January 2, 2019

Hawaii Officials Comment on Proposed Big Island Launch Site (Source: Big Island Now)
The Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) wants to build the Pacific Spaceport Complex-Hawai‘i (PSCH) on the Big Island of Hawai‘i in the Panaewa area of the Big Island to launch rockets from. The corporation has launched 17 rockets over 15 years from 1998 to 2015, averaging about one launch a year. An environmental assessment (EA) is being drafted for the proposed launch facility on the Big Island. AAC operates the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Kodiak Island and wants to build its next site for launches closer to the equator as its program in Alaska is currently on hold.

A launch site design was submitted in June of 2018, for the EA. “The development team has designed the site for two separate launch pads within the desired 15 acres for both liquid and solid propellants,” according to the June minutes. “AAC is currently awaiting permission from local government agencies to clear an access road to the site to conduct the environmental and archeological assessments. After that the environmental team will finalize their environmental assessment and move to public scoping.” Click here to see the reaction of local officials (1/1)

After Ultima Thule Flyby, New Horizons Probe Seeks Another Target (Source: Space News)
Even before completing this flyby, the New Horizons team was making initial plans for a potential future flyby of another object. Project officials said New Horizons has enough power and fuel to operate into the 2030s, and will continue flying through the Kuiper Belt until the late 2020s. While no object has yet been found for the spacecraft to fly by, scientists propose using telescopes both on the Earth and in orbit, as well as the spacecraft's own instruments, to look for another small body. The mission will submit a proposal for another extended mission in the next planetary science senior review in 2020 to carry out that flyby. (1/2)

Planned Rogozin Visit to US Opposed in Congress Due to Sanctions (Source: Politico)
A planned visit by the head of Roscosmos to the United States is facing bipartisan criticism. Dmitry Rogozin is barred from entering the United States because of sanctions linked to his former role as deputy prime minister for supporting the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in October that he had won approval to temporarily waive those sanctions to allow Rogozin to visit the United States, perhaps in February. Some critics, such as Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), argue that allowing Rogozin to visit "sends the wrong message." Few details about the planned visit, including its schedule and itinerary, have been released. (1/2)

OSIRIS-REx Orbits Bennu (Source: Space.com)
NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft entered orbit around the asteroid Bennu Monday. An eight-second engine burn put the spacecraft into an orbit about 1.6 kilometers above the surface of Bennu. The asteroid, with a diameter of approximately 500 meters, is the smallest solar system body ever orbited by a spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx will study the asteroid from that orbit and look for a place on the surface to collect samples from for return to Earth in 2023. (1/2)

Bradford Space Acquires Deep Space Industries (Source: Space News)
Deep Space Industries (DSI), a smallsat technology company founded to pursue asteroid mining, has been acquired by another space technology company. Bradford Space, a U.S.-owned company with facilities in Europe, acquired DSI in a deal announced Tuesday, terms of which were not disclosed. Both DSI and Bradford have developed smallsat propulsion systems using non-toxic propellants, and Bradford sees the acquisition as complementary in terms of technologies and markets. DSI was established in 2012 with a goal of extracting resources from asteroids, although its focus in recent years has been on smallsat systems. Bradford says it won't rule out continuing to pursue asteroid mining as a long-term aspiration, although for now it's "taking things step by step." (1/2)

How Women Took Over the Military-Industrial Complex (Source: Politico)
From the executive leadership of top weapons-makers, to the senior government officials designing and purchasing the nation’s military arsenal, the United States’ national defense hierarchy is, for the first time, largely run by women.

As of Jan. 1, the CEOs of four of the nation's five biggest defense contractors — Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and the defense arm of Boeing — are now women. And across the negotiating table, the Pentagon's top weapons buyer and the chief overseer of the nation's nuclear stockpile now join other women in some of the most influential national security posts, such as the nation's top arms control negotiator and the secretary of the Air Force. (1/2)

Air Force Focuses on 'Defendable Space' (Source: Space News)
As the debate about establishing a Space Force continues, the Secretary of the Air Force says she's committed to improving space security. In an interview last month, Heather Wilson said that the Air Force is working on "defendable space," a broad term that describes programs and tactics to protect U.S. satellites from enemy attacks. That work is itself not controversial, she argued, noting that the Air Force's proposal to increase spending in those areas was the "dog that didn't bark" in the debate on the Pentagon's 2019 budget. She said that she was "100 percent aligned with the president" on the Space Force, with plans for establishing the service expected to be included in the administration's 2020 budget proposal. (1/2)

Air Force Turns to Nontraditional Contracting for Space Technology Projects (Source: Space News)
The Air Force just over a year ago formed a Space Enterprise Consortium to expedite the development and prototyping of satellites, ground systems, space sensors and other technologies that U.S. adversaries are advancing at a rapid pace. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson hailed the SpPEC as a successful business model that cuts red tape considerably compared to traditional defense contracting. The consortium so far has started 34 projects worth about $110 million and has been authorized to fund nearly $400 million in additional projects over the next four years. (12/31)

Army Awards Harris Corp. $200M for Satellite Support Contract (Source: C4ISRnet)
The Army has awarded Harris Corp. a follow-on contract worth nearly $218 million to support the service’s wideband satellite operations centers and management sites. The contract — the Wideband Satellite Communications Operations and Technical Support II — will deliver critical communications to war fighters globally, company leaders said in a December press release. WGS satellites are used to provide communication capabilities to U.S. and international forces.

Harris will support global networks and operations center at 21 locations across the globe, providing operations and maintenance, life-cycle engineering, on-site technical assistance, equipment installation, depot-level repair, logistics, cybersecurity and training and sustainment. The award comes after Harris also executed the first Wideband Satellite Communications Operations and Technical Support contract worth $160 million. (12/31)

India Plans 14 Launches in 2019 (Source: Times of India)
India is planning to perform as many as 14 launches this year. In a New Year's message, K. Sivan, head of the Indian space agency ISRO, said those launches will include India's first lunar lander, Chandrayaan-2, scheduled for launch early this year. Other priorities for ISRO this year include development of a new small satellite launch vehicle and ramping up work on its human spaceflight program. (1/2)

Orbcomm Satellite Breaks Up into 34 Orbiting Pieces (Source: Space News)
One of Orbcomm’s first-generation satellites broke up Dec. 22, resulting in 34 trackable objects, according to the U.S. Air Force’s 18 Space Control Squadron. Marc Eisenberg, Orbcomm’s CEO, told SpaceNews the company is still investigating the cause of the breakup. Eisenberg said the damaged OG1 satellite was no longer providing service, and that more than 90 percent of Orbcomm’s communications traffic goes through its newer OG2 satellites launched in 2014 and 2015. Orbcomm’s first two generations of satellites are uninsured, according to a 2018 filing. (1/2)

Kratos Wins New Space Business in 2018 (Source: Kratos)
Kratos Defense and Security Solutions said Dec. 31 it has received $65 million in recent space and satellite communications business through new contracts and extensions on existing contracts. The company will provide products for satellite command and control, signal monitoring, cloud-enabled architectures and other ground segment applications. Kratos said work from the new contracts should be “substantially completed” over the next 12 months. (1/2)

OneWeb Not Offering Russia a Stake (Source: OneWeb)
OneWeb says it has not offered the Russian government a stake in the company, though changes are underway with a joint venture it has in the country. OneWeb said it is restructuring a joint venture with Russian partner Gonets that is focused solely on commercializing satellite broadband in Russia. Gonets will have majority ownership of the joint venture as a result of the restructuring. “[W]e have been approached by many potential investors,” OneWeb wrote Dec. 28. “The Russian Government is not one of them.” (1/2)