December 27, 2017

International Space Experts to Attend Embry-Riddle’s 4th Space Traffic Management Conference (Source: ERAU)
The Spaceflight Operations Program and Applied Aviation Sciences Department of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s College of Aviation will host the five-day conference Jan. 15 through 19 at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus. The theme this year is “Seeking Sustainable Solutions.”

“The conference was created to provide a forum for discourse to academia and leaders of government and industry, from multiple disciplines and different aspects of the air/space traffic management set of issues. Because it is an annual event, each year builds upon the ones before,” said Dr. Diane Howard, conference chair and an Embry-Riddle assistant professor of Spaceflight Operations.

Panelists include top aviation and aerospace executives; Federal Aviation Administration managers; the U.S. Department of State director of the Office of Space and Advanced Technology; a retired NASA astronaut representing the Association of Space Explorers; a manager from the German Aerospace Center; professors from Embry-Riddle and other universities reporting on various research; and more. Click here. (12/20)

Cosmic Rays, Solar Activity Have Greater Climate Impact Than Models Suggest (Source: American Thinker)
A new study is certain to provoke fierce reactions from the vast global establishment devoted to spending billions of dollars a year fighting atmospheric release of CO2. Researcher Henrik Svensmark has been a critic of climate models that downplay the role of solar activity. And now, he has conducted experiments that provide scientific weight to his theories by identifying the feedback mechanism through which solar activity works.

He does not dispute that increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have a warming impact on the climate. But his findings present a challenge to estimates of how sensitive the climate is to changes in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. “For example, the Medieval Warm Period around year 1000AD and the cold period in the Little Ice Age 1300-1900 AD both fits changes in solar activity,...Finally we have the last piece of the puzzle of why the particles from space are important for climate on Earth.” (12/26)

Japan Delays Microsatellite Rocket Launch (Source: JAXA)
The Japanese space agency JAXA has postponed the launch of an experimental small rocket previously scheduled for Thursday. JAXA said in a statement that the SS-520-5 rocket launch would be delayed "due to a malfunction found in the launch vehicle component," but did not announce a new launch date. The SS-520 is a converted sounding rocket intended for launches of cubesats. A similar launch early this year failed. (12/26)

Russia Loses Contact with Angolan Satellite (Source: Space Daily)
Russia has lost contact with Angola's first national telecoms satellite launched from Baikonur space on Dec. 26. The incident involving the Russian-made Angosat-1 is a new embarrassment for the country's once proud space industry after Russia in November lost contact with a weather satellite after it was launched from the new Vostochny spaceport in the country's far east. Earlier Wednesday the Russian space agency Roscosmos said that the satellite had been successfully launched and reached orbit.

The Zenit-2SB rocket carrying Angosat to orbit was supplied by Ukrainian maker Yuzhmash, making the launch a rare joint project between the two countries since 2014, when Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula. The Angosat project was agreed by Russia and Angola in 2009 and includes the satellite, its launch, and on-ground infrastructure in a suburb of the capital Luanda. The approximately $280 million project has been financed with a credit from Russia's state banks.n (12/26)

US, Russia Have 'Limitless' Potential to Continue Space Cooperation (Source: Sputnik)
The United States and Russia have a "limitless" potential to continue cooperation on space exploration despite the fact that political relations between the two states are undergoing a difficult time, US Ambassador Jon Huntsman said. "There is as lot of cache in space exploration. That brings Russia to the table, particularly during a time when our bilateral, political relationship is not perfect... But it shows that both sides are willing to put science and the betterment of humankind before politics and diplomacy on the ground. And I think that says something very good about both countries," Huntsman said. (12/26)

Space Launch System Solid Rocket Booster Avionics Complete Key Testing (Source: Space Daily)
The booster avionics system for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket completed system-level qualification testing in October 2017. Engineers simulated the booster avionics operations in a systems integration lab at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where all the avionics boxes and electronics were tested. The tests verified the fidelity of the system. (12/27)

Eight Satellite Constellations Promising Internet Service From Space (Source: Aviation Week)
A number of in-development constellations of satellite telecommunications from low and medium Earth orbit (LEO and MEO) are set to pass milestones in 2018. Launches of clusters of production satellites and prototypes are planned, as is one entry into service. The space industry is eager to see if the promise of dramatic improvement in broadband performance and cost can crystallize into a successful business model. Click here. (12/19)

Engine, Contracts and Other Big Milestones on Deck for ULA in 2018 (Source: Denver Business Journal)
United Launch Alliance's 2018 is shaping up to be significant for the rocket company and its evolution to a lower-cost launch provider. The Centennial-based business is likely to know what engine will power its new line of rockets, see how it fares in multi-launch bidding for Air Force contracts against SpaceX, and test launch a spaceship that will get the company into human spaceflight for the first time. The milestones in 2018 follow a year in which ULA's launch rate fell well below its average and it finished downsizing, eliminating dozens of positions to settle at about 3,000 employees.

