May 4, 2024

Big Changes Possible to Prepare Port Canaveral for More Space Maritime Operations (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
More Space Coast rocket launches mean a crowded fleet of support ships are already pushing Port Canaveral’s limits. So the state commissioned a study that suggests a $2.1 billion solution to give companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin dedicated places to dock. Space Florida, the state’s aerospace finance and development authority, released Thursday the Florida Spaceport System Maritime Intermodal Transportation Study that’s been in the works for more than a year.

The end result targets the preferred long-term expansion to use land owned by the Air Force and rely less on Canaveral Port Authority property. The project is laid out in seven phases over 30 years with initial wharf space added adjacent to existing wharfs used by the Air Force, Army and one for ULA’s Rocketship transport. In the meantime, Port Canaveral would continue to juggle space industry ships with incoming cargo ships among its northern cargo terminals.

Blue Origin is just one of the new potential players. The Space Florida report cites the Space Coast could handle close to 200 launch and recovery missions annually by 2028, a number forecast to balloon to more than 1,250 missions in the next five decades. Space Florida’s study also talked with ULA, Relativity Space, The Spaceport Company, Space Perspective, ABL Space Systems, Vaya Space, Phantom Space, Stoke Space and Astra in gathering industry needs for marine vessel recovery operations. (5/2)

Starlink-Starliner Launch Doubleheader? SpaceX Targeting Monday Mission, Hours Before NASA Flight (Source: Florida Today)
SpaceX is targeting a Monday morning mission that could create a high-profile Starlink-Starliner launch doubleheader within 11 hours or fewer from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, navigational warnings indicate. Though SpaceX has not publicly announced this mission, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and Coast Guard maritime safety bulletins show a Starlink launch window will open Monday from 11:34 a.m. to 4:05 p.m. EDT. (5/3)

What Happens When NASA Loses Eyes on Earth? We’re About to Find Out (Source: New York Times)
Sometime in the next few years — no one knows exactly when — three NASA satellites, each one as heavy as an elephant, will go dark. Already they are drifting, losing height bit by bit. They have been gazing down at the planet for over two decades, far longer than anyone expected, helping us forecast the weather, manage wildfires, monitor oil spills and more. But age is catching up to them, and soon they will send their last transmissions and begin their slow, final fall to Earth.

It’s a moment scientists are dreading. When the three orbiters — Terra, Aqua and Aura — are powered down, much of the data they’ve been collecting will end with them, and newer satellites won’t pick up all of the slack. Researchers will either have to rely on alternate sources that might not meet their exact needs or seek workarounds to allow their records to continue. (5/3)

NOAA Plans Space Advisory Committee (Source: NOAA)
NOAA is seeking up to 25 individuals to serve on the Advisory Committee on Excellence in Space (ACES), a Federal advisory committee. Members of the committee will evaluate economic, technological, and institutional developments relating to nongovernmental space activities and submit advice and recommendations on promising new ideas and approaches for Federal policies and programs. The ACES membership should consist of a variety of space policy, engineering, technical, science, legal, and finance professionals with significant experience in the commercial space industry. (4/29)

China Dissolves Strategic Support Force, Focused on Cyber and Space (Source: Defense News)
China has disbanded and replaced its Strategic Support Force, a pivotal component of the People’s Liberation Army’s modernization efforts. The Strategic Support Force, or SSF, was created on Dec. 31, 2015. It existed for a little more than eight years. After China dissolved the SSF on April 19, it established an Information Support Force, with President Xi Jinping present at its investiture ceremony in Beijing the same day. (4/23)

SNU Professor Picked to Lead Korea AeroSpace Administration (Source: Yonhap)
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday named an aerospace engineering professor of Seoul National University (SNU) as the inaugural chief of the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), his office said. Yoon Young-bin, a professor of the SNU Department of Aerospace Engineering, was tapped to take the helm of the new agency set to launch on May 27. (4/24)

New Work Underway at North Korea Space Launch Site but Seoul Says Liftoff Not Imminent (Source: NK News)
North Korea has started new construction at the country’s main space launch complex in recent days, according to NK News analysis of satellite imagery, as South Korean military authorities said the country’s next military satellite launch doesn’t appear imminent. ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) spokesperson Lee Sung-jun told reporters at a briefing Monday that the “preparations for additional reconnaissance satellite launches by the North Korean military have been continuously detected, but there are no signs of an imminent [launch].“ (4/22)

COMSTAC Again Recommends Use of Authorized Grant Program for Spaceport Infrastructure (Source: GSA)
COMSTAC voted to recommend that FAA make use of the Space Transportation Infrastructure Matching (STIM) Grants Program, which was authorized by Congress in 1994, but under which no grants have been given out since 2012. They proposed that the program be modified so that the maximum Federal share of an infrastructure project’s cost would be increased from 50% to 90% (to be consistent with what is done for Airport Grants), and that the requirement for a 10% private sector match be eliminated (again, to be consistent with what is done for airports).

