September 21, 2019

Senator Threatens to Hold Back Air Force Nominee Over Trump Resort Stays (Source: Military.com)
A Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee says he intends to oppose the confirmation of President Donald Trump's nominee for Air Force secretary over concerns about overnight lodging stays by U.S. airmen at the president's Turnberry resort in Scotland. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut announced Wednesday that he intends to place a hold on Barbara Barrett's confirmation unless she assures the committee she will "implement a policy to prohibit Air Force spending at Trump-owned properties" after she is confirmed.

"Our military budget is not President Trump's personal piggy bank," Blumenthal said in a news release. "Ambassador Barrett refused to provide a clear commitment to ending unnecessary Air Force spending at President Trump's lavish Scottish hotel. This is unacceptable, especially for a service secretary in an administration run by Grifter-in-Chief Donald Trump."

In a letter to committee chairman and ranking member Sens. Jim Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, and Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, Blumenthal also said he believes Barrett, who previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Finland under President George W. Bush, may not have the credentials to be the service's 25th secretary. (9/19)

New Space Industry Coalition Seeks to Play Traffic Cop (Source: Politico)
A new coalition of space companies is advocating for updated international norms for operating in orbit in order to ensure space remains safe and accessible for future generations as congestion steadily grows with new satellites and spacecraft. The Space Safety Coalition was established this week to fill what is seen as a critical void in the international approach to governing the usage of space: the leadership of space-faring companies themselves.

While the United Nations and other world bodies set voluntary guidelines for operating in space, companies offer a unique perspective on best practices to prevent collisions and reduce debris in orbit, says Daniel Oltrogge, who is heading up the new group. More than 20 companies, ranging from satellite operators to launch firms, have agreed to follow a list of non-binding best practices set by the new group. They include increasing communication to avoid collisions and relying on launch services that remove the upper stage of rocket from orbit after launch to reduce debris.

“What we're missing is the part that operators can uniquely bring and space industry can uniquely bring, which is what can we do to further improve upon that foundation?” says Oltrogge, who is also a senior researcher with space software company Analytical Graphics Inc. “Many of the operators would like to do better where they can to make space a safe place and make it sustainable for now and generations to come.” (9/20)

The Startling Plausibility of Ad Astra (Source: The Week)
In Ad Astra, outer space is the new Wild West. Nations war over the moon's resources while pellet-blaster-equipped pirates threaten anyone who travels outside of the designated safe zones. The U.S. military's Space Command, meanwhile, tries to keep things under control.

Although all that might sound far-fetched, the militarization of space is nothing new. The U.S. Air Force Space Command was founded during the throes of the Cold War in 1982, with the intention of overseeing the American military's off-planet activities. But just because it's not the Cold War anymore doesn't mean America has left its intergalactic military ambitions on the landing pad; while Gray was working on Ad Astra, President Trump actually announced the establishment of a newly-independent "Space Command." (9/20)

NASA Leader Vows to Seek Answers About Space Station Soyuz Holes From Russia (Source: Houston Chronicle)
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine vowed Thursday to speak to the head of the Russian space agency after reports that the cause of a hole found on the International Space Station last year would be kept secret. But he was careful to point out that he doesn't want this situation to destroy the country's relationship with Russia, a partner in space since 1975.

"They have not told me anything," Bridenstine told the Houston Chronicle during a question and answer session at a Houston energy conference. "I don't want to let one item set (the relationship) back, but it is clearly not acceptable that there are holes in the International Space Station." A hole that was allowing air to escape was discovered Aug. 30 in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft attached to the station. The crew was able to plug the hole quickly without any adverse effects on board. But if left unchecked, the leak could have resulted in total air loss for the station in 18 days.

