January 12, 2024

ESA Considers Shifting Earth Observation Satellite Launch From Vega C to Falcon 9 (Source: Space News)
ESA officials said they are studying with the European Commission moving the Sentinel-1C spacecraft, currently scheduled to launch late this year on the Vega C, to Falcon 9. The move could allow an earlier launch for Sentinel-1C, a radar mapping satellite that will replace the Sentinel-1B satellite that failed two years ago, and address concerns about placing a valuable payload on the Vega C's return to flight. ESA and the Commission expect to decide whether to change Sentinel-1C's launch "in the coming days and weeks." Europe has turned to the Falcon 9 for other science and navigation satellite launches because of problems with the Vega C and delays in introducing the Ariane 6. (1/12)

NGA Plans New Program for Commercial Imagery Procurement (Source: Space News)
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) plans to procure commercial satellite imagery under a new program. NGA issued a solicitation this week for Luno, a program that aims to leverage commercial satellite imagery and data analytics to bolster NGA's global monitoring capabilities. NGA is interested in commercial data and analytics relevant to economic activity, environmental monitoring and keeping watch of military capabilities worldwide, building on an earlier program called Economic Indicator Monitoring. (1/12)

Space Force Plans IT Upgrades at Spaceports Under SBIR Program (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force plans to award contracts for upgrading the IT infrastructure at its launch sites. As part of the Digital Spaceport of the Future project announced this month, the Space Force's SpaceWERX technology arm will award Small Business Innovation Research contracts worth up to $1.9 million each. The proposals more likely to be selected are those that offer ready technologies that can be put into use within 18 months, the service said. Most of the work under the digital spaceport project is unclassified because of the heavy use of launch facilities for civil and commercial payloads. (1/12)

Spain's Sateliot Raises $31 Million for IoT Constellation (Source: Space News)
Spanish startup Sateliot is seeking to raise more money for a satellite constellation. The company, which has raised 28 million euros ($31 million) since its founding in 2018, is looking to raise 30 million euros to build out a constellation of smallsats that will provide internet-of-things services. Its first four commercial satellites are scheduled to launch this year, and the new funding would go towards 64 additional satellites. The constellation would be compatible with 5G networking protocols so that customers could connect to the satellites with mass market devices. (1/12)

Astrobotic and NASA Working to Gain Useful Data From Crippled Peregrine (Source: Space News)
NASA said it is collecting data from two instruments to measure the radiation environment in cislunar space. Astrobotic said late Thursday the fuel leak is slowing, giving the spacecraft at least two more days of life. (1/12)

Japan Launches Reconnaissance Satellite on H2A (Source: Space News)
Japan launched a reconnaissance satellite overnight. An H-2A rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center at 11:44 p.m. Eastern and placed the IGS-Optical 8 satellite into a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. The spacecraft is the latest in a series of optical reconnaissance satellites for the Japanese military used primarily for monitoring North Korea, but also support civil activities like disaster relief. The launch is one of the last for the H-2A, which is set to be retired after two more launches later this year. (1/12)

Intuitive Machines Raises $11.8 Million in Stock Sale (Source: Intuitive Machines)
Intuitive Machines raised $11.8 million in a stock sale. The company said Thursday that an unnamed "existing accredited investor" exercised a warrant to purchase 4.7 million shares in the company. That raised $11.8 million before transaction expenses. The company is preparing for the launch of its first lunar lander mission, IM-1, in mid-February. (1/12)

NASA Removes Fasteners to Access OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Material (Source: CNN)
After months of effort, NASA has finally removed fasteners that blocked access to samples from an asteroid. Two of 35 fasteners on the sample container from NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission could not be opened with existing tools, requiring engineers to develop new tools that could remove the fasteners but also not contaminate the pristine asteroid material. That effort paid off this week, NASA said, removing the stuck fasteners. Scientists will soon open the container to curate the material inside. That material is in addition to abut 70 grams outside the container itself, some of which has already been handed over to scientists for analysis. (1/12)

Exoplanet Appears to Have Liquid Water (Source: Space.com)
A nearby exoplanet may have an abundance of liquid water. Observations of LHS 1140b, an exoplanet orbiting in the habitable zone of a star 50 light-years away, show the planet's density doesn't' match what is expected if it was made solely of rock. Astronomers said that the planet, with a radius 1.7 times that of the Earth, could have large amounts of water or a thick atmosphere of hydrogen and helium. Future observations by the James Webb Space Telescope could determine its composition. If it does have water, it could become one of the leading candidates in the search for life. (1/12)

Revolutionizing Space Habitats: Aurelia Institute's TESSERAE for Biotech Studies (Source: Space Daily)
The Aurelia Institute has taken a significant step in space habitat design with its TESSERAE project, offering a fresh perspective on life in space. TESSERAE, a departure from conventional design, is grounded in established spacecraft engineering principles. The Institute recently released an executive summary highlighting the ongoing case study of this self-assembling habitat.

