December 29, 2023

Launch Doubleheader: SpaceX Puts Military Spaceplane and 23 Starlinks in Orbit (Source: CBS News)
Kicking off a sky-lighting launch doubleheader, a powerful SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket vaulted away from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport on Thursday atop a torrent of flaming exhaust to put an unpiloted X-37B spaceplane into orbit for a classified, long-duration military mission. At a nearby launch pad, another team of SpaceX engineers launched a workhorse single-core Falcon 9 rocket just two hours and 54 minutes later, thought to be the shortest span between two U.S. orbit-class missions since the mid 1960s. The two flights were SpaceX's 95th and 96th so far this year. (12/29)

Aerospace Industry Eyes Full Recovery by 2025 (Source: OilPrice.com)
A combination of soaring demand for travel and supply chain delays saw a record-breaking backlog of airplanes on order in November, according to new aviation industry figures. The global aircraft order backlog reached nearly 15,000 last month, a 354 percent year-on-year increase and marking a fourth consecutive record high, according to the aerospace sector’s UK trade body, the ADS Group. It estimates the total value of aircraft on order to be worth around £234bn.

Aimie Stone, chief economist at ADS, said: “While we see record numbers of orders placed and a slight uptick in deliveries on 2022 figures, it’s clear that buoyancy in the aerospace sectors requires a continued ramp-up at all levels of the supply chain.” (12/28)

The Most Interesting Human-Made Objects Ever Left in Space (Source: Quartz)
Most things sent to space are utilitarian in nature and are now of little practical value, unless they’re still functioning. Our artifacts can be found orbiting the Earth and Sun, sitting on the surfaces of planets and moons, and even flying through interstellar space. Some of these relics are more valuable than others, and by “valuable” I mean from a historic, nostalgic, or scientific perspective. Click here. (12/27)

Are Glaciers on Mercury a Link to Life? (Source: Astronomy Magazine)
It seems that Mercury hosts glaciers made of salt, perhaps the remnants of a violent atmospheric collapse sometime in the planet’s past. And adding to the intrigue, planetary scientists suggest that Mercury’s glaciers may constitute buried environments that could sustain life. Mercury’s salty glaciers appear to originate from a deep layer of volatiles entombed beneath the surface. This Volatile Rich Layer (VLR) of various gases and minerals was emplaced, long ago, on top of ancient buried terrain. (12/28)

Further Evidence for Quark-Matter Cores in Massive Neutron Stars (Source: Phys.org)
Neutron-star cores contain matter at the highest densities reached in our present-day universe, with as much as two solar masses of matter compressed inside a sphere of 25 km in diameter. These astrophysical objects can indeed be thought of as giant atomic nuclei, with gravity compressing their cores to densities exceeding those of individual protons and neutrons many-fold.

These densities make neutron stars interesting astrophysical objects from the point of view of particle and nuclear physics. A longstanding open problem is whether the immense central pressure of neutron stars can compress protons and neutrons into a new phase of matter, known as cold quark matter. In this exotic state of matter, individual protons and neutrons no longer exist. (12/28)

X-37B Joins Chinese Space Plane In Orbit (Source: AVweb)
The Air Force has never said exactly what the X-37B does on its years-long orbital missions and the Chinese say even less about their space plane, which is on its first flight. When it launched, China called it only a “reusable test spacecraft,” but it’s reportedly similar to the U.S. vehicle, which spent three years on orbit on its last mission. (12/26)

Slam Corp Returns $176 Million Ahead of Proposed Lynk Global Merger (Source: Space News)
Former professional baseball player Alex Rodriguez’s shell company got more time from investors to merge with Lynk Global, but has to give $176 million back to those opting to redeem shares rather than a potential stake in the direct-to-smartphone satellite operator. Slam Corp, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that raised $575 million by listing shares on Nasdaq in February 2021 to search for an investment opportunity, now has less than $99 million in its trust account following a separate batch of shareholder redemptions earlier this year. The high redemption rate is a blow for Lynk’s hopes to use the funds to grow its constellation. (12/28)

Asteroid Apophis to Flyby Earth in First of its Kind Encounter in Recorded History (Source: WION)
NASA’s spacecraft OSIRIS-REx - which has been named the OSIRIS-APEX - was sent off to study the extremely close flyby of asteroid Apophis in 2029, the like of which “hasn’t happened since the dawn of recorded history,” announced NASA. The space rock, which measures nearly 370 yards across, approaches the Earth every 7,500 years.

