June 11, 2019

NASA Tries to Commercialize the ISS, Again (Source: Space Review)
Last week NASA announced a new initiative to stimulate further commercial use of the International Space Station and separate commercial platforms in low Earth orbit. Jeff Foust reports on that effort and how it conjures up memories of a similar effort nearly two decades ago. Click here. (6/10)
 
Dancing in the Pale Moonlight: CIA Monitoring of the Soviet Manned Lunar Program (Source: Space Review)
One of the major questions of the Apollo program is what role CIA intelligence on Soviet efforts played in decisions such as sending Apollo 8 to the Moon. Dwayne Day examines what insights the CIA offered NASA that could have shaped such decisions. Click here. (6/10)
 
Top Man on the Saturn V (Source: Space Review)
David Shomper had a unique role for the Apollo 11 mission that put him atop the Saturn V rocket—literally. Thomas Frieling interviews Shomper on the unique role he played on that mission. Click here. (6/10)
 
Who Speaks for the Night Sky? (Source: Space Review)
Ever since SpaceX launched the first Starlink satellites last month, astronomers have raised the alarm about the effect those satellites would have on the night sky. A.J. Mackenzie argues that those astronomers have not done a good job making their case. Click here. (6/10)

NASA’s Long Lost Apollo 10 “Snoopy” Lunar Module May Have Been Found (Source: Slash Gear)
Astronomers have finally pinpointed the long-lost “Snoopy” module that gave astronauts a dry run in early 1969. It was a test flight to put the lunar module through its paces one last time before it made it all the way to the moon. Astronauts Thomas Stafford and Eugene Cernan were never intended to land, even though they got within around 50,000 feet of the moon. It was meant to be one final test of the module technology, the mission cutting off at the point where powered descent would start. Snoopy, after successfully docking with the command module and allowing the astronauts to transfer, was jettisoned.

Back in 2011, however, a team of astronomers led by Nick Howes, a fellow at the UK’s Royal Astronomical Society, set out to find where Snoopy had ended up. At the time, the group estimated that it was a 235 million to 1 chance of succeeding. That makes it all the more impressive that Howes and the team now say they’re “98-percent convinced” that the module has been found. Most recently, they analyzed optical data gathered by the Mount Lemmon Observatory (MLO) in Arizona in 2018, which identified a possible target. “Until we get close up radar data,” Howes pointed out on Twitter, “then nobody will know for sure … but it’s promising.” (6/10)

ISS National Lab and Private Industry Users Highlighted at U.S. Chamber of Commerce Event (Source; ISSNL)
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory, will host a roundtable highlighting the increase in and growing demand for private industry research onboard the orbiting laboratory. During this event, ISS National Lab Chief Strategy Officer Richard A. Leach, Ph.D. will deliver a keynote message focused on industrial demand generation onboard the orbiting research platform. Additionally, a roundtable comprised of multiple ISS National Lab users and in-orbit commercial hardware facility partners will discuss the importance of the ISS National Lab in furthering fundamental and applied science in order to build the business case for industrialization of low Earth orbit.

In recent years, more than 70% of payloads launched to the ISS National Lab represent projects from private industry. Additionally, 14 commercially operated facilities are currently operating onboard the ISS National Lab, with additional facilities slated to launch this year. These trends demonstrate the value of and increased demand for conducting research and development on the space station. Furthermore, since 2012, the amount of external, non-NASA funds invested into ISS National Lab research is approaching $200M. (6/9)

Mislaunched Russian Satellite Limping to Correct Orbit (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
A newly launched Russian communications satellite is using a backup propulsion system to raise its orbit. Yamal-601, built by Thales Alenia Space for Gazprom Space Systems, launched on a Proton last month into a geostationary transfer orbit. The spacecraft was to use its main engine to move into its final geostationary orbit, but Gazprom said a burn by that engine June 1 ended early when its attitude drifted. The spacecraft will instead use a set of smaller thrusters to raise its orbit, which the companies said will not reduce its 15-year lifetime. (6/11)

NASA Urged to Apply Commercial Crew Lessons to Artemis (Source: Space News)
A NASA safety panel said that the agency should apply lessons learned from the commercial crew program for Artemis. The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, meeting last week, said that the commercial crew program provides valuable lessons, such as how to work closely with industry and make use of alternative procurement mechanisms. NASA has indicated it plans to acquire lunar landers as "a service," which could allow it to support multiple vehicles in development, an approach the panel also endorsed. (6/11)

Relativity to Build Rocket Factory at Stennis in Mississippi (Source: Space News)
Small launch vehicle developer Relativity announced June 11 it will establish a production facility for its Terran 1 rocket at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. Under an agreement with NASA and the Mississippi Development Authority, Relativity will lease the 20,000-square-meter Building 9101 at Stennis for nine years, with an option to extend the lease 10 years. The lease comes at what the company calls “significantly discounted terms,” the specifics of which it did not disclose.

Mississippi Development Authority, an economic development agency, will provide a cost reimbursement and tax incentive package to the company for establishing the factory there. Relativity has committed to invest $59 million in the state and grow its workforce there from the current 10 employees to 200 within five years. The ability to take over an existing facility, which includes a high bay nearly 25 meters high and multiple bridge cranes, was a key factor in selecting Stennis.