Following the Space Architecture Trade Study published last summer, the Aurelia team has focused on a flight-scale version of TESSERAE. This habitat aligns with NASA's objectives for future Commercial LEO Destinations, catering specifically to the burgeoning field of biotechnology research in microgravity. (1/12)

NASA's CHAPEA mission reaches 200-Day milestone in Mars Analog Study (Source: Space Daily)
The first crew involved in NASA's groundbreaking Mars analog mission, CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog), has successfully crossed the halfway mark of their year-long mission. As of January 11, the four-person team has spent 200 days in a specially designed habitat at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, with the mission set to conclude on July 6, 2024.

This crew, which embarked on their journey on June 25, 2023, has been living and working in a 1,700-square-foot habitat that simulates the conditions of a Mars mission. The CHAPEA project is a critical element of NASA's preparation for eventual human exploration of Mars. It focuses on studying the health, behavior, and performance of astronauts in an environment that closely mirrors the challenges they would face on a real Mars mission. (1/12)

Lunar Gateway is a Distraction (Source: Astralytical)
NASA's next space station, the Lunar Gateway, is taking resources, money and diplomatic focus away from the most important aspect of Artemis: a sustainable lunar base. According to Homer Hickam: "Gateway was always a solution for a problem that was more political than technical. That it still exists reflects that NASA doesn’t know why Americans need to quickly establish a base on the moon... to build and lead a space economy that benefits our country." (1/12)

Government Shutdown Looms, But Space Force Hopes Launch Operations Won't be Impacted (Sources: SPACErePORT, Washington Post)
Congress began leaving Washington on Thursday for the long holiday weekend without a plan for how to prevent a government shutdown next week, as a revolt over spending brewed among hard-right House Republicans. The last time a government shutdown was anticipated, the Space Force had secured a confirmation that its support to space launch operations would continue as other government services were halted. With recent command changes and other factors, it is unclear this time whether the same exemption would apply to an upcoming shutdown. (1/12)

Space Campus Planned by Berkeley at NASA Ames Research Park (Sources: Berkeley Space Center, Space.com)
The University of California, Berkeley, and NASA's Ames Research Center are building a colossal $2 billion space center in Silicon Valley. The collaboration with NASA Ames, called the Berkeley Space Center, has been in the works for more than two decades. UC Berkeley and SKS Partners will create a constellation of innovation where breakthrough ideas become world-changing products and services. The proposed development will be 1.4 million square feet of office, R&D and academic space. (1/12)

Mammoth Rocket Stage for Blue Origin New Glenn Goes for Ride on Space Coast (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
A first stage of Blue Origin’s massive New Glenn rocket became king of the road for a day making a trip from the factory to its launch complex on Wednesday. Transported by a series of multiwheeled carriages and an arching structure, the 189-foot-tall first stage for what will be a 320-foot-tall rocket when fully assembled traveled horizontally on a 22-mile trip from the New Glenn factory in Merritt Island through Kennedy Space Center over to Launch Complex 36. The slow-rolling caravan took up all lanes as it paused for several minutes before passing by the Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC, drawing a crowd of curious onlookers.

The heavy lift rocket, which features a larger diameter fairing for more payload capacity than its competitors, is designed for reuse similar to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets, but with more power. The seven BE-4’s can generate early 3.9 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, and the first stages are designed for 25 flights. A Falcon 9 generates 1.7 million pounds of thrust while the new Vulcan Centaur using its maximum six solid rocket boosters can achieve 3.3 million pounds of thrust.

Similar to SpaceX, the boosters will aim for a landing 620 miles downrange in the Atlantic on a landing platform and then return to the launch site to Port Canaveral, where Blue Origin recently installed its a 375-foot-tall tower crane. The eventual trip from the port back to LC-36, though, will be shorter than the factory ride with the launch site only about 5 miles north of Port Canaveral. (1/10)

NASA's Troubled Mars Sample Mission Has Scientists Seeing Red (Source: Scientific American)
NASA is seemingly caught between a Mars rock and a hard place. The space agency’s best-laid plan to robotically retrieve prized samples of the Red Planet for scrutiny back on Earth has been decades in the making and is seen as a “must-do” by many planetary scientists. Now it has gone awry, imperiled by a wildly unrealistic budget and schedule. Although a programmatic overhaul is now underway, no one can yet say just how—or when—the Mars Sample Return (MSR) initiative will succeed, and lawmakers have threatened the project with outright cancellation.

