August 11, 2023

‘Irreparable’ Thrusters and Solar Activity Push 3 HawkEye 360 Satellites to Lower Orbits (Source: Tech Crunch)
Remote-sensing satellite operator HawkEye 360 is the latest to experience problems in orbit, due to an “irreparable” failure of propulsion systems made by Austria-based Enpulsion, compounded by high solar activity. While HawkEye declined to name its propulsion provider to TechCrunch, an April 2022 letter from HawkEye to the FCC states that the affected satellites are equipped with Enpulsion’s IFM Nano Thruster propulsion system.

HawkEye requested temporary permission from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to operate three of its satellites, called Cluster 4, at a lower altitude on July 24. In a separate filing, the company requested permanent authority to operate its constellation at orbital altitudes of 400-615 kilometers, given the propulsion failures. (8/9)

One Giant Step: Moon Race Hots Up (Source: Digital Journal)
Russia’s plan to launch its lunar lander on Friday is the latest in an international push to return to the Moon that includes the world’s top powers but also new players. Technology, science and politics are all essential factors in the Moon race. Here is the latest. (8/10)

AI Spots Huge Asteroid the Size of 182 Beavers That Humans Missed (Source: Jerusalem Post)
An artificial intelligence-powered algorithm has managed to discover a huge potentially hazardous asteroid the size of roughly 183 North American beavers that passed the Earth in 2022 – but scientists never even noticed. Though the asteroid poses no threat to Earth any time soon, the fact that the algorithm – known as HelioLinc3D and part of the Chile-based Vera C. Rubin Observatory – can discover it shows that these sorts of algorithms have the potential to better spot any potentially dangerous asteroids that orbit the Earth. (8/10)

Wichita’s Leading Edge Aerospace Goes to Auction in August (Source: Wichita Eagle)
Leading Edge Aerospace founder and President Stan Unruh plans to auction off his Wichita tooling and composite company after 25 years. Leading Edge manufactured tooling to produce the landing legs on SpaceX’s 15-story Falcon rocket booster and the wings on Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity that now shuttles paying customers to the edge of space. It has also worked closely with Textron Aviation and Bell Helicopter, among others. Unruh said it won’t take a large team to step in and pick up production. The machine shop and composite shop are currently operated by one employee each. (8/10)

Space Florida's August 28 Board Meeting Should Produce New CEO (Source: SPACErePORT)
After conducting interviews in June and July, Space Florida's board of directors is expected to finalize its selection of a new President/CEO at a public meeting on August 28. The search for a new President and CEO is being led by Chair Nuñez, Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue, and Space Florida Board Members Sonya Deen-Hartley, Rodney Cruise, and Mori Hosseini. Finalist candidates have included Col. Rob Long, Dale Nash, and Maj.Gen. John Olson. One of them will replace Frank DiBello, who has led the agency since 2009. (8/11)

Space Force Tries to Hedge Risk with New Launch Strategy (Source: Space News)
The selection of United Launch Alliance and SpaceX in 2020 as U.S. national security launch providers was hailed as the dawn of a new era of assured access to space, thanks to a competitive commercial industry. As it prepares to award the next round of National Security Space Launch (NSSL) contracts, the Space Force is no longer comfortable relying on just two companies.

The U.S. Air Force four years ago insisted it only wanted to work with two launch providers despite pressure from new entrant Blue Origin and its congressional supporters to add a third contractor to NSSL Phase 2. Military officials at the time argued that there was insufficient demand to justify three providers and that it would be too costly for the government to subsidize that many. The environment has since changed, and the Space Force now finds itself in the unfamiliar position of having to compete for access to commercial rockets. (8/10)

Yahsat Selects Airbus for 2 Broadband GEO Satellites as Part of $950 Million Investment (Source: Space Intel Report)
Fixed and mobile satellite fleet operator Yahsat has selected Airbus Defence and Space to build two geostationary-orbit telecommunications satellites as part of an investment of around $950 million that Yahsat’s chief executive said “will revolutionize the way we do business.” The Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5 satellites, scheduled for launch in 2027 and 2028, will replace the current Al Yah 1 and 2, which are nearing retirement. (8/10)

