February 26, 2019

SpaceX Nighttime Test Fees Pay for Park in McGregor (Source: Waco Tribune-Herald)
Rocket testing at SpaceX in McGregor creates a rumble felt miles away in North Waco, sometimes rattling windows and nerves after the sun goes down. But baseball fans in the community west of Waco are tempted to stand and cheer when the rumble starts later than city leaders would prefer. Truth is, when Falcon rockets are put through their paces between 9 and 11 p.m., the city receives payments from the California-based rocket company now aiming for Mars.

This “hush” money for five years has profited a special fund to support youth baseball in McGregor, so designated by the McGregor City Council. About $440,000 later, the city christened Launch Pad Park, whose name reflects a tip of the cap to SpaceX, not a moon shot by a star player. The McGregor Economic Development Corp. pledged $75,000 toward the cause, giving the community a $515,000 pot. Launch Pad Park, which will be dedicated during ceremonies April 13, was previously called Bluebonnet Park. (2/24)

Israeli Lunar Lander Suffers Glitch on Way to the Moon (Source: Space.com)
The world's first private lunar lander has hit a snag en route to the moon. On Monday (Feb. 25), the Beresheet moon lander built by the Israeli startup SpaceIL missed a planned maneuver to steer the spacecraft along its eight-week journey to the lunar surface. The maneuver was originally scheduled for 5 p.m. EST (12 a.m. local time on Tuesday in Israel) as Beresheet orbited the Earth out of communications range with its mission control center.

"During the pre-maneuver phase the spacecraft computer reset unexpectedly, causing the maneuver to be automatically cancelled," SpaceIL representatives said in a statement. "The engineering teams of SpaceIL and IAI are examining the data and analyzing the situation. At this time, the spacecraft's systems are working well, except for the known problem in the star tracker." Star trackers are used by the spacecraft to help orient itself in space with respect to target stars.

Beresheet successfully deployed its landing legs shortly after launch and executed its first in-space maneuver on Sunday (Feb. 24) despite problems with the spacecraft's star trackers. In-flight testing has revealed a "high sensitivity to blinding by the sun's rays in the star trackers," SpaceIL team members have said. After missing its engine maneuver Monday, the lander is back in communication with its ground team as flight controllers work on next steps. (2/26)

Failed 1970s Venus Probe Could Crash to Earth This Year (Source: Space.com)
Here's another warning about incoming space hardware — but this saga has an interplanetary connection. First, we have to peel back space history to the early 1970s, just after the height of the Cold War space-race between the Soviet Union and the United States. The Soviet Union launched the Cosmos 482 Venus probe on March 31, 1972. But the spacecraft messed up its rocket-powered escape to that cloud-veiled world and got trapped in Earth orbit. A big chunk of that failed craft remains in orbit today as space junk — but it's due to come down soon, perhaps as early as this year, experts said. (2/25)

Is the Time Right for Arizona to Build a Spaceport? (Source: AZ Big Media)
With the global space economy currently valued at $350 billion, more states are taking a close look at what the emerging “new space” market can do for their residents.  Colorado’s Front Range Airport is the most recent recipient of a FAA-issued launch site operator’s license changing its name to Colorado Air and Space Port. Colorado joins the likes of California, Florida, Virginia, New Mexico, Alaska, Texas, and Oklahoma as a state capable of facilitating some version of launch services for private industry.

Arizona is already one of the top aerospace manufacturing states having long ago attracted industry heavyweights such as Boeing, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and General Dynamics, among others.  A 2018 report by PwC ranked Arizona No. 4 in aerospace manufacturing attractiveness, describing Arizona as “an ideal climate for aircraft testing and space observation, good transportation infrastructure, and business-friendly tax policy.” A 2018 report by Deloitte Consulting further highlighted southern Arizona’s potential for a favorable and successful commercial space ecosystem and pointed to the importance of formalizing “a unified mission for the region around key strengths and defined growth areas.”

