February 21, 2019

Spaceport License Sought for Stennis Airport (Source: GCAC)
The Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission (HCPHC) has decided to go ahead and seek a spaceport license. HCPHC commissioned RS&H Inc., which previously did a feasibility study, to complete an application for Stennis International Airport (HSA) to obtain a Launch Site Operator License. The license application, to be filed with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Commercial Space Transportation, would enable horizontally launched reusable launch vehicles to operate out of HSA and could open the door to commercial space flight out of the airport.

The FAA has developed regulations that enable airports to host operations of reusable launch vehicles that take off and land like aircraft. Several kinds of such vehicles are currently under development. The license application will establish regions over the Gulf of Mexico where the launches could be conducted safely and ensure the Airport has the infrastructure required to support those launch operations. (2/20)

The Cosmos Is Crowded With the Names of Men (Source: The Atlantic)
When you read through the list of missions humankind has launched into space over the past 60 years, a pattern emerges. There’s Hubble, the telescope that sighted countless glittering galaxies. Cassini and Galileo, which orbited Saturn and Jupiter, respectively, for years. Kepler, the discoverer of thousands of exoplanets; Herschel, the chronicler of the Milky Way’s star-forming regions; Huygens, the lander that plopped down on a Saturnian moon.

Magellan, Einstein, Newton, Planck, Euclid, Chandrasekhar, Fermi, Van Allen—these missions have provided scientists with heaps of information about the universe. And they are all named for men. So it was a nice surprise when the European Space Agency recently announced that its next rover mission to Mars, launching in 2020, would bear the name of a woman: Rosalind Franklin, the English chemist whose work led to the discovery of the double-helical structure of DNA in the 1950s. (2/21)

The Rivalry of SpaceX & Blue Origin: Over 10 Years of Poaching, Patents & Tweets (Source: NeoScribe)
Years before SpaceX or Blue Origin achieved any success, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos met for dinner one night in 2004. They talked about what their companies were working on and about Rocket architectures. It’s hard to imagine that the pair had any idea that 15 years later, SpaceX would actually be developing a rocket to go to Mars and that Blue Origin was on verge of completing a heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle.

And there’s no doubt that the pair had any idea of the extent of the rivalry between them would become. It’s a rivalry that spans many years and many occurrences, tracing back to the affair of poaching employees. Between 2005 and 2008, Blue Origin lured away a number of employees from SpaceX. It got to the point to where SpaceX designed a way to filter employee’s emails for the word “Blue Origin.” According to a lawsuit filed by SpaceX against a former employee, the company claims that Blue Origin would hire carefully targeted SpaceX employees in order to gain information on SpaceX design efforts. Click here. (2/19)

Florida Governor Wants Space Force, Assigns Lt. Governor to Chair Space Florida (Source: NBC Miami)
Florida's governor wants the Space Force, if it is established, based in his state. Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that he is "formally sending a request" to the president to place the headquarters of the Space Force at the Kennedy Space Center. He didn't elaborate on why he chose a NASA facility, not associated in any way with the Space Force, over alternatives like nearby Patrick Air Force Base. DeSantis also announced he was naming the state's lieutenant governor, Jeanette Nunez, to be the chair of Space Florida, the state's space development agency. (2/20)

Florida Congressmen Join Effort to Bring Space Force to Sunshine State (Source: Sunshine State News)
Led by two Republican congressmen, members of the Florida delegation are calling on the Trump administration to base the proposed U.S. Space Command in the Sunshine State. On Tuesday, Florida Republican U.S. Reps. Bill Posey and Mike Waltz wrote a letter to acting U.S. Defense Sec. Patrick Shanahan on the matter. Waltz, the only freshman Republican serving on the U.S. House Armed Forces Committee, has been increasingly vocal about his support for the space industry’s role in Florida. (2/20)

ULA and SpaceX Each Win Three Air Force Launch Contracts (Source: Space News)
SpaceX and United Launch Alliance split six launch contracts awarded by the Air Force Tuesday. SpaceX will receive $297 million to launch AFSPC-44, NROL-85 and NROL-87. ULA will receive $441.76 million under a fixed-price contract to launch SBIRS GEO-5, SBIRS GEO-6 and Silent Barker, a classified space situational awareness mission. The launches are scheduled for fiscal year 2021, with the SBIRS GEO-6 contract an option for launch in 2022. (2/19)

