December 8, 2023

Pluto's 'Almost Twin' Dwarf Planet Eris is Surprisingly Squishy (Source: Space.com)
Close to 18 years ago, astronomers spotted a miniature, icy world named Eris billions of miles beyond Neptune. But unlike its dwarf planet cousin Pluto — which New Horizons promoted to a rich, dynamic world after its visit in 2015 — Eris has not had any robotic visitors. It is so far away from Earth, in fact, that it shows up in observations just as a single pixel of light. All in all, scientists know very little about what happens on Eris.

Though what we do know is Eris is known to have an atmosphere that freezes and snows onto the surface below, thanks to its place near the edge of the solar system. It's about 68 times farther from the sun than Earth is. And now, new models based on data from an array of radio telescopes in Chile have revealed more about Eris. Heat leftover from the dwarf planet's birth seems to be oozing out and slowly flexing its icy surface. The process is causing Eris to behave less like a solid, rocky planet and "more like a soft cheese or something like that," says Francis Nimmo. (12/4)

Will Rocket Cargo Work? Data Collected in 2024 May Hold the Answer (Source: Defense News)
The Air Force’s effort to one day launch equipment halfway around the world via space-bound rockets will go through a series of test flights in 2024 that could reveal whether the concept would even work. And in about three years, the department should have enough data to make a decision on whether to operationalize Rocket Cargo or move onto something else, according to Greg Spanjers.

Rocket Cargo is one of the lab’s so-called Vanguard programs. In 2022, the lab awarded a five-year, $102 million contract to SpaceX so the former could collect flight data from the latter’s Starship rocket program. Spanjers envisions the Rocket Cargo program one day carrying out one launch per day, on each launch pad, with about an hour’s notice, and be able to carry 100 tons of cargo in a single rocket, as needed. But even this full capacity wouldn’t be enough to replace traditional air logistics or maritime shipping, he added. By the end of 2024, he explained, the program wants enough flight data from Starship rockets going into orbit. (12/7)

With Hold Lifted, What Happens Next for New Air Force, Space Force Generals? (Source: Air And Space Forces)
Some of the officers had been awaiting confirmation since January, others only joined the queue in November. And a select few are still waiting—Tuberville is keeping his hold on four-star nominees, preventing their quick confirmation and Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) announced he has placed holds of his own on six nominees, including three Air Force one- and two-star nominees, over concerns “regarding those nominees’ stances or actions relating to divisive diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the military,” according to his office.

The individuals awaiting confirmation “will remain in their current position and their successors will do the same until the position they were nominated for becomes vacant.” As a result, there is a domino effect at several important commands. For those general officers who can move up, an Air Force spokesperson said that transition timelines are being coordinated to determine effective dates of promotion and report dates to their new position. (12/6)

Texas Lottery's New Scratch Off Game Could Send You to Space with Space Perspective (Source: My San Antonio)
The Texas Lottery has been turning people into millionaires throughout 2023, but now the game is looking to turn a few lucky Texans into a astronauts. Texas Lottery announced that up to eight Texans will have the chance to win a luxury space flight via its new Cash Blast scratch ticket and a partnership with private space exploration venture Space Perspective. layers have a shot at winning four second-chance prizes that will send a Texan and their guest to Florida to travel to the edge of space via Space Perspective's Spaceship Neptune. (12/7)

India's First Space Station Component in Just 5 Years; 2047 Roadmap Has Multiple Lunar Missions, Moon Tourism Too (Source: MSN)
Just weeks after the PMO made India’s space roadmap public in October, Isro appears confident of building the first unit of the space station in just five years. In fact, Isro, whose roadmap for 2047 — 100 years of Indian Independence — has multiple lunar missions planned, is also planning to eventually offer Moon tourism.

A space station and the technologies Isro would have realised to make it a reality will serve the space agency well in implementing human mission to Moon, while Gaganyaan, which is being implemented in phases, will also give Isro a host of new technologies. Initial plans show that Isro is looking to build a space station — at an altitude of 120km to 140km — that can hold at least three astronauts in space for a period of time. These plans are subject to change. (12/6)

NASA Fleshes Out Strategy For Space Station Deorbit (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA has significantly amended plans to acquire a U.S. Deorbit Vehicle (USDV) capable of executing a controlled deorbit of the International Space Station (ISS) at the end of crewed operations. A modified industry request for proposals (RFP) has been issued by NASA. (12/6)

Penn Awarded $2 Million Grant From NASA to Fund Research on Lunar Robots (Source: Daily Pennsylvanian)
Penn received a $2 million grant from NASA to conduct research on lunar robotics. The grant will aid the Temporarily, Robots Unite to Surmount Sandy Entrapments, then Separate Project. TRUSSES’s goal is to create inventive strategies for teams of robots to navigate environmental challenges on the moon. The project is spearheaded by Gabel Family Term Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics Cynthia Sung at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. (12/6)

