July 27, 2023

This Looks Like Earth’s Warmest Month Ever. Hotter Ones Appear to Be in Store (Source: New York Times)
Weeks of scorching summer heat in North America, Europe, Asia and elsewhere are putting July on track to be Earth’s warmest month on record, the European Union climate monitor said on Thursday, the latest milestone in what is emerging as an extraordinary year for global temperatures. Last month, the planet experienced its hottest June since records began in 1850. July 6 was its hottest day. And the odds are rising that 2023 will end up displacing 2016 as the hottest year. At the moment, the eight warmest years on the books are the past eight. (7/27)

‘No One Wants To Be Right About This’: Climate Scientists’ Horror and Exasperation as Global Predictions Play Out (Source: Guardian)
What is playing out all over the world right now is entirely consistent with what scientists expect. No one wants to be right about this. But if I’m honest, I am stunned by the ferocity of the impacts we are currently experiencing. I am really dreading the devastation I know this El Niño will bring. As the situation deteriorates, it makes me wonder how I can be most helpful at a time like this. Do I keep trying to pursue my research career or devote even more of my time to warning the public? The pressure and anxiety of working through an escalating crisis is taking its toll on many of us. (7/24)

Mars Sample Return Options (Source: Quartz)
NASA’s Perseverance rover has been busily scraping up Martian soil and caching it in metal tubes for future retrieval and return to Earth, but the task may be too expensive for the government. Can a private company do it instead? The Mars Sample Return program has been through an ugly summer, with a leaked cost forecast of more than $9 billion, and the US Senate is threatening to cancel the program unless its total cost will be less than $5.3 billion. At NASA’s behest, an unprecedented second independent review is considering whether the mission can actually be done at a realistic price.

“I love the idea of funding a sample return in a COTS-like manner with a couple of competitors,” says Abhi Tripathi, a former NASA and SpaceX engineer who is now the director of mission operations at the University of Berkeley’s Space Sciences Lab. “It also has a...‘capture the flag’ element to it to get those samples back first.” The challenge is that no one has ever returned a sample from Mars. (7/27)

L3Harris Acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne Wins FTC Approval (Source: Space News)
L3Harris says it will complete is acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne by the end of this week. L3Harris CEO Christopher Kubasik said in a letter to investors Wednesday that the Federal Trade Commission has informed his company that it will not block the deal. He said the $4.7 billion acquisition should close by Friday. Kubasik previously said he expected the deal to go through because it's not a vertical merger, and L3Harris does not compete with Aerojet Rocketdyne. The FTC had blocked Lockheed Martin's earlier attempt to buy Aerojet. (7/27)

China Launches Two Reconnaissance Satellites (Source: Xinhua)
China launched a set of reconnaissance satellites Wednesday. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off at 4:02 p.m. Eastern from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center and placed three Yaogan-36 satellites into orbit. Chinese media describe the satellites as remote sensing spacecraft but are believed to perform military reconnaissance missions. (7/27)

India Sees Strong Interest in Commercializing SSLV (Source: Reuters)
The Indian government says it's received strong interest in commercializing a small launch vehicle. A government official said 20 companies have expressed interest in taking over manufacturing and operations of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). That rocket, which made its first successful flight in February, is designed to place up to 500 kilograms into orbit. The government hasn't announced when it expects to select a company to take over SSLV operations. (7/27)

NASA Inspector General Nominated to USAID Position (Source: White House)
NASA's longtime inspector general has been nominated for a new position. The White House said Wednesday it has nominated Paul Martin to be inspector general of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Martin has been NASA's inspector general, a Senate-confirmed position, since 2009. (7/27)

NASA's Juno Makes Closest Approach to Io (Source: NASA)
NASA's Juno spacecraft will make its closest approach yet to Jupiter's moon Io this weekend. Juno will pass 22,000 kilometers from Io, the innermost of Jupiter's four large Galilean moons, on Sunday. Scientists plan to use an instrument on Juno originally designed to monitor Jupiter's aurora to map heat sources on Io, which is subject to intense volcanic activity. Scientists saw signs of an active volcano during a more distant flyby in May. (7/27)

An Inside Look At Nokia’s Moon Mission (Source: SpaceRef)
Nokia Bell Labs is deploying the first cellular network on the Moon to demonstrate that cellular technologies can provide the critical communications needs for future lunar or Martian missions. NASA has selected Nokia to participate in its Tipping Point initiative, which seeks industry-developed space technologies that can foster the development of commercial space capabilities and benefit future NASA missions. To that end, Nokia has partnered with Intuitive Machines and Lunar Outpost for the uncrewed lunar mission called IM-2, which will land at the Moon’s south pole. Click here. (7/26)

