September 4, 2018

Russia Suspects 'Human Hand' in ISS Air Leak (Source: TASS)
The head of Roscosmos said Monday that an air leak in a Soyuz spacecraft was caused by a manufacturing defect. Dmitry Rogozin said Russian investigators had ruled out a micrometeoroid or orbital debris impact as the cause of a hole in the orbital module of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft discovered Thursday by the International Space Station's crew after controllers noticed a pressure drop. Rogozin said the hole was "done by a human hand" attempting to drill a hole. He added that it was "a matter of honor for Energia Rocket and Space Corporation to find the one responsible for that," including determining if it was accidental or deliberate and whether it was done on Earth or in space. (9/4)

UAE Selects Two Astronauts (Source: Khaleej Times)
The United Arab Emirates has selected its first two astronauts, one of whom will fly to the ISS next year. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre said Monday that Hazza Al Mansouri, a fighter pilot, and Sultan Al Nayadi, an engineer, will soon begin training in Russia for a flight to the ISS next April. The center selected the two from more than 4,000 applicants to be the country's first astronauts. The decision on which of the two will fly on that April mission will be made in a couple of months. (9/4)

Clyde Sees Its Future in Microsatellite Constellations (Source: Space News)
Smallsat manufacturer ÅAC Clyde says its future is in building constellations of spacecraft. Speaking at an investor presentation last week, Craig Clark, the company's chief strategy officer, said ÅAC Clyde will be shifting its focus from making smallsat components to building fleets of spacecraft, as well as offering a "satellite as a service" business model where customers lease spacecraft rather than buying them. ÅAC Clyde is the company that resulted from the merger late last year of Swedish firm ÅAC Microtec and Scottish manufacturer Clyde Space. (9/4)

Bridenstine Aims for Affordable Lunar Return (Source: Space.com)
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine says a return to the moon is possible without Apollo-era budgets. Speaking to reporters last week during a visit to the Ames Research Center, Bridentstine argued that growing commercial and international capabilities make a human return to the moon feasible within budgets similar to the agency's current one. Bridenstine has emphasized the importance of a sustainable human return to the moon in recent months, including the development of architectures that reuse spacecraft and launch systems. (9/4)

Japan’s PD Aerospace Aims for Suborbital Space Tourism Flights in 2023 (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Japanese start-up PD Aerospace has plans for a space tourism vehicle that would take off from the runway. The Nagoya-based company plans space flights to an altitude of 110 kilometers by the spacecraft, capable of carrying six passengers and two pilots, at a price of 17 million yen ($153,000) per person. “We would like to open a new space era (with the spacecraft),” said Shuji Ogawa, the 48-year-old president of PD AeroSpace.

Last summer, the company successfully carried out a combustion experiment of the spacecraft’s pulse detonation engine, which is switchable from an air-breathing mode to rocket mode. According to the company plan, the spaceship will change its mode of combustion at an altitude of 15 km to ascend further, and passengers will be able to enjoy a near weightless experience for about five minutes while staring down at Earth. (9/4)

Chinese Startup Plans Orbital Launch in October (Source: GB Times)
Chinese launch startup Landspace now expects to perform its first orbital launch in October. The company's Zhuque-1 rocket is scheduled to launch next month from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and place a small satellite, Weilai-1, into orbit. The company had been targeting a launch in the fourth quarter of the year but was not previously more specific about a launch date. Zhuque-1 is a solid-fuel rocket, but the company is working on a larger liquid-propellant rocket, Zhuque-2, that it expects to launch in 2020. (9/4)

India Launch Surge in Coming Months (Source: Times of India)
India is planning a surge of launches in the next several months. The chairman of the Indian space agency ISRO, K. Sivan, said that a total of 19 "missions," which counts both satellites and their launch vehicles, are scheduled from September through March, starting with the Sept. 15 launch of a PSLV carrying two British-built satellites. Other missions include the launch of two communications satellites on an Ariane 5 in November and the Chanrayaan-2 lunar mission, launching on a GSLV in January. ISRO's last launch was in early April. (9/4)

Armstrong Family Weighs In on Flag Controversy (Source: SpaceRef)
The following statement was issued by Statement Issued by Rick and Mark Armstrong and James Hansen: "We've read a number of comments about the film today and specifically about the absence of the flag planting scene, made largely by people who haven't seen the movie.  As we've seen it multiple times, we thought maybe we should weigh in. This is a film about what you don't know about Neil Armstrong.  It's a film that focuses on things you didn't see or may not remember about Neil's journey to the moon.

"This story is human and it is universal. Of course, it celebrates an America achievement. It also celebrates an achievement "for all mankind," as it says on the plaque Neil and Buzz left on the moon. It is a story about an ordinary man who makes profound sacrifices and suffers through intense loss in order to achieve the impossible. And in that, it is a story for a generation now facing challenges as great as landing on the moon.
 
Although Neil didn't see himself that way, he was an American hero... Though there are numerous shots of the American flag on the moon, the filmmakers chose to focus on Neil looking back at the earth, his walk to Little West Crater, his unique, personal experience of completing this journey that has seen so many incredible highs and devastating lows. In short, we do not feel this movie anti-American in the slightest.  Quite the opposite.  But don't take our word for it.  We'd encourage everyone to go see this remarkable film and see for themselves." (9/4)

Upheaval Brewing for Large Launchers (Source: Space News)
The rise of SpaceX and Blue Origin continues to raise questions about the future of the industry. ULA remains the Air Force’s most trusted launch supplier. It is the nation’s most experienced space launch company with more than 120 consecutive launches and a 100 percent mission success rate. But its market share is being eroded by the entry of competitors. ULA’s Air Force business is not going away, said space industry analyst Marco Caceres. “ULA is more expensive but if the Air Force has the money they’re willing to pay it.”

“The culture at SpaceX is not conservative, it’s aggressive. The culture at ULA and the Air Force is conservative.” That said, “The Air Force is torn between being comfortable and wanting those lower prices.” ... If ULA loses more business to SpaceX and potentially in the future to Blue Origin, it is conceivable that ULA owners Boeing and Lockheed Martin will consider options. Analysts have speculated that Boeing might consider buying Lockheed’s share of the company and absorbing ULA as a Boeing subsidiary. "The (Boeing-designed) Delta 4 soon will be history," Caceres noted.

Caceres said ULA “hasn’t figured out a way to compete on price.” One problem is that it relies on too many subcontractors, which adds cost, whereas SpaceX is vertically integrated. “With the monopoly they had, they could charge what they wanted.” But the downward pressure on launch prices is a serious threat to the company. “I don’t think anyone expects Vulcan will be cheaper than SpaceX or Blue Origin,” he said. (9/4)