February 9, 2024

Hawaiian Airlines Debuts Inflight Wi-Fi From SpaceX's Starlink (Source: CNBC)
Hawaiian Airlines is rolling out complimentary Wi-Fi via SpaceX’s Starlink on board commercial flights this week, the companies told CNBC, the first major U.S. airline to offer the satellite-based service. “SpaceX has really cracked the code – literally, in terms of the technology – to be able to deliver a wide bandwidth of very high quality connectivity to an airplane with a global reach,” said Peter Ingram, Hawaiian Airlines CEO. (2/8)

Famed Climate Scientist Wins Million-Dollar Verdict Against Right-Wing Bloggers (Source: Washington Post)
Michael Mann, a prominent climate scientist, won his long-standing legal battle against two right-wing bloggers who claimed that he manipulated data in his research and compared him to convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky. A jury in a civil trial found that the two writers, Rand Simberg and Mark Steyn, defamed and injured the researcher in a pair of blog posts published in 2012, and awarded him more than $1 million.

“I hope this verdict sends a message that falsely attacking climate scientists is not protected speech,” Mann said. Mann’s victory comes amid heightened attacks on scientists working not just on climate change but also on vaccines and other issues. But the case was one that some critics worried could have a stifling effect on free speech and open debate in science. The verdict is a dozen years in the making for the climatologist, who for decades has been a target of right-wing critics over his famous “hockey stick” graph. (2/8)

Asteroid 33 Polyhymnia May Contain Elements Outside The Periodic Table (Source: IFL Science)
Some asteroids are dense. So dense in fact, that they may contain heavy elements outside of the periodic table, according to a new study on mass density. The team of physicists from The University of Arizona say they were motivated by the possibility of Compact Ultradense Objects (CUDOs) with a mass density greater than Osmium, the densest naturally occurring, stable element, with its 76 protons.

"In particular, some observed asteroids surpass this mass density threshold. Especially noteworthy is the asteroid 33 Polyhymnia," the team writes in their study, adding that "since the mass density of asteroid 33 Polyhymnia is far greater than the maximum mass density of familiar atomic matter, it can be classified as a CUDO with an unknown composition." (2/3)

What Turned Earth Into a Giant Snowball 700 Million Years Ago? Scientists Now Have an Answer (Source: Phys.org)
Australian geologists have used plate tectonic modeling to determine what most likely caused an extreme ice-age climate in Earth's history, more than 700 million years ago. The study helps our understanding of the functioning of the Earth's built-in thermostat that prevents the Earth from getting stuck in overheating mode. It also shows how sensitive global climate is to atmospheric carbon concentration.

"Imagine the Earth almost completely frozen over," said the study's lead author, ARC Future Fellow Dr. Adriana Dutkiewicz. "That's just what happened about 700 million years ago; the planet was blanketed in ice from poles to equator and temperatures plunged. However, just what caused this has been an open question. We now think we have cracked the mystery: historically low volcanic carbon dioxide emissions, aided by weathering of a large pile of volcanic rocks in what is now Canada; a process that absorbs atmospheric carbon dioxide." (2/8)

Hidden Moon May Hold Together Rings of Comet-Like Object Between Jupiter and Neptune (Source: Space.com)
A little moonlet, too small to be seen from Earth, could be playing cosmic sheepdog by shaping the thin rings around the distant minor planet Chariklo, according to new computer simulations. Chariklo is a Centaur — a breed of small body that orbits the sun on a path sandwiched somewhere between Jupiter and Neptune. (2/8)

Dragon Splashes Down Off Daytona Beach with Axiom ISS Crew (Source: Space News)
A Crew Dragon spacecraft returned to Earth this morning to conclude the Ax-3 private astronaut mission. The Crew Dragon spacecraft Freedom splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean near Daytona Beach, Florida, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. The splashdown concluded a mission lasting more than three weeks, including two and a half weeks at the International Space Station. Poor weather delayed the spacecraft's return by nearly a week. (2/9)

