January 7, 2024

A Swarm of 4-Inch Rovers Will Soon Explore the Moon's Surface (Source: Mashable)
Astrobotic has five NASA payloads on the spacecraft, including instruments that will collect data on the lunar atmosphere, chemicals on the lunar surface, and the radiation environment. It also carries Colmena, which means "hive" in Spanish. Colmena is the Agencia Espacial Mexicana's mission that will send five teensy rovers — each about four inches long and weighing a couple of ounces — to the moon. A small catapult will launch this fleet of micro robots onto the lunar surface that will then band together autonomously to study the lunar soil.

Robotic explorers and even astronauts are usually kicking up and driving through the soil's dust grains, charged with electrostatic energy from the sun's ultraviolet rays. But for the tiny two-wheeled rovers that stand less than an inch tall, they'll be completely immersed in the moondust clouds. The study will focus on whether the dust can be used to make oxygen and other resources.

 "Many people don't even realize that Mexico has a space agency. And now they will be the fifth nation to land on the surface of the moon after India." Colmena, the first Latin American scientific instruments to fly to the moon, is a partnership with the LINX laboratory at the Autonomous University of Mexico's Institute of Nuclear Sciences. (1/6)

SpaceX Rival's New Vulcan Rocket is Finally Ready. Bezos is Watching (Source: Seattle Times)
When the Vulcan rocket lifts off for the first time as soon as next week, multiple billionaires are sure to be watching. Built through a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed, the new vehicle is poised to take on Elon Musk’s SpaceX and ferry satellites and cargo for the likes of the Pentagon, NASA and even Amazon.com. Vulcan is also helping fuel takeover offers for the company building it, the United Launch Alliance. Among them is a multibillion-dollar bid from Kent-based Blue Origin, the ambitious space venture run by billionaire Jeff Bezos, according to people familiar with the matter.

It’s a pivotal moment for ULA, a once-dominant launch provider for the U.S. government whose star has faded in recent years. With SpaceX now leading the commercial market and making inroads with the government on the strength of its reusable Falcon 9 rocket, ULA finds itself needing to adapt to avoid being left behind. (1/5)

ESA - 2024: a Year of Launches (Source: ESA)
As 2024 kicks into gear, we invite you to look ahead with ESA and see what awaits us in the coming 12 months. After Ariane 5’s retirement in 2023, Europe’s new and versatile heavy-duty launcher Ariane 6 will continue the Ariane legacy of excellence and reliability. After years of development and construction,Ariane 6 will be ready for its first flight from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou. 

In 2024, we’ll see a return-to-flight for Vega-C. Vega-C will continue to provide Europe with its own affordable lightweight launcher. Together both projects guarantee Europe’s independent access to space. We also continue to collaborate internationally with NASA on the Artemis lunar program. This Spring, another European Service Module, ESM-3, for the third Artemis mission will be shipped to the United States for mating with its Orion capsule. (1/6)

NASA Plans Massive Solar-Powered Electric Plane for Mars Mission (Source: Interesting Engineering)
After successfully testing the functioning of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars, NASA is aiming for something big and bold. NASA has unveiled a one-of-a-kind futuristic concept for flying a “fixed-wing aircraft” above the Martian surface. This concept, dubbed Mars Aerial and Ground Intelligent Explorer (MAGGIE), was recently announced under the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program.

“MAGGIE is a compact fixed-wing aircraft with ultra-high productivity efficiency powered by solar energy to fly in the Martian atmosphere,” mentioned NASA’s blog post. This next-generation aircraft would be capable of doing global-scale atmospheric measurements on Mars, ushering in a new age of space technology. (1/5)

Calgary Astronaut Prepares for Upcoming Artemis II Mission (Source: CTV News)
This year could be a historic one when it comes to Canada's involvement in space exploration, and Alberta will be well represented in the country's ongoing pursuit of the final frontier. In November 2023, the Canada Space Agency announced(opens in a new tab) that Alberta astronauts Jenni Gibbons of Calgary and Joshua Kutryk of Fort Saskatchewan would be taking part in two significant upcoming missions.

