November 5, 2019

Long March 5 Launch in December: A Lot is at Stake (Source: China Aerospace Blog)
Excitement has been building up in China and among space enthusiasts ever since Chinese authorities have hinted at a possible return of Long March 5 to the launchpad at the end of the year. First mentioned by CGWIC during the Satellite Business Week in September 2019, it was then further confirmed by the departure for Tianjin of the Yuan Wang 21 and 22 cargo ships (which specialize in the transportation of rocket parts, notably Long March 5). The current launch date is estimated to be at the end of December, although this could easily be shifted to early 2020 due to the usual uncertainty around launches. (10/27)

Building Solar Panels in Space Might be as Easy as Clicking Print (Source: NASA)
Imagine you just moved to the surface of the Moon. There is plenty of available real estate, and you pick a nice-looking plot, away from craters and burnt-out volcanoes, for your home. You begin building on the powdery surface, first putting up walls, and then using a device like an inkjet printer to print solar cells that will generate your electricity. Once you finish, you step inside, turn out the lights and close the blinds to block the Sun that won’t set for another 14 Earth days.

In the future, this imaginary scene could become reality. With the Artemis program, the first woman and next man will step foot on the Moon by 2024, and NASA will establish sustainable exploration with commercial and international partners by 2028. The long-term goal is to use what we learn on the Moon to prepare for the next giant leap — sending astronauts to Mars. It’s an ambitious mission—creating an environment that allows us to have a long-term presence on another world is not an easy task. But scientists at NASA’s Glenn Research Center are developing new technology to make it possible, beginning with the solar cells that could power lunar habitats. (10/30)

UK And Australia Team Up to Use Space Tech to Protect the Pacific Ocean (Source: Business Leader)
Pacific island countries vulnerable to climate change will benefit from space technology to help them plan for and prevent natural disasters, thanks to a new UK and Australian partnership. The UK Space Agency is looking for project ideas, to be delivered through UK aid, that use the data collected by satellites to improve decision-making for disaster risk reduction, ocean monitoring, mangrove mapping and maritime management.

This will also see Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, work with the UK Space Agency and invite UK organisations and other international partners to work with them to scope projects designed to deliver sustainable benefits to Small Island Developing States in the Pacific. (11/4)

Are We In a Closed Universe? (Source: LinkedIn)
Scientists have long been convinced the universe was shaped like that sheet of paper. But the new paper suggests that could be wrong, and it is not flat but rather closed. Newly released data from the Planck Telescope, which aimed to take very precise readings of the shape, size and ancient history of our universe, suggests that there could be something wrong in our physics, according to a new paper. The authors say that if it is correct that the data from the Planck telescope suggests we are inside of a closed universe, it "introduces a new problem for modern cosmology".

The "shape" of the universe affects some of our most fundamental understanding of existence, deciding the geometry of how the cosmos is assembled. In a flat universe, parallel lines will run forever, just like if you draw a set of them onto a sheet of paper. But if it is not flat, they intersect: if you draw two parallel lines onto a spherical object like a football, for instance, they run into each other on the other side. At the moment, scientists generally believe that the universe is "flat." That is in keeping with large amounts of data gathered from telescopes peering deep into space, including readings from the Planck Telescope.

But new research on data from the same Planck telescope gave different readings than expected under our standard understanding of the universe. Those could be explained by the fact the universe is "closed", the authors write – which would help explain issues with the readings. That could mean that our assumption of a flat universe may actually be "masking a cosmological crisis where disparate observed properties of the Universe appear to be mutually inconsistent", the authors write. (11/5)

NASA rejects Blue Origin’s Offer of a Cheaper Upper Stage for the SLS Rocket (Source: Ars Technica)
On Halloween, NASA posted a document that provides some perspective on the agency's long-term plans for the Space Launch System rocket. SLS has been under development since 2010, has an annual budget of more than $2 billion, and will not fly before at least 2021. The new document, known as a Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition, explains why NASA rejected a lower-cost version of an upper stage for its rocket.

