July 28, 2023

Rocket Lab’s Neutron Undergoes Design Change (Source: Teslarati)
New concept art was released on Rocket Lab’s website today, showcasing new design choices for the company’s reusable Neutron rocket. One of the major changes shown is how the payload fairing operates. In prior concepts, the fairing was comprised of 4 quarters that opened outward to allow second stage and payload separation. The new design shows two halves of the fairing opening.

Another change is a slight design to the forward strakes (fins) that help steer the rocket back to its landing site. Unlike SpaceX, which uses grid fins, the Neutron rocket will use fins that provide more lift and can return to the launch site from further downrange. The forward fins also appear to have moved further up on the rocket, and the fairing halves size made a bit smaller. Further down on the rocket, the landing legs are now folded in, similar to how Falcon 9 landing legs are folded, and appear to deploy the same way. Click here. (7/27)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Satellites From Florida, Recovers Booster Downrange (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
A Falcon 9 launched a set of Starlink satellites overnight. The rocket lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport and deployed 22 "V2 mini" Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch took place four days after another Falcon 9 launch from the same pad, Space Launch Complex 40, a new record between launches at that pad for the company. SpaceX, though, further postponed a Falcon Heavy launch from nearby Launch Complex 39A to Friday night, saying it needed more time to complete checks of the vehicle after a last-minute scrub on a launch attempt Wednesday. (7/28)

ESA's Aeolus to Re-Enter (Source: ESA)
ESA's Aeolus satellite is ready to reenter later today. The spacecraft completed several maneuvers Thursday to lower the perigee of its orbit to below 160 kilometers. A final maneuver later today will further lower the perigee to about 120 kilometers and set the spacecraft up for a reentry somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. ESA planned this "assisted reentry" because the spacecraft lacked propellant to perform a targeted deorbit. (7/28)

Senate Passes Defense Authorization Bill, Without House's Poison Pill Riders (Source: Washington Post)
The Senate overwhelmingly passed its version of a defense authorization bill Thursday. Senators approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on an 86-11 vote. The Senate bill contains major differences from the House NDAA that narrowly passed earlier this month. Congress is now on summer recess that will last until the week after Labor Day. (7/28)

Russia Looks to Africa for New Space Partnerships (Source: TASS)
Russia is turning to Africa to find new space partnerships. Roscosmos said it is working with several African countries on space cooperation that could include launching satellites or even satellite constellations for them. Yuri Borisov, the head of Roscosmos, declined to name the countries his agency was in talks with for such launches other than they were in the continent's equatorial region. (7/28)

US, China Lead World in Military Space Investment (Source: Breaking Defense)
A new report from the Space Foundation reveals that global military space spending increased to an estimated $54 billion in 2022, up from around $45 billion in 2021, with the US Defense Department accounting for the majority of the expenditure. The report notes that estimates for China, the second-largest space spender, are unclear due to the blending of civil and military space operations. (7/26)

Budget Could Delay NASA's New Frontiers Planetary Mission Competition (Source: Space News)
The competition for the next mid-sized NASA planetary science mission could suffer an extended delay because of budget constraints. NASA had planned to issue a call for proposals this fall for its New Frontiers program, leading to a selection in 2026 for launch in the early 2030s. NASA is delaying that release, though, because of budget uncertainties linked to the debt-ceiling agreement and reduced funding available to NASA as a result.

At a town hall meeting Thursday, an agency official said that if anticipated spending levels are realized over the next couple of years, the release of that call for proposals could be delayed to at least 2026. The New Frontiers competition will select a mission for one of six themes, from a lunar sample return to a Saturn probe, with a development cost not to exceed $900 million. (7/28)

Northrop Grumman Takes $36 Million Loss on Fixed-Price Lunar Gateway Work (Source: Space News)
Northrop Grumman is taking a $36 million charge for its work on a module for NASA's lunar Gateway. The company said it made the adjustment on its work for the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module in response to changing requirements for the Gateway and "macroeconomic challenges." Northrop received a $935 million fixed-price contract for HALO two years ago, and company executives said on an earnings call that the requirements for HALO have changed since then, incurring additional costs. HALO will launch together with the Maxar-built Power and Propulsion Element as the first part of the Gateway in 2025. (7/28)

China's GalaxySpace Launches Starlink-Like stackable Satellite (Source: Space News)
A Chinese company recently launched its first "stackable" communications satellite. The Lingxi-03 satellite from GalaxySpace was one of the payloads on a Long March 2D launch last weekend. The spacecraft features a multi-beam digital payload with a data capacity of tens of gigabits per second and a thin, flexible solar panel. The satellites are designed to launch in large stacks, like SpaceX's Starlink satellites. (7/28)