Arizona is favorably positioned to grow in the industry and establish a unique, world-class launch site of its own. Receiving a launch site operator’s license and creating a launch site is a fundamental step to supporting that growth. The FAA requires the completion of a number of studies during the multi-year application and review process that can cost upwards of $1 million. However, with the global space industry estimated by Morgan Stanley to be valued at $1.1 trillion or more by 2040, the cost could be viewed as a wise investment. (2/26)

First Emirati Set To Head to Space in September (Source: France24)
The United Arab Emirates announced Monday that the first astronaut from the Gulf country will blast off on a mission to the International Space Station on September 25. The oil-rich state has two astronauts in training, selected from more than 4,000 applicants, as it looks to get an ambitious space programme aimed at exploring Mars off the ground.

The authorities said a decision on which of the two astronauts would take off on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft for the eight-day mission will be made in May. Both candidates -- Hazza al-Mansouri, 35, and Sultan al-Neyadi, 37 -- said they would be happy to see the UAE represented in space, no matter who makes the journey. (2/25)

A 30-Million-Page Archive of Humanity's Achievements (and Failures) Is Headed to the Moon (Source: Gizmodo)
Israel’s privately built Beresheet lunar lander is currently en route to the Moon—and tucked away on it is a small disk that’s crammed with 30 million pages of documents offering a primer on human knowledge. The collection of images, text, and symbols is the first step in a project to build a “Lunar Library” and part of a larger initiative to create a galactic archive of Earth.

The arctic home of the Doomsday Vault containing a selection of the world’s seeds is under threat of thawing as climate change becomes a more urgent reality. And nuclear annihilation still looms in the background as an ever-present reminder that Earth might not be the secure location to store all of the records of human knowledge and progress. For those reasons and more, the Arch Mission Foundation (AMF) is working on a multi-pronged approach to shrink down “the records of our civilization” into a sustainable format and fling them around the galaxy.

The first disc in the Lunar Library initiative, placed on the Beresheet lander, was launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and could reach the Moon as soon as April 11. The DVD-sized archive composed of 25 nickel film discs was custom-manufactured by NanoArchival for the AMF to store a dizzying amount of information in analog and digital formats. While we don’t have a reliable way to say for certain that the device can withstand extreme temperatures and radiation blasts for billions of years, that’s the dream. (2/25)

Time To End Public Subsidies For Spaceport America (Source: KRWG)
Recently I sat in the audience listening to a spokesperson for Spaceport America explain the benefits of the Spaceport to the local economy. I was underwhelmed. Touted recent accomplishments were the filming of music videos and a intercollegiate science fair. I asked the speaker for her best economic argument for Spaceport America. She argued that New Mexico should support the space port because travel to space was romance.

I was shocked. The justification for the massive government support of the Spaceport, the reasons why voters have supported taxes to fund it, always has been and always will be economic development. Yet here was a spokesperson saying the Spaceport was not and would not contribute to economic development.

And with that I now admit I was wrong. I have long been an advocate for the Spaceport, dating back to the election in April 2007, when Sierra and Dona Ana County voters approved a gross receipts tax increment to raise $49 million dollars to help fund the Spaceport. But Spaceport America just hasn’t panned out and it is time to end public subsidies. (2/25)

Florida Lands First Blow Over Colorado in Battle to House Space Force (Source: The Gazette)
Colorado Springs is home to the bulk of the military’s space troops with Air Force Space Command and Army Space and Missile Defense Command at Peterson Air Force Base and other units at Schriever Air Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station and Fort Carson. But that didn’t slow Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis from making a pitch to put the Space Force in a new home.

Colorado lawmakers have pushed for more than a year to house the new service, with Colorado Springs Republican U.S. Rep Doug Lamborn leading the charge. Lamborn this year took the post as ranking member of the powerful subcommittee overseeing military readiness and told The Gazette he will use that heft to push the service to Colorado. Lamborn was joined Wednesday by Colorado Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, who issued a plea to house the Space Force here. (2/25)

Colorado Springs Could Have a Space Force Ally in Air Force's Top General (Source: The Gazette)
Colorado may have a four-star ally in the battle to keep its big role in the military space business. Gen. David Goldfein, the Air Force's top general, visited Colorado last week and had nothing but praise for the home of five of his service's installations and its top command for space. The Air Force under Goldfein's leadership is helping to craft a new Space Force at the urging of President Trump. (2/26)