Portuguese Government Authorizes €9.25 Million in Funding for New Space Agency (Source: SpaceRef)
The Portuguese government has authorized annual funding of €9.25 million ($10.25 million) for the Portuguese Space Agency (PSA), spanning between 2023 and 2027, according to a resolution of the Council of Ministers from earlier this month, as published in the Diário da República. The still-new space agency is looking to implement potentially ambitious plans by Portugal to make its stamp on the space economy. (7/26)

Three National Science Foundation-Funded Projects and Others to Launch via Northrop Grumman to the Space Station (Source: SpaceRef)
A diverse set of payloads is slated to launch to the ISS onboard Northrop Grumman’s 19th Commercial Resupply Services mission. Among the more than 8,200 pounds of critical research and supplies are three projects funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory. Additional payloads sponsored by the ISS National Lab on the mission include biomedical investigations, research from companies to enhance their products, and projects to validate new capabilities for space-based research. Click here. (7/26)

Hawkeye360 Closes $38 Million Series D Focused on Constellation Capacity-Building (Source: SpaceRef)
Radio frequency (RF) Geospatial intelligence company Hawkeye 360 announced on July 13th that it has closed a $58 million Series D-1 funding round. The company, based in Herndon, Virginia, said in its announcement that it will be used “to develop new space systems and expand analytics that support high-value defense missions”. (7/27)

Atomos Announces First Orbital Mission Demonstrating Rendezvous, Docking, Refueling, and Orbital Transfer (Source: SpaceRef)
After a period of intense development, in-space logistics provider Atomos Space (Atomos) is ready to launch two internally designed and built spacecraft. The vehicles, Quark and Gluon, will perform rendezvous, docking, refueling, and orbital transfer. This demonstration mission, dubbed The Singing Astronomer (after astronomer and opera singer Caroline Herschel, the first woman to receive a salary as a scientist) will pave the way for Atomos’s Quark Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV). Quark will provide in-space services such as orbit raising, satellite life extension, cargo delivery to space stations, and refueling. (7/25)

IDRS Comms Tech Successfully Activated Onboard Innovative, ‘See All’ iQPS SAR Satellite (Source: SpaceRef)
Leading Japanese synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellation company Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space (iQPS) and communication specialists Addvalue announce the successful activation of the IDRS service onboard the recently launched QPS-SAR-6 satellite in June 2023 during its initial checkout operation. By equipping its lightweight SAR technology with ‘always-on’, on-demand IDRS data connection capabilities, iQPS gets capability of persistent connectivity with its fleet of QPS-SAR satellites. This capability leads to rapid, real-time tasking of high-res SAR images and real-time management of the whole constellation to ensure optimal download and delivery of SAR images for its users. (7/26)

Goddard, Wallops Engineers Test Printed Electronics in Space (Source: SpaceRef)
Today’s small spacecraft pack sensors, guidance and control, and operating electronics into every available space. Printing electronic circuits on the walls and structures of spacecraft could help future missions do more in smaller packages. Engineers successfully tested hybrid printed circuits at the edge of space in an April 25 sounding rocket flight from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility near Chincoteague, Virginia. Electronic temperature and humidity sensors printed onto the payload bay door and onto two attached panels monitored the entire SubTEC-9 sounding rocket mission, recording data that was beamed to the ground. (7/26)

Hong Kong Launches One of the World’s Largest Satellite Manufacturing Units (Source: South China Morning Post)
Hong Kong’s newly launched ASPACE Hong Kong Satellite Manufacturing Center showcases the city’s potential to become an aerospace hub as it seeks to establish itself as a key player in the $281 billion global commercial satellite industry. The global annual demand for satellites of over 30,000 units is currently serviced by a manufacturing capacity of between 6,000 and 8,000 units indicating a big shortfall and growth potential for manufacturers. (7/25)

Invisible Supernovas Called 'Bosenovas' May Be Exploding All Around Us (Source: LiveScience)
All around the universe, invisible stars may be dying in high-energy explosions, and new research suggests how scientists could actually detect these unseen catastrophes. In a paper published June 28, a team of astrophysicists explored what would happen when boson stars — theoretical large objects made of invisible dark matter — reached the ends of their lives. The result, they wrote, is a massive explosion similar to a supernova, only invisible: a "bosenova." (7/25)

No Starship Launch Soon, FAA Says, as Investigations — Including SpaceX's Own — are Still Incomplete (Source: San Antonio Express-News)
Three months after SpaceX’s first Starship launch ended in a fiery explosion over the Gulf of Mexico, the company hasn’t submitted its final accident report to the FAA, signaling that the next-generation rocket program remains grounded and is unlikely to attempt a second launch this summer. The FAA, which is overseeing an investigation into the April 20 launch, said Wednesday it was still awaiting the report it needs to identify corrective actions SpaceX must take to get the OK to launch again from Boca Chica.

