February 28, 2024

Is the FAA Ready for More Space Travelers? (Source: GAO)
Planning your dream vacation? In the coming years, you may be able to check off a visit to space from your bucket list. The commercial space industry is rapidly growing, and more commercial launches have people onboard than ever before. But those interested in these voyages to the final frontier might want to know what steps are being taken to protect their health and safety. Today’s WatchBlog post looks at our new report about how the FAA is preparing for the growth in human space travel. Click here. (2/27)

Congressional Budget Failure Freezes Space Force Projects (Source: Defense One)
There’s a “real threat” that the budget impasse on Capitol Hill may delay the Pentagon’s planned low-Earth-orbit mesh network and a missile-defense program—and increase the future costs of other key programs, Space Force leaders said. Two key efforts are already on hold, thanks to the continuing resolutions that have barred new programs and frozen most spending at 2023 levels, SDA director Derek Tournear said. One would buy satellites for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, or PWSA: specifically, 20 satellites for the Tranche 2 Gamma transport layer.

The other would order eight demonstration satellites for the FOO Fighter missile-defense fire control effort. Tournear said source selection is almost done but they won’t award the contract without the 2024 budget. Editor's Note: The Space Force's long-delayed DTAMM contract for launch range modernization may also be a victim of Congress' inability to pass a non-Continuing Resolution budget for the Space Force. (2/27)

Space Force: Space Domain Awareness Could be Key Application for Commercial Providers (Source: Space News)
A Space Force general says he expects space domain awareness to be one area where private sector capabilities will be increasingly needed. Lt. Gen. David Miller, commander of Space Operations Command, said Tuesday the Space Force will need more sophisticated space tracking data and analytics capabilities that can transform raw data into actionable intelligence on activities in orbit, areas he said where commercial services would be useful. More generally, he said he was "all in" on using commercial capabilities that support core government capabilities. (2/28)

NASA's TIMED Spacecraft Had Close Call with Russian Cosmos 2221 Satellite (Source: NASA)
NASA said overnight one of its science satellites passed close to a Russian spacecraft. The agency said its Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics Mission (TIMED) spacecraft came close to the Cosmos 2221 satellite at around 1:34 a.m. Eastern. NASA did not disclose a miss distance but said that neither spacecraft was maneuverable. NASA said this morning that TIMED was functioning, indicating no collision took place. TIMED was launched in 2001 to study the upper atmosphere, while Cosmos 2221 was a Russian electronic intelligence satellite launched in 1992. (2/28)

NASA DART Impact Reshaped Dmorphos Asteroid (Source: Sky & Telescope)
The impact of a NASA spacecraft reshaped an asteroid's moon. NASA's DART mission collided with Dimorphos, a moon orbiting the asteroid Didymos, in September 2022 in a demonstration of the ability to deflect the orbit of an asteroid. That impact, rather than creating a crater on Dimorphos, instead reshaped the entire moon and ejected a couple percent of its mass into space. Scientists modeling the impact say that shows Dimorphos is a "rubble pile" object without a solid core. (2/28)

ISS National Lab Announces STEM Education and Workforce Development Funding Opportunity (Source: CASIS)
The ISS National Laboratory is soliciting research to leverage the orbiting outpost for education programs and training for space-focused careers. This ISS National Lab Research Announcement (NLRA) is open to U.S.-based institutions (academic, commercial, government, or not-for-profit) with a vested interest in workforce development and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The solicitation has up to $600,000 total allocated funding, with the expectation to award four to five projects. Click here. (2/27)

Small Satellite Builder GomSpace: Free Cash Flow is Our North Star; EBIT Can Wait; We Cancelled Unprofitable Contracts (Source; Space Intel Report)
Small satellite hardware manufacturer GomSpace Chief Executive Carsten Drachmann said the company’s goal has the virtue of clarity: “Our focus is to start making money. The satcom industry is definitely growing. Everybody believes that. There’s a lot of stuff coming. There are a lot of companies in the New Space industry, with smaller satellites, but very few are making money,” Drachmann said. (2/27)

Northrop Grumman Warns California Space Sector Employees of Potential Layoffs (Source: Space News)
Northrop Grumman on Feb. 26 warned its California-based employees who work on space programs of potential layoffs, sources said. A company spokesperson on Feb. 27 confirmed that the company has filed a WARN notice with the California Employment Development Department, “and shared information with our employees about potential workforce reductions.” The company would not confirm how many employees would be affected. According to sources, about 1,000 employees based at Northrop Grumman’s Space Park in Redondo Beach, California, would be impacted. (2/27)

Hobbled Astranis Satellite Moves to Israeli GEO Slot to Meet Spacecom ITU Deadline (Source: Space News)
Astranis has found a new customer for its first, malfunctioning small GEO communications satellite. The company said Tuesday that it will move its Arcturus satellite to an orbital slot assigned to Israeli operator Spacecom, allowing that company to meet an ITU deadline for bringing that slot into use. Astranis launched Arcturus last year with the original intent of providing Ka-band broadband services for Alaskan company Pacific Teleport. However, the failure of two onboard solar array drive assemblies shortly after launch means Arcturus is unable to keep solar arrays pointed at the sun for consistent power, and thus can't provide those services. (2/28)