But ULA still added to its string of 123 consecutive successful launches, an unmatched record of reliability. However, ULA had hoped by now to know whether it will used rocket engines made by Blue Origin or Aerojet for its new line of Vulcan rockets. Vulcan is expected to start flying by 2020 and to ultimately replace the Atlas and Delta rockets after the mid 2020s. (12/26)

Military Launch Quality Issues Flagged by DoD Watchdog (Source: Space News)
An evaluation of military space launch services revealed lapses in quality control that could compromise the schedule and performance of future missions, the Defense Department inspector general reported. The IG specifically called out the main contractors that support the EELV program for failing to comply with standards required by AS9100 — a widely adopted quality management system for the aviation and space industries.

Prime contractors United Launch Alliance (ULA) and SpaceX, and ULA subcontractor Aerojet Rocketdyne “did not perform adequate quality assurance management of the EELV program,” said the Dec. 20 report. Auditors flagged the contractors for 181 “nonconformities” in the Aerospace Standard 9100C, known as “Quality Management Systems — Requirements for Aviation, Space, and Defense Organizations.” The IG report listed a number of lapses that inspectors believe could put at risk billions of dollars worth of satellite launches.

IG audits took place from June 2016 through March 2017 at ULA Delta IV and Atlas V manufacturing facilities in Decatur, Alabama; at ULA program management sites in Denver, Colorado; at the SpaceX Falcon 9 manufacturing plant in Hawthorne, California, at Falcon 9 booster and engine testing in McGregor, Texas; and at Aerojet’s RL-10 engine manufacturing and test operations in West Palm Beach, Florida. Click here. (12/27)

Back to the Moon for Real: A Conversation with Private-Spaceflight Evangelist Charles Miller (Source: Discover)
NASA’s human spaceflight program has been in a state of uncertainty pretty much from the moment the Apollo 17 crew left the surface of the Moon 45 years ago this month. The Space Shuttle never became the hoped-for workhorse that would makes space access cheap and routine; the International Space Station never became a glorious gateway to deep-space exploration. Now NASA faces yet another U-turn as President Trump has directed the agency’s administrator to send astronauts back to the moon.

One problem: There is no NASA administrator (the Senate hasn’t voted on the nominee, Rep. Jim Bridenstine, so he’ll have to be renominated when congress reconvenes next month). Another problem: There is no budget to support another Apollo-style venture. So where do we go from here?

"The answer was, we could put first human steps back on the about five to seven years from the starting go. You’d want two different companies to do it so you have dissimilar redundancy, just like we have dissimilar redundancy for cargo to the Space Station. The total cost would be on the order of $10 billion plus or minus 30 percent." Click here. (12/24)

NASA Willing to Consider Flying Researchers on Commercial Suborbital Vehicles (Source: Space News)
As commercial suborbital vehicles capable of carrying both payloads and people prepare to enter service, NASA officials say they’re willing to consider allowing agency-funded researchers to fly on those vehicles. Steve Jurczyk, NASA associate administrator for space technology, said the agency would be open to allowing researchers funded by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program to fly on suborbital spacecraft to carry out their experiments. (12/27)

SpaceX Returns to Plum Brook for Fairing Tests (Source: Sandusky Register)
It’s the second go-round for first-class spacecraft undergoing tests at a heralded station in Erie County. SpaceX personnel recently brought back a refined version of its Falcon 9 payload fairing to the NASA Plum Brook Station for additional analysis.

After frst arriving at Plum Brook in 2013, the newest rounds of testing started in September and should continue into February. All the tests, either ending in recent weeks or scheduled to take place soon, will occur from inside Plum Brook’s Space Environmental Complex. Formerly known as the Space Power Facility, it’s a one-of-a-kind, multifaceted experimental arena testing hardware under simulated launch and spaceflight conditions. (12/26)