September 11, 2023

China Launches New Remote Sensing Satellite (Source: Xinhua)
China on Sunday successfully launched a new remote sensing satellite from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. A modified version of the Long March-6 carrier rocket carrying the satellite Yaogan-40 lifted off at 12:30 p.m. (Beijing Time). The satellite has entered the preset orbit. It will be used for electromagnetic environment detection and related technical tests. Sunday's launch was the 487th mission undertaken by the Long March rocket series. (9/10)

The History of the Solar System in One Tiny Rock (Source: BBC)
The meteorites that contained *essential* ingredients for our atmosphere. Click here for the video. (9/10)

In a Historic First, Rocket Lab Reuses a Rocket Engine (Source: Motley Fool)
In a feat that tracks the concept of "baby steps," on Aug. 23, SpaceX rival Rocket Lab (RKLB 0.65%), the second most frequent launcher of rockets in the United States, launched to orbit an Electron rocket equipped with eight brand new Rutherford rocket engines... and one previously used Rutherford engine. The rocket performed flawlessly, even though one of its engines enjoyed a dip in the Pacific Ocean on its most recent flight. (9/10)

Open Cosmos Raises $50 Million to Expand Earth Observation Satellite Business (Source: Space News)
Smallsat developer Open Cosmos has raised $50 million to expand the company and develop larger satellites and constellations focused on Earth observation. The company, based in the United Kingdom with offices in Spain and Portugal, announced Sep. 10 the Series B round. The round was led by ETF Partners, Trill Impact and A&G, three funds from “impact investors” that focus on companies that provide societal or environmental benefits. Several other investors also participated in the round. (9/10)

Analysis of China's Launch Capacity (Source: China Space Monitor)
In 2014, China launched 24 satellites on 16 rockets. By 2022, the figure was 182 satellites on 63 rockets, and in2023 we are on pace for at least 70 launches, likely sending some 225 satellites or more into orbit. Scaled-up production by state-owned launch companies CALT and SAST, and more recently by a plethora of some 20 commercial launch companies, has likely driven this growth. However, in spite of the additional space launch vehicles in its inventory, China’s launch capacity remains tight.

The commercial companies have become bigger, and this means they represent bigger customers for China’s State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) CASC, CALT, and SAST. SOEs have started to take commercial companies more seriously, in some cases highlighting commercial demand as a growing market during conference presentations. Second, the SOEs have actually started to cater some of their services to commercial companies, including adding more rideshare launches. But all four of China’s launch sites are controlled by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), making securing launch site access very difficult.

Historically, China has very few customers willing to buy launch capacity, which has made it difficult for launch companies to bring in revenue. Further, this creates zero incentive for them to develop bigger rockets, at least in the short-term. And many of the nation’s top graduates are opting for more stable, lower-stress government or SOE jobs. In this new reality, going to work for a high-risk space industry startup is somewhat less appealing than it was before, making it harder for commercial space companies – including launch firms – to recruit the nation’s best and brightest. (9/10)

Viasat Partners with Oxford Space Systems on User Terminals (Source: Space News)
Viasat's U.K. subsidiary is partnering with Oxford Space Systems to develop a new terminal to improve the mobility of dismounted soldiers. The companies see the potential for a Ka-band satellite communications system that is 15 kilograms or less, compared to existing systems that weigh about twice as much. Oxford Space Systems specializes in developing deployable antennas, booms and other structures for the space environment and is already working with the U.K. military on small C-band terminals. (9/11)

Former Airbus Exec Joins All.Space (Source: Space News)
The former head of Airbus U.S. Space and Defense is the new chairman of British antenna manufacturer All.Space. The company, once known as Isotropic Systems, said Monday that it named Chris Emerson as chairman. Emerson is a partner at Washington, D.C.-based AE Industrial Partners, one of the investors in All.Space. Emerson joins All.Space as the company prepares to start production of a new terminal, known as the fifth-generation smart terminal, by the fourth quarter of 2023. (9/11)

Former White House Exec Joins Slingshot (Source: Space News)
A former White House space policy official has joined Slingshot Aerospace. Audrey Schaffer is the new vice president of strategy and policy at Slingshot, a space data analytics and tracking firm focused on spaceflight safety. Schaffer had been director of space policy at the White House National Security Council, working on initiatives such as a ban on destructive testing of ASATs. Schaffer will advance policy efforts that support safe space operations, the company said. (9/11)

