April 22, 1018

What It's Really Like to Work at Rocket Lab (Source: New Zealand Herald
For those who work at the high-tech New Zealand founded powerhouse, one of the key traits is the patience to cope with the better safe than sorry ethos that runs through the company. Rocket Lab has 250 people and it's looking for more. The vacancies range from incredibly specialised jobs to the roles seen at most workplaces. "The space industry is an industry that keeps you extremely humble," says Beck.

"The space gods will cut you down as soon as look at you." A scheduled launch has been delayed for several weeks, this time because of a problem with the motor controller in the Electron rocket. Launch delays, or "scrubs", are commonplace in the space industry. Weather, technical glitches and even a stray boat near the Mahia launch site have delayed launches in the past year.

With a total cost of close to $7 million per launch, and 11 tonnes of propellent on board, Rocket Lab needs to get it right, Beck says. Naomi Altman joined Rocket Lab as employee number nine in October 2014. She now leads a team of more than 20 people, mainly engineers, responsible for the electronics on the launch vehicle. Her team worked to develop and build the Electron's electronic systems, associated equipment such as the launchpad, and helped launch the 17m rocket. Click here. (4/21)

Rocket Lab Founder Peter Beck Blasts Lack of NZ Venture Capital for Other Firms (Source: New Zealand Herald)
Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Peter Beck says a shortage of venture capital in New Zealand and pressure to stay in this country is putting the brakes on innovation for other companies. His 12-year-old company has raised the bulk of about $200 million in the United States to fund development of its Electron rocket programme. In New Zealand it did get funding from Sir Stephen Tindall's investment firm K1W1 and Callaghan Innovation.

Beck said the amount from taxpayer-funded Callaghan would be less than $10m. While Rocket Lab had its corporate headquarters in the United States where it was registered, and was doing more manufacturing there, two-thirds of its staff of 250 were based in this country. The company is advertising more than 50 roles, ranging from highly-specialised space scientists and engineers to human relations, a spray painter and range of support personnel in Mahia.

"For a very small [taxpayer] investment we've created a great industry and a whole lot of jobs. And as for running offshore you can't do this kind of thing as a New Zealand company," he said. "Instead of lamenting the fact we lost another one we should be celebrating the fact it went global. We have to understand that you can reach a certain size in New Zealand then you have to become a global company." (4/21)

ESA Testing Detection of Floating Plastic Litter From Orbit (Source: Phys.org)
The millions of tonnes of plastic ending up in the oceans every year are a global challenge. ESA is responding by looking at the detection of marine plastic litter from space, potentially charting its highest concentrations and understanding the gigantic scale of the problem.

We dump around 10 million tonnes of plastic in the oceans annually. Though most conspicuous along coastlines, plastic litter is also found out in the open ocean and from the equator to the pole – even frozen in polar ice. Gradually broken down into micro-fragments by weathering and waves, it is not only endangering marine animals but it is also entering the global food chain, with unknown long-term consequences for animal life and our own health.

"Indirect measurements from space are already used to get to grips with the marine plastic litter problem," explains ESA's Paolo Corradi, overseeing the project. "For instance, satellite maps of ocean currents let us simulate accumulation of litter in vast 'gyres' within the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. (4/20)

Gingrich: A Glimpse of America’s Future in Space in 2024 (Source: Fox News)
Between Earth and the moon, there should be multiple low-orbit systems assembling enormous structures and supporting commercial manufacturing, tourism and other industries in space. If we achieve this before any other country, the U.S. will have undisputed economic superiority for decades. At the same time, execution of this seemingly fantastic concept would leapfrog our national defense capabilities far into the 21st century.

Having a squadron of reusable rockets (effectively a Mach 25 Air Force) would allow U.S. forces to overfly and outfly the myriad of foreign air and space weapons proliferating today. This would also allow us to have “eyes, ears, and presence” anywhere in the world in under an hour, while also protecting the peace in the global commons of space. This vision could be made possible by three technological and entrepreneurial revolutions.

First, the advent of reusable rockets is going to lead to a crash in costs and a dramatic increase in frequency of launches. Ranges and regulatory procedures must be modernized as we move from a paradigm of 10 heavy launches per year to a paradigm of 70 to 100 heavy launches per year. If the Trump-Pence team pushes it, Falcon Heavy rockets could have more than 100 launches through 2024. (4/21)

The British are Coming — for the Rocket-Launching Industry (Source: CNBC)
The British already have a foothold in the manufacture of small satellites. Now they are moving quickly to build the rockets necessary to launch them. The United Kingdom Space Agency, working with British companies in the sector, has established how intends to grow its 6.5 percent stake in the $350 billion space economy over the next 12 years.

