November 2, 2023

Dassault Expands Aerospace on Space Coast, with Local/State Incentives (Source: Florida Today)
Dassault's future maintenance facility in Melbourne is projected to create 400 new jobs with average annual wages of $86,120 — while bringing in "ultra-high-net-worth customers" on trips to the Space Coast, Brevard County officials say. Land-clearing and site work are well underway across 48 acres on Melbourne Orlando International Airport property.

To defray infrastructure costs, the City Council unanimously adjusted the airport's budget in October 2022 to accept a $6.6 million Florida Department of Transportation grant for the project. This $6.6 million FDOT grant is financing an environmental assessment, land-clearing, apron construction, utility extensions, stormwater drainage, an Apollo Boulevard median cut, and security equipment, an agenda memo said. The EDC of Florida’s Space Coast worked with local and state partners including Space Florida, and CareerSource Brevard to secure this competitive project. (11/2)

Heterogeneity of Earth's Mantle May Be Relics of Moon Formation (Source: Space Daily)
An interdisciplinary international research team has recently discovered that a massive anomaly deep within the Earth's interior may be a remnant of the collision about 4.5 billion years ago that formed the Moon. This research offers important new insights not only into Earth's internal structure but also its long-term evolution and the formation of the inner solar system. (11/2)

Innovative Three Legged Landing System Tested for Small Body Exploration (Source: Space Daily)
A team from the Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, and Polytechnic University of Milan have made significant strides in the development of landing mechanisms tailored for small celestial bodies. These environments pose unique challenges due to their low gravity and unpredictable terrain, demanding innovative approaches to ensure safe and stable landings.

The research delves into the intricate mechanics of a legged landing system designed to navigate the uncertain and irregular surfaces that typify these celestial bodies. The researchers concentrated on the mechanism's ability to absorb impact without rebounding or capsizing, crucial for the integrity of the landing equipment and the overall success of the mission.The legged landing apparatus, as simulated, incorporates a myriad of components including landing feet, legs, cardan elements, damping mechanisms, and a base to house equipment.  (11/2)

NRL ISS Mission Seeks New Bioinspired Materials (Source: Space Daily)
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's Melanized Microbes for Multiple Uses in Space Project, or MELSP, will use the International Space Station (ISS) to search for production of melanin variants and other useful biomaterials that can have applications both on Earth and in space. The mission is scheduled to launch in early November 2023. Melanin is described as a group of biopolymers responsible for various biological functions, including pigmentation of skin, hair, and iris of the eyes, which helps protect body cells from solar radiation damage. (11/2)

After Vulcan Slips, Space Force Ends Up Awarding More Missions to SpaceX (Source: Ars Technica)
The US Space Force this week awarded a massive round of launch contracts to two companies to carry its national security satellites and other payloads into orbit over the next several years. As part of this package, ULA received 11 launch contracts worth a total of $1.30 billion, and SpaceX got 10 missions worth $1.23 billion. These values include the cost of launch services, mission integration, and "mission success" incentives.

The ULA launches will all occur on the company's new Vulcan rocket, while seven of the 10 SpaceX missions will fly on the Falcon 9, and three will fly on the company's larger Falcon Heavy booster.

One of the main intrigues in national security launch is whether the ongoing delays of the Vulcan rocket—which was originally due to launch in 2020—would impact the share of launches ULA received from the government. And based on the latest data, this appears to have happened. Instead of receiving an anticipated 60 percent of launch orders from 2019 to 2023, ULA has only received 54 percent from the military. This amounts to three fewer launches, or a lost value of about $350 million. (11/2)

SpaceX Bigger Than Tesla? (Source: MarketWatch)
An investor in SpaceX thinks the company may one day be more valuable than another Elon Musk company, Tesla. Ron Baron of Baron Capital invested about $700 million into SpaceX several years ago, and says he predicts the company, currently valued at $150 billion, to be worth $500–600 billion by 2030. He added he expected the company to grow further in the 2030s, potentially exceeding the valuation of Tesla, which he expects to be worth $4 trillion in the next 10 years. That growth, he said, will be driven by SpaceX's Starlink broadband system. (11/2)

