November 7, 2017

Orbital ATK Touts Progress on New Rocket, Hopes for Air Force Contract Win (Source: Orbital ATK)
Orbital ATK has completed an important milestone in developing advanced solid rocket propulsion and other technologies to be used in a new generation of intermediate- and large-class space launch vehicles. The company is in early production of development hardware for its Next Generation Launch (NGL) system, and on October 27 successfully completed the structural acceptance test on the first motor high-strength composite case for this program.

Orbital ATK’s NGL rocket family will be capable of launching the entire spectrum of national security payloads, as well as science and commercial satellites that are too large to be launched by the company’s current Pegasus, Minotaur and Antares rockets. The NGL vehicles will share common propulsion, structures and avionics systems with other company programs, including smaller space launch vehicles as well as missile defense interceptors, target vehicles and strategic missile systems.

The next phase of the program is expected to begin when the Air Force awards the Launch Services Agreement in mid-2018, which would entail full vehicle and launch site development, with work taking place at company facilities in Promontory and Magna, Utah; Iuka, Mississippi; Chandler, Arizona; Kennedy Space Center, Florida; and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. (11/7)

DARPA Laying Groundwork for Growth In-Space Robotics (Source: Space News)
The forward-leaning technology arm of the U.S. Defense Department is betting that in just a few years, the business of sending robots to high orbit to repair and refresh satellites will be so successful that the government and the industry should now begin to discuss rules and protocols. “We need to work on a set of rules,” DARPA Program Manager Todd Master said.

DARPA recently launched a “Consortium for Execution of Rendezvous and Servicing Operations” to start bringing the industry to the table. The agency is hoping all major industry players will join the group, including geosynchronous satellite operators and the handful of firms preparing to offer in-orbit robotic servicing of satellites. (11/7)

Russia Embezzlement Probe at Soyuz Rocket Firm (Source: Space Daily)
Russian authorities said Friday they had launched an inquiry into alleged embezzlement at the Progress factory which develops Soyuz rockets for the country's space industry. "Two investigations into abuse of power have been opened" into officials at the factory in the southern central city of Samara around 1,000 km (625 miles) southeast of Moscow, authorities said, investing allegations 5.8 million euros ($6.7 million) had been siphoned off. Corruption is endemic in Russia, sapping confidence within institutions and among the public alike and is widely seen as a major brake on economic development. (11/3)

Blue Canyon to Build CubeSat Constellation for NASA Hurricane Observation (Source: Space Daily)
It's no secret that hurricanes are affecting the United States in a dramatic way this year. In the past few months alone, the US and Caribbean regions have been impacted by multiple catastrophic storms. To help understand why we are seeing such drastic changes in tropical storm patterns, Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT) will build a constellation of CubeSats for an observing system for NASA to measure environmental inner-core conditions for tropical cyclones.

The 3U spacecraft will be built at BCT's new Spacecraft Manufacturing Center (with over 45,000 sq. ft. of laboratory and office space) located in Boulder, Colorado. Opening in early 2018, the office and laboratories will be designed specifically for high-volume production of small spacecraft systems and components, with the manufacturing capability to handle large constellations of small spacecraft. (11/6)

High Paying Central Florida Jobs Need Future Investment (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
A long-term effort to ensure the future of Orlando’s simulation and training tech industry has finally paid off, but the work isn’t over to maintain that future. The cluster of military and federal agencies and contractors near UCF is known as Team Orlando. It is sometimes called the capital of the computer-simulation and training world.

For that reason, Orlando is home to more than its share of patents and tech talent. This week, the state of Florida wrapped up its purchase of a $19 million building, where the Army and other agencies will relocate rent free. That’s in addition to previous square footage secured for the installations. It was hailed as a big win for the future of higher-paying jobs, led by the Metro Orlando Defense Task Force and the National Center for Simulation.

