September 18, 2023

Sidus Space Secures Ride on SpaceX Bandwagon Mission (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus secured a position on SpaceX’s upcoming Bandwagon Mission, reallocating two of our AI-driven LizzieSat satellites. This includes an increase to ten from the previous nine missions contracted with SpaceX. Our integration of FeatherEdge AI into our LizzieSats will enable real-time data processing, image analysis, anomaly detection, data compression, and automated decision making. (9/18)

Sidus Space Gets Extension to Comply with Nasdaq Price Minimum (Source: Sidus Space)
In March of 2023 we received notification that the Company was out of compliance with the requirements to remain listed on Nasdaq due to our failure to meet the $1.00 minimum bid price requirement. We were given 180 days, culminating on September 11, 2023, to satisfy all Nasdaq listing requirements, including the minimum bid. While we are currently in compliance on all other areas with the Nasdaq, including meeting the minimum shareholder equity requirement, our share price remains below $1.00.

In early September, we requested, and have now been granted, an additional 180-day extension to the period allowed to regain compliance. This extension will give us until March 11, 2024 to increase our share price above $1.00, and therefore regain compliance. (9/18)

The European Space Agency Has a Transparency Problem — but it's Completely Legal (Source: Space.com)
The European Space Agency has come under criticism from journalists for its reluctance to disclose information. But here's the catch: The intergovernmental organization that redistributes billions of euros in taxpayer money is not obliged to comply with any Freedom of Information law. It stands above it. Here's why.

The legal world of the European Space Agency (ESA) is a strange one. The organization, founded in 1975, is governed by its Convention, a 130-page document that outlines not only the space agency's governing structure but also the many immunities and privileges its staff members and representatives enjoy. Above all, the document puts ESA above any jurisdiction. (9/4)

Climate Monitoring is Transformational for Earth Observation Market (Source: Space News)
The growing need to tackle climate change presents a transformational growth opportunity for the Earth observation industry. Executives from companies that build Earth observation satellites said they expect strong demand for satellites to monitor climate change, including to collect data regarding compliance with laws and regulations. While the field has seen a push towards smaller satellites, reduced launch costs and emergence of new vehicles like Starship could allow companies to pursue larger satellites while keeping costs down. (9/18)

SpaceX Files Lawsuit Battling Hiring Discrimination Accusation (Source: Space News)
SpaceX has responded to a Justice Department complaint about its hiring practices with a lawsuit of its own. The company filed suit in Texas arguing that the Justice Department's complaint filed with an administrative law judge last month is unconstitutional on several grounds. The Justice Department said last month that it filed suit after concluding that SpaceX had discriminated against asylees and refugees in its hiring practices. SpaceX said that while its suit is based on the constitutionality of the government's case, it denied discriminating against asylees and refugees. (9/18)

China Launches Reconnaissance Satellite (Source: Xinhua)
China launched a reconnaissance satellite Sunday. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 12:13 a.m. Eastern and placed the Yaogan-39 satellite into orbit. Chinese media described the spacecraft only as a remote sensing satellite, but the Yaogan satellites are used for military applications. (9/18)

European Startup Support Organization Grows (Source: Space News)
A nonprofit organization seeking to support European space startups is growing rapidly. The Young European Enterprises Syndicate for Space (YEESS) was founded in 2021 and has grown since then from 6 to 15 companies with a combined employment of more than 1,000 people. YEESS is designed to help startups work with prime contractors and win institutional contracts. (9/18)

ISS Leaking Urine Data (Source: New Scientist)
Security researchers said they have found a data leak from the International Space Station regarding a very different kind of leak. An anonymous researcher said they found data feeds from the station that show how full the urine tank is on the ISS and the status of the processor unit that recycles urine. An engineer with Boeing said the data feeds were deliberate, part of a former project called ISSlive to show real-time telemetry from space station systems. (9/18)