NOAA Expects Intense Solar Cycle (Source: Sky & Telescope)
A new forecast predicts an earlier, and more intense, peak of the solar cycle. The updated prediction by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center projects the current cycle of solar activity to peak between January and October of 2024, versus earlier forecasts that expected the peak to come as late as 2026. That peak will feature a sunspot number of 137 to 173, compared to earlier predictions of 90 to 130. While the solar cycle will peak next year, the decay will be slower than its rise, meaning continued high solar activity until at least 2027. (11/2)

AURA Gets New Director (Source: AURA)
The center than handles science operations of the Hubble and Webb space telescopes has a new director. The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, which operates the Space Telescope Science Center, said Wednesday it selected Jennifer Lotz to be its next director, starting in February. Lotz is a galactic astronomer who most recently was director of the International Gemini Observatory. The center, located in Baltimore, handles science operations for Hubble and Webb and will have a similar role for the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. (11/2)

UK Wants OneWeb Satellites to Host IRIS Payloads (Source: Space News)
The British government is pushing Europe to combine OneWeb's second-generation satellite constellation with a European system. George Freeman, the U.K.'s space minister, believes European plans for a sovereign satellite network, called Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite or IRIS², could be served by flying hosted payloads on OneWeb's proposed second-generation satellites. That partnership, he argued, would be enabled because of Eutelsat's acquisition of OneWeb. He argued it would save money by combining IRIS², projected to cost 6 billion euros, with the $4 billion OneWeb Gen 2 constellation. (11/2)

Netherlands and Iceland Join Artemis Accords (Source: Space News)
The Netherlands and Iceland are the latest countries to sign the Artemis Accords. The Netherlands signed the document, which outlines best practices for sustainable space exploration based on the Outer Space Treaty and other agreements, at an event Wednesday in Washington. Iceland signed the Accords last month, but was not announced until the Netherlands signing. A total of 31 nations have signed the Artemis Accords since they were rolled out in 2020. (11/2)

Delta Switches to Hughes for In-Flight Connectivity (Source: Space News)
Delta Air Lines is replacing Intelsat with Hughes as its in-flight connectivity provider for hundreds of its airliners. Hughes Network Systems will provide satellite connectivity for 400 Boeing 717 and regional jets in North America that currently use Intelsat. Hughes said the antennas it will start installing on those planes in mid-2024 will be compatible with its geostationary Ka-band satellites as well as constellations like SES O3b mPower and Telesat Lightspeed. Delta will use Viasat for its larger aircraft. The airline conducted exploratory tests with SpaceX's Starlink constellation last year but has not moved forward with any deal. (11/2)

Armagno Joins Rocket Lab Board (Source: Space News)
A retired Space Force general has joined the board of Rocket Lab. The company announced Wednesday that Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno has joined the board after retiring from the Space Force in July. Her most recent assignment was director of staff in the Office of the Chief of Space Operations at the Pentagon. Before transferring to the Space Force in 2020, she was director of space programs in the Air Force's acquisition branch and was also the only Air Force officer to command both the Eastern and Western Ranges. Rocket Lab said her expertise will help the company grow its business, particularly as it seeks to win more U.S. government work. (11/2)

Senate Passes Bill for NASA Role in Active Space Debris Removal (Source: Space News)
The Senate has passed a bill that would establish an active debris removal program at NASA. The Senate passed via unanimous consent the ORBITS Act, would which direct NASA to create a program to fund development of systems capable of removing debris from Earth orbit, including demonstration missions for those systems. An earlier version of the ORBITS Act passed the Senate in 2022 but died in the House. The Senate also passed the Launch Communications Act, directing the FCC to streamline access to spectrum for commercial launches and reentries. (11/2)

Sidus Space Awarded Contract to Support Commercial Lunar Transportation (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus Space has been awarded an Indefinite-Delivery/ Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide services to a US owned company in support of their commercial lunar program. The 5-year, IDIQ contract has a $10 Million ceiling. Sidus will be supporting a lunar transportation, infrastructure and exploration services company with Program Management, Flight Software, Command & Data Handling (C&DH), Electrical and Thermal support services. (11/2)

Palace Intrigue: NASA Leaders Pay Visits to Both Blue Origin and SpaceX (Source: Quartz)
NASA’s top officials took tours last week at the companies hired to put astronauts on the Moon before China does. Bill Nelson stopped by Blue Origin’s engine production facility in Huntsville. Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin’s founder and financier, was there to greet them, along with top execs like John Couloris, a former pilot and early SpaceX employee who now leads Blue Origin’s lunar programs, and Linda Cova, who is in charge of engine development at Blue Origin.

