November 1, 2018

Russia Plans First Crewed Post-Accident Launch to ISS Dec 3 (Source: Space Daily)
Russia hopes to launch three crew for the International Space Station on December 3, the first manned blast-off since an accident this month, the Roscosmos space agency said Wednesday. Russia, the only country able to ferry astronauts to the orbiting science lab, suspended all launches after a Soyuz rocket failed on October 11 just minutes after blast-off -- the first such incident in the history of post-Soviet space travel. (10/31)

Soyuz Launch Failed Due to Assembly Problem (Source: Space Daily)
Russia said on Thursday the launch of a Soyuz rocket failed last month due to a sensor that was damaged during assembly but insisted that the spacecraft remains reliable. Russia, the only country able to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station, suspended all launches after a Soviet-designed Soyuz rocket failed on October 11 just minutes after blast-off -- the first such incident in the history of post-Soviet space travel.

Oleg Skorobogatov, the head of the commission that probed the accident, said the flight was aborted because part of a sensor that indicates the separation of the stages of the rocket was damaged during assembly at the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. "The cause of a non-standard separation" was a "deformation" of a part during assembly, Skorobogatov told a news conference at Russia's mission control outside Moscow. (11/1)

SCWID Plans STEM Education Innovator Awards (Source: SCWID)
Throughout the year, Space Coast Women In Defense (SCWID) observes special individuals and businesses that go above and beyond in their support to STEM in our community. It is important that we formally recognize those who contribute their time, effort, and resources to supporting youthful talent in our Space Coast community. Thus, the Space Coast STEM Council of SCWID is pleased to accept nominations to recognize individuals, organizations, and companies for their innovation supporting STEM. Click here. (11/1)

The SpaceX Big Texas Spaceport Is Coming. But Will It Have Anything To Launch? (Source: Popular Mechanics)
Although the first dirt deliveries came in 2016, two years later the fruits of this effort are not immediately apparent. Or impressive. A trapezoidal mound rises behind the facility's fences. It looks more like an ancient burial cairn than a monument of the new space age. In 2016, SpaceX was on a hot streak, with crewed capsules and satellites leaving Florida and California and an ambitious timetable to launch large rockets that could reach Mars. But then a rocket exploded on the launchpad in Florida, destroying the payload and damaging the pad.

SpaceX now says it is on track for testing a new, giant Big Falcon Rocket in 2019. SpaceX officials say that McGregor and the new South Texas site both will be involved in the BFR development, which makes sense given the capability to test the Raptor engines at McGregor. The company can complete hop tests with the Big Falcon in South Texas that are higher in altitude than ever attempted with Grasshopper or Falcon 9.

SpaceX has not yet made a final decision where orbital flights will occur with BFR. In January, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell acknowledged that much more work would need to be done to make the Texas test site into a full-fledged launch center. SpaceX’s plan is to have Falcon Heavy launches from Florida supply funds to develop BFR, shifting the South Texas spaceport’s use farther into the future. (11/1)

Pence Links Space Force to Exploration (Source: Space News)
Rhetoric about the proposed Space Force has started to blur the lines between military and civil space in the eyes of some. In recent comments, Vice President Mike Pence appeared to link the Space Force, a branch of the military, to human space exploration. The Space Force, said one analyst, "should not be conflated with space exploration or the commercial development of space." Others, though, argued that putting the Space Force in a historical context with exploration aids in communicating its importance to the public by putting it "in terms they understand." (10/31)

Air Force Now "Completely Aligned" with Space Force Planning (Source: Space News)
Air Force officials are making stronger statements in support of the Space Force. "The United States Air Force is all in on Space Force and we've been contributing input to making the President's vision a reality," said Lt. Gen. John Thompson, head of the Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center, at a conference this week. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, whose perceived opposition to the Space Force reportedly put her job in jeopardy, said in a recent interview she was "completely aligned" with President Trump on Space Force and had no reason to believe he was considering firing her. (10/31)

