July 7, 2023

Starlink Approved for Use in Mongolia (Source: Reuters)
Starlink is coming to Mongolia. The country's government announced Friday that it approved two "special licenses" to allow SpaceX to provide services using its Starlink constellation. SpaceX has now secured approvals in several dozen countries worldwide to offer broadband internet access through Starlink. (7/7)

Taiwan Needs Satellite Broadband, But Maybe Not Starlink (Source: Fortune)
All that stands between Taiwan and a near-total internet blackout are 14 undersea cables — a network that would make an easy target in the event of a war with China. And as tensions with Asia’s biggest economy increase, Taiwan’s government has been trying to bolster the island’s communications, traveling the globe to find a low-orbit satellite system that could back up connections in the event of a failure. Elon Musk and his Starlink network are one clear solution, but there are a few problems, not least of all Taiwan’s distrust of the billionaire, given his deep business ties with China and pro-Beijing comments. (7/6)

SpaceX Modifications at Starbase Include Launch Pad Repairs with Water Deluge System (Source: NSF)
SpaceX is continuing to make modifications to its Starbase launch site for the second integrated Starship/Super Heavy launch. That work has included repairing the concrete pad that was damaged by the thrust from the first launch in April as well as installing a water deluge system intended to prevent similar damage in the future. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in an interview nearly two weeks ago that he felt the company would be ready for another launch in about six weeks, but acknowledged a launch date will depend on factors outside of SpaceX's control, such as FAA approval. (7/7)

Montreal to Host First Interstellar Symposium in Canada (Source: CTV)
Montreal will be ground zero for the eighth Interstellar Symposium, the first time it is being held in Canada. "Searching for extrasolar or intrasolar life really is an ongoing question that we have not solved yet. The only place where we know that life exists is right here on this planet. So we cannot answer the question: "are we alone?" But it's an important question," said Julie Payette. (7/6)

For the People: The Motivations Fueling Ecuador’s Space Journey (Source: Space News)
In Ecuador today, there is growing momentum around space ecosystem development. To be sure, Ecuador has some history in space, beginning with the installation of a NASA satellite tracking station in 1957, which was handed over to the Ecuadorian government in 1982 and is run by the Ecuadorian Center for Remote Sensing (CLIRSEN). There have also been experimental cubesat attempts, as well as the establishment of the government-run Ecuadorian Space Institute (IEE) in 2012, as part of the Ministry of Defense.

With a population of about 18 million people, a GDP of around $106 billion, and a poverty rate near 30%, Ecuador is a developing nation. The oil and gas industry is mature, underpinning an industrial ecosystem that includes businesses, international cooperation, and scientific and engineering talent pipelines. Still, political stability, export trends, public health challenges, macroeconomic forces, and more challenge progress and growth across a variety of sectors.

Florida-based Leviathan Space Industries is working to build a private spaceport in Ecuador. Given the geography, an equatorial spaceport offers valuable advantages for launches, such as lower fuel costs and time-to-orbit. Yet, the grander vision is not simply to host launch providers. “We need to start thinking of space as something that can cross all industries, like tourism, finance, insurance and agriculture,” said Leviathan's Robert Aillon. (7/7)

Successful Flight Should Boost Spaceport America (Source: Las Cruces Bulletin)
You may know this about New Mexico, but we have a historically pesky habit of shooting ourselves in the foot. Even though the spaceport opened in Sierra County in 2011, funded in part by an optional tax voters passed in Sierra and Doña Ana counties, space businesses were not flocking to come to New Mexico for their projects. One reason was an obscure loophole in the fine print of Spaceport America rules and regulation, specifically some language that was not there.

Missing was a supply chain protection. This meant if something went wrong at the spaceport, liability could be legally sought all the way up and down the supply chain. So, if a rocket crashed, anyone could be sued, including the makers of the screws that hinged the seats and, presumably, the makers of the stickers on the outside of a vehicle. A simple fix, right? I mean, not many people had written spaceport language at that time. New Mexico legislators could go back to the Roundhouse, fix the language and we’re off. But no. New Mexico legislators not only didn’t fix it, they actively voted against it. Not once, but twice.