Redwire Opens Virginia Office (Source: Space News)
Space infrastructure company Redwire opened a new facility in Virginia to service government customers. The 7,300-square-foot facility in Chantilly, Virginia, is near the offices of several defense and intelligence agencies. Redwire develops and produces deployable structures, digital engineering models and sensors for space surveillance and tracking. (2/28)

Falcon Heavy Core Booster Springs Leak, Delays GOES-U Launch From April to May (Source: NASA)
A Falcon Heavy issue will delay a weather satellite launch. NASA said Tuesday that the GOES-U geostationary orbit weather satellite, which had been scheduled for launch in April, has been delayed to no earlier than May. NASA said that tests of the Falcon Heavy center core booster uncovered a liquid oxygen leak that needs to be fixed. GOES-U is the fourth and final satellite in the GOES-R line of geostationary weather satellites operated by NOAA. (2/28)

Astra Struggles to Go Private with Fiddy Cent Share Offer (Source: Space News)
Astra's founders have sharply reduced the price they are offering to take the launch and spacecraft propulsion company private. In a letter released Tuesday, Chris Kemp and Adam London said they were now offering only $0.50 per share to take the company private, a price two-thirds lower than their original offer in November. They cited delays in completing a deal and concerns Astra faced "imminent bankruptcy" if the company's board didn't accept a deal. Shares in Astra closed Tuesday at $1.745, virtually unchanged. (2/28)

Rocket Lab Says Contract Backlog Tops $1 Billion, Outlines Neutron Progress Toward First Launch (Source: CNBC)
Rocket Lab is making steady progress on the development of its Neutron vehicle, as the company reported fourth-quarter results that saw its contract backlog soar above $1 billion. The company reported a net loss of $50.5 million for the quarter. Rocket Lab’s fourth-quarter net loss widened by about 36% as the company continues to spend heavily to create its Neutron rocket. Its full-year loss widened by a similar amount, to $182.6 million. Revenue grew 16% year over year in the fourth quarter to $60 million, up from $51.8 million.

The company’s backlog of orders more than doubled year over year, bolstered significantly by a $515 million satellite contract from the Pentagon’s Space Development Agency. Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck noted in a press release that 2023 was “a record year for securing Electron” launch deals, with the company adding 25 contracts.

The company’s fourth-quarter investor presentation detailed several of the Neutron milestones achieved so far, including the beginning of production of rocket parts for the first launch, software simulations of launches and the completion of early testing of the Archimedes engines that will power the rocket. (2/27)

New Discoveries in Gravitational Waves (Source: Phys.org)
Researchers have embarked on a journey to review the process leading from particle physics models to observable GWs, highlighting the intricate steps involved. The review outlines the path from a particle physics model to GWs, which contains many specialized parts, including: Building a finite-temperature effective potential in a particle physics model and checking for FOPTs; Computing transition rates; Analyzing the dynamics of bubbles of true vacuum expanding in a thermal plasma; Characterizing a transition using thermal parameters; and Making predictions for GW spectra using the latest simulations and theoretical results and considering the detectability of predicted spectra at future GW detectors. (2/26)

Fusion Startup Plans to Shoot Space Junk with Lasers (Source: Freethink)
AJapanese startup plans to point the lasers it is developing for nuclear fusion at the sky to see if they can knock space junk out of orbit. Japanese startup EX-Fusion is, as you might guess from the name, in the nuclear fusion business. Specifically, it’s developing a fusion reactor that will use lasers that apply force to objects (rather than just heating or cutting them) to compress hydrogen atoms until they merge.

The startup is now collaborating with EOS Space Systems, an Australian company that uses lasers to track space junk, to see if its fusion-focused lasers can be used to remove space trash from orbit. If the laser pulses can slow the space junk down enough, it will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. (2/25)

Inside a NASA-JPL Engineer's Mission to Jupiter (Source: LA Times)
Think of meticulously handcrafted objects, and certain things come immediately to mind: fine art, exotic cars, luxury timepieces. But Pasadena native Steve Barajas spends his days building a bespoke item that’s on another level entirely: NASA’s Europa Clipper. The 13,000-pound behemoth, with a solar-array wingspan the length of a basketball court, is one of the space agency’s most ambitious efforts. It’s on an October countdown to launch to Jupiter and its moon Europa, atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, to find out whether life exists in the deep ocean believed to lie beneath Europa’s icy exterior.