Argentina Joins Artemis Accords (Source: Space News)
Argentina is the latest country to join the Artemis Accords. Argentina's science minister signed the Accords Thursday during a visit to the country by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. Argentina is the 28th country to sign the Accords on best practices for space exploration and the fifth country in the last three months. The document also affirmed the importance of addressing space threats "through norms, rules, and principles of responsible behaviors." (7/28)

Iridium Board of Directors Approves Additional Share Repurchase Program (Source: Space Daily)
Iridium Communications reported Thursday that its Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of an additional $400 million of Iridium common stock through December 31, 2025. This is the third stock repurchase authorization from the Board of Directors in the past three years and brings the total value of the program to $1 billion. This $400 million authorization is also the largest ever approved by the Board of Directors, underscoring the strength of Iridium's business. (7/28)

Beyond Gravity to Provide Off-the-Shelf Computer to Quantum Space's Ranger Multi-Purpose Vehicle (Source: Space Daily)
Beyond Gravity, a leading supplier to the space industry, will provide its constellation On Board Computer (cOBC) to Quantum Space's inaugural flight of its Ranger multi-purpose vehicle, which will take payloads to geostationary and cislunar orbits. Beyond Gravity, a leading supplier to the space industry, has announced it will provide its constellation On Board Computer (cOBC) to Quantum Space's inaugural flight of its Ranger multi-purpose vehicle, which will take payloads to geostationary and cislunar orbits. (7/28)

The Shifting Landscape for Satellite Capacity Wholesalers (Source: Space News)
Eutelsat’s plan to sell off European retail broadband activities bucks a trend that has seen satellite operators increasingly buy these kinds of businesses in recent years. The French geostationary operator’s focus back on wholesale is also notable because it comes just three years after it bought some of these assets on the chopping block. Eutelsat has not identified the buyer, although spokesperson Anita Baltagi told SpaceNews it is a retail business.

Meanwhile, most other operators have shown eagerness to become more vertically integrated. Climbing down the value chain can help operators tighten their grip on uncertain markets by getting closer to end users, and help compensate for lower margins as the supply of satellite capacity soars. Notable recent acquisitions to this end include Viasat’s purchase of energy sector specialist RigNet and Intelsat’s acquisition of Gogo’s commercial aviation assets. (7/28)

Eutelsat Expects to Return to Growth Next Year with OneWeb (Source: Space News)
Eutelsat expects to return to growth next year as its pivot to connectivity starts to bear fruit, the French satellite operator said July 28 after a waning video business helped annual sales decline for the seventh year in a row. Total revenues fell to 1.31 billion euros ($1.4 billion) for the company’s fiscal year ending June 30, a 5.5% year-on-year drop when adjusted for currency changes on a like-for-like basis. (7/28)

Space Perspective Surpasses 1,600 Seats Sold for Carbon-Neutral Spaceflight Experience (Source: Space Perspective)
Florida-based Space Perspective, the world's first and only carbon-neutral spaceflight company, announced that it has sold more than 1,600 tickets – surpassing the number of seats sold by any other space tourism company, and representing $200M in sales. To put the significance of 1,600 Explorers in perspective, just over 600 individuals have ever flown to space, making Space Perspective's sales a ground-breaking achievement in expanding humanity's access to and experience of space, which is core to the company's vision.

A flight on Spaceship Neptune costs $125,000 per person with a starting deposit of $1,000 to reserve a seat. Coveted first 100 flights start at a $60,000 deposit with select first 25 flights requiring a full $125,000 deposit. Commercial flights are slated to begin at the end of 2024, and Space Perspective is already booking into two and three years out. Nearly half of the reservations represent full capsule sales, indicating that Explorers want a shared experience with a curated group of friends, family, and loved ones. (7/27)

White House Says UAPs Have Impacted Military Training, Readiness (Source: The Hill)
The White House said Wednesday that unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) have impacted the military’s training and readiness. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby reiterated at a press briefing Wednesday that the White House is taking the issue of UAPs seriously. His comments came just after the House Oversight subcommittee on national security spent the morning hearing from three witnesses who called for more transparency in how the government handles UAP reports. (7/27)

A Nearly 20-Year Ban on Human Spaceflight Regulations is Set to Expire (Source: Ars Technica)
In 2004, Congress passed a law that established a moratorium on federal safety regulations for commercial astronauts and space tourists riding to space on new privately owned rockets and spacecraft. The idea was to allow time for new space companies to establish themselves before falling under the burden of regulations, an eventuality that spaceflight startups argued could impede the industry's development.

