February 17, 2024

Galaxies that Shouldn’t Exist Keep Being Discovered by JWST (Source: Cosmos)
A bright red speck appears against the backdrop of a space photo, but astronomers say it shouldn’t be there. But there it is. An international research team says the light reaching Earth from this galaxy – named JWST-7329 – is 11.5 billion years old and comes from an ancient assembly of stars that likely formed 13 billion years ago. It doesn’t make sense because it’s been thought until now there wasn’t enough dark matter in the early universe to prompt their formation. (2/15)

H3 Reaches Orbit on Second Launch (Source: Space News)
Japan’s H3 rocket successfully reached orbit on its second launch Feb. 16, nearly a year after its inaugural launch failed. The H3 rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center after a two-day delay caused by weather. There were no issues reported during the countdown. A key point in the launch was the separation of the upper stage and ignition of its LE-5B-3 engine. On the vehicle’s inaugural launch in March 2023, that engine failed to ignite, forcing controllers to issue a destruct command to destroy the stage and its payload. (2/16)

Rocket Lab Sets Course for Historic In-Space Manufacturing Capsule Return (Source: Space Daily)
In a landmark decision that propels commercial space ventures into a new era, Rocket Lab USA has received the green light from the FAA for the return of Varda Space Industries' in-space manufacturing capsule, marking the first instance the FAA has issued a Part 450 reentry license for such a mission.

The mission involves a series of intricate in-space maneuvers and de-orbit burns conducted by a Rocket Lab-built and operated satellite, which has been hosting Varda's capsule in orbit. This initiative not only showcases the advanced capabilities of Rocket Lab's technology but also highlights a unique collaboration with the Department of Defense. (2/16)

After Rockets and Spacecraft, Rocket Lab’s Next Frontier Could Be Applications (Source: Tech Crunch)
Rocket Lab is exploring possible applications for a satellite constellation that they would build, launch and operate in-house, similar to SpaceX’s Starlink business, as a way of generating recurring revenue, an executive said this week.

“If you look to where we ultimately want to go, in a lot of ways we want to emulate what [SpaceX] has successfully done, which is work their way towards the applications market,” Rocket Lab CFO Adam Spice said. “SpaceX has chosen the consumer broadband and other applications on Starlink for their anchor application in space. We’re evaluating a lot of different constellation application opportunities.” (2/15)

Space Initiatives Inc. Wins NASA’s NIAC & Entrepreneurs Challenge Awards (Source: Space Initiatives)
Space Initiatives Inc., a startup that is developing femtosatellites, has won the NASA NIAC award and is now a 2024 Phase I NIAC funded study. This comes on the heels of the company also winning the round two 2023 NASA Entrepreneurs Challenge award in 2023. (2/15)

USU Joins U.S. Space Command as Academic Partner (Source: Utah State)
Utah State University has been selected as a member of the United States Space Command University Academic Engagement Enterprise. The goal is to foster relationships between academic institutions and the initiative. (2/15)

Long Beach Hosting Space Industry Job Fair to Snap Up Talent After NASA Layoffs (Source: Long Beach Business Journal)
Over 600 NASA lab employees and contractors have found themselves out of work this year. Now, Long Beach officials are hoping to bring some of that talent to the city’s burgeoning aerospace sector. Economic Development and the Pacific Gateway Workforce Innovation Network are hosting a hiring event Friday, Feb. 23 to connect those affected by the JPL layoffs with aerospace companies in Long Beach. (2/15)

SpaceX Seeks to Launch and Land Starship Rockets at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Florida Today)
SpaceX officials want to launch and land Starship-Super Heavy rockets from a future site at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and U.S. Air Force officials are studying potential environmental impacts. SpaceX's proposed Starship site is Launch Complex 37 at the northern portion of the military installation. That's where United Launch Alliance sends up its Delta IV rockets, but the program is retiring and the last rocket should launch sometime this year.