Virgin Galactic Hopes to Launch Tourist Flights to Space by End of 2019 (Source: ABC.net)
The reusable spacecraft, named the SpaceShipTwo, is designed to carry six passengers on a suborbital flight, reaching an altitude of 100 kilometres above Earth. With a wingspan of 8 meters, the ship can change shape at its peak altitude to allow for re-entry into the atmosphere. According to the company, the cabin is designed to "optimise the out-of-seat zero gravity experience for our astronauts". More than 600 people have booked tickets for civilian flights. (2/25)

A World Heritage Site on the Moon? That’s Not as Spacey as it Sounds (Source: Los Angeles Times)
On Sept. 13, 1959, a day that we can pretty much guarantee was clear and sunny on the moon, the Soviet Union crash-landed its Luna 2 spacecraft in a region east of what is known to Earthlings as the Mare Serenitatis. A decade later, the U.S. landed the first human beings on the moon in the Mare Tranquillitatis.

The Soviets left the wreckage of their unmanned craft where it landed, but the Apollo 11 Lunar Module known as the Eagle — after 21.5 hours on the surface of the moon and walks by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin — reconnected with Apollo 11 so the astronauts could return home, leaving behind a U.S. flag, a plaque and human boot prints, which remain, incongruously enough, visible in the lunar dust nearly half a century later.

Now, there’s an effort underway to extend the designations and protections of the United Nations’ World Heritage sites to these two historic moon locations and other locations in space that represent significant advances in humankind’s explorations. If the Moonkind folks are concerned for the future, the U.N. is the appropriate place for a discussion on how such sites should be weighed for historic significance and then protected. (2/22)

New European Rocket Includes SpaceX Style Reusability (Source: Ars Technica)
Ariane Group and the French space agency CNES announced the creation of an "acceleration platform" to speed development of future launch vehicles. The initiative, called ArianeWorks, would be a place where "teams work together in a highly flexible environment, open to new players and internationally." As part of the announcement, the organizations released a promotional video for the group's first step—a so-called Themis demonstrator.

The goal of this project is to build a multiple-engine first-stage rocket that launches vertically and lands near the launch site. The rocket will be powered by Europe's Prometheus engine, a reusable liquid oxygen and methane engine that may cost as little as $1 million to build. The new video is striking because of how similar the Themis demonstrator of "breakthrough technologies" looks to SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. Even the engines, with a thrust of 100 tons each, are similar to the output of the Merlin 1D that powers the Falcon 9 rocket. (One difference is that the Merlin 1D engine uses kerosene fuel instead of methane). Click here. (2/26)

SpaceX to European Competitors: We’re Not Subsidized, You Are (Source: Ars Technica)
Last summer, the Trump administration announced that it was opening negotiations with the European Union to achieve "fairer, more balanced trade" on behalf of US corporations, workers, and consumers. Since then, the talks have proceeded in fits and starts, with the president threatening auto tariffs if he didn't like the deal struck by the current US Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer.

As part of this process, US companies were apparently asked what grievances they had concerning current barriers to free trade with the European Union. The most prolific US rocket company, SpaceX, was among those that responded, and the company used the opportunity to complain about foreign subsidies propping up its competitors for commercial satellite launches.

On Dec. 10, SpaceX director of commercial sales Stephanie Bednarek wrote to Edward Gresser, chair of the Trade Policy Staff Committee in the Office of the US Trade Representative. "The largest constraint to the expansion of SpaceX launch services to European governments and companies is the continued government subsidization of the European launch vehicle programs,"  Bednarek wrote. "It is essential that American commercial launch providers are able to compete fairly in European government and commercial space launch tenders." (2/22)

Commercial Space Policy Issues for 2019 (Source: Space Review)
This year is expected to include major milestones in commercial spaceflight, such as key test flights of orbital and suborbital vehicles. There’s also, Jeff Foust reports, some unfinished business in commercial space policy intended to support those and other ventures. Click here. (2/25)
 
What Should be Japan’s Strategy for Human Space Exploration? (Source: Space Review)
As NASA seeks partners for its plans to establish a lunar Gateway and return to the Moon, Japan must consider what roles it wishes to play in that effort. Takashi Uchino examines the rationales for human spaceflight in Japan and how to balance that with robotic space exploration. Click here. (2/25)
 
A Space Service in Support of American Grand Strategy (Source: Space Review)
President Trump recently signed a space policy directive that formally begins the process of creating a Space Force. Lamont Colucci argues that a full-fledged Space Force, as a separate military service and not one that is part of the Air Force, is essential to the future of American grand strategy. Click here. (2/25) 

Raptor Engine Test Pushes Limits (Source: Teslarati)
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says that the first full-scale Starship engine to be tested has already been pushed to the point of damage less than three weeks after the campaign began, setting the stage for the second full-scale Raptor to take over in the near future.  SpaceX’s propulsion team finalized Raptor’s baseline design and completed assembly, shipment, and an integrated static fire of the first full-scale engine on February 3.

