October 13, 2023

NASA Further Delays Starliner Crewed Flight (Source: Space.com)
NASA has further delayed the first crewed flight of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner. NASA released an updated schedule of commercial crew missions Thursday that now projects the Starliner test flight, known as CFT, taking place no earlier than mid-April. That flight had previously been scheduled for March. The schedule also confirms that SpaceX will fly the next two operational commercial crew missions, Crew-8 in February and Crew-9 in August. NASA will decide later whether to assign the following commercial crew mission in early 2025 to SpaceX or to Boeing. (10/13)

SES Gets New CEO (Source: SES)
Satellite operator SES has selected its next CEO. The company announced Friday that Adel Al-Saleh will become CEO in February, replacing interim CEO Ruy Pinto. Al-Saleh is the CEO of T-Systems International GmbH, an information technology company that is a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom. Pinto, the former CTO of SES who took over as interim CEO in the summer after the departure of Steve Collar, will move into a new role as strategic adviser next year. (10/13)

Viasat Decides Against Replacement for Malfunctioning Satellite (Source: Space News)
Viasat says it will not order a replacement for its ViaSat-3 Americas satellite despite losing most of its capacity. The company said Thursday that while it expects to recover less than 10% of the satellite's planned throughput, that will be enough to meet current and future needs with the use of other satellites and third-party capacity deals. The satellite, launched in April, suffered a malfunction deploying its large antenna, but the company has released few details about the problem. ViaSat-3 Americas has $420 million in total insurance coverage. It is unclear how much the operator could receive after finalizing its claim before the end of the year. (10/13)

NASA IG: SLS Cost Reduction Plan "Highly Unrealistic" (Source: Space News)
NASA's inspector general called proposed cost reductions for the Space Launch System by moving to a services contract "highly unrealistic." NASA is in the process of shifting to a new contract to procure SLS launches as a service, with a goal of reducing the per-launch cost of the vehicle, currently projected to be $2.5 billion, by 50%. A report Thursday by NASA's inspector general, though, concluded that the goal was not feasible, and costs of the SLS will remain above $2 billion per rocket for the foreseeable future. The report also noted that NASA had yet to find other customers of the SLS, another goal of the change in contracts. (10/13)

SpaceX Updates Schedule for Direct-to-Device Starlink Service (Source: The Verge)
SpaceX has updated the schedule for its Starlink direct-to-device services. According to the Starlink website, SpaceX will offer messaging services to LTE phones starting in 2024, followed by voice and data services in 2025. When SpaceX announced its partnership with cellular operator T-Mobile to provide those services last year, it expected then to start offering it in "select areas" by the end of 2023. The announcement did not include any details about the price for those services. (10/13)

Investors Seek Management Changes at Terran Orbital (Source: Bloomberg)
A group of investors want changes in the management of satellite manufacturer Terran Orbital. In a letter Thursday, the group, which described itself as "concerned co-founders and investors" owning 8.4% of the company, called for splitting the roles of CEO and chairman, both currently held by Marc Bell, and hiring a new CEO. It also called for changes in the company's board and hiring advisers to "evaluate all strategic alternatives and opportunities." The investor group argues that Terran Orbital's intrinsic value is at least $3 per share, but the company is currently trading at less than $1 per share. (10/13)

NASA Targets 2024 for First Flight of X-59 Experimental Aircraft (Source: Space Daily)
NASA's Quesst mission has adjusted the scheduled first flight of its X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft to 2024. A one-of-a-kind experimental aircraft, the X-59 has required complex engineering from NASA researchers working with prime contractor Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. In addition to the aircraft's design, the X-59 also combines new technology with systems and components from multiple, established aircraft, such as its landing gear from an F-16 and its life-support system adapted from an F-15. (10/13)

Chinese Firm Sold Satellites for Intelligence to Russia's Wagner (Source: Space Daily)
Russian mercenary group Wagner in 2022 signed a contract with a Chinese firm to acquire two satellites and use their images, aiding its intelligence work as the organisation sought to push Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to a document seen by AFP. The contract was signed in November 2022, over half a year into Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in which the Wagner group under its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin was playing a key role on the battlefield.

