January 18, 2020

Clearwater Facility to Build Electronics for Orion Spacecraft (Source: Fox13 Tampa Bay)
The road to Mars runs through Clearwater. At least, that was part of the message Friday as Lockheed Martin and Honeywell in Clearwater signed a long-term contract to work on NASA’s Orion spacecraft. The Orion vehicle is set to take humans back to the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program and eventually could fly people to Mars. But money earmarked for space is spent here on Earth.

As Representative Charlie Crist put it, space is powering Florida’s economy. In fact, he said, this deal and the ensuing missions are nothing less than our future. “The spacecraft that will be taking Americans back to the moon is being partly built right here in our backyard and that’s incredible,” Rep. Crist offered. “It’s an incredible opportunity for Pinellas manufacturers, technicians, and engineers to be part of a new era in American space exploration.” (1/17)

Virgin Galactic Continues Work on Fleet of SpaceShipTwo Vehicles (Source: Space News)
Virgin Galactic is making progress in the development of its next SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane, although the company is saying little about when its existing SpaceShipTwo will be ready to resume test flights. Virgin Galactic announced that the next SpaceShipTwo vehicle achieved a milestone called “weight on wheels,” where the vehicle supported itself solely using its landing gear. All the major structural elements of the vehicle are also in place.

The company said that this vehicle reached the “weight on wheels” stage of completion “considerably faster” than for the previous vehicle, VSS Unity, although it did not quantify how much faster the production went. The company credited the faster production to “a more efficient, modular assembly process, as well as experience curve benefits.” (1/13)

China Reveals Space Plan for 2020 (Source: Xinhua)
China will smash its record for space launches in 2020. The country is going to send more than 60 spacecraft into orbit via over 40 launches this year, according to a plan released Friday in Beijing. "This year will continue to see intensive launches," said Shang Zhi, director of the Space Department of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), at a press conference, where a blue book setting out China's space achievements and future missions was released.

According to Shang, there are three major missions, mainly focusing on the completion of the BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System, the lunar exploration and the network of Gaofen observation satellites. Two geostationary orbit BeiDou satellites will be sent into space in the first half of 2020. The Chang'e-5 lunar probe, which is expected to bring moon samples back to Earth, and China's first Mars probe are also planned to be launched this year. In addition, three new types of carrier rockets, which are the Long March-5B, Long March-7A and Long March-8, will make their maiden flights in 2020. (1/17)

SpaceX To Rehearse Worst-Case scenario for Crew Dragon Spaceflights (Source: GeekWire)
SpaceX and NASA are planning a dress rehearsal for something they hope will never happen: a catastrophic failure at virtually the worst time in the launch of a crewed mission to the International Space Station. Fortunately, the closest things to crew members on this in-flight abort test of the Crew Dragon spaceship are two test dummies, hooked up to sensors that will tell engineers how flesh-and-blood fliers would have weathered the aborted trip.

If all goes well, that should take care of the final major hurdle before two actual NASA astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, ride a different Crew Dragon to the station and back later this year. Although they’re not flying this time around, they’ve been rehearsing all the steps they’d take before the launch, right down to donning their SpaceX-designed spacesuits and strolling through the elevated walkway leading to the Dragon’s hatch.

About a minute and a half after launch, the Dragon is programmed to fire up its thrusters and pull itself away from the rocket, traveling at 2.3 times the speed of sound. The Falcon 9’s rocket engines will shut down, and the booster is expected to break up as it falls, probably producing some fireworks in the process. Meanwhile, the Dragon should coast into a safe descent, deploy its parachutes, and splash down in the Atlantic about 20 miles offshore. The whole mission should last about 10 minutes from liftoff to splashdown. (1/18)

Made in Space Corporate Headquarters will Move to Jacksonville (Source: First Coast News)
Made in Space, a company that develops state-of-the-art space manufacturing technology to support space exploration, will be moving their corporate headquarters to Jacksonville. The move will reportedly bring a number of new high-paying jobs and help bring an entirely new technology sector to the First Coast. (1/17)

Governor, Space Florida Highlight Aerospace in Jacksonville (Source: Florida Politics)
A second “major announcement” in a week had Gov. Ron DeSantis returning to Jacksonville Friday. The Governor was at Made in Space, a local company that is relocating its corporate headquarters to the Northeast Florida city. DeSantis and Space Florida CEO Frank DiBello spoke at some length about the company and what it represents. DeSantis described a “great renaissance” of space, with a “reinvigorated” NASA.

