October 25, 2017

NASA Relearning Lost X-plane Skills With Low-Boom Demo (Source: Aviation Week)
Preparations for NASA’s first purpose-designed, large-scale X-plane in decades are underway at its research centers across the U.S. as the agency moves toward selecting a company to build the eagerly awaited low-boom supersonic demonstrator. Low-speed testing of the preliminary X-plane design produced by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works is wrapping up at the 14 X 22-ft. wind tunnel here at NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia. (10/20)

France and Germany Cooperation Key to European Space Success (Source: Space News)
French and German officials said Tuesday the partnership between their two countries is critical to the future of European space. Speaking at the Space Tech Expo Europe conference in Germany, a top official with the French space agency CNES said, "French-German cooperation is a basis of all success of the European space." The two countries provide half of ESA's budget, and also work to ensure the space agency's activities are aligned with the European Union. (10/24)

ESA Chief Calls for More International Space Cooperation (Source: Space News)
The head of the European Space Agency made a call for space cooperation in Earth orbit and beyond. Speaking at Space Tech Expo Europe, Jan Woerner argued that cooperation was essential in areas ranging from cleaning up orbital debris to lunar exploration. Woerner, along with other space agency representatives on a panel at the conference, also supported an extension of the International Space Station beyond 2024, while allowing for more commercial use of the station. (10/24)

Allegations of Misconduct at SpaceX Investor (Source: The Information)
A venture capitalist who serves on the board of SpaceX is under investigation for personal misconduct. A spokesperson for Draper Fisher Jurvetson said that it was looking into allegations regarding the personal conduct of Steve Jurvetson, although the firm received no direct complaints. The news came after one entrepreneur, in a Facebook post, warned women of "predatory behavior" by founding partners of the company. Jurvetson was one of the first outside investors in SpaceX and sits on its board, and has invested in other space companies while also promoting the entrepreneurial space industry in general. (10/24)

NOAA Plans More Commercial Weather Satellite Data Use (Source: Space News)
As NOAA completes the first round of a commercial satellite weather data program, it's planning for a second round next year. A NOAA official said at a meeting this week that the agency decided to push back an RFP for the second round of its Commercial Weather Data Pilot until next spring based on responses to a draft RFP and a market study. The second round, like the first, will seek to purchase GPS radio occultation data from companies operating their own satellites. In the first round, NOAA issued contracts to two companies, but only one was able to provide data. A report on the results of that initial effort should be completed soon. (10/24)

NASA Budget and Schedule Adjustments Net Savings for Astrophysics (Source: Space News)
NASA cut budget reserves and adjusted schedules to find nearly $30 million in savings in its astrophysics program for 2017. The cuts included eliminating budget reserves for the TESS mission, scheduled for launch next March, and pushing back the launch of a newly selected x-ray mission, IXPE, by about six months. Those changes were required to account for congressionally mandated increases in other astrophysics programs. The changes don't affect the James Webb Space Telescope, and its six-month delay announced last month won't affect other astrophysics programs since the delay will be funded by programs reserves. (10/24)

NanoRacks Deploys Largest Satellite From ISS (Source: NanoRacks)
NanoRacks deployed its largest satellite to date from the ISS on Tuesday. NanoRacks used its Kaber system for the first time to deploy the Kestral Eye 2M satellite from the station. The satellite, delivered to the station in August on a SpaceX Dragon cargo mission, is a 50-kilogram technology demonstration satellite developed by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. (10/24)

Aerojet Rocketdyne Breaks Ground on Engine Facility in Huntsville (Source: Huntsville Times)
Aerojet Rocketdyne broke ground Tuesday on a new manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Alabama. The Advanced Manufacturing Facility, which will begin operations by late 2019, will work on a variety of aerospace programs, including the AR1 engine, and make use of 3D printing and other advanced technologies. The facility will employ about 700 people, including Aerojet employees transferring from other company facilities and new hires. (10/24)

SatComm Jammers Get Life in Turkish Prison (Source: Space News)
Thirteen people who attempted to cut off satellite communications in Turkey during a coup attempt last year have been sentenced to life in prison. The 13 are among 17 accused of attempting to shut down Turksat's primary facility in Ankara. Two people at that facility died when it was bombed by an F-16. The other four people remain at large. (10/24)