Kutryk will journey to the International Space Station no earlier than 2025 for a six-month mission and Gibbons is currently training in Houston to serve as backup on the highly anticipated and historic Artemis II mission to the moon, scheduled for no earlier than November 2024. (1/3)

Do Neutron Stars Have Mountains? Gravitational Wave Observatories Could Detect Them (Source: Universe Today)
Because neutron stars radiate energy, their rate of rotation gradually slows down over time. It’s a small effect, but we can observe this slowdown in pulsar data. Sometimes, however, a pulsar will glitch, meaning that its rotation rate jumps up slightly. This can only happen if the shape of the neutron star has suddenly changed. Just as earthquakes can trigger a measurable change in the rotation of the Earth, starquakes change the rotation of neutron stars. So we know there is some kind of tectonic activity on neutron stars, but we aren’t entirely clear what that is.

One idea is that neutron stars have a rather thin but rigid crust, similar to that of a rocky planet. As a neutron star cools over time, this crust fractures and folds, which leads to quakes, fissures, and perhaps even mountains. While this seems to be a reasonable model, it’s difficult to prove because we can only detect a glitch when something dramatic happens. Imagine trying to study the mountains of Earth when you can only capture earthquake data. But as a paper on the arXiv shows, there could be another way to study the mountains of neutron stars: gravitational waves. (1/5)

Sirius Space Completes 60-Second STAR-1 V2 Hot Fire Test (Source: European Spaceflight)
French launch startup Sirius Space Services has completed a successful hot fire test of the newest version of its STAR-1 rocket engine. Sirius Space began testing its 55kN STAR-1 engine at ArianeGroup’s facilities in Vernon in May using the BAMOCRY (Banc MOdulaire CRYogénique) modular test bench, which was designed to offer startups with a hassle-free engine testing environment. This test campaign saw the company complete an initial ignition followed by two hot fire tests that lasted eight and ten seconds.

In mid-December, Siruis Space revealed the second iteration of its STAR-1 engine. The rocket features a copper alloy combustion chamber that is produced using laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing. This upgraded version of the company’s STAR-1 engine was fired for the first time earlier this week at the DLR testing facility. (12/30)

Australian Startup Nears First Launch (Source: Ars Technica)
The first locally made rocket to be launched into space from Australian soil is scheduled for liftoff from a commercial facility in Queensland early next year, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports. A company named Gilmour Space says it hopes to launch its first orbital-class Eris rocket in March, pending final approval from Australian regulatory authorities. This would be the first Australian-built orbital rocket, although a US-made rocket launched Australia's first satellite from a military base in South Australia in 1967. The UK's Black Arrow rocket also launched a satellite from the same remote Australian military base in 1971.

The three-stage Eris rocket stands 25 meters tall with the ability to deliver up to 300 kilograms of payload into low-Earth orbit, according to Gilmour Space. The company says the Eris rocket will be powered by Gilmour's "new and proprietary hybrid rocket engine." These kinds of propulsion systems use a solid fuel and a liquid oxidizer. We'll be watching to see if Gilmour shares more tangible news about the progress toward the first Eris launch in March. In late 2022, the company targeted April 2023 for the first Eris flight, so this program has a history of delays. (1/5)

Lewis Named Vice President of Government Programs at Alluvionic (Sources: Florida Today, Alluvionic)
Alluvionic is proud to announce the promotion of Amy Lewis to the position of Vice President of Government Programs. Amy’s journey with Alluvionic began with their PMP Exam Preparation Course as she honed her skills in preparation for her retirement after 28 years of service in the U.S. Air Force. She then joined the company as a SkillBridge Intern during her transition. Following her internship, Amy served as a Program Manager, driving innovation and success in Alluvionic's government services division. (12/19)

Space Is the New, Not Final Frontier For Automakers (Source: Newsweek)
GM, in conjunction with Lockheed Martin and NASA, is designing an electric moon roving vehicle based on the technologies it has been working on. GM says that unlike the Apollo rovers that only traveled 4.7 miles (7.6 kilometers) from the landing site, the new rovers will have to travel farther and over rougher terrain. It will also use autonomous, self-driving systems to prepare for human landings, provide commercial payload services, and improve the utility of scientific experiments.