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Beats ULA Launch Costs by 30% in Latest Air Force Contracts (Source: Teslarati)
SpaceX received two contracts from the National Reconnaissance Office (NROL-85 and -87) and one from the USAF (AFSPC-44), while ULA received two missions from the USAF (SBIRS-5 and -6) and one from NRO (SILENTBARKER). While the announcement did not specify launch vehicle arrangements, it’s safe to assume that ULA will be flying SBIRS on Atlas V, while SpaceX will likely fly both NROL payloads on Falcon 9.

The USAF Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) offered some insight into the thought processes going on behind the scenes of the procurement initiative. While almost nothing is known about the payloads themselves, SMC appeared to confirm that SILENTBARKER (believed to be NROL-107) and AFSPC-44 could only be launched on ULA rockets at the time (Feb. 2018), although SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy was also reportedly an option. Provided just a few days before Falcon Heavy’s launch debut, SMC’s tentative inclusion of FH was understandable. (2/20)

House Subcommittee Adds Space Issues to Oversight Plans (Source: Space News)
The new chair of the House space subcommittee plans to address a number of commercial space issues. In a speech at the Commercial Space Transportation Conference last week, Rep. Kendra Horn (D-OK) said she was particularly interested in examining the issue of who will authorize and supervise emerging commercial space applications, like satellite servicing, as well as safety standards for commercial human spaceflight. Horn, named to chair the subcommittee last month, is in her first term in Congress but familiar with space issues from her time working for the Space Foundation a decade ago. (2/20)

India's New Small Rocket to Fly in July or August (Source: IANS)
The first launch of India's new small launch vehicle will carry two military satellites. The head of the Indian space agency ISRO said the inaugural flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle will carry two satellites weighing 120 kilograms each, but didn't disclose the specific missions they would perform. That vehicle, under development by ISRO, is scheduled to make its first launch in July or August. (2/20)

Russia Completes Engine Tests of Soyuz Rocket's 2nd Stage Using New Fuel (Source: Sputnik)
The engine for the second stage of the Soyuz-2 rocket using the new naphthyl rocket fuel instead of kerosene was successfully tested, a spokesperson for the United Engine Corporation said. Naphthyl fuel was first used instead of kerosene during the launch of the third stage of the Soyuz-2 rocket from Vostochny Cosmodrome in November 2017.

Tests for the engines of the first and the second stages of the carrier rocket have not been carried out before. The first launch of a Soyuz-2 with all engines using naphtyl is scheduled for 2019. The transition to naphthyl from kerosene is carried out as part of the modernization of the Soyuz-2 rocket for launches from Vostochny Cosmodrome. (2/20)

Old X-34 Airframes in Limbo Awaiting Florida Museum's Follow-Through. (Which Museum??) (Source: The Drive)
The X-34 was a NASA program with Orbital Sciences Corp. in the 1990s to develop a suborbital air-launch vehicle to test technologies for future reusable launchers, but the agency canceled the program in 2001 before the first X-34 vehicle ever flew. The two prototypes bounced around in the years since, including time at Edwards Air Force Base and Mojave, but are now sitting in a lot owned by a California company that had been hired to transport them to a museum in Florida. That company hasn't heard from the museum and so the vehicles are stuck in limbo in that lot, their condition deteriorating as they remain exposed to the elements. (2/20)

Japan's Hayabusa 2 May Finally Kick-Start the Asteroid Mining Era (Source: New Scientist)
The turn of the decade saw a huge surge of interest in asteroid mining, but now this would-be industry has flopped. Can a tiny Japanese probe revive it? On 22 February, Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft will touch down on the asteroid Ryugu and start taking samples that it will eventually return to Earth. The probe will fire a bullet at Ryugu and collect dust thrown up by the impact. Later this year, sampling will get more extreme: Hayabusa 2 will use explosives to blast a large lump of copper into the surface. This will create an artificial crater and reveal the asteroid’s insides. (2/20)

Spaceport America Named Business of the Year (Source: Spaceport America)
The Las Cruces Hispanic Chamber of Commerce gives recognition to Spaceport America at the 2019 Annual Banquet. Spaceport America crew members were happy to be part of the 2019 LCHCC Annual Banquet held on February 8, 2019 at Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces. Every year the Chamber recognizes leaders who have made an impact in the community.