"We want to get to a place where the U.K. has 10 percent of the global space economy by 2030 and we're working in partnership to deliver it," said Claire Barcham, the director of the agency's satellite launch program. A 10 percent stake could be worth more than $109 billion in 2030, according to Bank of America last year.

To achieve that growth, UKSA is working to attract rocket companies which specialize in launching small satellites, Barcham said. The U.K. currently produces about 44 percent of the world's small satellites and has extensive facilities to operate those satellites once active. But Britain lacks any spaceports or launchpads to put the satellites in orbit. (4/21)

NASA Nominated for Six Webby Awards (Source: NASA JPL)
A solar eclipse and the demise of one of NASA's most successful planetary missions made 2017 the agency's biggest year yet for online engagement, and NASA's efforts in digital communications have been recognized with nominations for six Webby Awards, the highest honor for online communications. "NASA's digital engagement involves dozens of people across the agency," said Jen Rae Wang, associate administrator for communications. "We're really pleased that our efforts are being recognized again." (4/17)

EU-Russian Mars Mission Landing Site to Be Chosen Soon (Source: Sputnik)
The site for the landing of the Russian-built surface platform system as part of the Russian-EU ExoMars mission to the Red Planet will be chosen in October or November, Daniil Rodionov, the head of a laboratory at the Russian Academy of Sciences' Space Research Institute, told Sputnik. "There are two candidate sites — Oxia Planum and Mawrth Vallis. The choice will be made by the end of this year, I believe, in October-November," Rodionov, who heads the ExoMars project from the Russian side, said.

There are two requirements that the site for the mission’s landing should meet – the feasibility of landing, and the site’s usefulness in terms of achieving the research objectives of the mission, which includes such criteria as the presence of water, and conditions for conservation of signs of life, Rodionov noted.

The choice of the landing site will be carried out jointly by the Russian and EU scientists, the researcher continued, adding that the launch of the second stage of the mission is set for June 2020. Scientists have been considering the issue of the landing site for the second launch of the ExoMars mission since 2013. A total of four sites, all located near the equator in the northern hemisphere of Mars, have been considered for this purpose. (4/22)

Why More Taxpayer Funding to Elon Musk’s Big F-ing Rocket Would Be a Big F-ing Mistake (Source: Town Hall)
Elon Musk announced that he will begin devoting most of SpaceX’s efforts on developing the “BFR” – short for Big F-ing Rocket – which will allegedly be so huge and powerful that it will make the company’s previous rocket lines outdated in just a few short years. Although already receiving over $70 million in government funding for the BFR, SpaceX announced it wants more appropriations to help it power through to the finish line.

But given the company’s rocky history, as well as the steady influx of competition in the aerospace realm, perhaps the Pentagon should not extend Musk’s funding marker until the company demonstrates the ability to fix the security issues in its other rocket lines. The steady stream of outside competition is likely adding to Musk’s uncertainty of the Falcon Heavy’s future and desire to build something new. For example, ULA's reusable Vulcan is expected to debut by mid-2020 at a “sub-$100 million” launch price.

At the same time, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin is targeting a 2020 debut for its privately-funded New Glenn rocket. Blue Origin will unquestionably outrank Musk’s company once the New Glenn takes the skies “unless SpaceX has something else up its sleeve.” Increased competition in the aerospace industry is also expected to soon come from companies like ArianeGroup, Paul Allen’s Stratolaunch Systems, and Orbital ATK, so NASA is under no circumstances beholden to SpaceX. (4/21)

How to Become a Space Tourist: 8 Companies (Almost) Ready to Launch (Source: Popular Science)
Numerous private companies intend to launch their own space tourism programs. You’ve likely heard of the biggest players in the private spaceflight game: Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic just resumed testing of its SpaceShipTwo vehicle earlier this month after a fatal test in 2014, and Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ private spaceflight venture, is aiming to send crewed missions to space as early as this year.

