July 26, 2023

NASA Selects Companies to Advance Lunar Power and Other Technologies (Source: Space News)
Companies working on nuclear and solar power systems for the moon are among the winners of NASA awards to advance their technologies for future use by NASA and commercial customers. NASA announced July 25 the selection of 11 awards through its Tipping Point program of space technology development. The awards, with a combined value of $150 million, are designed to advance promising technologies to the point where they are ready for flight.

Among the winners is Astrobotic Technology, which received a $34.6 million Tipping Point award to develop technologies for its LunaGrid project to produce solar power and provide it to spacecraft on the lunar surface. The award covers the development of one of the company’s CubeRovers, the size of a six-unit cubesat, that will travel one kilometer from a lander, unspooling a cable. The lander’s solar arrays will then transmit one kilowatt of power to the rover. Click here. (7/25)

Space Force to Further Define Details of a ‘Commercial Space Reserve’ (Source: Space News)
The Space Force is moving forward with plans to establish a commercial space reserve to ensure the U.S. military has access to commercial satellite services during conflicts. In a request for information issued July 24, the Space Systems Command asks contractors to submit comments by Aug. 11 on the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR) program.

CASR is an initiative to establish agreements with companies to ensure services like satellite communication and remote sensing are prioritized for U.S. government use during national security emergencies. The initial thinking on CASR is to model it after the Air Force Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) program, where during crises the government calls upon commercial airlines to carry out transport missions. (7/25)

Ariane 6: Launch System Tests Progressing Well (Source: ESA)
Representatives of ESA, Ariane 6 prime contractor ArianeGroup and launch base prime contractor and test conductor CNES completed important objectives for system qualification and performed a series of actions fully representative of a launch chronology. The launch simulation included the removal of the mobile gantry, the chill-down of ground and launcher fluidic systems, the filling of the upper and core stage tanks with liquid hydrogen (–253°C) and liquid oxygen (–183°C), and at the end of the test, the successful completion of a launch chronology up to the ignition of the Vulcain 2.1 engine thrust chamber by the ground system. (7/25)

First STARCOM ‘Orbital Warfare’ Exercise Delayed Toward End of Year (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force’s first “orbital warfare” exercise, called Red Skies, has been delayed from this summer towards the end of the year, according to Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM). “We anticipate that the inaugural execution of the Red Skies exercise will be near the conclusion of this year. Prior to this, the team will be extensively building out and refining various aspects of the exercise during the latter part of the summer,” a STARCOM spokesperson told Breaking Defense.

Red Skies is one of three annual Space Force training series planned by STARCOM, and is focused on getting Guardians working under Space Operations Command (SpOC) ready to respond to any attacks on US satellite systems. SpOC is the Space Force’s primary field command, and its linchpin unit for undertaking orbital warfare is Delta 9. The Delta’s website defines that mission as “protect and defend operations and providing national decision authorities with response options to deter and, when necessary, defeat orbital threats.” (7/24)

Alabama Delegation Fights Biden Efforts to Corrupt Space Command (Source: The Hill)
During his more lucid moments, Biden has made no secret that he prefers to place U.S. Space Command in a blue state like Colorado that aligns more closely with his own ultra-liberal views rather than a red state like Alabama that fiercely embraces conservative principles and strongly supported President Donald Trump’s candidacy in both 2016 and 2020.

But with space serving as the newest battlefield in potential conflicts with hostile nations like Russia, China, and North Korea, politicizing what should be a decision based solely upon military advantage harms our defensive posture and puts the lives of roughly 335 million residents of the United States at risk. The members of Alabama’s congressional delegation, even those whose districts are located at the opposite extreme of the Tennessee Valley, are currently fighting a tremendous battle against Biden’s politicization in the corridors, committee rooms, and chambers of the U.S. Capitol building. (7/24)