Technology to Boost High-Speed Satellite Connectivity (Source: Space Daily)
British electronics specialist Filtronic is developing advanced technology that will enable next-generation satellite constellations to deliver high-speed broadband internet coverage. Backed by ESA and the UK Space Agency, the company is working on spacefaring hardware that aims to provide fast, high-capacity links between low Earth orbiting communications satellites and receiving ground stations. (9/18)

NASA Contract Firefly to Provide Radio Frequency Calibration Services From Lunar Orbit (Source: Space Daily)
Firefly Aerospace was awarded an $18 million NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contract to provide radio frequency calibration services from lunar orbit as part of Blue Ghost Mission 2, Firefly's second mission to the Moon in 2026. This contract marks Firefly's third NASA CLPS task order award, totaling nearly $230 million to date for lunar payload services. (9/15)

CPI Vertex to Provide KA-band Antennas for SES'S O3B mPOWER (Source: Space Daily)
CPI Vertex Antennentechnik has been selected to provide high-performance Ka-band antenna systems to SES for its O3b mPOWER communications system. These ground-based 5.5 meter Ka-band "plug and play" series tracking antennas will be used for O3b mPOWER Gateway systems. (9/15)

No Ancient ice on Moon, New Study Shows (Source: Interesting Engineering)
A new study from the Planetary Science Institute has presented new revelations that could significantly shift the way we approach lunar exploration. The research uncovers that most of the Moon’s permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), long considered ancient reservoirs for water ice, are much younger than earlier estimates. The implications of these findings are far-reaching, especially for future missions aiming to utilize lunar ice as a potential life-supporting and fuel-generating resource. (9/16)

Something Is Suppressing The Growth of The Universe, Physicists Say (Source: Science Alert)
Seen through a giant's eyes, our Universe's galaxies cling like foam to the surface of an eternal ocean, drawing into clumps and strings around inky voids. This sparkling web has taken eons to come together, congealing gradually under gravity's guidance out of what was, billions of years ago, an evenly-spread fog of white-hot particles fresh out of the Big Bang's oven. Click here. (9/17)

First Engine Installed on Artemis 2 Moon Rocket (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
Technicians have installed the first engine on the core stage of the second Space Launch System rocket, which is tasked with sending the first people to the Moon in more than a half century. The first of four RS-25 engines was installed Sep. 11 at the base of the 212-foot core stage of the SLS rocket at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. (9/18)

What are Hycean Worlds, a Proposed New Habitat for Life? (Source: The Economist)
A little bit more than 124 light years from Earth, circling a star in the constellation of Leo, sits a planet called K2-18 b. In 2019 observations by the Hubble Space Telescope suggested the planet might have water in its atmosphere; they were taken as evidence that, if it were a planet like the Earth, it might be habitable. On Sep. 11 there was further astronomical hubbub when a team announced that JWST observations suggested K2-18 b might be what is called a “Hycean world”. What off Earth is that?

Though the term has a classical ring to it, it was introduced into astronomy just two years ago, a portmanteau of “hydrogen ocean”. It describes a kind of planet which is unknown in the solar system—but which might be both common and habitable elsewhere. There was also a tentative identification of dimethyl sulphide, a molecule which on Earth is only made by life, most notably by plankton. That does not mean that it is produced by life on K2-18 b. But the almost-observation is bound to pique interest.

The sorts of processes which would produce methane in such an atmosphere should also produce ammonia, and this was not seen. But that is a Hycean feature, not a bug. Ammonia would dissolve in an underlying ocean in a way that methane would not, so only methane remains in the atmosphere. Happily K2-18 b is not going anywhere, other than regularly round and round its parent star. There will be ample opportunities for further observations. Those should be able to show whether K2-18 b really is a habitable Hycean waterworld. (9/13)

Space Mobility Conference Returns to SpaceCom | Space Congress 2024 in Orlando (Source: SpaceCom)
SpaceCom, in coordination with the U.S. Space Force and Space Systems Command, announces the second annual Space Mobility Conference to extend SSC’s Assured Access to Space mission through cooperation and collaboration with government, industry, allied, and academic partners. The conference opens Jan. 30, 2024, during Commercial Space Week, co-located with the Globlal Spaceport Alliance (GSA) Spaceport Summit and SpaceCom | Space Congress at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida. (9/18)

