December 6, 2023

All Points Completes On-Site Surveys for Major New Payload Processing Facility at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space Coast Daily)
All Points has completed an early milestone in establishing new commercial infrastructure-as-a-service operations at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The All Points’ Space Prep team, in conjunction with NASA, has completed all necessary physical environmental studies, including boundary and topological surveys, on a 60-acre parcel that will host the Space Prep Kennedy Space Center Complex, located near NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building.

“The Space Prep infrastructure is critical to supporting the increased launch cadence in Florida and addressing an urgent need of commercial, national security, and NASA space missions,” said Phil Monkress, All Points CEO. “Our state-of-the-art complex on Kennedy Space Center is designed to serve multiple commercial and government customers just a few miles from the Florida launch pads.” (11/29)

SpaceX Continues its March to 100 Launches in a Year (Source: Teslarati)
Late Saturday night, a Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral with another 23 Starlink satellites. This was the 89th orbital mission of the year for SpaceX as they look to stay on track to reach 100 launches in a year, and with a majority of launches coming from LC-40, the average pad turnaround time between launches has been just under 5 days. Looking ahead at the rest of the month, there are currently five more launches for SpaceX scheduled out for December 14th, including a Falcon Heavy from LC-39A. (12/5)

NRO Picks Five Companies for Satellite Imagery Effort (Source: Space News)
The NRO has signed contracts with five commercial providers of satellite imagery. Airbus U.S. Space and Defense, Albedo Space, Hydrosat, Muon Space, and Turion Space were selected Tuesday for the NRO's Strategic Commercial Enhancements program, which seeks new and emerging types of electro-optical imagery beyond what the agency already procures from Maxar, BlackSky, and Planet. The new program seeks to capture the next wave of technologies that have emerged in the industry in recent years, such as the imaging of objects in space. While Airbus is an established provider of Earth imagery, the other four companies selected are just starting to build out their satellite systems. (12/6)

China Launches Experimental Satellite From Sea Platform (Source: Space News)
China launched a new internet technology experiment satellite from a sea platform Tuesday. The Jielong-3 (Smart Dragon-3) solid rocket lifted off from a mobile sea platform in waters off the coast of Guangdong province at 2:24 p.m. Eastern. Details about the satellite, placed into a near-polar orbit at an altitude of more than 900 kilometers, have not been disclosed. The Jielong-3 is a four-stage rocket that can place up to 1,500 kilograms into sun-synchronous orbit. This was the second flight of the Jielong-3, nearly a year after the first, also from a sea platform. (12/6)

Capella Space to Launch Two Satellites with SpaceX After Electron Delay (Source: Space News)
Capella Space will launch two satellites with SpaceX next year after an Electron launch failure disrupted its deployment plans. Capella said Tuesday it will launch two Acadia spacecraft on SpaceX rideshare missions slated for April and June. One Acadia satellite will fly on the first SpaceX Bandwagon rideshare mission to a mid-inclination orbit, while the other will be on a Transporter mission to sun-synchronous orbit. Capella signed a contract with Rocket Lab early this year for four Electron launches of Acadia spacecraft, but the second of the four failed to reach orbit in September because of an upper-stage malfunction. (12/6)

Wiring Error Led to OSIRIS-REx Parachute Issue (Source: Space News)
A wiring error kept the drogue chute on NASA's OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule from properly deploying. NASA said Tuesday that an investigation into the capsule's landing in September found that "inconsistent wiring label definitions" resulted in commands not being properly sent to release the drogue chute once the capsule reached an altitude of 30.5 kilometers. The main parachute did properly deploy at a lower altitude and the capsule landed safely in the Utah desert. (12/6)

Japan Sets January for Lunar Lander Mission (Source: JAXA)
Japanese space agency JAXA has set a mid-January landing date for a lunar lander mission. JAXA said its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) spacecraft will attempt a landing on Jan. 19. SLIM launched in September on an H-2A rocket along with the XRISM X-ray observatory and is on a low-energy trajectory that will bring it into lunar orbit Dec. 25. The landing could be one of three by lunar landers in January if Astrobotic's Peregrine and Intuitive Machines' IM-1 missions launch on schedule. (12/6)

Iran Launches Space Capsule (Source: Press TV)
Iran launched a "bio-space" capsule designed for biological experiments. A Salman rocket launched the capsule to an altitude of 130 kilometers on a suborbital flight Wednesday, according to the Iranian government. The government called the launch a success, demonstrating both the rocket and key systems on the capsule. Government officials suggested that the capsule could be used one day to carry people, but that such flights were still several years away. (12/6)