Maxar Intent on Selling SSL Unit (Source: Space News)
Maxar confirmed plans Wednesday to sell its GEO satellite business unit. In an earnings call, Maxar CEO Howard Lance said the company's "primary path" is to sell its SSL unit, and that Maxar is in talks with multiple unnamed companies interested in buying it. Lance said a deal could be announced by the end of this year. SSL, which has suffered layoffs and inefficiencies caused by a drop in demand for GEO satellites, is also dealing with a defective component that will have to be replaced on several satellites under construction, Lance said. While Maxar's Space Systems unit saw a drop in revenue because of decreased GEO business, the company is seeing growth in small smallsats and work with the U.S. government. (10/31)

RCS System Failure Led to Chinese Launcher Loss (Source: GB Times)
Chinese company Landspace says a reaction control system problem likely caused the failure of its first orbital launch vehicle last weekend. The company said its Zhuque-1 rocket suffered a leak in the reaction control system in the third stage of the rocket, leading to a loss of attitude control more than six minutes after its Oct. 27 liftoff. The rocket reached a peak altitude of 337 kilometers before plunging back to Earth over the Indian Ocean. Landspace won praise for its rapid and open investigation into the launch failure. (10/31)

UK Minister Outlines Aggressive Space Ambitions (Source: Via Satellite)
The U.K. is showing huge ambitions in the space sector as it looks to rise to prominence in this dynamic industry. With many success stories already, the question is whether the industry can go up several more levels over the next few years. Sam Gyimah is the U.K.’s joint minister for higher education at the department for business, energy and industrial strategy and the department for education. He talks to Via Satellite about the U.K.’s ambitions in space.

The U.K. is in the middle of a space revolution. It has made a series of high profile announcements this year, including the capability to launch rockets, which will take the U.K.’s space capability to the next stage. The question is — while there is a lot of hyperbole around these announcements, will it ultimately live up to the hype?

Recently, the U.K. government has not had it easy. The Conservative government was elected without a majority, and has to deal with the continued uncertainty around Brexit — which has bought up more questions than answers. However, the success of the U.K. space industry offers a welcome respite from Brexit and other issues that the government faces. (10/31)

Scottish Landowners Split on Spaceport Idea (Source: Aberdeen Press and Journal)
Scottish landowners are split about plans to establish a spaceport on their property. The proposed launch site, announced in July, would be built on land owned by the Melness Crofting Estate. Some members of the estate's board said they oppose the launch site, citing adverse environmental impacts, and could fight the sale in the courts, a process that might take years. Government officials said they're taking those concerns under consideration and engaging with the local community to discuss the spaceport and its economic benefits. (10/31)

How to Inspire the Next Generation to Push the Boundaries of Space? (Source: Space News)
Earlier this summer, a consortium of innovators launched the largest student incentive prize in history, a $1 million challenge to university teams to design, build and launch a liquid-fuel rocket to the edge of space (100 kilometers). The goal is vitally important: Engage a new generation in pushing the frontiers of spaceflight and in doing so, increase minority involvement in aerospace and related industries.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch forecasts that the commercial space industry will reach a total market size of $2.7 trillion by 2035. While women and minorities were left behind in the technology boom in Silicon Valley, we can’t let the same thing happen with space. According to the National Science Foundation, African-American and Hispanics currently make up just 5 percent each of the science and engineering workforce, while Native Americans are only 0.1 percent. White women hold only 18 percent of the S&E job market.

Yet diversity spurs innovation and success. “Companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 30 percent more likely to perform above the mean in their industry,” reports Jenny Abramson, founder and Managing Director of Rethink Impact. There is a silver lining for the aerospace industry. By 2020, the majority of baby boomer aerospace engineers, the youngest of whom were only age 5 when Apollo 11 landed on the moon, will have retired. This opens the door for young new talent, but we have to attract and train that talent and offer them not only education, but hands-on experience. (10/29)

Will Maturing Cubesat Propulsion Call for More Regulation? (Source: ESPI)
With evolving propulsion capabilities of cubesats, new mission opportunities for governments and private sector are becoming enabled or facilitated, adding to the promising outlook of evolving cubesat utilization landscape. Beyond the opportunities that advanced propulsion generates for new cubesat applications, it also raises a number of new issues related to cubesat operations in orbit.

