January 10, 2024

NASA Delays Next Two Artemis Missions Into 2025 and 2026 (Source: Space News)
NASA announced Tuesday it is delaying the next two Artemis missions by nearly a year. The agency said Artemis 2, a crewed mission around the moon previously scheduled for launch late this year, is now scheduled for September 2025. That will delay Artemis 3, the first crewed landing, to no earlier than September 2026. The Artemis 2 delay is to give the agency time to address several issues with Orion that affect crew safety, including unexpected erosion of the capsule's heat shield seen on Artemis 1, faulty electronics on its life support system, and concerns that the launch abort system could affect Orion's electrical power systems. NASA said that, even if Artemis 2 remained on schedule, it would have likely delayed Artemis 3 to provide more time for development of the Starship lunar lander and lunar spacesuits. (1/10)

SpaceX Plans Third Starship Test Flight in February (Source: Space News)
SpaceX expects to perform its third Starship integrated test flight in February. At the NASA briefing that announced the new Artemis launch dates, a SpaceX executive said the hardware for that launch should be ready this month. An updated FAA launch license is projected for February after SpaceX completes corrective actions from the previous Starship launch in November. The company also estimated it will need about 10 Starship refueling flights to send a Starship lander to the moon, after previous estimates by NASA of nearly 20 such flights. SpaceX is downplaying the complexity of its approach for lunar lander missions, noting it has already demonstrated key requirements like docking and high flight rates with its existing Falcon launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft. (1/10)

Iridium Shifts to Standardized 5G Tech (Source: Space News)
Iridium is shifting to standardized technologies for providing direct-to-device services rather than its own proprietary approaches. The company announced Wednesday that it will make its low Earth orbit constellation compatible with 5G standards used by mass-market smartphones, aiming to enable them to access messaging and SOS services outside cellular coverage from 2026. Iridium previously pursued a partnership with Qualcomm using proprietary technologies and specialized chips, but Qualcomm backed out of the agreement in November because of a lack of interest from smartphone manufacturers. Iridium said it would take more time to develop standardized protocols that can be uploaded into the constellation, but the end result would be easier for device manufacturers to adopt. (1/10)

China Plans May Launch of Lunar Sample Return Mission (Source: Space News)
China is gearing up for the launch of the first sample return mission to the far side of the moon. The Chang'e-6 spacecraft arrived at the Wenchang spaceport Wednesday for final assembly and testing work, the China National Space Administration announced. A Long March 5 will launch the mission, likely in May, after a Long March 8 rocket launches the Queqiao-2 relay satellite to enable communications with Chang'e-6. The mission is designed to land in a southern portion of Apollo crater on the lunar farside, collecting up to two kilograms of samples to return to Earth. (1/10)

Stuck Valve Possibly to Blame for Astrobotic Lander Anomaly (Source: Space.com)
A stuck valve may have caused the propulsion anomaly on Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander. The company said Tuesday that its current hypothesis for the propellant leak on the lander detected shortly after launch Monday was that a valve for a helium pressurization system failed to reseal after initial tests. That caused helium to surge into an oxidizer tank, rupturing it. Astrobotic is working to stretch out the life of the lander in its lunar transfer orbit, but confirmed there is no possibility of attempting a lunar landing. (1/10)

Japan's XRISM Astronomy Satellite's Spectrometer Door Stuck (Source: Space News)
A minor problem is affecting operations of one of the instruments on a Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite. The XRISM spacecraft launched in September and is nearing the end of its commissioning. The two main instruments on the spacecraft, an imager and spectrometer, are working well, but the aperture door for the spectrometer has not opened despite several commands to do so.

