August 17, 2023

ULA CEO Confident Of Vulcan Debut Flight This Year (Source: Aviation Week)
United Launch Alliance (ULA) remains on target for the first flight of its new Vulcan Centaur rocket before year’s end, CEO Tory Bruno said. “We’re still looking Q4 for launch and every day here at the factory for about the last month the confidence in that has gotten better." (8/16)

Rare Photo Shows Inside of Blue Origin’s New Glenn Factory at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space Explored)
Normally enshrouded in mystery, Blue Origin’s New Glenn factory, situated near the Kennedy Space Center, boasts a comprehensive complex equipped for the production of the New Glenn rocket, with the exceptions of the BE-4 and BE-3U engines. While it’s been established that manufacturing activities have been ongoing for some time, including a test booster, a new photograph has been shared, sharing what Blue Origin is currently working on inside. Click here. (8/16)

Is SpaceX Wading Into Environmental Hot Water at Boca Chica Beach? (Source: San Antonio Express-News)
Earlier this month, SpaceX fired up its Starship rocket booster at the company’s launch facility near Boca Chica Beach. The 2.74-second static fire also tested a newly installed water deluge system to counter the extreme heat and force of the world’s most powerful rocket. The test fire created a plume of steam and smoke, and showered the surrounding wetlands with what appeared to be thousands of gallons of hot water. It also caused a rare weekend closure of Texas 4 and Boca Chica Beach.

The episode is another example of how SpaceX’s “move fast and break things” mantra potentially harms the sensitive habitat of Boca Chica Beach, which deserves the motto “Handle with care.” The rush to launch the next Starship, combined with weak regulatory oversight, puts the environment at further risk.

There’s a fine line between urgency and recklessness, and as we saw with the first integrated Starship launch on April 20, the company will veer into the latter. That launch created a rock tornado that flung debris over 385 acres and a dust plume that coated Port Isabel 6½ miles away. And the 400-foot-tall rocket tumbled out of control before exploding over the Gulf of Mexico. (8/16)

Will Starship Launch Anytime Soon? (Source: Teslarati)
SpaceX has made remarkable progress at Starbase, but will they attempt a launch anytime soon? The company recently requested a maritime exclusion zone from the U.S. Coast Guard for “rocket launching activities” on August 31. However, with all the work being done and testing in progress, it is highly unlikely that SpaceX would be able to launch Starship by then. There is also the matter of the FAA.

SpaceX has just recently submitted its mishap report with its findings following the failure of the first test flight, first reported by Payload Space. The FAA still needs to review the report and determine what fixes need to be completed in order to move forward with another test. One of those issues will likely be the rocket’s self-destruct system, which took longer than anticipated to destroy the rocket after the test flight went off course.

SpaceX has conducted at least one test of a new self-destruct system, but it is unknown if that was sufficient or if more changes are needed. SpaceX and the FAA are also being sued by environmental groups to have the 5-year launch license revoked, but neither SpaceX nor the FAA have provided updates regarding the ongoing litigation. (8/16)

Spaceport America Paid Out $130K in Settlement with Former Employee (Source: SourceNM)
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority paid $130,000 to settle the lawsuit with former employee Karen Barker last month, according to court documents. In the agreement, Barker agreed to drop the 2020 lawsuit alleging discrimination and retaliation when she worked for the agency between 2017 and 2019. Barker sued both the agency and the former New Mexico Spaceport Authority CEO Dan Hicks, claiming they subjected her to “different, less favorable treatment than male counterparts,” while she was the Strategic Solutions Director. (8/16)

Kodiak Pacific Spaceport Complex Hosts Tours for First Time Since Pandemic (Source: KMXT)
The Kodiak Pacific Spaceport Complex on Narrow Cape held an open house on Aug. 14. Tours included showing the public Alaska Aerospace’s laboratories and launch sites. A recent criticism of the company has been transparency. This was the first tour day at the the company’s campus since the pandemic. John Cramer, Alaska Aerospace’s interim CEO and president, said it’s just the first step to improving communication with the public. (8/16)

SLS Launch Platform Moves to KSC Pad for Tests (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
The launch platform for NASA's Space Launch System was on the move — slowly — Wednesday. NASA rolled out the mobile launcher from a parking spot near the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center to the gates of Launch Complex 39B on Wednesday, the first time the platform returned to the pad since the launch of Artemis 1 last November. NASA plans to test upgrades of the platform made since that launch on the pad ahead of the Artemis 2 mission planned for late 2024. (8/17)

NASA’s $500 Million Rocket Gamble Is Worth It (Source: Bloomberg)
What’s a government space agency like NASA supposed to do if private companies like SpaceX get all the spacefaring glory? One option is to double down on investments in leading-edge advancements that may not pay off for years. Super-fast and maneuverable nuclear-powered rocket engines are one such technology. Last month, NASA, partnering with DoD, gave Lockheed Martin Corp. nearly $500 million to build and test one by 2027.

