July 23, 2023

Space Startup Skyroot's Rocket Engine Successfully Tested at ISRO Facility (Source: India Today)
The Indian Space Research Organization has enabled a successful rocket-engine test conducted by Skyroot, a Hyderabad-based space startup, at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC). Friday's test in the Liquid Thruster Test Facility (LTTF) in IPRC, involved the Raman-II engine, which was designed by Skyroot to generate 820 Newton (Sea Level) and 1,460 Newton (Vacuum) thrust, with a nominal chamber pressure of 8.5 bar absolute. The regeneratively cooled engine, manufactured through additive manufacturing techniques, utilizes Mono Methyl Hydrazine and Nitrogen Tetroxide as propellants. (7/22)

NASA Offers Details on Commercial Space Capabilities Agreements (Source: Space News)
A NASA procurement document provides details about the plans of several companies that received unfunded Space Act Agreements for commercial space capabilities in June, as well as those who failed to make the cut. NASA selected seven companies June 15 for its Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities-2 (CCSC-2) initiative. Those companies will have access to NASA expertise and data, but not funding, to support development of commercial space capabilities. (7/22)

Toyota Eyes Lunar Rover Powered by Regenerative Fuel-Cell Tech (Source: Japan Times)
Toyota plans to use regenerative fuel cell technology to power a manned lunar rover, executives said on Friday, raising the prospect of eventually using the moon's water ice as an energy source in the future. Japan has stepped up its space ambitions under Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. It is participating in NASA's Artemis program and plans to have an astronaut at a lunar space station called Gateway as part of that in the latter half of the 2020's. (7/22)

China's Galactic Energy Registers Sixth Consecutive Successful Launch (Source: Space News)
Chinese startup Galactic Energy sent two satellites into orbit early Saturday with the company’s sixth consecutive successful launch. A Ceres-1 four-stage solid rocket lifted off using a transporter erector launcher at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on July 22. Two satellites were aboard the flight codenamed “Lemon Tree.” (7/22)

China is Serious About Winning the New Space Race (Source: Washington Post)
Of all the potential threats that China poses to the United States, the most worrisome for me is future domination of space. Quietly but persistently, the Chinese are developing an arsenal of weapons to challenge America — the nation that landed the first man on the moon — for preeminence in this domain.

The idea that the heavens are becoming a zone of potential conflict is abhorrent. Looking at the recent photographs taken by the James Webb Space Telescope is a reminder of the majesty and transcendent mystery of space. But, unfortunately, there is abundant evidence of aggressive Chinese military moves on this frontier. Beijing recognizes that space is the ultimate “high ground” and wants to control it. (7/20)

Safran Agrees to Buy Raytheon Aerospace Assets for $1.8 Billion (Source: Bloomberg)
Safran SA agreed to buy an aerospace business from Raytheon Technologies Corp. in cash for an enterprise value of $1.8 billion, adding flight-control and actuation activities alongside 3,700 employees. Safran said the deal will add sales of about $1.5 billion and an Ebitda of $130 million in 2024, with expected synergies of about $50 million. (7/21)

ULA Issues with Vulcan Delay Astrobotic Lunar Mission (Source: Pittsburgh Inno)
The rocket serving as the initial ride for Astrobotic Technology Inc.'s Peregrine lunar lander to outer space has seen its anticipated launch date delayed once again following an investigation of an explosion that occurred during a testing exercise in Alabama. At the start of the year, Astrobotic anticipated having its lander launch on May 4. But on March 29, ULA announced that its Vulcan Centaur V rocket had experienced "an anomaly."

That pushed the expected launch date to either June or July of this year but following further investigation, the ULA is now expecting to launch its Vulcan Centaur V rocket in Q4 2023 with Astrobotic's Peregrine on board. At this point, Astrobotic is waiting for the "green light" from the ULA before it can ship Peregrine down to Cape Canaveral, Florida, for the launch, as has been the case for months. Peregrine remains in Pittsburgh and can be seen from the Moonshot Museum housed inside the North Side headquarters of Astrobotic. (7/20)

Investor Says $150 Billion SpaceX Valuation Seems Too Good to Be True (Source: The Street)
SpaceX, Elon Musk's private space exploration company, was recently valued at $150 billion, making it the most valuable private corporation in the U.S. The company in July had an arrangement with investors to sell up to $750 million of stock at $81 per share, up from its last stock price of $77. SpaceX recently told investors, per The Information, that it expects to see revenue of $8 billion in 2023, a number that would just about double the revenue the company saw in 2022.

But amid these soaring valuations, Greg Martin, the co-founder and managing director of Rainmaker Securities, thinks the company might be a bit overvalued, though he added that it is tough to bet against Musk. SpaceX is currently the dominant rocket-launching company in the sector, which, according to Martin, is a "good business, but not a great business." The reason is that SpaceX can only launch so many times per year, which means there's a revenue cap on that leg of the business. (7/22)

Mongolia-SpaceX Deal Provokes a Security Stir in China (Source: Asia Times)
Mongolia’s recent decision to adopt SpaceX’s Starlink internet services is stirring security concerns across the border in China, both as a potential military threat and a possible way around Beijing’s strict censorship regime on perceived as “harmful” foreign websites. On July 6, the Communications Regulatory Commission of Mongolia issued special licenses for SpaceX, founded by American billionaire tycoon Elon Musk, to operate as a service provider using low-orbit satellites and for Starlink to provide internet services in the country. (7/22)

Barbie's Surprising Role in Moon Exploration (Source: BBC)
The Barbie movie reflects the many roles the doll has had over the decades. One of her most famous is as a space explorer. In the 1960s, Astronaut Barbie was transporting children on space adventures even before NASA's own astronauts had taken their first steps on the Moon and 13 years before NASA began accepting female astronauts into their program.

