Sierra Space won funding from NASA in 2016; Dream Chaser is expected to make its debut trip to space in 2024. Sierra’s investors are buying into that NASA contract, which could be worth more than $1 billion, and Sierra’s partnership with Jeff Bezos’s firm Blue Origin to build a new commercial space station. Sierra’s hope is to play in human spaceflight without rockets of its own, avoiding competition with a crowded field including SpaceX and Blue.
There’s a pattern brewing: Only five companies raised more than $100 million last year—and two were Axiom and Ursa Major. Another was SpaceX, which has consistently raised big sums. Every year since 2019, the median venture deal in the space sector has gotten larger. That’s arguably because venture investors are throwing capital at companies with contracts and hardware already in place, not start-ups with riskier business models. (9/28)
Woman Claiming to be Musk's Wife Arrested at SpaceX in Texas (Source: My San Antonio)
Cameron County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested a woman claiming to be Elon Musk's wife on Tuesday. Su Young Boudreau, 41, was arrested at a SpaceX Industries facility in Brownsville for alleged criminal trespassing, according to a Facebook post from the Cameron County Sheriff's Office. "As per the security personnel, a female was found wandering inside an 'only employees' building, she was asked to identify herself and she claimed to be 'wife of Elon Musk,'" the post read. (9/27)
NASA's Cloud Observing Satellite Bids Farewell After 17 Years (Source: Gizmodo)
After blasting beams of energy through the clouds for the past 17 years, NASA’s lidar satellite mission came to an end this past August, the agency has revealed. CALIPSO, a joint mission by NASA and the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), had exhausted its fuel reserves. Due to its decaying orbit, the satellite was no longer capable of generating sufficient power to operate its science instruments. (9/27)
New AI Algorithm Can Detect Signs of Life with 90% Accuracy. Scientists Want to Send it to Mars (Source: Space.com)
A newly developed method based on artificial intelligence (AI) is capable of detecting subtle differences in molecular patterns that indicate biological signals — even in samples hundreds of millions of years old. Better yet, the mechanism offers results with 90% accuracy, according to new research. In the future, this AI system could be embedded in smarter sensors on robotic space explorers, including landers and rovers on the moon and Mars, as well as within spacecraft circling potentially habitable worlds like Enceladus and Europa. (9/27)
Radio Telescope Will Launch to Moon's Far Side in 2025 to Hunt for the Cosmic Dark Ages (Source: Space.com)
A small mission to test technology to detect radio waves from the cosmic Dark Ages over 13.4 billion years ago will blast off for the far side of the moon in 2025. The Lunar Surface Electromagnetic Experiment-Night mission, or LuSEE-Night for short, is a small radio telescope being funded by NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy. LuSEE-Night will blast off as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payloads program. (9/28)
How Firefly Met Responsive Space Challenge (Source: KXAN)
Firefly Aerospace, an end-to-end space transportation company based in Texas, announced this month that they broke the record for rocket launch speed. They prepped the payload for a rocket, named Victus Nox, in 57 hours and launched that rocket in just 27 hours. The previous record, according to Firefly Aerospace, was 21 days. Bill Weber said that updating decades old infrastructure and standardization allowed them to speed up the process.
Previously, many steps to prep a rocket were done in sequence, Firefly practiced doing some of these steps at the same time. “It’s cutting out unnecessary steps, it’s being as efficient as you possibly can, without sacrificing quality.” Weber said they took extra steps to ensure safety leading up to the launch. “Practice, practice, practice over and over and over,” Weber said. (9/28)
ISRO's Next Target: Venus (Source: Live Mint)
"We have a lot of missions in the conceptual phase. A mission to Venus is already configured. Payloads have already developed for it." ISRO Chairman added, “It also has an atmosphere. Its atmosphere is so thick. The atmospheric pressure is 100 times that of Earth and it is full of acids. You cannot penetrate the surface. You don't know if its surface is hard or not. Why are we trying to understand all of this? Earth could be one day Venus. I don't know. Maybe 10,000 years later we (Earth) change our characteristics. Earth was never like this. It was not a habitable place long long back." (9/28)
Space Force Gearing Up for New Rapid-Launch Objectives (Source: Defense Scoop)
The Space Force is taking lessons learned from the Victus Nox mission and already looking at how it can move even faster, Lt. Col. MacKenzie Birchenough said. “Really, it’s tightening up all of the different timelines of how we do things better,” said Birchenough, who serves as senior material leader for Space Safari — a Space Systems Command program office dedicated to the service’s urgent mission needs in space. “How do we transport space vehicles around the country faster? Or, how do we properly store them? How do we work with range to make sure that when a mission like this has to go off, we’ve properly deconflicted with other launches?” (9/27)
Museums to Get Bennu Samples (Source: CollectSpace)
Three museums will get samples of asteroid Bennu returned by NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Space Center Houston and the University of Arizona's Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum will each get a small amount of material from the asteroid to place on public display. The museums are still working on their plans for displaying the samples, which they could get as soon as mid-November. (9/28)
Antimatter Reacts to Gravity (Source: New York Times)
Antimatter isn't the opposite of ordinary matter when it comes to gravity. Scientists reported that an experiment involving antimatter at CERN showed that anti-particles, which have charges opposite ordinary matter, reacted to gravity just like conventional matter, squashing speculation that antimatter might be repulsed by gravity. "The bottom line is that there's no free lunch, and we're not going to be able to levitate using antimatter," said one scientist involved in the experiment. (9/28)
Eutelsat OneWeb Merger Complete (Source: Space News)
Eutelsat has completed its merger with OneWeb after a shareholder vote. Eutelsat said Thursday that its shareholders voted to approve the all-share deal that valued OneWeb at $3.4 billion. The approval was expected after investors owning nearly half of Eutelsat previously said they backed the deal, although Eutelsat did not immediately report the percentage of shareholders approving the transaction. OneWeb's shareholders had previously signed off on the deal, which also received all the necessary regulatory approvals.