Without this collaboration, two things could be in jeopardy: NASA’s dream of putting boots down in more parts of the solar system and the US’s upper hand in outer-space warfare. (8/16)

Artemis 4 Astronauts Will Be 1st Crew to Use NASA's Moon-Orbiting Gateway in 2028 (Source: Space.com)
The first Artemis mission to make use of NASA's moon-orbiting Gateway space station will be Artemis 4, now scheduled to launch in 2028. Although the first elements of the small space station are expected to launch before the Artemis 3 mission lifts off in 2025 or 2026, NASA previously said that those astronauts will not use Gateway to "make that mission have a higher probability of success." (8/16)

How NASA's Curiosity Rover Overcame its Steepest Mars Climb Yet (Source: Space.com)
NASA's Curiosity rover marked its 11th year on Mars on Aug. 5, but the tireless spacecraft is still pushing itself to explore the Red Planet. Curiosity is working its way up through the foothills of Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5 kilometers) mountain that was, billions of years ago, home to lakes and rivers. The terrain is challenging, but the layering of the mountain provides unprecedented insights into different eras of Mars' past and how the planet's landscape changed over time. (8/16)

State Funding Allows Texas A&M to Build Facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (Source: KBTX)
The members of the Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University System on Wednesday approved the creation of the Texas A&M Space Institute and the construction of a Texas A&M facility next to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The board’s action follows a $350 million investment from the Texas Legislature.

Earlier this year, State Rep. Greg Bonnen, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, authored House Bill 3447 to create the Texas Space Commission, the Space Exploration and Aeronautics Research Fund and the Texas Aerospace Research and Space Economy Consortium. The measure also allocates $200 million to Texas A&M for the construction of the facility at the Johnson Space Center. Texas A&M says the purpose of the resource in Houston is to ensure that Texas remains a leader in the field of space exploration. (8/16)

State-of-the-Art UMass Lowell Aerospace Center Seeded by $5.5M State Grant (Source: UMass)
Drawing on UMass Lowell’s expertise in spacecraft design and track record of successful missions, the university has secured $5.5 million in state funding to launch a research center where scientists, industry leaders and startups can build and test miniature satellites and components essential to spaceflight.

The initiative, known as the Massachusetts Alliance for Space and Technology and Sciences, or MASTS, is anchored by a two-year, $5.5 million grant from the state via the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. The grant required the university and MASTS partners to match at least that amount in additional funds and in-kind services dedicated to the project. (8/16)

Near Miss Proves Urgent Need for Space Traffic Control System (Source: Cosmos)
A discarded Russian rocket body and fragments from a 2007 Chinese anti-satellite missile test were involved in a near-miss yesterday, sending shudders down the spine of space traffic controllers worldwide. LeoLabs, which operates a space-tracking radar in Western Australia, issued a warning after its global network assessed the objects as coming within 9.5m of each other at a combined speed of over 50,000km/h.

Given the “bubbles of uncertainty” surrounding the exact location of each object, this presented a particularly high risk of collision, says Leolabs Pacific President Terry van Haren. “This is a timely reminder of the ‘ticking timebomb’ that we have in the bad neighbourhoods of low Earth orbit (LEO).” Making matters worse was their orbit. They were in the busy 970km to 980km band popular among a new generation of micro and small commercial satellites. (8/17)

An Empty-Nest Mom Asked the Universe for a Sign. Then, She and Her Daughter Went to Space (Source: Today)
Keisha Schahaff was feeling lost as her daughter Anastatia Mayers prepared to leave home for college. "(My daughter) Ana was transitioning from high school to college and I asked the universe, ‘What is next for me? Can you show me what to do with myself now that my daughter is leaving home? ... I was very depressed about what was happening.”

One day, Schahaff came across a special opportunity: a trip to space on Virgin Galactic’s “Galactic 02” private astronaut flight, organized by the non-profit Space for Humanity. Schahaff knew it was a sign that her life was about to change. (8/16)

How NewSpace Nexus’s Ignitor Program is Making Space Safe From Debris (Source: KRQE)
NewSpace Ignitor is an incubator-like program designed to reduce barriers space companies face in moving their concepts beyond R&D. Chad Brummett looked into how the groups in NewSpace Nexus’s Ignitor Program are keeping space exploration safe. Chad spoke with Troy Morris, co-founder of KMI, a member of NewSpace Nexus’s Ignitor Program. KMI is developing hardware and software that can guide potentially hazardous objects to a safer orbit. The technology can also bring the hazards out of orbit altogether.