And, in addition to these heavy hitters, there are quite a few other companies offering tourists a chance to reach space, too. Some are farther along in development than others, and there are always reasons to be skeptical when talking about space tourism. We’ve seen plenty of similar ventures come and go over the years without making it to space. But we choose to remain optimistic. Here are the most recent commercial space programs that would love to take you out of this world—for a price. Click here. (4/20)

The Bizarre Story Of The "Mutiny" On Board A Space Station (Source: IFL Science)
It’s a tale worthy of Hollywood. In December 1973, three astronauts aboard the US space station Skylab stopped working for an entire day, rebelling against their NASA overlords after complaining of being overworked. They said NASA had been working them too hard, so they took some time off without permission, even going so far as to switch their radio off so they couldn’t be contacted.

They spent the day looking out the window at Earth, taking a shower, and generally having a good time. As a result of the “mutiny”, the three astronauts on the Skylab 4 mission – commander Gerald "Jerry" Carr, science pilot Edward Gibson, and pilot William "Bill" Pogue – never flew in space again, being reprimanded by NASA for disobeying orders. The incident also forced NASA to rethink how it handles human psychology in space. Click here. (4/21)

When Will Elon Musk’s SpaceX Take Regular People Into Space? Probably 2019 (Source: Recode)
By successfully launching the agency’s TESS satellite this week, SpaceX is now helping its longtime partner NASA search for planets beyond our solar system. As far as we know, the long game for Elon Musk’s space company is still helping Earthlings see what’s out there, too.

However, in that regard, SpaceX might need to be patient, says The Verge’s science reporter Loren Grush — at least until next year. On the latest episode of Too Embarrassed to Ask, Grush told Recode’s Kara Swisher that the historically nimble company will have to ease on the brakes if it wants to launch more than just cargo and satellites; while it originally planned to take people up in 2017, it probably won’t be flying people to space in any capacity until 2019 at the earliest, she said.

“NASA is very meticulous when it comes to how they iterate,” Grush said. “If you want to do a change [to a rocket], you have to run it by a person, who runs it by a person, who runs it by a person. With SpaceX, they were making new changes every day... Now they’re really being put to the test because they’re developing this new technology to take astronauts [into space],” she added. “Obviously, safety is a concern whenever you launch a rocket, but when you put people on it, that’s when the stakes are super high.” (4/20)

Aerospace Corp. Releases Policy Papers Offering New Solutions for Space Traffic Management (Source: Aerospace)
The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy (CSPS) released two new policy papers that examine major implications for space traffic management due to the proliferation of small, hard-to-track satellites and plans for vast constellations of small- and medium-sized satellites.

The first paper, GPS Transponders for Space Traffic Management, proposes a radically new way of thinking about space traffic management, based on the use of onboard GPS transponders. These devices could more timely and accurately report a spacecraft’s position than the current decades-old systems that track satellites and other space objects with radar and optical telescopes as part of the DOD Space Surveillance Network. The system could provide additional advantages, as well—for example, by enhancing onboard navigation and facilitating proximity operations.

“GPS transponders could provide positive identification for a spacecraft and allow operators to maintain a lock on it, even when it is thrusting or dead,” said Dr. Andrew Abraham, author and senior member of Aerospace’s technical staff. “By providing more-accurate position information, GPS transponders could significantly enhance the ability to compute the probability of collision. There is a margin of error in predicting a satellite’s position at any moment; as a result, operators spend a considerable—and growing—amount of time responding to false alarms and planning unnecessary avoidance maneuvers.” (4/18)

ULA Slows Vulcan Debut for Upper-Stage Engine (Source: Denver Business Journal)
United Launch Alliance has pushed the first flight of its new Vulcan rocket back so the company can choose a new engine to power the launch vehicle’s Centaur upper stage and make it better able to handle future U.S Air Force missions. This could mean ULA switching from its supplier, California-based Aerojet Rocketdyne, which has made the Centaur upper-stage engines for years, the company said.

ULA has narrowed its choices for what engine it will use but doesn’t have a final decision to announce. With the changes to its upper stage, ULA now expects Vulcan to fly in mid-2020 — a few months later than the late 2019 timeline ULA previously set as its public goal. Finding a new engine to power the Centaur upper stage of Vulcan was prompted by military’s projections for what kinds of space launches it would buy in the early 2020s, said CEO Tory Bruno.

The company thought it could use its existing Centaur 3 stage in the early years of Vulcan, but a couple of “difficult, heavy missions” that Air Force wants to be able to launch before 2022 made ULA start planning a bigger Centaur, he said. “When we saw the RFP, we decided to go directly to the Centaur 5,” Bruno said. “That moved the flight date from late 2019 to flying Vulcan for the first time in mid-2020, and with the second flight being later that year.” (4/20)