August 16, 2023

Space Force Retires GEO Situational Awereness Satellite (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force has retired a satellite that monitored activities in geosynchronous orbit. Space Systems Command confirmed this week that GSSAP Space Vehicle 2, in orbit since 2014, has been deactivated. The satellite is part of the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program, roaming GEO to inspect other satellites. The retired satellite is one of six built by Northrop Grumman and launched between 2014 and 2022, with the other five still in service. The Space Force has ordered two more GSSAP satellites. (8/16)

DARPA Project to Focus on Integrated Lunar Infrastructure (Source: Space News)
DARPA is starting a study to work with industry on development of integrated lunar infrastructure. The agency announced Tuesday the 10-Year Lunar Architecture, or LunA-10, project, where it will seek concepts on technologies such as power, communications and navigation needed for lunar development, and ways to bring those technologies together to support a self-sustaining lunar economy by the mid-2030s. DARPA is coordinating the LunA-10 project with NASA to make it complementary to NASA's lunar architecture development. Initial abstracts are due to DARPA Sept. 6, with a goal of completing a final report by next June. (8/16)

Smallsat Alliance Picks UT Project as Winner for Space Competition (Source: Space News)
The Smallsat Alliance held its first competition for college students. The industry group conducted the Collegiate Space Competition to raise the profile of the entrepreneurial space sector and attract talent. The winner was a team from the University of Texas that proposed to indirectly measure vegetation water content and predict nitrogen content using a smallsat. Three other university teams also won honors for various proposals to use smallsats to remove orbital debris. (8/16)

SpaceX Submits Final Report on Starship Failure (Source: Ars Technica)
SpaceX has submitted a mishap report to the FAA about April's Starship launch. The FAA said Tuesday is received the mishap investigation report from the company and is now reviewing it. The FAA must approve the report and confirm that SpaceX has implemented corrective actions identified in it before receiving approval to conduct another integrated Starship/Super Heavy launch. There is no timetable for completing those actions, and SpaceX appears to still be testing the vehicles it plans to use on its next flight. (8/16)

India's Lunar Spacecraft Maneuvers Into Lunar Orbit (Source: PTI)
India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has completed orbital maneuvers around the moon. The Indian space agency ISRO said Wednesday that the spacecraft successfully performed a final maneuver to adjust its orbit, placing it into an orbit of 153 by 163 kilometers. The lander will separate from its propulsion module on Thursday, clearing the way for a landing attempt Aug. 23. (8/16)

Italian Team Wins AFRL Satellite Hacking Competition (Source: Breaking Defense)
An Italian team won a competition that involved hacking into a satellite in orbit. The mHACKeroni team beat out five others in the Hack-A-Sat competition by the Space Force and Air Force Research Lab, held as part of the DEF CON cybersecurity conference last weekend in Las Vegas. The competition involved accessing systems on the 3U Moonlighter cubesat developed by The Aerospace Corporation and launched earlier this year. This was the first year the Hack-A-Sat competition involved a spacecraft in orbit, as past ones used ground equipment or digital twins. (8/16)

Former NASA Astronaut Joins Canadian Space Mining Company (Source: Space.com)
A former NASA astronaut is now working for a Canadian space mining company. Drew Feustel retired from NASA last month and immediately joined the Canadian Space Mining Corporation as executive vice president of strategy. Feustel, who has dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship and a doctorate in geophysical sciences, said space mining remains a long-term aspiration for the company, which in the near-term is working on several Canadian Space Agency projects ranging from telemedicine to nuclear reactors. (8/16)

GD, Leidos Provide Geospatial Services to Army (Source: GovConWire)
Leidos and General Dynamics' One Source unit have been awarded a $99 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to continue providing geospatial services to the US Army. The services will be performed in support of the Army Geospatial Center, responsible for handling geospatial data, and the contract follows a previous five-year, $200 million agreement where the two companies contributed technical expertise to related Army programs. (8/15)

NASA, Sikorsky, DARPA Advance Air Taxi Automation (Source: Avionics International)
NASA's Advanced Air Mobility researchers, in collaboration with Sikorsky and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, are working on developing and testing automation software for self-flying air taxis, focusing on safety and reliability. Utilizing specialized helicopters as substitutes for air taxis and advanced simulations with customized test-tablets, the team is able to recreate air-to-air encounters and simulate conflict scenarios, with NASA pilot Scott Howe affirming that the software has proven capable of "safely executing multiple precise software-controlled profiles in a single flight." (8/15)

Hera's Mini-Radar Will Probe Asteroid's Heart (Source: Space Daily)
The smallest radar to fly in space has been delivered to ESA for integration aboard the miniature Juventas CubeSat, part of ESA's Hera mission for planetary defence. The radar will perform the first radar imaging of an asteroid, peering deep beneath the surface of Dimorphos - the Great Pyramid-sized body whose orbit was shifted last year by the impact of NASA's DART spacecraft. (8/11)

