September 19, 2023

Live, From Orbit: the Manned Orbiting Laboratory’s Top-Secret Film-Readout System (Source: Space Review)
The Air Force’s Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program in the 1960s would take high-resolution images, but how could those images be quickly returned to Earth? Dwayne Day examines proposals to include film-readout systems on MOL. Click here. (9/19)
 
SpaceX Launches a Debate on Monopolies (Source: Space Review)
At a major space industry conference last week, much of the discussion was about the dominance SpaceX has in the launch industry today. Jeff Foust report on perceptions that SpaceX has a monopoly on commercial launch and implications for other companies developing competing satellite systems. Click here. (9/19)
 
How to Land a Space Gig (Source: Space Review)
How do you get your foot in the door in the space industry if you’re not seeking a technical position? Daniel Duchaine describes his experience networking across companies, think tanks, and Capitol Hill trying to find a job. Click here. (9/19)

Dark Photons: The Key to Unraveling the Dark Matter Mystery? (Source: SciTech Daily)
New insights into dark matter emerge as researchers explore the ‘dark photon’ hypothesis, challenging the standard model hypothesis. The dark photon is a hypothetical hidden sector particle, proposed as a force carrier similar to the photon of electromagnetism but potentially connected to dark matter. “In our latest study, we examine the potential effects that a dark photon could have on the complete set of experimental results from the deep inelastic scattering process,” said Professor Thomas.

Analysis of the by-products of the collisions of particles accelerated to extremely high energies gives scientists good evidence of the structure of the subatomic world and the laws of nature governing it. “Our work shows that the dark photon hypothesis is preferred over the standard model hypothesis at a significance of 6.5 sigma, which constitutes evidence for a particle discovery.” (9/19)

Musk Mocks Rocket Lab For Slow Transition To Reusability (Source: Benzinga)
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Sunday mocked rival satellite launch provider Rocket Lab's CEO Peter Beck for his comments on rocket reusability. Rocket Lab launched a pre-flown 3D-printed Rutherford engine on its "We love the nightlife" mission, which employed its recovery-configured Electron rocket. “This reusable thing seems to work…. Going to fly 9 reused engines on an upcoming mission,” Beck then wrote. Musk responded to the comment on Sunday and wrote, “No kidding lol.” (9/18)

Starlink Lost 200 Satellites in Two Months (Source: CyberNews)
There’s been an uptick in burned Starlink satellites over the summer, according to satellite tracking data. Data shows the number of burned-up satellites steadily increasing over the past three years, but a significant spike can be observed starting the month of July. It’s unclear whether these satellites were scheduled to de-orbit or whether the burn-ups were a result of a failure. Cybernews has reached out to SpaceX for comment but has not received a response.

Starlink satellites are designed to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere at the end of their life cycle, which is approximately five years. Over 5,000 have been sent into Earth’s lower orbit since 2019. Of those, about 4,500 are thought to be active. Satellites can also be vulnerable to electromagnetic storms, with strong solar flares recorded this summer as the sun enters a period of heightened activity. In February last year, SpaceX said it lost 40 new satellites shortly after launch because of an electromagnetic storm. (9/19)

India's Solar Science Mission Maneuvers Toward L-1 (Source; Firstpost)
An Indian solar science mission is on its way to the Earth-sun L-1 point. India's space agency ISRO said Monday that the Aditya-L1 spacecraft performed a maneuver that places it on a trajectory to go to the L-1 point, 1.5 million kilometers from Earth in the direction of the sun. ISRO launched Aditya-L1 into an elliptical transfer orbit earlier this month, and the spacecraft performed several maneuvers to raise that that orbit before this transfer maneuver. The spacecraft will arrive at the L-1 point in nearly four months to begin its mission of monitoring the sun. (9/19)

Rocket Lab Launch From New Zealand Fails with Upper Stage Anomaly (Source: Space News)
A Rocket Lab Electron malfunctioned during a launch overnight, resulting in the loss of a Capella Space radar imaging satellite. The Electron lifted off from Rocket Lab's New Zealand launch complex at 2:55 a.m. Eastern, and the rocket's first stage appeared to operate normally, However, onboard video from the rocket was lost right after stage separation, and telemetry showed the vehicle's speed decreasing, suggesting a problem with the upper stage's single Rutherford engine.

