February 5, 2024

Inland Spaceports Seek Ways to Host Orbital Launches (Source: Space News)
With congestion growing at the nation’s major launch sites in California and Florida, operators of inland spaceports are seeking creative ways to host orbital launches. The number of commercial launches licensed by the FAA more than tripled between fiscal year 2020, with 31 licensed launches, and fiscal year 2023, with 106. The FAA is forecasting 111 launches in fiscal year 2024, according to data presented by Pam Underwood, director of the FAA’s Office of Spaceports. Click here. (2/3)

Sierra Space Preps Dream Chaser for ISS Cargo Work (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
Sierra Space successfully mated its Dream Chaser spaceplane with the Shooting Star module, bringing the company closer to active operations as a cargo service for the International Space Station. "It brings all of us at Sierra Space a great sense of pride and a profound reflection that what we are doing is truly important," said Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice. "The work we are doing will change everything and it will lay new footsteps for the next generation to follow." (2/2)

Aging Eutelsat Satelllite Dies (Source: Space News)
An aging Eutelsat communications satellite has failed. The company said Friday that it stopped providing services from the Eutelsat 113 West A satellite, located at 113 degrees west in GEO, after it suffered an unspecified anomaly. The 18-year-old satellite, three years past its design life, was providing C- and Ku-band video, data and government services, but was projected to generate only about $3.2 million in revenues over the next five months. Eutelsat said it was making every effort "to mitigate the potential adverse consequences on orbital safety" but did not say if it had lost complete control of the spacecraft. (2/5)

Artemis-1 Lessons Learned (Source: Space News)
NASA is finalizing work to collect lessons learned from the Artemis 1 mission. NASA and industry officials said they had collected technical and programmatic lessons from that mission that will be used to help both future Artemis missions and other parts of the overall lunar exploration effort. NASA took a wide-ranging approach to collect insights from internal and external stakeholders on topics ranging from technical issues with the SLS, Orion and ground systems to improved coordination of schedules among the programs. (2/5)

Texas Court Revives Lawsuit Against SpaceX for Beach Closures (Source: TPR)
A Texas court has revived a lawsuit regarding beach closures linked to SpaceX Starship testing and launches. A Texas appeals court ruled last week that environmental and other groups did have standing to sue county and state officials over closures of the road leading to Boca Chica Beach, next to SpaceX's Starbase site. A district court had concluded in 2022 that the plaintiffs did not have standing. The ruling returns the suit to district court. The plaintiffs argued that the beach closures, permitted under a state law passed in 2013, violate the "Open Beaches" provision of the state constitution. (2/5)

Cosmonaut Breaks Space Record (Source: AP)
A Russian cosmonaut has broken the record for most cumulative time spent in space. Oleg Kononenko broke Gennady Padalka's record of 879 days, 11 hours and 29 minutes spent in space on Sunday. Kononenko is on his fifth mission to the station dating back to 2008. He is on track to exceed 1,000 days in space before his current mission to the ISS ends in September. (2/5)

China Launches Satellites for Geely Constellation (Source: Space News)
A Long March 2C rocket lifted off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, placing 11 satellites into orbit for Chinese automaker Geely. The satellites are part of a constellation that Geely plans to use to support autonomous driving and related services. (2/5)

Exolaunch Awarded First European Space Agency Launch Contract (Source: European Spaceflight)
German payload aggregator and in-space logistics company Exolaunch has been awarded a contract to launch the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Arctic Weather Satellite (AWS). In addition to being the first ESA launch contract awarded to the Berlin-based company, the awarding also marks a significant milestone for the agency as the first launch contract awarded through a competitive tender call instead of directly to one of its preferred vendors. (2/5)

Rocket Revolution Threatens to Undo Decades of European Unity on Space (Source: Financial Times)
French President Emmanuel Macron was in combative mood when he addressed aerospace executives and innovators in Toulouse. “We have fought for months saying European sovereignty is European unity. Unfortunately, some of our partners have decided to become competitors,” he told the December gathering in France’s aerospace capital. “So take note, we’re going to push very hard to be the best.”

