March 13, 2024

Ultrablack Coating Could Make Next-Gen Telescopes Even Better (Source: AIP)
Sometimes, seeing clearly requires complete black. For astronomy and precision optics, coating devices in black paint can cut down on stray light, enhancing images and boosting performance. For the most advanced telescopes and optical systems, every little bit matters, so their manufacturers seek out the blackest blacks to coat them. (3/12)

New UAF Lidar Will Add To Space Weather Research Capability (Source: UAF)
University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists are developing a new light detection and ranging instrument to help gain a better understanding of space weather enveloping Earth. The new laser radar, or lidar, will be the third for the UAF Geophysical Institute. It will measure temperature and neutrally charged iron in the upper atmosphere at altitudes of 75 to 125 miles, where the mesosphere and thermosphere meet. (3/4)

Why NASA Wants Human Guinea Pigs to Test Out Martian Living (Source: NPR)
NASA is seeking volunteers to test out living in the 1,700-square-foot habitat known as Mars Dune Alpha. They are trying to determine — as realistically as possible — how living on Mars would affect humans. There are already four volunteer crew members living in that habitat, who entered in June 2023 and will emerge in July of this year. Click here. (3/12)

Comet Bigger Than Mount Everest Will Rule Skies of Earth After 71 Years (Source: The News)
This month, there is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for stargazers to watch a comet the size of Mount Everest speeding across the sky. Officially identified as Comet 12P/Pons–Brooks, it has drawn comparisons to the Star Wars Millennium Falcon due to two “horns” that may be seen in pictures. With specialized telescopes, amateur astronomers have already begun taking pictures of the comet, but it should soon be visible to the unaided eye. (3/12)

Japan Creates Multibillion-Dollar Space Strategic Fund to Boost Space Industry (Source: Space News)
Japan has established a multibillion-dollar Space Strategic Fund to help develop the country’s innovation, autonomy and international competitiveness in space.

Japan’s cabinet approved a bill to establish a $6.7 billion (1 trillion yen), 10-year fund for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in November, aimed at supporting development, technology demonstration, and commercialization of advanced technologies in the space field. New details were presented in a Space Policy Committee meeting in February, including defining three areas for support: satellites, space exploration and space transportation. (3/12)

NOAA Appoints Michael Kruk as Deputy Director of Technology Partnerships Office (Source: GovCon Daily)
Michael Kruk has been named deputy director of the Technology Partnerships Office within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The NOAA TPO said Monday that in his new position, Kruk will work to ensure efficient operations while carrying out the execution of the office's strategic direction. (3/12)

AIA Supports Future Increases for NASA (Source: Payload)
Eric Fanning, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, expressed disappointment over NASA's first funding decrease in a decade, stating: "The Aerospace Industries Association was disappointed to see the first drop in NASA funding in 10 years in the just-passed FY24 consolidated appropriations bill, threatening key aeronautics, exploration, space technology, and science programs. However, we are pleased the president's budget request supports an increase to NASA's current funding beyond the FY24 level and see this request as a floor for Congress as it deliberates next year's appropriation." (3/12)

Space Force Looks to Future On-Orbit Refueling Capability (Source: Defense One)
The Space Force is initiating a project to create technology for refueling and repairing satellites in orbit, as stated by Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, highlighting the effort's potential to enhance satellite maneuverability and defense capabilities. With a $20 million allocation in its 2025 budget request, the service aims to develop "Servicing, Mobility, and Logistics" capabilities. (3/12)

Space One's Kairos Rocket Explodes After Launch From New Japanese Spaceport (Source: Space News)
The first launch of a privately developed Japanese rocket ended in an explosion seconds after liftoff. The Kairos rocket lifted off at 10:01 p.m. Eastern Tuesday from the Spaceport Kii launch site on Honshu. The rocket, though, exploded about five seconds after liftoff, with debris falling back near the launch site.

Space One, the company that developed Kairos, did not disclose details about what might have caused the explosion. Kairos uses three solid-propellant lower stages and a liquid-propellant kick stage and is designed to place up to 250 kilograms into low Earth orbit. Space One, whose shareholders include Canon and IHI Aerospace, has stated its goal is to launch Kairos up to 20 times a year but has offered few details about any customers for the rocket. (3/13)

Japan Approves $6.7 Billion Strategic Fund for Space Industry Development (Source: Space News)
Japan's cabinet approved a bill to establish a $6.7 billion (1 trillion yen) 10-year Space Strategic Fund in November to be administered by the Japanese space agency JAXA aimed at supporting development, technology demonstration, and commercialization of advanced technologies in the space field. New details about the fund disclosed last month defined three areas for support: satellites, space exploration and space transportation. It answers a call in the Space Basic Plan, revised in June 2023, for JAXA to be able to support entities from the commercial and academic worlds. (3/13)

