December 5, 2019

SpaceX Launches Dragon Cargo Ship to Space Station for NASA, Sticks Rocket Landing (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX successfully launched an uncrewed Dragon spacecraft for NASA today (Dec. 5) on the company's final cargo mission of the year , sending fresh supplies to the International Space Station — and also sticking a rocket landing on a drone ship off the Florida coast. A shiny, new two-stage Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 12:29 p.m. EST from Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport carrying the company's robotic Dragon cargo capsule toward the orbiting lab following a 24-hour delay due to high winds. (12/5)

Putin Fears the US and NATO are Militarizing Space and Russia is Right to Worry, Experts Say (Source: CNBC)
NATO, the U.S. and Russia have a new domain to compete and conflict over: space. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Wednesday that the U.S. saw space as as “theater of military operations” and that the development of the U.S. Space Force posed a threat to Russia. “The U.S. military-political leadership openly considers space as a military theater and plans to conduct operations there,” Putin said at a meeting with defense officials in Sochi, according to Russian news agency TASS.

“For preserving strategic supremacy in this field the United States is accelerating creation of its space forces, which are already in the process of operative preparations,” Putin said, adding that the world’s leading countries are fast-tracking the development of modern military space systems and dual purpose satellites and that Russia needed to do the same. “The situation requires us to pay increased attention to strengthening the orbital group, as well as the rocket and space industry as a whole.” (12/5)

Funding Europe’s Space Ambitions (Source: Space Review)
Ministers representing the 22 member states of the European Space Agency met in Spain last week for funding decisions on the agency’s programs for the next three years. Jeff Foust reports on how ESA was able to secure nearly everything it asked for as it seeks to take a bigger role in areas from Earth observation to human space exploration. Click here. (12/3) 
 
All In the Family (Source: Space Review)
As NASA plans to resume launching astronauts on American spacecraft, it’s time to take stock of the lessons learned from the shuttle program. Dwayne Day says that includes the culture of that program, including how a simple term could be used, or misused. Click here. (12/3)
 
In Search of a Space Culture (Source: Space Review)
Much of the discussion about a proposed Space Force has focused on organizational structures and even the color of its uniforms. Jack Anthony argues that the most important issue is what sort of culture such a service needs in order to be effective. Click here. (12/3)
 
Trends in Technology Development in the US and USSR During the Space Race (Source: Space Review)
The Soviet Union had an early lead in the Space Race with the US, but America pulled ahead over time. A group of authors tries to quantify this competition through an analysis of spacecraft data. Click here. (12/3) 

Spacewalk Crunch for ISS Repairs (Source: Space News)
NASA is still figuring out how to squeeze in three spacewalks some time in the next two months to complete station repairs. NASA has one more spacewalk remaining to wrap up the replacement of the cooling system on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer instrument, along with two spacewalks to complete replacement of batteries for the station's power system, work that started in October but was put on hold after a battery charging unit malfunctioned. With a busy schedule of visiting vehicles this month, NASA is aiming for a narrow window in January to perform the spacewalks. That window will close in early February when the station's crew drops to three. (12/4)

Thales Alenia to Develop Satellite for Egyptian Company (Source: Thales Alenia)
Thales Alenia Space has won a contract to build a GEO communications satellite for an Egyptian company. Thales announced Wednesday it will build the Nilesat-301 satellite for Nilesat for launch in the first quarter of 2022. The four-ton satellite will operate at 7 degrees west in GEO, working with the existing Nilesat-201 satellite to provide Ku-band services for the Middle East and North Africa. (12/4)

Sky and Space Global Shrinks Constellation Plans (Source: Space News)
Sky and Space Global is shrinking the size of its constellation as it deals with funding problems. The Australian company has plans for a constellation of 200 cubesats to provide low-data-rate communications, but says its initial focus is on getting just eight satellites in orbit. Difficulty obtaining financing has delayed Sky and Space Global's target launch, once anticipated for late 2019, to the end of 2020, the company said in a report published Wednesday. The company is trying to raise $10.8 million in the coming months after an unsuccessful attempt in August. (12/4)