The door is made of material that is transparent to X-rays, allowing the spectrometer to operate but with reduced throughput, particularly for low-energy X-rays. NASA, which helped developed the spectrometer, said that while the glitch is "frustrating" the spacecraft is otherwise working well, and is holding out hope that the door can eventually be opened. (1/10)

Oman Plans Spaceport (Source: The National)
The government of Oman plans to develop a spaceport. The Etlaq spaceport, announced this week at the Middle East Space Conference in the country, would be ready to host launches of small to large rockets by 2030. No launch operators have yet signed up to use the launch site, and many would face export control and missile technology proliferation challenges if they sought to launch from Oman. (1/10)

Space Acquisition Czar Wants Deadline-Driven Culture (Source: Breaking Defense)
Frank Calvelli, the US Air Force's space acquisition czar, says accelerating new capabilities and ensuring the success of ongoing programs are top priorities. In a recent memo, he outlined 10 essential program management skills and best practices for government acquisition professionals in space programs, noting that the government needs to "to break the paradigm of thinking schedule slips are OK." (1/9)

Sidus Space Regains Compliance with Nasdaq Minimum Bid Requirements (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus Space announced that on January 8, 2024, the Company received a notification letter (the “Notification Letter”) from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Capital Market notifying the Company that it had regained compliance with the minimum bid price requirement set forth under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) (the “Nasdaq Minimum Bid Price Requirement”) (1/9)

Spire Global to Provide Essential Atmospheric Data to NOAA (Source: Space Daily)
Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR) has secured a $9.4 million contract from the National Oceanographic and Oceanic Administration (NOAA). This contract marks a continued collaboration between the two entities, focusing on the provision of radio occultation (RO) data for an eight-month period. This agreement is a part of the Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract under NOAA's Commercial Weather Data Program's Radio Occultation Data Buy II. (1/9)

Self-Eating Rocket Could Help UK Take a Big Bite of Space Industry (Source: Space Daily)
New developments on a nearly century-old concept for a 'self-eating' rocket engine capable of flight beyond the Earth's atmosphere could help the UK take a bigger bite of the space industry. University of Glasgow engineers have built and fired the first unsupported 'autophage' rocket engine which consumes parts of its own body for fuel.

The design of the autophage engine - the name comes from the Latin word for 'self-eating' - has several potential advantages over conventional rocket designs. The engine works by using waste heat from combustion to sequentially melt its own plastic fuselage as it fires. The molten plastic is fed into the engine's combustion chamber as additional fuel to burn alongside its regular liquid propellants. (1/9)

Space Florida Focuses on Expansion and Exemption for 2024 Legislative Session (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida announces its top priorities for the 2024 Florida Legislative Session: expansion of Florida’s spaceport system territory, and urging Congress to make spaceport bonds tax-exempt for the benefit of our economy and military resilience. According to CEO Rob Long, the territorial expansion "will attract a diverse range of aerospace companies and investors to new regions of our state, driving greater economic growth and supporting military resiliency." 

By urging Congress to add spaceports as a qualified tax-exempt category of private activity bonds, spaceport bonds would gain tax exempt status on par with airports and seaports, promoting growth and development of the space industry, and by extension the broader economy and national security. (1/10)

How Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Offers Healthier Astronauts (Source: Interesting Engineering)
With existing rocket technologies, it would take roughly seven months to fly a crewed mission to Mars. A team of engineers from the U.S. Energy Department's Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is developing the technology required to cut that travel time in half. "Nuclear propulsion can provide the most capable means of delivering large-mass payloads to Mars in the shortest amount of time," said Sebastian Corbisiero, senior technical advisor for advanced concepts at INL.

A team of scientists and engineers at the U.S. Energy Department's Idaho National Laboratory (INL) holds the outcome of a new space race in its hands. The team is spearheading a nationwide effort to develop a nuclear thermal propulsion spacecraft that could cut the travel time to Mars in half. It's a project that could dramatically alter the course of humanity, making us an interplanetary species capable of sustainably sending humans to the Red Planet. (1/10)

Will the World's Largest Spaceport be Built in Northern Minnesota? (Source: Inforum)
A few dozen people packed a room in Hoyt Lakes City Hall for Monday night's council meeting. The elected leaders of the 2,000-person city had plenty of business to consider, including space travel. Dave Neville, a representative of the Can-Am 5M Project, stepped to the podium to make his case for a spaceport in Minnesota's Iron Range region.