Quantum Space Exec Details Plan to Open Access to GEO (Source: Via Satellite)
Recently formed startup Quantum Space plans to open access to and understanding of Geostationary Orbit (GEO) and Cislunar orbit with its upcoming missions. Quantum Space CSO Phil Bracken said the company is developing a fleet of in-orbit logistics and payload hosting vehicles called “Rangers,” and smaller multi-purpose vehicles called “Scouts” to provide communications and data collection. Both spacecraft systems are designed to work together to form QuantumNet, an edge computing network to support communications in GEO. (8/9)

Muon Measurement Mystery (Source: 1440)
New measurements of subatomic particles known as muons have confirmed earlier results in much greater accuracy while potentially pointing to a previously undiscovered fundamental force in the universe. The experiment has been called the "most precise" in the history of particle physics. 

Muons resemble electrons but are 200 times heavier and decay within microseconds. Under study is how the particles wobble when traveling through magnetic fields, a phenomenon caused by what is known as quantum foam. The results confirm the degree of wobbling deviates significantly from theoretical predictions. Scientists say the precision of the measurement points to two potential causes—either the current Standard Model is incomplete, or some calculations used within its framework are inaccurate. (8/11)

SpaceX to Offer Mid-Inclination Smallsat Rideshare Launches (Source: Space News)
SpaceX is offering a second class of rideshare missions on its Falcon 9 rocket to serve customers seeking to go to mid-inclination orbits. During a presentation at the 37th Annual Small Satellite Conference here Aug. 9, Jarrod McLachlan, director of rideshare sales at SpaceX, said the company will start launching a series of missions dubbed “Bandwagon” that will complement its existing Transporter line of rideshare missions. The Bandwagon missions will deliver payloads at altitudes of 550 to 605 kilometers and inclinations of approximately 45 degrees. “It’s a way of meeting the demand for the second most commonly asked orbit,” he said. (8/10)

Virgin Galactic Conducts First Space Tourist Suborbital Flight (Source: Space News)
Virgin Galactic took its first private astronaut customers on a suborbital spaceflight Aug. 10, nearly two decades after it started selling tickets. Virgin’s VSS Unity spaceplane, attached to its VMS Eve mothership aircraft, took off from Spaceport America in New Mexico at approximately 10:20 a.m. Eastern. Unity was released from Eve at 11:17 a.m. Eastern and fired its hybrid rocket motor. The vehicle reached a peak altitude of about 88.5 kilometers before gliding back to the spaceport, landing at 11:32 a.m. Eastern. The flight appeared to go as expected. (8/10)

Firefly Offers Launch Services for Educational Payloads (Source: Firefly Aerospace)
Firefly Aerospace is on a mission to make space attainable for everyone, including the next generation workforce. As part of this mission, Firefly’s DREAM program was established to encourage students to dream big and develop an interest in STEM by providing students with access to excess payload capacity on our Alpha launch vehicle.

Firefly’s excess capacity will be donated in support of educational payloads, such as CubeSats (1-6U form factor) or other technology demonstrations that can interface to an 8-inch diameter standard bolt pattern. By eliminating the cost of entry for launch, we aim to help educational institutions focus on developing and operating a small satellite program to train the next generation of aerospace engineers. Firefly is currently taking proposals on potential payloads for flights occurring 12 to 24 months in the future. Read the full RFP for more details on the payload submission criteria. (8/10)

Viasat Studying L-Band from Inmarsat for Direct-to-Device Services (Source: Space News)
Viasat is in the early stages of exploring how to use L-band spectrum from newly acquired Inmarsat to connect consumer devices directly from space, including potentially from small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). “We are still exploring what our roadmap and execution plan should be,” Viasat president Guru Gowrappan said in an interview Aug. 10, “but it’s an important priority.”

Gowrappan said buying Inmarsat in May gave Viasat the largest global swathe of coordinated L-band spectrum, which he sees as a critical component for expanding in an emerging market for direct-to-device services. Smartphones launched earlier this year by British ruggedized handset maker Bullitt use Inmarsat’s existing satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO) to send and receive text messages outside cellular coverage. (8/10)

County Rejects L3Harris Tax Incentive for Space Coast Expansion, 201 Jobs (Source: Florida Today)
The Brevard County Commission on Tuesday rejected L3Harris Technologies Inc.'s request for $7.15 million in county property tax breaks for two expansion projects in Palm Bay that the company says would create 201 high-paying jobs and 212 spinoff jobs. The vote on each of the proposals was 3-2, with Chair Rita Pritchett and Commissioner Jason Steele supporting the incentives. Vice Chair Tom Goodson and Commissioners Rob Feltner and John Tobia voting against them.