Barajas, 35, is a mechanical engineer leading a team that, in coordination with other JPL specialists, installs crucial hardware for the mission. Barajas describes some high points with a parental flair: There’s the magnetometer that could confirm whether an ocean exists beneath the Europa ice; the mass spectrometer that will analyze gases in Europa’s atmosphere; the infrared cameras that will map the moon’s surface composition, temperature and roughness; and the solar panels that will help power the spacecraft’s instruments. (2/26)

Actor Lena Announces Marriage to Gaganyaan Astronaut Prasanth Nair (Source: Hindustan Times)
Group Captain Nair is among the four astronauts undergoing training for Gaganyaan mission. Lena got married to him on January 17. Malayalam actor Lena shared a surprise announcement of her marriage to Captain Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair on Tuesday evening. He is one of the four astronauts who has been selected for the Indian Space Research Organisation’s human spaceflight mission titled Gaganyaan. (2/28)

Under Pressure - Space Exploration in Our Time (Source: Space Daily)
A new paradigm is taking shape in the space industry as the countries and entities accessing space continue to grow and diversify. This dynamic landscape creates both competition and potential for scientific collaboration, as well as the challenges and opportunities of progress.

In the past decade, humanity has seen the birth and expansion of a commercial space sector with new, private players, addressing technological challenges - from space launch to communication and satellite imagery of Earth. Last year, the global space industry skyrocketed launching more than 2,660* satellites into orbit, and, into the universe, interplanetary probes, landers, and much more. (2/27)

Chang'e 6 and New Rockets Highlight China's Packed 2024 Space Agenda (Source: Space Daily)
China has announced plans to undertake around 100 space launch missions within the year, setting a new precedent for its national space industry's activity levels. This ambitious agenda, disclosed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), underscores China's accelerating pace in the global space race. CASC is slated to execute nearly 70 of these missions, with an impressive goal of deploying over 290 spacecraft into orbit.

The year also heralds the introduction of the Long March 6C and Long March 12 carrier rockets, marking significant expansions in China's launch vehicle fleet. These additions are poised to enhance China's payload deployment capabilities, offering new opportunities for both domestic and international satellite missions. (2/27)

UCF and KSC-led NASA Experiment Sheds Light on Highly Charged Moon Dust (Source: Space Daily)
Researchers are studying data from a recent suborbital flight test to better understand lunar regolith, or Moon dust, and its potentially damaging effects as NASA prepares to send astronauts back to the lunar surface under the Artemis campaign. The experiment, developed jointly by NASA and the University of Central Florida, sheds light on how these abrasive dust grains interact with astronauts, their spacesuits, and other equipment on the Moon.

The Electrostatic Regolith Interaction Experiment (ERIE) was one of 14 NASA-supported payloads launched on Dec. 19 aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard uncrewed rocket from Launch Site One in West Texas. During the flight test, ERIE collected data to help researchers at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida study tribocharging, or friction-induced charges, in microgravity. (2/27)

ATLAS Space Helps Make Space Force's Tactically Responsive Space Mission a Success (Source: Space Daily)
In a significant collaboration between private sector innovation and military space operations, ATLAS Space Operations, a frontrunner in Ground Software as a Service (GSaaS), has successfully supported the U.S. Space Force's VICTUS NOX program through a contract with Millennium Space Systems, a Boeing Company. This partnership underscores the pivotal role of rapid, adaptable ground support in advancing national security and space exploration objectives. (2/26)

Cooperation on the Moon: Are the Artemis Accords Enough? (Source: Space.com)
The underlying premise of the Accords is promoting "best practices and norms of responsible behavior" when it comes to lunar exploration. But that's a tall order given the tumult of the times. Space.com pulsed specialists as to how the Accords are playing globally, as well as within the eagle-eye, legal-beagle community. Click here. (2/27)

Meet Victor Glover, Who Will Pilot the Artemis II Moon Mission (Source: NPR)
Glover had been passed over once before, in 2009. That time, despite his experience as a test pilot, engineer and flying the Navy's F/A-18 fighter jet, he "didn't make it very far," he says. To say that NASA's selection process is brutal would be a gross understatement. In Astronaut Group 21, Glover was among just eight chosen from a pool of 6,300 applicants. (2/27)

Mauritius: an Undeniable Asset for New Space Ventures (Source: SpaceLand)
SpaceLand Africa Ltd. aims to install a multi-use Space Center in Mauritius, featuring ground-breaking facilities for low-gravity experiences for everyone, acting as a tourist attraction and a major hub for space training and exploration, evolving with the upcoming technology and proposing new opportunities for services to the Space industry and the future of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine), as they become available. SpaceLand says it has attracted millions in international investment, and will use a 757 aircraft for both air-launch and training activities.

SpaceLand will open the doors of space travel to the general public, through a future-facing urban ecosystem, including a theme park offering a range of experiences from astronaut training to microgravity and suborbital flights. In parallel, SpaceLand will use NASA-certified flight vehicles and commercial spacecrafts to cater for valuable services such as orbital satellites and space debris decommissioning, microgravity STEM education, other space R&D, and training aerospace tourists and astronauts for the ISS and future spaceflight programs. (2/27)