November 28, 2019

NASA Proposes to Buy Seat on Short-Duration Commercial ISS Flight (Source: Space News)
NASA announced Nov. 26 that it is interested in buying a seat on a future commercial mission to the International Space Station, the latest move in the agency’s broader low Earth orbit commercialization efforts. In a procurement filing, NASA said it seeks to buy a seat on a short-duration commercial mission to the ISS no later than 2024. That seat would be one of up to four on a dedicated commercial mission to the station lasting between 15 and 30 days.

NASA opened the door to such dedicated commercial missions in June as part of its LEO commercialization strategy. That plan allows for two “private astronaut missions” to the station each year, starting as soon as 2020, carrying as many as seven people per flight. At the time, though, NASA didn’t indicate it planned to be a customer for such missions. (11/28)

A Newfound Black Hole in the Milky Way is Weirdly Heavy (Source: Science News)
A heavyweight black hole in our galaxy has some explaining to do. With a mass of about 68 suns, it is far heftier than other stellar-mass black holes (those with masses below about 100 suns) in and around the Milky Way, scientists say. That’s not just a record, it’s also a conundrum. According to theory, black holes in our galaxy that form from the explosive deaths of massive stars — as this one likely did — shouldn’t be heavier than about 25 suns.

The black hole is locked in orbit with a young blue star dubbed LB-1, which sits about 13,800 light-years away in the constellation Gemini, researchers found. Combing through data from the LAMOST telescope in China, Jifeng Liu, an astrophysicist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, and colleagues noticed that LB-1 repeatedly moves toward and away from Earth with great speed — a sign that the star orbits something massive.
 (11/27)

Starlink Satellite Constellation Could Result in 'Wild West' Scenario in Space (Source: Business Insider)
Elon Musk and his company SpaceX are trying to "colonize" low-Earth orbit, CEO of Arianespace Stéphane Israël said. Initially, SpaceX planned to launch a total of 12,000 satellites, but the company requested permission to deploy an additional 30,000 satellites earlier this year. "He's the manufacturer, launcher, and operator of 40,000 satellites," the satellite launch company's boss said. "His project is monopolizing the sector. He's colonizing low [Earth] orbit." Israël said he refused to allow low Earth orbit to be cornered by one individual, and is concerned that the satellites have to de-orbit properly.

"There's room for a satellite set-up that's somewhere between a 'Wild West' scenario and a space that's just a 'safe haven'. But we refuse to just let 'whatever' to be done: these satellites will have to disintegrate properly in the atmosphere, that's our main objection. 'Yes' to constellations that make our planet better connected, but 'no' to space where we land ourselves in a sort of a 'law-of-the-jungle' situation." (11/27)

There Has Never Been a Better Time to Start a Small Space Agency (Source: MIT Technology Review)
Santa Maria is the southernmost island of the Azores archipelago, about 850 miles west of Portugal. Its serene weather, white sandy beaches, and seclusion have made it a peaceful destination for tourists. That’s about to change. Over the next few decades, Portugal plans to convert this tiny piece of land surrounded by ocean into one of the world’s busiest spaceports.

The country wants rocket launches of satellites and spacecraft to occur with a frequency rivaling that of planes taking off from a small airport. It wants to attract international customers who will get involved in Earth observation and remote sensing, telecommunications, space tourism, and even asteroid mining.

And Portugal is not alone in venturing into the space economy in this way. No fewer than 13 countries have established brand-new space agencies in just the past decade, the majority of them in the last five years. Aiming to fill lucrative niches that NASA and the other space behemoths have overlooked, these agencies from unlikely places are making strong plays at partnering with a commercial sector that’s hungry to stake claims in the expanding space economy. The age of the small space agency is here. Click here. (11/27)

Baikonur To Be Designated Free Economic Zone (Source: Astana Times)
“We have already developed the concept of a free economic zone. One of the aims of the free economic zone is the development of tourism. There are tourist and entertainment zones, which are included in the map of top 10 tourist priority destinations of our republic. As you know, Baikonur is a closed city and tourism is not developed there,” he said.