U.S. Partisan Divide is Impairing Space Preparedness (Source: National Interest)
America’s partisan divide has infected the space defense policies of both the Biden and Trump Administrations. While President Joe Biden has leaned too excessively toward a dovish posture, President Donald Trump’s was too hawkish. Both administrations’ lack of desire for a practical solution could encourage China to develop and launch a “shock and awe” precursor to a campaign to seize Taiwan. This one-two punch might well be part of the operational capabilities that President Xi Jinping wants China to attain by 2027. The current course of action will render us unprepared to counter this space threat and save Taiwan. (9/15)

Space Force is Forgetting Recent History (Source: National Interest)
When I was Acting Secretary and later Secretary of the Air Force in 1999, the country suffered one of the worst strings of space launch failures in American history. These failures were not insured, so replacing the lost satellites required a significant shift in already strained post-Cold War funding. It is not an exaggeration to say that leaking roofs were required to seep longer to fund replacement satellites. Complacency arising from a decade of successes was thought to be one cause.

Thankfully, the Air Force was as resilient then as it is now and applied its time-tested safety practices to emerge with better launch systems than ever before. Specifically, the Air Force stood down future launches until it conducted a Broad Area Review (BAR). While the BAR did not find complacency, it did find that a combination of launch success and pressure to reduce launch costs had resulted in a hollowing out of engineering, test, and mission assurance functions across manufacturers. In addition, the Air Force had removed many resources from overseeing contractor engineering and safety decisions.

Now, are the lessons of over two decades of failure-free launch being lost? This prospect is undoubtedly a concern. The Space Force recently proposed modifications to its procurement for national security space launches that may disrupt the entire program. The changes emphasize a more hands-off formula rather than the contractor and government approach created by the BAR, which focused on mission assurance, reliability, and redundancy. (9/17)

Peake Backs Idea for Solar Farms in Space as Costs Fall (Source: Guardian)
ESA has been exploring the idea of space-based solar power plants, and commissioned two “concept studies” this year. It is hoping to present a business case to the EU by 2025. ESA Astronaut Tim Peake said the agency had calculated that solar farms in space would be financially viable when cargoes could be launched at a cost of $1,000 per kg or less.

“So far, the actual costs have been about $2,700 per kilo,” he told an energy tech summit last week, but he said two rockets designed by SpaceX, the aerospace company founded by Elon Musk, could cut this. “Launches using the Falcon Heavy can reduce that to about $1,500 and the so-called Starship brings that down by an order of magnitude to about $300 per kilo.” (9/17)

U.S. Space Force Plans to Establish Command Post in Japan (Source: Yomiuri Shimbun)
The U.S. military is planning to establish in Japan a command post for its Space Force in the near future. This move is aimed at strengthening cooperation between Japan and the US in response to China’s expanding military use of space and North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons and missiles. The establishment of this new command post is part of the US military’s efforts to enhance cooperation with allied countries in the domain of space. Activities in Japan have reportedly already begun with a small team. (9/15)

Ex-Chief of US Space Force Warns Pyongyang-Moscow Cooperation May Give N. Korea ‘Greater’ Space Capabilities (Source: Korea Bizwire)
The former chief of the U.S. Space Force has warned that possible cooperation between North Korea and Russia could enable Pyongyang with “greater” space capabilities as concerns grow over the two countries’ efforts to forge closer ties. Ret. Gen. John W. Raymond, the U.S. Space Force’s first chief of space operations, made the remark in an interview with Yonhap News Agency in Seoul last Thursday, a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a summit at the Vostochny space center in Russia.

At the spaceport, Putin told Russian media that Moscow would help Pyongyang build satellites, as the North has sought to advance its space capabilities, with a planned launch of a military spy satellite next month after two failed attempts this year. (9/18)