Republicans and Democrats. (7/21)

NASA Advances Exploration Architecture (Source: Space News)
NASA is moving into the next phase of its exploration architecture development. At a conference this week, agency officials said they had completed a "strategic analysis cycle" for the next round of its architecture concept review, which will focus on initial human missions to Mars. The review itself is scheduled for November. NASA rolled out the first phase of that review, examining the first human missions to the moon under Artemis, in April, and has since been collecting feedback from industry and international partners. That feedback may result in updating the architecture definition document, but officials did not discuss any specific changes. (7/21)

Germany's Constellr Raises $18.9 Million for Thermal Imagery Satellites (Source: Space News)
A German startup has raised funding for collecting thermal imagery from satellites. Constellr raised 17 million euros ($18.9 million) in seed funding from several investors. The company will use the funding to accelerate deployment of its shoebox-size thermal imagery satellites and meet growing global demand, with the first two satellites slated for launch next year. The company flew its first thermal imaging sensor to the International Space Station on a Northrop Grumman resupply mission last year. (7/21)

China Launches Four Satellites on Small Launcher (Source: Xinhua)
A Kuaizhou-1A launched four satellites Thursday. The small solid-fuel rocket launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and placed four Tianmu-1 satellites into their planned orbits. The satellites are part of a constellation providing commercial weather data services. (7/21)

Rocket Lab Targets July 28 for Next Launch, From New Zealand (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab has scheduled its next Electron launch. The company said Thursday it is targeting July 28 for the "We Love the Nightlife" launch from New Zealand, carrying the first Acadia-series radar imaging satellite for Capella Space. The launch is part of a multi-launch contract Capella signed with Rocket Lab earlier this year. The launch will be the 40th flight of the Electron rocket. (7/21)

SpaceX Rolls Out Starship Booster for Next Test Flight (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
SpaceX has rolled out the booster for the next Starship test flight. The vehicle, designated Booster 9, rolled out to the pad Thursday for tests at the company's Starbase site in Boca Chica, Texas. SpaceX plans to use that booster on the second integrated Starship test flight. The company has not set a date for that launch, which will depend on both technical readiness as well as regulatory approvals. SpaceX has already missed a goal set by company CEO Elon Musk shortly after the first Starship launch in April, when he predicted the company would be ready to launch again in a "couple months." (7/21)