November 4, 2023

SpaceX Launches Starlink Mission From Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: SPACErePORT)
SpaceX launched another Starlink mission Friday night at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, bringing the spaceport’s 2023 launch tally to 60. (11/3)

Astra Defaults on Debt Agreement, Warns it May Not Be Able to Raise Needed Cash (Source: CNBC)
Struggling space company Astra disclosed in a securities filing late Friday that it defaulted on a recent debt agreement and may not be able to raise needed cash as funds dwindle. Astra twice last month failed to meet minimum cash reserve requirements associated with a $12.5 million note issuance to New Jersey investment group High Trail Capital.

The debt raise first required that Astra have “at least $15.0 million of cash and cash equivalents” on hand. That liquidity requirement was adjusted after Astra failed to prove compliance a first time, to require “at least $10.5 million of unrestricted, unencumbered cash and cash equivalents.” Having fallen out of compliance a second time, Astra now owes $8 million on the aggregate principal investment. (11/3)

Sidus Space Continues to Add Contracts for Data Collected by LizzieSat Satellites (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus Space has signed an additional agreement to sell the data that it expects to collect with its LizzieSat satellites. Sidus, through its LizzieSat satellites, is expecting to collect data through multiple onboard sensors and receivers. These sensors and receivers include hyperspectral, multispectral, AIS, optical and other sensors which will provide data relevant to multiple industries and sectors. LizzieSat is designed for coincident data collection via these multiple sensors.

In addition to raw data, by applying the Company’s onboard FeatherEdge AI, near real-time, actionable intelligence will be available to our customers. Delivery of data is expected to begin 30 days after deployment of LizzieSat which is manifested to launch with SpaceX in the first quarter of 2024. (11/3)

How Long Will Jeff Bezos Continue to Subsidize His New Shepard Rocket? (Source: Ars Technica)
Virgin Galactic smoothly completed its sixth human spaceflight in six months on Thursday, continuing an impressive cadence of missions with its VSS Unity spacecraft. This performance has made the company the clear leader in suborbital space tourism. A key question is where this leaves the other company with a launch system capable of carrying private astronauts above the atmosphere: Blue Origin. That company's New Shepard rocket and spacecraft have been grounded since an engine failure nearly 14 months ago.

The company originally targeted an uncrewed return-to-flight mission in early October, two sources told Ars. This flight was to carry the scientific experiments on board the ill-fated New Shepard-23 to give them a second opportunity to try to reach space and undergo microgravity conditions. Assuming all went well, a crewed mission was to follow in February 2024. However, October has come and gone. Asked when New Shepard will launch, a Blue Origin spokesperson told Ars, "We’re preparing for flight and plan to return later this year."

It is too strong to characterize the New Shepard rocket and spacecraft as a vanity program for Blue Origin and its founder, Jeff Bezos. After all, the company has learned some valuable lessons about vertical landing and rocket reuse that it will apply to the much larger New Glenn rocket. However, after New Shepard gave Bezos his much-desired ride to space in 2021, it's worth contemplating the purpose of the program going forward. Click here. (11/3)

New Director Appointed to MDRS Analog in Utah (Source: Mars Society)
During the 26th Annual International Mars Society Convention held in early October at ASU Tempe, it was announced that Sergii Iakymov, long-time assistant director of the organization’s Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), would formally assume the role of director of the Utah analog facility. In this position, Sergii is supervising MDRS crew selection and logistical support, station maintenance and resupply, and on-site mission support and crew rotation, as well as participating in select analog simulations and field research. (11/3)

CNN Gets Rare Access Inside Chinese Space Center (Source: CNN)
China is poised to challenge US dominance in space exploration. CNN's Marc Stewart gained rare access to the country's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. Click here. (11/2)

Miss England 'Flies' Boeing Starliner Spaceship at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (Source: Space.com)
Miss England took the controls of Boeing's new astronaut spaceship, simulator-style. Jessica Gagan, crowned Miss England earlier this year, stopped by the Boeing-made Starliner simulator at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Orlando, Boeing officials posted to X (formerly Twitter). Starliner is aiming to bring an astronaut crew on a test mission to the ISS no earlier than April 2024 following several years of engineering delays. (11/3)