April 12, 2019

Six New Rockets Coming to the Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Florida Today)
If schedules hold, the Space Coast will live up to its name over the next two years as a half-dozen new rockets target launches from sites peppered across the Eastern Range. Company, government and military officials here at the 35th Space Symposium, an annual space conference, have reaffirmed their plans to launch rockets ranging from more traditional heavy-lift behemoths to smaller vehicles that take advantage of new manufacturing technologies.

Even if some of these schedules slip, at least one thing is apparent to several spaceflight experts here: The Eastern Range is seeing an unprecedented growth in commercial space companies and efforts. The rockets include NASA's SLS, Relativity Space's Terran 1, Blue Origin's New Glenn, ULA's Vulcan, Northrop Grumman's OmegA, and Firefly's Alpha. Editor's Note: Don't forget Rocket Lab, Virgin Orbit, Stratolaunch, Vector Space, and CubeCab all of which have identified the Cape Canaveral Spaceport as a future launch site. Click here. (4/12)

Canadian Space Agency 2019-20 Planned Spending Set at $329 Million (Source: SpaceQ)
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) released its 2019-20 Departmental Plan (DP) today which outlines spending of $329M, about $18M more than was forecasted last year but continues an expected downward trend. Of the five priorities listed in the CSA 2019 DP, one is a new initiative, while another shows how Canada is looking beyond the US for opportunities. (4/11)

NASA Researchers Catalogue Microbes and Fungi on ISS (Source: Space Daily)
A comprehensive catalogue of the bacteria and fungi found on surfaces inside the International Space Station (ISS) is being presented in a study published in the open access journal Microbiome. Knowledge of the composition of the microbial and fungal communities on the ISS can be used to develop safety measures for NASA for long-term space travel or living in space.

Dr Kasthuri Venkateswaran, at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the corresponding author said: "Specific microbes in indoor spaces on Earth have been shown to impact human health. This is even more important for astronauts during spaceflight, as they have altered immunity and do not have access to the sophisticated medical interventions available on Earth.

The researchers found that microbes on the ISS were mostly human-associated. The most prominent bacteria were Staphylococcus (26% of total isolates), Pantoea (23%) and Bacillus (11%). They included organisms that are considered opportunistic pathogens on Earth, such as Staphylococcus aureus (10% of total isolates identified) and Enterobacter, which is associated with the human gastrointestinal tract. On Earth, they are predominant in gyms, offices, and hospitals, which suggests that the ISS is similar to other built environments where the microbiome is shaped by human occupation. (4/9)

Russia Maintains High Quality of RD-180 Rocket Engines (Source: Sputnik)
Russia is maintaining a high quality of its RD-180 rocket engines, President and CEO of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Tory Bruno said. "They [Russians] are actually doing a very good job and they are being very responsive. The quality is maintained high and we have had no issues with supply from them [...] They have been delivering ahead of need and they still owe me some", Bruno said. The ULA has some two years' worth number of the Russian-made RD-180 rocket engines, Bruno told Sputnik. (4/9)

NASA Demos CubeSat Laser Communications Capability (Source: Space Daily)
Two NASA CubeSats teamed up on an impromptu optical, or laser, communications pointing experiment. The laser beam is seen as a brief flash of light close to the center of the focal plane, to the left of Earth's horizon.

The light originated from the laser communications system onboard one of two Optical Communications and Sensor Demonstration (OCSD) spacecraft. The laser flash was recorded by a short-wavelength infrared camera, one of three cameras comprising the CubeSat Multispectral Observation System (CUMULOS) payload, onboard the Integrated Solar Array and Reflectarray Antenna (ISARA) spacecraft. At the time of the demonstration, the OCSD and ISARA spacecraft were both 280 miles above Earth and about 1,500 miles apart. (4/10)