An FAA spokesperson declined to speculate when the agency’s investigation might be completed, saying that “public safety and actions yet to be taken by SpaceX will dictate the timeline.” SpaceX is seeking a modification of its existing license, which was suspended after the first launch from its Starbase facility. The FAA’s update comes as Elon Musk and SpaceX are publicly teasing a fast return to launch mode. The privately held firm has been touting repairs to its orbital launch mount.

With the testing program on hold, NASA has expressed concerns over the company’s inability to have its lunar lander version of Starship ready to carry astronauts to the moon on the space agency’s timetable. In early June, NASA said its Artemis 3 moon mission planned for late 2025 is likely to be delayed to 2026 because of the company’s problems. “With the difficulties that SpaceX has had, that’s really concerning,” said Jim Free, NASA’s associate administrator for exploration systems development. (7/26)

SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft Had a Glitch at International Space Station (Source: Space.com)
A SpaceX Dragon docked with the ISS for 23 days in June had a thruster valve stuck open due to a corrosion problem. "It didn't impact the mission at all," said Benji Reed, senior director of SpaceX's human spaceflight program. Since SpaceX's spacecraft are similar enough between the cargo and Crew Dragon versions, however, engineers are looking at all spacecraft in production to address the issue. So far this situation will have no impact on the launch date for the next astronaut mission. (7/26)

Incentives In-Play for L3Harris Expansion on Florida's Space Coast (Source: Florida Today)
L3Harris Technologies Inc. should receive nearly $7 million in tax breaks from Brevard County if it expands in Palm Bay, according to an advisory board to the County Commission. The company has already won final approval from the Palm Bay City Council to receive $12.11 million in city property tax breaks, if the company chooses the city as the site of two proposed expansions that would create 201 high-paying jobs. Now, the Melbourne-based aerospace and defense company is setting its sights on the Brevard County Commission, where, on Aug. 8, it will seek approval for $6.68 million in county property tax breaks for those projects. (7/26)

UFO Reports Piquing NASA's Interest (Source: BBC)
First there was the US government's 2021 assessment of UFOs – which have been rebranded, rather disappointingly, as the more sober-sounding "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena" (UAPs). Now NASA is expected to release the results of its first-ever study into Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena – their own twist on the historically dubious designation – and the US Congress subcommittee on National Security, the Border and Foreign Affairs is holding a hearing on them.

Of course, NASA isn't really expecting to discover evidence of visits by intelligent aliens – though this remains a possibility. Instead, the report is an opportunity to do a kind of sky audit, and investigate what's been happening around the Earth recently. This includes rare weather phenomenon, some of which were little more than tantalising rumours for centuries before they were finally confirmed by scientists. (7/26)

Here Are The 5 Most Memorable Moments From Congress’ UFO Hearing (Source: NBC News)
Lawmakers on the committee, baffled by some of the testimony, repeatedly noted that UAP sightings are an issue of bipartisan concern and raise national security questions. Separately, some accused the federal government of endeavoring to conceal key UFO-related information from the public, though they did not provide evidence to support those allegations. Click here. (7/26)

FAA Establishes Human Spaceflight Occupant Safety Rulemaking Committee (Source: Space Policy Online)
This charter establishes the Human Space Flight Occupant Safety Aerospace Rulemaking Committee for the Commercial Space Transportation Industry, according to the Secretary’s authority under Title 49 of the United States Code (49 U.S.C.) § 106(p)(5). This Aerospace Rulemaking Committee, (commonly referred to as a SpARC) purposefully engages the commercial space industry to provide consensus information, concerns, opinions, and recommendations to the Department of Transportation. Click here. (7/26)

In Search of Electromagnetic Counterparts of Gravitational Waves (Source: Space Daily)
Alessandra Corsi has received a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation to investigate what occurs in the aftermath of collisions between compact objects in space such as neutron stars and black holes. "It is looking at remnants of stars that have died, either neutron stars or black holes," she said. "We want to look at them when they're spiraling and then colliding because they give off gravitational waves and, potentially, light at all wavelengths." (7/27)

Lynk Demonstrates First-Ever Two-Way Standard Phone Voice Calls by Satellite (Source: Lynk Global)
Lynk Global released the first-ever video of a series of two-way voice calls between standard mobile phones connected via satellite. The video shows multiple voice calls using standard mobile phones connected via Lynk’s existing satellite-cell-towers in orbit. Click here. (7/25)