Hydrazine Ban Could Cost Europe’s Space Industry Billions (Source: Space News)
The European Union might ban the use of the toxic satellite propellant hydrazine as early as 2021, which would present a major setback for the block’s space industry. Even if the space sector gets an exemption to continue using hydrazine, the cost of the fuel would double in Europe, which would seriously handicap EU space manufacturers. Fernando said the EU space industry might lose up to 2 billion euros ($2.35 billion) per year as a result of operations being moved to countries where no restrictions apply. (10/24)

Additive Manufacturing is a Challenge in Space (Source: Space News)
Additive manufacturing allows for the production of optimized aerospace components, provided engineers can determine what exactly is optimal. Aerospace companies said that 3D printing can use "topology optimization" to reduce the mass of components, but that can bring with it with issues such as difficulty in manufacturing or challenges in inspecting. Such parts, though, can have an additional advantage: they "look sexy for the first time," said one executive. (10/24)

Orbital ATK Minotaur Set to Launch Commercial Payloads at California Spaceport (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
Six SkySat imaging satellites are now set to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Oct. 31. The launch will utilize an Orbital ATK Minotaur-C rocket. This will mark the second flight of a Minotaur rocket this year following the launch of the ORS-5 mission aboard a Minotaur IV rocket from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport in August. The six SkySat imaging satellites are being launched on behalf of Planet Labs, Inc.

The Minotaur-C (formerly known as the Taurus) is a four-stage solid-fueled launch vehicle based on the air-launched Pegasus system. With a mass of approximately 170,000 pounds (77,000 kilograms) and standing at a height of 97 to 104 feet (30 to 32 meters), it is capable of launching a payload of up to 3,500 pounds (1,590 kilograms) – sufficient capacity to deliver six of the 182 pounds (83 kilograms) SkySats into orbit.

The new satellites will add to Planet Labs’ growing constellation of Earth imaging satellites, which currently consists of seven SkySats. The expansion of the SkySat network to 13 will cement Planet Labs’ constellation as the world’s largest commercial fleet of high-resolution sub-meter satellites operating in orbit around Earth. They join 271 Dove CubeSats built and operated by Planet Labs that collect more imagery per day than any other commercial provider. (10/25)

FAA Plans Certification for Additive Manufactured Parts (Source: Space News)
The FAA is drafting a plan for the certification and maintenance of 3D-printed parts. The FAA's chief scientific and technical adviser for fatigue and damage tolerance said at a conference last week that the agency was developing a comprehensive plan to address regulatory issues involving the use of additive manufacturing for safety-critical aerospace components. That plan outlines steps the FAA will need to take over the next seven to eight years regarding certification and maintenance plans for such items. (10/24)

Nigeria Urged to Sell Underused Commsat (Source: The Nation)
An industry executive recommends that the Nigerian government sell off its underutilized communications satellite. Nigcomsat-1R launched in 2011 and is owned by the government. However, the satellite is not used much even by government agencies, who instead buy capacity on foreign satellites. Adebayo Banjo, former president of the Nigeria Internet Group, said the government should sell the satellite to the private sector, who will be better able to make use of the satellite. (10/24)

Langley Open House Attracts Thousands (Source: Hampton Roads Daily Press)
Thousands attended the first open house in five years at NASA's Langley Research Center. About 20,000 people visited Langley Saturday for the open house, tied to the center's centennial. The open house included a tour with 16 stops highlighting the aviation and space research that takes place at the Virginia center. (10/24)

Acaba and Bresnik Do ISS Maintenance with Spacewalk (Source: CBS)
Space Station Friday. NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik and Joe Acaba spent six hours and 47 minutes outside the station performing a series of maintenance tasks, including the installation of a new high-definition camera and the replacement of a fuse on a system that's part of the station's robotic arm. The spacewalk wrapped up a series of spacewalks this month to perform upgrades and repairs to the station. (10/24)

India's PSLV to Launch Again in December (Source: Times of India)
India now plans to return its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) to flight in the second half of December. That launch, of a Cartosat remote sensing satellite and 30 smallsat secondary payloads, will be the first for the PSLV since a launch failure at the end of August. That will be followed "soon thereafter" by the launch of a navigation satellite to replace the one lost in the August failure. The Indian space agency ISRO is also planning three launches of its larger GSLV rocket from December through March, including one that will carry the Chandrayaan-2 lunar mission. (10/24)

China and France Advance Space Cooperation (Source: GB Times)
China and France are moving ahead with two joint science missions. The two countries are moving into the final integration phase of the of the China-France Oceanography Satellite, scheduled for launch in the second half of next year on a Chinese rocket. The countries are also collaborating on a space science mission, the Space Variable Objects Monitor, to study gamma-ray bursts. That mission will launch no earlier than 2020. (10/24)