National Guard, Air Force, Working to Resolve Impasse Over Space Units (Source: Space News)
The chief of the National Guard Bureau, Gen. Daniel Hokanson, discussed with Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall options for the approximately 1,000 members of the Air National Guard who support Space Force operations in seven states. Guard advocates on Capitol Hill have tried to establish a Space National Guard, a move opposed by the Biden administration because of its cost. The 2024 defense authorization bill directed Hokanson and Kendall to look at the pros and cons of transferring all space functions of the National Guard to the Space Force, as well as options to create a Space National Guard or maintain the status quo. (2/9)

L3Harris Tests DPAAS Antenna for Expanded Satellite Contacts (Source: Space News)
L3Harris Technologies has completed testing of a digital phased array antenna. The company said this week it completed a three-month test of a compact Digital Beamforming Phased Array Antenna System (DPAAS) in Alaska. The DPASS prototype handled an average of more than 300 satellite contacts per day, including up to eight simultaneous contacts. The antenna is intended to address government and commercial demand for innovative ground systems to communicate with large satellite constellations in low Earth orbit and with constellations that include spacecraft in different orbital planes. L3Harris conducted the test through an agreement with NOAA. (2/9)

Signal Ocean to Make $10M Strategic Investment in Spire Global (Source: Space Daily)
Spire Global and Signal Ocean have announced a strategic partnership aimed at propelling the digitization of the maritime economy. Under the terms of the partnership, Spire Global, a leading provider of space-based data, analytics, and space services, will contribute its proprietary datasets crucial for the precise monitoring of maritime activities. (2/9)

AST SpaceMobile's Space-Based Cellular Network to Support Government Missions Through New Contract (Source: Space Daily)
AST SpaceMobile recently disclosed its latest achievement-a revenue-generating contract awarded by a prime contractor on behalf of the United States Government. This pivotal development underscores AST SpaceMobile's expanding role in enhancing global communication systems through its advanced satellite network. (2/9)

US Southern Command Leads Space Cooperation Dialogue at Third Annual Space Conference of the Americas (Source: Space Daily)
The annual Space Conference of the Americas, hosted by the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), has emerged as a pivotal platform for discussing the future of space cooperation and interoperability among nations in the Western Hemisphere. During the conference, held in Miami, Army Gen. Laura J. Richardson highlighted the proactive measures needed to counteract the strategies of adversaries who are consistently advancing in space.

This year's conference saw the participation of ten partner nations, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, alongside the U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) and U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM), underscoring the event's significance in fostering international collaboration in the space sector. (2/9)

Maxar Names New CTO (Source: Space News)
Maxar Intelligence, the satellite imagery and geospatial analytics arm of Maxar Technologies, has named a new CTO. The company said Thursday that it hired Arvind Srinivasan, who previously worked at Google, Meta and Apple on cloud technologies as well as Google Maps and Google Earth. The hiring is the latest change that Advent International, a private equity firm, has made at Maxar since taking the company private last year. (2/9)

Luxembourg's OQ Enters Direct-to-Device Market (Source: Space News)
European startup OQ Technology is the latest company to study entering the direct-to-device market. Luxembourg's government is providing an undisclosed amount of funding to the company for a six-month feasibility contract to study ways to connect unmodified smartphones with its satellites. OQ Technology currently provides narrowband Internet of Things (IoT) services using eight cubesats, with two more to launch in March. The company plans to examine how it can use terrestrial spectrum to provide services. (2/9)

Mongolia in Talks with SpaceX to Launch Commsat (Source: Reuters)
The Mongolian government is in talks with Elon Musk's SpaceX to launch the country's first national telecommunications satellite, its latest move to improve connectivity and develop its "domestic space economy." The satellite, currently being constructed by Thales Alenia Space, is tasked with improving Mongolia's disaster management and emergency response, increasing broadband internet access and supporting its scientific research and education among other purposes. The talks came after Mongolia granted two licences for Starlink last year. (2/8)