China Considering Mars Helicopter to Support Sample Return Mission (Source: Space.com)
China is considering developing a Mars helicopter to aid in its own Mars sample return effort. A recent academic paper discussed a quadcopter concept called MarsBird-VII that would be able to collect up to 100 grams of samples. The helicopter would be part of a mission called Tianwen-3 proposed to launch at the end of the decade to collect Mars samples and return them to Earth, potentially before NASA's Mars Sample Return program. (12/6)

JPL Still Grappling with Workforce Issues (Source: Scientific American)
NASA JPL took steps to address problems that caused a 14-month delay in the launch of the Psyche mission, and employees credit new center director Laurie Leshin for making many changes to improve the workplace environment.  Some employees, though, still report having to work long hours to keep up with work on projects, causing some to leave for jobs at companies that offer much higher salaries. One unnamed employee expressed skepticism that one of JPL's biggest missions in development, Europa Clipper, will be ready for launch next October because of those workforce problems, although NASA says the mission's development remains on schedule. (12/6)

Australian Lunar Rover is "Roo-ver" (Source: Australian Broadcasting Corp.)
An Australian lunar rover has a name: Roo-ver. The Australian Space Agency announced the name Tuesday after an online vote. Roo-ver won 36% of the nearly 20,000 votes, beating out three other finalists: Coolamon, Kakirra, and Mateship. Two groups of Australian companies are competing to develop the rover that will fly to the moon later this decade as part of a partnership with NASA. (12/6)

Senate Confirms Hundreds of Generals, But 7 Top USAF, USSF Leaders Still Wait (Source: Air and Space Forces)
The Senate confirmed over 400 senior military promotions Dec. 5, after Sen. Tommy Tuberville mostly lifted his monthslong hold on military nominations. Specifically, Tuberville lifted his hold on all nominations below four-star generals and admirals. Out of 455 pending general and flag officer nominations, affecting 451 people, the Senate confirmed 425 on Dec. 5. Of the 30 nominations still pending, at least 11 are for four-star officers.

The Air Force and Space Force have a disproportionate number of the 11 pending four-star positions, which can still be voted on individually on the Senate floor—Seven USAF and USSF generals nominated for four-star positions remain under blockade and are unable to take up their new jobs, U.S. defense officials said. (12/6)

Sierra Space Secures DARPA Contract for Lunar Oxygen Extraction Framework for LunA-10 Capability Study (Source: Sierra Space)
Sierra Space has secured a significant contract with DARPA. Under this contract, Sierra Space will embark on a groundbreaking research and development initiative, the 10-Year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) capability study. Sierra Space will focus on integrating oxygen extraction, electrical storage and hydrogen-oxygen engine technology into an architecture for a commercial lunar infrastructure concept. (12/5)

Hungary's President Meets Astronaut Candidates (Source: Hungary Today)
“One thing is for sure: today I shook hands with the new Hungarian astronaut,” the head of state wrote on her social media page. Katalin Novák added that the final stage of the selection process has been completed by four prepared candidates, but it is not yet known who will be the winner. The government adopted a document entitled Hungary’s Space Strategy in 2021, outlining the tasks that will enable Hungary to be competitive in this sector. (12/5)

Meet the First African Woman in Space (Source: CEO Magazine)
When Sara Sabry became the first African woman to travel into outer space in 2022, it was a seminal moment in a personal odyssey that she hopes will one day take her to another planet. “I’m very hopeful that I’ll get to Mars,” she tells The CEO Magazine. The 30-year-old Egyptian engineer and fully trained astronaut was chosen from thousands of applicants by not-for-profit group Space for Humanity to take part in the voyage aboard New Shepard, the rocket built by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. (12/6)

NorthStar’s CEO Asks for Deep Thinking on Artificial Intelligence and Solving Space Problems (Source: SpaceQ)
The release of ChatGPT a year ago, along with evolving space programs that track missiles or craters or other items using satellites or spacecraft, all require care. AI is a tool, and how we choose to use that tool is a matter of human agency, of human priority, and of human creativity. Click here. (12/5)

DARPA Picks 14 Vendors for Lunar Economy-Building Study (Source: Breaking Defense)
DARPA has chosen 14 companies — ranging from launch providers to robotic vehicle makers to firms planning to transport cargo around cislunar space — to undertake a study on the types of technologies needed to create a working lunar economy, the Pentagon’s far-future research agency announced today.

The 10-Year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) Capability Study “aims to catalyze the setup of a future civil lunar framework for peaceful U.S. and international use,” DARPA said in a statement. The study will promote development of technologies and operational concepts that, when integrated, will form the basis of a sustainable and profitable economic ecosystem linking the Earth and Moon. (12/5)

Real-Estate Developers Chase Outer Space Business in Florida (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Hines is developing a sprawling industrial park near Florida’s Cape Canaveral, aiming to cash in on the booming aerospace industry. The giant Texas real-estate firm is betting that companies such as Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX and their suppliers will pay high rents for warehouses and manufacturing space close to launch sites that can store rockets, space shuttles, satellites and any parts used to build and maintain them. (12/5)

DARPA-Funded 'Inchworm' Robots Could Help Us Build Moon Bases. Here's How (Source: Space.com)
A maneuverable robot from Japan-based startup GITAI has made the list of technologies chosen for a lunar infrastructure development study from DARPA. DARPA announced the 10-Year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) capability study study in August this year, seeking to unite isolated endeavors within the scientific community in order to create an advanced technological infrastructure to support future activities in space and on the surface of the moon.