With those words, Macron launched the race to find Europe’s future rocket maker of choice, capable of propelling the biggest and most sensitive missions into space. As the sector finally opens up to competition, there are signs that 50 years of European collaboration on accessing space may be fragmenting.

“Everyone has lost sight of the final objective, which is a European programme,” warned Pierre Lionnet, director of research at trade body Eurospace. For decades, France’s ArianeGroup and its predecessor companies have been the prime contractors for jointly funded development of Europe’s Ariane family of heavy launchers. Until 2017, Ariane dominated the global market for commercial launches into geostationary orbit. (2/4)

Space Force Is Also Catching Space Solar Fever (Source: Clean Technica)
Research teams from the US, China, and the UK are among those chasing the space solar rainbow. The attraction of space solar is the potential for 24/7 solar power at the multi-gigawatt scale, all year long. That has implications for military use as well as civilian life. The US Department of Defense has already begun using solar arrays and energy storage to build more resilience and security into its facilities and operations. Access to solar energy from space would kick that effort into high gear.

Solar arrays in outer space would also skirt the land use issues that can obstruct Earth-bound solar development, though infrastructure at the receiving end may pose some hurdles depending on the size of the area needed. (2/4)

BlackSky Enters Final Phase of IARPA's SMART Program (Source: Interesting Engineering)
BlackSky Technology announced the accomplishment of a major milestone by progressing to the third and final phase of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity's (IARPA) multi-year Space-based Machine Automated Recognition Technique (SMART) program. SMART Phase III's main objective is to transfer the SMART broad area search technologies to other U.S. government programs. BlackSky is a company that specializes in Earth observation and geospatial intelligence services using a network of small satellites. (2/4)

Astronomers Discover New Type of Star Called 'Old Smokers' (Source: KCRA)
A decade-long survey of the night sky has revealed a mysterious new type of star astronomers are referring to as an "old smoker." These previously hidden stellar objects are aging, giant stars located near the heart of the Milky Way galaxy. The stars are inactive for decades and fade until they're almost invisible before belching out clouds of smoke and dust, and astronomers think they could play a role in distributing elements across the universe. (2/4)

Axiom ISS Mission Advances Cancer Research (Source: Fortune)
When cancer progresses under stress, it’s due—at least in part—to a cloning gene it turns on, known as ADAR1, according to Jamieson. On previous missions, her team noticed that mini tumors sent to space activated the gene before tripling in size in just 10 days, a much faster rate of growth than seen on the ground. Further testing revealed that ADAR1 “proliferated wildly” in the space tumors as they grew with disturbing, unchecked rapidity.

On the last Axiom mission, Jamieson’s team sent up mini tumors treated with two types of anti-cancer medications that block ADAR1 in different ways. The drugs included fedratinib, which is already FDA approved for the treatment of blood cancers, but not solid masses. Enthused by the results, Jamieson’s team began work on an experimental drug called rebecsinib that blocks ADAR1 activation in a different way—by preventing it from spawning malignant proteins. “It’s basically preventing this breast cancer from cloning itself,” Jamieson says of rebecsinib, adding that it may be a “kill switch for cancer.” (2/4)

Airplanes Face Growing Risk of Being Hit by Uncontrolled Re-entries of Rockets (Source: NewSpace Economy)
An aircraft in flight could be seriously damaged by just 300 grams of space debris impacting an engine, windshield or other critical surface. Although there are no confirmed instances of space debris hitting an aircraft in flight, in 1996 the windscreen of a Boeing 757 was cracked by an unknown object while flying at 31,500 feet.

In 2013, another Boeing 757 had one side of its nose-cone punched in by an unidentified object while flying at 26,000 feet. Bird strikes were unlikely in these instances. There’s no need for any of us to worry. The probability of an airplane being struck by space debris is extremely small — much smaller than a bird strike. But even very small probabilities can have severe consequences that justify regulatory action. (2/4)

Beyond Gravity Supports NASA in Enhancing Climate Data Accuracy with PACE Satellite (Source: Space Daily)
Beyond Gravity, Europe's leading space supplier, has been selected by NASA to provide navigation technology for a new climate satellite, the PACE mission. The PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem) mission represents a significant step forward in our understanding of the Earth's oceans and atmosphere.