Another factor was that Relativity current tests its rocket engines at Stennis on stands just a few kilometers from the building. “The advantage of being by the test site is that there’s usually a faster iteration and test loop between the test site and the manufacturing,” said Tim Ellis, chief executive and co-founder of Relativity. When built out, Relativity foresees having a production line at that Stennis factory that can produce between 12 and 24 rockets a year. (6/11)

Space Startups Staying Stealthy (Source: Space News)
Space startups that once clamored for attention are increasingly flying under the radar. There's a growing number of space companies that are operating in "stealth mode," offering little public information about their plans even as they seek to raise money and hire employees. One reason companies are laying low is to avoid revealing too many details about their business plans that could inspire copycats. Eventually, though, even stealth-mode companies must open up in order to win customers. (6/11)

Amazon Groundstations Slowed by Regulatory Paperwork (Source: GeekWire)
Paperwork is keeping Amazon's entry into the ground station market from expanding quickly. AWS Ground Station announced its first customers last month, with two ground stations in service and 10 more scheduled to be online by the end of the year. The company, though, is slowly working through the process to obtain permanent FCC licenses for those ground stations, and had filed a number of requests for "special temporary authority" while those license applications remain under review. The head of AWS Ground Station said that the licensing process is going about as slow as expected, although they would like it to go faster. (6/11)

SpaceX Starship Tests Delayed Again at Texas Site (Source: Brownsville Herald)
SpaceX has again pushed back testing of a Starship prototype in Texas. County officials said the road leading to the company's Boca Chica test site will be closed starting June 17, rather than later this week as previously planned. Those tests will involve static-fire and tethered flights of a Starship prototype powered by a Raptor engine, and could include the vehicle's first free flight. (6/11)

HASC Chairman: Space Force Inclusion Planned in Bill Markup (Source: Space News)
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee says a defense authorization bill will include a version of a Space Force. Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) said Monday that the language will be included when the full committee marks up the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) this week. The draft of the bill approved by the strategic forces subcommittee last week was silent on the issue. That amendment would create something smaller than proposed by the administration, with just a single four-star general. It would be closely patterned on the Space Corps the committee backed two years ago, and Smith said the amendment may in fact call it the Space Corps. (6/11)

SpaceX Gets a Boost From House Armed Services Committee 2020 NDAA Markup (Source: Space News)
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee says the NDAA will allow an Air Force launch competition to proceed, but could provide additional support for SpaceX. Smith's "chairman's mark" for the bill includes provisions that specifically target the Air Force's space launch competition, but does not call for it to be suspended. The bill creates a $500 million fund for "certification and infrastructure" for companies that win the competition but did not receive a Launch Services Agreement award last fall, a provision that only SpaceX would qualify for. The bill would also trim the number of launches to be awarded under the competition to the two winners, allowing other companies to compete for later missions. (6/11)

Defense Sector Positioned for Consolidation as Spending Slows (Source: Wall Street Journal)
The biggest aerospace-and-defense merger ever caps two years of deal making in an industry that is reorganizing in anticipation of slower growth in Pentagon spending and new priorities such as space systems and hypersonic missiles. The mega-merger between Raytheon and United Technologies is the latest sign of industry consolidation amid a slowdown. According to one estimate, the defense sector lost 17,000 firms between 2001 and 2015. United Technologies Inc. and Raytheon would be the third-biggest aerospace-and-defense company by sales after Boeing and Airbus. Those companies along with Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics and the U.S. arm of BAE Systems PLC would dominate. (6/11)

Much-Delayed NASA Payloads Ready for Falcon-Heavy Ride (Source: Space News)
After years of launch delays, four NASA technology payloads will finally get to fly this month. Those payloads are part of the Space Test Program 2 mission launching on a Falcon Heavy no earlier than June 24. That mission was originally scheduled for launch in 2015 when the Air Force awarded the contract in 2012, but was delayed by development issues with the Falcon Heavy. The NASA payloads include an atomic clock for deep space missions, a test of a nontoxic "green" propellant, experiments to study the effect of space radiation on electronics and two cubesats for studying the ionosphere. NASA said Monday that the agency contemplated alternative rides for some of those payloads because of those delays, but elected to keep them on this mission. (6/11)

Bridenstine: No Change for Artemis, Moon is a "Waypoint" to Mars (Source: Space.com)
NASA Administrator Jim Bridestine called the moon a "waypoint" for Mars. During a town hall meeting at the Glenn Research Center Monday, Bridenstine said that NASA was still committed to landing humans on the moon by 2024 despite a tweet Friday from President Trump that suggested the agency was focusing too much on the moon. "The moon is not the destination. The moon is the waypoint" for missions to Mars, which remains the long-term destination for NASA's human spaceflight program, he said. (6/11)

Clyde Raises $9M for Exansion (Source: Space News)
Smallsat developer ÅAC Clyde raised $9 million as the company expands. The company said Monday it raised the money from both new and existing investors. That funding will be used to support company expansion, including hiring. ÅAC Clyde currently employs around 100 people, and expects to hire 40 to 50 more people across its Sweden, Scotland and England locations by the end of the year. (6/11)