November 28, 2023

Europe Turns to Competition to Improve its Launch Industry’s Competitiveness (Source: Space Review)
At a European Space Summit earlier this month, ESA member states agreed to both support existing launch vehicles and open the door to future competition. Jeff Foust reports on how government and industry officials in Europe are viewing the prospects for new competition for launch services. Click here. (11/27)
 
Olimp and Yenisei-2: Russia’s Secretive Eavesdropping Satellites (Source: Space Review)
Russia has two GEO satellites that are eavesdropping on commercial communications satellites. Bart Hendrickx examines who in Russia is operating those satellites and what their future plans might be. Click here. (11/27)
 
Searching for the Ice Hidden on the Moon (Source: Space Review)
India’s Chandryaan-3 lander marked the beginning of a new wave of missions focused on studying the Moon’s south polar region, thought to contain water ice. Paul Hayne describes how future missions will help better identify the presence and accessibility of that ice. Click here. (11/27)
 
Oxygen for Mars (Source: Space Review)
Any proposal for the terraforming of Mars requires the production of huge volumes of oxygen. John Strickland examines just how much effort would be required to create that oxygen. Click here. (11/27)

Musk Says How New Starship Version Will Be Different From The Old (Source: Benzinga)
Elon Musk on Friday detailed the differences in design of its new Starship version as compared to the last: "Version 2 of the ship holds more propellant, reduces dry mass and improves reliability,” Musk wrote. He was responding to a user seeking answers on the new and upcoming version of the launch vehicle. He also wrote that Starship is intended to carry a lot of people on tens of thousands of flights. “…so needs to be extremely reliable over time. It will be,” Musk wrote. (11/25)

A Horrifying Thing Happens to Your Fingernails After a Walk in Space (Source: Science Alert)
Going to space is havoc on the human body. We evolved in an Earth environment, over hundreds of millions of years; so take away the Earth environment and things start going a little awry. There's bone and muscle density loss. There's vision problems from too much fluid in the brain; without gravity, bodily wetness is free to just float around inside willy-nilly.

There's the problem with urination; turns out gravity is pretty essential to our sense of when we need to pee. There's possible erectile dysfunction (and it's not for the reason you think). And in a particularly grotesque downside to spaceflight, after performing an extravehicular activity (EVA), more commonly known as a spacewalk, a surprising number of astronauts' fingernails just… fall off. Yep. It's gross. The technical term is onycholysis and the problem seems to have a lot more to do with atmospheric pressure than gravity. (11/28)

Mysterious Blasts of Radiation Might Stem From Our Universe's Most Extreme Stars (Source: Space.com)
New research has revealed that different types of neutron stars, born when massive stars die, behave in a similar way. This might sound like a minor result, but in the grand scheme of things, it's a finding that further supports the idea that these extreme dead stars — so dense a tablespoon of one equals something like the weight of Mount Everest — could be behind mysterious blasts of radiation called Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs).

Millisecond-long bursts of radio emission FRBs seem to come from sources beyond the limits of the Milky Way, yet since their discovery in 2007, their origins have remained shrouded in mystery. There is one possible suspect, however: Highly magnetic neutron stars, or magnetars. And the team behind the new discovery found that magnetars indeed share a relationship between the pulse structure and rotation that also present in other so-called "radio-loud" neutron stars. (11/27)

Russia Falls Further Behind US, China in Launches (Source: Douglas's Substack)
Russia has not reached 30 launches since 2014 when its conducted 34 flights. The last decade has seen a decline in Russian launches as the U.S. companies have seized back the commercial market and China has risen to threaten American and Russian dominance in space.

This year is turning out to be the most lopsided one yet even as the world sets a new record for launches. U.S. companies have soared past 100 launches behind a previously unimaginable 88 launch attempts by SpaceX. China is on track to meet its goal of launching more than 60 times this year. (11/27)

1st Vulcan Centaur Rocket Will Fly DNA Samples of CEO, 'Star Trek' Crew (Source: Space.com)
A new United Launch Alliance rocket will now send its CEO's DNA into space alongside an already announced memorial for "Star Trek". Memorial space burial company Celestis Inc. plans to fly the DNA of ULA CEO Tory Bruno, along with the DNA of his wife Rebecca, on the first-ever mission for the Vulcan Centaur rocket on Dec. 24.