Equipped with a navigation receiver from Beyond Gravity, the satellite will deliver centimeter-precise positioning data, enhancing the accuracy of climate observations sent back to Earth. This precision is vital for understanding changes in marine biology, aerosols, and cloud formations, which are key indicators of the planet's health. Beyond Gravity's contributions extend beyond navigation technology. The company is also providing thermal insulation for one of the three main instruments aboard the PACE satellite. (2/5)

China Prepares to Launch Lunar Exploration Satellites Tiandu 1 and Tiandu 2 (Source: Space Daily)
The upcoming launch of two experimental satellites, Tiandu 1 and Tiandu 2, marks a significant step forward in the country's lunar exploration and technological advancements in communication and navigation. These satellites are scheduled for launch in the first half of the year, alongside Queqiao 2, or Magpie Bridge 2, a relay satellite integral to lunar exploration missions, which was recently transported to the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in South China's Hainan province.

Tiandu 1 and Tiandu 2 are poised to play a crucial role in the development of China's lunar communication, navigation, and remote sensing systems. Weighing 61 kilograms, Tiandu 1 is outfitted with a Ka dual-band communicator, a laser corner reflector, and a space router, making it a versatile tool for lunar exploration. Tiandu 2, with a weight of 15 kilograms, carries essential communication and navigation devices. Both satellites will enter the lunar transfer orbit alongside Queqiao 2, then proceed to orbit the Moon, conducting measurements and technological experiments crucial for future missions. (2/5)

The Last Vestige of Old Space Architectural Thinking (Source: Space News)
While the launch and satellite segments have come into their moment as government and industry become more and more integrated, the true unsung heroes of the space business are on the ground. Although vital to the overall space mission, ground systems rarely get the credit, and are shorthanded and under-resourced amidst the fanfare of kicking off new space missions. 

In a highly-hybridized space future, it’s the ground segment — Command & Control (C2), mission management and processing and ground infrastructure — that leaves much to be desired. In almost every space system deployed since satellites were first launched for military missions, the ground systems that enabled them were woefully late, fragile, and generally inadequate. Click here. (2/5)

Inland Spaceports Seek Ways to Host Orbital Launches (Source: Space News)
With congestion growing at the nation’s major launch sites in California and Florida, operators of inland spaceports are seeking creative ways to host orbital launches. The number of commercial launches licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration more than tripled between fiscal year 2020, with 31 licensed launches, and fiscal year 2023, with 106. The FAA is forecasting 111 launches in fiscal year 2024, according to data presented by Pam Underwood, director of the FAA’s Office of Spaceports. Click here. (2/3)

Satellite Phone Networks Can Democratize Global Communication (Source: Space News)
Early this year, using T-Mobile’s network, SpaceX successfully sent and received text messages using new Starlink direct-to-cell satellites that deliver broadband connectivity to smartphones anywhere in the world, bypassing traditional infrastructure. While some will consider this an innocuous development, it’s a monumental moment for communication technology and geopolitics alike. In effect, it means the satellite phone, once the exclusive domain of government officials, diplomats, journalists and fictional secret agents, may soon be much more widely available, worldwide. The implications are considerable. (2/2)

Ground System for Jam-Resistant GPS Delayed Again to July 2025 (Source: Breaking Defense)
The long-troubled ground system needed for the Space Force to have “full control” of the jam-resistant, military-only GPS signal is facing yet another delay — and now won’t be ready for use until July 2025, according to the latest report by Pentagon’s testing office. The Next-Generation Operational Control System (OCX) is facing a new delay of 16 months, according to the 2023 Annual Report of the Director of Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). (2/2)

For Kellie Gerardi, Accessibility Is Literally Out Of This World (Source: Forbes)
It’s befitting for a space traveler to hail from Jupiter, Florida. Kellie Gerardi is that astronaut whose highly on brand hometown is named after a planet. One of less than a hundred women ever to go into outer space, Gerardi works for the International Institute of Astronautical Sciences, where she works on research and other scientific endeavors such as those surrounding microgravity.