Initial reports indicated that it was the result of space debris, but it was later determined that it likely was the result of sloppy drill work, either here or in space. A Russian suggestion of American sabotage did not sit well with NASA personnel and astronauts. Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, said Wednesday the country had finally determined what caused the hole. But Russia wasn't going to tell anyone, he said. (9/19)

Senate Appropriators Urge DOT to Reconsider Draft Commercial Space Launch Rules (Source: Space Policy Online)
The Senate Appropriations Committee is urging the Department of Transportation (DOT) to reconsider its draft rules to modernize commercial space launch regulations. The committee’s report on the Transportation-HUD (THUD) bill, released today, echoes criticism from the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) that the draft fails to create an improved regulatory environment for the industry.  The committee also provided more funding than requested for the FAA’s space office, but less for commercial space integration into the National Airspace System (NAS).

President Trump’s Space Policy Directive-2 instructed the Department of Transportation (DOT) to modernize its regulations for the commercial space launch and reentry business. DOT is the parent of the FAA. FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) facilitates, regulates and promotes the commercial space launch industry. DOT issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) earlier this year. In a report to the White House National Space Council on August 20, DOT General Counsel Steven Bradbury said comments were received from dozens of companies, organizations or individuals. (9/19)

China's Lunar Rover Scopes Out Weird Substance on Far Side of the Moon (Source: Space.com)
China's lunar exploration program has released images that give us a glimpse of the mysterious material discovered on the far side of the moon. Yutu-2, the lunar rover for China's Chang'e-4 mission, grabbed attention last month after its drive team spotted something unusual while roving close to a small crater. The Chinese-language science outreach publication Our Space, which announced the findings on Aug. 17, used the term "胶状物" (jiao zhuang wu), which can be translated as "gel-like." This notion sparked wide interest and speculation among lunar scientists.

Scientists have now gotten a look at that curious material, thanks to a post (Chinese) released over the weekend by Our Space via its WeChat social media account. Along with new images of the stuff on the moon, the post details how the Yutu-2 team carefully approached the crater in order to analyze the specimen, despite risks. (9/19)

Air Force Awards Aerospace Corp. $1.08 Billion Contract for Space Support Services in FY20 (Source: Space News)
The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center has awarded the Aerospace Corp. a $1.08 billion modification to a previously awarded contract for systems engineering and integration support for national security space programs. The contract award was announced Sept. 17 but no funds are being obligated at the time of the award. The contract will be supported with fiscal year 2020 research and development funds that have not yet been appropriated by Congress.

This contract modification exercises option year 1 for fiscal year 2020 services being procured under a multiple year contract. The total cumulative value of the contract is $2.1 billion. An Aerospace spokeswoman said the contract covers work for “many customer organizations across national security space, including the Air Force, intelligence community, and the Missile Defense Agency. The breadth of the contract also supports the Air Force’s newly formed Space Rapid Capabilities Office and the Defense Department’s Space Development Agency. (9/20)

Intelsat Sues OneWeb, SoftBank Citing Breach of Contract, Fraud, Conspiracy to Steal Information (Source: Space News)
Intelsat filed a lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court claiming OneWeb and its largest investor SoftBank breached contracts, committed fraud and conspired to steal confidential and proprietary information. The nine-count lawsuit stems from Intelsat’s $25 million investment in OneWeb, subsequent cooperation agreements and the unsuccessful merger of the two parties. Intelsat is seeking unspecified compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees and a halt to OneWeb and SoftBank actions that violate their agreements with Intelsat.

Intelsat’s 2015 investment in OneWeb was contingent upon a commercial agreement giving Intelsat customers access to OneWeb communications services, according to the complaint. The companies signed an agreement in late 2015 that made Intelsat the “sole and exclusive worldwide and regional distributor” of OneWeb communications services to customers in four markets: aviation, maritime, oil and gas, and the U.S. government, the complaint added. At the time, OneWeb planned to focus its business on offering broadband access to consumers around the world and providing communications services in underserved geographic areas.

In 2016, SoftBank invested nearly $1 billion in OneWeb, acquiring a 40 percent stake in the company, according to the complaint. Then, “in willful breach” of OneWeb’s agreement with Intelsat, OneWeb agreed to let SoftBank purchase 100 percent of its future satellite capacity and appointed SoftBank as its exclusive global distributor of communications services, the complaint said. The agreements between OneWeb and SoftBank were “never discussed or cleared with Intelsat,” the complaint added. (9/20)