Increasing private investments in space ventures, in addition to current market dynamics and growing governmental interest will likely mean that cubesat utilization landscape continue to thrive. Relevance of propulsion issue is amplifying with a range of new concepts progressing to high TRLs.  The growing number of these tiny spacecraft, augmented by new capabilities and potentially advanced manoeuvrability possibilities will have a significant impact on a number of security issues. Latest ESPI Brief investigates the anticipated security issues resulting from the emergence of new cubesat capabilities and discusses the potential impact on future policy and regulatory developments. Click here. (10/31)

Blue Canyon Technologies Moves Into Constellation Market (Source: Space News)
Blue Canyon Technologies is evolving quickly. The Boulder, Colorado firm that started off selling attitude control systems and now builds and operates individual satellites for customers won a high-profile constellation contract. On Oct. 12, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded BCT a $1.5 million contract to define bus and payload requirements for Blackjack, a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit to offer persistent global communications and Earth observation.

BCT, founded in 2008, became well-known when it developed XACT, a compact Attitude Control System in 2010 under an Air Force Research Laboratory Small Business Innovative Research contract. Now, the firm’s most popular product is its XB1 commercial avionics module, currently flying on 57 spacecraft ranging in size from three-unit cubesats to satellites weighing more than 100 kilograms and designed to fit on Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Secondary Payload Adapters. (10/31)

Maritime Launch Services Releases Nova Scotia Spaceport Animation (Source: SpaceQ)
Maritime Launch Services (MLS) which is conducting an environmental focus report for the province of Nova Scotia has released an animation of their proposed spaceport. The animation, set with local music, guides the user through the various proposed facilities including the integration of payload on the Ukrainian Cyclone 4M rocket. Click here. (10/31) 

Scientists Count Whales From Space (Source: BBC)
UK scientists have demonstrated the practicality of counting whales from space. The researchers, from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), have been using the highest resolution satellite pictures available. Even when taken from 620km up, this imagery is sharp enough to capture the distinctive shapes of different species. The team will soon conduct an audit of fin whales in the Mediterranean. The first-of-its-kind assessment will be partly automated by employing a computer program to search through the satellite data. (11/1)

During Harris-L3 Talks, Keeping the Headquarters in Melbourne was Mandatory (Source: Florida Today)
As one might expect from $33.5 billion deal that creates a major new defense industry giant, the long weeks of negotiations involving Harris Corp. executives and those with L3 Technologies Inc. were tense and complex. The labyrinth of issues revolved around strategizing how to get approval of the U.S. Department of Justice, the companies' customer bases and the companies' shareholders.

There also were the complexities of the range of products they offered in the market, existing and pending contracts, and the nitty-gritty of corporate governance. All of it was on the table, except for one not-so-insignificant detail: The new company — to be called L3 Harris Technologies Inc. — had to be based in Melbourne, the corporate headquarters for Harris for the last four decades. (10/25)

SpaceX’s First Government Falcon Heavy Launch Aiming for “Early 2019” Per USAF (Source: Teslarati)
Linked to the rocket and mission through its own LightSail 2 solar sail satellite, The Planetary Society reports that the USAF and SpaceX are now targeting Falcon Heavy’s first launch for a government customer in “early 2019”. Previously expected to launch around November 30th, just a month from today, it’s clear that SpaceX’s second Falcon Heavy rocket has yet to approach flight readiness, likely marginalized by a more pressing focus on near-term Falcon 9 missions and Crew Dragon’s imminent flight debut.

According to Planetary Society, a USAF official provided an update – per the group’s involvement in its STP-2 rideshare launch – stating that its “initial launch capability” was being reassessed, essentially a roundabout way of saying “A new launch date is being determined”. Reasons for the multitude of delays since Falcon Heavy’s successful February 2018 debut are few and far between, with the most likely explanation being some combination of issues with one or several of the ~25 satellites manifested and SpaceX’s ability to build a new Falcon Heavy rocket in time. (10/30)