How Baby Planets are Made (Source: Salon)
On Tuesday, the European Southern Observatory released a new image that could advance our fundamental understanding of how brand new planets are formed. Located over 5000 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros, a star named V960 Mon was photographed using the Very Large Telescope's Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch (SPHERE) instrument. The image was taken after the onset of a brightness outburst revealing that there's material orbiting it, in what appeared to be a series of intricate spirals extending massive distances. Click here. (7/25)

Orbiting Astronaut Oversees Robot Team on Earth (Source: ESA)
Astronaut Frank Rubio aboard the International Space Station collaborated with a small team of robots on Earth to accomplish a complex task – a first test of a new approach to combine human and robotic capabilities for our return to the Moon and beyond. The two hour telerobotics test took place in a simulated planetary environment in the German Aerospace Center, DLR, at Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich. Working from Europe’s Columbus module, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio directed a trio of robotic assets to remove a seismometer from a lunar lander and place it on the ground to detect moonquakes. (7/25)

Ministers' Decision Clears Way for Scotland's North Uist Spaceport (Source: BBC)
The Scottish government has decided not to call-in controversial plans for a spaceport in the Hebrides. Western Isles Council - Comhairle nan Eilean Siar - has proposed building the facility at Scolpaig in North Uist. It has received 244 individual public responses opposing the plans, including a petition with almost 1,000 signatures. The government's decision means councillors' earlier approval of the planning application still stands. The comhairle can now progress towards constructing the facility. It hopes the first launches of small satellites might be possible by early 2025. (7/25)

Aerospace Company Considering $3.4 million, 620-Job Expansion in Colorado Springs, Incentives Considered (Source: Colorado Springs Gazette)
The Colorado Springs City Council gave informal support on Monday for a $24,000 financial incentive request for an unidentified Colorado Springs-based aerospace and defense engineering company considering an expansion that would add an estimated 620 high-paying jobs to the community over the next eight years.

Bob Cope, the city's economic development officer, presented plans for "Project Bullseye" to the council at a work session, recommending the board approve a resolution in August authorizing a 10-year economic development agreement between the city and the unnamed women-owned company with headquarters in Colorado Springs. (7/25)

Aerospace Can Do More to Promote Industry in Schools (Source: Future Aviation/Aerospace Workforce News)
The aviation and aerospace industries are failing to effectively promote careers paths to school counselors who play a crucial role in guiding students, writes Kathryn Creedy. The industries have been largely absent at key events like the American School Counselors Association conference, where other industries are actively educating counselors about their sectors. (7/24)

800-Year-Old Method for Lunar GPS System (Source: Space Daily)
The team applied a method based on the mathematical principle established 800 years ago by renowned mathematician Fibonacci, to calculate parameters for a GPS-like system on the Moon. Earth's GPS systems don't take into account the geoid, the actual shape of our planet, nor the surface determined by sea level. Instead, they are based on a rotation ellipsoid which aligns most closely with the geoid. To transpose the established GPS solutions onto the Moon, we first need to ascertain the parameters that best describe the shape of the Moon's corresponding ellipsoid.

This is particularly relevant as, unlike Earth, the Moon's poles are approximately half a kilometer closer to its center of mass than its equator. Due to its slower rotation, which is equal to its orbital period around Earth, the Moon's shape is more spherical. It's not a perfect sphere, but previous mappings of the Moon have deemed it sufficient to approximate its shape as such, with more comprehensive models used for more detailed research.

One of the central aspects of their study was exploring how to uniformly distribute N points on a spherical surface. Their method of choice was the Fibonacci sphere, known for its simplicity and efficiency. This method, founded on the work of 800-year-old mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci, involves a Fibonacci spiral and is conducive to a short, intuitive code. This method has also been tested on Earth, yielding a good approximation of the WGS84 ellipsoid used by GPS. (7/26)

