July 9, 2023

China Launches New Satellite to Test Satellite Internet Technologies (Source: Xinhua)
China on Sunday sent a new test satellite into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The satellite was launched by a Long March-2C carrier rocket at 7:00 p.m. (Beijing Time) and entered the planned orbit. It will carry out test missions for satellite internet technologies. The launch was the 478th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series. (7/9)

PE Firms, Defense Companies Vie for Ball Corp's Aerospace Unit (Source: Reuters)
Private equity firms Blackstone and Veritas Capital Fund Management LLC are competing against large defense companies to acquire the aerospace business of Ball Corp (BALL.N), according to people familiar with the matter. Defense firms BAE Systems, General Dynamics, and Textron have also expressed interest in the business, which could be worth over $5 billion, the sources said. (7/7)

Using Webb, Scientists Discover the Most Distant Active Supermassive Black Hole (Source: NSF)
Utilizing the infrared-sensitive instruments of the joint NASA/European Space Agency (ESA)/Canadian Space Agency (CSA) James Webb Space Telescope, a group of scientists has discovered the most distant active supermassive black hole to date. Located within a galaxy named CEERS 1019 — that existed just 570 million years after the formation of the universe — the black hole is less massive than any other black hole identified in the early universe. (7/8)

Meet Arkisys, the Startup Building the World’s First Private Space Logistics Hub (Source: Flying)
Arkisys borrows the name of its flagship product, the Port, from earthbound maritime logistics hubs, aiming to accomplish what they have done for the planet—connect people, transfer capital, and scale up businesses. Dan Lopez describes the Port as the first space outpost providing assembly, integration, and resupply for private companies and startups.

The Port module itself consists of one or more hexagonal spacecraft, with six detachable sides measuring about 6.5 feet high by 3.25 feet wide. Each module is constructed from steel and 3D printed elements and provides structural, thermal, electrical and data interoperability between each other and the Port’s other components, looping everything into one system. Each side of the module is called a Cutter, which also has a maritime counterpart. Arkisys will use Cutters to ferry other companies’ payloads to and from the Port—a native integration between the two allows them to rendezvous. (7/7)

The Case for Ohio as the Home of U.S. Space Command is ‘Undeniable’ (Source: Dayton Daily News)
As Ohioan and space pioneer John Glenn once said, “[t]he most important thing we can do is inspire young minds and…advance the kind of science, math and technology education that will help youngsters take us to the next phase of space travel.” It is in this spirit of inspiring the next generation of leaders – by connecting our past to our future – that we believe Ohio should become the home of U.S. Space Command and its related space-based national security missions, operations, and units. (7/8)

Experts Prove Elon Musk's Starlink is Interfering in Scientific Work (Source: ABC News.au)
Scientists are concerned that regulation is not keeping pace with the increased amount of activity in space. They say that could have significant consequences for systems relying on satellites, like telecommunication and GPS. Now for the first time, research has shown that the telecommunication Starlink constellation, part of Elon Musk's SpaceX division, is interfering in their work.

Scientists used a powerful telescope in the Netherlands to observe 68 of SpaceX's satellites and detected emissions from satellites are drifting out of their allocated band, up in space. Federico Di Vruno, co-director of the International Astronomical Union Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky, says the finding is significant given the growing numbers of satellites orbiting in the sky. "Why this matters is because of the number," Dr Di Vruno said. "Suppose that there is a satellite in space that radiates this kind of signal, there is a very, very small chance that this satellite will be in the beam, in the main site, of your telescope. (7/7)

Africans Need to Participate in Space Exploration, Says Astronaut Sara Sabry (Source: Broadcast Pro)
Experts believe that satellite technology can have a significant impact on rapidly developing African countries by advancing weather forecasting, agriculture, navigation, and even banking and online education. Sara Sabry, Africa's first woman in space, has called for regional and global efforts to enable more Africans to participate in space exploration as part of efforts to advance the continent's socioeconomic transformation. Sabry is an Egyptian astronaut and founder of the Deep Space Initiative. (7/9)

What Happens if a Space Tourism Flight Requires a Major Rescue Mission Like the Titan Submersible Did? (Source: Insider)
The multi-day search and rescue mission for the Titan, which ultimately ended after debris from the submersible was found, showed just how challenging — and expensive — trying to save people from the deep ocean can be. But if a commercial space expedition ends up in trouble, the logistics of a rescue mission could be even murkier.