Space Council Group Endorses Single Agency for Mission Authorization (Source: Space Policy Online)
The White House National Space Council’s Users’ Advisory Group is recommending that a single agency be designated to oversee the regulation of novel space activities, the so-called “mission authorization” function. Composed primarily of industry representatives, the UAG provides external advice to the Space Council, which is chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris. The recommendation is at odds with what the Space Council itself recently proposed — a bifurcated arrangement where mission authorization is split between the Department of Commerce and Department of Transportation. (12/6)

Telesat Gets Another DARPA Contract for the Lightspeed Constellation (Source: SpaceQ)
Following a successful Phase 1 contract, Telesat Government Solutions, the wholly owned subsidiary of Telesat, was awarded a Phase 2 contract by DARPA for its Lightspeed Constellation. The new Phase 2 contract is for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node (Space-BACN) program. (12/6)

Three Robotic Missions Target Moon Landings Over One Week in January (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
In a blend of interesting circumstances and happenstance, two private companies and Japan’s space agency are all poised to land on the Moon in the back half of January 2024. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines are all exercising distinct launch and landing options to reach the lunar surface. But all three have announced timelines that would see them land on the Moon within days of each other, if everything stays on track at this point. (12/6)

Bill Would Delay Colorado Space Command HQ Development (Source: Space News)
The final version of a 2024 defense authorization bill would delay work on Space Command headquarters in Colorado. The conference agreement for the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) unveiled late Wednesday by the House and Senate would block spending to establish a permanent Space Command headquarters in Colorado until the completion of a new investigation into the decision to base the headquarters there versus Huntsville, Alabama.

The provision was inserted by the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), who has vowed to keep up the fight over the location of Space Command. The final NDAA did not address whether to establish a Space National Guard but does direct a review of whether existing Air National Guard space units should be transferred to the Space Force. Another NDAA provision authorizes a "port authority" arrangement at federal launch ranges, like Cape Canaveral, that would allow companies to invest in improvements in exchange for rapid access. (12/8)

SDA Plans Active Launch Schedule (Source: Space News)
After launching its first satellites this year, the Space Force's Space Development Agency (SDA) is planning for a more active 2024. Derek Tournear, director of SDA, said Thursday that his agency is planning 11 launches over 11 months starting next September. Those launches will carry 161 Tranche 1 communications and missile-tracking satellites from several companies. SDA launched 23 Tranche 0 satellites this year with four more missile-tracking satellites from L3Harris to be launched early next year. Tournear said he's been pleased with the performance of the companies developing those satellites, a mix of established aerospace companies and smaller ones. (12/8)

FCC Approves Dish/EchoStar Merger (Source: Space News)
The FCC has approved a planned merger of Dish Network and EchoStar. The FCC agreed Wednesday to transfer all of Dish Network's licenses and authorizations to EchoStar, which would be the surviving entity following the transaction. That approval is one of the last milestones needed to complete the merger, announced four months ago, with the remaining steps on track to be wrapped up as soon as the end of this week. Dish Network is a direct-to-home satellite TV operator that is building out a terrestrial 5G network, while EchoStar offers broadband satellite connectivity and expects an increase in subscribers once its new Jupiter-3 satellite enters service in the coming weeks. (12/8)

GAO Recommends FAA Evaluate Launch Mishap Evaluation Procedures (Source: Space News)
A GAO report recommends that the FAA evaluate its procedures for investigating commercial launch mishaps. The report, released Thursday, noted that while the FAA examines on a case-by-case basis how each launch mishap should be investigated, it has in every case since 2000 allowed the launch operator to lead the investigation with FAA oversight. The GAO report recommended that the FAA develop specific criteria for when such investigations should be led by the FAA and to review the overall effectiveness of the mishap investigation process. (12/8)

NASA Adds Contract Flexibility for ISS Deorbit Contract (Source: Space News)
NASA is adding more flexibility for companies bidding on an International Space Station deorbit vehicle. In a procurement notice this week, NASA said it would allow companies to propose cost-plus contracts for both the development and production of the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle, a spacecraft that would dock with the ISS and handle a guided reentry of the station at the end of its life.

NASA previously allowed companies to propose both cost-plus and fixed-price contracts for the development of the vehicle, but required a fixed-price contract for its production. NASA delayed the deadline for proposals from this month to mid-February, with an award expected in late May or early June. (12/8)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Mission From California (Source: Space.com)
For the second night in a row, SpaceX launched a set of Starlink satellites overnight. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 3:03 a.m. Eastern and deployed 22 Starlink satellites. The first stage landed on a droneship in the Pacific to complete its 13th flight. (12/8)

Falcon Heavy to Launch Space Force Spaceplane on Sunday Night (Source: Florida Today)
SpaceX is now preparing for the Falcon Heavy launch of the Space Force's X-37B spaceplane Sunday night. The Space Force said Thursday that liftoff of the rocket is scheduled for 8:14 p.m. Eastern at the start of a 10-minute launch window. The service has provided few details about the seventh flight of the X-37B, but the use of the Falcon Heavy suggests that the vehicle will be going to a different, higher orbit than previous missions. (12/8)