Neville and a group of like-minded colleagues are working, presently on a volunteer basis, to build community support for a project that would take advantage of the Iron Range's geographic location, its industrial infrastructure and its well-mined landscape to launch rockets into polar orbit, heading north over Canada en route to points far, far beyond. Not only is the Iron Range well-situated geographically for orbital insertion, Schwieters said, the combination of open-pit mines and water pumps could allow engineers to generate hydraulic pressure, thus saving the fuel that would otherwise be necessary to generate a rocket's initial momentum. (1/10)

NASA's Kennedy Space Center Announces After-Hours "Techno Party" on Feb. 2 (Source: EDM)
The next frontier for nightlife may be among the stars. In an innovative offering that blends the allure of astronomy with the energizing pulse of electronic music, NASA's Kennedy Space Center has taken one giant leap with its upcoming "Under the Stars" event. "Kennedy Under the Stars" seeks to transform the space complex into an interstellar party complete with Cosmic Glow miniature golf under neon lights and interactive chalk art. Soundtracked by live DJs, this after-hours "techno party" is set to bring the cosmic wonder down to Earth, allowing guests to revel under the night sky in a setting like no other. Click here. (1/9)

Iridium Is Offering Its Own Smartphone-to-Satellite Service to Companies (Source: CNET)
The satellite-to-phone trend we predicted last year didn't take off as expected, and one of the casualties was satellite network owner Iridium's severed partnership with chipmaker Qualcomm. Now on its own, Iridium has launched its own service device makers can use to let you send text messages through satellites.

Project Stardust, as Iridium's service is called, will offer the company's constellation of satellites to device manufacturers and carriers to provide connectivity straight to phones, cars, mobile networks and internet of things devices. Unlike Iridium's previously planned partnership with Qualcomm, which was a proprietary service, Project Stardust will comply with the 3GPP 5G standards for non-terrestrial networks. (1/10)

Ramping Up Vulcan Launch Ops (Source: Ars Technica)
ULA, has set aside the next 60 days to review data from the "Cert-1" certification mission that launched on Monday morning, they said. If the data looks good from that flight, the company will move into preparations for the next launch. Wentz said the earliest opportunity to launch this Cert-2 mission is "April-ish." The second Vulcan launch will carry the Dream Chaser spacecraft into orbit for Sierra Space. The winged vehicle will fly a cargo mission that carries supplies to the ISS.

The Dream Chaser mission does not have a specific launch date on NASA's internal schedule, but it shows a potential docking with the International Space Station for 45 days during a period between early April and mid-June. The docking port for the mission will not be needed by other spacecraft this year, so ULA and Sierra Space have some flexibility with the launch date. Assuming the second launch of Vulcan goes well, ULA will work with the Space Force to complete the final certification paperwork to clear the rocket to launch DoD payloads.

The first of these missions is likely to be the USSF-106 mission, which will carry a demonstration navigation satellite and other payloads for the Space Force. The earliest possible launch date for this mission would be June, but it almost certainly will slip a bit later into the summer. And after that? ULA plans to move into an operational cadence as soon as possible. There are six missions under contract.  The remaining four on the manifest this year are intended to be for the US Space Force. (1/10)

Observation of Supernova Producing Compact Object (Black Hole or Neutron Star) (Source: Hobby Space)
Astronomers have found a direct link between the explosive deaths of massive stars and the formation of the most compact and enigmatic objects in the Universe — black holes and neutron stars. With the help of the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) and ESO’s New Technology Telescope (NTT), two teams were able to observe the aftermath of a supernova explosion in a nearby galaxy, finding evidence for the mysterious compact object it left behind. (1/10)

Funding Available for Technology Development Research Leveraging International Space Station (Source: CASIS)
The ISS National Laboratory is soliciting flight concepts for technology development that would utilize the space-based environment of the orbiting laboratory. This solicitation, “Technology Development and Applied Research Leveraging the ISS National Lab,” is open to a broad range of technology areas, including chemical and material synthesis in space, translational medicine, in-space edge computing, and ISAM (in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing). It also encompasses the application of space station remote sensing data to improve geospatial analytics for commercial use. Click here. (1/9)

Oliver Wyman to Acquire SeaTec Consulting (Source: Oliver Wyman)
Oliver Wyman, a global leader in management consulting, has entered into an agreement to acquire SeaTec Consulting, a leading provider of consulting, engineering, and digital expertise across the aviation, aerospace and defense, and transportation industries. SeaTec will join CAVOK, a division of Oliver Wyman, focused on aviation services. This is Oliver Wyman’s second recent acquisition in the aviation consulting industry. In November 2022, Oliver Wyman acquired Avascent, an aerospace & defense management consulting firm focused on the corporate and private equity sectors. (1/9)