“It’s critical to keep our military friends here,” said Tom O’Neal. “The impact is billions of dollars per year. There’s a lot of spillover effects, there are people who worked for the military in many other companies here.” Wes Naylor said the federal agencies will want to see continued investment from the state, and innovative effort that keep Orlando at the forefront of the modeling and simulation world. He said the talent pipeline from local schools, including UCF, is critical. (11/7)

Telesat Wins FCC Nod Despite ViaSat Petition (Source: Space News)
The FCC granted Telesat access to the U.S. market for its planned satellite constellation, despite protests from another company. In a ruling Friday, the FCC gave its approval for Telesat to provide service in the U.S. using its planned constellation of 117 low Earth orbit satellites. ViaSat had requested the FCC deny Telesat's filing on several grounds. The FCC did accept a ViaSat petition that all non-geosynchronous orbit satellite systems be subject to the outcome of an ongoing rulemaking process regarding such systems, and declined a request from Telesat that its constellation be given spectrum priority based on its filing date with the International Telecommunication Union. (11/7)

Penultimate Delta 2 Launch From California Delayed by Faulty Battery (Source: Space News)
A battery problem will delay the Delta 2 launch of the JPSS-1 weather satellite by several days. United Launch Alliance said late Monday that replacement of a faulty battery on the rocket will delay the launch, previously scheduled for early Friday, until no earlier than Nov. 14. JPSS-1 is the first in a new generation of polar-orbiting weather satellites. The launch will be the next-to-last flight of the Delta 2, with a final launch scheduled for next year. (11/7)

Japanese Astronaut to Return to ISS (Source: Kyodo)
A veteran Japanese astronaut has been selected to fly to the International Space Station again in 2019. The Japanese space agency JAXA announced Tuesday that Soichi Noguchi will fly to the station in late 2019 on a six-month mission as part of the crews of Expedition 62 and 63. Noguchi spent nearly six months on the ISS in 2009 and 2010, and before that flew on a shuttle mission. Other members of those future ISS expeditions have not been announced by other ISS partners. (11/7)

China Will Launch a Reusable Spaceplane in 2020 (Source: Next Big Future)
China plans to launch its reusable spaceplane in 2020, according to a statement from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Unlike traditional one-off spacecraft, the new spacecraft will fly into the sky like an aircraft, said Chen Hongbo, a researcher from the corporation. The spacecraft can transport people or payload into the orbit and return to Earth. Chen said that the spacecraft will be easier to maintain and can improve the frequency of launches at lower cost, bringing new opportunities for more people to travel into space. (11/6)

China, Russia Agree Cooperation on Lunar and Deep Space Exploration (Source: GB Times)
China and Russia agreed to a deal committing the countries to cooperation in six space-related areas for the period 2018-2022. The deal was one of around 20 agreements signed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev. Cooperation between Russia and China is in the field of space consists of six sectors, including lunar and deep space, joint spacecraft development, space electronics, Earth remote sensing data, and space debris monitoring. (11/2)

The Entrepreneurial Space Age (Source: Space Angels)
Increased access to space has lowered the barriers to entry, ushering in a new wave of entrepreneurial space ventures. With companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin addressing the heavy lift segment of the launch market, companies like Vector Space Systems are addressing the burgeoning market for small satellites. Vector is now on track to begin commercial flights of their Vector-R vehicle next year and in this episode, we interview Jim Cantrell, the company’s CEO, and we ask him about his plans to provide affordable and reliable access to space through their family of small launch vehicles. Click here. (11/2)

OneWeb Founder Says Space Coast Expansion a Possibility (Source: Orlando Business Journal)
OBJ: Do you see OneWeb as a magnet that will attract other firms to the Space Coast? Greg Wyler: Yes. A number of suppliers have started to locate to the Space Coast in order to service the factory [RUAG, Honeywell, etc.]. OBJ: What other services would you need to support the factory? Wyler: The local colleges and universities are really the foundation for long-term growth of an area. More energy can be put into ... world class universities where you have an influx of 1,000 new engineers every year into the community. That is key to long-term sustainable growth. (11/6)

100 Acre Aerospace Tech Park in Georgia Could Create 200 Jobs (Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle)
The $20 million research park expects to attract a constellation of aerospace manufacturers, launch providers, parts suppliers and satellite companies to locate assembly and R&D operations. (11/6)

Camden County Plans Innovation and Research Park to Complement Spaceport (Source: Spaceport Camden)
The Camden County Board of Commissioners released a report finding that a Spaceport Camden Innovation and Research Park will lead to expanded job growth and investment benefits for Camden County residents, as well as outside aeronautical firms looking to launch new projects. County leaders requested the analysis from Astralytical, a space analytics firm, to assess the opportunities an aerospace research park would provide.