OneWeb will operate as a subsidiary of the French operator, called Eutelsat OneWeb, and its center of operations will remain in London. OneWeb's LEO network is set to play an important part in Eutelsat's pivot to connectivity services, which the French operator expects will help it return to growth next year. (9/28)
Iran Launches Reconnaissance Satellite (Source: AP)
Iran announced Wednesday that it launched a reconnaissance satellite. The Iranian government said it launched the Noor-3 satellite on a Qased rocket into a 450-kilometer orbit. The government provided few details about the launch, including its exact time and location, but noted it was carried out by the Revolutionary Guard rather than the conventional military. (9/28)
AFWERX Contracts Support Rogue Space's Development of In-Space Servicing Spacecraft (Source: Space News)
Rogue Space Systems has won U.S. government contracts to support development of in-space servicing spacecraft. The startup said it received two awards from the Air Force's AFWERX technology accelerator worth a combined $3 million to advance work on a more universally compatible cubesat dispenser and a magnetic system for stabilizing tumbling space objects. The company has secured more than $7 million in government funding to date for technologies needed for future satellite servicing spacecraft called Orbots. (9/28)
X-Bow Wins AFRL Contract for Solid Rocket Motor Additive Manufacturing (Source: Space News)
X-Bow Systems received an Air Force Research Laboratory contract to demonstrate additive manufacturing technologies for solid rocket motor production. The three-year contract, worth $17.8 million, will help X-Bow mature its manufacturing technology and processes. Using additive techniques, X-Bow aims to dramatically reduce the time it takes to produce solid rocket motors used in tactical missiles and space launch vehicles. The contract is part of a $60 million agreement known as a strategic funding increase, or STRATFI, announced in April split evenly between government and private funding. (9/28)
Plot Thickens in the Hunt for a Ninth Planet (Source: Space Daily)
Physicists report that the same observations that motivate the hunt for a ninth planet might actually be the first solar system signatures of an alternate formulation of the laws of gravity. The article, entitled "Modified Newtonian Dynamics as an Alternative to the Planet Nine Hypothesis", studies the effect that the Milky Way galaxy would have on objects in the outer solar system, if the laws of gravity were governed by a theory known as Modified Newtonian Dynamics (or MOND). (9/28)
Rising to the Challenge of an Ever-Changing Commercial Space Industry (Source: Medium)
When the SpaceX Starlink 6–11 spaceflight successfully launched on Aug 26, it marked the 100th successful launch operation licensed by the FAA this fiscal year, a new record. August also set another FAA milestone with 13 successful space launches, a new monthly record. The FAA’s integral role in licensing commercial space launches and protecting the safety of the American public might come as a surprise to some. But since 1989, the agency has established a safety baseline that is the envy of the world.
Leading the Office of Commercial Space Transportation is Kelvin B. Coleman. As he approached the one-year anniversary of assuming that position, Coleman discussed the FAA’s achievements and shared his vision for his office, as well as his views on the state of the commercial space industry and its future. Click here. (9/25)
ASRC Federal’s NetCentric Subsidiary Wins $489M Cape Launch Operations & Infrastructure Support III Contract (Source: ASRC)
ASRC Federal NetCentric has won a potential $489 million follow-on contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide launch operations and infrastructure support services for Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The 45th Contracting Squadron at Patrick Space Force Base in Florida received six offers for the IDIQ contract, which has a base amount of $262.4 million.