OLM & TLON Space Sign MOU for Technological & Launch-Based Operations in the EU and Beyond (Source: Issue Wire)
Orbital Launch Means SRL and TLON Space have agreed to build cooperation for "knowledge-sharing, technology & commercial provision of services across OLM’s test & launch facilities in Central Europe, Argentina & Uruguay.” The MoU aims to sustain Aventura I & II through propellant farming, launch/integration services, and collaboration fostering across the entire value chain of OLM’s facilities in both Europe and Argentina/Uruguay. TLON Space is based in Argentina with an objective to deploy third party satellites into orbit, including development of an ultralight space launch vehicle. (1/9)

The Advent of Astropolitical Alliances (Source: Space News)
As the world grows increasingly multipolar, beset by geopolitical tensions and a resurgence of great power rivalry, the dynamics that have historically defined terrestrial politics are being projected into the final frontier, outer space. Recent developments in Asia illustrate this trend. Notably, Pakistan joined China’s International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) in October 2023, months after India signed the Artemis Accords with the United States in June. These declarations are not just diplomatic platitudes to indicate bilateral space cooperation between these states; they herald the dawn of astropolitical alliances that will have far-reaching ramifications for the bifurcation of the framework of global space governance. Click here. (1/9)

Eva Villaver, Astrophysicist: 'Machismo is Present in All Areas Where Humans are Active' (Source: Mujer.Es)
Eva Villaver is one of the most relevant women in the space sector. Recently appointed Director of Space at the Spanish Space Agency, she has worked at two of the largest space agencies on the planet: NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Scientific Institute and the European Space Agency. "Women are increasingly present in the space sector . They have made their way in the same way as they have in the rest of the fields of work that have traditionally been prohibited to them. Perhaps, as always when we talk about STEM careers , the percentages are still are low, but let's remember that in the space sector there are many professional profiles," says Villaver. (1/9)

Space Bridge Partners Announces Service to Privately Finance Space Missions (Source: Space Bridge Partners)
Space Bridge Partners (SBP), a boutique advisory firm, today unveiled its plan to curate a global network of private funding sources for space missions focused on exploration, science, and education objectives. Founded by space and finance professionals in the US, Europe, and Middle East, SBP seeks to tap the vast resources of the world’s private sector to help expand humanity’s understanding of the universe and improve life on Earth.
 
The firm will advise interested individuals, family offices, corporate brands, and media companies in order to connect them with civil space agencies, universities, nonprofit organizations, and startups organizing specific space missions. SBP’s team is currently tracking more than a dozen global missions with budget needs ranging from $500,000 to $100 million. (1/9)

Blue Abyss Moves Forward with Ohio Training Center (Source: Blue Abyss)
Blue Abyss has completed the purchase of 12 acres of land in the city of Brook Park, Ohio, on which it plans to build a state-of-the-art extreme environment research, development, and training center, and hotel. The land is adjacent to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and close to NASA’s Glenn Research Centre, Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility, the Ohio Aerospace Institute, Cleveland's International Exposition (IX) Center, and world-class universities and hospitals. The company will proceed to planning application and aims to commence construction in the second half of 2024.

The company envisions a future where humanity safely and routinely travels to, lives and works in the most extreme environments. It aims to deliver the World’s foremost extreme environment research, development, testing, and training facilities to enable the research and development of space, aerospace, medical and marine technologies and techniques. After 5 years, the facility will create or support over 3,900 jobs, add $277 million to resident’s incomes, and increase county and sub-county tax revenue by $3.5 million. (1/8)

Voyager Space and Airbus Finalize Starlab Space LLC Joint Venture (Source: Voyager Space)
Voyager Space and Airbus announced they have completed the transaction to create Starlab Space LLC, a transatlantic joint venture that will design, build, and operate the Starlab commercial space station. Alongside the joint venture execution, the Starlab team completed the station-level System Definition Review (SDR), a critical milestone assessing the technical and programmatic accountability of the program. (1/9)

