November 28, 2018

Morgan Stanley Says 2019 Could 'Be theYear for Space' (Source: CNBC)
Many on Wall Street are busy publishing 2019 market estimates but Morgan Stanley's added an outlook on the space industry. "We expect industry / technological milestones and capital formation will up the ante starting in 2019," Morgan Stanley's Adam Jonas wrote in a note to investors. Jonas, along with other Morgan Stanley analysts, repeated the firm's previous stance that the majority of investors "view the space economy as having little, if any, relevance to their portfolio," he said. But Morgan Stanley has been telling clients to pay attention to space companies and will be hosting a "Space Summit" next month to prepare investors.

How SpaceX Will Conduct an Inflight Abort Test for Crew Dragon (Source: Parabolic Arc)
The FAA has published its draft environmental assessment for issuing a launch license for SpaceX’s upcoming in-flight abort test for the Crew Dragon spacecraft. The abort test is currently scheduled for 2019. The abort test would involve observation, photography, and debris management associated with the breakup of the Falcon 9 first and second stages.

The launch scenario where an abort is initiated during the ascent trajectory at the maximum dynamic pressure (known as max Q) is a design driver for the launch abort system. It dictates the highest thrust and minimum relative acceleration required between Falcon 9 and the aborting Dragon. As the in‐flight abort would occur during the first stage portion of the launch trajectory, the second stage of Falcon 9 would be simplified.

The abort test would start with a nominal launch countdown and release at T-0. The Falcon 9 with the Dragon attached would follow a standard ISS trajectory with the exception of launch azimuth to approximately Mach 1. The Falcon 9 would be configured to shut down and terminate thrust, targeting the abort test shutdown condition (simulating a loss of thrust scenario). Dragon would then autonomously detect and issue an abort command, which would initiate the nominal startup sequence of Dragon’s SuperDraco engine system. (11/28)

Small Launch Vehicle Industry Entering Key Period (Source: Space News)
The next two years will be a key period for the small launch vehicle industry as several companies prepare for first flights of their vehicles and try to find their niche in a market of uncertain size. During a panel discussion at the SpaceCom Expo here Nov. 27, representatives of three small launch vehicle developers said they expected to carry out their first orbital launches in the next year with hopes of quickly scaling up to meet demand they expect from government and commercial customers.

“We see the next two years as being really critical for this industry,” said Stephen Eisele, vice president for business development at Virgin Orbit. “2019 is going to be a year where we’re going to finally start seeing these commercial smallsat dedicated launch vehicles come to the fore and start launching more regularly, proving business cases for the smallsat market.” Click here. (11/28)

Falcon 9 Booster Could Be First to Launch From All 3 Company Pads (Source: Teslarati)
A week after its original launch target, SpaceX launch engineers and technicians appear to have completed an additional suite of preflight checks that triggered an unusually long delay from November 19 to November 28. As a sort of happy accident, the mission – a Spaceflight Industries rideshare carrying ~64 satellites – will not only be the first time SpaceX has launched a given Falcon 9 booster three times, but it will also become the first time SpaceX has launched the same Falcon 9 booster from all three of the company’s orbital launch facilities.

Likely a matter of caution over expediency, that extra time was used to make sure that the mission’s twice-flown Falcon 9 B1046 booster is as ready as possible for its third launch, a subtle but absolutely critical milestone for Falcon 9 reusability. More importantly, from an operational standpoint, this is something that the company has simply never attempted, meaning that while it’s similar in concept to the numerous booster reuses SpaceX engineers and technicians have already pulled off, every aspect of B1046’s refurbishment and preparation for another launch is new territory for all. (11/27)

Space Florida in Deal with Small Rocket Company Could Bring New Launch Business and Jobs to Spaceport (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Space Florida is getting closer to completing a deal with a secret rocket launch company that will bring an estimated 239 jobs to the Space Coast. Space Florida’s Board of Directors approved a request to finalize negotiations with an undisclosed company under code name “Project Maricopa” Tuesday. Because of the competition involved in the deal, Space Florida will not reveal the name of the company until terms are complete.