NASA Lab Hopes to Find Life's Building Blocks in Asteroid Sample (Source: Space Daily)
Eager scientists and a gleaming lab awaits. A sample from the asteroid Bennu, which could be key to understanding the formation of the solar system and our own planet, is set to be analyzed at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston after it reaches Earth in late September. The precious cargo is currently aboard OSIRIS-REx, a US space probe launched in 2016 to Bennu, which orbits the Sun at an average distance of about 105 million miles. (7/25)

China's GalaxySpace Debuts Revolutionary Flexible Solar Wing Satellite (Source: Space Daily)
China's commercial space company, GalaxySpace, has successfully embarked on a new chapter in the nation's space endeavours, launching the Lingxi-03 satellite from a Long March-2D rocket this past Sunday. In a noteworthy first, the Lingxi-03 satellite is furnished with a flexible solar wing, a unique design for the nation. The solar panel, a single-layered structure, is impressively thin at approximately 1 millimeter. The wing, while compact at under 5 centimeters thick when packed in the rocket, expands to around 9 meters in length and over 2.5 meters in width once deployed in orbit. (7/26)

PlanetiQ Commences Daily Deliveries of High-Quality GNSS-RO Data to NOAA (Source: Space Daily)
Weather forecasting and climate research stand on the threshold of a new era as PlanetiQ, a forerunner in global atmospheric observation systems, kicks off daily deliveries of its top-grade Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) GNSS-Radio Occultation (GNSS-RO) data to NOAA. In a forward-looking move, NOAA has committed $59.6 million over the next five years for utilizing commercial satellite data to bolster the accuracy and reliability of weather predictions and atmospheric research. (7/26)

Airbus and Astrocast Extend Collaboration for Satellite IoT (Source: Space Daily)
Airbus Defence and Space, the renowned aerospace industry leader, and Astrocast, the prominent satellite IoT operator, recently announced an extension of their partnership aimed at further developing and enhancing satellite Internet of Things (SatIoT) technology. This alliance will empower Astrocast to heighten its network capacity and offer reliable and affordable SatIoT solutions to its clientele.

The Airbus-Astrocast partnership dates back to 2017 and has been a significant factor in Astrocast's growth trajectory. This collaboration has facilitated the effective development of Astrocast's communication protocol and modem software stack, critical elements of its wider SatIoT technology. The latest extension reaffirms the partnership's success, with Airbus offering continued extensive support to Astrocast, specifically focusing on the improvement of bandwidth and the quality of service. (7/26)

Space Force Selects Vendors for Low Earth Orbit Satellite Services (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force selected 16 companies that will compete for low Earth orbit satellite services contracts. Under an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, vendors will compete for up to $900 million worth of task orders over the next five years. Each contractor is guaranteed $2,000. The 16 selected vendors are ARINC Inc.; Artel LLC; Capella Federal; BlackSky; SES Space & Defense; Hughes Network Systems; Inmarsat Government; KGS LLC; Intelsat General Communications; OneWeb; PAR Government; RiteNet Corp.; Satcom Direct Government Inc.; SpaceX; Trace Systems Inc.; and UltiSat Inc. (7/25)

Spire to Devise GNSS-Independent Aircraft Tracking Satellites for ESA (Source: Space News)
A Spire Global-led group has won European Space Agency funds to develop a satellite to demonstrate a civil aviation tracking constellation that would not rely on GPS, or any other global navigation satellite system (GNSS) vulnerable to interference. Most commercial aircraft must have an Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) transmitter that periodically sends out the location data they get from GNSS satellites. Modern air traffic surveillance systems augment this GNSS-supported ADS-B data to provide air traffic controllers with more precise flight information, such as U.S-based Aireon, which uses payloads on Iridium’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network. (7/25)

Iridium Launches Certus for Aviation (Source: Space Daily)
Iridium Communications Inc., an international force in global satellite communications, has unveiled its new aviation-specific commercial service, Iridium Certus. With this launch, Iridium Connected aviation solutions achieve certification and availability for a broad spectrum of aircraft, including commercial transport, business aviation, helicopters, private planes, and Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS). The service stands out for its compact, affordable equipment, offering exceptional coverage that eclipses existing systems. (7/26)

Atomos Space Books Launch to Demonstrate Rendezvous, Docking and Refueling In-Orbit (Source: Tech Crunch)
In-space logistics startup Atomos Space will launch its first demonstration mission on SpaceX’s Transporter-10 in the first quarter of 2024, as the company looks to gain an early foothold in the emerging market for orbital transfer services. The five-year-old company will send up two spacecraft, an orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) called Quark and a target vehicle, Gluon.