The Cape Launch Operations and Infrastructure Support III contract seeks to deliver non-personal services to support mission requirements for port operations, vehicle launches, range operations and the Space Launch Delta 45 mission. CLOIS III provides preventive maintenance, configuration management and maintenance engineering support for facilities, equipment, systems and utilities at Cape Canaveral. (9/20)
VCs Orbit Countries with Growing Space Agencies (Source: Pitchbook)
Space investors are now piling into countries like India, those with relatively nascent space agencies that have either been rebooted or newly established. Others include Spain, which launched a new space program this year, and Middle Eastern countries like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which are vastly expanding their space agencies.
VC investment in space-tech startups outside of the US and China has grown in recent years and now accounts for over a quarter of the global total, according to PitchBook data. Michael Mealling, general partner at space-tech-focused Starbridge Venture Capital, said that venture activity is growing in countries like India as they move to relax their foreign investment laws to attract more money into their space ecosystems. (9/26)
Firehawk Aerospace Testing Near Midland TX Spaceport Won’t Impact Water Sources (Source: Midland Reporter-Telegram)
The City of Midland confirmed Monday that potential rocket-powered vehicle testing being proposed on city-owned land will not impact Midland’s groundwater supplies. Tuesday’s agenda includes authorizing the execution of an agreement between the City of Midland and Firehawk Aerospace, Inc., regarding certain city-owned property.
“Firehawk will test and fly small rocket-powered vehicles with the aim of evaluating engine performance,” the city reported in an agenda packet document. “They will be abiding by emission and flight standards upheld by the EPA and FAA. Total emissions are estimated to be 50% of a heavy diesel truck. Rocket testing will not include any explosive devices. All launches will land under parachute.”
Utilities Director Carl Craigo said Firehawk’s shared flight path does not traverse any areas where the city’s current water wells are located. The city reported that the agreement contains a term of an initial five years with two five-year renewals. The annual payment to the City of Midland would be $5,000. (9/25)
FAA Closes Investigation Into Blue Origin Rocket Failure, Requires 21 ‘Corrective Actions’ (Source: CNBC)
The FAA closed its investigation into last year’s failed flight of a cargo mission by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Blue Origin is required by the FAA to “implement 21 corrective actions,” the regulator said in a statement. The FAA noted that Blue Origin will not be clear to launch New Shepard until after Blue Origin implements “all corrective actions that impact public safety” and receives an updated launch license. (9/27)
The Stellar Buffet: Astronomers Reveal Triple Baby Star Feeding Frenzy (Source: SciTech Daily)
A significant discovery was made when researchers observed three large spiral arms distributing to early-stage stars, or protostars, in a developing triple stellar system. The researchers confirmed that the spiral arms act as “streamers,” supplying materials to the young stars, which grow by absorbing gas. The findings provide valuable insights into the origins of the streamers, which were previously unclear. (9/25)
Webb Spots a Building Block of Life on Jupiter’s Moon Europa (Source: CNN)
A building block of life may exist inside the global ocean on Europa, one of Jupiter’s icy moons. Two independent teams of astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to observe the frozen surface of Europa, and each analysis of the space observatory’s detections revealed an abundance of carbon dioxide within a specific region of the frigid terrain. Scientists have long questioned whether Europa’s ocean contained carbon and other chemicals necessary for life. (9/27)
In Fight Over Satellite Array, Tiny Liechtenstein Roars Back at China (Source: Washington Post)
“The Mouse that Roared” was a 1959 comedy in which a tiny duchy defied a nuclear superpower. Something a bit like that happened for real in recent months, when little Liechtenstein, backed by Germany, thwarted an apparent Chinese effort to obtain broadband satellite frequencies granted to a company in the principality a decade ago.
The Liechtenstein saga illustrates the new space race that’s underway as China and other countries scramble to match Elon Musk’s Starlink constellation of thousands of low-Earth-orbit satellites providing broadband coverage around the world. The Chinese coveted Liechtenstein’s frequencies, granted by the International Telecommunication Union in 2014, because they offer priority use of the Ka band of frequency spectrum, which experts say is the fastest and most reliable for space communications.
What’s at stake here? I’ll quote from a Sept. 14 statement from the German ministry that reviewed the case and, expanding on Liechtenstein’s decision, rejected the Chinese bid on national security grounds: “There is a risk that the satellite constellation will be used for military purposes to the detriment of the defense capability of [Germany] and its allies.” China is pursuing the construction of a state-owned constellation of nearly 13,000 LEO satellites. (9/27)
New Simulations Shed Light on Origins of Saturn's Rings and Icy Moons (Source: NASA)
According to new research by NASA and its partners, Saturn’s rings could have evolved from the debris of two icy moons that collided and shattered a few hundred million years ago. Debris that didn’t end up in the rings could also have contributed to the formation of some of Saturn’s present-day moons. NASA’s Cassini mission helped scientists understand just how young – astronomically speaking – Saturn’s rings and probably some of its moons are. And that knowledge opened up new questions about how they formed.
