December 18, 2024

Florida Tech, All Points Logistics Announce New Partnership (Source: Florida Tech)
Florida Tech and All Points Logistics are excited to announce a dynamic new collaboration. Merritt Island-based All Points will engage in collaborative research with faculty and offer internships to students, and both organizations will work together to continue the growth and development of the future STEM workforce on the Space Coast. The agreement enables collaboration on applied research projects involving faculty, students, and equipment. It supports company-funded internships for students and participation in career fairs, “career-ready” programs, and student projects. It also offers the company’s employees access to Florida Tech programs for professional growth and career advancement. (12/17)

SpaceX Delay Means Boeing Starliner Astronauts Will Get an Even Longer Stay on the ISS (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Because SpaceX’s next crew rotation mission to the International Space Station will use a new Dragon spacecraft that won’t be ready by a previously planned February launch date, NASA announced Tuesday it has opted to delay the launch now until no earlier than late March. What that means is an even longer stay for the two NASA astronauts who flew up in June to the ISS aboard Boeing’s beleaguered Starliner spacecraft. They launched on the first crewed mission of Starliner on June 5 from Cape Canaveral atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V arriving to the ISS one day later for what was supposed to be as short as an eight-day stay. (12/18)

Axiom Revises Space Station Plan (Source: Space News)
Axiom Space is revising its plans to assemble a commercial space station. The company announced Wednesday a revised sequence of modules for Axiom Station, which will now start with a Payloads Power Thermal Module (PPTM) that will be berthed to the International Space Station as soon as 2027. The PPTM will later unberth and dock with a habitat module, forming the core of a free-flying station that will be augmented by other modules. The company originally planned to start with a sequence of habitat and research modules docked to the ISS. The change, the company said, avoids any conflicts over access to the docking port on the ISS it originally planned to use and which NASA wants to reserve for the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle. The change also enables Axiom to operate a free-flying station with just the PPTM and a habitat module as soon as 2028. (12/18)

Eutelsat Orders 100 OneWeb Satellites (Not From Florida Factory) (Source: Space News)
Eutelsat ordered 100 OneWeb satellites from Airbus Defence and Space. Eutelsat said the order would allow it to start replenishing aging satellites in the first-generation OneWeb constellation that will be reaching the end of their design lives in 2027 and 2028. Eutelsat is holding off on a second-generation system but said the new satellites would have "key technology upgrades." The first of the new satellites will be completed by the end of 2026, and Airbus plans to manufacture them in Toulouse, rather than the former Airbus OneWeb Satellites factory in Florida that built most of the first-generation satellites. (12/18)

NRO Constellation Surpasses 100 Satellites in Orbit (Source: Space News)
The NRO now has more than 100 satellites in a new constellation in orbit after a launch Tuesday. A Falcon 9 lifted off at 8:19 a.m. Eastern from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and placed an unspecified number of satellites into orbit. With the launch, the NRO said that new constellation has more than 100 satellites developed by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman with imaging payloads. The NRO plans to continue expanding the constellation through 2028. (12/18)

Japan's Space One Fails to Put Second Rocket Into Orbit (Source: Space News)
A Japanese small launch vehicle failed on its second flight Tuesday. The Kairos rocket lifted off from Spaceport Kii in southern Honshu at 9 p.m. Eastern. The initial phase of the flight appeared to go well, but about two minutes after liftoff the rocket could be seen tumbling. Space One, the company backed by Canon and IHI Aerospace that developed Kairos, confirmed the launch was a failure but provided few additional details. The inaugural Kairos launch in March also failed when low thrust from the rocket's first stage triggered an autonomous flight termination system seconds after liftoff. (12/18)

Chinese Astronauts Perform Marathon Spacewalk Outside TSS (Source: Space News)
Two Chinese astronauts performed a marathon spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station Tuesday. Shenzhou-19 commander Cai Xuzhe and crewmate Song Lingdong spent more than nine hours outside the station during the spacewalk, which ended at 8:57 a.m. Eastern Tuesday. The spacewalk appears to surpass the previous record for a spacewalk of 8 hours, 56 minutes set by NASA astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms during the STS-102 mission in 2001. The astronauts carried out installation of space debris protection devices, the inspection and handling of external equipment and facilities during the spacewalk. (12/18)

Space Force to Establish Futures Command (Source: Space News)
The Space Force will establish a Futures Command next year to help it justify its plans and programs. Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations, said at a Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) event Tuesday that the new command will help provide "the data set that we can then use in the budget fights," a crucial capability as the Space Force faces growing congressional scrutiny over its acquisition speed and strategic focus. The Futures Command will expand on work currently done by the Space Warfighting Analysis Center. In a separate talk at the CSIS event, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), chair of the House Armed Services Committee, pushed for the Space Force to develop more acquisition and technology experts rather than focusing primarily on operators. (12/18)

Ursa Major Succeeds with Rocket Motor Test (Source: Space News)
Ursa Major says it successfully tested a new solid rocket motor in a Raytheon missile. The approximately 10-inch diameter motor was tested on an undisclosed missile system for the U.S. Army, Ursa Major announced, calling the test a crucial milestone as defense contractors seek new suppliers amid growing demand for weapons systems. Raytheon, which invested in Ursa Major through its venture capital arm RTX Ventures during the startup's $138 million funding rounds in 2023, is exploring the company's 3D-manufacturing capabilities to reduce costs and accelerate munitions production for the U.S. military. (12/18)

