January 29, 2018

IAI Seeks More Insurance Relief for Satellite Destroyed on Falcon 9 (Source: Globes)
Israel Aerospace Industries is filing suit against insurers over its claim for the destroyed Amos-6 satellite. IAI said that while it received $215 million from its insurers, it's seeking the remaining $88 million it says it is owed for the satellite, destroyed when the Falcon 9 it was on exploded during static-fire test preparations in September 2016. The insurers said they withheld that amount because they were not informed that the satellite would be attached to the rocket during the test, which increased their risk. IAI argues that the explosion took place prior to the test, and no notification was required. (1/29)

China Plans to Build the World's Largest Steerable Radio Telescope (Source: Space.com)
China has announced plans to build the largest steerable radio telescope in the world, the Xinjiang Qitai 110-meter Radio Telescope (QTT), which could provide a huge boost to the search for dark matter, gravitational waves, and extraterrestrial intelligence.

"The QTT's scientific mission is ambitious," said Doug Vakoch, president of METI International, an organization that looks to organize the efforts of both searching for and sending out messages to whatever life might be out in the universe. "Recent history shows us that when a radio telescope with radically enhanced characteristics comes online, we make remarkable discoveries." (1/29)

Racing to Space, Together (Source: CSM)
Gone are the days of the bilateral space race between the United States and the former Soviet Union. Today’s global landscape of spaceflight is much more diverse – and more collaborative. The original space race was tinged by fears around the coupling of militaristic and space-faring capabilities, and by two superpowers’ dance for dominance. But now space exploration is predominantly driven by the shared human desire to render the impossible possible. Click here. (1/29)

NASA has Gone a Year Without a Formal Leader—With No End in Sight (Source: Ars Technica)
More than a year has now passed since four-time astronaut Charles Bolden resigned as NASA administrator on January 20, 2017, after seven years on the job. NASA has been led by an acting administrator, Robert Lightfoot, ever since. It is unprecedented for NASA to go without formal leadership for this long.

Five months ago, the Trump administration finally put forward a nominee for the post of administrator, Oklahoma Congressman and pilot James Bridenstine. Although he was confirmed along a party-line vote twice during Senate confirmation hearings, he has yet to receive a vote before the full Senate. Increasingly, it is obvious that the White House does not have the votes to confirm Bridenstine in a Senate where Republicans hold only a narrow margin. Click here. (1/29)

NASA & JAXA Agree to Pursue Deep Space Gateway (Source: Parabolic Arc)
"Recognizing that their agencies, together with the other ISS Partners, are studying the concept and confirmed technical feasibility of a deep space gateway that orbits the moon; Recognizing the deep space gateway concept can benefit from contributions and technological expertise from both agencies; ...

Expecting that the continued partnership between both agencies will yield concrete results in maturing a flexible and sustainable deep space infrastructure to support a steady cadence of increasingly complex human and robotic missions in the boundless frontier of space that will include participation from other international partners and industrial partners..." Click here. (1/29)

The Missing Piece--An Ecosystem for China Space Entrepreneurship (Source: LinkedIn)
There is a missing piece of the puzzle in China’s growing ambitions in the outer space---entrepreneurship. As a space engineering graduate and advocate for the next generation’s engagement in space, I would argue about that China still lacks imperative effort to cultivate space entrepreneurship despite rapid expansion in its national space capacity. Click here. (1/21)

Software Patch Fixes Canadarm2 Anomaly, US EVA-48 Postponed (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
NASA has postponed its planned Jan. 29, 2018, spacewalk to swap a latching end effector (LEE) on the International Space Station’s robotic Canadarm2 after robotics specialists devised a software patch to fix a communications anomaly with the recently-installed mechanism. While an exact date has not been set, the agency said it is targeting mid-February for the rescheduled outing. (1/28)

NASA Confirms Methane Increase Linked to Oil and Gas Industry (Source: IISD)
The oil and gas industry is primarily responsible for the increase in methane emissions, according to a study led by NASA, which explains that methane emission sources have historically been underestimated. The increase equals around 25 teragrams (25 trillion grams) per year since 2006, a finding that underscores the need to transition to renewable energy sources in order to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

According to the authors, the exploitation and transport of fossil fuels, including oil, coal and natural gas, have contributed to the increased release of methane in the world’s subsoil. The study applies new ground-based satellite data analysis to more accurately identify methane exchanges and a new calculation of emissions from global fires, which have dropped significantly. (1/19)

Space, and the Stories We Tell Ourselves (Source: Space Review)
Space centers often highlight the achievements of space programs, but what responsibility do they have to discuss tragedies and other setbacks? Dwayne Day explores that issue through the lens of exhibits at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Click here. (1/29)
 
Eyes No Longer on the Prize (Source: Space Review)
Last week the X Prize Foundation announced that the Google Lunar X Prize competition will come to an end in March without any team even attempting a launch. Jeff Foust examines the end of the competition and what the teams involved planned to do now that the $20 million grand prize will no longer be available. Click here. (1/29)
 
Revisiting “Non-Interference Zones” in Outer Space (Source: Space Review)
While countries can’t claim property on the Moon or other bodies, can they offer companies exclusion zones on safety or other rationales? Cody Knipfer examines some of the concepts behind so-called “non-interference zones” and efforts in Congress to enact legislation to enable them. Click here. (1/29)
 
The Era of Extremely Large Telescopes (Source: Space Review)
Three different projects are underway to build a new generation of very large ground-based telescopes, but each faces its own set of challenges. Jeff Foust reports on the policy challenges facing the Thirty Meter Telescope and the technical challenges of the Giant Magellan Telescope. Click here. (1/29)