To learn more, the research team turned to the Durham University location of the Distributed Research using Advanced Computing (DiRAC) supercomputing facility in the United Kingdom. They modeled what different collisions between precursor moons might have looked like. These simulations were conducted at a resolution more than 100 times higher than previous such studies, using the open-source simulation code, SWIFT, and giving scientists their best insights into the Saturn system’s history. (9/27)
Megastorms on Saturn Rage for Centuries and Leave Marks (Source: Earth.com)
Hundred-year storms on Earth? On Saturn, that’s how long megastorms last, according new NSF research. Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot is a megastorm that spans 10,000 miles in width and has been raging for at least 342 years, according to NASA. In a new study, experts have revealed that Saturn – despite its unassuming appearance – also experiences lingering megastorms that leave marks on its atmosphere for centuries. (9/27)
Why NASA Astronaut Frank Rubio Was Told to 'Keep Your Mouth Shut' Upon Returning to Earth (Source: CNN)
Record-breaking NASA astronaut Frank Rubio has returned to Earth after spending more than a year aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-23 space capsule. Rubio, who spent 371 days in space, was advised to keep his mouth shut during the 'violent' Soyuz landing to avoid biting his tongue. (9/27)
Giant Magellan Telescope Project Casts 7th and Final Mirror (Source: Space.com)
Last week, in a spinning tank beneath the University of Arizona's football stadium, an oven kicked to life. The oven, at the University of Arizona's Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab, began to heat a 20-ton, 27.6-foot-wide pool of optical glass to 2,130 degrees Fahrenheit, in the first steps of manufacturing a telescope mirror. This is the seventh and final mirror of the Giant Magellan Telescope, itself under construction in the mountains of northern Chile. The telescope's crown jewel will be a seven-segment mirror. When all seven pieces are in place, they will work together as a single light-collecting surface 80 feet across. (9/27)
'Dark Universe' Telescope Euclid Faces Some Setbacks During Commissioning (Source: Space.com)
ESA's Euclid space telescope launched from Cape Canaveral on July 1. By all accounts, the launch passed smoothly. Even when mission control lit up Euclid’s instruments and took the telescope’s first test images, everything seemed well. But as with any space mission — and, for that matter, any complex enough endeavor — complications inevitably arose. Euclid’s complications began when its guidance system failed to track faint stars.
Euclid’s Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) is an apparatus that helps orient the telescope. Under normal circumstances, the FGS locks onto known stars to plot where the telescope is pointing in the sky. Engineers can exhaustively test the FGS before launch, but real space conditions are very difficult to simulate. Ground tests do not necessarily account for factors like cosmic rays that interfere with the device. But that wasn’t the end of Euclid’s issues.
One of Euclid’s instruments occasionally seemed to be picking up strange streaks of light. Soon, ESA mission control found the culprit: The sun. It seems Euclid's sunshield did not shadow everything. Part of one of Euclid’s thrusters reflected a tiny amount of light that seems to have evaded the sunshield. Euclid’s Visible light instrument (VIS) is sensitive enough to discern that reflected light when the instrument is turned to certain angles. In all, the stray light pops in around 10 percent of VIS’s images. (9/27)
SpaceX Wins Space Force Contract for Satellites (Source: Bloomberg)
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has received its first contract from the US Space Force to provide customized satellite communications for the military under the company’s new Starshield program, extending the provocative billionaire’s role as a defense contractor. SpaceX is competing with 15 companies, including Viasat, for $900 million in work orders through 2028 under the Space Force’s new “Proliferated Low Earth Orbit” contracts program, which is tapping into communications services of satellites orbiting from 100 miles to 1,000 miles above Earth. (9/27)
Sierra Space Hits Latest Milestone on Space Act Agreement (Source: SpaceRef)
Sierra Space just completed dramatic (and explosive) testing of a potential space station. Instead of dreading the outcome, however, the company applauded the explosion. It not only served as a proof of concept for its ideas, but also fulfilled a key milestone in an agreement Sierra Space made with NASA to develop a new inflatable module-based space station. (9/26)
A New Era for Arecibo: Legendary Observatory Begins Next Phase (Source: Nature)
The US National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced that four institutions will take over stewardship of the site of the former Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, as it transitions from a research hub to an education center. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York; the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) at Río Piedras in San Juan; and the University of the Sacred Heart, also in San Juan; will oversee the new center, in which the NSF will invest $5.5 million over five years. (9/26)
That's Not a Moon… That's a Dumpling! (Source: BoingBoing)
Here are two views of Pan, Saturn's innermost known moon. It orbits Saturn within one of the planet's rings at an altitude of 83,000 miles above the surface. The ridge around Pan's equator is similar to Saturn's moon Atlas, and gives the moon its distinctive dumpling shape. (9/26)
No comments:
Post a Comment