March 15, 2019

GAO Faults DOD for Failure to Adequately Track Space Programs and Workforce (Source: Space News)
The Defense Department does not have a complete list of its space acquisition programs and cannot identify exactly how many people work on space acquisitions, says a new report by the Government Accountability Office. These finding are problematic as the Pentagon seeks congressional approval to stand up a Space Force as a separate military branch, GAO says in a report released on Thursday. “Without complete and accurate data, DoD cannot assess gaps in the overall capabilities of the space acquisition workforce.” (3/15)

Vega Builder Avio Sees Revenue Jump (Source: Space News)
Avio, the company that builds Europe’s light-lift Vega rocket and the future Vega C, reported a double-digit jump in revenue for its first full year as a publicly traded company. Based in Colleferro, Italy, near Rome, Avio said revenue for 2018 increased 13 percent to 388.7 million euros, and net profit by 18 percent to 25.8 million euros. Avio said faster than expected progress on next-generation projects it is working on with the European Space Agency caused the company to pass its upper revenue projection of 365 million euros. (3/15)

Iran Is Mastering the Final Frontier (Source: Foreign Policy)
In mid-January and early February, Iran attempted two satellite launches intended for environmental monitoring purposes. The Payam (Message) and Doosti (Friendship) ascended aboard Iranian-made satellite launch vehicles (SLVs). Both launches failed to place the satellites into orbit. The US nevertheless protested the space launches—mostly because the SLVs used the same base technology as multistage intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

The administration of President Trump has even reportedly revived a Bush-era secret program to sabotage Iran’s missile and space program by planting “faulty parts and materials into Iran’s aerospace supply chains.” Yet the national-security significance of Iran’s space program far surpasses its implications for ICBMs. Iran’s growing presence in outer space, especially when combined with its growing capabilities in cyberspace, strengthens all aspects of its hard power.

Notwithstanding the 1967 U.N. ban on nuclear weapons in outer space which Iran has signed but not yet ratified, Iran could potentially combine its nuclear ambitions with its outer space ambitions. This could take the form of weaponry not unlike the Soviet Union’s Fractional Orbital Bombardment System, which would have used suborbital flight to achieve a global strike range. Similarly, a nuclear weapon detonated by Iran from space could be used to generate an electromagnetic pulse to incapacitate electrical and electronic systems in orbit. (3/14)

Driving Neil Armstrong's Corvette on the Shuttle Landing Strip (Source: Grand Tour)
James May lives out a dream on this episode of The Grand Tour, driving Neil Armstrong's Corvette, at NASA, along the space shuttle runway. Click here. (3/9)

Bridenstine Reaffirms Commitment to SLS (Source: Space News)
A day after announcing that NASA was studying the possibility of shifting an Orion mission from the Space Launch System rocket to commercial vehicles, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said he and the agency still support development of the SLS. Bridenstine said the ongoing study to use commercial launch vehicles rather than the SLS for Exploration Mission (EM) 1 was motivated by a desire to maintain a schedule that called for flying the mission in mid 2020, and that it was a stopgap measure only.

“This is a fix to a problem,” he told an audience of aerospace executives, congressional staffers and representatives of other space agencies of that potential alternative approach to EM-1. “This is not the solution. This is not sustainable.” In the day since that hearing, some have speculated that the proposal could be an attempt to demonstrate that the SLS was no longer necessary, particularly after the administration’s budget request for 2020 deferred work on the more powerful Block 1B version of SLS. (3/14)

Air Force Sees Upcoming Falcon Heavy Launches as Key to Certifying Reused Rockets (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX is gearing up for the first commercial launch of its powerful Falcon Heavy rocket as soon as early April with a communications satellite for Arabsat, and the U.S. Air Force hopes the two side boosters from the Arabsat mission can be safely landed and reused for the military’s first Falcon Heavy mission this summer, an exercise officials said will help certify previously-flown hardware for future national security launches.