Earlier this year the Hyundai brand said that it is working on a new rover as well. Hyundai Motor Group made a deal with six Korean research institutes in the aerospace sector to support lunar exploration. In 2019, Toyota said it was beginning a research project with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the main vehicle was completed in 2022. The vehicle, nicknamed Lunar Cruiser, is a crewed pressurized rover meaning the environment is pressurized to create an environment similar to Earth's. (1/7)

Elon Musk Has Used Illegal Drugs, Worrying Leaders at Tesla and SpaceX (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Elon Musk and his supporters offer several explanations for his contrarian views, unfiltered speech and provocative antics. They’re an expression of his creativity. Or the result of his mental-health challenges. Or fallout from his stress, or sleep deprivation. In recent years, some executives and board members at his companies and others close to the billionaire have developed a persistent concern that there is another component driving his behavior: his use of drugs. (1/6)

Navajo Objection to Flying Human Ashes to the Moon Won’t Delay Launch (Source: Ars Technica)
The Navajo people, one of the nation's largest Indigenous groups, hold the Moon sacred, and putting human remains on the lunar surface amounts to desecration, according to Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren. Officials from the White House and NASA met with Nygren on Friday to discuss his concerns. Speaking with reporters after the meeting, Nygren said he believes it was an oversight that federal officials didn't meet with the Navajo Nation at an earlier stage.

"They’re not going to remove the human remains and keep them here on Earth where they were created, but instead, we were just told that a mistake has happened, we’re sorry, into the future we’re going to try to consult with you," Nygren said. "We take concerns expressed from the Navajo Nation very, very seriously," said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA's science directorate. "And we think we're going to be continuing this conversation." (1/6)

Mexico's 1st Moon Mission Will Send 5 Tiny Robots Aloft on Peregrine Lunar Lander (Source: Space.com)
Mexican politicians are already praising the mission and highlighting how it could help boost the country's presence as a spacefaring nation. "COLMENA highlights all the values of the UNAM, and gives Mexican society a new way of seeing and understanding the modern world and the confidence that things are possible and that we can overcome our own limits," said Hidalgo Governor Omar Fayad.

Once the Peregrine lander reaches the lunar surface, it will vent excess fuel and allow it to dissipate before deploying the larger rovers that it carries. Once that is complete, the COLMENA robots will be delivered to the surface of the moon via a tiny catapult that literally tosses them out onto the lunar regolith. From there, the microbots will perform experiments to demonstrate the ability of autonomous robots to survive in the abrasive lunar regolith. (1/6)

Moon’s Resources Could Be ‘Destroyed by Thoughtless Exploitation’ (Source: Guardian)
Astronomers have warned that an unrestricted rush to exploit the moon could cause irreparable damage to precious scientific sites. Gravitational wave research, black hole observations, studies to pinpoint life on tiny worlds that orbit distant stars, and other research could be jeopardised, they say. “The issue has become urgent,” Martin Elvis, of the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, told the Observer. “We need to act now because decisions made today will set the tone for our future behaviour on the moon.” (1/6)

On Vulcan, Northrop Grumman’s GEM 63XL Solid Rocket Boosters to be Longest Single-Segment Motors Ever Flown (Source: Northrop Grumman)
Digital engineering and advanced technologies are unlocking new opportunities and accelerating growth in the rapidly evolving space launch industry. Using virtual reality and monolithic designs, meaning manufactured and cast as a single piece, Northrop Grumman's 63-inch diameter, extended length Graphite Epoxy Motor (GEM 63XL) solid rocket booster will make its debut, supporting the inaugural flight of ULA's Vulcan Centaur rocket on January 8. (1/5)