Momentus Awarded Innovation Research Contract from Space Development Agency (Source: Space Daily
Momentus has signed a contract with the U.S. Defense Department's Space Development Agency (SDA) for a Small Business Innovation Research Award, "Orbital Service Vehicle Enhancements to Meet Department of Defense (DoD) Mission Requirements." Momentus will tailor the capabilities of its Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle to support a full range of DoD payloads and mission requirements. The additional capabilities will be developed to a Critical Design Review maturity, setting the stage for a rapid transition to an in-space flight demonstration. (8/15)

Panama Ratifies 1967 UN Space Treaty (Source: Space Policy Online
The Republic of Panama on August 9 deposited an instrument of ratification of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and other Celestial Bodies. The Treaty entered into force for the Republic of Panama in accordance with Article XIV, paragraph 4 of the Treaty, which reads:  "For States whose instruments of ratification or accession are deposited subsequent to the entry into force of this Treaty, it shall enter into force on the date of the deposit of their instruments of ratification or accession." Editor's Note: Next up: Artemis Accords or collaboration with China or Russia space programs? I track Latin American space news here. (8/14)

Sidus Space Reports Quarterly Financials (Source: Sidus Space)
Space Coast-based Sidus reported revenue of $1.4 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, compared to $1.8 million for the same period in 2022. While revenue declined period-over-period, primarily due to timing of fixed price milestone contracts, higher margin satellite revenue increased 126% year-over-year. Gross profit was approximately $508,000, compared to approximately $347,000 for the second quarter of 2022. Total Operating Expenses increased to approximately $3.6 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, from approximately $2.7 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022. (8/15)

NRO to Select Providers of New Forms of Optical Satellite Imagery (Source: Space News)
The National Reconnaissance Office is soliciting proposals from commercial remote-sensing companies that use optical imaging satellites. In a Broad  Agency Announcement titled “Commercial Electro-Optical Capabilities,” the NRO is seeking new and emerging types of imaging that were not included in the Electro-Optical Commercial Layer contracts the agency awarded last year to Maxar Technologies, BlackSky and Planet Labs. Technologies sought in the BAA issued last month include nighttime imaging, non-Earth imaging, multispectral imaging, video and infrared imaging. Proposals are due Aug. 28. (8/15)

Orbex Appoints Chief of UK Spaceport Operations (Source: Insider UK)
Orbex has appointed Lesley Still as its new chief of spaceport operations. A fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, she brings four decades of aerospace industry experience to her newly-created role. Still has held various leadership positions throughout her career, specialising in the planning and delivery of ground and logistics operations to support commercial aerospace organizations. She will now oversee the operational management of Sutherland Spaceport, ensuring its readiness for the first launch of Orbex's Prime rocket. (8/15)

UAE Resident to Take Off for Space 'Within Months' as Tourism Flights to Edge of Cosmos Begin (Source: Khaleej Times)
With British magnate Richard Branson’s company launching the space flights finally, UAE-based space tourist Namira Salim said she will be launched into space before the year-end. Virgin Galactic, at last, initiated its inaugural journey with three space tourists toward the outer reaches of the universe this month. Meanwhile, the soon to become the first female private astronaut from Dubai is expanding her space-related endeavours by launching a series of upscale hospitality establishments that she primarily hopes to develop in the emirate that she calls home. (8/15)

NASA Must De-Orbit the Space Station and Say ‘Dasvidaniya’ to Russia (Source: The Hill)
Russia’s Vladimir Putin has demonstrated that he wants to wage a perpetual ideological, economic and physical war against the West. It is time for Congress to step in and sever U.S.-Russian space station cooperation, even if it means sending our beloved orbiting outpost crashing into the Pacific Ocean. No one likes this option. But no one likes war, either. We cannot continue to collaborate in space exploration with Putin’s regime. Continued space partnering with Russia is an obvious threat to U.S. national security and the security of our allies. (8/14)

Alabama Congressional Reps Vow to ‘Correct’ Biden’s Space Command HQ ‘Error' (Source: Science News)
Congress will “correct” President Biden’s decision to put Space Command headquarters in Colorado rather than Alabama, House members from Alabama said Saturday. Republican Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers told the Business Council of Alabama the courts corrected Biden on plans to cancel student loan debt. “On this issue, the legislative branch is going to correct him.” (8/15)

Astra Seeks Strategic Investors as Cash Reserves Decrease (Source: Space News)
As Astra shifts resources from launch vehicle development to spacecraft thruster production, the company is actively seeking strategic investors to provide longer-term support. Astra reported Aug. 14 revenue of $0.7 million in the second quarter, ending the quarter with $26.3 million of cash and equivalents on hand. The company’s financial runway is diminishing even as the company finds new sources of capital, such as a loan announced Aug. 4 for $10.8 million and plans to sell up to $65 million in Astra stock.

The company forecasted an adjusted EBITDA loss of $25 million to $29 million in the third quarter, ending the quarter with $15 million to $20 million of cash and equivalents on hand. Chris Kemp emphasized the backlog of orders for its thrusters, which Astra said was valued at $77 million, as well as orders from the U.S. Space Force and the Defense Innovation Unit for the Rocket 4.

However, he suggested the company’s efforts to focus on thruster production were intended to buy time for Astra as the company looks for new investors. The company said Aug. 4 it was working with PJT Partners, an investment bank, to identify “potential strategic investments in the Astra Spacecraft Engine business” that would bolster its finances. (8/15)