The report presents a collection of ideas for the area surrounding Spaceport Camden based on current facilities and programs, presumed spaceport needs, and potential supplemental and related markets. The report highlights the opportunity for Spaceport Camden to attract research, development, and space manufacturing facilities in coastal Georgia.

The report’s author, Astralytical founder Laura Forczyk, stated “Astralytical reviewed the facilities and activities at other launch sites around the country to determine best practices and identify the needs of space entrepreneurs. This report is intended to offer county leaders a framework for leveraging Spaceport Camden into a research and innovation hub for Georgia.” (11/6)

A Contentious Confirmation (Source: Space Review)
The Senate Commerce Committee held a confirmation hearing last week for Jim Bridenstine’s nomination to become NASA administrator. Jeff Foust reports the long hearing featured a lot of criticism of Bridenstine’s views on a wide range of issues far beyond those directly linked to space policy. Click here. (11/7) 
 
CubeSats are Challenging (Source: Space Review)
While CubeSats are increasingly popular, many satellites that are built and launched don’t function once in orbit. Charles Phillips looks at a few examples of such satellites that malfunctioned to seek common causes. Click here. (11/7)
 
A Path to Commercial Orbital Debris Cleanup, Power-Beaming, and Communications Utility (Source: Space Review)
The growing population of orbital debris poses a problem for which there are many potential solutions. Four authors present one such solution, taking advantage of the International Space Station as a testbed to demonstrate their approach that has other applications as well. Click here. (11/7)

Boeing and CASIS Fund MassChallenge ISS Research Projects (Source: GeekWire)
Boeing and CASIS, the non-profit that operate the ISS National Laboratory, have awarded $500,000 in research grants for space station experiments. The grants, made as part of the MassChallenge startup accelerator program, went to three companies developing gene-editing, nanomaterial and biochemical experiments to fly on the station for use in future products. This is the fourth year for the competition, with 11 companies winning awards to date. (11/7)

Harris Corporation System to Launch Aboard NOAA Satellite (Source: Harris)
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) – scheduled to launch Nov. 14 from California – will feature an advanced Harris Corp. environmental measurement instrument to improve U.S. weather forecasting. Harris’ Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), one of the main payloads in NOAA’s polar weather satellite program, will help improve forecasting accuracy by measuring and feeding millions of atmospheric data points into weather forecast models. (11/6)

Trump Space Adviser: Blue Origin and SpaceX Rockets Aren’t Really Commercial (Source: Ars Technica)
In recent months, the executive secretary of the National Space Council, Scott Pace, has worked assiduously behind the scenes to develop a formal space policy for the Trump administration. In a rare interview, published Monday in Scientific American, Pace elaborated on some of the policy decisions he has been helping to make.

In the interview, Pace explained why the Trump administration has chosen to focus on the Moon first for human exploration while relegating Mars to becoming a "horizon goal," effectively putting human missions to the Red Planet decades into the future. Mars was too ambitious, Pace said, and such a goal would have precluded meaningful involvement from the burgeoning US commercial sector as well as international partners. Specific plans for how NASA will return to the Moon should become more concrete within the next year, he added.

In response to a question about privately developed, heavy-lift boosters, the executive secretary also reiterated his skepticism that such "commercial" rockets developed by Blue Origin and SpaceX could compete with the government's Space Launch System rocket, which is likely to make its maiden flight in 2020. Click here. (11/6)

Paper About Astronaut Eye Damage Pulled for "Security Concerns" (Source: Retraction Watch)
Here’s a head-scratcher: A 2017 paper examining why long space flights can cause eye damage has been taken down, with a brief note saying NASA, which sponsored the research, asked for the retraction because of “security concerns.” According to the first author, the paper included information that could identify some of the astronauts that took part in the study — namely, their flight information.

Although the author said he removed the identifying information after the paper was online, NASA still opted to retract it. But a spokesperson at NASA told us the agency did not supply the language for the retraction notice. The journal editor confirmed the paper was retracted for “research subject confidentiality issues,” but referred a question about who supplied the language of the notice back to NASA.