Rocket Lab declared an anomaly moments later, but did not disclose additional details. The failure is the third for the Electron in a little more than three years, with the previous two involving issues with the upper stage. The rocket was carrying the second Acadia SAR satellite for Capella Space, after the previous Electron launch last month placed the first Acadia satellite into orbit. (9/19)

UAE Astronaut Wants Lunar Mission Next (Source: The National)
A UAE astronaut just back from the International Space Station says he wants to go to the lunar Gateway on his next flight. At a press conference Monday after his return to the country, Sultan Alneyadi said he would be interested in a future mission to the Gateway, the facility NASA is developing with international partners in an orbit around the moon to support Artemis missions. There were reports last year that the UAE was considering providing an airlock module for the Gateway, but there have been no formal announcements by either NASA or the UAE government to confirm those plans. The UAE hopes to fly astronauts to the ISS every two to three years with its four-person astronaut corps. (9/19)

Japan Plans Methane-Fueled Rocket (Source: Nikkei)
Japan plans to pursue development of a methane-fueled rocket. The Japanese space agency JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said using methane fuel will be a key element of a next-generation rocket they hope to field by 2030. Several companies in the United States and China are pursuing rockets that use methane fuel, with China's Landspace the first to reach orbit with a "methalox" rocket this summer. (9/19)

Planetary Society Lobbies for NASA Budget (Source: Planetary Society)
With uncertainties about NASA's budget, members of a space advocacy group are on Capitol Hill this week to seek support for science missions. The Planetary Society held its first in-person "Day of Action" since the pandemic Monday, with more than 100 of the organization's members meeting with representatives. The society it was seeking support for NASA's planetary science missions given "looming threats" of cuts that could jeopardize several such programs. (9/19)

Turkey Set to Launch 1st Communication Satellite in June (Source; Hurriyet)
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu has announced plans to launch Türksat 6A, Türkiye’s first domestic communication satellite, in June. One of the remarkable features of the satellite is its expanded coverage area, Uraloğlu noted. "Türksat 6A satellite will also provide services in new geographies such as Southeast Asia, which could not be covered by previous Türksat satellites," he said. (9/18)

ULA Pace Shifts with Atlas Launch for Amazon, Vulcan Progress (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
After a 10-month lag between United Launch Alliance’s workhorse Atlas V launches that ended with a national security mission earlier this month, preparations are already in the works for its next launch from Cape Canaveral. The mission will be the first for Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellite constellation using an Atlas V on what would be the 99th launch of the rocket.

It’s the first of up to 47 contracted launches ULA has with Amazon as the Jeff Bezos company looks to launch a major chunk of its planned 3,236 satellite constellation that would compete with the likes of SpaceX’s Starlink and other broadband satellite networks. Amazon bought rides on nine of what is now 18 of ULA’s remaining Atlas V rockets, and another 38 of its in-development Vulcan Centaur rockets. (9/18)

At Hawaii Space Conference, DoD Space Monitoring Challenges in the Spotlight (Source: Breaking Defense)
At the annual Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference this week, industry experts are focusing on showing how their technical chops can help the Pentagon up its “lagging” game monitoring the heavens — but also hoping to gain insights into how the Space Force intends to flesh out its as yet largely unrealized plans for contracting them to do so. (9/18)

Expanded Station Crew Works Together Before Next Trio Departs (Source: NASA)
Ten people are living aboard the International Space Station following Friday’s arrival of three crewmates aboard the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft. However, at the end of the month another trio of orbital lab residents will return to Earth after a year in space. Click here. (9/18)

Terran Orbital announces Proposed Public Offering (Source: Space Daily)
Terran Orbital has announced that it intends to offer and sell in a public offering, subject to market and other conditions, shares of its common stock (or common stock equivalents in lieu thereof) and warrants to purchase shares of common stock. Terran Orbital expects to use the net proceeds of the proposed offering for general corporate purposes including capital expenditures, working capital, research and development, and general and administrative expenses, and maintenance of the liquidity covenant in the Company's debt documents. (9/19)

SCHOTT Launches Lightweight Microelectronic Packages for Aerospace (Source: Space Daily)
Companies need materials that are both lightweight and durable enough to withstand hostile, demanding environments. SCHOTT's new lightweight microelectronic packages meet this challenge by delivering the same reliable, long-lasting protection for avionics while slashing their weight by up to two-thirds compared to traditional electronic packaging made from kovar. As a long-time partner to the industry, SCHOTT has designed its latest product to help make aviation and space missions lower in cost. (9/19)

Private Firms Step In as US Lags in Hypersonic Weapons (Source: Wall Street Journal)
The US faces challenges in developing next-generation hypersonic weapons due to outdated and overbooked testing facilities, opening the door for private companies like Stratolaunch to plug the gap. Meanwhile, China and Russia are advancing their hypersonic technologies, raising concerns about the nation's defense. (9/18)

Is the American Space Sector Ready for Climate Change? (Source: Astralytical)
The summer of 2023 witnessed the rising impacts of an increasingly warming planet, and no part of human society was spared. Rampant floods across the world, record coral bleaching, and sea surface temperature anomalies were just some of the latest manifestations of a rapidly changing climate.

NASA has long played a leading role in understanding our home planet's atmosphere and how human society is changing it. It launched the world’s first weather satellite, Tiros 1, in April of 1960. In the 1980s, it began a full study of the Earth as a comprehensive system. NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, located at Columbia University, has been studying Earth’s atmosphere in detail since 1961. So it’s fair to say NASA knows what it’s talking about when it comes to Earth’s climate and weather. Click here. (9/18)

L3Harris Exploring Supplier Partnerships for its Satellite Business (Source: Space News)
Like other companies that build satellites for the U.S. government, L3Harris Technologies is looking for suppliers that can meet the technical and schedule demands of national security programs. Defense and intelligence agencies want to take advantage of commercial space products but they also have unique demands, “so supply chain is a tough problem,” Kelle Wendling, president of space systems at L3Harris, told SpaceNews in a recent interview.