Another NewSpace Nexus Ignitor company is O Analytics. They are working on potential contracts with the Department of Defense, and other relationships that may not have been available without the help of New Mexico non-profit NewSpace Nexus. O Analytics is using algorithms to determine if any of the debris in orbit is actually on a mission. (8/15)

China Invited to Witness Russia's Luna-25 Launch, Further Space Cooperation Expected (Source: ECNS)
Wu Yanhua, the chief designer of China's major deep space exploration project, led a delegation to the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East to attend the launch event of the Luna-25 lunar lander on Friday at the invitation of Russia's state space agency Roscosmos. He congratulated Russia on its first lunar mission in nearly 50 years, and exchanged views on jointly deepening bilateral cooperation on deep space exploration.

Yury Borisov, the director general of Roscosmos, warmly welcomed the delegation and introduced the development process, launch preparations and exploration tasks for Luna-25, as well as subsequent plans for the lunar exploration project. Both sides have conducted in-depth exchanges on jointly deepening cooperation in the field of deep space exploration between China and Russia. (8/16)

Astrobotic Building Lunar Testbed Near Mojave Spaceport (Source: Astrobotic)
Astrobotic announced today it has begun work on a 100mx100m high-fidelity 3D test field that will mimic the topography and optical properties of the Moon’s surface. This lunar surface analogue test site called the Lunar Surface Proving Ground (LSPG) will be used for a variety of test campaigns, from precise lunar landing technologies like LiDAR scanners and navigation algorithms to lunar rovers and other robotic systems. In addition to providing a realistic lunar topography for spacecraft and rover sensors and systems, this test field will offer a facility for simulating the extreme lighting conditions encountered at the lunar poles. (8/15)

Lockheed Martin, NASA Working Around the Clock to Finish Artemis II Orion Assembly and Hold 2024 Launch Date (Source: NSF)
The Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II mission is nearing final assembly and testing at prime contractor Lockheed Martin’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) production facility. After a final standalone test on the Orion crew module (CM), it is expected to be mated to the service module (SM) in mid-September. If there are no problems in the remaining months of testing, Lockheed Martin believes they can complete their work by the end of April next year. (8/15)

Space Mining Company Developing Nuclear Reactor and More for Moon Projects (Source: Space.com)
The Canadian Space Mining Corp. (CSMC) sees a bushel of government contracts as fuel for future lunar growth. The company now has about a dozen people, more than double their numbers from five years ago. The actual moon mining is very much a years-to-decades plan, CSMC's Drew Feustel emphasized, but the company has revenue-bearing projects that will support the larger mining goal in the meantime.

CSMC received funding from the Canadian Space Agency in June to build a "connected care medical module" that could one day deliver telehealth on the moon. The early-stage prototypes that CSMC and other CSA-funded companies are building, however, could be used in remote environments on Earth and support Indigenous communities in Canada as well. The prototype from CSMC is ready now and the company is moving forward with deployment soon, Feustel said. (8/15)

US Space Startups' Latest Struggles Marked by Layoffs, Shake-Ups (Source: Reuters)
U.S. space startups have slashed workforces and restructured operations to survive amid an investment drought that has grounded once-lofty aspirations. While more established players like SpaceX and Blue Origin spend billions on new, bigger rockets, rocket startup Astra Space, satellite imagery firm Planet Labs, and privately held engine maker Ursa Major recently laid off workers to cut costs. Those struggles follow the April bankruptcy filing by satellite launch firm Virgin Orbit.

While a steep drop in space investments spurred by a grim economic outlook in the past year appeared to stabilize in the most recent quarter, startups, many of which went public through blank-check companies to raise cash, are reeling from the downturn's impact. Quilty Analytics called it a tough capital market and said startups are working with what they have rather than banking on an influx of new funds. "We're seeing a bit of a decrease in investor risk appetite, and that is made worse in some cases by poor company performance, and then more broadly, things like high interest rates and general market uncertainty," said Caleb Henry. (8/15)

Russia's Planned Korona Launcher Can Remain in Orbit for 10 Days (Source: TASS)
The Korona launch vehicle under development in Russia can be on the orbit up to ten days, the Academician Makeev State Rocket Center said. "The time of the orbital flight of the launch vehicle is up to ten days. The launch vehicle is capable of returning payloads from the orbit," the Center said. Working gases and components are planned to be discharged after landing. The system will be set automatically to the initial conditions and tested. "Preparation for the next flight will take place during 24 hours after the body cooling down," the Center noted. (8/15)

SpaceX Rocket Launch This Week to Add to Productive Year at Vandenberg Space Force Base (Source: Noozhawk)
A Falcon 9 rocket launch planned for this week will add to one of the busiest years for Vandenberg Space Force Base in more than three decades. The number of missions reflects a move to develop constellations with multiple small satellites. Along with entertaining local residents who enjoy watching launches — if the marine layer cooperates — various missions at Vandenberg bring crew members and spectators to the Lompoc Valley, with many staying in local hotels, eating at restaurants and buying gas for vehicles. (8/15)