Mexican Students Send Small Satellite to the Space Station (Source: NASA)
The first satellite built by students in Mexico for launch from the International Space Station is smaller than a shoebox but represents a big step for its builders. The project is part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative, which offers universities, high schools and non-profit organizations the opportunity to fly small satellites. Innovative technology partnerships keep down the cost, providing students a way to obtain hands-on experience developing flight hardware. (12/3)

Commerce and Defense Coming to Terms on Remote Sensing Regulations (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Commerce and Defense Departments are continuing to debate revisions to commercial remote sensing regulations. Representatives of the two departments are scheduled to meet this week to negotiate issues for a final rule revising the regulations, with the possibility that, if an agreement can't be reached, the issue will be elevated all the way to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Defense Secretary Mark Esper. Industry sources say some in the Defense Department are opposed to any relaxation in the regulations because of national security concerns, despite the growth of the commercial remote sensing industry outside of the U.S. (12/4)

Business Accelerator Has Ties to NASA Ames (Source: Space News)
A business accelerator is establishing a new program with ties to the NASA Ames Research Center. The Founder Institute announced open applications this week for the Advanced Technologies Accelerator for aerospace, space and "frontier" technologies firms that have not yet raised seed funding. Through the accelerator, startup founders will be matched with mentors and advisers, and the Founder Institute will help entrepreneurs identify whether NASA Ames technology could further their businesses and, if so, help them license the technology. (12/4)

Lloyds Offers Small Satellite Insurance (Source: Reinsurance News)
Lloyd's of London is offering a new space insurance product targeted at the small satellite market. Llift Space will offer up to $25 million in capacity per risk, and is intended for satellites weighing no more than 300 kilograms. Lloyd's says the new insurance is targeted for emerging NewSpace companies, offering greater flexibility and the ability to cover risks from the prelaunch phase through in-orbit operations. (12/4)

China's Lunar Rover Travels 350 Meters (Source: Space News)
China's Yutu-2 lunar rover has now racked up nearly 350 meters on the lunar surface. Officials with the China National Space Administration said Wednesday that the rover and the Chang'e-4 lander have wrapped up their 12th lunar day and continue to be in good condition. Yutu-2 has traveled 345 meters on the surface so far since landing in early January. (12/4)

TriSept to Integrate NASA Cubesats (Source: Space News)
TriSept has won a NASA contract for cubesat launch integration services. The indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, announced Monday, has a value of up to $18 million for launch integration services through 2025. Under a previous IDIQ contract, TriSept integrated the 10 cubesats that launched in December 2018 on a Rocket Lab Electron launch vehicle for NASA, and is integrating 11 cubesats that will launch on Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne next year for the agency. (12/4)

New Engine Tested for Long March 8 Rocket (Source: Xinhua)
A Chinese company has tested an engine that will be used on the country's Long March 8 rocket. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said it successfully test-fired the liquid-hydrogen, liquid-oxygen engine for the second stage of the rocket. The Long March 8, slated to make its debut next year, will be able to place up to five metric tons into sun-synchronous orbits and is designed to be built and launched rapidly. (12/4)

Satellite Services Make Up Bulk of Space Business (Source: Quartz)
In 2018, satellite-related revenue made up 75% of the $360 billion “space economy,” per the analysts at Bryce Space and Technology.
It’s a reality that helps explain SpaceX’s obsession with launching its own satellite constellation, and that the bulk of venture capital investment in spacecraft is for remote-sensing or telecommunications services.

People tossing around the term “trillion dollar space economy” are mostly betting on a world where satellite networks carry a growing portion of the world’s internet traffic—with “internet” being the convergence of television broadcasts, consumer broadband, mobile data and the internet of things. Many of the more speculative potential space businesses, meanwhile—like satellite servicing, orbital debris removal, or a market for propellant mined on the moon—will have to wait for humanity to significantly increase its economic reliance on orbiting spacecraft. (12/5)

China Plans Space-Based Solar Power Station (Source: Space Daily)
China plans to accomplish a 200-tonne megawatt-level space-based solar power station by 2035, according to the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). The space-based solar power station would capture the sun's energy that never makes it to the planet, said Wang Li, a CAST research fellow with the program, when attending the sixth China-Russia Engineering Forum held last week in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. The energy is converted to microwaves or lasers and then beamed wirelessly back to the Earth's surface for human consumption, Wang said. (12/3)