The gravity of Earth will affect the space rock as it comes close to the orbit and OSIRIS-APEX will understand the aftermath to see “how its surface changes,” as per Amy Simon, the mission’s project scientist. (12/28)

Nuking an Incoming Asteroid will Spew Out X-Rays (Source: Space.com)
A nuclear detonation delivers much of its energy in the form of X-rays. If a nuclear explosion strikes an asteroid, this powerful radiation can wash over the asteroid, potentially vaporizing any material unlucky enough to be in its path. Burkey and colleagues developed their model to simulate these effects on four different asteroid materials and under a range of conditions.

It is critical to ensure that any sort of asteroid deflection attempt actually deflects the asteroid on a non-hazardous course — and does not cause collateral damage by sending asteroid shards toward humans. For that reason, the researchers say they hope that planetary defense scientists can use this model to get a clearer picture before they try anything. (12/22)

2023 Yearender: China’s Commercial Space Industry Delivers Unprecedented Progress (Source: Global Times)
China's commercial space industry has experienced a year of robust and all-around advancement in 2023, which has been lauded by industry insiders and observers as a prominent feature of China's overall development of its space program, with the  unprecedentedly rapid emergence of private space companies a particular highlight. Click here. (12/29)

NASA Launches Cybersecurity Guide for Space Industry (Source: SC Media)
NASA has published its first Space Security Best Practices Guide, a 57-page document the agency said would help enhance cybersecurity for future space missions. Concerns about the dangers hackers pose to satellite networks and other space initiatives have been growing for a number of years. NASA said its new best practices guide (BPG) was not just about making its own missions more secure and reliable. It was also intended to enhance cybersecurity for its international partners and the growing space industry. (12/27)

Investing in Space: A Year of Coverage in Review (Source: CNBC)
Before setting personal goals for a new year, I always find that reflecting on highlights from the year gone by makes me appreciate the effort I’ve spent and helps refine where to build. 2023 may not have been a banner year for the space industry, but it certainly was a banner year to be a space reporter. I struggle to think of any year since I started covering this business that had higher highs and lower lows. Here are my personal top five stories from this year, in reverse order. (12/28)

Russia, NASA Agree to Continue Joint ISS Flights Until 2025 (Source: Space Daily)
Russian and US space agencies have agreed to keep working together to deliver crews to the International Space Station (ISS) until at least 2025, Russian corporation Roscosmos said Thursday. (12/28)

China Advances Space Capabilities with Long March 11 Sea Launch (Source: Space Daily)
In a recent advancement in China's burgeoning space program, a Long March 11 carrier rocket was successfully launched from the South China Sea on Tuesday morning. This launch, which took place off the coast of Yangjiang in Guangdong province, marked a significant milestone as it sent three experimental satellites into space, as reported by the state-owned conglomerate China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC).

The usage of sea-based launch platforms, like the one employed for this mission, highlights China's innovative approach to overcoming geographical and logistical challenges in space exploration. These platforms not only offer flexibility in choosing launch trajectories but also reduce the need for extensive ground infrastructure, presenting a cost-effective solution for space launches. (12/28)

GMV Leads In-Space Refueling Tech Development with UK Space Agency Funding (Source: Space Daily)
In a significant boost to the UK's space technology sector, GMV, a leader in aerospace and defense systems, has been selected by the UK Space Agency for a substantial project in the realm of in-orbit servicing. The Enabling Technologies Programme (ETP), an initiative of the UK Government aimed at accelerating the space sector's development, is providing GMV with GBP 250,000 (approximately Euro 277,776) to spearhead the "REALM: Virtual Reality Aided Spacecraft Refuelling for IOSM Verification and Validation" project. (12/27)

India Plans to Launch 50 Spy Satellites in 5 Years (Source: Rediff)
India is aiming to launch 50 satellites in the next five years for geo-intelligence gathering which will include the creation of a layer of satellites in different orbits with a capacity to track the movement of troops and image thousands of kilometers of area, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chairman S Somanath said. (12/29)

The Nearest Planet Outside The Solar System May Not Be What We Think (Source: IFLScience)
Proxima Centauri b, besides being the closest planet beyond the solar system, is also Earth-like in size. Initial estimates placed it in the habitable zone, but numerous papers concluded prospects for life are grim because Proxima’s powerful flares probably long ago stripped it of any atmosphere. Without an atmosphere, surface oceans would boil off into space, even if temperatures were suitable.