After separating from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, Quark will attempt to autonomously rendezvous and dock with Gluon, and then refuel from the target vehicle. During the mission, the two spacecraft will attempt to demonstrate additional maneuvers, including release, re-docking and orbital transfer. The two spacecraft will essentially demonstrate the method by which Atomos intends to deploy large satellite constellations, whereby customer payloads will be integrated to Gluon for launch and captured in-orbit by Quark. (7/25)

If You’re Going to the South Pole, Go to the South Pole (Source: Space News)
Walt Faulconer argues that the first Artemis lunar mission should not go to the lunar south pole as currently planned but rather to the initial human landing site where the Apollo 11 lunar module sits still at Tranquility Base. Faulconer offers several reasons to support his argument: historical significance, lower mission risk to the crew, and the opportunity to learn more about the long-term effects of the lunar environment by examining the artifacts left behind by the Apollo 11 landing crew. While those are noteworthy rationales, they pale compared to the benefit of initiating polar exploration as soon as possible. Click here. (7/25)

House Rejects Satellite Spectrum Licensing Bill Because of Space Safety Provisions (Source: Space News)
A bill intended to reform satellite spectrum licensing regulations failed to pass the House July 25 after some members objected to provisions they claimed gave the FCC authority to regulate space safety. The House debated H.R. 1338, the Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act, under suspension of the rules, a procedure that limits debates and amendments but requires a two-thirds majority for passage. The bill, though, fell short of that threshold, with 250 votes in favor versus 163 votes against. One member voted present. (7/25)

Sierra Space's New Dream Chaser Hopes to Bring People Into Orbit (Source: WMFE)
Between them, veteran NASA astronauts Janet Kavandi and Thomas Marshburn have logged more than 370 days in space. Now, they’re working for Sierra Space on a mission to launch humans on the company’s Dream Chaser spacecraft. We’ll speak with Kavandi and Marshburn about how their spaceflight experience is helping them write the next chapter in commercial space exploration. Click here. (7/26)

NASA Offers Deforestation Data to Brazil (Source: Reuters)
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson offered to provide Brazil with data from an upcoming mission to help track deforestation in the Amazon. Nelson, meeting with officials at the Brazilian space research center INPE Tuesday, said that NISAR, a radar-imaging satellite being jointly developed by NASA and the Indian space agency ISRO, could help with monitoring deforestation by peering through the rain forest's canopy to track fires in the undergrowth. The meeting was part of Nelson's ongoing trip to South America that included meeting Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, on Monday. (7/26)

ISS Mission Control Goes Dark for ~20 Minutes in Houston (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA's mission control center for the International Space Station was in the dark — literally — for a time Tuesday. The Houston facility lost power Tuesday morning, cutting off its ability to communicate with the station. Joel Montalbano, NASA ISS program manager, said the issue did not threaten the safety of the ISS, and NASA worked with Roscosmos to restore communications with the station about 20 minutes later while setting up a backup control facility. The outage was blamed on work being done to upgrade the power systems at the Johnson Space Center. (7/26)

South Africa "Years Away" From Putting Astronauts on Russia-Offered Soyuz Flights to ISS (Source: MyBroadband)
South Africa's space agency says it has no immediate plans to launch astronauts on Soyuz spacecraft to the ISS. A statement by Russia's embassy in South Africa on Sunday claimed that, as part of an agreement to allow Russia to build a space debris monitoring center in the country, South Africa would send two women to the station within the next two years. The South African National Space Agency, or SANSA, said that while is has discussed with Russia opportunities for future cooperation, it is still "years away" from considering flying astronauts. (7/26)

