December 31, 2018

Unfinished Business (Source: Space Review)
With 2018 coming to an end, part of the federal government, including NASA, is shut down. Jeff Foust reports on the shutdown and a failed effort in Congress to pass a commercial space regulatory reform bill. Click here. (12/31)
 
GSAT-7A and India’s Growing Military Space Needs (Source: Space Review)
India launched in December a communications satellite devoted to the Indian Air Force. Ajey Lele explains how this is a sign of the growing importance of space to India’s military. Click here. (12/31)
 
India's Space Agency Evaluating Startup Proposal Regarding Model Rocketry (Source: Economic Times)
The Department of Space has received a proposal from a startup regarding model rocketry and they are evaluating the application for further action, Parliament was informed Monday. "Yes, Department of Space/ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) has received one proposal from a start-up company regarding model rocketry and they are evaluating the same," Minister of State for Commerce and Industry C R Chaudhary said.

He also said that the there is no proposal under consideration in the department of industrial policy and promotion for the amendment of rules and regulations pertaining to use of explosives to encourage model rocketry in the country. In January 2016, the government unveiled incentives to boost startup businesses, offering them a tax holiday, inspector raj-free regime and capital gains tax exemption as part of the startup action plan. (12/31)

Names That Maim: Rebranding the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway (Source: Space Review)
NASA may see its Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, or LOP-G, as the next step in human space exploration, but that name leaves something to be desired. Bob Mahoney makes the case for a better name. Click here. (12/31)

Virginia Launch Site Will Be Company’s First in U.S. (Source: Virginia Business)  
A new launch facility at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island is expected to boost Virginia’s aerospace industry. Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex-2 will be the Los Angeles-based company’s first in the United States. Rocket Lab and Virginia Space, which runs the spaceport, are teaming together to build the $20 million complex. It will be located near a launch pad used by Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems to launch its Antares rockets.

Gov. Ralph Northam approved a $5 million grant for the project through the commonwealth’s Transportation Partnership Opportunity Fund. The development of Launch Complex-2 “strengthens our existing position as the industry leader providing frequent and tailored access to orbit for small satellites,” says Peter Beck, Rocket Lab’s CEO.

The spaceport, which is co-located at NASA Wallops Island, was one of four locations under consideration for the Rocket Lab project. The company also looked at Cape Canaveral in Florida, Pacific Spaceport Complex–Alaska and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Virginia made the final cut thanks to high flight frequency available from the spaceport along with a rapid construction timeline. Rocket Lab’s first Electron rocket launch from the site is targeted for the third quarter of next year. (12/31)

Alaska Aerospace Corporation Proposes Hawaii Launch Site (Source: KTUU)
An Alaska-owned aerospace corporation wants to build a satellite launch site in Hawaii. The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports an environmental assessment is being drafted for a proposed small satellite launch facility on the east side of the Big Island. The Alaska Aerospace Corporation wants to build its next site for launches closer to the equator.

The state of Alaska established the corporation to develop an aerospace industry. It operates the Pacific Spaceport Complex, a launch facility on Kodiak Island. The organization's president says he's aware spaceport proposals have been kept grounded on the Big Island because of environmental and safety concerns. Officials say rockets wouldn't launch daily and they would be far enough away from homes. Community activist Terri Napeahi says she can't image rockets being low-impact no matter how small. (12/31)

China Launches Another Experimental Commsat (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
China launched an experimental low Earth orbit communications satellite Saturday. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 3 a.m. Eastern and placed the Hongyan-1 satellite into orbit. The satellite is the first in a proposed constellation of more than 300 satellites that will provide L- and Ka-band communications services. The rocket also carried six Yunhai-2 satellites to perform atmospheric research. The launch used a new upper stage, called Yuanzheng 3, designed for launching large numbers of small satellites into different orbits. (12/31)

Shutdown Continues (Source: Politico)
The partial government shutdown has entered its second week with no signs of an immediate resolution. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Sunday that negotiations between the White House and key members of Congress were at an "impasse" and that if each side continued to blame the other, "this could last a long, long time." No progress is likely before Thursday, when the new Congress convenes and the House, now under Democratic leadership, is expected to pass a new continuing resolution similar to the one the Senate passed on a voice vote Dec. 19. NASA is among the agencies affected by the shutdown that started Dec. 22. (12/31)

India Pushing Commercial Space Bill (Source: Hindustan Times)
India's government is also expected to push through a commercial space bill in 2019. The Space Activities Bill, a draft of which was released more than a year ago, would regulate commercial space activities in the country to ensure compliance with international treaties. Proponents of the bill say it could encourage the development of India's space industry to keep the country competitive on the international market. (12/31)

Turkey Establishes National Space Agency (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree formally establishing his nation’s space agency. “A space agency has been created in our country. This is a landmark step, we have achieved one more goal. The agency will put us at the forefront of space exploration and technology,” Erdogan said during a ceremony honoring scientists in Ankara. “Our aim is to turn Turkey into a center of attraction for all scientists. Scientific research and project centers established in almost every part of Turkey are particular examples of these efforts,” he added. (12/31)

Lost Falcon 9 Complicates Canadian Satellite Launch (Source: SpaceQ)
The botched landing of a Falcon 9 first stage early this month could delay the launch of a Canadian radar satellite system. The first stage that launched a Dragon cargo mission in December was scheduled to be reflown in February for the Radarsat Constellation Mission (RCM). However, the stage fell into the ocean after experiencing a problem during landing and, while salvaged, may not be flown again. That's expected to delay the RCM launch since the contract with SpaceX called for the use of a previously flown booster to save money, and there are no boosters currently available that have flown only once. (12/31)

Russia Readies Angara for Second Flight (Source: Sputnik)
Russia's Angara-A5 rocket will make its second launch as soon as May. The rocket, which made its only launch to date in late 2014, is now scheduled to launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in May using a new upper stage, according to an industry source, although the payload for that mission was not disclosed. The launch pad at Plesetsk is being modified for the upcoming launch. (12/31)

SpaceX- Rewind 2018: A Year To Remember (Sources: SpaceX, YouTube)
Building off its earlier momentum—8 launches in 2016 and 18 in 2017, SpaceX pulled off 21 launches in 2018, a staggering achievement for the 16-year-old company. SpaceX’s reusable rocket technology moved out of the proof-of-concept stage to become the backbone of a growing fleet of flight-proven rockets. Although the company landed its first rocket in 2015, it took until 2017 for SpaceX to reuse its first booster. This year landings became almost routine, and engineers bid farewell to the moderately reusable Falcons of yesterday, ushering in an era of more capable Falcons, dubbed the Block 5.

Another long-standing goal was to debut its heavy-lift rocket, the Falcon Heavy. First estimated to fly back in 2013, the Falcon Heavy took its inaugural flight on Feb. 6th. After sending a cherry red Tesla roadster (complete with Starman pilot) on a journey past Mars, the three cores of the Falcon Heavy—each essentially its own Falcon 9 rocket—returned to Earth. Two of the boosters touched down in perfect synchronization on LZ-1 and LZ-2, SpaceX’s designated landing zones at Cape Canaveral. The Heavy’s center booster, however, missed its targeted landing spot on a waiting drone ship, and plopped into the Atlantic Ocean.

Musk announced that Yusaku Maezawa was the mysterious billionaire who had reserved both seats the first paying customer on SpaceX’s next-generation rocket—the BFR. Billed from the start as an interplanetary transport vehicle, BFR (which is composed of two parts, a rocket and a spaceship capable of carrying hundreds of people into space) Click here. (12/30)