March 2, 2024

NASA Shutters $2B Satellite Refueling Project, Blames Contractor for Delays (Source: UPI)
NASA is shutting down a $2 billion satellite refueling project after criticizing the project's contractor for poor performance. The agency said it will discontinue the On-orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing 1 project after nearly a decade of work due to "continued technical, cost, and schedule challenges, and a broader community evolution away from refueling unprepared spacecraft, which has led to a lack of a committed partner."

The program's lead contractor is Maxar. OSAM-1 has been in development since 2015 with the goal of assisting the U.S.-owned Landsat 7 imagery satellite by refueling and repairing it in orbit to extend its life. The spacecraft would have utilized an attached Space Infrastructure Dexterous Robot (SPIDER) to refuel the Landsat, assemble a communications antenna and demonstrate in-space manufacture of a 32-foot carbon fiber composite beam to verify the capability of constructing large spacecraft structures in orbit. (3/1)

Nikon and NASA are Putting a Mirrorless Camera on the Moon (Source: The Verge)
Nikon is working with NASA to make a mirrorless camera that astronauts will use during the agency’s incoming Artemis III mission to document their return to the Moon. On Thursday, NASA announced that it had entered a Space Act agreement with Nikon to develop the Handheld Universal Lunar Camera (HULC), a camera system designed to capture imagery in low light and survive the harsh lunar environment. (3/1)

Florida Senate Approves Spaceport Territories (Source: WFTV)
he Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a proposal that would designate property at Tyndall Air Force Base in Bay County and within the former boundaries of Homestead Air Force Base in Miami-Dade County as “spaceport territory.” (2/29)

Lockheed Martin Offers to Buy Terran Orbital for $293 Million (Source: Morningstar)
Lockheed Martin has submitted a nonbinding offer to buy satellite maker Terran Orbital's 223 million outstanding shares for $1 each and pay $70 million for its outstanding warrants. The defense contractor, which has a 28.3% stake in Terran and uses the firm to build satellites for its Pentagon contracts, said in a letter Friday that Terran represents an attractive opportunity and that it considers the potential acquisition to be a strategic priority. (3/1)

South Texans Sound Off on Controversial SpaceX Land Swap Ahead of Monday Vote (Source: Chron)
A contentious proposal for the state to swap land in South Texas with Elon Musk’s SpaceX will be considered on Monday, and locals are gearing up to share strong opposition to the plan. Boca Chica locals are carpooling to Austin to comment publicly, and they're ready to argue their side.

The proposal would call on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) to give 43 acres of Boca Chica State Park to SpaceX in exchange for 477 acres near the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, about 10 miles away. The extended public comment period will remain open until 5 p.m. on March 3.  Indigenous leaders say SpaceX and TPWD have neglected to consult them when considering the swap. “So all of this, if it happens, is without free prior and informed consent,” Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas member Christopher Basaldú said during a press conference. (3/1)

In India, Research Funding, Agile Regulation Key to Seizing New Opportunities in Space Sector (Source: Deccan Herald)
The joint missions like the upcoming NISAR mission with NASA and LUPEX mission with JAXA allow leveraging diverse expertise to accomplish challenging scientific endeavours beyond individual agency capacity. Also, reforms unlock space tech commercialization at scale and global competitiveness for India's private sector. There is policy stability now with the new Geospatial Policy 2022, Indian Space Policy 2023, Indian Telecommunications Act 2023, and the FDI Policy 2024.

Greater R&D funding access and public procurement support are vital. Export controls via SCOMET (Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment, and Technologies) require rationalization, considering the low entry barriers. Overall, an agile regulatory approach aligned to industry growth is key to seizing new opportunities. (3/1)

Chinese Space, Nuclear Development is ‘Breathtakingly Fast,’ DOD Officials Warn (Source: Defense One)
China’s advancements in space technology—and its nuclear triad—are proceeding with incredible speed, while Russia remains an unpredictable and dangerous threat, top officials from U.S. Strategic Command and Space Command told lawmakers. What “China and Russia are doing, particularly building with their counterspace weapons, they're moving breathtakingly fast,” Gen. Stephen Whiting, the head of U.S. Space Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee. U.S. forces rely heavily on space assets. China and Russia know that, and it's becoming a growing vulnerability, Whiting said. (2/29)

Miso Paste Made in Space Opens a New Frontier for Fermented Foods (Source: New Scientist)
An experiment on board the ISS has produced miso paste in what is thought to be the first deliberate food fermentation ever conducted off Earth. Miso is an umami-rich paste from Japan made from fermented soya beans, with origins stretching back thousands of years. Joshua Evans at the Technical University of Denmark and his colleagues say it could “satisfy astronauts’ need for flavour” on long space missions. (2/29)

How Space Exploration Boosts the Global Economy (Source: Fast Company)
As space becomes increasingly open to private citizens and non-federal industries, its economic implications have shifted rapidly. The emerging space economy is now fostering innovations previously thought impossible, revolutionizing commerce, communication, and further insight into space’s uncharted horizons.

Though our collective economic vision is currently focused up and outward, it is important to also note space’s myriad benefits for the global Earth-based economy. The space industry has long inspired growth in a variety of industries and concentrations, making it an invaluable and time-tested contributor to an ambitious future. Click here. (2/29)

Boeing Gets $439 Million Contract for U.S. Military Communications Satellite (Source: Space News)
Boeing was awarded a $439.6 million contract by the U.S. Space Force to build a military communications satellite known as WGS-12. The contract was announced March 1 by the Defense Department.  WGS-12 will be the 12th satellite of the Wideband Global Satcom geostationary constellation that provides communications services to the United States and allies. Boeing builds military satellites in El Segundo, California. According to the contract announcement, WGS-12 would be delivered in January 2029. (3/1)

Lockheed Gats Trident ICBM Missile Contract (Source: DoD)
Lockheed Martin Space, Titusville, Florida, is awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee $109,254,610 contract to support the integration of the Trident II (D5) Missile and reentry subsystems into the Common Missile Compartment for the U.S./U.K. Columbia/Dreadnought submarine construction programs. Work will be performed on Florida's Space Coast (59.8%); California; Colorado; Groton, Connecticut; Georgia; Alabama; and  Pennsylvania. (3/1)