Space Florida Funding Remains Contentious in Tallahassee (Source: SPACErePORT)
In the last weeks of Florida's annual Legislative Session in Tallahassee, funding for Space Florida's operations budget is agreed upon by both the House and Senate. However, only the Senate has included the agency with funding for its innovative financing programs. The House and Senate are expected to hash out their differences after the Easter break. (4/12)

SASC Hearing Shows Bipartisan Concerns About Space Force (Source: Space News)
A Senate hearing showed that there remains considerable skepticism about the need for a Space Force. During a Thursday hearing by the Senate Armed Services Committee, several members from both parties said they deeply skeptical of the Pentagon's Space Force proposal, and the testimony from the witnesses did not appear to sway their judgement.

They argued that it appeared that the Air Force was doing a good job managing space, undermining the administration's argument that space needed a separate force. They also opposed the part of the proposal that seeks congressional authorization to set up a new civilian personnel system exclusive to the Space Force that would be exempted from the statutory rules and protections applicable to most other federal employees. (4/11)

Indian ASAT Test Allowed Demonstration of US Space Fence (Source: Space News)
Last month's Indian anti-satellite test helped demonstrate the capabilities of the new Space Fence. The radar facility on Kwajalein Atoll was running a test at the time of the ASAT test, and the system "performed nominally," according to Lockheed Martin, the contractor for the Space Fence. The Air Force is scheduled to begin initial operation of the ground-based radar, which sends out a curtain of radio frequency energy wider than the continental United States, in the fourth quarter of this year. (4/12)

Virgin Orbit Signs Launch Services MOU With Germany's Exolaunch (Source: Space News)
Virgin Orbit has signed a memorandum of understanding with German launch services provider Exolaunch. The agreement covers plans to use Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne system for both dedicated and rideshare missions as soon as 2020. Exolaunch, which brokers smallsat launch services, says it will provide "diverse smallsat clusters" for LauncherOne missions. (4/12)

Virgin Orbit Plans Launches From Guam Airbase (Source: Virgin Orbit)
Virgin Orbit announced that the Pacific island of Guam will become an additional launch site for the company’s LauncherOne service. With its remote location and close proximity to the equator, Guam serves as an excellent base of operations from which the company’s unique, 747-launched rocket can efficiently serve all inclinations, a boon to the rapidly expanding small satellite market. Most excitingly, the new location enables LauncherOne to deliver more than 450 kg to a 500 km equatorial orbit.

The addition of Guam to that list enhances the flexibility of Virgin Orbit’s launch operations, adding a low-latitude site with clear launch trajectories in almost all directions, giving Virgin Orbit’s customers unparalleled control over where and when their small spacecraft are deployed.

Officials at US Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) have issued a letter of support for Andersen Air Force Base to host launches and other exercises with LauncherOne and its dedicated carrier aircraft—a critical step en route to a first launch from the island, which could occur in as little as a year’s time. Additionally, the largest commercial airport on the island, A.B. Won Pat International Airport, has begun the process of seeking its launch site operator’s license from the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation, in order to serve as a future launch site for Virgin Orbit. (4/10)

To Get to the Moon in 2024, the Rocket is Just NASA's First Headache (Source: Space Daily)
Companies are waiting for NASA to issue formal solicitations for elements of its exploration plan. "We don't know when those are going to be because NASA is all thrown into a loop right now," Draper's Alan Campbell said. "They're still trying to figure it out," he said. "We can't really work on their problems until they tell us, 'These are the problems we want people to work on.'"

It's a similar wait for hundreds of other companies, ranging from aerospace giants to the most specialized of sub-contractors. The first problem is linked to the super heavy rocket required for the lunar mission, the skyscraper-sized Space Launch System (SLS). But walking on the Moon will require more than a rocket and a capsule: NASA wants to assemble a mini-station in lunar orbit, called the Gateway, where the astronauts will make a stop-over before their descent to the lunar surface.