Based on the significant costs of spaceport infrastructure projects, they proposed that the program funding level be increased to $100 million per year. (As a point of comparison, the FAA currently spends more than $3 billion per year for airport grants.) They also proposed that spaceport grant awards be prioritized based on the expected benefits of the project to the National Spaceport Network in terms of Safety, Capacity, Efficiency, and Resiliency. (5/3)

Some Planets 'Death Spiral' Into Their Stars and Scientists May Now Know Why (Source: Space.com)
Scientists may have discovered why the orbits of some planets decay, ultimately leaving these worlds to "death spiral" into their stars. This discovery may help astronomers spot which planets in star systems are doomed die a fiery death, and when.

Recent research had revealed that as many as one in 12 stars may have cannibalized one of their own planets, but what remained unknown is quite what caused these planets to plunge into their stellar parents in the first place. Now, however, an investigation by an international team of scientists has revealed the mechanism causing some planets to "take the plunge."(5/2)

US Unveils New 'Vital' Space Shield (Source: Newsweek)
The United States Space Force recently tested a new weapon that the military news outlet Special Operations Forces Report (SOFREP) said could provide the U.S. "a vital shield" against space-enabled attacks. Dubbed the Remote Modular Terminal (RMT), the ground-based system is designed to work as a "silent disrupter," which SOFREP described as equipment that jams enemy satellites with competing signals.

The tests of the RMT come after the Space Force and Air Force announced major near-term and longer-term initiatives in February. In a joint statement, the military branches said the changes are aimed at "reshaping, refocusing, and reoptimizing" the Air Force and Space Force. One of the major areas of focus is to further "develop capabilities." In terms of further Space Force capabilities, the RMT has the potential to "rewrite the rules of space dominance," according to SOFREP. (5/1)

New Homestead Spaceport May Be Magnet for Aerospace Firms (Source: Miami Today)
A spaceport territory officially opens July 1 at Homestead Air Reserve Base. But it’s not about giant astronaut-laden rockets blasting into space. Think of a “spaceport territory,” explains Alayna Curry, public relations director for Space Florida, “as an aerospace hub that creates an ecosystem for aerospace companies to be centralized in one area with access to resources, shared knowledge and ideas, access to a talented workforce, premium locations, and capital.” (4/23)

HyImpulse Successfully Launches SR75 Rocket From Aussie Southern Launch Site (Source: Space Daily)
HyImpulse has successfully launched their SR75 rocket from the Koonibba Test Range, operated by Southern Launch, marking a significant step in Australia's commercial launch capabilities. The SR75, one of the largest rockets launched commercially in Australia, drew an audience of locals and VIPs from across Australia and Europe who witnessed the event on South Australia's Far West Coast. (5/3)

Webb Telescope's Study Suggests Life on Exoplanet Remains Unconfirmed (Source: Space Daily)
Excitement was high when NASA's James Webb Space Telescope reported potential signs of life on a distant exoplanet. However, a new study by UC Riverside researchers published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters tempers these claims, discussing both the limitations and future possibilities of confirming life on such planets. The research focuses on the exoplanet K2-18b, which in 2023 appeared to host biosignature gases in its atmosphere. Unlike most exoplanets, K2-18b receives a similar amount of solar radiation as Earth and has a comparable temperature, making it a prime candidate for supporting life.

"The DMS signal from the Webb telescope was not very strong and only showed up in certain ways when analyzing the data," said UCR project scientist Shang-Min Tsai, discussing the challenges of detecting dimethyl sulfide (DMS) on K2-18b. DMS is a compound produced by ocean phytoplankton on Earth and is key to cloud formation. Despite the optimistic reports, the atmosphere of K2-18b, rich in hydrogen and speculated to house water oceans, does not mirror Earth's nitrogen-based air. Last year, findings suggested the presence of methane and carbon dioxide, along with a possible detection of DMS on K2-18b. (5/3)

UTA Scientists Explore Quantum Aspects of Gravity Using Neutrinos (Source: Space Daily)
Einstein's theory of general relativity describes gravity as a result of space and time curving. In contrast, high-energy physics investigates subatomic particles that follow the principles of quantum mechanics, notable for their random fluctuations and the inherent uncertainty in particle positions and energies.

For years, efforts have been underway to merge these two scientific realms into a singular quantum explanation of gravity. This pursuit aims to integrate general relativity's curvature with the randomness of quantum mechanics. Researchers have conducted a significant study examining this theoretical overlap using ultra-high energy neutrino observations from the IceCube Observatory, situated deep within the Antarctic ice. They installed numerous sensors across a square kilometer in Antarctica to monitor neutrinos-neutral, massless particles-to detect potential quantum fluctuations in spacetime indicative of quantum gravity. (5/3)