March 27, 2018

JWST Telescope Delayed to 2020 Launch (Source: Space News)
NASA announced March 27 that the launch of its next flagship astronomy spacecraft, the James Webb Space Telescope, will be delayed an additional year and that the mission is likely to overrun its $8 billion cost cap. The agency said that the mission, whose launch had already slipped from October 2018 to May-June 2019 because of technical problems, will now launch “approximately” in May 2020. A formal launch date will come this summer after the completion of additional reviews, including one by a new independent review board. (3/27)

NASA: SLS Required for Monolithic Payloads (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA says requirements for large, heavy spacecraft require it to develop the SLS versus buying Falcon Heavy launches. One member of a NASA advisory committee, meeting Monday, asked NASA's Bill Gerstenmaier why the agency coudn't save money by buying several Falcon Heavy launches versus an SLS. "I think it's still going to be large-volume, monolithic pieces that are going to require an SLS kind of capability to get them out into space," Gerstenmaier said, adding there would be roles for Falcon Heavy and other large commercial rockets to support exploration programs. (3/27)

ESA Supports Iceye for SAR (Source: BBC)
The European Space Agency is partnering with a Finnish startup developing small synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites. The partnership between ESA and Iceye includes testing of the company's satellites at ESA facilities and studies of how to use the SAR imagery they generate. Iceye is planning to deploy a constellation of SAR smallsats, with the first launched in January. (3/27)

"Best Practices" Approach Recommended for Lunar Site Historical Preservation (Source: CollectSpace)
A White House report calls for protecting lunar landing sites, but cautions that such efforts could have commercial and international ramifications. The report, prepared by the Office of Science and Technology Policy as required by a provision in a NASA authorization act last year, said there was value in protecting the Apollo landing sites, which could be damaged by future exploration and commercial missions. It recommends developing non-binding "best practices" for avoiding such damage, but stops short of calls for new international treaties, warning that could create a backlash from other nations who might be emboldened to seek other changes in international space law. (3/26)

DOD Needs Mix of Government and Commercial Satellite Comms (Source: Space News)
A new study is expected to conclude that the U.S. military needs a mix of government and commercial satellite communications, but not how to go about providing that. The latest Pentagon review of how the U.S. military should buy space communications is expected to wrap up in the coming weeks, and is expected to call for a mix of services. How to do so is harder, and outside observers blame that on a military culture that wants to buy hardware the old-fashioned way and fears change. That problem, others note, extends beyond satellite communications to other space services. (3/27)

NASA Astronaut Stays In Orbit With SpaceX And Boeing (Source: NPR)
Sunita Williams wasn't the kind of kid who wanted to be an astronaut when she grew up. She wanted to be a veterinarian. But she managed to achieve the former kid's dream job, anyway.

Williams, 52, has completed two missions to the International Space Station, spending over 11 months orbiting the Earth in total. She's also noted for her total cumulative spacewalk time, having spent 50 hours and 40 minutes outside the International Space Station. She has continued her career in space on Earth as a member of NASA's Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap), a group of veteran astronauts that works with privately held companies like SpaceX and Boeing to develop spacecraft.

Part of her job is to verify that the companies' spacecraft can launch, maneuver in orbit and dock to stationary spacecraft like the ISS. NASA announced the CCtCap in 2015 as part of "the Obama Administration's plan to partner with U.S. industry to transport astronauts to space, create good-paying American jobs and end the nation's sole reliance on Russia for space travel." (3/25)

Georgia Spaceport Project Generates Debate (Source: Savannah Now)
"Spaceport opponents are frustrated that their attacks against the project have largely been proven false. Vacation home owners on Little Cumberland Island have been lobbying the Georgia General Assembly for several years that Spaceport Camden should be rejected because anything less than unfettered access to their cottages would result in an unconstitutional taking under Georgia law. Now that the FAA has rendered that argument moot, they are attacking the FAA’s credibility."

"Spaceport Camden offers incredible economic opportunities to Coastal Georgia and vacation homeowners will continue to have access to their properties. That’s a win-win. There’s no doubt opponents from Atlanta, Athens and other parts of the country will continue to try to derail this project. But those of us who live and work in Coastal Georgia do not think it is 'cute' that a few part-time visitors want to dictate our full-time economic future." (3/26)

Lockheed Martin Eyes $93 Billion in Possible Orlando F-35 Work (Source: Orlando Business Journal)
Lockheed Martin's latest round of contract wins for the F-35 jet fighter may herald more jobs for Central Florida. The company this month secured nearly $2 billion from the Air Force and Navy for F-35 work, and the military's F-35 production schedule hints at billions more to come. Lockheed Martin in Orlando employes more than 7,000 employees. (3/26)

Russian Launch Failures Aren’t a Bug, They’re a Feature (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Over the past few years, I’ve been keeping track of Russia’s annual launch failures. For reasons I can’t quite recall, the table I’ve used only went back to 2009. Recently, I saw a graphic on a Russian website about launch failures, and I realized I hadn’t gone back far enough. So, I dug into the records of the last 30 years from 1988 through 2017, which covers Russia and the last four years of the Soviet Union. And holy crap! There were a helluva lot of them. Launch failures are not a bug in the system, they’re a feature. Click here. (3/26)

NASA Can't Send Humans to Mars Until it Gets the Food Right (Source: WIRED)
In space, tortillas are a deeply sought-after food. The anonymous journals of astronauts, which detail their most private thoughts from time aboard the International Space Station, repeatedly mention the floury flatbreads.