"Spaceport America is honored to have received the Business of the Year award. We appreciate the continued support of our partners, community and New Mexico. Going to space is a team sport and New Mexico has one of the best teams in the world!" stated Dan Hicks, Spaceport America. (2/21)

Facebook and Viasat Collaborate for Satellite-Connected WiFi (Source: Space News)
Facebook is joining Viasat in establishing satellite-connected Wi-Fi hotspots across Mexico. Viasat said Facebook is investing in the rollout and helping to identify areas for future deployments. Facebook and Viasat are collaborating first in Mexico, but are open to expanding globally, Viasat said. Facebook Connectivity vice president Dan Rabinovitsj described Viasat’s community Wi-Fi hotspot service, now accessible to more than 1 million people, as “an example of a model that can help overcome the global connectivity challenges of accessibility and affordability, particularly in hard to reach rural areas.” (2/20)

BridgeSat Laser Comm Ground Stations Hosted by Qatari Satellite Operator (Source: BridgeSat)
Qatari satellite operator Es’hailSat will host one of BridgeSat’s laser ground stations at its new satellite teleport in Doha, Qatar. The BridgeSat ground station, using optical light instead of traditional radiofrequency airwaves, will support communications with satellites in low Earth orbit that also have optical links. Es’hailSat agreed to host BridgeSat’s first Middle East-based ground station. In an interview, BridgeSat CEO Barry Matsumori said the company hopes to have 10 stations around the world by the end of 2020. The company has announced two other ground stations, one in Fresno, California and another in the “Italian region” with Italian smallsat company Sitael. (2/20)

France's Exotrail Wins Funding for Satellite Propulsion (Source: Exotrail)
French propulsion startup Exotrail received a 1.55 million euro ($1.76 million) prize from BPIFrance for winning an “Innovation Contest,” enabling the company to add around 10 hires and purchase new test equipment. The startup is designing miniaturized Hall-Effect thrusters for small satellites ranging from 10 kilograms to several hundred kilograms. Exotrail CEO and co-founder David Henri said the award will help the company, founded in 2017, start meeting customer demand in 2020. (2/20)

Buzz Aldrin's Son Seeks to Stop His Dad From Moving Money Out of Trust (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Buzz Aldrin's son is trying to stop his father from transferring assets from a trust in the latest dispute between the Apollo 11 astronaut and two of his children over whether he is capable of managing his affairs. Andrew Aldrin's lawyer sent a letter last month to an associate in Morgan Stanley's private wealth-management division with instructions not to transfer any assets from two financial accounts in the trust, which names the younger Aldrin as trustee.

Buzz Aldrin, 89, has tried to terminate the trust and wants the assets distributed to him. The letter from Andrew Aldrin's lawyer warns Morgan Stanley that the son, acting as trustee, will seek damages if his instructions aren't followed. Morgan Stanley asked a judge last week to decide if it should follow the instructions of Buzz Aldrin or his son. It doesn't list the accounts' value.

The filing is in connection with a lawsuit Buzz Aldrin filed against Andrew Aldrin, daughter Janice Aldrin and a business manager in June. The suit accuses them of misusing his credit cards, transferring money from an account, and slandering him by saying he has dementia. Buzz Aldrin sued after the two children filed a petition claiming their father was suffering from memory loss, delusions, paranoia and confusion. (2/21)

Crew Capsule Test Launch Planned for March 2 at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: NASA)
NASA is gearing up for an uncrewed flight test of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft in a little more than a week. In a statement Wednesday, the agency said it was still working toward a March 2 launch of that spacecraft on a mission called Demo-1. If the spacecraft does launch that day, it would dock with the International Space Station a day later, departing March 8 to splash down in the Atlantic Ocean. A flight readiness review is scheduled for Friday to confirm that schedule. (2/20)

