December 26, 2019

Diving and Driving on Icy Moons: One Strategy for Exploring Enceladus and Europa (Source: Space News)
Over the past 60 years, NASA has explored the solar system from the sun to the Kuiper belt. While many of these missions, especially those beyond Saturn, have been one-shot flybys (such as the Voyagers and recently New Horizons), others have charted many of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn extensively by repeated orbital passes. The sole landing on these icy worlds was the Huygens probe, which parachuted to the surface of Saturn’s moon Titan in early 2005 as part of NASA’s Cassini mission, and which operated for about 90 minutes after touchdown.

The data gathered from a few of these moons has provided compelling evidence of possible warm oceans beneath their frozen surfaces, Saturn’s Enceladus and Jupiter’s Europa in particular. NASA would like to explore these subsurface seas, as they appear to offer promise for the potential of life. Between their internal geological activity, spurred by the torturous gravitational complexities of Jupiter and Saturn’s many moons that heats these cold worlds, and the watery plumes spouting from both, they are very compelling to planetary scientists (especially exobiologists). (12/25)

Proton Launches Weather Satellite at Baikonur Spaceport (Source: Space News)
A Proton rocket launched a Russian weather satellite Tuesday. The Proton lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 7:03 a.m. Eastern and placed the Electro-L No. 3 satellite into its planned transfer orbit six and a half hours later. The launch was the fifth Proton mission of the year, four for the Russian government and one commercial mission brokered by International Launch Services. There are no commercial Proton launches scheduled for 2020, with Khrunichev planning three Proton missions and two flights of Proton's eventual successor, the Angara 5. (12/26)

Mitsubishi Develops Small Satellite (Source: Space News)
A JAXA contract could help Mitsubishi get into the smallsat constellation market. The Japanese space agency awarded a contract to Mitsubishi Electric to build a 100-kilogram smallsat, called Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-2, for launch in 2022. The company said the satellite in intended to demonstrate its ability to serve as a "standardized platform" for smallsats that could be produced in large numbers. (12/26)

Russian Satellite Hit by Micrometerorite or Space Debris (Source: TASS)
A Russian weather satellite reportedly was struck by a micrometeorite or orbital debris last week. Roscosmos said Tuesday that the Meteor-M No. 2-2 satellite malfunctioned after an "external influence" changed the spacecraft's orbit and caused it to spin up. Controllers were able to restore operations of the satellite. Roscosmos said "presumably a micrometeorite" caused the problem, but didn't explain how it reached that conclusion. The satellite was launched into polar orbit in July. (12/26)

Russia Willing to Participate in NASA Lunar Gateway (Source: Sputnik)
The head of Roscosmos says Russia is willing to participate in NASA's lunar Gateway program. Dmitry Rogozin said Tuesday that Roscosmos is ready to negotiate with NASA on Russian roles for the Gateway. Russian officials had previously suggested they were not interested in contributing to a project run by NASA. The other major partners in the International Space Station — Canada, Europe and Japan — have all announced their intent to take part in the Gateway. (12/26)

China's Commercial Space Industry is Soaring (Source: Globa Times)
China's commercial space sector is growing rapidly and its development is reaching a climax this year with domestic players making technology breakthroughs, executives and industry analysts told the Global Times. "For both players with state-owned enterprise backgrounds or private-invested, this year means harvesting the gains" of past efforts, said Huang Zhicheng, an expert in the space industry.

The overall atmosphere is very dynamic, Huang told the Global Times. Earlier this month, two solid-fueled Kuaizhou-1A rockets were fired into orbit from the same spaceport in northern China with a gap of less than six hours. Kuaizhou-1A is a low-cost solid-fuel carrier rocket with high reliability and a short preparation period. The rocket, developed by a company under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC), is mainly used to launch low-orbit microsatellites. (12/25)

Commercial Suborbital Carrier Rocket Launched in China (Source: Xinhua)
A commercial suborbital carrier rocket developed by a private Chinese company was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 4:50 p.m. Wednesday (Beijing Time). The rocket, Tansuo-1, was developed by Space Trek. It completed the whole maneuver flight and fairing separation at high dynamic pressure during the flight. The rocket can serve purposes of meteorological observation, microgravity testing as well as satellite payload experiments. It was the maiden flight of the first rocket developed by the company. (12/25)

China's Reusable Liquid Rocket Engine Completes 500-Second Test (Source: Xinhua)
China's 15-tonne reusable liquid oxygen-methane engine completed a run test with a duration of 500 seconds in Beijing on Wednesday. The engine, named JD-1, was developed by the Beijing-based rocket company i-Space, which is China's first private developer to send a rocket into orbit. As the key to the reuse of carrier rockets, the engine was designed to be used up to 30 times. It can save more than 70 percent in manufacturing cost for the rockets, according to the developer.

The engine can meet multi-mission requirements such as deceleration, landing, as well as long time in orbit and deep space exploration. It has a strong adaptability to missions, the developer said. The engine will be assembled on the reusable liquid oxygen-methane carrier rocket Hyperbola-2, which was developed by i-Space. The rocket, with a takeoff weight of 90 tonnes, is capable of sending 1.9 tonnes of payloads to the low-Earth orbit. It is expected to be launched for the first time in 2021. (12/25)

Rocket Rideshare Provides Quick Access to Space for Small Satellites (Source: Voice of America)
One California-based rocket company is 3D-printing engines that can be quickly made in high volumes. Rocket Lab says these high-performing rockets are reliable and are regularly used to launch satellites to low-Earth orbit each month. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has the details from Huntington Beach, California. Click here. (12/24)

After 'The Expanse' Move to Amazon Prime, Actors Hope to Film in Space (Source: Space.com)
Actor Steven Strait has portrayed spacefaring captain James Holden on the small screen since "The Expanse" first aired on the Syfy channel in 2015. Now that the series has a new home on Amazon Prime, Strait and other cast members have quipped that maybe they can finally shoot on location. In October, New York's Javits Center opened its doors for the highly anticipated, four-day long marathon of nerdom known as New York Comic Con. The convention grows each year; many projects, like "The Expanse," choose to unveil their latest news at the event.

Naren Shankar, executive producer of the "The Expanse," joined Strait and other cast members on a panel to answer fans' questions following a special screening of the Season 4 premiere. The new season kicks off the show's stay at Amazon Prime, the streaming service from billionaire Jeff Bezos, who also founded the private spaceflight company Blue Origin. The overlap is not lost on the "Expanse" cast. Paraphrasing a fan's question, panel moderator Kyle Hill asked the cast, "How is it to act like you're in space? It can't be an easy thing, not many people do it, and there are lots of little tips and tricks you all have to make space feel 'spacey.'" "We're hoping to shoot on location next year," Strait said. The crowd got hyped. (12/24)

Russian Prosecutors Refer 80 Criminal Cases Tied To Spaceport Construction To Authorities (Source: UrduPoint)
Prosecutors sent 80 orders to the investigating authorities to initiate criminal cases over violations discovered during the construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome, Spokesman for the Russian Prosecutor General's Office Alexander Kurennoy said Tuesday. According to the spokesman, prosecutors looked into all general contractors and subcontractors involved in the construction. The inspection discovered and prevented violations in state defense orders, budgetary and other Federal laws. (12/24)

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