“We filmed us opening up the unofficial bag and eating the tortillas. They were fantastic. Maybe the best tortilla I ever ate,” wrote one astronaut aboard the ISS, after discovering an extra bag hidden away. “I was told that there would be some in every food package and we get about two a week each. I want two a day,” wrote another.

It’s not just that tortillas hit a particular sweet spot for astronauts – a solid bread base for layering on fillings but not crumbly enough to risk damaging sensitive equipment – but in the vacuum of space, each meal really matters. “Any time a person’s normal sources of gratification are denied, food takes on additional importance,” says Jack Suster. (3/25)

Spacecom Snubs Israel's IAI, Buys New Satellite from Loral (Source: Globes)
Spacecom Satellite Communications has signed an agreement to acquire a new satellite that will be called Amos 8. The Israeli company is buying the satellite from US company Loral Space & Communications Inc., which to date has manufactured 270 satellites. Loral will deliver the satellite 27 months after payment of a deposit. Loral will also provide support services for the launch and operation of the satellite. The cost of the deal to Spacecom will be $112 million.

SpaceX will launch Amos 8 despite the explosion of its launcher, which destroyed Amos 6 shortly before it was due to be sent into orbit in September 2016. Spacecom said that it had approached several companies about building Amos 8 including Israel Aerospace Industries, which in the past delivered four satellites to Spacecom costing a total of NIS 2 billion. (3/25)

Next Generation Launcher Considered Under U.S. Air Force’s EELV Program (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
“What our offering consists of is the first and second stage[s] of our vehicle are solid rocket motors. You know, we’ve been building solid rocket motors for decades for various programs, both strategic and for space flight purposes. So, we’re a center of excellence for that. So that’s our first and second stage. Our third stage is a LOX/Hydrogen engine system.”

“The other interesting part of our offering is that it is very modular, we can add solid rocket strap-on motors, which we have been doing for years for other programs like Delta (the Delta II, III and IV rockets). We’ll use those as needed to meet specific mission performance requirements.

“We utilize one of the existing bays in NASA’s Vertical Assembly Building, also one of the MLPs (Mobile Launch Platforms) will be dedicated to us to integrate the vehicle on and then we’ll launch from Pad 39B. So, again, another approach of taking existing facilities and utilizing them to both minimize the investment and starting out with a low-risk profile in getting to launch soon.” Click here. (3/25)

Just Wait Space Telescope (JWST) (Source: Inside Outer Space)
NASA is hosting a media teleconference on the status of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at 11:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday, March 27. This update is expected to provide new information regarding delays in launching JWST – what will be the world’s premier infrared space observatory and the largest astronomical science telescope ever built for in-space duties. It is slated to be lofted by Europe’s Ariane-5 booster.

NASA has previously announced that JWST’s launch would be delayed several months, from October 2018 to no later than June 2019, because components of the telescope are taking longer to integrate than planned. Based on the amount of work NASA has to complete before JWST is ready to launch, it’s likely the launch date will be delayed again. If that happens, the project will be at risk of exceeding the $8 billion cost cap set by Congress. (3/26)

India Needs to See Space Is Not Just About Engineering and Strategy (Source: The Wire)
India flies some of the cheapest satellites in the world but pays the highest price for bandwidth to provide services. This was the claim of an official of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). This person blamed turf wars between the DoT and the Department of Space (DoS), both government bodies.

The bulk of space-based services in India is consumed by the government itself. If such barriers to deliver space services exist between government players, then imagine the plight of folks from the industry looking to venture into the space services arena.

Today, India’s share of the global $400 billion space market may be less than 0.01%. The country has been acknowledged to have the potential to create a $10-billion space-based economy and employ over 100,000 highly skilled engineers and scientists by 2025. For this to happen, India needs to have a strategy that accounts for the building blocks of a strong, local space commerce base as well as be proactive in international rule-making that allows India to use its soft power. (3/25)

Staring at Firefly Aerospace’s Hot Rocket-Engine Flames in a Texas Pasture (Source: Ars Technica)
Make no mistake about it, Firefly Aerospace is a business. The ultimate goal is to profit via delivering small payloads to orbit cheaper than the other guys. Markusic tells us the industry metric to watch is dollars per kilogram, with the average cost being roughly $40,000-to-$50,000/kg at the moment. If all goes well, Markusic says Firefly can do $10,000/kg and hopes to get into the single-thousands. Click here. (3/17)

Evaluating the Role of Astronauts in the Manned Orbiting Laboratory Program (Source: Space Review)
As the Manned Orbiting Laboratory took shape in the latter half of the 1960s, the Air Force again revisited the M in MOL. Dwayne Day examines the rationales that studies from that time developed for having astronauts onboard a reconnaissance platform. Click here. (3/26)
 
New Vehicles, New Companies, and New Competition in the Launch Market (Source: Space Review)
Despite the major impact SpaceX has had on the launch industry, most of the vehicles in commercial service today are little changed from those flying a decade ago. Jeff Foust reports how that will change over the next several years as other companies introduce next-generation launch vehicles and new companies get into the market. Click here. (3/26)
 
Equitable Sharing of Benefits of Space Resources (Source: Space Review)
Much of the criticism of the Moon Treaty has focused on the interpretation that it requires an international bureaucracy to share space resources with other nations. Vidvuds Beldavs argues that is not how the treaty should be interpreted, and that there are other mechanisms that can comply with the treaty while still supporting commercial space resource applications. Click here. (3/26) 
 
Confrontation or Cooperation: US-China Space Relations (Source: Space Review)
As the United States embarks on new human space exploration plans, it must decide what to do with one of the most intriguing, but also controversial, potential partners: China. Gentoku Toyoma makes the case for the two countries to work together in human spaceflight. Click here. (3/26)