However, Quick and colleagues think Proxima Centauri b and the others are considerably colder than previously suspected. That makes an atmosphere unnecessary, as ice could protect the ocean instead. Better yet, while some planets are likely to have shells of ice so thick that material will struggle to escape, Proxima Centauri b’s could be just 58 meters (190 feet) – far less than on Europa, making geysers far more abundant. (12/28)

China Ups the Ante in Bid to Rival SpaceX’s Starlink as G60 Megaconstellation Satellite Rolls off the Production Line in Shanghai (Source: South China Morning Post)
China’s second low-earth satellite megaconstellation to provide broadband internet services began production in Shanghai on Wednesday, amid a push to explore potential in the space technology industry and as competition heightens with SpaceX’s Starlink. The digital-production plant located within the G60 Starlink industrial base, which focuses on commercial satellite production and applications and is backed by the Shanghai municipal government, produced its first commercial satellite on Wednesday, according to authorities in the city’s Songjiang district.

By 2024, the factory would launch and operate at least 108 satellites to provide initial commercial services, and would also build a full industry chain that can compete globally by 2027, the district government said. The factory is expected to have a production capacity of 300 satellites per year. (12/28)

The Top Space Stories of 2023 (Source: LiveScience)
It's hard to separate the signal from the noise. That's true for astronomers trying to detect chemical signs of life on distant planets — and it's just as true for science enthusiasts on Earth trying to make sense of the endless stream of discoveries being beamed into their newsfeeds. Click here. (12/28)

SDA Tracking Layer Satellite Problem Delays Launch (Source: Space News)
Technical issues with one spacecraft have delayed the launch of a set of missile-tracking satellites. The launch of six satellites, four for the Space Development Agency's Tracking Layer constellation and two for the Missile Defense Agency's Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor program, were scheduled to launch this month but have been delayed to the second quarter of 2024. MDA said the vendor for one satellite reported problems with final integration testing that caused the delay. L3Harris and Northrop Grumman are each building one satellite for MDA, while L3Harris is building the four SDA satellites. Both sets of satellites are pieces of a planned multi-layered missile-defense architecture. (12/29)

Navajo Nation Seeks NASA Lunar Lander Delay (Source: KNAU)
The president of the Navajo Nation is asking NASA to delay the launch of a commercial lunar lander. Buu Nygren said he recently learned the Peregrine lunar lander from Astrobotic will be carrying payloads from companies that provide memorial services by sending cremated remains to space. Landing human remains on the moon is "tantamount to desecration" for many Native Americans, he said, noting that NASA had promised to coordinate any such activities in the future after the remains of lunar scientist Gene Shoemaker were included on the Lunar Prospector mission in 1998. Peregrine is carrying several NASA payloads in addition to commercial ones. (12/28)

Top 4 Satellite Companies in the World (Source: Space Impulse)
The booming satellite industry has almost 10,000 active machines in orbit; over 20,000 more could be added within the next ten years (according to a rather conversative estimate). These trends are owed to decreasing launch costs coupled with miniaturization and standardization of satellites, and mean that doing business in orbit is easier than ever. However, such opportunities come accompanied by a growing importance of space in global affairs, which could affect future developments both in orbit and beyond. Click here. (12/19)

Space Force Hosts Inaugural ‘Orbital Warfare’ Training Exercise (Source: Defense Scoop)
The Space Force recently held its first-ever Red Skies exercise focused on training guardians how to respond to potential adversary attacks against U.S. space-based assets. Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) hosted the inaugural event Dec. 11-15. Red Skies is envisioned as an annual training experience that emphasizes “orbital warfare” disciplines, according to the Space Force. The simulation-based exercise enabled guardians from Space Operations Command (SPoC) to hone skills in orbital mechanics and satellite flight relevant for Space Force operations. (12/27)

Spaceports Need Social Scientists. Here’s Why (Source: Space News)
Spaceports raise all sorts of technical and regulatory issues connected with the use of airspace and public safety. However, they also come with a host of social and political considerations that are persistently overlooked but, if adequately addressed, could help drive successful spaceport development. These include recognizing how different groups of people respond to the establishment of space launch infrastructure in their communities, dealing with the environmental impacts of space launch, and how the economic benefits of spaceports are realized.