Putin Calls for Russian Space Center (Source: TASS)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for the creation of a national space center. In a "state of the nation" address Wednesday, Putin called on the government and state space corporation Roscosmos to establish the center that would unite various organizations involved in Russian space activities. The center, to be based at a Khrunichev facility, will host 20,000 people and begin operations in three and a half years. (2/21)

Launcher Develops 3D Printed Rocket Engine (Source: CNBC)
A small launch vehicle startup has claimed a big achievement in 3D printing. New York-based Launcher says it has created the largest rocket engine 3D-printed in a single piece. The E-2 engine, designed by Launcher but printed by a German company, is intended for use in a small launch vehicle the company is developing. Launcher expects to start test-firing the E-2 engine later this year. (2/21)

'Breakneck Speed' Mini Moon Hurtles Around Neptune at 20,000mph (Source: The Guardian)
A miniature moon that whizzes around Neptune at breakneck speed has been tracked by astronomers working from the US. The speck of a moon, no more than 21 miles across, hurtles around the distant gas giant at about 20,000 miles an hour, 10 times faster than our own moon circles Earth, scientists said.

“This is the smallest known moon around the farthest known planet in the solar system,” said Mark Showalter, a senior research scientist at the Seti Institute, in Mountain View, California. The scientists first saw the moon in enhanced images from the Hubble space telescope, which showed the tiny body 65,000 miles away from Neptune. It orbits the planet once every 22 hours. (2/20)

Bezos Emphasizes Altitude Advantage of New Shepard Over SpaceShipTwo (Source: Space News)
As Blue Origin prepares to start flying people on its New Shepard suborbital vehicle, the company’s founder says the altitude the vehicle can reach will put it at an advantage over Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo. In an on-stage interview with SpaceNews during a Wings Club luncheon here Feb. 20, Jeff Bezos reiterated statements made by other Blue Origin executives that the company expects to start flying people on New Shepard later this year.

“This is the first time that I’ve ever been saying ‘this year,’” he said of those plans. “For a few years I’ve been saying ‘next year.’” New Shepard has been going through a flight test program without people on board, including its most recent flight, NS-10, Jan. 23. That test program is “going really well,” he said, citing such milestones as testing of the escape system for the vehicle’s crew capsule. “We’ve tested all the envelope for escape. It’s one of the most complicated things that we’ve done.”

As Blue Origin prepares to start flying people on New Shepard, Virgin Galactic is also edging closer to commercial flights of its SpaceShipTwo vehicle. The latest test of the suborbital spaceplane, scheduled for Feb. 20 from Mojave Air and Space Port, was postponed because of winds. The company said it will try again Feb. 22. (2/20)

Small Samples with Big Mission on First Orion Flight Around the Moon (Source: NASA)
The first mission with the NASA’s Orion spacecraft will be uncrewed, but there will be several small biological passengers on the journey around the Moon to help pave the way for future human explorers. NASA’s Space Biology Program selected four space biology investigations that will look at the nutritional value of seeds, DNA repair of fungi, adaptation of yeast, and gene expression of algae to help researchers better understand how biological systems are affected by a deep space environment in preparation for human missions to the Moon, and eventually Mars.

The common theme to these investigations is to study DNA damage and protection from radiation, for Moon missions, where radiation exposure will be roughly twice what it is on the International Space Station. Orion will launch on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from the modernized spaceport at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for its maiden mission around the Moon and back over the course of about three weeks. Researchers will use this uncrewed flight test as an opportunity to study effects from the combined environment of space radiation and microgravity. (2/15)

Countdown to Calving at Brunt Ice Shelf (Source: NASA)
Cracks growing across Antarctica’s Brunt Ice Shelf are poised to release an iceberg with an area about twice size of New York City. It is not yet clear how the remaining ice shelf will respond following the break, posing an uncertain future for scientific infrastructure and a human presence on the shelf that was first established in 1955. Click here. (2/19)