December 15, 2024

U.S. Space Command Commander Explores Innovation, Research Capabilities at UCF (Source: UCF)
The U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM) Commander who oversees all space operations for the Department of Defense, General Stephen N. Whiting, visited the University of Central Florida Tuesday to learn more about its pioneering advancements in space research and defense. Whiting is one of only seven geographic combatant commanders, and the visit showcased key research areas and opportunities for collaboration that align with DoD transformative technology and national security research priorities. UCF recently joined USSPACECOM’s Academic Engagement Enterprise, which allows for further collaboration opportunities with the command. (12/13)

Getting Ready to See Blue Origin's New Glenn Launch (Source: Florida Today)
Pioneers pave the way. They are disruptive. But in their persistent striving for change, there is an impermanence to them. Settlers follow. They put down roots, and it is the settlers who cement the change. It is settlers who often become celebrated as the founders. Certainly, SpaceX has wildly changed the space industry, leaping far ahead of all competitors. But soon we’ll get to see Blue Origin take their shot when they launch their New Glenn rocket from the Space Coast. (12/15)

Bezos: 'Very, Very Close' to Historic Maiden New Glenn Launch (Source: Florida Today)
SpaceX has continually generated news coverage by launching all but five of the 88 orbital rockets thus far this record-breaking year from Florida's Space Coast, easily eclipsing the competition. However, with minimal fanfare, Blue Origin crews have moved the company's first-ever, enormous New Glenn rocket onto the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for preflight testing. Towering taller than a football field, this huge rocket is clearly visible on the horizon from the sand in downtown Cocoa Beach. (12/15)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Mission as Congress Highlights Noise Impacts (Source: Noozhawk)
A long rumble and rattling windows Friday afternoon sounded the departure of another Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base as Congress takes one step toward recognizing the noise created by launches. The SpaceX rocket lifted off at 1:55 p.m. to deliver 22 Starlink satellites into space. The mission marked the ninth launch and landing for the first-stage booster.

Liftoff occurred after Congress pushed forward legislation that notes space launch noise effects on nearby residents and calls for the Department of Defense to mitigate the impact of sonic booms and other disturbances. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara and a House Armed Services Committee member, sought the language amid a boost in SpaceX launches from Vandenberg and complaints about the noise. (12/13)

ULA Eyes Annual Mods to Turn Rocket Stage Into Space Interceptor (Source: Defense News)
ULA has an incremental plan to upgrade its Centaur V upper stage to fly long-duration space missions. The Centaur V powers the company’s new Vulcan rocket, which is on the verge of being certified to fly national security missions. The upper stage of a rocket is used to propel a payload further into space after the initial booster has separated. The Centaur V was designed to be more than twice as powerful as its predecessor and to remain in orbit for as long as 12 hours.

ULA CEO Tory Bruno told reporters Thursday the company’s longer-term vision is for the Centaur V to eventually be able to remain in space for days or longer. The fast-moving vehicle would be highly maneuverable and could be used to relocate satellites or for counterspace missions. In a Dec. 4 Medium post, Bruno fleshed out his concept for the Centaur V to function as an in-space mobility platform, or a “Greyhound.” In one scenario, he described the system loitering in orbit, ready to thwart an adversary’s attempts to target a Space Force asset. (12/13)

Gwynne Shotwell, the Woman Making SpaceX's Moonshot a Reality (Source: Financial Times)
As president, she has guided Elon Musk’s rocket company to become the most valuable private start-up in the world. If Elon is the visionary, she is the get-shit-done person. She transforms vision into reality, watches the bottom line, manages the exec team and keeps him away from regulators.

Shotwell has quietly been at the center of all of the achievements, shunning the circus that swirls around the world’s richest man. Now 61, she has also managed to spend two decades beside the mercurial billionaire without falling out or burning out, an achievement that is “unprecedented,” according to Eric Berger, who has written two books about SpaceX. (12/13)

Kairos Rocket Launch Postponed Due To Strong Winds (Source: Japan News)
Space One Co. announced Saturday that it had postponed the launch of the No. 2 Kairos rocket to the same time on Sunday, due to strong winds at its launch site in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture. The Tokyo-based space startup analyzed the weather, among other factors, and concluded that the winds above the launch site were too strong for the rocket to be launched.

Space One was established in 2018 to commercialize space transport services and frequently send small satellites into space. IHI Aerospace Co., Canon Electronics Inc., Shimizu Corp. and Development Bank of Japan Inc. have invested in the company. Space One has set a target of launching 30 small rockets a year in the 2030s. (12/14)

Space Soldiers are ‘Absolutely Inevitable’, says Trump’s NASA Pick (Source: Independent)
Jared Isaacman said that US troops in space are “absolutely inevitable” in order to protect the country’s economic interests. Isaacman said plans to send more humans into space will involve some members of the US military. “I think it is absolutely inevitable,” he said. “If Americans are in low Earth orbit, there’s going to need to be people watching out for them. “This is the trajectory that humankind is going to follow. America is going to lead it and we’re going to need guardians there on the high ground looking out for us.” (12/13)

US Military is Now Talking Openly About Going on the Attack in Space (Source: Ars Technica)
Earlier this year, officials at US Space Command released a list of priorities and needs, and among the routine recitation of things like cyber defense, communications, and surveillance was a relatively new term: "integrated space fires." This is a new phrase in the esoteric terminology the military uses to describe its activities. Essentially, "fires" are offensive or defensive actions against an adversary. The Army defines fires as "the use of weapon systems to create specific lethal and nonlethal effects on a target."

The inclusion of this term in a Space Command planning document was another signal that Pentagon leaders, long hesitant to even mention the possibility of putting offensive weapons in space for fear of stirring up a cosmic arms race, see the taboo of talking about space warfare as a thing of the past. (12/13)

FAA Moves to Streamline Key Commercial Space Launch Hurdle (Source: Reuters)
The FAA said it was moving to streamline a key commercial space launch and reentry license hurdle, declaring some flight safety analyses in California, Florida, and Virginia satisfy requirements. The FAA noted the commercial space industry often cites meeting flight safety analysis requirements as a challenge before launches. The FAA said the change reduces the amount of material applicants must submit, and improves FAA technical review efficiency.

“This is a force multiplier in the production of quality flight safety analyses the FAA can readily accept," said Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation Kelvin Coleman. In recent months, the FAA has taken other steps to speed launch approvals. On Oct. 12, the FAA approved a license for the launch of SpaceX’s Starship 5 after earlier saying it did not expect to make a decision until late November. Also that month, the FAA quickly approved the return to flight of the SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle after it accepted the SpaceX-led investigation findings and corrective actions for a Sep. 28 mishap. (12/13)

SpaceX Teaches Governments a Very Expensive Lesson (Source: Telegraph)
Over the last few years governments around the world, including ours here in the UK, have been pouring billions into space research. But this week, Elon Musk’s SpaceX trumped them all, when it recorded a staggering $350bn (£277bn) market valuation. There is a lesson in that: we should leave conquering space to private enterprise. It will accomplish far more, and create far more wealth, than state-dominated space strategies ever will. (12/13)

Luxembourg and US Sign Ten-Year Deal on Space Collaboration (Source: Lux Times)
Luxembourg has signed a ten-year agreement to collaborate on space exploration with the US, the government announced on Friday, five years after lawmakers criticized a lack of transparency in an earlier deal between the two countries. The deal was signed between Economy Minister Lex Delles and Bill Nelson, the head of NASA, during a visit by Nelson to Luxembourg, the economy ministry said in a press release on Friday. (12/13)