The Brunos' genetic material joins dozens of files, cremated remains, and DNA samples of its "passengers." Prominent among previous announcements are several "Star Trek" luminaries, including Nichelle Nichols, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, series creator Gene Roddenberry, and Roddenberry's wife Majel Barrett Roddenberry. Douglas Trumbull, a visual effects wizard for movies "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977), also joins many others bound for interplanetary space.  (11/27)

What is the Biggest Planet Ever Found? (Source: Space.com)
Our planet is tiny. Even in our own solar system, Earth is dwarfed by gas giants like Jupiter. But are there bigger planets out there? How much bigger? What is the biggest planet we know of? The answer depends on several factors, including how you define a planet. Even so, there are a few candidates for the largest known planet. One of the largest is called ROXs 42Bb, a gas giant orbiting a star about 460 light-years from Earth. It is about nine times the mass of Jupiter and has a radius of about 2.5 that of Jupiter. (11/27)

China Makes Progress on Raptor-Like Engines for Super Heavy Rocket (Source: Space News)
China is progressing with a program to develop full-flow staged-combustion-cycle methane engines to power its reusable Long March 9 super heavy-lift launcher. Work to develop full-flow staged-combustion-cycle methane-liquid oxygen rocket engines producing 200 tons of thrust includes progress on overall design and components. Testing includes firing prototype and scaled components such as igniters, gas generators and thrust chambers. (11/27)

DoD's Hicks to Oversee Commercial Integration Strategy (Source: Space News)
Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks is overseeing the Pentagon's first commercial space integration strategy. The strategy is intended to "drive integration and ensure the availability of commercial space solutions during competition, crisis and conflict," a Pentagon spokesman said Monday.

The new commercial strategy joins other initiatives led by Hicks, including a project to rapidly develop fleets of unmanned vehicles and platforms using artificial intelligence and other advanced commercial technologies, which she has pushed as a lesson from Ukraine's war against Russia. The new strategy comes as the Pentagon seeks to tap into advancements in commercial space technology to maintain an advantage over China, now seen as America's top military competitor. (11/28)

DoD Adds Four Companies to LEO Services Contract (Source: Space News)
The Defense Department has added four companies to a contract vehicle for low Earth orbit satellite services. The four companies — AT&T, Honeywell Aerospace, Iridium and Lynk Global — join 16 companies on the Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) Satellite-Based Services contract, first announced in July. The contract is run by the Defense Information Systems Agency, which issued a request for proposals last week for satellite-based services under that contract worth up to $900 million over five years. The agency previously awarded SpaceX a $70 million task order under the PLEO contract in September for Starlink services. (11/28)

New Version of RL10 Engine Flying Soon on Vulcan Centaur (Source: Space News)
A new version of the RL10 upper-stage engine will make its debut in 2025. At a briefing Monday, executives with Aerojet Rocketdyne and ULA said they expected the first use of the RL10C-X engine to be in 2025 on ULA's Vulcan Centaur rocket. The RL10C-X includes greater use of additive manufacturing, among other upgrades, to improve performance and lower costs. ULA ordered more than 100 RL10C-X engines last year for use on Vulcan Centaur. The briefing Monday marked the 60th anniversary of the first launch of an RL10 engine on an Atlas Centaur. (11/28)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Satellites From Florida (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
SpaceX launched another set of Starlink satellites late Monday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 11:20 p.m. Eastern and deployed 23 Starlink satellites a little more than an hour later. The rocket's first stage landed on a droneship to complete its 17th flight. (11/28)

Rocket Lab Delays Return-to-Flight (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab has delayed the return to flight of its Electron rocket by two weeks. The company had previously planned to launch an Electron this week from its New Zealand launch site carrying a radar imaging satellite for Japanese company iQPS. However, Rocket Lab announced it had delayed the launch to no earlier than Dec. 13 to give it time to perform a wet dress rehearsal of the rocket. The launch will be the first for Electron since a September launch failure. (11/28)

ESA Switches to Backup Propulsion for Cryosat (Source: ESA)
ESA has switched to a backup propulsion system on its CryoSat satellite to extend the mission's life. The switch, made last week, was prompted by a fuel leak that threatened to end the mission in 2025. Switching to a backup system should allow CryoSat, launched in 2010 to monitor changes in polar ice sheets, to remain operating for up to 10 more years. (11/28)

L3Harris to Offload Commercial Aviation Unit (Source: Reuters)
Space Coast-based L3Harris Technologies is selling its commercial aviation solutions business to private equity firm TJC L.P. for $800 million, including a $700 million cash purchase. L3Harris plans to use the proceeds from this sale to repay debt. (11/27)