The most urgent priority, according to industry executives, is for NASA to come up with the full requirements for the lander that would take the astronauts from the Gateway to the Moon. Some of the more experienced firms caution that it may already be too late to build one in keeping with the accelerated timetable. (4/11)

US Satellites Reported to Have Approached Russian, Chinese GEO Satellites (Source: Sputnik)
Following the launch of the first geosynchronous surveillance satellites by the US in 2014, little was known about their operation, as Washington kept a veil of secrecy around them. But a recent report has shed light on the first two years of their activities. The Secure World Foundation has published a report revealing details on the activities of the secret Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP), launched by the US in 2014 with the declared mission to detect and track space objects in geosynchronous orbit.

According to the report, the US remains secretive about the activities of four operational GSSAP satellites, but by using the data from the ISON space surveillance network, operated by the Russian Academy of Sciences, the foundation has managed to reconstruct their movements since their launch in 2014. The SWF indicates that they have made approaches to Russian, Chinese, Pakistani, and Nigerian satellites, both civilian and military ones, using maneuvering engines. (4/9)

Human Health Can Be 'Mostly Sustained' for a Year in Space, NASA Twins Study Concludes (Source: CNN)
Spending 340 days aboard the International Space Station between 2015 and 2016 caused changes in astronaut Scott Kelly's body, from his weight down to his genes, according to the results of the NASA Twins Study, released Thursday. The majority of changes that occurred in Kelly's body, compared with his identical brother, Mark, on Earth, returned to normal once he came back from the space station. The study results suggest that human health can be "mostly sustained" for a year in space, the researchers said. (4/11)

Israeli Beresheet Lander Crashes on Moon (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
What would have been a historic first in space exploration was not meant to be as SpaceIL’s Beresheet spacecraft failed to successfully land on the Moon. A landing in the Sea of Serenity was supposed to have occurred at about 3:25 p.m. EDT on April 11 following a roughly 15-minute descent burn. While the burn started successfully, an off-nominal event occurred midway through the descent that included an issue with an internal measurement unit and the spacecraft’s main engine that required a signal to be sent to reset the engine.

It is unclear when or if SpaceIL will try again. The first steps will likely be to understand exactly what when wrong during this failed descent. Either way, the company was able to achieve a lot, becoming the first private organization to not only launch a spacecraft to the Moon, but to successfully orbit around it. (4/11)

Lockheed Martin Unveils Orion-Based Moon Lander Concept (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
Lockheed Martin unveiled a design for a human-rated lunar lander that could be built quickly to meet Vice President Mike Pence’s challenge to return humans to the Moon by 2024. The two-stage lander concept was presented April 10, 2019, during the 35th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where engineers from Lockheed Martin discussed ideas on how to accelerate lunar lander capabilities.

NASA’s current plan to return humans to the Moon is expected in two phases, as outlined by the agency’s administrator, Jim Bridenstine, earlier this week. The first phase is about speed and involves building an initial Lunar Gateway (described as a reusable command module in orbit around the Moon) likely with just a power and propulsion module and a utilization module with docking ports. (4/11)

NASA Invests in 18 Potentially Revolutionary Space Tech Concepts (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Smart spacesuits and solar surfing may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but they are just two of the technology concepts NASA has selected for further research as part of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. The program will fund 18 studies to determine the feasibility of early-stage technologies that could go on to change what’s possible in space.

The funded technologies have the potential to transform human and robotic exploration of other worlds, including the Moon and Mars. One researcher, for example, will study an affordable way to mine the ample ice at the Moon’s polar regions. NASA aims to send astronauts to land on the Moon’s South Pole in five years. Click here for the list of projects.