The Palm Bay City Council on July 20 unanimously approved $12.11 million in city property tax breaks for the expansion project. But Melbourne-based L3Harris also has been seeking the county property tax breaks. (8/9)

SpaceX Has a Looming Competitor In a Formerly Peerless Industry (Source: Observer)
New Zealand space company Rocket Lab is emerging as a serious contender in the satellite launch space, pitting it against Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and is making steady progress at a time when almost every other rocket startup is struggling with technical and financial challenges. Rocket Lab reported $62 million in revenue for the quarter ending in June, up 12 percent from a year ago. Though the company has yet to turn a profit—quarterly net loss came at $45.9 million, up from last year—its orbital launch and satellite manufacturing businesses are booming.

During the April-June quarter, the company’s launch business brought in $22.5 million in revenue from three missions, and its space systems unit, which produces satellites and spacecraft components, generated $39.6 million in sales. For the third quarter, Rocket Lab expects revenue to grow by double-digits to between $73 million and $77 million. (8/9)

California Lawmakers to Ask if Property Tax Break Helps SpaceX (Source: Bloomberg)
SpaceX says a California property tax exemption is responsible for its rapid growth over the past 10 years, but no data is available to tie that growth directly to the exemption. California lawmakers want to find out how much it matters. A bill (S.B. 419) by Sen. Richard Roth (D) would renew the nine-year-old tax exemption for components used in space flight for another five years. As a condition of the renewal, Roth agreed to amend the bill so the benefit is subject to the same performance measures that state law requires for income and sales. (8/9)

Why Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin Has Fallen Behind Elon Musk’s SpaceX (Source: Robb Report)
Blue Origin is not moving at nearly as fast a pace as SpaceX, and it has yet to reach orbit. But that’s seemingly all by design. Blue Origin is operating much more cautiously in a bid to make fewer mistakes on its way toward space. One of the company’s biggest upcoming projects is its fleet of New Glenn orbital rockets, which it plans to launch next year. But that all depends on whether it can build the components and assemble them in a way that meets the company’s high standards. Currently, Blue Origin employees are working on parts for New Glenn boosters and other vehicles at the company’s rocket factory in Florida.

“I think everybody wants New Glenn to fly at the earliest time possible. Everybody does,” Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith told The Wall Street Journal. But “we’re not going to sacrifice doing it right.” That mindset has at times frustrated some employees working on New Glenn. In the past, a former Blue Origin engineer positively name-dropped SpaceX for the way it incrementally upgrades rockets and works on projects. For example, when SpaceX’s Starship rocket exploded back in April, it was all part of the process: Company executives said they gathered valuable data from the failed launch, and Musk has explained that he views failures as a way of identifying “unknowns” that you might not be aware of before a rocket actually takes off.

Despite the pressure from those both within Blue Origin and in the larger aerospace industry, Bezos’s company has no plans to change its strategy. With a little patience and a lot of hard work, Blue Origin is hoping that it can prove a reputable challenger to Musk’s dominant SpaceX. (8/9)

Space Training Program at USask Launched Many Careers (Source: MarketWatch)
German-Norwegian engineer Jarle Steinberg is exactly where he wants to be: creating technology for the new era of human space exploration. He credits a unique training program led by the University of Saskatchewan (USask) for helping to get him here. Steinberg is one of 67 students to complete USask's International Space Mission (ISM) Training Program. Funded by USask and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) CREATE program, the space training initiative was a collaboration between USask, several universities across Canada and Norway, and industry partners. (8/10)

Rare, Inside Look at Spaceport America Ahead of Launch (Source: KOB4)
KOB 4 got a rare inside look at the facility in Sierra County on Wednesday, seeing the flight simulator the pilots use and mission control. Very few people outside of employees have seen those highly-restricted areas in the state-of-the-art facility. Economic experts say the industry could have a positive impact on New Mexico, including in nearby Truth or Consequences. There are 800 people on Virgin Galactic’s waitlist, and ticket prices are now at almost half-a-billion dollars. The goal is to do tourism flights once a month, build up to 400 each year – and to let the public watch. Click here. (8/10)