Rubicon Wins NASA and DoD Contracts for Non-Toxic Thrusters (Source: Space News)
Rubicon Space Systems has won several contracts valued at $6 million to develop thrusters using a non-toxic propellant. The contracts include a $5.1 million award from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) where Alabama-based Rubicon will manufacture 10 one-newton thrusters and qualify the thrusters for spaceflight. A separate NASA contract would cover the chemical component of a dual-mode propulsion system for a NASA mission. The contracts involve the use of ASCENT, a non-toxic propellant developed by AFRL as a potential replacement for hydrazine. (9/11)

SpaceX is the Best Bet for the Commercial Space Station Earth Needs (Source: The Hill)
Recently, a NASA document surfaced revealing an unfunded Space Act Agreement between the agency and SpaceX for “preliminary design reviews” examining the potential development of a commercial space station derived from the Starship. The document describes a variety of steps that must be undertaken for the reviews to be completed sometime after 2028.

The schedule of milestones that could lead to a Starship-derived space station is ambitious. The next launch of the Starship — provided that the Federal Aviation Administration approves it — would take place in September 2023. A Starship flight with a payload would happen in the first quarter of 2024. A Starship flight in which the vehicle lands intact back at the Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, would take place in the third quarter of 2024. The design reviews of technologies relevant to a Starship-derived space station would follow. (9/10)

Giant Leap for Women: Early ‘Lady’ Astronomers Have Asteroids Named in Their Honor (Source: Guardian)
They charted the stars for pitiful wages, knowing their observations about the universe would be attributed to male colleagues, and died in relative obscurity, their scientific achievements unrecognised and overlooked. Now, in a tribute to trailblazing British female astronomers, two asteroids have been named for Annie Maunder and Alice Everett, among the first women in the world to earn a living in astronomy. (9/10)

‘Mobile on Moon’ Would Emit More Noise Than New SKA-Low Tech (Source: Cosmos)
Scientists who are building the world’s biggest telescope in the heart of the West Australian desert, are grappling with the horns of a dilemma. The site of the SKA-low has to be as technologically quiet as possible. But one of the biggest potential noise generators is the technology itself. The ‘sound’ of Wi-Fi, satellites and even reversing sensors on cars can deafen the technology on what will one day be the largest radio telescope of its kind in the world.

Researchers therefore also need to be aware of how ‘noisy’ their own machines and technology are, and Australian researchers have recently developed “radio quiet” electronics to go with the silent telescope. (9/11)

United States is Developing a Never-Before-Seen Hypersonic Engine (Source: Softonic)
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has funded a pioneering project to develop a new hypersonic engine capable of changing its shape during flight to optimize power, thrust, and efficiency. It is currently undergoing experimental testing in Florida. Hypersonic aircraft and missiles, capable of traveling at speeds between five and twenty times the speed of sound, are at the center of a new international arms race focused on high-speed capabilities. Several countries are striving to build and test weapons and aircraft that can outperform any conventional ammunition except for lasers. (9/11)

Astronaut Frank Rubio Breaks US Record on Way to Spending a Year in Space (Source: Space.com)
Frank Rubio didn't set out to break a record, but today aboard the International Space Station (ISS), he will do just that. Rubio, a NASA astronaut and member of the space station's 69th expedition crew, will become the American who has flown the longest space mission in U.S. history. At 1:39 p.m. EDT (1739 GMT) on Monday (Sept. 11), he will surpass the 355 days, 3 hours and 45 minutes logged by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei in 2022.

Further, since he is not scheduled to land until Sept. 27, Rubio will soon become the first American, and one of only seven people, to spend a year or more in space, ultimately returning to Earth after 371 days in Earth orbit. (9/11)

Geost Payloads Selected for Space Development Agency Satellites (Source: Space News)
Geost, a supplier of optical sensor payloads for military satellites, announced Sep. 11 it won a contract to produce eight payloads for missile-tracking satellites that Northrop Grumman is building for the U.S. Space Development Agency. The payloads — intended to detect threats in orbit — are for SDA’s Tranche 1 Tracking Layer satellites projected to launch in 2025. Northrop Grumman in July 2022 won a $617 million contract to produce 14 Tracking Layer satellites. (9/11)