December 14, 2024

Musk Reveals SpaceX's New Starship Spacecraft Is 'Easier To Manufacture And Less Susceptible To High Heating' (Source: Benzinga)
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Thursday that the version of the Starship spacecraft planned for the launch vehicle’s seventh test flight features “major” design improvements. “Lighter, easier to manufacture and less susceptible to high heating,” Musk said in a post on X about the new version of the spacecraft.

While SpaceX often makes design changes to Starship, the vehicle planned for its seventh flight test will feature “significant upgrades,” the company said last month. They will have redesigned forward flaps, larger propellant tanks, and the latest generation tiles and secondary thermal protection layers, it added. SpaceX rolled out Starship to the launch pad at Starbase for testing ahead of its next flight test earlier this week and its booster last week, implying an imminent launch. The company, however, did not specify when the next flight would be. (12/13)

Quantum Entanglement, Instead of Oil or Coal, Powers a New Kind of Engine (Source: Earth.com)
Quantum technology has been attracting a lot of attention in recent years thanks to computers that exploit atomic properties, hard drives that hold information in unusual states, and now engines that break free from the old rules. These strange engines do not rely on burning anything, nor do they feed on heat. Instead, they gain their push from the unusual behavior of tiny particles. In regular machines, a piston moves when hot gases expand. In the quantum engine, movement comes from changing how particles behave. The quantum engine switches particle types and uses the resulting energy difference.

Not all particles are alike. Some belong to a group called bosons, others to a group called fermions. At very low temperatures, bosons settle into states of lower energy than fermions do. This difference in energy turns out to be key. Instead of fire and heat, changing bosons into fermions and back can create work. In this design, particles step through changes in their quantum character, and that shifting property runs the engine. (12/12)

NASA Outlines Latest Moon to Mars Plans in 2024 Architecture Update (Source: NASA)
As NASA develops a blueprint for space exploration throughout the solar system for the benefit of humanity, the agency released several new documents Friday updating its Moon to Mars architecture. The roadmap sets NASA on course for long-term lunar exploration under the Artemis campaign in preparation for future crewed missions to Mars. 

Following an Architecture Concept Review, the 2024 updates include a revision of NASA’s Architecture Definition Document which details technical approaches and processes of the agency’s exploration plans, an executive overview, and 12 new white papers on key Moon to Mars topics. Click here. (12/13)

To Rival SpaceX’s Starship, ULA Eyes Vulcan Rocket Upgrade (Source: Reuters)
Boeing and Lockheed Martin's joint rocket venture, United Launch Alliance (ULA), plans to upgrade a version of its Vulcan rocket to challenge SpaceX's Starship in the low Earth orbit satellite launch market, the company's CEO said. ULA wants to develop a Vulcan model tailored to the increasingly lucrative low Earth orbit (LEO) market, mainly due to SpaceX launching thousands of satellites there for its Starlink Internet service.

"We have recently completed a big trade study for what we want to have to be competitive in a future LEO market," ULA's CEO Tory Bruno said. "And we've selected a modification to Vulcan which gives us significantly more mass to LEO and puts us in a competitive range." ULA is aiming to fly eight Vulcan missions next year and 12 missions with Atlas V, Vulcan's retiring predecessor. Vulcan starts at a launch price of roughly $110 million - slightly over the base price of a SpaceX Falcon 9 - and has a book order of roughly 70 missions including its Amazon missions, adding urgency to get the rocket flying routinely.

Editor's Note: I've heard very little about ULA's reusability plan for Vulcan. Their approach has/had been to recover and reuse only the first-stage engines, using a helicopter to snatch the engine pod after it separates and falls back to Earth under a parachute. The company believed SpaceX's reuse approach was not financially viable. (12/14)

Honeywell, Airborne Join MDA Aurora Satellite Project (Source: Via Satellite)
Honeywell has secured a deal to supply components as part of MDA Space's Aurora satellite project, which supports the Telesat Lightspeed constellation. The Telesat Lightspeed constellation, supported by MDA Space's Aurora satellites, has moved into the engineering and manufacturing stage. (12/12)

China Successfully Tests XZY 1 Verification Rocket Engine (Source: Space Daily)
China's XZY 1 verification rocket has successfully completed a static firing test at Haiyang Oriental Aerospace Port in Shandong province, marking a major milestone for the nation's aerospace innovation. Developed by Beijing Jianyuan Technology Co Ltd, also known as Space Epoch, the XZY 1 is a medium-lift launch vehicle with a stainless steel body powered by liquid oxygen-methane engines. The rocket is designed to be recoverable after ocean splashdowns, adding reusability to its capabilities. (12/13)

Chengdu Emerges as a Hub for Satellite Components and Aerospace Innovation (Source: Space Daily)
A state-of-the-art manufacturing base dedicated to commercial satellite components has commenced operations in Chengdu, Sichuan province. Once fully operational, the facility will have the capacity to support over 1,000 commercial satellites annually. The project, situated in the Chengdu Future Science and Technology City, was developed by Beijing-based Aotian Technology. Specializing in high-quality, fully autonomous electric propulsion systems for commercial satellites. (12/11)

L3Harris Advances Missile Tracking with New Satellite Design Milestone (Source: Space Daily)
L3Harris Technologies has finalized the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for 18 cutting-edge space vehicles, marking a key step in its work on the Space Development Agency's (SDA) Tranche 2 Tracking Layer program. The review confirmed that the L3Harris vehicles meet all SDA requirements, incorporating advanced technology to detect, track, and target hypersonic threats. (12/11)

Unidentified Space Company Planning $1.8 Billion in Launch Infrastructure, 600 Jobs at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Florida Today)
An unidentified space company plans to invest about $1.8 billion in capital improvements and create 600 jobs by developing a high-volume production facility, high bay and launch infrastructure for heavy-lift rocket hardware at Cape Canaveral, a Space Florida agenda memo indicates. Space Florida officials declined to divulge further details on the colossal undertaking — which dwarfs most Brevard County secretive aerospace projects in scope.

What is the unidentified company? An obvious contender is SpaceX: Company officials hope to start launching Starship-Super Heavy mega-rocket systems from the Space Coast by 2026. An environmental study remains ongoing to rebuild Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for Starship launch and landing operations. Editor's Note: A consolation prize after SLS cancelation: a fast-tracked Starship/Super-Heavy manufacture/launch capability, and a new northside channel at Port Canaveral to host its growing space maritime fleet. (12/13)

Rivada Brushes Off Regulatory Setback for Proposed Broadband Constellation (Source: Space News)
Rivada Space Networks remains confident it can reclaim priority Ka-band spectrum rights for nearly 600 proposed broadband satellites, more than two months after Liechtenstein’s telecoms regulator rescinded its license. “We continue to discuss the matter with the regulator, and we are confident that we can reach an agreement to use the Liechtenstein filings,” Rivada spokesperson Brian Carney said Dec. 13. (12/13)