"What is the plan if the spacecraft loses the ability to come home on its own? Who will foot the cost for a space rescue if something goes awry? Should taxpayers be expected to cover all or most of the expense?," asks Leroy Chiao. Chiao, who also served on SpaceX's Safety Advisory Panel, the NASA Advisory Council, and the White House Review of Human Spaceflight Plans Committee, said one of the hardest parts of extreme travel is crew rescue.

Typically, orbital flights are launched directly to the ISS, or at least into the same orbital plane — the imaginary flat surface extending from the Earth along which the ISS travels — so that if needed they could maneuver and dock at the station, using it as a safe haven until they could be rescued. "But if they launch into a different orbital plane, they're on their own," Chiao said. "That means if they have a problem, and they can't get back down on their own, then they're just going to keep orbiting the earth and they're kind of done for." (7/8)

Defense Department Funding Bolsters The Spaceport Company’s Mobile Sea-Based Launch Platforms (Source: Space Explored)
The Spaceport Company, a pioneering player in the space industry composed of launch system and maritime experts, has received a significant boost in funding from the Department of Defense to develop mobile sea-based launch platforms. The company secured a substantial investment of $1.5 million from the National Security Innovation Capital (NSIC) program, aimed at supporting early-stage companies working on technologies with critical national security applications.

This funding infusion is expected to be used to expedite research and development efforts, facilitate additional testing, and accelerate the company’s realization of its vision for the future of space launches according to the company. Funding provided by the NSIC program can be seen as the government’s recognition of the pivotal role played by startups and early-stage companies in driving innovation, pushing technological boundaries, reinforcing national security capabilities, and fostering forward-thinking space pioneers. (7/8)

PLD Space Wins the Aerospace Public-Private Partnership Contract Promoted by Spanish Government to Develop a Micro Launcher (Source: PLD Space)
PLD Space, the company that designs, develops, manufactures and operates the first private launcher in Europe, wins the aerospace public-private partnership contract promoted by Spanish Government to develop a micro launcher (PERTE), having obtained the best technical qualification by the Contracting Committee, as well as the independent experts appointed to evaluate the projects submitted.

The first phase of the PERTE contract, which will start once the documentation is signed, is worth €1.5 million for each successful bidder. It will focus on the design of the launcher and will end in December 2023. The tendering body will then evaluate the proposals submitted and the most competitive design will move on to a second phase in 2024, which is valued at €40.5 million. The only Spanish company with the necessary infrastructure to launch a rocket into space PLD Space is the only Spanish company with experience developing launchers and the only one with the infrastructure and capacity to develop, manufacture and launch an orbital rocket into space in just two and a half years. (7/3)

Mojave Air and Space Port Chosen for New Flight Test Center (Source: Mojave Desert News)
The Mojave Air and Space Port has been chosen as the site of a new Flight Test Center for Universal Hydrogen; the company also announced the successful ferry-flight to Mojave of its Dash-8 modified 40-passenger regional airliner which is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain. According to Universal Hydrogen; this move signals the next phase in its extensive flight-testing program since its first successful flight test earlier this year. (7/4)

Congress Should Stop the Coming Regulatory Assault on Commercial Space (Source: Space News)
The Biden administration has launched a commercial space regulation initiative under the name of “mission authorization,” which is laying the groundwork for a potentially debilitating web of unnecessary regulation on the U.S. commercial space industry. Congress must act quickly to avoid the worst.