With SpaceX’s first Crew Dragon spacecraft back on Earth after a successful six-day test flight to the International Space Station, the company’s next mission will mark the return of the Falcon Heavy, the world’s most powerful launcher, comprised of three Falcon 9 boosters and 27 Merlin main engines to generate more than 5.1 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. Workers at pad 39A are outfitting a transporter/erector for the Falcon Heavy mission after the structure supported a series of Falcon 9 launches over the last 13 months. (3/14)

Russian Firm Selected to Certify New Soyuz-5 Rockets by 2024 (Source: Tass)
The Progress Space Rocket Center has signed an agreement with the Center for the Certification of Rocket and Space Activity on certifying four Soyuz-5 medium-class carrier rockets that will undergo flight tests in 2022-2025, according to information posted on the government procurement website on Thursday. The contract is worth 13 million rubles ($198,770) with the works set to begin on July 15, 2019 and end on June 30, 2024. (3/14)

Astronauts Koch and Morgan to Stay Longer Than Planned Aboard ISS (Source: Tass)
NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Andrew Morgan will stay longer than planned on board the International Space Station (ISS), NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations William Gerstenmaier told reporters on Friday. Andrew Morgan will arrive to the ISS during the next expedition. Christina Koch was taken to the ISS by the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft which blasted off from the Baikonur launch center in Kazakhstan on Thursday. (3/15)

Here’s Why NASA’s Administrator Made Such a Bold Move Wednesday (Source: Ars Technica)
In a remarkable turnaround, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine on Wednesday said the space agency would consider launching its first Orion mission to the Moon on commercial rockets instead of NASA's own Space Launch System. This caught virtually the entire aerospace world off guard, and represents a bold change from the status quo of Orion as America's spacecraft, and the SLS as America's powerful rocket that will launch it.

The announcement raised a bunch of questions. "SLS is struggling to meet its schedule," Bridenstine replied to one question. "We are now understanding better how difficult this project is, and it’s going to take some additional time. I want to be really clear. I think we as an agency need to stick to our commitment. If we tell you, and others, that we’re going to launch in June of 2020 around the Moon, I think we should launch around the Moon in June of 2020. And I think it can be done. We should consider, as an agency, all options to accomplish that objective." (3/14)

Feds Indict Companies for Allegedly Defrauding NASA Plum Brook (Source: Sandusky Register)
Several men were indicted by a federal grand jury this month for allegedly defrauding NASA of more than $5 million for work done at the Plum Brook Station in Erie County off U.S. 250. The indictment alleges Georgia resident Eric Hogan, 59, and his company P&E Construction, allegedly used the company’s status as a disadvantaged small business to secure a work contract at NASA Plum Brook, which he allegedly illegally passed on to another company.

Hogan was indicted on 71 counts including major fraud, false claims and wire fraud, the indictment states. P&E Construction was registered as a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business, a news release states. The federal government works with the Small Business Administration to award portions of contracts to “small disadvantaged businesses.” NASA awarded a contract initially worth about $4.5 million to P&E Construction to construct a security gate facility at the Plum Brook Station.

According to the indictment, P&E acted as a “pass-through” for another business, K&S Constructors — which was not qualified to be a small disadvantaged business — which means most of the work and benefits of the contract were passed onto the ineligible business. (3/15)

Man Held in Custody After Driving Through NASA’s Gate in Sandusky (Source: Sandusky Register)
A man is in custody after driving his vehicle through the main gate of the NASA Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio. 51-year-old Terry Harold Gritzan is currently at an area hospital under the watch of Erie County Sheriff’s Deputies. Deputies were following a suspicious vehicle driven by Gritzan, that then turned into a vehicle pursuit. Deputies chased Gritzan as he drove his vehicle into the main gate of the NASA facility. His vehicle was stopped by the barrier. The sheriff then says Gritzan ran into the NASA compound, where an FBI special agent caught him. (3/14)

House Lawmakers Question Trump Budget Cuts to NASA STEM Education (Source: Space.com)
During a hearing this week of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, representatives questioned the wisdom of cutting NASA's education arm, as President Donald Trump's budget request proposes to do. His budget proposes to scrap the agency's Office of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Engagement. It is the second consecutive attempt by the executive branch to defund the office, which nevertheless received $110 million for CY 2019.