According to Musk, while most of the damaged pathfinder Raptor’s components should still be easily reusable, the assembly of the second finalized engine is “almost done” and that Raptor will take over near-term testing rather than waiting for repairs to the first engine. This is undoubtedly an extraordinarily aggressive test program, particularly for such a new and cutting-edge rocket propulsion system, but these latest developments are ultimately far more encouraging than they are concerning.

Raptor’s main combustion chamber (the bit directly above the nozzle) has been designed to nominally operate at and reliably withstand extraordinary pressures of 250+ bar (3600+ psi), performance that demands even higher pressures in the components that feed hot methane and oxygen gas into Raptor’s combustion chamber. One prime example is its oxygen preburner, used to convert liquid propellant into a high-velocity gas that can then feed a dedicated oxygen turbopump. Aside from the absurdly corrosive environment created by extremely hot gaseous oxygen, the preburner must also survive pressures that could peak as high as 800+ bar, or 12,000 psi. (2/25)

Soyuz Anomaly During Egyptian Satellite Launch Caused by Human Factor (Source: Sputnik)
The emergency situation during the recent launch of the Egyptian earth observation satellite Egyptsat-A was caused by incorrect calibration of fuel sensors on the Soyuz rocket prior to launch. Roscosmos said that EgyptSat-A had been successfully delivered to the designated orbit and was operating in nominal regime. However, Russian space industry sources told Sputnik that the third stage of the Soyuz rocket failed to bring the Egyptian satellite to a target orbit, and the Fregat booster was used to compensate for the orbiting error. (2/23)

How Did The Universe Expand To 46 Billion Light-Years In Just 13.8 Billion Years? (Source: Forbes)
If the Universe is 13.8 billion years old, and the speed of light is truly our cosmic speed limit, how far away should we be able to see? The answer seems obvious: 13.8 billion light-years. Unfortunately, like a great many answers that seem obvious when you apply your logical common sense to them, that's not how things actually work. In reality, if you were to look at the most distant thing of all you can possibly see, and ask "how far away is it," the answer is much farther than that: 46 billion light-years.

That might sound impossible, but it's not. You just have to expand your way of thinking. Traditionally, the way you most often think of a distance is by taking two points and drawing a line between them. It's something we learn to do as kids, and keep with us into adulthood. For most applications, there's no problem in doing this, whether we use a ruler, an odometer, or a light clock: by measuring the amount of time it takes a light signal to take either a one-way or round-trip journey.

But this assumption isn't strictly valid when it comes to the Universe. Distance isn't necessarily defined by a straight line, nor do those distances remain the same over time. The reason for this is something we don't think about in our day-to-day experience: space isn't flat, and it's also inextricably linked to time, in the form of spacetime. (2/26)

Chinese State-Owned Firms Preparing to Launch New Commercial Rockets (Source: Space News)
Chinese defense contractor CASIC is preparing to launch a new solid propellant launch vehicle in the first half of the year as part of a multiplatform commercial space strategy. The Kuaizhou-11 (KZ-11) debut launch will carry six satellites. The new rocket will have a liftoff mass of 78 metric tons and be capable of lifting 1,000 kilograms to a 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) or 1,500 kilograms into a 400-kilometer low Earth orbit using either 2.2 or 2.6-meter payload fairings.

Design work on the Kuaizhou-21 launch vehicle began in 2017, according to Chinese state media. It will have a diameter of 4.5 meters and be capable of sending 20-metric tons into a low Earth orbit. CASC is meanwhile preparing for the debut flight of a new commercial launcher, named Jielong-1 (‘Smart Dragon-1’), with the company stating the flight will take place in the first half of 2019. Jielong-1 is designed to be “fast, agile and flexible” and capable of putting 150 kilograms into a 700-kilometer SSO, but appears to be the first step in development of new, more innovative and competitive launchers from CASC. (2/26)