If regulatory activists can use this process to impose a new burdensome regulatory framework, the consequence will be less innovation as companies spend more on compliance and less on research and development, higher costs for taxpayers and private sector customers, and further consolidation of the industrial base as smaller companies are squeezed out by large defense contractors with large legal departments. Such new regulatory action will also hurt America’s competitive position in space versus China, as the new space race heats up. (7/7)

Harvard Professor Avi Loeb Believes He's Found Fragments of Alien Technology (Source: CBS News)
Harvard professor Avi Loeb believes he may have found fragments of alien technology from a meteor that landed in the waters off of Papua, New Guinea in 2014. Loeb and his team just brought the materials back to Harvard for analysis. The U.S. Space Command confirmed with almost near certainty, 99.999%, that the material came from another solar system. The government gave Loeb a 10 km radius of where it may have landed.

"We found ten spherules. These are almost perfect spheres, or metallic marbles. When you look at them through a microscope, they look very distinct from the background," explained Loeb, "They have colors of gold, blue, brown, and some of them resemble a miniature of the Earth." An analysis of the composition showed that the spherules are made of 84% iron, 8% silicon, 4% magnesium, and 2% titanium, plus trace elements. They are sub-millimeter in size. The crew found 50 of them in total.

"We calculated its speed outside the solar system. It was 60 km per second, faster than 95% of all stars in the vicinity of the sun. The fact that it was made of materials tougher than even iron meteorites, and moving faster than 95% of all stars in the vicinity of the sun, suggested potentially it could be a spacecraft from another civilization or some technological gadget." The research and analysis is just beginning at Harvard. Loeb is trying to understand if the spherules are artificial or natural.  If they are natural, it will give the researchers insight into what materials may exist outside of our solar system. If it is artificial, the questions really begin. (7/7)

NASA Sends Recorded Message from Ringo Starr Into the Universe for His 83rd Birthday (Source: The Messenger)
Ringo Starr turned 83 on Friday, and his annual message of "peace and love" received a celestial boost from NASA. A pre-recorded message from Starr was sent into the universe at noon PST on July 7, from a Barstow, Calif. based station in the Deep Space Network to commemorate his special day. (7/8)

Space Coast Executive Jet Center: Small FBO, but Not for Long (Source: AIN Online)
Space Coast Executive Jet Center (SCEJC) is the prototypical mom-and-pop FBO, according to its owner, Carsten Petersen, who purchased the facility in 2021 with his wife, Wendy. One of two service providers at Florida’s Space Coast Regional Airport (KTIX), the company has occupied the same 1,500-sq-ft terminal since the late 1970s. Part of that boom is due to the growing commercial space industry.

“We have seen an influx of space companies coming in,” Petersen told AIN. “We’ve got SpaceX here, we’ve got Blue Origin, Lockheed, Boeing, so because of that, investors are starting to show interest in this area.” The FBO, which is at the commercial airport closest to Kennedy Space Center, handles aircraft as large as the Air Force C-17 transports that deliver fully assembled satellites scheduled for launch. It also provided Petersen with one of his more interesting moments when he was called out one night for an emergency arrival, which turned out to be an aircraft with a cargo of live baby squid, part of a physiology experiment destined for the ISS.

Maybe it will become a space welcome center or something like that.” Designs are being drawn up for a multimillion-dollar 5,000-sq-ft facility, and to support that, Petersen said, several investors are looking to secure office space in the future building. In addition, a private developer is about to break ground on two hangars, one of 75,000 sq ft capable of holding a BBJ-class aircraft and another between 25,000 and 50,000 sq ft. (7/5)

Department of Energy And NASA Join Forces On An Innovative Lunar Experiment (Source: SpaceRef)
The U.S. Department of Energy and NASA are working together to develop a science instrument that will survive the harsh and unforgiving environment of the nighttime lunar surface on the far side of the Moon to attempt first-of-its-kind measurements of the so-called Dark Ages of the Universe. The instrument is named the Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment – Night (LuSEE-Night). LuSEE-Night is a pathfinder to understand the Moon’s radio environment to potentially look at a previously unobserved era in our cosmic history. (7/7)