AI Tech Accelerating Innovation in Space (Source: Space News)
Artificial intelligence technologies are accelerating innovation in space. Companies said at the SmallSat Symposium this week that they are using various AI tools to enhance their capabilities, from designing components to searching satellite imagery. All this progress would not be possible, they said, without cloud computing providers that give them access to extensive computing resources. Some companies are now examining space-based edge computing to enhance those AI capabilities. (2/9)

Collins Tests Spacesuit on ZeroG Airgraft (Source: Space News)
Collins Aerospace has put a new spacesuit through a series of zero-gravity tests. The company recently completed tests of a spacesuit on an aircraft flying parabolic arcs that generate 15 to 25 seconds of microgravity at a time, showing how astronauts could carry out discrete tasks wearing the suit. Collins is developing the suit under a NASA contract with plans to eventually replace the aging spacesuits on the ISS. The company also seeks to offer the suits to commercial space stations and adapt them for use on the moon. (2/9)

Russia Deploying Starlink in Ukraine (Source: Newsweek)
Ukrainian soldiers say Russia's military have begun using Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communications network in Ukraine, according to a journalist in the country. "The military writes that the occupiers have Starlink with licensed accounts," Andriy Tsaplienko, a Ukrainian journalist, said. "They began to deliver Starlink en masse, via Dubai, accounts are activated, they work in the occupied territories," said one of the soldiers. (2/8)

SpaceX Has Not Authorized Starlink Use in Russia (Source: PC Magazine)
SpaceX says it has not authorized the use of Starlink in Russia even as Russian stores offer terminals for sale. In a statement Thursday, SpaceX says any Russian online stores offering Starlink terminals for use in the country are "scamming their customers." The statement came after reports that Russian companies are importing Starlink terminals though Dubai, selling them at a considerable markup. Starlink does not officially provide services in Russia or Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, but some sources on the ground claim the terminals do work in occupied regions and along the border. (2/9)

Japanese Astronauts Joins Voyager Advisory Board (Source: Voyager Space)
A former Japanese astronaut is joining an advisory board for Voyager Space. Soichi Noguchi spent 27 years as an astronaut with the Japanese space agency JAXA, flying on the shuttle, Soyuz and Crew Dragon and spending two long-duration missions on the ISS. Noguchi will assist the company as it works on the Starlab commercial space station. (2/9)

Clean Up In NSSL's Lane 1 (Source: Payload)
The US military’s scheme to diversify its stable of rocketmakers is running into a problem: None of them is likely to fly their rockets on time. Space Systems Command is taking a two-pronged approach to buying launches after 2025: Lane 1 is for new launch vehicles that could handle low-risk work. Lane 2 is for three established rockets that can perform the full range of national security launches. The first awards are expected to be announced this spring.

The US launchers widely seen as aiming for Lane 1—Rocket Lab, Relativity Space, Firefly, and ABL Space Systems—are unlikely to reach orbit by the Dec. 15 deadline to qualify for this year’s batch of awards. The closest is Rocket Lab, which expects its Neutron rocket to be “on the pad” by the end of the year, according to a spokesperson. (2/8)

NASA to Demonstrate Autonomous Navigation System on Moon (Source: Phys.org)
When the second CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) delivery is launched to the moon in mid-February, its NASA payloads will include an experiment that could change how human explorers, rovers, and spacecraft independently track their precise location on the moon and in cis-lunar space.

Demonstrating autonomous navigation, the Lunar Node-1 experiment, or LN-1, is a radio beacon designed to support precise geolocation and navigation observations for landers, surface infrastructure, and astronauts, digitally confirming their positions on the moon relative to other craft, ground stations, or rovers on the move. (2/7)

China to Launch Lunar Navigation and Communications Test Satellites (Source: Space News)
China is preparing to launch a pair of lunar experimental technology satellites for a planned constellation of satellites to support lunar exploration. The Tiandu-1 and Tiandu-2 satellites are due to launch along with Queqiao-2, a lunar communications relay satellite to support upcoming Chang’e lunar far side and south pole missions. Tiandu-1 and 2 will fly in formation in lunar orbit and conduct tests for navigation and communications technology verification. Tests will include satellite-to-ground laser ranging and inter-satellite microwave ranging methods. (2/7)