Army Extends Maxar Contract for 3D Terrain Models (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Army has extended a contract with Maxar Intelligence for 3D terrain models. Maxar was awarded Phase 4 of the U.S. Army's One World Terrain (OWT) contract, which has a total value of $94.7 million if all options are exercised. The company uses data from its high-resolution Earth imaging satellites to make 3D mapping products including, for the OWT contract, models used to create immersive training environments for soldiers. (3/13)

Beluga Transports European Satellite to Florida (Source: Space News)
Airbus used its Beluga aircraft to transport one of its communications satellites to Florida for launch. The oversized aircraft transported the Eutelsat 36D satellite from France, where the spacecraft was assembled, to Florida for launch on a Falcon 9 at the end of the month. Eutelsat 36D has 70 Ku-band transponders and will replace the Eutelsat 36B satellite at 36 degrees east in GEO. It is the third time the manufacturer's alternative to Ukrainian Antonov aircraft has flown a large satellite across the Atlantic since Airbus started offering an outsized freight transportation service two years ago. (3/13)

FAA Seeks Big Space Budget Increase (Source: Space News)
The FAA is seeking a large budget increase for its commercial space office. The FAA's fiscal year 2025 budget proposal released this week includes $57.1 million for its Office of Commercial Space Transportation, 36% above its 2024 budget. The additional funding would allow the office to hire more staff to oversee commercial launches and reentries, as well as prepare for potential new regulatory roles in human spaceflight and mission authorization for space activities not overseen by other agencies. The FAA is, in addition, requesting a $7 million increase for its Air Traffic Organization so it can hire more staff to coordinate airspace for commercial launches. (3/13)

Rocket Lab Launches Japanese Imaging Satellite From New Zealand (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab launched a Japanese radar imaging satellite Tuesday. The company's Electron rocket lifted off from its New Zealand launch site at 11:03 a.m. Eastern and deployed the StriX-3 satellite into a sun-synchronous orbit 54 minutes later. StriX-3 is the fourth synthetic aperture radar imaging satellite for Synspective, a Japanese company with plans to deploy a constellation of 30 such spacecraft. All four have launched on Electron rockets under a multi-launch contract that includes two more launches. (3/13)

South Korea Could See Space Budget Doubled (Source: Korea Herald)
South Korea's president has vowed to nearly double the country's space budget. In a visit Wednesday to the headquarters of Korea Aerospace Industries, Yoon Suk Yeol said the government's spending on space would grow to more than $1.1 billion in 2027, nearly double current levels. That funding would go towards expanding satellite and launch vehicle production, including a new launch pad for commercial rockets. He set a goal of expanding South Korea's share of the global aerospace industry from the current 1% to 10% by 2045. (3/13)

India's New Weather Satellite is Operational (Source: India Today)
India's space agency ISRO has published the first images from a new weather satellite. The images, released this week, are from the INSAT-3DS spacecraft launched last month to geostationary orbit. The images confirm that the satellite and its instruments are working well, ISRO said. (3/13)

Four Astronauts From Four Countries Return to Earth After Six Months in Orbit (Source: AP)
Four astronauts from four countries caught a lift back to Earth with SpaceX on Tuesday to end a half-year mission at the ISS. Their capsule streaked across the U.S. in the predawn darkness and splashed into the Gulf of Mexico near the Florida Panhandle. NASA’s Jasmin Moghbeli, a Marine helicopter pilot, led the returning crew of Denmark’s Andreas Mogensen, Japan’s Satoshi Furukawa and Russia’s Konstantin Borisov. They moved into the space station last August. Their replacements arrived last week in their own SpaceX capsule. (3/12)

China Accelerating Development of Two Large Reusable Rocket Models (Source: Xinhua)
China's development of both 4-meter-diameter and 5-meter-diameter reusable rockets is being accelerated, with their inaugural flights scheduled for 2025 and 2026, respectively. The manufacturing of these two new large reusable launching vehicle models is a response to growing demand in the commercial space market, said the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Reusable rockets are crucial for future space exploration efforts, as they offer cost-effectiveness, high efficiency, technical complexity, and are also environmentally friendly. (3/12)

Australian Initiative Demonstrates World’s Smallest Known Voice-Enabled Satellite (Source: Cosmos)
Adelaide-based Fleet Space Technologies has successfully demonstrated that its Centauri nanosatellites can be reprogrammed to deliver push-to-talk voice capabilities while in orbit. The new satellite-enabled push-to-talk capabilities are part of the Defence Space Command-funded ASCEND2LEO project, which aims to develop a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications system to achieve tactical communications and data transmission where there is limited connectivity. (3/13)