That same day, NASA associate administrator Pam Melroy stopped by SpaceX headquarters in California. She met Jessica Jensen and executives leading the engineering teams behind Dragon and Starship, the fully reusable rocket that NASA wants to use to put astronauts on the Moon. NASA is paying SpaceX about $4 billion to develop Starship as a lunar lander and perform two crewed landings as soon as 2026 and 2027. Blue Origin is getting $3.4 billion to build its “Blue Moon” lander and take astronauts to the surface of the Moon in 2029.

Neither company would share updates on their taxpayer-funded work with Quartz. Given the dearth of information, it’s tempting to go full Kremlinology: What does it mean that Bezos was there to see Nelson? How come SpaceX employees weren’t photographed with Melroy? Is NASA subtly signaling that it would like to see more from its contractors with these visits? Click here. (11/2)

Artemis II SLS Core Stage Approaches Final Assembly (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com)
Boeing is ramping up work on NASA's Space Launch System Core Stage-2 at the Michoud Assembly Facility, aiming to complete final testing by the end of November and the entire stage by year's end. This stage is critical for the Artemis II mission, which will send astronauts back to the lunar surface. (10/28)

DIA Upgrades Data Analysis Tech with MARS System (Source: Breaking Defense)
This spring, the Defense Intelligence Agency is set to launch the Machine-Assisted Analytic Rapid-Repository System, a cloud-based database designed to enhance intelligence analysis, with full operational capability expected in 2025. MARS will automate routine processes and apply artificial intelligence and machine learning to manage and interpret large data sets. (11/1)

Space Florida, Israel Innovation Authority Announce 11th Joint Call for Projects, $2 Million in Research Funding Available (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida and Israel Innovation Authority announced the 11th call for project proposals. The research and development funding available, valued at $2 million, aims to cultivate an aerospace ecosystem and further strengthen the economic relationship between Florida and Israel. To date, Florida and Israel have helped fund $20 million in valuable and innovative research. (11/1)

Space Systems Command Debuts Space Domain Awareness TAP Lab Accelerator (Source: GovCon Daily)
The U.S. Space Systems Command unveiled a new accelerator program for space domain awareness technology, applications and process at its operations command headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Space Domain Awareness TAP Lab Accelerator is supported by the nonprofit Virginia Tech Applied Research Corp. and Mitre. (11/1)

NSF-Funded Research to Study Liver Regeneration in Space (Source: CASIS)
To better understand the mechanisms behind the decline of liver regeneration in the elderly, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) will send tissue chips containing liver cells and immune cells to space. The investigation, funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, will use small devices designed to model the function of human tissue. Researchers will observe microgravity-induced changes in human physiology relevant to disease, which could lead to novel therapies for patients on Earth. (11/1)

Study Brings Us Closer to Solar Space Farms That Beam Renewable Energy to Earth (Source: Salon)
New findings from the Universities of Surrey and Swansea, however, show that the production of a new, lightweight solar panel is possible — and that it could withstand solar radiation for more than six years, generating power even after 30,000 orbits of the planet. Craig Underwood, emeritus professor of spacecraft engineering at the University of Surrey Space Center, is the study's lead author.

“We are very pleased that a mission designed to last one year is still working after six. These detailed data show the panels have resisted radiation and their thin-film structure has not deteriorated in the harsh thermal and vacuum conditions of space," Underwood said. Planetary physicist Phil Metzger, of the University of Central Florida, said "It is not just the low mass of this technology that is important, but also the fact that it is flexible enough to be launched on rollers then deployed to a very large size using a simple mechanical process. This will reduce the mass of the deployment system and make it more reliable, greatly reducing the cost." (10/31)

Military Confirms Minuteman ICBM Terminated During Vandenberg Test (Source: NoozHawk)
Crews at Vandenberg Space Force Base safely terminated an unarmed Minuteman III missile test early Wednesday morning after something went awry during the flight. Space Launch Delta 30 personnel at Vandenberg issued the destruct command after spotting an anomaly as the intercontinental ballistic missile flew over the Pacific Ocean at 12:06 a.m. The three-stage weapon reportedly launched around midnight, popping out of an underground silo on North Base. (11/1)