Gerardi has focused her energies on Earth to related topics such as space policy, regulatory reform, and reusable rocket technology. In November, Gerardi flew to space as a payload specialist on Virgin Galactic’s landmark Galactic 05 research mission, during which she conducted experiments involving fluid dynamics and human health. The experiments were designed by Canada’s National Research Council and the Canadian Space Agency. (2/1)

Chinese Winged Rocket Can Fly From New York to Beijing in One Hour (Source: Supercar Blondie)
Imagine traveling from one side of the world to the other without any layovers, missed connections or an endless plane journey. Sounds like an absolute dream, right? That dream could soon become a reality, as a Chinese aerospace company’s working on a winged rocket concept that can fly from New York to Beijing in just one hour.

Yes, it’ll take just one hour, which is probably the same amount of time it takes you to get to work each morning. Last year, Space Transportation announced they’re developing a ‘rocket with wings’ designed for space tourism and never-before-seen transport times to countries across the globe. Apparently, the winged rocket will travel at approximately 4,184 km/h, which is twice the speed of Concorde. (2/1)

Understanding AI's Impact on Space Data (Source: Payload)
Since the public release of ChatGPT just over a year ago, AI has driven technology investment, with some $27B being deployed to companies leveraging the latest developments in machine learning. Space engineers are no strangers to AI writ large—who do you think is flying the Dragon spacecraft or landing the Falcon 9’s booster?—but the latest developments promise immediate impact for companies collecting sensor data in space. Click here. (2/1)

Are Space Elevators Possible? (Source: Phys.org)
Humanity's quest to explore—and, perhaps eventually, colonize—outer space has prompted a great many ideas about how precisely to go about it. While conventional wisdom suggests that space launch via rockets is the best way to send human beings into orbit, other "non-rocket" methods have been proposed, including a futuristic "space elevator."

The concept of a space elevator—essentially a sky-high cable that would let humans climb into space—has been championed by some industry experts as a way to overcome the astronomical costs associated with sending people and cargo into space by rocket, says Alberto de la Torre, assistant professor of physics at Northeastern. Click here. (2/2)

Eutelsat Stops Services on Aging Satellite Following Anomaly (Source: Space News)
Eutelsat said Feb. 2 it has stopped providing services from an aging geostationary satellite over the Americas following an unspecified anomaly. The 18-year-old Eutelsat 113 West A satellite had been providing video, data, and government services from an inclined orbit at 113 degrees West, three years after the end of its design life.

The satellite was not carrying insurance at the time the anomaly hit Jan. 31, the French fleet operator said, but was only due to provide around three million euros ($3.2 million) in revenues over the next five months. Eutelsat said it had expected to get between five and six million euros out of the satellite annually over the following four years. (2/2)

Bacteria That Can Make Humans Sick Could Survive on Mars (Source: Science News)
Future interplanetary explorers beware: Hitchhiking bacteria brought to Mars on human bodies might not only survive the harsh conditions on the Red Planet’s surface but also potentially thrive. Recent experiments exposed four common disease-causing microbes to a simulated Mars-like environment, with its lack of water, scant atmospheric pressure, deadly ultraviolet radiation and toxic salts. The bacteria remained alive for various periods of time and, in some cases, even grew in the imitation Martian sands. (2/2)

X-Ray Image of Universe Reveals Almost 1 Million High-Energy Objects (Source: Space.com)
The first data released to the public from the eROSITA sky survey comprises an X-ray view of half the sky over Earth, encompassing almost a million high-energy cosmic sources, including over 700,000 supermassive black holes. This catalog, dubbed the "eROSITA All-Sky Survey Catalogue (eRASS1)" constitutes the largest-ever catalog of the universe's most powerful sources of energy, like exploding massive stars and black hole-powered active galactic nuclei that shine brightly in X-rays.