Editor's Note: One of the projects is being done at Kennedy Space Center on the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The project, titled "Solar Surfing" involves a materials-science study to determine the best protective materials to enable heliophysics missions closer to the Sun. This is a Phase-2 project, which means it may last up to two years and be funded as much as $500,000. (4/10)

3 Landings, 1 Commercial Payload – SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Makes History – Again (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
After a wait of more than a year, SpaceX’s massive Falcon Heavy rocket has finally begun launching commercial payloads. Liftoff took place at 6:35 p.m. EDT from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The triple core-booster once again awed those watching with its power as well as the unique twin side-booster return to nearby landing pads, producing two sets of three sonic booms as the two 150-foot tall vehicles gracefully touched down.

During this time, the core stage continued to accelerate toward orbit for a minute after the side cores separated. It began targeting SpaceX’s Autonomous Drone Ship which was stationed roughly 600 miles downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. It landed successfully, unlike the first Falcon Heavy center core attempt more than a year ago. It’s landing marked the first time all three cores of a Falcon Heavy were successfully recovered. All three are expected to be refurbished and used for future flights, including the next Falcon Heavy mission, currently targeting June 2019.

The rocket's protective fairing separated as the payload was successfully lifted into orbit. SpaceX positioned to support ships downrange to retrieve the fairing's two halves, which returned to Earth under parachutes for a soft landing in the Atlantic Ocean. (4/11)

Falcon Heavy Launch Might Mean Moon Missions for Elon Musk (Source: Quartz)
The SpaceX rocket expected to vault a Saudi communications satellite into orbit on April 11 is also auditioning to explore space with NASA. The Falcon Heavy rocket is the most powerful operational rocket in the world, designed to fly the largest satellites into the highest orbits over the earth. The communications satellite being flown in this launch, Arabsat-6A, weighs about six metric tons (6.6 tons). The launch was scheduled for April 10 but poor weather conditions postponed the mission.

Though this is just the second flight of the rocket, a smooth mission could bring Elon Musk closer to his dreams of taking humanity out into the solar system. NASA has set a new goal of landing humans on the moon in 2024 that may require SpaceX’s help to achieve. SpaceX is still showing NASA that its rockets are safe enough to fly astronauts to the ISS. One requirement is that the company fly seven times using an approved system of pressurized gas canisters in its rockets. Those canisters, known as composite overwrap pressure vessels or COPVs, were linked to a 2016 fire that destroyed a SpaceX rocket and satellite.

SpaceX and NASA re-configured the system and have now flown it six times in the upper stage of the Falcon 9 rocket and twice in the reusable booster stage. This Falcon Heavy flight will feature the new COPVS in both stages of center booster, which could give NASA the data it needs to finally certify the design for human spaceflight. (4/9)

Mars Is Getting Closer As SpaceX Lands Another $500 Million (Source: Prime Unicorn Index)
SpaceX authorized enough shares for a $500 million raise at a valuation of $29 billion, if all shares authorized are issued. The rocket and spacecraft company was founded by Elon Musk in 2002 and has been making history ever since. The most recent round, Series K, follows the $273 million raised for Series J valuing the company at $26.12 billion. The terms surrounding the Series K include a Senior liquidation, meaning they will get paid first, and conventional convertible meaning they will not participate with common stock if there are remaining proceeds.

The most recent price per share is $204.00, an up round from Series J at $186.00. Interesting enough is that Series A thru F are all under $10.00 a share, it wasn’t until the 2015 round backed by Google, Fidelity, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, The Founders Fund, Valor Equity Partners, and Capricorn Investment Group that made the price per share skyrocket 10x+ the previous round. (4/11)

NASA Picks SpaceX for Asteroid Redirect Test Mission (Source: NASA)
NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center has selected SpaceX to provide launch services for the agency's Double Asteroid Redirect Test (DART) mission, the first ever mission to demonstrate the capability to deflect an asteroid by colliding a spacecraft with it at high speed -- a technique known as a kinetic impactor. The total cost for NASA to launch DART is approximately $69 million, which includes the launch service and other mission-related costs.

The DART mission is targeted to launch in June 2021 on a Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. By using solar electric propulsion, DART will intercept the asteroid Didymos' small moon in October 2022. (4/11)