Social scientists can identify and analyze the societal aspects of spaceports, and can investigate the relationships between operators, policymakers, concerned citizens, local communities, and investors. Social scientists include sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists, and human geographers, and we study how societies work. By studying humans, society, technology, and social interaction, we can help evaluate policy and provide organizations with practice-based insights about what works and what doesn’t. (12/27)

Former NASA Employees Accused of Fraud in Purchase of Home (Source: Houston Chronicle)
A married couple who previously worked for NASA have been accused of a fraudulent mortgage loan scheme to pay for a luxury home in Missouri City. Noreen Khan-Mayberry, 50, and Christopher Mayberry, 51, turned themselves into federal authorities Wednesday morning and will make initial appearances in the case, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas. Neither of their cases was available online as of Wednesday morning.

While they were employed by NASA, they allegedly purchased a home in 2016 and took out personal loans to fund the purchase before quickly defaulting. The indictment alleges the couple tried to eliminate the debt by filing a police report, submitting a report to the Federal Trade Commission and sending letters to credit bureaus to have the loans removed. The couple allegedly signed three loan agreements with mortgage lenders between 2017 and 2021. They also allegedly provided false employment information. (12/27)

KULR Selected for Enhanced Battery Safety Solutions (Source: KULR)
KULR Technology Group has received an initial purchase order from one of the world’s largest privately held space exploration companies for enhanced battery safety testing solutions, using the Company’s KULR ONE Design Solutions (“K1-DS”) platform. The proprietary K1-DS platform incorporates the most comprehensive design and testing methodology for battery safety. K1-DS integrates KULR’s deep knowledge and experience in the most challenging environments, such as spaceflight with NASA. (12/27)

Space Diplomacy: Which Lucky Nation Will Join NASA in Return To Walk the Moon? (Source: The Messenger)
The Artemis Accords, which aims to set out rules for operating on other worlds such as the moon, has signatories from six continents. The European Space Agency (ESA) built the service module of the Orion spacecraft that will take astronauts to lunar orbit. The ESA, Canada, and Japan will help to build the Lunar Gateway, a small space station for lunar orbit where astronauts will transfer from the Orion spacecraft to the Human Landing System (HLS) to land on the lunar surface.

A Canadian astronaut, Jeremy Hansen, will join three Americans to fly around the moon on the  Artemis II mission that is due to launch in about a year. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson was recently in the UAE to discuss adding one or more Emirati astronauts to an Artemis lunar landing mission. The vice president’s announcement was the first tangible indication that international astronauts will fly to the lunar surface along with Americans.

The Artemis program, besides advancing science and commerce, serves an important diplomatic purpose. By offering other countries a chance to participate in the greatest adventure of exploration since the Apollo program, NASA helps to enhance American soft power, a way of influencing other countries without the use of military force. The furtherance of soft power is important, considering that the United States and its allies are engaged in a race to the moon with China. (12/27)

Astrobiology eXploration at Enceladus (AXE): A New Frontiers Mission Concept Study (Source: Astrobiology)
The Saturnian moon Enceladus presents a unique opportunity to sample the contents of a subsurface liquid water ocean in situ via the continuous plume formed over its south polar terrain using a multi-flyby mission architecture. Previous analyses of the plume’s composition by Cassini revealed an energy-rich system laden with salts and organic compounds, representing an environment containing most of the ingredients for life as we know it.

Following in the footsteps of the Cassini-Huygens mission, we present Astrobiology eXploration at Enceladus (AXE), a New Frontiers class Enceladus mission concept study carried out during the 2021 NASA Planetary Science Summer School program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. Click here. (12/28)

A Year for Gearing Up: Aerospace Ventures are Counting Down to Big Missions in 2024 (Source: GeekWire)
If 2022 was packed with headline-grabbing aerospace developments — including the first pictures from the James Webb Telescope and the first launch of NASA’s giant moon rocket — 2023 was what you might call a rebuilding year.