The satellite images were also used to assist Wagner's operations in Africa and even its failed mutiny in June which has led now to the de-facto break up of the group followed by the death of Prigozhin and other key figures in an air crash in August, a European security source told AFP. (10/11)

Momentus to Provide Delivery Service for RIDE! Space (Source: Space Daily)
Momentus has signed a contract with RIDE! Space for transportation and orbital delivery services in the first quarter of 2024. RIDE! Space will be flying its Gaindesat and Djibouti payloads on a single mission. (10/13)

Work Starts on Telescope to Assist Lunar Missions (Source: Space Daily)
China on Wednesday started the construction of a 40-meter-aperture radio telescope in the Changbai Mountain area in the northeastern province of Jilin, to support future lunar and deep-space probe missions. Developed by the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the optical instrument is designed to be a large, fully movable, high-precision multipurpose radio telescope. Scientists believe the Changbai Mountain area is an ideal site for telescope observation due to its clear skies and dry climate. (10/13)

NASA Tank Venting in Microgravity Challenge (Source: Space Daily)
As space travel extends to greater duration and distance, missions may require a propellant refill in space. To achieve this, spacecraft may require larger tanks and efficient refueling along with tanks that have the capability of isolating propellant from ullage fluid (a gas and vapor mixture) during a vent. The goal of this Challenge is to develop a novel solution for the venting of ullage contents from a partially full propellant tank, in microgravity, with minimal loss of propellant. This ullage venting solution would help allow the adjustment of pressure in the receiving tank prior to, during, and/or after the liquid propellant transfer. (10/13)

How to Make Roads on the Moon (Source: Space Daily)
When astronauts return to the lunar surface they are probably going to be doing more driving than walking - but to keep billowing moondust at bay they are going to need roads. An ESA project tested the creation of roadworthy surfaces by melting simulated moondust with a powerful laser. With civilisation comes roads, and that is going to be especially true on the Moon, just to keep the dust away. Lunar dust is ultra-fine, abrasive and clingy. In the Apollo era dust clogged equipment and eroded spacesuits. (10/13)

Space Force Challenged to Define Commercial Services (Source: Space News)
Gen. Chance Saltzman characterized the latest draft of this highly anticipated strategy as rich in style but wanting in substance. Intended to shed light on the Space Force’s approach to identifying activities suitable for commercial satellite services, the document, according to Saltzman, is replete with “aspirational platitudes” rather than concrete definitions and guidelines. Saltzman underscored that while inspirational rhetoric about partnering and collaborating has its place, the strategy needs to offer practical, actionable guidance. (10/12)

Space Florida Pushes for Tax Exemption for Spaceport Bonds (Source: Space Florida)
“We are pleased to learn that Rep. Tyler Sirois has filed a House Memorial to the U.S. Congress requesting that spaceport facility bonds receive tax-exempt status. This forward-thinking initiative recognizes the critical role spaceports play in advancing the space industry, bolstering economic growth and enhancing our national security.

"In solidarity with Rep. Sirois, Space Florida recently submitted a letter to the Internal Revenue Service in support of this legislation, demonstrating the critical role spaceports play in our intermodal transportation infrastructure. Offering this tax exemption will not only benefit Florida, but it will have a profound impact on the entire country, solidifying America as a leader in the rapidly growing aerospace industry, now and for generations to come.” (10/12)

It Looks Like the Ariane 6 Rocket May Not Offer Europe Any Launch Savings (Source: Ars Technica)
Nearly a decade ago, ESA announced plans to develop the Ariane 6. The goal was to bring a less costly workhorse rocket to market that could compete with the likes of SpaceX's Falcon 9 and begin flying by 2020. Development of the Ariane 6 is running years behind—the vehicle is now unlikely to fly before the middle of 2024 and subject to further delays.

There are also increasing concerns that the Ariane 6 rocket will not meet its ambitious price targets. For years, European officials have said they would like to cut the price of launches by half with a rocket that is easier to manufacture and by flying an increased cadence of missions. However, a reasonable estimate for a baseline Ariane 5 rocket is 150 million euros. Cutting that price in half, therefore, would be about 75 million euros. That is reasonably competitive with the Falcon 9 rocket, which has a base price of $67 million.

