October 31, 2023

Space Force to Begin Procurement of Missile-Tracking Satellites for Medium Earth Orbit Constellation (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force is moving forward with plans to procure 27 missile-defense satellites for a medium Earth orbit constellation — using an acquisition process that mirrors the model adopted by the Space Development Agency for the military’s low Earth orbit architecture. “We are acquiring our architecture through spiral development, with new capabilities being placed on orbit every two to three years,” said Col. Heather Bogstie. (10/30)

Firefly Aerospace Secures Brett Alexander as Chief Revenue Officer (Source: Benchmark)
Brett Alexander has joined Firefly Aerospace as Chief Revenue Officer. Headquartered in central Texas, Brett will be responsible for building and executing Firefly’s global revenue strategy across all sectors of their business – launch, landing, and orbit – to both the government and commercial market segments. The position reports to Bill Weber, Chief Executive Officer. (10/26)

Integrity In Space: Trust But Verify (Source: Forbes)
Today, the Space Force can look to two documents to verify the integrity of its contractors and subcontractors as a part of competitive RFP solicitations. First, audited annual balance sheets of the company’s financial performance over the previous three years must be a proposal requirement. Unless felonious fraud is in play, a simple analysis to determine trend lines will indicate to even the newest government or consulting analyst whether a company will be around to service its current creditors in the coming year.

The other document is the pitch deck or presentation materials from a company’s last or capital raise liquidity event. Comparing an audited balance sheet history against these materials can shed light on how well a company keeps its promises to its shareholders and is an essential way to “trust but verify” how well Space Force contractors will deliver in the future. Requiring these simple documents from its contractors, the Space Force will greatly reduce the risk of holding worthless contracts with defunct space companies. (10/24)

Is This New Training Tool Revolutionizing the Space and Aerospace Industry? (Source: Venture)
Nova Space is creating a new wave in the aerospace and corporate training industry. With space travel and exploration at its core, it seeks to revolutionize professional development in the space and aerospace industry through comprehensive digital training courses.

The startup’s mission is clear: to concretize the space industry standard for professional development. They provide the preeminent professional certifications intending to create a more productive and efficient working environment for space professionals both in the US and internationally, thus making the industry more inclusive and accessible. Click here. (10/30)

Samsung Teases Satellite Features on the Galaxy S24 (Source: PC Magazine)
It looks like Samsung will be adding satellite features to the Galaxy S24. As SamMobile reports, Samsung’s Park Yong-in confirmed at the 2023 Semiconductor Expo (SEDEX) that satellite connectivity will be available on the company's flagship phones next year. He didn't elaborate, but the next big flagship for Samsung will probably be the Galaxy S24 series (the S23 made its debut in February). (10/28)

China Showcases its Lunar Exploration Plans (Source: Universe Today)
The video presents several familiar elements of lunar exploration, which have been hinted at in the past by the CMSA and the Manned Lunar Deep Exploration Project Office. These include a modular station in lunar orbit, robotic missions exploring the surface to scout resources and locate a base site, lunar landers, and facilities that will grow food, provide power, and facilitate crewed missions to explore the surface. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) and using robots equipped with additive manufacturing (3D printers) are also indicated by the imagery alone. Click here. (10/28)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Mission From Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
SpaceX launched another set of Starlink satellites Monday night after a one-day delay. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 7:20 p.m. Eastern and deployed 23 Starlink V2 Mini satellites. The launch was scrubbed Sunday night in the final minute of the countdown after controllers detected a problem with the rocket's stage separation system. With the launch, SpaceX now has more than 5,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, although not all are in operation. (10/31)

Rocket Lab to Launch Privately Funded Venus Mission (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab is planning a launch of a privately funded Venus mission as soon as the end of next year. At a conference presentation Monday, the company said the Rocket Lab Mission to Venus, or Venus Life Finder, is slated to launch as soon as Dec. 30, 2024, at the opening of a launch period that extends into early 2025. A specific launch date has not been identified. The mission will send a small spacecraft to Venus, deploying a probe that will enter the atmosphere and collect data in the clouds for several minutes. The mission will incorporate much of the same technology as the NASA-funded CAPSTONE lunar mission. (10/31)