This year began with high hopes for aerospace companies with a significant presence in the Seattle area, ranging from Boeing to Blue Origin to SpaceX. A lot of those hopes had to be put on hold, basically because everything in the space industry takes longer than expected. Nevertheless, there were plenty of developments worthy of note in the aerospace world, including a milestone for the tech industry: the first launch for Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellite program. Click here. (12/28)

Breakthrough Turns NASA Waste Into Key for Colonizing Mars (Source: Study Finds)
Moving to Mars is now closer to reality, thanks to a significant breakthrough enabling the creation of energy on the Red Planet. British scientists are utilizing a material, previously deemed worthless, to achieve what they call the “most important goal” in this endeavor. Once considered a waste product by NASA, a group of researchers have discovered a method for generating clean energy and sustainable technology from anhydrite — a common mineral byproduct of aluminum production.

“We are optimistic of the feasibility of this process on Mars, as it requires only naturally occurring materials – everything we used could, in theory, be replicated on the red planet. Our study builds off recent research performed by NASA and takes what was considered waste, essentially lumps of rock, and turns it into transformative nanomaterials for a range of applications from creating clean hydrogen fuel to developing an electronic device similar to a transistor, to creating an additive to textiles to increase their robustness.” (12/27)

Japan is Sending a Rover to Mars's Moon Phobos in 2024 (Source: New Scientist)
A piece of Mars’s biggest moon is coming back to Earth. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is sending a spacecraft to Phobos to examine its surface and bring back samples that should help researchers figure out exactly how this strange moon formed. The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission is slated to launch from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan in September 2024. (12/28)

World’s First Orbital Data Center Planned (Source: Journal of Space Commerce)
High data rate Optical Intersatellite Links (OISLs) will be demonstrated under an agreement signed between Axiom Space, Kepler Communications US Inc. and Skyloom Global Corp. The technology is planned as a part of the first module of Axiom Space’s commercial space station – Axiom Station. In parallel, the Axiom Space team is building the world’s first scalable, cloud technology-enabled, commercial orbital data center to be hosted on Axiom Station.

The development of this first tranche of orbital data center capability (ODC T1) will support the transformation of low-Earth orbit (LEO) into a global space marketplace by maturing the necessary technologies and infrastructure for large-scale and secure space-based data processing. One of the key features of the orbital data center is “Earth independence” – the ability to provide in-space cloud services without the need to connect back to terrestrial cloud infrastructure. (12/26)

NASA’s Agency Chief Technologist presents their first annual year-in-review for 2023 (Source: NASA)
OTPS shares an annual letter from the Agency Chief Technologist (ACT), updates on various studies in the technology domain within OTPS, overviews of the center chief technologists, and vignettes of various technology projects across the agency. Read the full report, A Year in Review 2023 from NASA’s Agency Chief Technologist, here. (12/27)

Lloyd Named VP of Aerospace/Defense at BRPH (Source: BRPH)
BRPH, a nationally ranked architecture, engineering and construction firm, has named Steven Lloyd its new vice president of aerospace and defense. In this role, Steve will coordinate efforts among the firm’s architecture and engineering, construction services, and mission solutions companies to provide seamless service for the firm’s existing aerospace and defense clients and to capture new business opportunities in the fast-growing space industry along the Space Coast, throughout the United States and around the world. Steve will work from the firm’s Space Coast headquarters and interface with BRPH’s 10 U.S. offices. (12/21)

An Unprecedented UFO Report and Other Moments From 2023 that Rivaled Science Fiction (Source: CNN)
This year held some truly out-there moments in the world of science and space travel. With SpaceX’s Mars rocket erupting into a ball of flames over the ocean (twice) and a spacecraft swinging by Earth to drop off pieces of an asteroid that could contain solar system secrets — some events felt ripped from the pages of a science fiction novel. These moments came as humanity embarks on a new push to explore the cosmos, both with scientific instruments on the ground and spacecraft among the stars. Click here. (12/27)