Early on, the space agency opted to build the large SLS rocket in phases. The initial version, Block 1, would have a placeholder upper stage. As a result, this initial variant of the rocket would be somewhat limited in its capabilities and only marginally more powerful than private rockets developed without tax dollars. The much more capable Block 1b of the SLS rocket will stand apart from these private rockets. With its more powerful second stage, known as the Exploration Upper Stage, it will more than double the lift capacity of these private rockets. Additionally, it will have the capability to launch both large amounts of cargo and the crewed Orion spacecraft at the same time.

NASA sets out three reasons for not opening the competition to Blue Origin. In the document, NASA says Blue Origin's "alternate" stage cannot fly 10 tons of cargo along with the Orion spacecraft. Moreover, NASA says, the total height of the SLS rocket's core stage with Blue Origin's upper stage exceeds the height of the Vertical Assembly Building's door, resulting in "modifications to the VAB building height and substantial cost and schedule delays." Finally, the agency says the BE-3U engine's higher stage thrust would result in an increase to the end-of-life acceleration of the Orion spacecraft and a significant impact to the Orion solar array design. (11/5)

Maxar Wins GEO Satellite Order (Source: Space News)
Maxar Technologies says it's won an order for a GEO communications satellite from an undisclosed customer. Maxar CEO Dan Jablonsky said in an earnings call Monday that the order, still being finalized, is a sign of a turnaround in the industry, with the expectation it will win other contracts in the near future as well. Maxar executives said that an effort to resize what was once known as Space Systems Loral progressed further with a $291 million property sale, the proceeds of which will be used to reduce the company's $3.13 billion of long-term debt. The company also disclosed that its WorldView Legion constellation will consist of six satellites launching in 2021, and will triple the company's ability to collect 30-centimeter resolution imagery. (11/5)

China Launches Another Beidou NavSat (Source: Xinhua)
China launched a navigation satellite Monday. A Long March 3B lifted off at 12:43 p.m. Eastern, carrying a Beidou satellite intended for an inclined geosynchronous orbit. The satellite is the 49th in the overall Beidou system and the 24th in the Beidou-3 series intended to build out a global navigation system. (11/5)

Aviaton and Launch Industries Seek Common Ground in National Airspace Use (Source: Space News)
The aviation and space industries are seeking common ground in improvements to the national airspace system to better integrate launches into it. At a workshop last week, representatives of both industries agreed that improvements are needed to limit the amount of airspace cordoned off for launches that can lead to flight delays. The aviation industry points to the inaugural Falcon Heavy launch in early 2018 that delayed more than 500 flights, but an FAA official noted that, in the first nine months of 2018, launches disrupted only 0.05% of all flights. Improvements to air traffic systems, such as ways to dynamically open and close airspace as needed, should be sold on the safety benefits rather than on limiting flight delays. (11/5)

Georgia Spaceport Expexts FAA Decision Next Month (Source: Georgia Recorder)
A proposed Georgia spaceport is expecting an FAA decision on its launch license next month. Spaceport Camden, located on the Atlantic coast, expects the FAA to rule on its license application by mid-December which, if approved, would allow it to host up to a dozen orbital launches a year. The proposed spaceport had been criticized by nearby homeowners and environmental groups because of the perceived risk of a launch failure. If the FAA does approve the license, spaceport proponents hope to host the first launch from the site as soon as 2021. (11/5)

Singapore Startup Raises $1.1 million for Electric In-Space Propulsion (Source: Deal Street Asia)
A startup in Singapore has secured a round of funding to develop spacecraft propulsion systems. Aliena raised $1.1 million in a round led by Silicon Valley venture capital firm 500 Startups. The company is working on electric propulsion systems for smallsats and plans to use the funding to increase its workforce and develop facilities for testing its propulsion systems. (11/5)