Satellite-Based Signals-Intelligence Startup Kleos Space Files for Bankruptcy in Luxembourg (Source: Space Intel Report)
Satellite signals-intelligence provider Kleos Space of Luxembourg is filing for bankruptcy in Luxembourg after failing  to meet loan commitments despite several months of extensions by is principal creditor. Kleos, whose trading on the Australia Securities Exchange (ASX) has been suspended since May 3, said in a July 26 statement that its creditor, Pure Asset Management Pty Ltd. was no longer willing to provide cash. (7/26)

NASA, DARPA Partner with Industry on Mars Rocket Engine (Source: NASA)
NASA and DARPA announced that Lockheed Martin will be the prime contractor for the design, build, and testing of NASA and DARPA’s nuclear-powered rocket demonstration, in collaboration with other industry partners. The Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program will test a nuclear-powered rocket in space as soon as 2027. For NASA, nuclear propulsion is one of the primary capabilities on the roadmap for crewed missions to Mars. (7/26)

Boeing Records More Losses From Starliner Delays (Source: Space News)
Boeing took another loss on its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew program as the first crewed flight of that vehicle remains in limbo. In its fiscal second quarter financial results released July 26, the company said it took a $257 million loss on the Starliner program, citing the delay in the vehicle’s first flight with astronauts on board that Boeing and NASA announced June 1. That loss was the biggest single factor in a $527 million loss the company reported for its Defense, Space and Security business unit in the quarter. (7/26)

Sara Sabry: The Astronaut Making Space Travel More Accessible (Source: SiliconRepublic)
When Sara Sabry took part in the Blue Origin NS-22 mission in August last year, she became the first Egyptian person and the first Arab woman in space – and she hadn’t yet turned 30. Sabry always had a passion for engineering. She earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the American University in Cairo and went on to do a master’s degree in biomedical engineering in Italy. Now, she’s working towards a PhD in aerospace sciences in the US where she is conducting research on the engineering of the next generation of planetary spacesuits at the NASA-funded Human Spaceflight Lab. (7/26)

Marotta Controls Delivers 30,000th CoRe Valve to SpaceX (Source: Marotta)
Marotta Controls celebrated another production milestone today. The supplier delivered its 30,000th CoRe valve to SpaceX. The milestone marks a 50 percent increase in demand for the high performance, reusable solenoid valves in less than 18 months, underscoring Marotta Controls’ deepening footprint in the spaceflight market. The CoRe Flow Controls series includes 10 of the company’s most versatile solenoid valves capable of supporting various industrial flow control applications. These range from Attitude Control and Propellant Systems to Landing Leg Deployment and Stage Separation. (7/25)

Boeing Keeps Its Starliner Launch On Pause as SpaceX Readies for 7th Crewed Flight (Source: The Messenger)
Preparations for Boeing’s Starliner launch are on pause as NASA and the company continue to work through two issues affecting the spacecraft’s parachute system and tape used on internal wiring, a NASA official said. The NASA and Boeing teams are working through technical issues on the Starliner vehicle before they can gather and contemplate a target launch date, Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said at a media briefing to discuss SpaceX’s upcoming seventh mission to the ISS. (7/25)

NASA Selects Intuitive Machines Team to Develop Survive the Lunar Night Technology (Source: Intuitive Machines)
Intuitive Machines announced NASA’s Space Technology and Mission Directorate (STMD) has awarded a $15 million Tipping Point initiative award to the Zeno Power-led team, including Intuitive Machines. The award is for the development of a Radioisotope Power System (RPS) that may enable lunar assets to survive and operate during the lunar night and in permanently shadowed regions of the Moon. (7/25)

ESA Opens Call for Ideas for Space-Based Solar Power (Source: SpaceQ)
The European Space Agency (ESA) is looking to solve some of the challenges with space-based solar power and has put out a call for ideas in which Canadian companies are eligible to participate. The concept of space-based solar power is not new. But recently the push to begin research into the challenges and turn the concept into reality has gained some momentum with several agencies funding new research. The Canadian Space Agency Tweeted yesterday the fact that Canadian companies “are eligible to submit an idea.” (7/25)

China's Gigantic Telescope Identifies Over 800 Pulsars (Source: Xinhua)
China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, has identified over 800 new pulsars since its launch in 2016, its operator said Tuesday. The number of new pulsars discovered by FAST is more than three times the total number of pulsars discovered by foreign telescopes during the same period, said Jiang Peng, chief engineer of the telescope. (7/25)