Understanding Consciousness Is Key to Unlocking Secrets of the Universe (Source: Scientific American)
It turns out that our subjective consciousness appears to have a big role in the finer workings of physics at large—especially at the quantum level, where there may be no objective outcomes, only subjective experiences. Two philosophers, David Chalmers and Kelvin McQueen, have suggested that the mind itself creates a quantum collapse effect. Others, of course, disagree. One cognitive scientist thinks it happens the other way around—that the collapse effect is what creates consciousness. (11/27)

Commercial Space is Key to Achieving Government Goals (Source: NSG)
Governments are leveraging partnerships with commercial entities to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and stimulate innovation. This shift has not only expanded the scope of space activities but has also fostered a more dynamic and competitive industry.

Joint efforts among nations are becoming more common, with shared goals in scientific research, technology development, and space missions. Such collaborations not only reduce individual financial burdens but also promote knowledge exchange and resource sharing. The trends and impacts of government spending through 2030 include: increased in public private partnerships; continued dominance of national security and defense spending; and rising global investments. (11/27)

Stratolaunch Awarded Flight Test Contract for the Navy’s MACH-TB Hypersonic Program (Source: Stratolaunch)
Stratolaunch announces the receipt of a flight test contract award from Leidos, the prime contractor for the Navy’s Multiservice Advanced Capability Test Bed (MACH-TB). The contract award is funded by Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division through the Strategic and Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S²MARTS) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA). This contract award funds five Talon-A hypersonic flights and optional payloads. (11/28)

Embry-Riddle's Innovative Mission Control Lab Prepares Students for Booming Space Sector (Source: Space Daily)
In an era where the space industry is rapidly expanding, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has taken a significant step to prepare its students for the challenges of tomorrow. The university has announced the opening of a new satellite mission control center on its Daytona Beach Campus, a move poised to place its graduates at the forefront of the burgeoning space sector. (11/27)

Millennium Space Systems completes CDR for Missile Track Custody Space Vehicle (Source: Space Daily)
Millennium Space Systems, a subsidiary of aerospace giant Boeing [NYSE: BA], has reached a significant milestone in the development of the Missile Track Custody (MTC) space vehicle with the successful completion of the Critical Design Review (CDR), a crucial phase in the project, less than a year after receiving the green light to proceed.

The MTC project is a cornerstone of the United States' missile defense strategy. Col. Heather Bogstie, senior materiel leader for the SSC Space Sensing Resilient Missile Warning, Missile Tracking, Missile Defense (MW/MT/MD) program office, emphasized the importance of this initiative. (11/28)

Archimedes Platform Successfully Tested by Above: Space and Electric Sky (Source: Space Daily)
In a significant advancement for space technology, Above: Space Development, in collaboration with Electric Sky, has successfully tested the Archimedes platform, a novel, rapidly deployable, free-flying on-orbit system. This platform marks a new era in space infrastructure, encompassing a wide range of functions including solar panels, beamed power, and electronically steerable antenna arrays for communications and monitoring.

Rhonda Stevenson, CEO of Above: Space, highlighted the platform's capabilities, stating, "Above: Space conducted a flawless ground-test of our efficient, rapidly deliverable Archimedes platform that will feature extremely flat surfaces for commercial and critical applications." She emphasized the strategic importance of Archimedes in both commercial activities and tactical missions, underscoring its potential to maintain readiness and strategic high ground in the cislunar domain. (11/28)

Lockheed Martin Aims for Rapid On-Orbit Operations with Electronically Steerable Antenna (Source: Space Daily)
Lockheed Martin announced a significant step forward in space technology with the upcoming launch of a wideband Electronically Steerable Antenna (ESA) payload demonstrator. This initiative is a testament to Lockheed Martin's dedication to enhancing space capabilities for quick operational readiness once in orbit.

This innovative payload, featuring a unique and proprietary design, is poised to transform the calibration process of on-orbit sensors. Traditional sensors typically require months to become fully operational. However, Lockheed Martin's new ESA sensor is anticipated to undergo calibration much more swiftly. This accelerated calibration is crucial in meeting the growing needs for faster mission readiness and operational tempo in the rapidly evolving space sector.

Scheduled for launch aboard Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket, this payload marks an important phase in Lockheed Martin's ongoing commitment to scalable wideband ESA technology. More than just a technological demonstration, this launch represents a pivotal step towards future remote sensing architectures. (11/28)