The akimat (city administration) is planning to build hotels, museums, pavilions and rocket observation platforms. “I think that there will be favourable conditions for the creation of tourism. New facilities will be built, new hotels meeting international standards, museums, pavilions, observation platforms for space rocket flights and others,” he added. (11/28)

Radio Telescope Project Short On Funds (Source: Physics World)
A radio telescope project is facing a serious funding shortfall. The Square Kilometer Array, which is developing networks of antennas in South Africa and Australia, is 250 million euros ($275 million) short of the funding needed to build out the full observatory. The international consortium developing the observatory is looking to raise 100 million euros in the next year to avoid cuts to main research projects that could jeopardize the entire project. Observatory officials are hoping that existing countries will contribute more funding, while working to sign up new countries to join the project. [Physics World]

Globalstar Gets $199 Million Loan for Refinancing (Source: Globalstar)
Globalstar is borrowing $199 million through a loan arranged by its controlling shareholder Thermo and fleet operator EchoStar. Globalstar said it will use the funds to pay off a $66 million loan arranged in June, and to make pre-payments towards a separate $152 million loan. Globalstar has rights to global S-band satellite spectrum, which it is seeking to use for terrestrial connectivity. EchoStar recently acquired Helios Wire and ordered two S-band smallsats from Tyvak to secure S-band spectrum rights with international regulators. Mike Dugan, EchoStar president and chief executive, said the company sees “potential opportunities to collaborate with Globalstar in S-band development.” The new credit facility with EchoStar matures in November 2025. (11/27)

Ariane 5 Launches Two Satellites (Source: Space News)
An Ariane 5 launched two satellites Tuesday after several days of delays. The rocket lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana, at 4:23 p.m. Eastern, deploying the TIBA-1 satellite 27 minutes after liftoff and Inmarsat GX5 seven minutes later. TIBA-1, named after the ancient Egyptian capital of Tiba, is the Egyptian government's first satellite, built by Airbus and Thales Alenia Space. Inmarsat GX5, built by Thales, is the first of eight additional satellites and payloads Inmarsat ordered after completing its first-generation Global Xpress high-throughput satellite system. GX5 has more capacity than its four predecessors combined. The launch, delayed by ground equipment problems and weather, was the was the 250th of an Ariane rocket, and one of the last for the Ariane 5, which has 11 missions remaining. (11/27)

Measat Picks Arianespace to Launch Satellite on Ariane 5 (Source: Arianespace)
Malaysian satellite operator Measat selected Arianespace to launch its next satellite on an Ariane 5 rocket. Measat-3d, a communications satellite Airbus Defence and Space is building, is scheduled to launch on the European heavy lift vehicle in 2021. Measat-3d has a target weight of 5,734 kilograms, and is expected to have an operational life of 19 years. The satellite will carry C-, Ku-, and Ka-band payloads for Measat, plus an L-band payload for South Korean satellite operator KT Sat. Measat-3d will have coverage over Africa, the Middle East and Asia, including Malaysia. (11/27)

Russia Uses Drones and Satellites to Monitor Vostochny Spaceport Construction (Source: Kremlin)
Roscosmos is using drones and Earth-imaging satellites to monitor construction at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome in an effort to keep the program from falling further behind schedule. Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Roscosmos is using satellite imagery to check progress on a weekly basis. A first launch of Russia’s Angara 5 rocket from Vostochny, once planned for 2020, is now targeted for 2023, Rogozin said. Cosmodrome preparations are also underway to support the launch of a super-heavy Russian rocket from Vostochny in 2028, he said. (11/27)

Cornwall Approves Funding for UK Spaceport for Virgin Orbit (Source: Cornwall Live)
A local government in England has approved funding for a spaceport for Virgin Orbit. By a nearly two-to-one vote, the Cornwall Council approved spending 10.3 million pounds ($13.3 million) for infrastructure improvements to Cornwall Airport Newquay to support operations there by Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne air-launch system. The British government previously announced its plans to provide funding for the effort. The debate at the council meeting was disrupted by protestors who believe the project will contribute to climate change, although a study commissioned by local officials found no evidence it would have a significant impact on Cornwall's carbon footprint. (11/27)

Women Make Up One Third of NASA Workforce (Source: Washington Post)
While it may be the "year of the woman" at NASA, the agency still has a lot of work to do to achieve equality. This year was marked by milestones like the first all-woman NASA spacewalk, while the agency says it will land the first woman on the moon in 2024. Yet, women make up only about one third of NASA's workforce, and a smaller percentage of senior positions. The agency recently issued its latest "honor awards" for employees and contractors: all but two of the 42 recipients were men. (11/27)

Japan Proposes Using ISS Module as Broadcast Studio (Source: Asahi Shimbun)
Japan is proposing to develop a broadcast studio in its International Space Station module. The Japanese space agency announced earlier this month it will work with broadcaster Sky Perfect JSAT and digital content developer Bascule for the studio in the Kibo module. The project, to be developed in stages through 2022, will include virtual reality technologies and live broadcasts in super high resolution from the module. (11/27)