National Space Society Chapter Returns to Florida (Source: FSDC)
The Florida Space Development Council, a chapter of the National Space Society, has returned from a deep space mission.Over the years, our chapter has been a hub for space enthusiasts and professionals in the Sunshine State. However, our chapter has been dormant for a while. We are thrilled to announce that we are back in action to reignite the chapter and would love for you to be a part of it! (11/1)

Bill Would Add Space Responsibilities to Port Canaveral Charter (Source: Florida Today)
A bill heading to the Florida Legislature in January adds a section to the Canaveral Port Authority's charter, under which Port Canaveral would be required to "take reasonable measures to support the commercial space launch industry." SpaceX uses the port facilities in its recovery of boosters and other launched space hardware, and Blue Origin will be following suit.

Port Canaveral Chief Executive Officer John Murray said: "Port Canaveral continues to work closely with commercial space companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin to support their launch and recovery operations. In fact, since 2017, a total of 142 recovered boosters and more than 250 recovered fairings have returned through Port Canaveral, and handled over our berths. So it's a very important part of our business operations."

Under Sirois' proposal, Port Canaveral would have to provide an annual report to the chair of the Space Florida board of directors on its efforts, as well as hold a public hearing at least once every two years to discuss the state of commercial space launch industry interests at Port Canaveral. In a related action, the Space Coast's legislative delegation approved an amendment indicating that a function of the Canaveral Port Authority is "to facilitate and assist in human spaceflight, space exploration and Department of Defense launch activities." (10/31)

Scientists Have Finally Found the Origins of a Mysterious Asteroid (Source: Fronteras)
Kamo'oalewa — a space rock co-orbiting the sun with the Earth — likely came from the moon, rather than zooming in from a ring of asteroids beyond Mars, as is typical. A chunk of rock knocked off the moon by a collision should fall back to the lunar surface or end up orbiting, or falling onto, the Earth — not circling the sun alongside our blue planet in an orbit that is seemingly stable over millions of years. But that’s exactly what Kamo'oalewa did, thanks to the bank-shot to end all bank-shots. (11/1)

NASA's InSPA Aims to Stimulate Commercial Manufacturing in Low Earth Orbit (Source: Space Daily)
NASA has outlined a comprehensive strategy for its In Space Production Applications (InSPA), aimed at stimulating commercial manufacturing initiatives in low Earth orbit (LEO). This program employs a multi-phase award process designed to elevate the technological readiness of selected projects and boost their market viability.

NASA's annual calls for white papers under its Research Opportunities for International Space Station Utilization program mark the first step in identifying promising U.S.-based entities. Those selected to move on are then invited to submit full proposals for evaluation. If chosen, the companies enter into a Firm Fixed Price contract with NASA, thereby gaining access to the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory and its on-orbit resources, including data transmission, power, and U.S. Operating Segment crew time. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) supervises the approval process for these payloads. (11/1)

CGI Pilots Integrated Satellite and Terrestrial Networks for Seamless Broadband on Trains (Source: Space Daily)
In an ambitious initiative to modernize and improve the United Kingdom's rail network, technology solutions firm CGI, satellite operator Eutelsat OneWeb, and connectivity solutions provider Icomera are conducting live trials of a hybrid satellite and terrestrial communication network. The effort is part of the Satellites for Digitalisation of Railways (SODOR) project, supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) and UK Space Agency (UKSA).

The trio aims to demonstrate how low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite networks can fill the coverage voids in terrestrial systems and provide additional capacity cost-effectively. The pilot is set to take place on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway later this month, offering a robust test environment to evaluate the performance of the integrated network in rural settings. (11/1)

Dream Chaser Moving From Colorado to Ohio for Testing (Source: Denver7)
After years in the making, the world's first commercial space plane, Dream Chaser, will soon be shipped from Louisville, Colorado, to a NASA facility in Ohio. The first spacecraft of the Dream Chaser series, Tenacity, is set to launch from the Kennedy Space Center next year. Sierra Space is building a second Dream Chaser space plane. Each plane can fly up to 15 times, according to Wise. Tenacity and the second plane will be used for the seven ISS missions. (10/31)