Eventually the loophole was closed. In the intervening time, however, several other states got into the spaceport business, though none could offer what New Mexico could: invaluable air space next to the restricted White Sands Missile Range, an elevation essentially making “the first mile free,” and prevailing clear skies and mild weather. VG’s successful June 29 flight does not mean it’s all smooth sailing ahead, but it sure is promising, and perhaps more important, a demonstration to many other companies worldwide who could take advantage of the benefits of Spaceport America. (7/6)

Voyager Space Signs Memorandum of Understanding with NewSpace India Limited to Explore Collaborative Opportunities in Space Technology (Source: Voyager)
Voyager Space announces the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), to foster collaboration in spacecraft launch and deployment opportunities on-board NSIL's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Voyager Space and NSIL will explore launch and deployment opportunities for small satellites orbited by SSLV and PSLV. The two organizations will also study the use of space qualified components from NSIL in support of spacecraft manufacturing, deployment, operations, and other areas of interest. (7/7)

Space Force Offers Preview of $2.5B SSC Contract (Source: GovConWire)
The US Space Force has issued a draft request for proposals for a potential 10-year, $2.5 billion contract to provide advisory and assistance services to help build and sustain weapons systems for Space Systems Command. The Hemisphere program is intended to be a multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity program in support of SSC's Space Domain Awareness and Combat Power, Battle Management, Command, Control and Communications, and mission partners. (7/6)

UCF to Advance Space Exploration Careers Through U.S. Department of Education Partnership (Source: UCF Today)
As growing interest in space exploration creates new interdisciplinary opportunities for workers of all trades, UCF is the site lead for a program intended to help inspire young minds to consider the career possibilities that industry developments could offer. The program is intended to help middle school teachers learn how to incorporate space-related career exploration into their curriculum — thus increasing the talent pipeline to this emerging, high-demand field. This follows the push by the U.S. Department of Education and NASA to support space education in schools across the nation.

UCF and Old Dominion University in Virginia are the first schools in the nation to pilot the program thanks to a project grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Luminary Labs, an innovation consulting firm, is running the Middle Grades CTE Accelerator on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education and awarded Martino a $110,000 grant for this program. (7/6)

Finalists Emerge in Hunt for Space Florida's Next CEO (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Three finalists have emerged to be the next CEO of Space Florida. A transition team chaired by Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez, who is chair of the board of Space Florida, has selected two Space Force officers, Col. Rob Long and Maj. Gen. John Olson, and former Virginia Space CEO Dale Nash as finalists to lead the state agency charged with space industry development. They cited as priorities efforts ranging from diversifying the state's space economy to addressing congestion at Florida launch sites. The board will select one of the three to succeed Frank DiBello, the longtime CEO who has agreed to stay on past a planned June 30 retirement. Click here. (7/7)

In-Space Propulsion Developer Benchmark Space Systems Closes $33M in New Funding (Source: Tech Crunch)
Benchmark Space Systems, a Vermont-based developer of in-space propulsion products, has raised $33.2 million in new funding, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Committee. The Series B capital will be used to help the company manufacture at-scale and deliver on the more than 220 propulsion systems in its backlog, Benchmark CEO Ryan McDevitt said. (7/6)

SpaceX Now Has a ‘De Facto’ Monopoly on Rocket Launches (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Satellite operators and government agencies doing business in space are increasingtly dependent on one company to help them reach orbit: Elon Musk's SpaceX. (7/7)

Latest Indiana Jones Movie Casts Von Braun-like NASA Character as Villain (Source: SPACErePORT)
The latest installment in the Indiana Jones movie franchise takes place during the nation's celebration of an Apollo mission to the moon. The villain is a former Nazi scientist -- clearly modeled after Wernher von Braun -- who was key to the success of NASA's historic Apollo program. Some of the action takes place during a parade for the crew of Apollo 11. (7/7)

Suborbital Rocket Launched From Proposed Canadian Spaceport (Source: SpaceQ)
The first launch from a Canadian spaceport was a success Thursday. A student group from York University launched a small rocket from the site of Spaceport Nova Scotia, reaching an altitude of 13.4 kilometers. The spaceport is being built to support both suborbital and orbital launches, with the first orbital launch as soon as the third quarter of 2024. (7/7)

California Museum Repositions Endeavour Shuttle Display (Source: CollectSpace)
A Los Angeles museum is beginning work to put a space shuttle on vertical display. The California Science Center will start stacking solid rocket booster segments later this month, to be joined by an external tank. The orbiter Endeavour, which has been on display horizontally at the museum for a decade, will later go on display in the museum's new Oschin Air & Space Center in a vertical launch configuration attached to that external tank and boosters. (7/7)

Europe Leans on SpaceX to Bridge Launcher Gap (Source: Space News)
Europe, temporarily lacking its own access to space, plans to rely more on SpaceX to launch key science and navigation spacecraft while working to restore its launch capabilities. The successful final Ariane 5 launch July 5 means that Europe temporarily has no ability to launch payloads into orbit. The Ariane 5’s successor, Ariane 6, is still in development and appears increasingly unlikely to be ready for its inaugural launch before 2024. The Soyuz is no longer available in Europe after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Vega C remains grounded after a December 2022 launch failure, and its return to flight, previously planned for late this year, is facing delays after an anomaly during a static-fire test June 28 of that rocket’s Zefiro 40 motor. The original version of the Vega, which does not use the Zefiro 40, is scheduled to resume launches in September, but most launches on the Vega manifest are of the more powerful Vega C.