Schedule setbacks caused by supplier issues delayed the delivery of four missile-detection tracking satellites L3Harris built for the U.S. Space Force’s Space Development Agency. The company builds satellites for the Defense Department and intelligence agencies, as well as for NASA and NOAA. Wendling said SDA, in particular, “is forcing us to change the way we’re doing business, which I think is needed if we’re going to be responsive to our adversaries.” (9/18)

Space Perspective Gains Travel Industry Investor (Source: EIN Presswire)
HIS USA. Holding, the U.S. subsidiary of HIS Corporation (a Japanese Travel Company), has invested in Space Perspective, a human spaceflight experience company. This investment will be the most significant investment that HIS USA has made to date, signifying its commitment to offering new travel opportunities, realizing exciting travel experiences to customers – delivering on its corporate slogan – and stimulating inbound demand from Japan to the U.S. In the long run, the project also aims to support realizing environmentally friendly, sustainable travel with Space Perspective's carbon-neutral space travel option. (9/12)

Tiny Swarming Spacecraft Could Establish Communications with Proxima Centauri (Source: Universe Today)
Achieving interstellar travel has been the dream of countless generations, but the challenges remain monumental. Aside from the vast distances involved, there are also the prohibitive energy requirements and the sheer cost of assembling spacecraft that could survive the trip. Right now, the best bet for achieving an interstellar mission within a reasonable timeframe (i.e., a single person’s lifetime) is to build gram-scale spacecraft paired with lightsails. Using high-power laser arrays, these spacecraft could be accelerated to a fraction of the speed of light (relativistic speeds) and reach nearby stars in a few decades.

There are a handful of major projects, like Breakthrough Starshot, that hope to leverage this technology to create spacecraft that could reach Alpha Centauri in a few decades (instead of centuries). This technology also presents other opportunities, like facilitating communications across interstellar distances. This is the idea recently by a team of researchers led by the Initiative for Interstellar Studies (i4is). In a recent paper, they recommended that a swarm of gram-scale spacecraft could rely on their launch laser to maintain optical communications with Earth. (9/17)

ABL Gets Contract for U.S. Space Force ‘Responsive Launch’ Mission (Source: Space News)
ABL Space Systems received a $15 million task order from the U.S. Space Force to demonstrate it can launch a payload on short notice from either one of the company’s two launch pads. The contract is part of a $60 million agreement that includes $30 million in government funding and $30 million in matching funds from the company’s investors. The $15 million contract covers one-half of the government’s portion of the contract.

ABL developed a small launch vehicle called RS1 capable of placing up to 1,350 kilograms into low Earth orbit. It attempted its first launch Jan. 10 from Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska on Kodiak Island but the mission failed. The company recently secured a launch pad at Space Launch Complex 15 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. (9/18)

Space Drugs Factory Denied Reentry to Earth (Source: Gizmodo)
After manufacturing crystals of an HIV drug in space, the first orbital factory is stuck in orbit after being denied reentry back to Earth due to safety concerns. The U.S. Air Force denied a request from Varda Space Industries to land its in-space manufacturing capsule at a Utah training area, while the FAA did not grant the company permission to reenter Earth’s atmosphere, leaving its spacecraft hanging as the company scrambles to find a solution. (9/18)

No More Astronomy Photobombs? SpaceX Shows Off Starlink Satellite 'Mirror Film' (Source: PC Magazine)
SpaceX is providing a new look at the company’s second-generation Starlink satellites — this time from Earth’s orbit. The company on Friday launched 22 more Starlink satellites into space using a Falcon 9 rocket. As the hardware was released into orbit, the company’s rocket captured video of the satellites, including a new feature designed to prevent interference with ground-based astronomy. 

SpaceX has been upgrading its second-generation Starlink satellites with a new “dielectric mirror film” that’s designed to scatter sunlight away from Earth. The company developed the mirror film amid concerns about Starlink satellites reflecting too much sunlight from Earth’s orbit and photo-bombing astronomy images. The first-generation Starlink satellites previously came with built-in “sun visors” to prevent sunlight from hitting the hardware, but they created atmospheric drag, and required the satellites to expend more fuel. (9/18)

Scientists Have Two Ways to Spot Gravitational Waves. Here Are Some Other Ideas (Source: Science News)
Until recently, gravitational waves could have been a figment of Einstein’s imagination. Before they were detected, these ripples in spacetime existed only in the physicist’s general theory of relativity, as far as scientists knew. Now, researchers have not one but two ways to detect the waves. And they’re on the hunt for more. Click here. (9/15)