The alternative Starship site is a proposed new complex, which would be constructed on undeveloped property north of LC-37. This would become Launch Complex 50. In early March, the Air Force will conduct a trio of open houses — in Cocoa, Titusville and Cape Canaveral — to collect written comments on SpaceX's proposed actions and alternatives. The Air Force is the lead federal agency in the Starship environmental study, bolstered by cooperating agencies NASA, the FAA and the U.S. Coast Guard. Click here. (2/16)

Saturn's Ocean Moon Titan may Not be Able to Support Life After All (Source: Space.com)
Titan's underground ocean, and similar oceans inside other icy moons in the outer solar system, may lack the organic chemistry necessary for life, according to new astrobiological research. Titan is Saturn's largest moon, and the second largest moon in the entire solar system. It's famous for being shrouded in a smog of petrochemicals and for possessing a veritable soup of organic molecules — molecules that contain carbon — on its surface.

Yet, despite all this fascinating chemistry, Titan is cold. Very cold. It has surface temperatures no warmer than –179 degrees Celsius (–290 degrees Fahrenheit). And in these frigid conditions, chemical reactions for life progress very slowly. However, deep underground where it's warmer — the exact depth is not certain, but estimates suggest it's on the order of 100 kilometers (62 miles) — a liquid ocean with a volume 12 times that of Earth's oceans combined is thought to exist. Similar oceans inhabit the interiors of Titan's fellow Saturnian moon Enceladus, and Jupiter's moons Europa and Ganymede. (2/15)

Japan's Space Agency Says it May Now Have Clues About the Origins of the Moon (Source: NPR)
For four days, the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM — which landed on the moon last month — has used its multi-band spectral camera to study rock composition, and worked on examining lunar rocks, said Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency project manager Shinichiro Sakai. The craft eventually obtained data from 10 rocks altogether, all of which have been given the names of dog breeds, such as "Akitainu," "Beagle" and "Shibainu."

"We are hoping that the rock analysis will lead us to the origin of the moon," Sakai said. By comparing the mineral compositions of moon rocks and those of Earth, they could find out if the rocks have common elements, he said. According to the "giant-impact" hypothesis, the moon is believed to have formed as a result of the Earth colliding with another planet, and a smaller mass spinning off of them. (2/15)

Earth Has Received Power Beamed From A Satellite In Space For The First Time (Source: IFL Science)
Using their Microwave Array for Power-transfer Low-orbit Experiment (MAPLE), the Space Solar Power Demonstrator (SSPD) has showcased that transmitting power in space and from space to Earth is possible. This is the first time solar power has been transmitted from orbit and could be the first step toward a solar power station in space.

First launched in January 2023, just two months later the device was able to transmit about 100 milliwatts worth of power through space and could easily be refocused to send the beam in any direction. The test sending power to Earth had about 1 milliwatt of power getting to the ground and was conducted three times over eight months. (2/14)

Moon Race 2.0: Why So Many Nations and Private Companies are Aiming for Lunar Landings (Source: BBC)
Five decades on from the last of the Apollo missions, the Moon is once again a target for space exploration. But Nasa no longer has lunar exploration to itself. The number of astronauts who walked on the Moon hasn't changed in over 50 years. Only 12 human beings have had this privilege – all Americans – but that will soon increase.

The historical two-nation competition between the US and Soviet space agencies for lunar exploration has become a global pursuit. Launching missions to either orbit the Moon, or land on its surface, is now  carried out by governments and commercial companies from Europe and the Middle East to the South Pacific. Click here. (2/16)

Flame Burns Out on NASA's Long-Running Spacecraft Fire Experiment (Source: Phys.org)
NASA recently concluded the final mission of its Spacecraft Fire Safety Experiment, or Saffire, putting a blazing end to an eight-year series of investigations that provided insights into fire's behavior in space. The final experiment, Saffire-VI, launched to the International Space Station in August 2023 and concluded its mission on Jan. 9, when the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft it was flying on safely burned up during planned re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. (2/15)