European startups such as Isar Aerospace and Rocket Factory Augsburg are working on small launch vehicles whose first flights could take place before the end of the year. But for larger payloads, there are few near-term options for European organizations. That situation led the European Space Agency to announce in October 2022 it was moving two missions to SpaceX’s Falcon 9. (7/6)

China's Landspace Readies for Second Launch (Source: Space News)
Chinese startup Landspace is preparing for its second launch of a methane-fueled rocket. The second Zhuque-2 rocket is scheduled to launch July 12 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, according to Chinese social media reports. The rocket launched for the first time last December but failed to reach orbit because of an issue with a liquid oxygen inlet pipe feeding four vernier thrusters on the rocket's second stage. If the second launch is a success, it will become the first methane-fueled rocket to reach orbit, beating out Relativity Space and SpaceX. (7/7)

Viasat Gains Role in Europe's Air Traffic Management (Source: Space News)
Viasat will support the development of improved air traffic management capabilities in Europe. The European Satellite Services Provider group, or ESSP, said Thursday it will be responsible for leading the commercialization of Iris, an air traffic modernization program ESA developed with Viasat's recently acquired satellite operator Inmarsat. Iris will allow planes to fly more efficient routes by complementing terrestrial communications with Inmarsat L-band satellite communications. (7/7)

The Future of Space: Congested and Contested (SourcE: GZero)
Space might be a big place but the United Nations regards it as ‘congested, contested and competitive’. “We have to avoid, by all means, that it becomes a Wild West,” says Tanja Masson-Zwaan, a space law expert at Leiden University in the Netherlands. She adds, “We have regulations, laws and treaties that have been in place for the last fifty years, but we need more to govern this new frontier of space utilization, because the rules that we have are basic principles and do not go into the details.” (7/6)

Space Command Argues for Shift From Static to Dynamic Satellite Operations (Source: Space News)
In order to better keep tabs on adversaries, the U.S. military needs satellites that can actively maneuver in orbit, the deputy commander of U.S. Space Command said July 6. “The way we’ve been doing space operations since the dawn of the space age, we’ve been doing it wrong,” Lt. Gen. John Shaw said. Shaw specifically alluded to the military’s “neighborhood watch” satellites — known as GSSAP (Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program) — used to monitor the geostationary belt, where the Pentagon deploys its most valuable space assets.

He said Space Command is advocating for a new approach he described as “dynamic space operations,” in contrast to the current practice of minimizing maneuvers for fear of depleting a satellite’s fuel supply. “This could be the most fundamental doctrinal shift that we’re probably going to see in the next four to five years,” he said. (7/6)

India: The Surprising Striver in the World’s Space Business (Source: New York Times)
Suddenly India has become home to at least 140 registered space-tech start-ups, comprising a local research field that stands to transform the planet’s connection to the final frontier. It’s one of India’s most sought-after sectors for venture capital investors. The start-ups’ growth has been explosive, leaping from five when the pandemic started. And they see a big market to serve. Pawan Kumar Chandana, 32, Skyroot’s chief executive, anticipates a global need for 30,000 satellites to be launched this decade.

For its first three decades, the Indian Space Research Organization, or ISRO, the local version of NASA, made the country proud: An image of India’s first satellite graced the two-rupee note until 1995. Then for a while India paid less attention to its space ambitions, with young researchers focused on more tangible developments in information technology and pharmaceuticals. Now India is not only the world’s most populous country but also its fastest-growing large economy and a thriving center of innovation. (7/4)

Aerospace Sector in Mexico Rising (Source: Mexico  Business News)
Mexico's aerospace sector is gaining global recognition due to its expanding capacity, expertise and reputation. As a member of the International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations, Mexico is contributing to the growth of the global aerospace manufacturing industry. The country's potential for further growth and its manufacturing capabilities are drawing attention on the international stage. (7/4)

Aderholt: Politics is Playing a Role in Basing Decision for Space Command Headquarters (Source: The Hill)
In January 2021, the secretary of the Air Force announced Huntsville as the preferred location for SPACECOM’s headquarters based on merit. Reviews by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and DoD's Inspector General reinforced the process. Despite this, NBC recently reported that the Biden administration intends to halt plans to move SPACECOM’s headquarters to Alabama due to “the state’s restrictive abortion laws.” The report follows a Washington Post article outlining the White House’s intention to reverse the relocation plan to Huntsville based on national security concerns.