Under the planned deal, the Florida Dept of Transportation will reimburse 50% of what the company spends on common infrastructure, such as roads and utilities, up to $18.9 million. In exchange, the company will invest $52 million in Florida. The 239 jobs will have an average wage of $70,000, plus benefits. The deal would include launch services at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport’s launch complex 20 and a manufacturing facility at Exploration Park, the state-run complex near Kennedy Space Center. (11/28)

United Technologies Splits Itself Into Three (Source: AP)
United Technologies is breaking itself into three independent companies after sealing its $23 billion acquisition of aviation electronics maker Rockwell Collins. The company's announcement Monday was the latest by a sprawling industrial conglomerate deciding it will be more efficient and focused as smaller, separate entities. The three companies will be United Technologies, which will house its aerospace and defense industry supplier businesses of Pratt and Whitney and Collins Aerospace Systems; Otis, the maker of elevators, escalators and moving walkways; and the Carrier air conditioning and building systems business. The separation is expected to be completed in 2020. (11/27)

Amazon Joins Lockheed Martin to Provide Ground Station Services (Source: Space News)
Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Lockheed Martin are joining forces to offer ground stations as a service to space startups. The joint venture, called AWS Ground Station and announced Tuesday, combines a network of Lockheed ground stations called Verge with AWS data centers, allowing customers to access the network on a "pay-as-you-go" basis similar to other AWS cloud computing services. The companies state that the service will make it easier and cheaper for startups to communicate with and gather data from their satellites. (11/27)

Firefly, Vector, Virgin Plan 2019 Orbital Launch Debuts (Source: Space News)
Three small launch vehicle companies say they're planning first orbital launches next year. During a panel session at the SpaceCom Expo Tuesday in Houston, representatives of Firefly Aerospace, Vector and Virgin Orbit said they expected to make their first launches to orbit in 2019, ranging from early in the year for Virgin Orbit to December 2019 for Firefly. The companies argued that, amid concerns about too many launch vehicles chasing too few satellites, that their vehicles are complementary, serving different parts of the smallsat market. They are also exploring other ways to differentiate themselves, from suborbital launch services to the development of an orbital transfer vehicle. (11/27)

Karika Picked as NASA Chief of Staff (Source: Twitter @JimBridenstine)
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has selected a new chief of staff. Janet Karika is a former Air Force officer with extensive expertise in space transportation and space policy, including work supporting NASA's Launch Services Program and serving on the FAA's Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee. She succeeds Tom Cremins, who had been serving as acting chief of staff as well as associate administrator for strategy and plans. He will now be associate administrator for strategic engagement and assessments. (11/28)

Russia's Roscosmos Space Agency Suffers 'Systemic Legal Violations' (Source: TASS)
Russian prosecutors said they've found "systemic legal violations" by the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos. A spokesman for the Russian Prosecutor General's Office said investigations have turned up 1,700 violations in 2017 and the first half of 2018. The violations include issues regarding procurement and improper conduct of research and development work. That investigation has resulted in 16 criminal cases, but no specific Roscosmos officials were identified as having violated laws. (11/27)

China Prepares for Lunar Launch on Dec. 7 (Source: GB Times)
A Chinese tracking ship has left port to support the upcoming launch of China's next lunar mission. The Yuanwang 7 space tracking vessel is headed to a point in the Pacific to provide downrange communications during the launch of the Chang'e-4 spacecraft, expected to take place Dec. 7. That robotic spacecaft will travel to the moon and attempt a landing on the lunar farside around the beginning of 2019. (11/27)

Luxembourg Unfazed by Space Investment Losses (Source: Luxembourg Times)
The head of Luxembourg's space agency said he's not fazed by the loss the country took investing in an asteroid mining startup. Luxembourg had invested 12 million euros in Planetary Resources, but lost essentially all that money when the company was sold last month to ConsenSys, a blockchain technology firm. Marc Serres, CEO of the Luxembourg Space Agency, said that such losses should be expected as only a small fraction of startups will be successful. He said a new fund that will start investing next year will do so on the expectation that only few will succeed. (11/27)

Lockheed Martin's Growth Frenzy in Orlando Bodes Well for Local Economy, Smaller Firms (Source: Orlando Business Journal)
Lockheed Martin expects to grow in Orladno at a rapid rate within the next five years, adding hundreds of workers -- an increase expected to create a ripple effect in the region. Orange County commissioners on Nov. 13 approved a $5.2 million incentive agreement for Lockheed Martin to create 750 jobs paying an average annual salary of $92,848 at its Missiles & Fire Control facility in southwest Orlando. (11/16)

2019 Shaping Up to be a Big Year for SpaceX (Source: Orlando Business Journal)
SpaceX is on pace to break its activity record this year with 20 total launches, two more than 2017. But if you think this year was a bhig deal for SpaceX, 2019 will be huge -- and Florida's Space Coast will benefit from that added work. The company launches from the Space Coast more than anywhere else, helping the egion secure a bigger slice of the $330 billion global space industry.

Two Falcon Heavy launches are planned in 2019 in Florida. SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule will launch twice, once in an uncrewed January test and then with astronauts in June. And SpaceX plans to begin sending its Starlink satellites into space next year. (11/26)