Questions representatives raised during the first space hearing of the new House Science, Space and Technology Committee, held yesterday (March 13), suggest Congress may again push back against defunding the office. "With respect to the age of the NASA workforce and the pipeline, I want to start with the STEM programs that the current budget proposes to cut," Kendra Horn, D-OK, asked during the hearing. "What message does this send and what impact does a cut to STEM programs have to the pipeline of the NASA workforce?" (3/14)

Pentagon Wants to Test A Space-Based Weapon in 2023 (Source: Defense One)
Defense officials have asked for $304 million to fund research into space-based lasers and particle beams, and other new forms of missile defense next year. Defense officials want to test a neutral particle-beam in orbit in fiscal 2023 as part of a ramped-up effort to explore various types of space-based weaponry.

They’ve asked for $304 million in the 2020 budget to develop such beams, more powerful lasers, and other new tech for next-generation missile defense. Such weapons are needed, they say, to counter new missiles from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. But just figuring out what might work is a difficult technical challenge.

So the Pentagon is undertaking two studies. The first is a $15 million exploration of whether satellites outfitted with lasers might be able to disable enemy missiles coming off the launch pad. Defense officials have said previously that these lasers would need to be in the megawatt class. They expect to finish the study within six months. (3/14)

Soyuz Rocket Launches New US-Russian Crew to Space Station (Source: Space.com)
NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch, as well as Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, celebrated the pi day by blasting off today (March 14) as scheduled, at 3:14 p.m. EDT from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It was the second smooth launch of a crewed Soyuz capsule since the failed launch that sent Hague and Ovchinin plummeting back to Earth on Oct. 11. (3/14)

U.S. to Upgrade Military Ties with Brazil During Visit Next Week (Source: Reuters)
The United States will strengthen military ties with Brazil to a level usually reserved for NATO allies during President Jair Bolsonaro’s visit to Washington next week, boosting growing cooperation between the Americas’ two largest militaries, two Brazilian government officials said. The status of “major non-NATO ally” (MNNA) gives a country preferential access to the purchase of U.S. military equipment and technology, including free surplus material, expedited export processing and prioritized cooperation on training.

Currently 17 countries have MNNA status. Brazil would become just the second Latin American country to join their ranks after Argentina, which received the designation in 1998. Colombia last year became a member of NATO. The Brazilian officials said they have been negotiating the designation since the beginning of this year. They requested anonymity because they were not cleared to discuss it publicly. (3/14)

Cubic Buys Satellite Systems Provider Nuvotronics (Source: Space News)
Defense contractor Cubic Corporation is buying space hardware provider Nuvotronics for $64 million in cash. Nuvotronics builds radio frequency systems for satellites and other applications. Nuvotronics will enhance Cubic’s protected communications portfolio, which includes GATR inflatable satcom terminals used by the U.S. military and other customers, Cubic said. (3/14)

Scotland Can Win European Space Race, Says MSP (Source: The Scotsman)
Scotland is leading the way and can win a European space race, an MSP has said. Speaking at Holyrood on Thursday, Scottish Conservative Edward Mountain said all MSPs should get behind proposals to increase the country’s space capabilities. He made the comments during a Scottish Government debate on Scotland’s strengths in technology and engineering in becoming a leading space nation. Mr Mountain said Scotland is not just capable of building rockets, but also launching them. (3/14)

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Heats Up (Source: Air & Space)
The meeting was hosted by the evangelical academy in Tutzing, Germany, underscoring the continuing interest of religious groups in the possibility of extraterrestrial life and what it might mean for faith communities. The Catholic Church appears to me to be the most interested group of all. In recent years I’ve seen many of its representatives at scientific meetings. In 2014 the Vatican Observatory (yes, they have their own observatory) even co-hosted a conference in Arizona on whether we are alone in the Universe. So, are we?

It is clear that interest in SETI is on the rise again, as shown not only by this latest conference near Munich, but by NASA’s renewed interest in what’s now called “technosignatures” of advanced life, culminating in a dedicated workshop on the topic late last year. One takeaway from these meetings is that many people beyond just scientists understand what a detection of extraterrestrial intelligent life elsewhere would mean—nothing less than a complete re-assessment of our place in the Universe. (3/11)

New Standards Established for Spaceport Fuels (Source: ASTM)
ASTM International’s commercial spaceflight committee, launched in 2016, has approved its first technical standard. The new guide covers fundamental safeguards for storing, using, and handling liquid rocket propellants. The document was developed by the subcommittee on spaceports.