However, any level of scrutiny unveils the national security concern as a red herring argument. It seems clear the Biden administration is primed to award Colorado — consistently the less-preferred location, ranking no higher than number 4 in reviews — based on its pro-abortion laws. (7/5)

Space Act Agreement with NASA Will Advance UArizona Engagement in Human Spaceflight (Source: UArizona)
The University of Arizona recently signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA's Johnson Space Center that will allow the university to engage extensively in human spaceflight missions. The agreement will take the university's current association with NASA to a new level and foster joint research activities and technology transfer. Activities under the agreement will be pursued through university programs in various disciplines, including aerospace engineering, aeronautics, Earth and space science, radiation science and technology, human health and performance in space, and space materials. (7/5)

Seattle-Area Space Summit Features NASA Leader and Hints at New Manufacturing Institute (Source: GeekWire)
Sen. Maria Cantwell and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson met Wednesday at the Washington State Space Summit to hash out what’s needed to grow and strengthen the Pacific Northwest’s aerospace industry — including a potential new manufacturing institute. The event featured some of Washington state’s top aerospace companies and educational institutions. Blue Origin, the space company launched by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, hosted the event at its headquarters in Kent, just south of Seattle.

The emphasis was on U.S. manufacturing capacity to support the space sector, particularly in the area of cutting-edge thermoplastic composites that can replace metals and other polymers in space and aviation crafts. “I encourage the [U.S.] Department of Commerce and NASA to create a new manufacturing institute here in the Pacific Northwest,” Cantwell said. (7/5)

Mexico and Spain to Collaborate in Space Exploration (Source: Mexico Now)
The Mexican Space Agency (AEM) and the Spanish Space Agency (AEE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding that establishes a collaboration framework for cooperation in the use and exploration of outer space for peaceful purposes. Through different communiqués, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT), detailed that this agreement lays the foundations for a continuous and fruitful collaboration in the exploration and peaceful use of outer space. (6/5)

Mojave Air & Space Port Reopens Rehabilitated Main Runway (Source: AvExpress)
After a month of construction that caused runway closures, the Mojave Air and Space Port’s main runway is nearly good as new. The runway rehabilitation project was completed this week, the first significant rehabilitation in more than 20 years. Mojave Air and Space Port Board Director Chuck Coleman, an aerobatic pilot and instructor, ceremoniously reopened Runway 12-30 when he took off in his Rutan Long EZ at about 5 p.m. on Saturday, made a short loop and landed back on the renewed surface. (6/5)

$30k to Travel from Clark County to Space? Las Vegas Spaceport Discussed (Source: KTNV)
If a local businessman has his way, a new spaceport could be built about an hour west of the Strip. Rob Lauer's plan is to have an entire spaceport complex on nearly 250 acres of land on the western edge of Clark County, about a 15-minute drive from Pahrump. "We're talking about space planes, which are point-to-point hypersonic vehicles," Lauer said. "These are being built right now by companies like Boeing and Airbus...this is not guys building stuff in their garage."

In late June, Lauer met with officials at Nellis Air Force Base to discuss his plans. He said he's gotten a positive response from some Clark County officials as well, though he will have to raise a lot of money — around $300 million — to make his plan a reality. If and when it is done, Lauer said customers could travel from rural Clark County to space and back for about $30,000 in today's dollars. In the future, he thinks costs could come down drastically. (7/5)

Starlink Satellites Had to Make 25,000 Collision-Avoidance Maneuvers in Just 6 Months (Source: Space.com)
Staggering growth in Starlink collision-avoidance maneuvers in the past six months is sparking concerns over the long-term sustainability of satellite operations as thousands of new spacecraft are poised to launch into orbit in the coming years. SpaceX's Starlink broadband satellites were forced to swerve more than 25,000 times between Dec. 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023 to avoid potentially dangerous approaches to other spacecraft and orbital debris, according to a report filed by SpaceX with the FCC on June 30.

That's about double the number of avoidance maneuvers reported by SpaceX in the previous six-month period that ran from June to November 2022. Since the launch of the first Starlink spacecraft in 2019, the SpaceX satellites have been forced to move over 50,000 times to prevent collisions. The steep increase in the number of maneuvers worries experts because it follows an exponential curve, leading to concerns that safety of operations in the orbital environment might soon get out of hand. (7/6)