The Next Trillion-Dollar Economy? (Source Fox Business)
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday hosted its second annual space summit at a time when an increasing number of companies are hoping to capitalize on what is quickly becoming a burgeoning economic opportunity. The chamber said the space economy is expected to turn into a trillion-dollar industry over the coming years. Analysts at Morgan Stanley agree. The Space Team at the investment bank projects the global space economy could surpass $1 trillion in value by 2040. The team put the current value of the space economy at around $350 billion.

Space economist Sinead O’Sullivan noted there are two primary parts of the space economy – Earth-focused space technologies, like satellites, and space exploration, including the mining of materials. Everything from weather, Wi-Fi, shipping and logistics, television and radio rely on satellite-based services. But mineral mining is where O’Sullivan sees the big opportunity to send the space economy over the trillion-dollar threshold – mining and bringing back materials that have value on Earth from asteroids or other planets. (12/4)

US Can't Afford Congressional Inaction in This Critical Economic Sector (Source: The Hill)
Last holiday weekend we were thankful to see the bipartisan effort of Congress confirmed by President Trump’s signing of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. This bold act demonstrated that our government can effectively work together on important legislation. Yet political paralysis threatens a number of important bills, budgets, and programs that should be nonpartisan. These include support for two organizations necessary to American success in the space-based economy of the 21st century.

Firstly, the Office of Space Commerce lacks appropriate funding and positioning. Established through the cooperation of a Democratic Congress and a Republican White House in the 1980s, this office is tasked with advocating for our commercial space businesses in the global market. While Bank of America and other experts are projecting a multi-trillion dollar commercial space economy, funding for the Office has been less than $2 million annually. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has advocated for a modest increase to $10 million and for the establishment of a Bureau of Space Commerce, to be headed by an assistant secretary. This is the right plan for the globally competitive 21st century, and Congress should act on it promptly.

At the least, Congress must swiftly address the threat that space debris presents to commercial, civilian and military space systems. The President’s Space Policy Directive-3 (SPD-3) tasks the Office of Space Commerce to develop a new Space Traffic Management (STM) system by 2024. America’s commercial firms are in the process of launching thousands of new satellites that will provide global communications and daily Earth imaging. Click here. (12/4)

China Aims to Knock Out U.S. Space Systems in Conflict (Source: Parabolic Arc)
China has spent the last 15 years testing kinetic kill, directed energy, electromagnetic, cyber and other systems in an effort to develop methods for crippling American satellites during a conflict. “China’s development of offensive space capabilities may now be outstripping the United States’ ability to defend against them, increasing the possibility that U.S. vulnerability combined with a lack of a credible deterrence posture could invite Chinese aggression,” according to a new report to Congress.

The report quotes Todd Harrison, a senior space expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, as saying that China is “developing, testing, and operationalizing counterspace weapons at a faster pace than [the United States is] making progress protecting [its] space systems against these threats.” China and Russia support a draft treaty banning weapons in space and a proposal for a second treaty banning the first placement of such weapons.

“The United States opposes the Treaty on the Prevention of the Placement of Weapons in Outer Space because it does not define what constitutes a space weapon, include a verification mechanism for treaty adherence, or restrict development or stockpiling of ground-based antisatellite (ASAT) weapons, all of which would allow Beijing to continue placing U.S. and other foreign space assets at risk with its growing arsenal of ground-based counterspace weapons,” the report said. (12/4)

Aerojet Rocketdyne Huntsville Site Set for Large Solid Rocket Motor Production (Source: Space Daily)
Aerojet Rocketdyne is ready to begin producing large solid rocket motor carbon fiber cases in the Rocket City following installation and calibration of a key machine at its new Advanced Manufacturing Facility (AMF). The state-of-the-art machine will be used to wind the carbon fibers that form the structural case of large solid rocket motors. It is capable of producing motor cases up to 72 inches in diameter and 22 feet long, which is large enough to support strategic missile programs. (12/5)