Redwire Selected for $12.9 Million NASA Award for Landing Pads, Roads, and Other Lunar Infrastructure (Source: RedWire)
Jacksonville-based Redwire has been selected for a $12.9 million NASA Tipping Point award to prototype a first-of-its-kind manufacturing technology intended to build critical infrastructure on the surface of the Moon, including landing pads, roads and foundations for habitats. This technology could enable robust construction on the lunar surface to advance human and robotic operations, paving the way for a sustainable human presence and a dynamic lunar economy. Redwire is leading a team of industry and academic partners to develop this capability, including Astrobotic, Lockheed Martin Space, Lambda Technologies, Colorado School of Mines, and the University of Central Florida. (7/25)

€20 Million Propels Leaf Space Toward Goal of Seamless Satellite Connectivity (Source: Astro Ageny)
Leaf Space announced that it has successfully completed a capital increase for a total of €20 million ($22 million) on top of the availability by the European Investment Bank of a loan for a further €15 million through Venture Debt. Launched in 2014, the Italian company currently supports around 80 satellites and achieved for the first time this March more than 10,000 successful satellite passes during a single month. (7/26)

Sidus Space to Host SOLAR MEMS Star Tracker on June SpaceX Mission (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus Space will host a star tracker developed by SOLAR MEMS (the “Star Tracker”) on its fourth planned LizzieSat mission, currently scheduled to launch with SpaceX in June of next year. (7/26)

SpaceCareers.uk Relaunches with Improved Resources for Space Sector Candidates and Employers (Source: SpaceCareers)
SpaceCareers.uk, the UK's go-to resource for space sector career information and opportunities, has recently relaunched following a year of redevelopment, to offer an improved experience for both candidates seeking jobs and employers advertising positions. The website was originally created in 2015 by UK Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (UKSEDS) volunteers and was quickly recognised by the Prime Minister at the time as "a crucial service to thousands of people across the country that want to learn more about careers in the space industry".
 
The revamped service was redesigned with inputs and support from organisations across the sector, including the Satellite Applications Catapult. It now offers enhanced resources for those considering a career in space and wanting to know more about it, and a customised experience for all space sector enthusiasts and employers looking to find or advertise all types of opportunities. The website and team will also gather unique insights into skills and recruitment in the sector. (7/26)

SpaceX Teases Another Application for Starship (Source: Ars Technica)
You've probably heard about SpaceX's plans to use its giant new Starship vehicle to land people on the Moon and Mars, send numerous Starlink satellites or large telescopes into space, or perhaps even serve as a high-speed point-to-point terrestrial transport for equipment or people. There's another application for SpaceX's Starship architecture that the company is studying, and NASA is on board to lend expertise. Though still in a nascent phase of tech development, the effort could result in repurposing Starship into a commercial space station, something NASA has a keen interest in because there are no plans for a government-owned research lab in low-Earth orbit after the International Space Station is decommissioned after 2030. (7/24)

Aerospace, Defense Industries Struggling To Attract Talent (Source: National Defense)
Whether it is in Europe or the US, companies in the aerospace and defense sectors are facing a wave of retiring workers and struggling to attract skilled personnel to take their place. There is a deficit of highly skilled engineers and trade workers globally, said Andy Voelker. There is a “gray to green” workforce transition. There is a retirement bubble on the horizon for both manufacturing jobs and engineers, with one out of every three employees in the sector nearing a “retirement window.”

The aerospace and defense sector has long benefited from veteran employees with a wealth of knowledge that have worked their entire careers almost exclusively in the sector, he said, and they are needed to onboard the “greener,” or less experienced workers. “We also know that the greener talent has fundamentally different expectations [of work life], so this presents a real challenge." Younger workers leaving — coupled with the retirement bubble — is making it harder for aerospace and defense companies to be fully staffed, he said. (7/24)