December 9, 2023

Orbex Appoints New Chief Commercial Officer as it Prepares for Historic First Launch of Prime Rocket from Spaceport Sutherland (Source: The Northern Times)
Orbex has announced the appointment of John Bone as its new chief commercial officer. Mr Bone takes up the role as the space company prepares for the historic first launch of its Orbex Prime rocket from Spaceport Sutherland. Orbex is currently overseeing the construction of the £17.3 million rocket launch facility that will be its home spaceport. The company is developing Orbex Prime, a 19 metre long reusable rocket designed to launch commercial satellites into space. (12/8)

Axiom Space Opens New Headquarters at Houston Spaceport (Source: KHOU)
A third private space company is now up and running at the Houston Spaceport. Axiom Space cut the ribbon on its new, long-term headquarters Thursday at Ellington Airport, which houses the spaceport, after breaking ground in May 2022. “Never has the spaceship been actually manufactured in Houston, and so this is a historical moment for the city,” said Michael Suffredini, CEO of Axiom Space.

It’s where the company plans to train commercial astronauts and develop the world’s first commercial space station. It will replace the current International Space Station, which NASA plans to retire by 2031. (12/7)

NASA Finds Stray Tomato on ISS, Clearing Astronaut They Thought Ate It (Source: Business Insider)
An 8-month-long space mystery has been solved. NASA astronauts on the International Space Station finally found a stray, space-grown tomato eight months after it first went missing. And no one's probably happier than Frank Rubio, the astronaut that the crew thought had eaten it. (12/7)

Final Touches Being Given to Pakistan Space Policy (Source: Business Recorder)
The first ever National Space Policy (NSP) is in the final process of approval under which the satellite industry would be regulated in the country, well-placed sources revealed to Business Recorder. Under the policy, a National Space Agency would be established in the country and satellite service providers who intend to provide satellite services in the country would be required to register themselves and obtain a non-objection certificate (NOC), sources added. (12/8)

Imagine if GPS Got Lost. We at Space Force Worry About it So You Don't Have To (Source: USA Today)
The personnel conducting operations, engineering and maintenance are members of the 2d Space Operations Squadron and are on average only 23 years old. Our country trusts some of its youngest citizens to provide this foundational capability. These personnel use facilities in Colorado Springs and at five other operating locations to control all 37 satellites, updating precise timing and location information throughout each day.

For some, having the military build, sustain and operate GPS satellites seems odd, given that 99% of users are civilians. One of the core missions of the Space Force is to protect and defend America’s space assets, like GPS, which is why the Space Force is entrusted with this critical mission. To be sure, there’s a national security element, too.

America’s adversaries know how much the U.S. military depends on GPS. Imagine if GPS were blocked here in the United States or over a large swath of the earth. The consequence would be significant, which is why this system still is managed by DoD. That explains the Space Force’s mission to support a “whole-of-government response” to any GPS threat to the homeland. It’s why the 2d Space Operations Squadron works with the USDOT, DHS and FCC to identify, characterize and halt unauthorized GPS interference – anywhere in America, at any time. (12/8)

Space Development Agency, Army Cooperating on Alternates to GPS (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Development Agency is now working with the Army to explore new options for satellite-based positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) as alternatives to GPS, according to SDA Director Derek Tournear. He explained that the Army has an alternate PNT (alt-PNT) signal that still can be picked up by the Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) Increment 2 radio chip sets — which primarily are being developed to allow access to the GPS constellation’s jam-resistant M-Code signal. (12/7)

SpaceX’s Colossal Starship Sets Pace in Race to Build Larger Rockets (Source: Bloomberg)
or a few glorious minutes on Nov. 18, SpaceX’s gargantuan Starship rocket blasted toward the heavens with apparent perfection. Then, roughly eight minutes into the flight, it inexplicably exploded high above the Gulf of Mexico.

Yet for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, it wasn’t a true setback—just another hiccup in development. At some point, Starship seems likely to safely reach orbital speeds and be deemed ready for launching payloads and satellite swarms into low-Earth orbit. That means the rest of the launch industry—already scrambling to compete with SpaceX’s current workhorse rocket, the Falcon 9—could find itself permanently playing second fiddle to the boisterous billionaire’s rocket maker. (12/8)

More Nations Meet to Address Space Security (Source: DoD)
The annual event, held this week, brought together DOD political and military space leadership from the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and also welcomed three new members of CSpO: Italy, Japan and Norway. The 10 members of CSpO discussed opportunities to further advance both operational cooperation and information sharing for the space domain.  Established in 2014, the initiative is a multinational partnership. Its stated mission is to generate and improve cooperation, coordination and interoperability to sustain freedom of action in space, optimize resources, enhance mission assurance and resilience, and deter conflict. (12/7)

Lawmakers Unveil 2024 Defense Authorization Bill with Space Priorities (Source: Space News)
The Senate and House Armed Services Committees unveiled a final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference agreement late Dec. 6 that includes several space policy and spending decisions impacting the military space and commercial space sectors. The 2024 NDAA authorizes a defense budget of $886 billion after weeks of negotiations between House and Senate leaders. The final negotiated version of the bill now goes back to the full House and Senate for final passage before going to the President. Click here. (12/7)

Boeing Working Toward First SLS Core Stage Final Assembly at KSC (Source: NSF)
As Boeing nears completing final assembly of NASA’s second Space Launch System (SLS) core stage at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans, the space agency’s prime contractor for SLS stages is continuing production of hardware for the next two units. The core stage for Artemis II is the last one that will be completed at MAF, with future builds now planned to undergo final construction at their launch site, the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.

The first core stage to be completed at KSC will be the unit for Artemis III; Boeing has already transported the engine section to Florida to complete its outfitting and is hoping to have its new facilities in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) ready by the end of 2024 — the same time as it intends the stage hardware for that launch to be ready for final assembly. Structures for the Artemis IV core stage are also in production, with delivery of the engine section structure to Florida expected in the first part of next year. (12/7)