One of the companies chosen for LunA-10, GITAI, is a space robotics startup with a focus on making laborious tasks in space safer and more affordable. As part of that aim, the company has designed modular "Inchworm" robots with interchangeable, task-adaptable hardware, capable of performing complex tasks in microgravity and the lunar surface environment. The robots' modular design allows for easy incorporation into other technologies, and is in-line with DARPA's LunA-10 vision of an incorporated technological infrastructure for space and lunar exploration. (12/5)

Movie Contemplates Battle for Control of ISS (Source: Entertainment Weekly)
The Oscar-winning West Side Story actress is heading to space, starring in Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s tense thriller ISS. The film made its premiere earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival, and ahead of its Jan. 19 theatrical release, Bleecker Street has shared the first trailer, teasing a claustrophobic sci-fi story set in the confines of the International Space Station.

The film takes place in the near future, and at first, life aboard the ISS seems like a study in international cooperation: American astronauts (played by DeBose, Chris Messina, and John Gallagher Jr.) are sharing tight quarters with their Russian colleagues (Masha Mashkova, Pilou Asbaek, and Costa Ronin), and together, they quickly bond over their shared scientific backgrounds. But when a massive war breaks out down below on Earth, the Americans receive a new mission from ground control: Take control of the space station “by any means necessary.” (12/5)

Russia Plans Orbital "Internet of Things" Constellation (Source: Russian Space Web)
Starting in 2024, Roskosmos plans to begin the deployment of the Marafon-IoT satellite constellation, one of several Russian projects aimed at providing Internet service from low orbit. The Marafon-IoT system focuses on the "Internet of Things" capabilities or IoT, with "dual-use" (civilian and military) roles. (12/5)

IM’s Initial Nova-C Lunar Lander Arrives At Florida Launch Site (Source: Aviation Week)
Intuitive Machines’ initial Nova-C lunar lander has arrived at its Cape Canaveral launch site, following an over-the-road delivery from its production facilities here for liftoff under a NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) agreement no sooner than Jan. 12. Jan. 12 opens a multi-day launch period for a liftoff atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

A seven-day lunar transit is anticipated, leading to a soft landing at Malapert-A, a 43-mi.-wide crater in the lunar south pole region. Designated as the revised landing site by NASA in late May, Malapert-A lies close to the Malapert Massif, one of 14 regions NASA is evaluating for the Artemis III mission landing site. The mission is to mark the first post-Apollo-era Moon landing by astronauts. (12/4)

Was Going to Space a Good Idea? (Source: The Conversation)
Huxley is famous for his 1932 dystopian science fiction novel Brave New World, and his experimental use of psychedelic drugs. In his essay, he questioned who this “man” who had conquered space was, noting it was not humans as a species but Western urban-industrial society that had sent emissaries into space.

This has not changed. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty says space is the province of all humanity, but in reality it’s dominated by a few wealthy nations and individuals. Huxley said the notion of “stature” assumed humans had a special and different status to other living beings. Given the immensity of space, talking of conquest was, in his opinion, “a trifle silly”. (12/4)

ABB to Build Four More Hyperspectral Sensors for GHGSat (Source: SpaceQ)
Québec-based ABB Canada announced last week that it would be building four more hyperspectral cameras for GHGSat and that they would be delivered in 2024. This is the third contract ABB has secured with GHGSat, a leader in greenhouse gas emission detection from space. GHGSat has previously built 10 sensors for GHGSat. The four new hyperspectral sensors will be outfitted on GHGSat satellites C12, C13, C14 and C15 and are expected to launch sometime in 2024. (12/4)

How to Build and Lead a Successful Team, According to a NASA Astronaut (Source: Fast Company)
I’m often asked what I miss most about being an astronaut, and my answer is always the same. It’s not being in space, as cool as that is. The thing I miss most is being part of that team. I teach now, at Columbia University in New York City. It’s a wonderful institution, and I work with a lot of amazing people. But nothing I’ve found in the civilian world compares to the esprit de corps at NASA (and I suspect at other places like it). Click here. (12/5)

