November 22, 2018

What is Going On with SpaceX and All These Big Falcon Rocket Changes? (Source: Ars Technica)
SpaceX and Elon Musk have been in the news a lot in recent days, both because of financial disclosures and the rocket company founder's musings on Twitter about his current space obsession—the Big Falcon Rocket or BFR. There has been a lot to process, so here's our best attempt to make sense of what Musk has said and what it may really mean. Musk started breaking news about SpaceX rocket designs about two weeks ago, so we'll start there. Click here. (11/20)

Mars Moon Got its Grooves From Rolling Stones, Study Suggests (Source: Brown University)
A new study bolsters the idea that strange grooves crisscrossing the surface of the Martian moon Phobos were made by rolling boulders blasted free from an ancient asteroid impact.

The research, published in Planetary and Space Science, uses computer models to simulate the movement of debris from Stickney crater, a huge gash on one end of Phobos’ oblong body. The models show that boulders rolling across the surface in the aftermath of the Stickney impact could have created the puzzling patterns of grooves seen on Phobos today. (11/20)

Skinny Space Force? Budget Analyst Says a $3 Billion Service Is Possible (Source: Military.com)
If the Defense Department sticks with a bare-minimum option to create a Space Force, it's possible it could keep new spending between $1.5 billion to $2.7 billion over the next five years -- a relatively economical $300 million to $550 million per year. But that's a big if.

A new report from the Center for Strategic & International Studies laid out by its author Todd Harrison finds that if the Pentagon sticks to a streamlined plan of transferring money already allocated for space operations and personnel into a new military service, the costs could be relatively conservative in DoD spending terms. (11/20)

NASA Mobilizes to Aid California Fires Response (Source: NASA JPL)
For the past two weeks NASA scientists and satellite data analysts have been working every day producing maps and damage assessments that can be used by disaster managers battling the Woolsey Fire near Los Angeles and the Camp Fire in Northern California. The agency-wide effort also deployed a research aircraft over the Woolsey Fire on Nov. 15 to identify burned areas at risk of mudslides in advance of winter rains expected in the area.

Spearheaded by NASA's Disasters Program in the Earth Science Division, the team produces a variety of data products largely derived from satellite observations, including maps showing the locations of active fires, damage caused by fires, and burned areas that are susceptible to landslides and mudslides. (11/20)

Australia’s Space and AI Industries get a $35 Million Boost from CSIRO (Source: Smart Company)
Australia’s space and machine learning industries have received a significant boost following the announcement of $35 million in funding from its national science agency. The CSIRO investment will include the development of advanced imaging of Earth from satellites, in addition to cutting-edge data science to support the growth of AI technology.

Space Technology will receive $16 million to identify and develop the science to leapfrog traditional technologies and find new areas for the Australian industry to work in. It will initially focus on advanced technologies for Earth observation, and then address challenges such as space object tracking, resource utilization in space, and developing manufacturing and life support systems for missions to the Moon and Mars. (11/21)

Rocket Firm Landspace Nets $43 Million in Fresh Financing (Source: Asia Times)
Chinese private space launch company Landspace Technology said on Tuesday it has completed a B+ round financing worth 300 million yuan (US$43.19 million), Yicai.com reported. The company said the funds raised will be mainly used for the research and development of its main products — the oxygen/methane “Tianque” engine (TQ-12), and the medium-sized “Zhuque 2” carrier rocket (ZQ-2), and its supporting infrastructure.

As of the end of September 2018, the total financing amount of Landspace has exceeded 800 million yuan. Landspace is a leading startup that has developed rapidly in China’s private space sector in recent years. Its self-developed liquid-fuel launch vehicle uses technology similar to Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. (11/21)

Neil deGrasse Tyson: Why Elon Musk is More Important Than Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg (Source: CNBC)
Which of this generation's biggest tech luminaries and innovators will ultimately be remembered for having the greatest lasting effect on the world? It's a tough question, especially when you consider the role that people like Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg play in our everyday lives. But, if you ask renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, the answer is simple: Elon Musk.

"As important as Steve Jobs was, no doubt about it — [and] you have to add him to Bill Gates, because they birthed the personal computing revolution kind of together — here's the difference: Elon Musk is trying to invent a future, not by providing the next app," deGrasse Tyson tells CNBC Make It about the Tesla and SpaceX CEO.

"What Elon Musk is doing is not simply giving us the next app that will be awesome on our smartphone," deGrasse Tyson says. "No, he is thinking about society, culture, how we interact, what forces need to be in play to take civilization into the next century." Between Musk's work at Tesla developing electric cars and his plans to put humans on Mars by 2024 (and, eventually, to colonize the planet), the billionaire tech executive is attempting to revolutionize both human transportation and space exploration, deGrasse Tyson says. (11/20)

Funding and Laws for Spaceports Need to be Implemented (Source: The Packet)
Cornwall’s space industry ambitions have taken center stage at Westminster this week with a high-powered briefing for MPs and Ministers – and a warning that the UK risks losing its commercial advantage unless new laws and funding to establish UK spaceports are brought forward quickly. The briefing at Portcullis House was organised by St Austell and Newquay MP Steve Double, who has championed plans to establish a horizontal launch spaceport at Cornwall Airport Newquay.

It was attended by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, Aviation Minister Liz Sugg (who also visited Cornwall Airport Newquay last week), MPs, space industry leaders, Cornwall Council and the Local Enterprise Partnership. Steve Double MP said: “The Space Industry Bill in March was a crucial milestone towards commercial space flight from the UK, and it’s vital we don’t lose momentum. I’m pressing Ministers to bring forward the necessary supplementary legislation and investment to pave the way for launch from Cornwall.” (11/20)