Roscosmos: Russia Can Manufacture Only 40 Satellites Per Year (Source: Ars Technica)
The head of Roscosmos says the country can produce only 40 satellites a year. In an interview with a Russian publication, Yuri Borisov said the combination of all Russian facilities can manufacture only about 40 satellites annually, far less than even individual companies like SpaceX. He said Russian firms still make satellites by hand and have yet to adopt automation and other mass production approaches. Russian President Vladimir Putin has directed Roscosmos to "radically reduce" satellite manufacturing costs. (10/31)

Chicxulub Impact Killed Dinosaurs with Dust (Source: Nature)
It wasn't an asteroid impact that killed off the dinosaurs so much as the dust that impact left behind. In a paper published Monday, scientists said they found much higher amounts of dust particles than expected in rock deposits dating back to the Chicxulub impact 66 million years ago. The dust would have lingered in the atmosphere for years after the impact, blocking sunlight and dropping temperatures worldwide by 15 degrees Celsius. That, scientists concluded, would likely have triggered a mass extinction that included the dinosaurs. (10/31)

Chinese Astronauts Return to Earth From TSS (Source: Space.com)
A Chinese spacecraft returned three astronauts to Earth Monday evening after more than five months in space. The Shenzhou-16 spacecraft landed at a designated location near the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 8:10 p.m. Eastern, nearly 12 hours after undocking from the Tiangong station. The spacecraft returned Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao to Earth after more than 150 days in space. The station is now staffed by astronauts who arrived on the Shenzhou-17 mission last week. (10/31)

Maxar Hires New CEO for Imagery Business (Source: Space News)
Maxar has hired a new CEO of its satellite imagery business. The company said Monday that Dan Smoot will take over as CEO of Maxar Intelligence effective next week, replacing Daniel Jablonsky, who will remain with the company as a member of the board of directors. Maxar, acquired by a private equity firm earlier this year, split into two business lines last month, Maxar Intelligence and Maxar Space Systems. The company announced a number of other executive appointments for Maxar Intelligence, but said there were no changes at Maxar Space Systems, which manufactures satellites. (10/31)

Space Force to Procure 27 MEO Missile Defense Satellites (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force is moving forward with plans to procure 27 missile-defense satellites for a medium Earth orbit constellation using an approach similar to SDA. The service said it will use spiral development to deploy that constellation, starting with nine "Epoch 1" satellites in 2027 followed two to three years later by 18 "Epoch 2" satellites, a Space Force official said at the MilSat Symposium earlier this month. Two vendors, Millennium Space Systems and Raytheon, already were selected to supply Epoch 1 satellites but the Space Force said later phases will be open for competition. (10/31)

China's Space Pioneer Raises Funds for Rocket Development (Source: Space News)
Chinese launch vehicle developer Space Pioneer has raised a new funding round. The company said it closed a "C+" funding round last week worth several hundred million yuan. This 12th round of funding will go toward completing the Tianlong-3 rocket, capable of lifting 17 tons to LEO and with a first launch planned first half of 2024. The funds will also be used for the production of the smaller Tianlong-2, which had a successful inaugural flight in April this year. (10/31)

Mitsubishi Announces Ambitious Launch Schedule for Japan’s Unproven H3 Rocket (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Once Japan’s H3 rocket is finally ready, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. plans to launch it into space at least six times a year, according to several media reports. But the rocket, designed to carry heavier payloads than Japan’s H2 rocket, will have to overcome the fact that it’s yet to successfully launch. After a technical malfunction delayed its first launch from February to March, a failure to ignite in the second stage resulted in operators electing to send a destruct command to the rocket as a precaution.

The mission failure also destroyed the H3’s payload, the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-3 (ALOS-3) Earth observation satellite. The investigation is ongoing and no new launch date has been set for the system. However, Mitsubishi, which co-develops the rocket, told reporters this month it hopes to launch again for the other co-developer, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), as soon as early 2024. And once it does, it hopes to begin the ambitious new launch cadence. (10/30)