January 30, 2019

Inside Russia’s Newest Spaceport (Source: Space News)
Russia has labored for years to bring its new Vostochny Cosmodrome online. In the early morning hours of Dec. 24, a key milestone was passed with the rollout of the spaceport's first semi-commercial launch. The launch went off perfectly Dec. 27, but many questions about the future of the launch facility — intended to replace the Baikonur Cosmodrome — linger amid economic turmoil and shifting priorities for the Russian space program. Click here. (1/30) 

For Federal Contractors, the Shutdown Isn’t Quite Over (Source: Politico)
Furloughed federal employees began returning to work today after the longest government shutdown in history. But for contractors, it wasn’t so simple. Some waited anxiously for approval from federal agencies to resume their work, while others had to reapply for funding. It may still be days before some get paid, with federal contract officers buried under a backlog of invoices.

Unlike people who work directly for the government, contractors face more bureaucratic hurdles before their work can resume, experts say. “To get out of the mess, you have to unravel it on a contract by contract basis,” said David Berteau, president of the Professional Services Council, a trade group that represents a variety of federal contractors. “What can only take five minutes to stop can take days to start again.“

Some of the damage can’t be undone. In a report published Monday, the Congressional Budget Office concluded that private businesses faced some of the “largest and most direct negative effects“ of the shutdown. In addition to contractors, CBO wrote, other businesses suffered from not being able to obtain federal permits and loans. (1/29)

Pentagon Chief Backs Space Force — But as Part of the Air Force (Source: Space News)
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan confirmed Tuesday that the Pentagon's proposal for the Space Force will place it within the Air Force. Shanahan said he plans to continue to oversee the space reorganization that started last year when he was deputy secretary of defense. That includes a proposal to establish a Space Force within the Air Force, which will be included in the Pentagon's 2020 budget proposal. He called that the most efficient approach to establishing the Space Force: "It's going to be small, as small as possible a footprint." He added that he had identified a four-star officer to serve as head of the new U.S. Space Command, but didn't disclose the name of that planned nominee. (1/29)

Soyuz Problem Could Delay OneWeb Launch (Source: TASS)
A problem with a Soyuz upper stage could delay next month's scheduled launch of the first set of OneWeb satellites. A Russian space industry source said that technicians had found a "microhole" in a pipe in the Fregat stage and should determine the best way to fix it by the end of this week. The problem could delay the launch, currently scheduled for mid-February, to March. That launch will carry the first six satellites for OneWeb's broadband satellite constellation. (1/30)

Bridenstine: Shutdown Recovery Takes Time (Source: Space News)
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said Tuesday that recovering from the five-week government shutdown will take longer than the shutdown itself. In a town hall meeting with agency employees, Bridenstine said that NASA was working to get back pay to civil servants this week, but acknowledged that some contractors will not receive retroactive pay. There was no "mass exodus" of agency employees during the shutdown, he said, but noted that some contractors reassigned their employees to other projects and that it may take time for NASA to get them back or find replacements. "It is not a one-for-one delay. One day of shutdown does not equal one day of getting back into business," he said. (1/29)

Falling ULA Profits Affect Lockheed Martin Bottom Line (Source: Space News)
While profits at Lockheed Martin's space unit were up in 2018, the company is expecting a decline in 2018 thanks to its stake in United Launch Alliance. The company reported a $1.06 billion operating profit for its space unit in 2018, but said in an earnings call Tuesday it expects that profit to fall to $935–965 million in 2019. Equity earnings from ULA will drop by about $100 million 2019 due to the number and types of launches, Lockheed executives said. The partial government shutdown also has little impact on the company since most of its U.S. government business is with the Pentagon, which remained open. (1/30)

Harris and L3 Report Mixed Performance on Space Business (Source: Space News)
Harris Corporation and L3 Technologies reported contrasting financial performances in their space business as the companies press ahead with their merger. L3 reported a decline in sales from its business unit that sells traveling wave tube amplifiers for communications satellites, and the company blamed it on a misreading of commercial space demand, self-inflicted supply chain issues and lost talent resulting from factory consolidation. Harris, meanwhile, reported an 11 percent increase in revenue from its space and intelligence systems division, with a number of classified smallsat programs driving growth. The companies said their $34 billion merger, announced in October, remains on track for completion by mid-2019. (1/30)

China's CASC Announces 30+ Launches for 2019 (Source: Space News)
The main contractor for the Chinese space program is planning more than 30 launches in 2019. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) said those launches would carry more than 50 spacecraft, although the company did not disclose a full launch manifest. The planned missions include the return to flight of the Long March 5 in July, carrying the Shijian-20 communications satellite, to be followed late in the year by the Chang'e-5 lunar sample return mission. Ten Beidou navigation satellites will be launched over the course of 2019. China will also attempt its first launch from a ship, with a Long March 11 launching in June to demonstrate the ability to reach low-inclination orbits. (1/30)

Israel's IAI Teams with Germany's OHB for Lunar Lander Services (Source: Space News)
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is teaming up with German company OHB to offer commercial lunar lander services. The companies said Tuesday that they signed a teaming agreement, with OHB serving as the prime contractor and interface with customers and IAI providing a lander based on the one it built for SpaceIL, the former Google Lunar X Prize team, scheduled to launch next month. The companies foresee ESA as the initial customer for those services, pending a decision at this November's ministerial meeting on the agency's lunar plans. (1/30)