According to first author Noam Alperin of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida, the paper “Role of Cerebral Spinal Fluid in Space Flight Induced Ocular Changes and Visual Impairment in Astronauts” showed that visual damage caused by long space flights resulted from tiny shifts in the volume of spinal fluid — not vascular changes, as many experts had previously thought. (11/6)

Dream Chaser Readies for Major Approach & Landing Test Milestone (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com)
Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser is preparing for a second go at its all-important Approach and Landing Test when it will be dropped into free-flight from a helicopter and fly itself to a landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California.  The latest test window opened on Sunday, after being held from an October date due to the test vehicle’s helicopter ride being sent to fight deadly wildfires in California. (11/6)

Meet Maxar, the Space Industry’s Newest Tech Giant (Source: Space News)
MDA’s $2.4 billion merger with DigitalGlobe is the biggest space acquisition to close so far this year. But MDA Corp. CEO Howard Lance sees the merger as the combination of four companies, not two. That’s because MDA and DigitalGlobe each had major acquisitions of their own in recent years — MDA bought satellite manufacturer SSL in 2012 for $1.1 billion, and DigitalGlobe bought geospatial analytics specialist Radiant Group in 2016 for $140 million.

That “quadruple merger” of sorts now places all four companies under the name Maxar Technologies, with Lance holding the title of president and CEO over the conglomerate. Lance says Maxar Technologies will look for opportunities “to bring to bear two, three or even four of the capabilities that we have across the company, such as an integrated product suite that might have radar and optical imagery along with some kind of analytics or change detection.” (11/6)

Astrotech Mulls Sale (Source: Aviation Week)
Astrotech, a longtime space provider that traces its commercial space roots to the old SpaceHab business that built pressurized modules for the U.S. space shuttle payload bay, said Nov. 3 it is considering a sale of part or all of the company. “While many alternatives are under review, there have been no decisions reached at this time,” according to a prepared statement from the Austin, Texas-based company.

Editor's Note: This is the former parent company of Astrotech Space Operations, the payload processing business now operating as a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin. (11/6)

Do Not Miss "The Farthest" on PBS (Source: Ars Technica)
I've made no secret that the Voyager probes' journey through the outer Solar System was a major influence on my childhood. So I was shocked to find out that I had missed the airing of what may be the definitive story of their mission. I was fortunate enough to correct my mistake thanks to NYU's science journalism program. For anyone else at all interested in science, NASA, space, or the human side of science, this review serves as a warning: the story will be shown one more time on November 15. Do not miss it. (11/6)

The Golden Age of European Earth Observation (Source: Space News)
In the past two decades, European priorities for space have had a clear focus: not about a race to space, but about making what we do in space relevant to humans down on Earth. Last month, the world watched as Europe launched their latest satellite, Sentinel-5p, making the Copernicus program fully operational and collecting terabytes of data per day. When coupled with the operational Galileo program — Europe’s position, navigation and timing constellation — Europe has realized its two-decade goal of an independent Earth observation program for the environment and security, turning the page to begin the golden age of European Earth observation.

The timing of this next chapter in Europe’s story in space is auspicious, with these large, strategic programs reaching their peak coincident with the growth of new commercial ventures. In 2017, more than 100 Earth observation satellites were launched in a single year, the first time this has ever happened. Hundreds of satellites provide concrete social, scientific and economic benefits to billions of individuals. This is truly a global sensing revolution coming from the commercial space sector, with miniaturization and mass production of satellites complimented by the data computation and analytic ecosystem to build novel commercial products. (11/6)

Commercial Spaceflight Is About to Get Real (Source: Bloomberg)
Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the first manned lunar mission, during which three Apollo 8 astronauts orbited the moon and gave the U.S. a decisive lead in its space race against the Soviet Union. These days, with NASA’s milestones receding in the national memory, Russian spaceships are the ones ferrying American astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). If all goes well, that will change in 2018.

This moment is a big one for the handful of companies that have spent much more than a decade working toward commercial spaceflight. Boeing and SpaceX are preparing to bring NASA scientists to the ISS by this time next year, not long after five teams race unmanned landers to the moon to win the $20 million Google Lunar XPrize. Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic LLC and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin LLC have suborbital flights scheduled. Rocket Lab USA Inc. and Virgin Orbit, Virgin Galactic’s satellite arm, expect to begin launching satellites. And SpaceX plans to use its own astronauts to reprise 1968’s history-making flight. Click here. (11/6)