However, a 50 percent cost reduction is no longer achievable. ESA's Toni Tolker-Nielsen said the Ariane 6 is projected to come in at a higher cost per launch than first predicted. The Ariane 6's cost per flight will be about 40 percent lower than that of the now-retired Ariane 5, short of the previous goal. And since 2021, the publicly funded European Space Agency has provided a subsidy of 140 million euros annually to ArianeGroup in order to make the Ariane 6 rocket more competitive in the commercial market. On Sunday, La Tribune reported that ArianeGroup would seek additional subsidies to support operation of the Ariane 6 rocket. (10/12)

Delays to NASA's Satellite Refueling Robot to Push Costs Over $2B Target (Source: The Register)
A NASA plan to robotically repair and refuel satellites in orbit is way behind schedule and well over budget, says NASA's Office of the Inspector General (OIG), with most of the blame falling on space tech contractor Maxar.

Maxar, one of the largest private businesses working on NASA's On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing mission (OSAM-1), has been involved in the project since 2016, when the space agency's idea was smaller in scope and known as Restore-L. According to the OIG, Maxar is two years behind schedule on delivering the the project's spacecraft bus and its Space Infrastructure Dexterous Robot (SPIDER) robotic arm, and it's unlikely OSAM-1 will come in under its $2.05 billion budget nor meet the December 2026 launch date NASA committed to in 2022.  (10/11)

Space Set to Keep People Safer During Emergencies (Source: ESA)
Using synthetic aperture radar technology enables ICEYE’s satellites to see through the smoke while the fires are still burning, so emergency teams can pinpoint individual homes and people at risk – as well as precious natural habitats. First responders can use the information to follow the unfolding dangers and assess the impact.

The same technology also enables emergency teams to see through storm clouds to assess the extent of flooding, its depth and probable duration, creating actionable intelligence on natural disasters by providing data in near-real time. Space data can also help to predict floods, avert disasters and speed recovery. The three-year project, called “Crisis observations and management from space”, is an ESA Partnership Project with ICEYE under the agency’s Civil Security from Space programme. It is being led from ICEYE’s headquarters in Finland with contributions from the company’s offices in Spain and Poland. (10/12)

Viasat Has Enough Throughput on ViaSat-3 Americas to Avoid Replacement (Source: Space News)
Viasat has ruled out ordering a ViaSat-3 Americas replacement as it expects to recover a fraction of the satellite’s 1 terabit per second (Tbps) capacity, the operator said Oct. 12 around three months after disclosing its antenna issue. While the company only expects to recover less than 10% of the satellite’s planned throughput, it said this is enough to meet current and future broadband customer needs alongside other flexible assets in its 19-satellite fleet, additional spacecraft already underway, and third-party capacity deals. (10/12)

Musk Looks to Alter Airlines with Latest SpaceX Announcement (Source: The Street)
Increasingly, inflight internet providers are switching to satellite internet, which allows for stronger, more consistent coverage, with speeds ranging from 30Mbps to 100Mbps. And as airlines begin to understand the value of satellite-based internet services, Elon Musk's SpaceX wants to leverage his own constellation. Musk launched Starlink Aviation, a subset of Starlink specifically designed for use on airplanes, in late 2022.

Starlink Aviation is now available on two Gulfstream models. Other popular aircraft, including the Airbus A320 and A330 and several Boeing craft, will not be compatible with Starlink Aviation until "2024 and beyond," according to SpaceX. "Starlink will be available on most aircraft soon, depending on whether the airline orders it," he tweeted Oct. 9. (10/10)

Startup GuardianSat Gets Research Grant for Satellite Self-Defense Technology (Source: Space News)
The startup GuardianSat announced Oct. 12 it won a grant from the National Science Foundation’s America’s Seed Fund to advance the company’s technology designed to protect satellites from collisions with debris objects in space. GuardianSat, based in Delaware, won a Small Business Technology Transfer Phase 1 research contract worth about $273,000. In addition the company will get technical support from the Aerospace Corp. (10/12)

Platinum Equity Emerges as Lead Bidder for Jacobs Unit (Source: Bloomberg)
Platinum Equity is in the lead to buy Jacobs Solutions Inc.’s Critical Mission Solutions unit, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The private equity firm could announce a deal as soon as this month, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. A final agreement hasn’t been reached and Jacobs could elect to keep the business or pursue a spinoff of it instead, the people said. (10/11)