Congressional Budget Delay Likely to Slow Missile Warning System (Source: Space News)
The lack of a 2018 budget will likely delay production of additional missile warning satellites, a key House member warned Friday. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said that without a final 2018 spending bill, the Air Force cannot start work on two additional Space-Based Infrared Warning System (SBIRS) satellites. The Defense Department, with the rest of the federal government, is operating under a continuing resolution that funds programs at 2017 levels until early December, and prevents the start of new programs. (10/24)

Hawking Thesis Demand Breaks Cambridge Server (Source: Space.com)
Stephen Hawking helped break the internet Monday at Cambridge University. The university placed Hawking's 51-year-old doctoral thesis on a website there, and demand for the document was so high that the server crashed. The 134-page thesis, titled "Properties of Expanding Universes," was one of the most-requested documents in the university's library system prior to the decision to make it freely available online. (10/24)

Skylab Astronaut Weitz Dies (Source: CollectSpace)
Astronaut Paul Weitz, who flew on both Skylab and the shuttle, has passed away. Weitz, 85, died Monday at his home in Flagstaff, Arizona, after being diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndromes, or MDS, a form of cancer. Weitz was part of the fifth group of astronauts selected in 1966 and flew on the first mission to Skylab in 1973, helping repair damage to the station suffered during its launch. Weitz also commanded STS-6, the first flight of the shuttle Challenger, in 1983. (10/24)

Scientists Urge Treaty on Lunar Site Protection (Source: GeekWire)
A pair of scientists are calling for a treaty to protect key sites on the moon and other worlds. In a presentation at the Geological Society of America conference this week, Jack Matthews and Sean McMahon said an "Exogeoconservation Treaty" could protect both natural sites of interest on other celestial bodies or those of human-made historical significance, like Apollo landing sites. Space lawyers note, however, that there is little interest in the U.S. government to enter into new space-related treaties. (10/24)

Abertis Seeks Spain's OK for Hispasat Stake (Source: Space News)
Abertis is still waiting for Spanish government approval to buy the stake in Hispasat owned by Eutelsat. In a conference call with investors Monday, Abertis Chief Financial Officer José Aljaro Navarro said the company was still waiting for the Spanish government to approve the deal, announced in May with the expectation of it closing by the end of this year. Abertis would control 90.7 percent of Hispasat, which operates nine communications satellites, if the deal is approved. (10/24)

Troubled GPS Ground System Upgrade Making Progress (Source: Breaking Defense)
The next-generation ground control system for GPS satellites is taking its first steps on the road to recovery from cost and schedule problems. Raytheon delivered Block 0 of the OCX system, handling launch and on-orbit checkout of GPS satellites, to the Air Force last month for review. If accepted, it would be available for use by the first GPS 3 satellites, scheduled to begin launching next year. OCX has suffered severe delays and cost overruns during its development, to the point of being considered by some to be the worst ongoing acquisition program in the Air Force today. (10/24)

Google Using Balloons and Satellites to Restore Puerto Rico Comms (Source: Space News)
Google is using capacity on O3b satellites to support Project Loon balloons over Puerto Rico. O3b owner SES said Monday it's providing O3b capacity and a "rapidly deployable" terminal to connect the Project Loon balloons to the internet. The balloons are providing temporary wireless service over the island, where two thirds of cell towers remain out of service a month after Hurricane Maria devastated the island. (10/24)

Germany Demographics Slow Space Startups (Source: Space News)
Germany is finding it difficult to develop space startups. The German space agency DLR said it wants to encourage the formation of new space companies, but complained that there aren't enough young people in the country who want to start their own businesses. Space startups in Germany said they have had problems finding investors, particularly among venture capital firms. (10/24)

SpaceX Droneship Damaged After Florida Landing (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
One of SpaceX's droneships suffered damage during a first stage landing earlier this month. The ship, "Of Course I Still Love You," is undergoing repairs in Florida after the Oct. 11 landing of a Falcon 9 first stage that launched the SES-11 satellite. While the landing was normal, the booster reportedly leaked some kerosene fuel that later caught fire, causing damage to equipment on the ship, including a robot designed to secure the stage to the deck after landing. It's unclear if the ship will be ready to support the next Falcon 9 launch from Florida, scheduled for Oct. 30. (10/24)