NASA Adds Funding to Blue Origin and Voyager Space Commercial Space Station Agreements (Source: Space News)
NASA has added milestones and funding to agreements with two companies working on commercial space station concepts using money from a third agreement that ended last year. NASA announced Jan. 5 that it added a combined $99.5 million in funding to existing Space Act Agreements with Blue Origin and Voyager Space. The two companies received the original agreements in December 2021 as part of NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations, or CLD, program to spur development of commercial space stations intended to succeed the International Space Station.

Blue Origin, which is developing the Orbital Reef space station with Sierra Space and other companies, received an increase of $42 million to its original $130 million award. The increase includes additional milestones for subsystem design reviews and technology maturation, as well as work on the station’s life support systems. (1/6)

Design for Space Elevator Wins Prize (Source: Futurism)
A spectacular design for a space elevator, with the goal of efficiently transporting passengers into outer space, has been awarded a $11,000 prize. As the BBC reports, British architect Jordan William Hughes won the prize for space architecture and innovation from the Jacques Rougerie Foundation in Paris. His concept, dubbed Ascensio, connects an ocean-based ship to a structure in Earth's orbit via a cable-like structure. The ship is designed to keep up with the spaceport by moving around the ocean. (1/6)

Dark Matter May Reveal the Origin of Primordial Magnetic Fields (Source: Earth.com)
The discovery of mini-halos of dark matter scattered throughout the universe could potentially unveil the mysteries of primordial magnetic fields, according to a new theoretical study by the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Italy. A compelling theory among many in the scientific community is that these magnetic fields are not a later cosmic development but rather primordial, formed near the universe’s inception.

In this study, researchers have suggested a novel approach to probing ancient magnetic fields. They propose that if the fields are indeed primordial, they could lead to an increase in dark matter density perturbations on smaller scales. This process, in turn, could result in the formation of mini-halos of dark matter. The detection of these mini-halos would be a significant indicator of the primordial nature of magnetic fields, presenting a paradox where the universe’s unseen components help illuminate aspects of the visible cosmos. (1/6)

Our Universe Isn't as Clumpy as It Used to Be, And That's a Real Problem (Source: Science Alert)
A big problem concerning the Universe's dark matter has just grown a little more intense. Observations of the more recent Universe reveal that this elusive material is distributed differently compared to measures of its spread just after the Big Bang. It appears to be less clumpy now than it was back then – not by much, but enough to suggest that there's something we're missing, and that there may be some sort of fundamental mistake we've made in the standard cosmological model. (1/6)

Hubble Sees Wild Weather Raging on Distant Hot Jupiter World (Source: Space.com)
The Hubble Space Telescope has seen cyclones raging in the dynamic atmosphere of a hot Jupiter located 880 light years away, thanks to observations and computer modeling that could one day be applied to characterize weather on smaller, rocky exoplanets. The planet, dubbed WASP-121b, has a mass about 1.16 times greater than our solar system's Jupiter and orbits its star at a distance of just 3.88 million kilometers (2.41 million miles). That's just 2.6% the distance between Earth and the sun. Furthermore, WASP-121b speeds around its star once in only1.27 days. In other words, its year is just 1.27 Earth days long. (1/6)

‘Take Down’: Space Force Targeting Unit Develops Strike Options for Joint Force (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force’s new(ish) 75th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Squadron’s key mission is developing portfolios of strike options, from across all domains, against adversary space systems for potential use by all US combatant commands, according to a senior service official. “The 75th is building targeting folders across a space architecture that would include the capability to, from an all domain perspective, take down an enemy capability,” said Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt, Space Force deputy chief for operations, cyber, and nuclear. (1/6)

Russia Thinks the X-37B Space Plane Could Drop Nuclear Weapons (Source: National Interest)
What if I told you there is not only a U.S. space plane orbiting the Earth but that it had been in orbit for over two years? The X-37B robotic spacecraft set a new record for duration last year and is already back in orbit.