“In the next several years,” DeSantis said, “we’re going to put American astronauts on the moon.” Made In Space has made multiple visits to the International Space Station, where equipment made in Jacksonville is of galactic importance. DeSantis suggested the relocation from Silicon Valley to Jacksonville was driven by a more hospitable business climate. Meanwhile, Florida is “working hard” to ensure “skilled labor … at a variety of skill levels” is available.

DeSantis has pushed for the U.S. Space Force to locate in Florida, and Space Florida has been highlighted throughout his first year in office. “I’ve talked to the President, mentioned Space Command,” he added, but thus far no commitment to Canaveral and the Sunshine State from the White House. (1/17)

Satellite Beach-Based Company to Receive Space Force Incentive as Program Launches (Source: Florida Today)
Florida’s aerospace agency has launched a new front in its effort to make the Sunshine State more enticing as a potential player in the nation’s up-and-coming Space Force. The Space Florida Board of Directors on Thursday approved $200,000 for Satellite Beach-based GTOPS, Inc., a veteran-owned business that provides facilities-support services, to further showcase how military bases and businesses in the state are capable of training and equipping President Donald Trump’s new military branch.

“If you can't make the articulate arguments for what capabilities you've got to support missions, you’ll never get those mission assignments,” Space Florida President and CEO Frank DiBello said after Thursday’s meeting in Tallahassee. Florida officials have often pointed to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ political ties to Trump as they lobby for the new branch.

Space Florida officials maintain that luring the combatant command or the components that will make up the bulk of the Space Force will require showing that many of the new agency’s functions already exist in some manner at Cape Canaveral and military bases across the state. (1/17)

Could Future Homes on the Moon and Mars Be Made of Fungi? (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Science fiction often imagines our future on Mars and other planets as run by machines, with metallic cities and flying cars rising above dunes of red sand. But the reality may be even stranger – and “greener.” Instead of habitats made of metal and glass, NASA is exploring technologies that could grow structures out of fungi to become our future homes in the stars, and perhaps lead to more sustainable ways of living on Earth as well.

The myco-architecture project out of NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley is prototyping technologies that could “grow” habitats on the Moon, Mars and beyond out of life – specifically, fungi and the unseen underground threads that make up the main part of the fungus, known as mycelia.

Ultimately, the project envisions a future where human explorers can bring a compact habitat built out of a lightweight material with dormant fungi that will last on long journeys to places like Mars. Upon arrival, by unfolding that basic structure and simply adding water, the fungi will be able to grow around that framework into a fully functional human habitat – all while being safely contained within the habitat to avoid contaminating the Martian environment. (1/18)

Russia’s New Super-Heavy Rocket to be Cheaper Than US Space Launch System (Source: TASS)
Russia’s new super-heavy carrier rocket Yenisei will be cheaper than the US Space Launch System (SLS), Head of the State Space Corporation Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin wrote on his Twitter. "Our super-heavy rocket will cost considerably less than the American SLS but it is necessary to lay groundwork already today for the solutions that will make the Yenisei even more competitive," he said.

The Roscosmos chief said he agreed with SpaceX founder Elon Musk who had earlier stated that the launch cost of an SLS heavy carrier rocket, which Boeing was developing for delivering astronauts to the Moon, was too high. As the Roscosmos chief said, even the United States with its powerful economy would find it difficult to bear such expenses. (1/17)

Space Industry is Important for Driving UAE Sustainable Development (Source: Gulf Today)
As part of its participation in Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2020, the UAE Space Agency discussed its continuous efforts for achieving a sustainable future, both through space exploration as well as the implementation of innovative space technologies. The Agency engaged with the youth and encouraged them to enter the space sector, stressing their role in developing space technologies and utilizing space resources to build a sustainable and bright future on Earth.

Influential delegates from the UAE Space Agency were involved in panel discussions, workshops, networking lunches, and start-up hubs, where they shared insights on the importance of the space industry for driving sustainable development. They took part in the Future Sustainability Summit, Youth4Sustainability Forum, Women in Sustainability, Environment and Renewable Energy and the Climate Innovation Exchange (CLiX), which the UAE Space Agency is a strategic partner of. (1/17)

AFRL Tests Launch Tech For ‘Austere’ Sites (Source: Breaking Defense)
The traditional image of a rocket launch involves looming gantries, big concrete pads, sprawling bases and it’s all fixed in place. Which can make places like Vandenberg Air Force Base very tempting targets in wartime. To complicate that otherwise simple calculus, the Air Force Research Laboratory is teaming with California startup ABL Space Systems to investigate launching satellites from remote and inhospitable areas, as well as rapid manufacturing techniques that could see rockets delivered almost on-demand.

The Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with ABL for testing of its truck-launched RF-1 rocket addresses concerns that an adversary would target the handful of fixed launching sites in the US. It also bears relevance to Air Force, and presumably now Space Force, interests in injecting resiliency and into the vulnerable national security space architecture.

If the CRADA agreement proves beneficial, “ABL could be a provider of a new capability” to the Air Force and/or Space Force, Nils Sedano, technical advisor of the liquid engines branch at AFRL’s Rocket Propulsion Division at Edwards AFB, told Breaking D in an email. The Air Force “is obtaining technical test data of their propulsion and vehicle developments and being able to use it to further investigate the implementation of Additive Manufacturing upon Rocket Propulsion systems,” he explained. (1/16)

Elon Musk Drops Details for SpaceX Mars Mega-Colony (Source: C/Net)
The first SpaceX Starship orbital prototypes aren't even built yet, but Elon Musk already has big plans for his company's spacecraft, which includes turning humans into an interplanetary species with a presence on Mars. He crunched some of the numbers he has in mind on Twitter on Thursday. Musk doesn't just want to launch a few intrepid souls to Mars, he wants to send a whole new nation. He tossed out a goal of building 100 Starships per year to send about 100,000 people from Earth to Mars every time the planets' orbits line up favorably.

Musk's vision involves loading 1,000 Starships into orbit and then sending them off over the course of a month around prime time for a minimal commute. Travelers would still be looking at spending months on board before reaching the Red Planet. When asked how people would be selected for the Red Planet move, Musk tweeted, "Needs to be such that anyone can go if they want, with loans available for those who don't have money." So perhaps you could pay off your SpaceX loans with a sweet terraforming gig.

In the meantime, Musk is stockpiling money for a reason. "Helping to pay for this is why I'm accumulating assets on Earth," he tweeted. The company is currently building Starships designed to reach Earth orbit after a series of successful "hopper" prototype tests. The reusable spacecraft could have a lifespan of 20 to 30 years, enabling them to make round-trip journeys between the planets. (1/16)

Sierra Nevada Eyes 2021 Launch of Dream Chaser Space Plane (Source: Space.com)
The Colorado-based spaceflight company is on track for a 2021 launch debut of its robotic Dream Chaser space plane, even as the firm shoots for the moon under NASA's Artemis program, Sierra Nevada representatives said. Dream Chaser is set to become the next addition to the fleet of uncrewed cargo vehicles that ferry supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). (Four different freighters currently do the job: Northrop Grumman's Cygnus spacecraft, SpaceX's Cargo Dragon, Russia's Progress spacecraft and Japan's HTV ship.)

Dream Chaser was originally designed to carry humans, but its first delivery will be a cargo resupply mission to the space station. In 2014, SNC lost out to SpaceX and Boeing for NASA contracts to launch astronauts. However, in 2016, NASA selected Dream Chaser for its Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract, awarding Sierra Nevada a deal for six cargo missions to the space station by 2024. (1/16)

L3Harris Nabs $12.9M Contract for National Space Defense Center Sustainment (Source: Space Daily)
L3Harris Technologies received a $12.9 million contract modification for National Space Defense Center sustainment effort, the Department of Defense announced. The contract modifies a previous deal for National Space Defense Center sustainment work at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado. The deal's announcement comes on the heels of comments by the DoD's undersecretary for defense acquisition and sustainment that space-related acquisitions are not likely to slow down even as the Pentagon restructures the acquisitions bureaucracy. (1/15)

NASA-Funded Space Radiation Studies Could Save Astronauts' Lives (Source: Space Daily)
Physicists are teaming up with computer scientists in a NASA-funded study to help predict solar flares and radiation that can disable spacecraft and potentially kill astronauts. NASA has awarded a $550,000 grant to the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne to begin the three-year machine learning project next month. Computer algorithms will analyze data and imagery from the sun and solar system radiation.

