November 13, 2023

Astra Buyout Under Consideration (Source: Ars Technica)
Astra's financials have taken a nose dive. When Astra went public in mid-2021, it had a valuation of $2.6 billion. The company's market value is around $25 million, based on Astra's closing price on the Nasdaq stock exchange. A week ago, Astra's market value was even lower. The number rose after Astra revealed Thursday that Kemp and London made an offer to take the company private in a bid to save the startup they established in 2016.

In their offer, Kemp and London, an expert in miniature rocket engines, wrote that they anticipate raising $60 million to $65 million in capital for Astra, based on their proposed purchase price per share, cash consideration to shareholders, and other factors. They wrote that this will provide "sufficient incremental capital to allow Astra to meet its strategic and financial objectives as a privately held company."

It's not clear how long it will take for Kemp and London to complete their "due diligence" before finalizing the terms of the transaction, but their familiarity with the company—Kemp is CEO, and London is the chief technology officer—should help things go quickly. Headquartered in Alameda, California, Astra went public via a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in mid-2021. (11/13)

SpaceX Says its 2nd Starship Test Flight Could Launch on Nov. 17 (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX's next Starship test launch could lift off as early as Nov. 17, pending regulatory approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies. The potential launch from SpaceX's Starbase test site at Boca Chica Beach near Brownsville, Texas will mark the company's second test flight of an orbital class Starship and Super Heavy booster — the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. SpaceX launched its first Starship test flight in April, but it exploded shortly after liftoff. (11/11)

Unraveling the Impact of Space on Military and Taiwan’s Daunting Prospects (Source: Space News)
In the wake of the full-scale Russian invasion, global attention has focused on Western military support extended to Ukraine. Much of this recognition centers on the provision of conventional resources, such as ammunition, fighting vehicles, tanks, artillery, air defense systems. The most indispensable facet of support often goes unnoticed while quietly shaping Ukraine’s battlefield success. We are talking about space-based capabilities and their effects.

The nation is actively tapping into the unmatched space power of the U.S., NATO, and their associated commercial space sectors. Regardless of the exact dynamics of the ‘targeting’ relationship, it is clear the backing of the world’s premier space infrastructure and targeting framework has crucially shifted the conflict’s balance.

The logistical challenges of assisting Taiwan—or any other Indo-Pacific partner—diverge starkly from the Ukrainian context. Taiwan is an isolated island, complicating avenues for assistance once hostilities commence. Very few options exist without direct involvement. This has stirred doubts globally about the U.S.’s likelihood of intervention despite directive legislation. However, should the U.S. decide to intervene, China’s approach will unquestionably depart from Russia’s restraint, especially in counter-space actions. (11/13)

Partnership Sends Choctaw Heirloom Seeds to ISS (Source: Karmactive)
The Choctaw Nation has sent heirloom seeds to the ISS. The SpaceX CRS-29 mission carried these seeds, symbols of the Choctaw’s enduring agricultural legacy, into orbit. Five varieties of Choctaw seeds will journey to space including  (Choctaw Sweet Potato Squash), Tvnishi (a spinach-like leafy green), Tobi (Smith Peas), Chukfi (Peas), and Tanchi Tohbi (Flour Corn). Dr. Kathryn Gardner-Vandy, a Choctaw citizen and the mission’s lead, has been instrumental in mission, holding CNO and Boeing together to send the Choctaw seeds to the ISS. (11/5)

ISS Cargo Flight (CRS-29) Carried Bacteria/Virus Fighting Polymer Coating (Source: Boeing)
Boeing Research and Technology-Australia partnered with researchers at the University of Queensland to develop a polymer coating that is designed to fight the spread of bacteria and viruses. The team is interested in testing the coating’s durability and performance against microbes deposited by touch and through the air on the International Space Station. What we learn about this coating will be essential to safe long-duration human spaceflight, and could have tangible benefits here on Earth, particularly in high-traffic areas that serve as disease vectors. (11/13)

ESA Further Boosts RFA One Across Europe (Source: Space Daily)
ESA has committed further 'Boost! Programme' funding to German startup Rocket Factory Augsburg, known as RFA, for the development of commercial space transportation services based on the RFA One launch vehicle at sites in Portugal, Germany and the UK. RFA One is an orbital vehicle that will have three stages and be launched from its SaxaVord launch pad in the UK. Measuring 30 m tall and 2 m in diameter, RFA One targets a deployment capability of up to 1300 kg to a 500 km polar orbit. (11/9)

SpaceX Launches Planet Lab's Pelican-1 and SuperDoves (Source: Space Daily)
Planet Labs achieved a major milestone with the successful launch and commissioning of Pelican-1, its first technology demonstration satellite for the upcoming high-resolution Pelican fleet. The Transporter-9 launch not only marked the inauguration of the Pelican constellation but also included 36 advanced SuperDoves, known as Flock 4Q, enhancing Planet's capabilities in providing daily, comprehensive Earth data. The successful contact and ongoing commissioning process with each satellite highlights Planet's robust operational efficiency in space missions. (11/12)

SES mPower Satellite Launched by SpaceX at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space News)
SES resumed launches of its mPower satellites Sunday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 4:08 p.m. Eastern and deployed the third pair of mPower satellites about two hours later. The satellites join four others that have suffered electrical problems, prompting a months-long delay to investigate the issue. While later mPower satellites will incorporate changes to fix those electrical problems, the two launched Sunday were not modified. With six satellites in orbit, SES will be able to begin initial commercial broadband services next year while it continues to deploy the remainder of the fleet. (11/13)