Now Barbie has been helping space exploration for real. In recent experiments, scientists used the dolls to test methods of removing Moon dust from spacesuits. Wearing a tailor-made spacesuit, Barbie was coated in volcanic ash by a team from Washington State University and sprayed with liquid nitrogen. They found this technique is more effective than previous cleaning methods. (7/21)

With Government Backing, Private Role in India’s Space Sector Has Taken Off (Source: Financial Express)
The government working on easing foreign direct investment in the sector (under the Space Policy announced in April) is welcome news. Investments in Indian space start-ups have been growing at an impressive pace; from $23 million in 2020, it climbed to $109 million in 2022. The potential, as estimated by EY, for the private sector in India’s space industry is huge—the satellite manufacturing market is expected to reach $3.2 billion by 2025, while the launch and satellite services markets are expected to reach $1 billion and $5 billion, respectively.

India’s share in the $500-billion global commercial space pie remains a mere 2.1%. The sector is dominated largely by the US and, in recent times, China, which poses a real strategic threat for India, even off terra firma. If the country is to bite off a bigger share in the next few years as space exploration—commercial and otherwise—heats up, it will need robust private sector participation to supplement its public sector prowess. That would require approvals coming easier, stakeholders are aligned with each other, and there are more private industry veterans in government helping the sector. (7/22)

MASER Tech Scientist Awarded Funding for New Research (Source: Norhumbria University)
A scientist from Northumbria University has been awarded almost half a million pounds to develop a new technology which could transform deep-space communication, radio astronomy, medical imaging and airport security scanning. Dr Juna Sathian has received a grant from the government’s Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to develop a new type of MASER (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) device. The forerunner to LASERs, MASERs were first discovered in the 1950s. But there has been little development of the technology since then due to the complex and expensive conditions required to make MASERs. (7/21)

Utilities Leaders Bank on Satellite IoT to Secure Future of National Power Grids (Source: Viasat)
Viasat, a global communications company, today releases the results of a global survey of senior electrical utilities industry professionals, revealing an alarming number of emerging threats to national grid stability over the next five years. However, the majority of respondents (76%) are confident that satellite-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) solutions will play a key role in improving network reliability in the face of these risks. (7/18)

Swiss Robot Team to Explore the Moon (Source: Uni Aktuell)
On the Moon, there are raw materials that humanity could one day mine and use. For this reason, various space agencies, such as the European Space Agency, are planning missions to Earth’s satellite. This calls for appropriate exploration vehicles. Led by ETH Zurich, Swiss researchers are pursuing the idea of sending not just one solitary rover, but rather an entire team of vehicles that complement each other. For this, the researchers equipped three Anymal legged robots, which have been developed at ETH Zurich, with a variety of scientific instruments. They tested the robots on various terrains in Switzerland before participating with the robot team in the ESA Space Resources Challenge, a European competition for Moon rovers, organized by the European Space Innovation Center. (7/13)

Australia's Gilmour Space Technologies to Accelerate Design and Manufacturing with Siemens Xcelerator (Source: Siemens)
Siemens Digital Industries Software has today announced that Gilmour Space Technologies, one of Australia’s pioneer New Space companies and the leading launch services provider of Eris launch vehicles and GSat satellite platforms, has adopted the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software to help accelerate its design and manufacturing processes across its facilities in Queensland, Australia. (7/20)

Optimum Plans Spacecraft Integration Facility in Northern Virginia (Source: Optimum)
Optimum Technologies, a leading provider of innovative space solutions, announced today the opening of its new spacecraft integration facility in Northern Virginia. The new facility will support the company's continued growth in the space industry and enhance its ability to provide cutting-edge solutions to its customers. The facility has a state-of-the-art 5,700 sq ft cleanroom, bonded storage, software development labs, and a machine shop, providing customers with high-quality, cost-effective solutions for their mission needs. (7/20)

STAR Command Matures Ahead of Move From Colorado Springs to Florida (Source: The Gazette)
As a high-profile fight rages over the future of Space Command, another Colorado Springs-based command has been growing up and getting ready to leave. Now in its second year, the Space Training and Readiness Command, or STAR Command, marked a milestone Thursday in its maturity as its first leader, Maj. Gen. Shawn Bratton handed the reins to Brig. Gen. Timothy Sejba. In its early days, STAR Command has been working from offices in the Plaza of the Rockies on Tejon Street overseeing training, education, testing and war games for the military's newest and smallest branch that employs about 8,600 service members. The command itself employs about 150 people.

The DoD is also preparing to invest in a new headquarters for the command likely at Patrick Space Force Base, outside of Orlando, Florida. The Department of the Air Force announced the preferred location in May. An environmental assessment of the site required ahead of a final decision is expected to be completed later this year or early next. Sejba could not speak to a timeline for a move. Unlike Space Command, at the center of a contentious political battle between Colorado and its potential future home, Alabama, STAR Command has not drawn the same political furor. (7/20)