The moratorium is also known as a "learning period," a term that describes the purpose of the provision. It's supposed to give companies and the Federal Aviation Administration—the agency tasked with overseeing commercial human spaceflight, launch, and re-entry operations—time to learn how to safely fly in space and develop smart regulations, those that make spaceflight safer but don't restrict innovation. (7/27)

City-Size Comet Headed Toward Earth 'Grows Horns' After Massive Volcanic Eruption (Source: LiveScience)
An unusual volcanic comet flying toward the sun appears to have "grown horns" after it exploded, causing it to shine like a small star and shower supercold "magma" into space. It is the first time this comet has been seen erupting in almost 70 years. The comet, named 12P/Pons-Brooks (12P), is a cryovolcanic — or cold volcano — comet. (7/27)

Musk Wants to Help With Boeing's Space Efforts (Source: The Street)
Despite plans to launch in July, the tentative date for Boeing's Starliner was scrubbed in June when Boeing said it had identified two major issues with the craft.

One involved problems with the lines that connect the capsule to its parachutes, while the other involved the discovery of apparently flammable tape that had been used inside the craft. Elon Musk offered SpaceX's services in seeing Boeing's Starliner to, well, the stars. "SpaceX provided its knowledge of crewed parachute systems to Boeing and we are happy to be helpful in any other ways," Musk said. SpaceX, meanwhile, is set to complete all six of its contracted NASA flights before Boeing can get off the ground. (7/26)

Satellites Spy China’s Detention Facilities in Tibet (Source: The Guardian)
There has been a pattern of increased activity in recent years at high-security detention facilities in Tibet, according to a new study measuring night-time lighting usage, suggesting a potential rise in harsher imprisonments by Chinese authorities. The report, by the Rand Europe research institute, said the findings added rare new clues about the Chinese government’s “stability maintenance” policies of control in the highly securitised Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR), which it described as an “information black hole”.

“Using overhead satellite imagery analysis and night-time lighting data, this study sought to add another piece to the puzzle in the hope of helping and encouraging other workers to complete the picture,” the report said. (7/26)

Keeping Your Underwear Clean on the Moon (Source: ESA)
When astronauts return to the Moon they will be bringing along a new generation of spacesuits, designed to withstand the harsh conditions of the lunar surface. But in keeping their human occupants safe and comfortable, these suits might also become a fertile environment for harmful microbial life – especially as astronauts will potentially be sharing suits with one another. As part of a larger ESA effort called PExTex, assessing suitable textiles for future spacesuit design, the Austrian Space Forum is leading a project called BACTeRMA, looking into ways to prevent microbial growth in suit inner linings. (7/27)

There's A Lot You Don't Know About The US Space Force (Source: Bloomberg)
The US Space Force, established in 2019, is the first new branch of the military to be created since 1947, and its mission is vast: defend US interests in space. But what exactly is the Space Force? And what does defending US interests in space mean or look like practically? As the nearly $900 billion defense spending bill winds its way through Congress, Wes went to the Pentagon to sit down with General David Thompson, the Vice Chief of Space Operations to learn what US interests in space are, and how the branch is developing. Click here. (7/26)

Whiting Says Space Command Should "Buy First" (Source: Air & Space Forces Magazine)
Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, nominated to lead US Space Command, has expressed his intention to strengthen ties with the commercial industry and advocates a "buy first" approach. He believes that partnering with commercial entities will enable the US Space Force to innovate more reliably, integrate cutting-edge technology faster, and develop economical solutions to strategic problems. (7/26)

Spacecom Nominee Says Everything China Launches Is Dual-Use Threat (Source: Aviation Week)
China’s emerging capabilities to target U.S. assets in orbit—both directly and through cyber attacks—are U.S. Space Command’s top priority, and the military needs to improve its domain awareness to be ready, said  Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, the White House’s pick to lead the Space Command. (7/26)

First Mother-Daughter Duo Flying on Space Tourism Flight Together ‘Not Nervous At All’ (Source: Independent)
A mother who is one of three people who will be on Virgin Galactic’s first space tourism flight has said she is “not nervous at all” about the trip. Keisha Schahaff, 46, and her 18-year-old daughter Anastatia Mayers, who is studying physics in Aberdeen, are set to board VSS Unity for a 90-minute trip into space on August 10. They will be the first mother and daughter ever to make a trip to space after winning a coveted place in a prize draw. Former Olympian Jon Goodwin, 80, from Newcastle, is set to join them on the adventure from New Mexico in the US. (7/27)