SpaceX Launches Transporter-9 Rideshare Mission at California Spaceport (Source: Space News)
SpaceX launched the ninth in its series of dedicated smallsat rideshare missions Saturday. A Falcon 9 launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on the Transporter-9 mission, deploying 90 payloads into sun-synchronous orbit. Those payloads include several orbital transfer vehicles that will later deploy additional satellites, bringing the total number of satellites on the launch to more than 110. Satellite operators have praised the Transporter series of missions, which they say provide regular and low-cost launches for smallsats, but small launch vehicle companies argue those low prices undermine their business cases. (11/13)

Rogue Space Flies on Transporter-9 (Source: Space News)
Among the customers on Transporter-9 was the first mission for satellite servicing startup Rogue Space Systems. The company launched its Barry-1 satellite on Transporter-9 to test the company's on-board computing software and its ability to aggregate data from multiple sensors and process that data in real time. That technology was developed with funding from the U.S. Space Force's Orbital Prime program. Rogue Space is planning to launch more demonstrations in 2024 under a partnership with defense contractor SAIC. (11/13)

Avanti Seeks to Link GEO and LEO Constellation Capacity (Source: Space News)
Avanti Communications is in talks to augment its GEO satellite fleet with capacity from a LEO operator. Avanti's CEO said the company is in the final stages of negotiations with an unnamed operator who would provide Avanti with capacity on its constellation, allowing Avanti to market it to its customers as part of a multi-orbit offering. Customers would get an integrated connectivity service with more network management for their needs. Avanti has a fleet of five geostationary satellites, giving it Ka-band broadband coverage across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. (11/13)

Saber Wins Space Force Contract for Cislunar Data Visualization (Source: Space News)
Saber Astronautics has won a Space Force contract to develop data visualization software focused on cislunar space. The $1.2 million contract announced last week is a Small Business Technology Transfer Phase 2 award that increases the Space Force's investment in Saber's "Space Cockpit" visualization platform that the company started developing in 2019. Saber will work with Purdue University on technologies to track and predict the trajectories of satellites traveling in the region between Earth and the moon, a domain of growing interest to the Space Force. (11/13)

Dragon Docks with ISS (Source: Space.com)
A Dragon cargo spacecraft docked with the International Space Station early Saturday. The Dragon docked autonomously with the station's Harmony module at 5:07 a.m. Eastern. The spacecraft launched Thursday night on the CRS-29 resupply mission to the station, delivering nearly 3,000 kilograms of equipment, experiments and other supplies for the station. The Dragon will remain at the ISS for about a month. (11/13)

Spanish Companies Charged with Breaking Nondisclosure Agreements on Zero2Infinity Project (Source: Space News)
Three companies have been charged in Spain with unlawful use of trade secrets of high-altitude ballooning company Zero2Infinity. The indictment claims that Halo Space, Eos X Space Technologies Corp. and Arthur D. Little Spain used information from Zero2Infinity to establish competing companies to provide tourism and launch services using a stratospheric balloon. Zero2Infinity had worked with Arthur D. Little Spain to help raise money under a nondisclosure agreement, but Arthur D. Little Spain then allegedly used the information to raise money for competing companies using the Zero2Infinity information. (11/13)

Starfish Space Abandons Otter Pup After Thruster Malfunction (Source: GeekWire)
Starfish Space has given up on efforts to develop an alternative mission for its Otter Pup spacecraft after a thruster malfunction. The spacecraft, a tech demo for the satellite servicing company, was launched in June on the Transporter-8 rideshare mission, but the orbital transfer vehicle carrying the spacecraft malfunctioned. Starfish Space was able to restore control of Otter Pup and was planning to have it rendezvous with another spacecraft, but its electric propulsion system recently stopped working. While Otter Pup will no longer be able to rendezvous with another spacecraft, the rest of the spacecraft is still working and will be tested in orbit as the company builds a second spacecraft. (11/13)

The Bodily Indignities of Space Life (Source: New York Times)
As an incubator of life, Earth has a lot going for it, something we often fail to appreciate fully from within its nurturing bounds. Merely sending probes and rovers to the moon and Mars won’t do. For various reasons — adventure! apocalypse! commerce! — we insist upon taking our corporeal selves off-world too. Multiple private companies have announced plans to put hotels in space soon. NASA is aiming to 3-D-print lunar neighborhoods within a couple of decades. And while it will probably take longer than that to build and populate an outpost on Mars, preparations are being made.

It’s easy to lose sight of how hostile space is to Earthlings. As a reminder, consider what would happen if you found yourself in low Earth orbit or on Mars or the moon without a spacesuit on. You would pass out from a lack of oxygen within a matter of seconds, a condition known as hypoxia, and die soon thereafter. In the brief meantime, all the gases inside your body, including any air still in your lungs, would expand in the absence of external pressure. Depressurization would also cause your internal fluids to bubble. Not because they’re heating up, but because they are transmogrifying into their gaseous state. Click here. (11/12)

NASA Confident of 3D Printing Houses on the Moon by 2040 (Source: 3D Printing Industry)
Through an ongoing collaboration with Texas-based 3D printing construction firm ICON, NASA hopes to 3D print homes on the moon by 2040 as part of its Artemis mission. This partnership has already seen ICON receive $30 million in NASA funding back in 2020, and an additional $57.2 million in 2022, to support its Project Olympus initiative. Through Project Olympus, ICON is working to develop a 3D printer that can fabricate buildings out of concrete made from rock chips, mineral fragments, and dust readily available on the lunar surface. 

NASA and ICON’s mission seeks to create houses that are not only suitable to NASA astronauts, but can also be used by ordinary citizens, with the long term goal of creating a permanent human colony on the moon and eventually Mars. Click here. (10/16)