Space Lasers! (Source: The Verge)
The Deep Space Network is aging, with decades-old hardware that’s struggling to carry an ever-increasing load. A growing number of missions is pushing the network to its limits, and already, thousands of hours of science observations are being lost during big missions like Artemis I. There’s no way for the current system of radio communications to meet the needs of NASA’s ambitious future plans, like sending out more deep space missions and putting humans on the Moon. If we want reliable, high-bandwidth communications to and from space to enable future exploration, experts say we need something new. It’s time to turn to lasers. (12/4)

Partnership With Space Perspective Has Mercedes Reimagining Space Travel as a Luxury Experience (Source: Newsweek)
There's no Mercedes floating around in Space like there is a Tesla, but soon space travelers will be able to escape Earth's atmosphere in Maybach style. Through a new partnership with Space Perspective, Mercedes-Maybach is pushing its brand boundaries further than ever before. Space Perspective is the world's first carbon-neutral spaceflight experience company. It has reimagined travel, aiming to deliver thousands of paying customers, called Space Perspective Explorers, to 100,000 feet above the ground inside a pressurized capsule, called Spaceship Neptune, attached to a giant balloon named the SpaceBalloon. (10/9)

Who's In Charge in Space? (Source: This Week in Space)
With an increase in commercial and private spaceflight comes the need to regulate it, and the FAA has had a major role in newspace flight rules to date... but should it be the primary regulator moving ahead? Many in the field say no, and some decry most attempts at what they see as unnecessary control. Click here. (12/1)

Firefly Aerospace Selected to Support DARPA LunA-10 with Framework for On-Orbit Spacecraft Hubs (Source: Firefly)
Firefly Aerospace, Inc., an end-to-end space transportation company, today announced it was selected to develop an analytical framework for aggregated on-orbit spacecraft hubs in support of DARPA’s 10-Year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) capability study. Based on the capabilities of Firefly’s Elytra orbital vehicles, the spacecraft hubs would provide responsive tasking for a wide range of cislunar services, such as refueling, delivery, and transport. (12/5)

High Ambitions/Low Bar: Initial Rocket Launch Goals (Source: Astralytical)
The history of new-vehicle launch delays is so long and prevalent that one must wonder what on Earth drives companies and governments into the arms of inexperienced startups and low-performing launch companies. What possesses them to sign a contract with a company, even though it has not once launched a rocket into orbit or suborbit? Especially if the agreement is entered years after the same company has already blown well past its first anticipated launch date. Is it a case of insanity, where people repeat the cycle over and over, expecting a different result? Click here. (12/4)

Aalyria Wins ESA Contract and Establishes European Arm (Source: Space News)
Aalyria announced a European Space Agency contract Dec. 5 to develop an orchestration system for space-based, airborne, maritime and ground-based nodes. The value of the award, funded by the UK Space Agency, was not disclosed. Aalyria is establishing a European business headquarters based in London to oversee the work on orchestration systems for 5G and 6G terrestrial and nonterrestrial networks. Aalyria is a spinoff from Google parent company Alphabet. (12/5)

SpaceX's Massive Overhaul at Texas Launch Site (Source: NSF)
In this week's Starbase Update, we dive into the latest developments at SpaceX's Starbase facility. Ship 28 is undergoing crucial tile work to prepare for its next flight, while the Starfactory nears completion with impressive cranes ready to handle massive loads. Mega Bay 2 receives new glass panels, and a mysterious concrete structure is taking shape at the Sanchez Site. We bid farewell to SN15's aft section and ponder its fate. Click here. (12/4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ityqi_KVpEE

SpaceX Plans Key NASA Artemis Demonstration for Next Starship Launch (Source: CNBC)
SpaceX could attempt a key demonstration for NASA during the third test flight of its towering Starship rocket, according to the federal agency. A NASA official revealed on Monday that the next Starship flight is expected to include “a propellant transfer demonstration,” though an agency spokesperson noted Tuesday the plan is subject to change, as is often the case in the space industry. (12/5)

New Zealand Gets First Space Minister (Source: Aerospace New Zealand)
Aerospace New Zealand is excited to acknowledge Hon Judith Collins as New Zealand's first Minister for Space. This groundbreaking appointment marks a significant step forward in our country's journey in space and advanced aviation. Minister Collins will play a pivotal role in driving the sector forward, focusing on nurturing space-related activities, boosting advanced aviation, and streamlining the efficacy of our regulatory frameworks. (12/1)

Why Isn’t There Any Sound in Space? (Source: The Conversation)
In space, no one can hear you scream. You may have heard this saying. It’s the tagline from the famous 1979 science fiction movie “Alien.” Space is a vacuum, which means it contains almost no matter. The word vacuum comes from the Latin word for empty. Sound is carried by atoms and molecules. In space, with no atoms or molecules to carry a sound wave, there’s no sound. There’s nothing to get in sound’s way out in space, but there’s nothing to carry it, so it doesn’t travel at all. (12/4)