The release also details the largest known structures in the universe — cosmic web filaments of hot gas that connect galaxies in clusters. The results show that, in just half a year of operations beginning after launch on July 13, 2019, eROSITA has managed to discover more high-energy X-ray sources than has been found in six decades of examining the sky. (2/2)

Orbital Resonance − the Striking Gravitational Dance Done by Planets with Aligning Orbits (Source: The Conversation)
stronomers studying six planets orbiting a star 100 light years away have just found that they orbit their star with an almost rhythmic beat, in perfect synchrony. Each pair of planets completes their orbits in times that are the ratios of whole numbers, allowing the planets to align and exert a gravitational push and pull on the other during their orbit. This type of gravitational alignment is called orbital resonance, and it’s like a harmony between distant planets. (2/2)

Giant Star Seen 150 Days Before it Exploded as a Supernova (Source: Universe Today)
Supernovae are relatively rare. It might not seem like it, but that’s because they’re so bright we can see them in other galaxies a great distance away. In fact, in 2022, astronomers spotted a supernova over 10 billion light-years away. Any time astronomers spot a supernova, it’s an opportunity to learn more about these rare, cataclysmic explosions. It’s especially valuable if astronomers can get a good look at the progenitor star before it explodes. We know what types of stars explode as core-collapse supernovae: massive ones. But we don’t know which star will explode when, so we don’t know where to look to see the progenitor. (2/2)

Secretive Moon Startup Led by Ex-Blue Origin Leaders Raises New Tranche of Funding (Source: Tech Crunch)
A stealth startup led by ex-Blue Origin leaders, focused on harvesting resources from the moon, has quietly closed a sizable new tranche of funding, according to regulatory documents. Interlune, a startup that’s been around for at least three years but has made almost zero public announcements about its tech, has raised $15.5 million in new funding and aims to close another $2 million. A representative for Interlune declined to comment on this story. This is the first public indication that the company has closed any funding since a $1.85 million seed round in 2022.

Much of what’s known about the startup was reported by GeekWire last October, when Interlune CTO Gary Lai briefly described the startup during a speech at Seattle’s Museum of Flight: “We aim to be the first company that harvests natural resources from the moon to use here on Earth,” he reportedly said. “We’re building a completely novel approach to extract those resources, efficiently, cost-effectively and also responsibly. The goal is really to create a sustainable in-space economy.” (2/2)

Dream Chaser Spaceplane Passes Vibration Test (Source: Space Daily)
Sierra Space's shuttle-like Dream Chaser has been put through its paces at a powerful NASA vibration facility that mimics conditions during launch and atmospheric reentry, officials said Thursday ahead of its planned first flight to the ISS this year. The first spaceplane of a planned line, Tenacity, was completed at the company's factory in Louisville, Colorado in November and then shipped to NASA's Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. There, it was exposed to the Mechanical Vibration Facility, the world's most powerful spacecraft shaker system, NASA said. (2/1)

China to Launch 4.4 Meter Aperture Spectral Telescope in 2026 (Source: Space Daily)
Shanghai Jiao Tong University is advancing its astronomical capabilities with the construction of the country's most powerful spectral telescope. The Jiaotong University Spectroscopic Telescope (JUST), featuring a significant 4.4-meter aperture, is slated for completion and utilization by 2026. This development, as reported by Science and Technology Daily, marks a pivotal step in China's astronomical research endeavors. (2/1)

Sivers Semiconductors and Thorium Space Set to Enhance Satellite Capabilities (Source: Space Daily)
Sivers Semiconductors AB (STO: SIVE) has announced an expansion in its partnership with Thorium Space S.A., marking a significant advancement in satellite communication technology. This second phase of their chipset agreement, valued at approximately USD 2.9 million (30 MSEK), aims to further the development and validation of chipsets initiated in the first phase. This step is crucial for future large-scale manufacturing and underscores the deepening collaboration between the two entities. Sivers Semiconductors anticipates recognizing revenue up to USD $2.1 million from this contract in 2024, indicating a strong financial outlook for the partnership. (2/1)

Advanced Space's CAPSTONE Operating Around Moon for 445 Days (Source: Space Daily)
Advanced Space announced that CAPSTONE - the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment - continues to be "The Little Satellite That Could" as it flies near the Moon over 440 days. The spacecraft is conducting operations in Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO); achieving record-long mission operational "up times;" conducting experiments that demonstrate its usefulness for position, navigation, and timing (PNT); and for testing software at the Moon. (2/2)