SpaceX Suffered Mission Control Power Outage During Polaris Dawn (Source: Reuters)
A power outage shut down SpaceX's mission control during the Polaris Dawn private astronaut mission in September. The outage was caused by a power surge when a cooling system malfunctioned, knocking out power at the mission control center in Hawthorne, California. The outage also affected backup systems, keeping SpaceX from activating another mission control center in Florida. The outage lasted about an hour and did not appear to adversely impact the mission itself, although SpaceX did not disclose the incident at the time or respond to subsequent inquiries. (12/18)

Taiwan Considers Project Kuiper (Source: Radio Taiwan International)
Taiwan is in talks to use Amazon's future Project Kuiper constellation. Taiwan's technology and science minister said the government is considering some kind of collaboration with Amazon to use the broadband constellation after concluding the OneWeb system did not offer sufficient bandwidth. Taiwan had previously ruled out SpaceX's Starlink, which is not available in the country after SpaceX concluded it could not meet requirements such as local ownership. (12/18)

Stopgap Bill Would Keep Government Open (Source: Washington Post)
A stopgap funding bill will keep the government open and provide disaster relief funding for NASA. House and Senate appropriations released a continuing resolution (CR) Tuesday that would keep the government funded at 2024 levels after the current CR expires Friday until March 14. The CR also includes a disaster relief supplemental funding bill, which allocated $740.2 million to NASA to repair facilities damaged by storms in 2023 and 2024. Another provision would allow NOAA to spend money at a higher rate on the GeoXO weather satellite program to keep that program on schedule. (12/18)

US Officials Warn of Quantum, AI Threats to Satellites (Source: Via Satellite)
US defense officials have expressed concerns about the dual threats and capabilities posed by quantum computing and AI, highlighting potential vulnerabilities in satellite systems. "If I can just [snap fingers] and know all your vulnerabilities, I can come back another day and take you out," says James "Aaron" Bishop, chief information security officer for the US Air Force. "You will not have had any time to monitor me poking around your system, which is the way we catch you today." (12/17)

Satellogic Secures $10M Through Institutional Investor Placement (Source: Space Daily)
Satellogic announced a private placement agreement with a single institutional investor. The agreement involves the issuance and sale of 3,571,429 Class A Ordinary Shares at a price of $2.80 per share. The transaction will generate approximately $10 million in gross proceeds before deducting associated offering expenses. These funds are intended for general corporate purposes. (12/10)

Innovative Vest Aims to Protect Astronauts From Space Radiation (Source: Space Daily)
The AstroRad vest, a cutting-edge wearable designed to shield astronauts from harmful solar radiation, has taken center stage in the latest issue of *Upward*, the official magazine of the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory. This innovative technology, developed by StemRad in partnership with Lockheed Martin, has undergone rigorous testing aboard the ISS, resulting in substantial improvements to its design and usability.

Kayla Barron, a NASA astronaut who tested the vest on the ISS, described it as "like a gravity blanket in space," praising its combination of protection and mobility. The AstroRad vest uses high-density polymers to selectively shield vital organs that are most vulnerable to radiation exposure. This targeted protection addresses serious risks such as cancer and radiation sickness. The ISS National Lab's sponsorship allowed StemRad and its partners to refine the vest's ergonomics and functionality, pushing the boundaries of astronaut safety for deep-space missions. (12/13)

NASA Aims to Solve Lunar Housekeeping's Biggest Issue - Infinite Dust! (Source: Space Daily)
If you thought the dust bunnies under your sofa were an issue, imagine trying to combat dust on the Moon. Dust is a significant challenge for astronauts living and working on the lunar surface. So, NASA is developing technologies that mitigate dust buildup enabling a safer, sustainable presence on the Moon.

A flight test aboard a suborbital rocket system that will simulate?lunar gravity is the next step in understanding how dust mitigation technologies can successfully address this challenge. During the flight test with Blue Origin, seven technologies developed by NASA's Game Changing Development program within the agency's Space Technology Mission Directorate will study regolith mechanics and lunar dust transport in a simulated lunar gravity environment. (12/16)

SWIFT - The Space Workforce Incubator for Texas Launches (Source: Space Daily)
The Space Workforce Incubator for Texas (SWIFT) proudly announces the launch of its groundbreaking SWIFT Rocket Program, part of an innovative statewide initiative aimed at propelling Texas to the forefront of the aerospace industry. As part of its inaugural effort, SWIFT announces that it is awarding grants to the Rice Eclipse Rocket Team and the Texas A&M Rocket Engine Design Team to advance their cutting-edge rocket design and development projects.

By fostering collaboration between student rocket organizations, postsecondary institutions, and industry leaders, SWIFT sets a new standard for aerospace education and workforce development as it quarterbacks Texas' space workforce training ecosystem - connecting high schools, community colleges, universities, and industry to eliminate duplication, maximize resources, and unleash untapped talent into this sector that is experiencing literal rocket speed growth. SWIFT is currently garnering statewide partner interest. (12/14)