When We Find Earth 2.0, What's Next? (Source: Scientific American)
Space is filled with a great many wildly differing worlds, and it’s natural to wonder if there’s an Earth 2.0 out there, or if they’re all truly, well, alien. Our Milky Way galaxy harbors hundreds of billions of stars. Click here. (2/7)

Potentially Habitable ‘Super-Earth’ Spotted 137 Light-Years Away (Source: CNN)
Astronomers have discovered a “super-Earth,” or a world larger than our planet, orbiting a star about 137 light-years away. A second planet, thought to be the size of Earth, may also be orbiting the same star. The super-Earth exoplanet, known as TOI-715b, orbits a red dwarf star that is cooler and smaller than our sun. Astronomers spotted the planet using NASA’s TESS, or Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, mission. A study detailing the discovery was published in January. (2/8)

Building Robots for “Zero Mass” Space Exploration (Source: Ars Technica)
Sending 1 kilogram to Mars will set you back roughly $2.4 million, judging by the cost of the Perseverance mission. If you want to pack up supplies and gear for every conceivable contingency, you’re going to need a lot of those kilograms. But what if you skipped almost all that weight and only took a do-it-all Swiss Army knife instead? That’s exactly what scientists at NASA Ames Research Center and Stanford University are testing with robots, algorithms, and highly advanced building materials. Click here. (2/8)

How Bankers Read a Potential Sale of Rocket Builder ULA (Source: CNBC)
Although we got word in December of the three bidders in the mix to buy ULA – Blue Origin, private equity giant Cerberus, and aerospace contractor Textron – there hasn’t been an update despite the successful debut of ULA’s Vulcan rocket. I spoke to seven financiers for their informed speculation. Bids for ULA over the past decade have been in the $2 billion range, and the bankers I spoke to were unanimous in thinking a sale makes sense. The sticky part of a sale is the need for new ownership that can both streamline ULA and invest in further innovation.

The price is another sticking point: Bankers suggested ULA’s owners initially sought more than $4 billion, but the new consensus is in the range of $2 billion to $2.5 billion. So which of the three buyers makes the most sense to come out the winner? Textron’s interest was described as a perceived desire to acquire a major space asset and expand its systems business. Yet each person I spoke to added a caveat along the lines of “buying a launch company is a terrible way to get space exposure,” even to compete among the prime defense companies.

The bankers characterized Blue Origin’s interest in ULA as a double-edged sword: It is the most synergistic of the three given their existing relationship, but it’s also expected to cannibalize the core business. After all, if Blue is making as much progress toward launching New Glenn as it’s shown off recently, why buy another heavy lift rocket in Vulcan that’s already bearing the fruits of years of labor? Cerberus is seen as the most sensical destination for ULA, with a private equity owner perceived as having the greatest ability to streamline costs and management while ramping up Vulcan’s cadence. (2/8)

Behind the Scenes with ULA's Launch Conductor Dillon Rice (Source: ULA)
Dylan Rice, systems test engineer and launch conductor for United launch Alliance, had overall responsibility for execution of the Vulcan countdown. Click here. (2/8)

Artemis 2 Astronaut Explains Why Moon Mission was Delayed to 2025 (Source: Space.com)
Delaying NASA's next crewed moon mission was the right choice for risk, says one of the crew on board. Artemis 2 astronaut Jeremy Hansen, with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), said he and his three NASA astronaut crewmates stand behind the agencies' decision to delay their round-the-moon mission at least nine months to September 2025. Click here. (2/8)

Air Force Partnership Brings Cyber, Space and Information Units Closer (Source: Defense Scoop)
The Department of the Air Force is tightening the linkage and relationship between its cyber entity and the Space Force to harden networks against threats and improve operational outcomes. The 16th Air Force announced in January that it is partnering with Space Operations Command (SpOC) in order to integrate space-based capabilities into all of its warfighting operations. Through the agreement — which will see Space Force personnel embedded with 16th Air Force — the two organizations are seeking a greater understanding of how to defend space assets from cyber attacks. (2/7)