Japan Delays MMX Mars Moon Sample-Return Mission to 2026 (Source: Space.com)
Japan has postponed the launch of a mission seeking to bring samples of a Martian moon to Earth until 2026. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission was due to launch in September of this year on the country's new H3 rocket. However, the first flight of the flagship H3 failed last March. Despite JAXA recently announcing it is now targeting mid-February for a second H3 launch attempt, the agency decided that proving the reliability of the new launcher was paramount before attempting the ambitious interplanetary MMX mission. (1/4)

Kratos Extends Capability of OpenSpace Platform (Source: Air Force Technology)
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has partnered with Rancher Government Solutions to advance satellite ground systems, combining Kratos' expertise in satellite control and defense with Rancher's enterprise Kubernetes management. This collaboration aims to provide scalable virtual ground systems through Kratos' OpenSpace platform. (1/8)

Astrobotic's Propulsion System Failure Makes Lunar Landing Doubtful (Source: Tech Crunch)
In 2018, Astrobotic selected longtime propulsion developer Frontier Aerospace Corporation to supply the thrusters for Peregrine and announced that Dynetics would integrate the system’s components (the thrusters, tanks and feed systems) into a single propulsion system. The propulsion system is a critical component of a spacecraft, but it’s especially important for this mission, which is taking an indirect path to the moon. Astrobotic’s plan was to conduct a series of complex maneuvers to gradually lower the lander’s orbit, before finally attempting a soft landing on February 23 (which would also require fuel). (1/9)

Space Force Taps Microsoft to Build Cloud-Based, Simulated Space Environment (Source: Defense Scoop)
The Space Force announced Friday that it has given Microsoft a contract to continue work on a simulated environment where guardians can train, test new capabilities and interact with digital copies of objects in orbit. Under the $19.8 million, one-year contract from Space Systems Command (SSC), Microsoft will develop the Integrated, Immersive, Intelligent Environment (I3E) — an augmented reality space simulation powered by the company’s HoloLens headsets. The training tool is a successor to the service’s Immersive Digital Facility (IDF) prototype developed in 2023. (1/8)

A Small Galaxy Orbiting The Milky Way Might Not Be What We Thought (Source: Science Alert)
Astronomers have just now discovered something shocking about one of the most well-known objects in Earth's sky. The Small Magellanic Cloud, new analysis suggests, is not one tiny galaxy orbiting the Milky Way, but two. The two discrete stellar populations, argues a team led by astronomer Claire Murray of the Space Telescope Science Institute, are superimposed along our line of sight. Their data suggest that the rearmost blob of stars hangs out some 16,000 light-years behind the other. (1/9)

'Islands' Poking Out of Black Holes May Solve the Information Paradox (Source: New Scientist)
We may be able to find out what happens to matter that falls into a black hole, something previously thought impossible. This is because some parts of a black hole’s interior, called “islands”, may actually poke far enough outside the hole for us to measure them. If we can do this, then Stephen Hawking’s long-standing black hole paradox might finally be resolved. (1/9)

NASA Funds Venus Sample-Return, interstellar Probes and Other Far-Out Space Tech (Source: Space.com)
NASA has awarded funding to 13 innovative space technology concepts that could shape future missions to Venus, Mars and worlds beyond our solar system. The space agency's NIAC (NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts) program supports the development of early-stage technology ideas from America's innovators and entrepreneurs. Each Phase 1 award is worth up to $175,000, according to a statement from NASA. Click here. (1/9)

GJ 367b is Another Dead World Orbiting a Red Dwarf (Source: Phys.org)
Red dwarf exoplanet habitability is a hot topic in space science. These small dim stars host lots of exoplanets, including small rocky ones the size of Earth. But the little stars emit extremely powerful flares that can damage and strip away atmospheres. In new research, astronomers studied the atmosphere of the often-mentioned exoplanet GJ 367b and found, well, nothing. The planet likely lost whatever volatiles it had long ago, and the red dwarf star it orbits is responsible. (1/9)

Chinese Satellite Launch Raises Alarms on Taiwan (Source: AP)
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry mistranslated an alert into English on Tuesday, saying China had launched a missile instead of a satellite and urging caution days before the island’s elections. Taiwan holds presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday that China has described as a choice between war and peace. (1/9)