The X-37B can be described as a mini-version of the space shuttle – the emphasis here is on “mini.” The X-37B is only 29 feet long, 9.5 feet tall, and has a wingspan of nearly 15 feet. It takes off on a rocket and lands horizontally on an airstrip. Since it falls under Space Force control, the mission is nominally a military program. But Space Force has barely been forthcoming about various experiments being conducted on X-37B.

There has been some chatter from Russia that the X-37B has a serious military application – namely dropping nuclear devices from space. Yan Novikov, the director of Russia’s state-owned Almaz-Antey defense company dropped the accusation at a conference in 2021. (1/5)

Evidence Builds That Kamo'oalewa is a Chunk of the Moon Accompanying Earth (Source: Astronomy Magazine)
Normally, near-Earth objects (NEOs) are either asteroids or comets that are gravitationally influenced enough by nearby planets to enter Earth’s neighborhood. However, in April 2016, a group of astronomers discovered a near-Earth “asteroid” named Kamo’oalewa (pronounced kamo-o-a-lewa) and provisionally designated (469219) 2016 HO3, that appeared to be an outlier compositionally.

Fast forward five years and a team of astronomers from the University of Arizona suggested that the object could have originated from the Moon, since it shared more similarities with our earth-bound satellite than any other known asteroid. (1/5)

A Method to Straighten Curved Space-Time (Source: Phys.org)
One of the greatest challenges of modern physics is to find a coherent method for describing phenomena, on the cosmic and microscale. For over a hundred years, to describe reality on a cosmic scale we have been using general relativity theory, which has successfully undergone repeated attempts at falsification.

Albert Einstein curved space-time to describe gravity, and despite still-open questions about dark matter or dark energy, it seems, today, to be the best method of analyzing the past and future of the universe. To describe phenomena on the scale of atoms, we use the second great theory: quantum mechanics, which differs from general relativity in basically everything. It uses flat space-time and a completely different mathematical apparatus, and most importantly, perceives reality radically differently. (1/5)

NASA’s Artemis I Spacecraft Prepped to Depart to Ohio Facility (Source: NASA)
From Florida to the Moon and back, NASA’s Orion spacecraft is still making moves. The crew module that flew more than 1.4 million miles during the agency’s historic Artemis I mission is getting ready for its next destination – NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. (1/5)

The 'Super Bowl of Astronomy' Begins Next Week in New Orleans (Source: Space.com)
The world of astronomy has already offered a pretty fascinating start to 2024. In just the first five days of the year, we've seen incredible discoveries like the true colors of Neptune and Uranus as well as a massive cyclone raging on a distant exoplanet thanks to the trusty Hubble Space Telescope. But things are only going to ramp up over the next week. By a lot. From Jan. 7 to Jan. 11, the 243rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society will convene in the vibrant city of New Orleans, Louisiana. (1/5)

AST SpaceMobile: A SpaceX And Starlink Threat Appears (Source: Seeking Alpha)
AST SpaceMobile faces competition from SpaceX's Starlink in the race to provide direct-to-cell mobile phone service in remote areas. The company differentiates itself by using larger satellites with wide surface areas of phased-array antennas. The company is raising funds to expand its cash runway and is set to launch its first five commercial satellites in the first quarter of 2024.

Bulls would likely describe the SpaceX and Starlink threat as contained, with Starlink's focus remaining on its broadband via terminal service. The direct to cell mobile capability for its small satellite will likely remain a secondary objective for years. This comes as ASTS has signed agreements with 40 MNOs and is fully funded for the operations of its first five commercial satellites. (1/5)