Sierra Space Axelerator to Incubate Space Tech Innovations (Source: Sierra Space)
Sierra Space announced today the launch of Sierra Space Axelerator, an innovation-at-speed incubator designed to fast-track the development of revolutionary defense technologies and mission solutions. Axelerator is set to redefine industry standards by delivering cutting-edge products with unprecedented efficiency. The first marvel to emerge from Axelerator is Sierra Space Ghost, a state-of-the-art space delivery system engineered to safely return objects from space – and through space – directly to precise locations on Earth. (3/12)

Defense Unicorns Announces $15 Million U.S. Space Force Strategic Funding Increase (Source: Yahoo! Finance)
Defense Unicorns, a veteran-owned startup providing open-source software and Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities for National Security systems, announced a $15 million U.S. Space Force Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) in partnership with Program Executive Office Assured Access to Space (AATS). Defense Unicorns’ focus is to accelerate and scale secure software solutions to increase the launch capacity of the Space Launch Deltas and meet the increasing demand for federal and commercial launch operations. (3/12)

New Lego Technic Mars Rover is Sci-Fi but Built with NASA's Help (Source: CollectSpace)
Lego and NASA have a long history of collaborating, but a recently released building set launched the partnership in a new direction — both for the toy company and space agency. The new Mars Crew Exploration Rover, which went on sale earlier this month, is unlike any space vehicle that Lego — or NASA — has ever built. For Lego, it was the first time that its Technic line of advanced working models focused on a fictional space vehicle. Similarly, this was the first time NASA engineers advised on a Lego toy that was not in some way based on any of the agency's plans or spacecraft. (3/12)

Air Force Budget Plan Lags Inflation (Source: Air & Space Forces Magazine)
The US Air Force's $262.6 billion budget proposal for 2025 represents a small percentage increase though more is needed to keep up with inflation, according to acting Air Force undersecretary Krysten Jones. The plan includes allocations of $188.1 billion for the Air Force, $29.4 billion for the Space Force, and $45.1 billion in "pass through" funding. (3/11)

Spring Break and SpaceX Launch Bring Crowds to Texas Beaches (Source: Valley Central)
Spring break is underway this week on South Padre Island but this year brings an added attraction. SpaceX plans to launch its Starship rocket on Thursday. The launch is expected to happen Thursday, but the Federal Aviation Administration has to sign off first. The thousands of visitors who come to view the launches will have to pass through the transit city of Port Isabel. (3/11)

Alaska Beach Closed for Testing at Alaska Spaceport (Source: KMXT)
Alaska’s Pacific Spaceport Complex is gearing up for its next launch at its site on Kodiak Island. Island residents saw access to a local beach closed for several days over the last week as various testing is underway. Robert Greene is the President of Aurora Launch Services, a subsidiary of the Alaska Aerospace Corporation, which operates out of the spaceport. According to Greene, the commercial customer is performing various hazardous operations testing before scheduling a launch date. (3/11)

Orlando SpaceCom / Space Congress Opens Exhibitor Registrations for 2025 (Source: SpaceCom)
SpaceCom | Space Congress 2024 attracted an impressive 4,000+ space professionals, setting a new record in exhibitor re-sign rates–with many expanding their footprint for 2025 as a direct result of their success at the 2024 event. With the industry still buzzing about the success of the event, many new organizations are also jumping on the opportunity to be first-time exhibitors. Click here. (3/11)

Virgin Galactic Boosts Space Ride Prices 33% (Source: Orange County Business Journal)
Inflation may be heading toward outer space. Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. is increasing the cost of a single suborbital ride in its spacecraft from $450,000 to $600,000. While the company (NYSE: SPCE) only brought in $7 million in revenue last year as it began its nascent commercial operations, it says each launch center it is aiming for, known as a spaceport, will eventually generate more than $1 billion annually with new spacecraft, greater flight frequency and higher ticket prices. (3/11)

Establishing Global Space Transportation Networks Puts Florida at Center of Aerospace Commerce (Source: Space Florida)
After successful meetings in the United Kingdom with key leaders during the 2024 Space-Comm Expo, Space Florida’s president and CEO Rob Long announced intentions for Space Florida to develop the regulatory framework that will underpin international commercial transportation through space commerce with strategic allies. The below statement should be attributed to Rob Long, Space Florida president and CEO.

“Much like the transportation networks that support airports and link international travel and commerce, a network of spaceports--connected and supported through global cooperation--could redefine the boundaries of economic exchange. Innovative commercial concepts like space trade routes enabled by point-to-point space travel require international cooperation and development...  We look forward to working with our international counterparts to build a framework that could transform this idea into a global space transportation network, of which Florida is the critical node driving aerospace commerce.” (3/12)