July 1, 2018

Space Congestion Threatens to ‘Darken Skies’ (Source: National Defense)
In 2014, John Charles of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency coined the term the “darkening skies,” to highlight the emerging challenge to both national security and commercial interests by the proliferation of satellites, particularly in low-Earth orbit (LEO).

His prediction was that Earth observation satellites would become ubiquitous, presenting an array of potential threats to both mission and infrastructure. However, while those satellites have indeed increased rapidly, it is the mega-array communication satellite constellations which are likely to be the tipping point for this congestion.

Since 2014, there has been a nearly 90 percent increase in the number of satellites in orbit, to a current estimated 2,270. However, this is just the beginning. Space Exploration Technologies, better known as SpaceX, will begin pilot flights of its proposed mega-constellation, Starlink, with the aim of ramping up to 12,000 satellites by the mid-2020s. (6/28)

A Look at Flagstaff, Arizona, Where Apollo 11 Astronauts Trained Before Landing on the Moon (Source: LA Times)
Before Neil Armstrong made that giant leap with a walk on the moon 49 years ago, he and other Apollo astronauts took smaller steps for mankind, training for the lunar landing in Flagstaff, Ariz. The area’s otherworldly geography stood in for the “magnificent desolation” of the moon’s surface: The three Apollo 11 astronauts — Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins — completed critical training here before the moonwalk on July 20, 1969.

To honor that local history and the lunar landing’s 50th anniversary next year, Flagstaff is planning a yearlong celebration, kicking off with a launch party July 20 at the Orpheum Theater. Activities will include presentations by historians, vintage film clips and demonstrations by scientists about the moon, lunar mapping and Apollo astronaut training in Flagstaff in the years leading to the launch.

Other lunar legacy events this summer will include an exhibition of a lunar rover prototype, Grover the Rover at the local Astrogeology Science Center, tours at nearby Meteor Crater and telescope viewings and exhibits at Lowell Observatory, as well as concerts, lectures and space-themed movies and menus at Flagstaff’s local restaurants. (7/1)

Gravitational Waves and the Slow Pace of Scientific Revolutions (Source: Ars Technica)
LIGO's detection of gravitational waves came almost exactly a century after Einstein had formulated his general theory of relativity and an ensuing paper mathematically describing the possibility of gravitational waves. Or at least that's the story as it was presented to the public (including by yours truly). And in some ways, it's even true.

But the reality of how relativity progressed to the point where people accepted that gravitational waves are likely to exist and could possibly be detected is considerably more complicated than the simple narrative described above. In this week's Nature Astronomy, a group of science historians lays out the full details of how we got from the dawn of relativity to the building of LIGO. And, in the process, the historians show that ideas about scientific revolutions bringing about a sudden, radical shift may sometimes miss the point. Click here. (6/30)

Russian Nuclear Energy Agency in Search for Asteroid Protection Technologies (Source: Tass)
Russia’s state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, has launched a research into technologies that would allow to protect the planet from the asteroid and meteorite threat, said a senior Russian researcher. "Our study is only a part of the quest to create an asteroid protection system. The priorities here are detection, classification and high-precision monitoring of a celestial body. After that, a bomb should be designed, which would be safe enough during the launch. A carrier rocket will have to be designed, too," said Vladimir Rogachev. (6/30)

South African Company Makes Components for NASA Spacecraft, But Couldn't Find Funding in SA (Source: Business Insider)
A small company in Somerset West manufactures high-tech components for a number of global companies, including the American space agency NASA, which is using its sensors for a deep space mission to demonstrate interplanetary propulsion. NewSpace Systems, founded by James Barrington-Brown, has sensors destined for another mission to the moon that will launch later this year. (6/22)

Rocket Developed by Japan Startup in Flames After Liftoff (Source: ABC News)
A rocket developed by a Japanese startup company burst into flames seconds after a failed liftoff Saturday in northern Japan. The MOMO-2 rocket, developed by Interstellar Technologies, was launched in Taiki town on Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island. It was supposed to reach as high as 100 kilometers (62 miles) into space.

Television footage showed that the 10-meter (33-foot) pencil rocket lifted only slightly from its launch pad before dropping to the ground, disappearing in a fireball. Footage on NHK public television showed a charred rocket lying on the ground. (6/30)

Rocket Startup Sees Big Future in Military Launch (Source: Space News)
Startup CEOs generally have mixed feelings about working with the Pentagon. Tim Ellis, chief executive of rocket maker Relativity Space, most certainly does not. Ellis predicts his company’s 3D printed rockets — at $10 million per launch and entirely produced in the United States — will be flying military satellites a few years from now.

Using what it claims to be the world’s largest metal 3D printer, Relativity Space is developing a rocket to lift satellites of up to 1,250 kilograms to low Earth orbit. The vehicle fits in the broad category of small launchers but is significantly larger than the micro launchers that other space startups are building today.

Los Angeles-based Relativity Space will be one of the few domestic players in a payload segment of the market that is dominated by foreign firms. Ellis believes this will pu the company in an advantageous position to compete for military contracts. A launch site in the United States will be selected later this year. (7/1)