Rocket Lab Wins South Korean Launch Contract (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab announced a contract Thursday to launch a South Korean satellite. The company said it won a contract to launch the NeonSat-1 Earth observation satellite for the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.  The satellite will fly as a rideshare payload on the Electron launch of NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail System satellite in the first half of 2024. The Electron is scheduled to resume launches next week, nearly three months after a launch failure. (12/8)

Hubble Resumes Operations After Gyro Problem (Source: NASA)
The Hubble Space Telescope will soon resume science operations after a gyro problem. NASA said Thursday that Hubble should return to normal operations on Friday after being in safe mode since Nov. 23 when one of its gyroscopes starting providing faulty readings. That gyro will return to service along with two others, enabling normal three-gyro operations of Hubble. NASA said those gyros will operate in a "higher-precision mode" during science observations but did not elaborate. (12/8)

Cygnos to Honor Robertson (Source: CollectSpace)
The next Cygnus cargo spacecraft has been named after an astronaut who died more than 20 years ago. Northrop Grumman said the Cygnus flying the NG-20 mission has been named the S.S. Patricia "Patty" Hilliard Robertson. She was a NASA astronaut selected in 1998 but who died in 2001 from injuries sustained in a private plane crash before her first space flight. The mission is scheduled to launch in late January on a Falcon 9 from Florida. (12/8)

You Might Be Surprised at How Big NASA’s Ballooning Program Is (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Giant balloons were in the news a lot this year, and NASA has some of the largest, which will launch early this month. When most people think of NASA they think of astronauts and spacecraft, not balloons. But NASA has been using balloons for more than 30 years. Its Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia manages the agency’s scientific balloon flight program, with 10 to 15 flights each year from launch sites worldwide. This year’s most important flights begin early this month in the Antarctic. (12/7)

Astronaut Mary Cleave Dies at 76 (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Mary Cleave, the NASA astronaut who in 1989 became the first woman to fly on a space shuttle mission after the Challenger disaster, has died at the age of 76. NASA did not give a cause of death, the space agency announced last week. (12/7)

CisLunar Industries Joins DARPA's Innovative LunA-10 Lunar Infrastructure Program (Source: Space Daily)
CisLunar Industries, an emerging name in space technology, has secured a significant contract with DARPA for the LunA-10 capability study. CisLunar Industries will play a crucial role in this transformation by developing the METAL framework (Material Extraction, Treatment, Assembly, and Logistics). This framework is a cornerstone of the LunA-10 program, designed to integrate various lunar services and make them more efficient and commercially viable. The collaboration with 13 other visionary companies underlines the program's emphasis on collective, interdisciplinary efforts. (12/8)

Hearing 'The Whole Sky' with Quasar Sense a Game Changer for Milspace (Source: Space Daily)
Quasar Satellite Technologies has introduced Quasar Sense, a novel tool in space domain awareness (SDA) for American defense, intelligence, and national security sectors. This innovative technology allows for the simultaneous tracking and characterization of over 30 satellites, marking a significant advancement in the field. (12/8)

Pacific Defense Secures Phase II Contract for Advanced Cislunar Space Sensor (Source: Space Daily)
Pacific Defense, a leader in Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) technology, has announced a significant development in cislunar space situational awareness (SSA). The company has been awarded a $9.4 million Phase II contract by the Space Control Technology Branch of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to complete the development of a low size, weight, and power (SWaP) sensor. This sensor, designed in accordance with MOSA principles, is intended to address the growing challenges of SSA in the cislunar domain. (12/8)

China's Quest for Space-Based Solar Power: A Clean Energy Revolution (Source: Space Daily)
Amid global efforts to transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources, Chinese scientists and engineers are pursuing an innovative solution-harnessing the abundant energy of the sun in space and beaming it back to Earth. Multiple teams in China are currently dedicated to developing the necessary technologies for constructing and operating a space-based solar power facility. This ambitious endeavor could revolutionize clean energy generation. (12/7)

Iran Hails Capsule Launch as Step Toward Human Spaceflight (Source: Space Daily)
Telecommunications Minister Issa Zarepour said the launch of the 500-kilo capsule on a new class of domestically built space rocket named "Salman" could pave the way for a human spaceflight. It was not immediately clear if live animals were in the capsule, whose launch came 13 years after Iran sent turtles, a rat and worms into space. (12/6)

Momentus Partners with CalgaryToSpace for 2025 Satellite Launch (Source: Space Daily)
Momentus announced a partnership with CalgaryToSpace (CTS), a student team from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, dedicated to building and operating a satellite in orbit. The collaboration involves Momentus providing transportation and orbital delivery services for CTS in 2025. This satellite carries two cutting-edge payloads, the first being a Miniaturized Plasma Imager. The second payload is a flexible carbon fiber boom. (12/8)