"Our committee has been working diligently to develop industry consensus standards for commercial spaceflight. We are excited for the publication of the first standard within F47, and we look forward to many more in the future," said Jane Kinney at the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. Specifically, the goal of the new standard is to reduce the explosive hazard of fuels and oxidizers to such hazard levels that the use of quantity-distance criteria is not essential to ensure public safety, according to Jane Kinney.

She adds that this standard provides guidance to fill gaps, not replace existing regulation. In addition to approving the new standard, the committee is working on additional standards covering: occupant safety of suborbital vehicles; spacecraft types; flight controller training; reportable safety events; and terminology. (3/15)

More Spaceports In New Zealand 'Feasible' in 10 Years (Source: Radio New Zealand)
New Zealand's Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has been in discussions with several companies which are interested in launching people into space. New Zealand's location is its main attraction, along with laws which make it relatively easy for companies to get permission to launch. Rocket Lab has led the way when it comes to the space race in New Zealand, but the general manager of science, innovation and international at MBIE, Peter Crabtree, said it's only the beginning.

"Our hope would be that in 10 years' time you'd have multiple launch companies out of New Zealand," Dr Crabtree said. "You could conceivably have two or three of those, or you could have one location that launches for lots of different companies, and that would be the norm internationally. So you'd have a space port operating, or a series of space ports. In 10 years' time, that could be quite feasible." (3/15)

Arizona Spaceport Alliance Stresses Need for State Spaceport (Source: Phoenix Business Journal)
The Arizona Spaceport Alliance wants to see a spaceport built somewhere in the state to increase the economic development of Arizona’s burgeoning aerospace manufacturing industry. They note that several well-entrenched aerospace companies already operate throughout the state. (3/14)

Orion: Finding Government Waste in Space Funding (Source: Washington Times)
When the federal government is struggling with debt in excess of $22 trillion and trillion-dollar deficits as far as the eye can see, it makes no sense for there to be wasteful contracting on space funding. It also does not make much sense when there are more efficient alternatives, like SpaceX, than to rely on programs that have been plagued by delays and cost overruns. President Trump has promised more space exploration and he should dump the worst programs and move forward with best players, especially in duplicative services.

The Orion space capsule was started 16-years-ago as part of the “Constellation Program.” Orion itself is a capsule that is supposed to take astronauts to the moon, Mars or asteroids for space exploration. But after six years of cost overruns and running years behind schedule, the program was canceled. Yet, only in the Washington swamp could a part of this program come back to life and end up costing the taxpayers tens of billions of dollars more in waste. Though Constellation was cancelled in 2010, the new Lockheed Martin Orion program was brought back to life in 2012 by lobbyists for the program.

Orion has been a disaster for the taxpayer. The GAO last year reported: “NASA expects the program to exceed its cost baseline and is at risk of future schedule delays” and the cost will exceed the “$11.28 billion baseline.” In total, taxpayers have already spent $1.6 billion on Orion ($1.8 billion if adjusted for inflation). Click here. Editor's Note: I get whiplash from these conservative outlets for their demonizing President Obama for canceling Constellation, and decrying SpaceX for crony capitalism. Yet now I see that Orion is wasteful and its prime contractor Lockheed Martin is the crony capitalist. (3/15) 

Texas County Okays Road Closures for SpaceX Operations (Source: Brownsville Herald)
Cameron County Commissioners Court approved an order Thursday morning allowing County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. to close Highway 4 and Boca Chica Beach during potential space flight activities. The move comes nearly a week after Boca Chica Village SpaceX watchers first saw the booster portion of the Starship Hopper prototype moved to the construction site at the facility to the launch pad.

The order was approved after nearly 20 minutes of executive session where commissioners conferred with legal counsel regarding space flight activities. After the meeting, Treviño said as county judge he has emergency authority to respond to anything from road or beach closures, as well as “whatever the case might be in relation to the upcoming potential space flight activities.” (3/14)