Ex-Blue Origin Leaders’ Secretive Lunar Startup Interlune has Moonshot Mining Plans (Source: Tech Crunch)
Interlune, a stealth startup headed by ex-Blue Origin executives, is focused on mining the moon for a rare isotope of helium that could be used to scale quantum computing and eventually even fusion power, TechCrunch has learned. Regulatory filings reported here last week showed that the company recently closed $15.5 million in new capital; before that, Interlune had raised a $2.69 million pre-seed round. But the rationale for raising the capital was poorly understood — until now.

Two of Interlune’s confidential pitch decks, dated spring 2022 and fall 2023 and viewed by TechCrunch, reveal that the startup was seeking that funding to build and test resource extraction hardware for lunar helium-3 (He-3). A representative for Interlune declined to comment. Interlune says in the most recent pitch deck that it has developed a “breakthrough extraction method” for He-3 from lunar regolith. (2/7)

Ascent Solar Technologies Adds Former SpaceX Founder Philippe Kassouf as Strategic Advisor (Source: Ascent Solar)
Ascent Solar Technologies, a U.S. innovator in the design and manufacturing of featherweight, flexible thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solutions, today announced the appointment of former founding member of SpaceX Philippe Kassouf to the Company’s Strategic Advisory Board in the role of Strategic Advisor. (2/7)

Bharatiya Antariksh Station, India's First Space Station to be Set Up by 2035 (Source: Mint)
ISRO is working to set up Bharatiya Antariksh Station, India's own space station. The station will be assembled in a phased manner and ISRO aims to establish it by 2035. The Indian space station is currently in the ‘conceptualisation phase’, under which the overall architecture, number, and types of modules that are needed for the station have been studied and identified.

The allocation of funds for Bharatiya Antariksh Station will be considered after the completion of feasibility studies. Later, a proposal will be put up in front of the government for approval after the necessary studies and observations. For the setting up of the space station, a prospective roadmap is being created for the realisation of different modules and their launches. (2/7)

MXene-Coated Devices Can Guide Microwaves in Space and Lighten Payloads (Source: Drexel)
One of the most important components of satellites that enable telecommunication is the waveguide, which is a metal tube for guiding radio waves. It is also one of the heaviest payloads satellites carry into orbit. As with all space technology, reducing weight means reducing the amount of expensive and greenhouse gas-producing fuel it takes to launch a rocket, or increasing the number of devices carried by the same rocket to space.

Researchers from Drexel University and the University of British Columbia are trying to lighten the load by creating and testing a waveguide made from 3D-printed polymers coated with a conductive nanomaterial called MXene. The finding is a step toward lightweight replacements for metal components used in space. (2/7)

JAXA's Second H3 Rocket Readies for Feb. 15 Launch (Source: Yomiuri Shimbun)
JAXA has unveiled a part of the fuselage of its second H3 mainstay rocket and a satellite it will carry ahead of its launch on Feb. 15 from Tanegashima Space Center. The first H3 rocket’s launch ended in failure in March last year. The rocket was deliberately destroyed in-flight with the government’s land observation satellite Daichi-3 aboard. The second H3 will carry a mock satellite, which weighs the same as the Daichi-3, in its payload fairing. Two microsatellites will be secondary payloads. (2/7)

Elon Musk ‘Pounds the Table’ When Facts Are Against Him in SpaceX Suit, US Labor Watchdog Says (Source: Bloomberg)
Elon Musk just “pounds the table” in his escalating legal battle with the US labor board over his aerospace company SpaceX because he lacks a cogent argument, its top prosecutor said Wednesday. “If the law is not on your side, and the facts aren’t on your side, then just pound the table and yell like hell,” said National Labor Relations Board general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, applying an old aphorism, during an interview with Bloomberg in Washington Wednesday. “That’s what I feel that Elon Musk is doing.” (2/7)