Nationwide, more than 1,300 people have been working on MSR, but that number is dropping. After the IRB report’s release, NASA hit the pause button on the project: the space agency announced that several of its research centers were “ramping back” associated work. A hiring freeze is now in effect at the space agency’s MSR-managing JPL, and last week the lab laid off 100 of its contractors. The slowdown comes as NASA faces a constricted budget in FY-2024 because of a debt ceiling spending cap deal in Congress. The House of Representatives’ proposed budget allots nearly $1 billion to the project in 2024 per NASA’s request, while the Senate’s budget offers only $300 million—and explicitly threatens MSR with cancellation if the program’s costs can’t be reined in. (1/11)

JWST Finds a New Lead in the Search for Life on a Mysterious Exoplanet (Source: Planetary Society)
JWST has detected signs of methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of K2-18 b. This discovery could reshape our search for life beyond Earth and teach us more about the enigmatic class of exoplanets known as sub-Neptunes. This exoplanet is 8.6 times Earth's mass and 120 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Leo. It may have a water ocean beneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, suggested by its carbon-bearing molecules like methane and carbon dioxide, with low ammonia levels. (1/10)

Nearby Exoplanet May Be Rich in Life-Giving Water (Source: Space.com)
An exoplanet orbiting a small star some 50 light-years away from Earth may be a life-friendly water world, a new study has revealed — and the James Webb Space Telescope could determine if that is indeed the case. The planet in question, called LHS 1140b, orbits in the habitable zone of a small, dim star called LHS 1140 that lies in the constellation Cetus. The exoplanet was discovered in 2017 and has been observed by multiple telescopes since.

These observations first convinced researchers that LHS 1140b is a rocky planet about 1.7 times wider than Earth. But a new analysis of all available observations has shown that LHS 1140b is not dense enough to be purely rocky and must either contain much more water than Earth or possess an extensive atmosphere full of light elements such as hydrogen and helium. (1/11)

Axiom Tests High-Tech Spacesuits to Enable Effortless Lunar Surface Work (Source: Interesting Engineering
NASA's return to the Moon has been delayed until 2026, but this timeline shift is critical to carefully evaluate the technological requirements essential for future astronauts to withstand the harsh lunar conditions. One of the most important requirements is the development of highly specialized spacesuits, which are crucial for protecting astronauts from severe temperatures, the lack of an atmosphere, and harmful lunar dust.

To address this need, the Axiom Space company has been actively engaged in designing and rigorously testing cutting-edge spacesuits called Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU). These spacesuits will allow humans to walk again on the lunar surface, a momentous event after more than 50 years. (1/11)

Newly Discovered Cosmic Megastructure Challenges Theories of the Universe (Source: The Guardian)
Astronomers have discovered a ring-shaped cosmic megastructure, the proportions of which challenge existing theories of the universe. The so-called Big Ring has a diameter of about 1.3bn light years, making it among the largest structures ever observed. At more than 9bn light years from Earth, it is too faint to see directly, but its diameter on the night sky would be equivalent to 15 full moons.

“From current cosmological theories we didn’t think structures on this scale were possible,” said Alexia Lopez, a PhD student at the University of Central Lancashire, who led the analysis. “We could expect maybe one exceedingly large structure in all our observable universe.” Zooming out on the universe should, in theory, reveal a vast, featureless expanse. Yet the Big Ring is one of a growing list of unexpectedly large structures. (1/11)

How the US Replaced Russia's RD-180 Engine, Strengthening Competition (Source: Defense News)
With the success of Vulcan, there are now two U.S. companies — ULA and SpaceX — offering heavy-lift launch capabilities using U.S.-assembled rockets with U.S.-manufactured engines. These companies, hopefully joined soon by Blue Origin with its own heavy-lift rocket, will create competition in U.S. launch services and strengthen the ability of U.S. companies to compete with their Chinese peers for global customers. Therefore, the Vulcan launch and engine development should be considered a success story for U.S. industrial policy.

Arguably, one decision made in the mid-1990s led directly to the Vulcan: the decision to use a Russian-made rocket engine, called the RD-180, as the primary engine for the Atlas III and, later, Atlas V rockets. Given the current geopolitical climate, it is impossible to imagine a U.S. defense contractor turning to Russia — or perhaps any foreign company — as the supplier for a component so critical to U.S. national security. Congress later directed the U.S. Air Force to start a program to develop and field a new U.S.-designed engine and stop using the RD-180.

Vulcan's success is the result of significant government and private sector investment. Some of that investment went to develop a different engine, Aerojet Rocketdyne’s AR1, which was not used on Vulcan. There is, however, some interest in using the AR1, which was completed by Aerojet Rocketdyne, to power a different U.S.-made rocket, one produced by Firefly Aerospace. No matter AR1′s fate, investment in an RD-180 replacement has not only met its primary goal, disentangling U.S. national security launch capabilities from a Russian supplier, but also set the stage for a diverse and competitive U.S. launch provider ecosystem. (1/11)

Bizarre Galaxy Discovered With Seemingly No Stars Whatsoever (Source: Science Alert)
A newly discovered object is stretching our understanding of what constitutes a galaxy. Called J0613+52, this massive blob of something some 270 million light-years away appears to have no stars whatsoever. At least, none that can be seen. It's just a haze made of the kind of gas that's found between stars in normal galaxies, drifting around by its lone self like an absolute badass. Its mass and motion appear to be normal for what we'd expect of a spiral galaxy… in fact, if you extracted the stars from a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way or Andromeda, J0613+52 is pretty much what you'd end up with. (1/11)

NASA's OSIRIS-REx Team Clears Hurdle to Access Remaining Bennu Sample – OSIRIS-REx Mission (Source: NASA)
Curation team members at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston have successfully removed the two fasteners from the sampler head that had prevented the remainder of OSIRIS-REx’s asteroid Bennu sample material from being accessed. Steps now are underway to complete the disassembly of the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism, or TAGSAM, head to reveal the rest of the rocks and dust delivered by NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission. (1/11)

NASA: Advice from NASA Mentors to Students Starting Their Careers (Source: NASA)
NASA is celebrating National Mentoring Month by recognizing the importance of mentors to students and young professionals whose careers are beginning to take off. Mentors help their mentees gain real-world experiences, make valuable connections, and find the types of roles best suited to their strengths and skills. Click here. (1/10)

Astrobotic Successfully Powers On All Payloads on Damaged Peregrine Lander (Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Astrobotic’s damaged Peregrine lander managed to send data back from all nine of its interfacing payloads over the three days it has been hurtling through space, the company said Thursday. An additional payload received power, making for a full demonstration of the startup’s first lander, aside from the fact that none of the instruments are being tested on their ideal target, the moon. (1/11)

New Study Updates NASA on Space-Based Solar Power (Source: NASA)
“Space-Based Solar Power,” a new report from the NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS) aims to provide NASA with the information it needs to determine how it can support the development of this field of research. “This analysis compares the lifecycle cost of two conceptual space-based solar power systems versus their potential for net emissions reductions,” said Charity Weeden. “By considering scenarios like these, OTPS helps NASA understand the technological, policy, and economic implications that would need to be addressed.”

The OTPS report considered the potential of a space-based solar power system that could begin operating in 2050. Based on that timeline, the report found that space-based solar power would be more expensive than terrestrial sustainable alternatives, although those costs could fall if current capability gaps can be addressed. The report shows that emissions from space-based solar power could be similar to those from terrestrial alternative power sources but it noted that this issue requires more detailed assessments. NASA is already developing technologies for its current mission portfolio that will indirectly benefit space-based solar power. (1/11)

Axiom to Support Multiple Italian Space Experiments (Source: CASIS)
During the two-week Axiom mission, the crew will conduct more than 30 experiments, including several to test materials and technology to protect space travelers from radiation and other harsh conditions in space. A project in partnership with Italian race car company Dallara aims to evaluate how effective various advanced materials are at withstanding radiation during spaceflight. A collaboration with the Italian government and commercial industry will test the Smart Flight Suit 2. This innovative suit is certified by NASA to collect valuable medical data on astronauts, such as temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate.

In an investigation from the Italian Space Agency, the Ax-3 crew will test a software upgrade to the Anomalous Long-Term Effects in Astronauts (ALTEA) radiation detector currently onboard the space station. The crew will also reorient the Light Ion Detector (LIDAL) hardware in ALTEA that provides more comprehensive insights into the radiation environment on the orbiting laboratory. (1/11)

Army Space & Missile Defense Command Welcomes Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey as New Commanding General (Source: GovCon Daily)
A ceremony took place at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama on Jan. 9 to mark the change of leadership at U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and the Joint Functional Component Command for Integrated Missile Defense. (1/11)

Axiom Mission to Support Stem Cell, Cancer Research (Source: CASIS)
An investigation from the National Stem Cell Foundation (NSCF) will use 3D brain models derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) of patients with Parkinson’s disease and primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) to study the mechanisms behind these and other neurodegenerative diseases. For another project, the research team will study tumor organoids in microgravity to identify early cancer warning signs to better predict and treat the disease. Another investigation will evaluate changes in astronauts’ blood enzymes during and after spaceflight to better understand their role in health and disease. (1/10)