The space agency's goal is to identify warning signs that precede solar radiation events and to better understand their length and severity. Scientists say is important to monitor solar activity and restrict spacewalks when radiation levels are dangerously high. As NASA plans a base on the moon and trips to Mars, the space agency is ramping up space radiation studies. Radiation from solar energy can affect astronauts, spacecraft electronics, signals from GPS satellites and even commercial jetliners on polar routes. High doses of space radiation could make astronauts too sick to function well enough to get home. (1/17)

Luxembourg Establishes Space Industry Venture Fund (Source: Space News)
The government of Luxembourg has invested in a new fund intended to support space startups, a move that will be one of the last for the country’s most prominent backer of the industry. Tthe government invested an undisclosed amount into Orbital Ventures, a new fund based in the country. The fund, the government said in a statement, will invest in “early stage space companies with ground-breaking ideas and technologies.” Other investors in the fund include several financial firms, European space companies OHB and SES, and Promus Ventures, an American venture fund that has invested in a number of space startups. (1/17)

Arianespace Launches Two Satellites (Source: Space News)
Arianespace started a busy 2020 with the launch Thursday of two communications satellites. An Ariane 5 lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana, at 4:05 p.m. Eastern and deployed the Eutelsat Konnect and GSAT-30 satellites into geostationary transfer orbits. Eutelsat Konnect is the first satellite to use the Neosat bus intended to reduce the cost of advanced communications satellites. The spacecraft will provide Ka-band services for Europe and Africa. GSAT-30 was built by the Indian space agency ISRO to replace the existing INSAT-4A satellite. The launch is the first of as many as 22 missions Arianespace expects to conduct this year. (1/17)

Solar Array Failure Drops Eutelsat 5 Capacity to 45% (Source: Eutelsat)
Eutelsat said it's lost more than half the capacity of a satellite launched in October. The company announced Friday that the Eutelsat 5 West B satellite will have only 45% of its projected capacity because of the failure of one of its two solar arrays, a problem first reported shortly after launch. The satellite, expected to enter service later this month, will still operate for its full lifetime, and the company said it has "a number of mitigation actions" planned for affected customers. The Northrop Grumman-built satellite is insured for $192 million. (1/17)

SpinLaunch Raises $35 Million (Source: Space News)
SpinLaunch has raised another $35 million to help it develop an alternative launch technology. The company said it raised the new round from a number of venture capital firms, including Airbus Ventures, the VC arm of Airbus. SpinLaunch has raised $80 million to date to develop what it describes as a "large mass accelerator to provide on demand launches of small satellites" at higher frequencies and lower costs than conventional technologies. SpinLaunch has shared few technical details about its system, but expects to have a prototype system completed later this year at Spaceport America in New Mexico. (1/17)

Environmental Law Could Halt Megaconstellations (Source: Scientific American)
A law student argues that environmental law could be used to halt the launch of megaconstellations like SpaceX's Starlink. In a paper to be published in a Vanderbilt University law journal, a student there says that the FCC may have unlawfully granted a license to SpaceX for Starlink by not performing an environmental review required by the National Environmental Policy Act. The FCC has long had a categorical exclusion to performing such reviews, but the paper argues that an environmental review is required because of the potential impacts on the night sky caused by thousands of satellites. It's not clear if any astronomers or other organizations plan to pursue lawsuits to halt the launches and force an environmental review, though. (1/17)

Kiwi Startup Dawn Aerospace Considers Sending Rockets Into Space From Oamaru (Source: Stuff)
Reusable rockets could be taking off from the Otago town of Oamaru and heading into space later this year. Representatives of New Zealand-based startup Dawn Aerospace have signed an agreement with the Waitaki District Council to launch test flights of unmanned rocket-propelled space planes from Oamaru Airport. Dawn Aerospace co-founder James Powell said the site was chosen because of its stable weather, supportive local government and community, and proximity to the company's base in Christchurch. (1/16)

Space Tourism: How Far Has the Industry Come? (Source: The Week)
According to data from marketstudyreport.com, the space tourism market is expected to be worth $1.18bn (£900m) by 2024. Blue Origin is attempting to build a lunar landing system in a bid to deliver the US government’s goal of taking humans to the Moon by 2024. SpaceX is prioritising lunar travel too, and last September unveiled its Starship Mk1 - a prototype for the firm’s reusable launch system - which is capable of carrying up to 100 people to the Moon, Mars or other destinations in space or around Earth, as Space.com reported at the time. Click here. (1/17)

Space-Superiority Exercise Concluded Successfully on U.S. Space Force Birthday (Source: USSF)
Space Flag, the Department of Defense’s premier exercise for training space forces, successfully concluded its eighth exercise iteration (Space Flag 20-1) at the Boeing Virtual Warfare Center on Dec. 20. The two-week exercise started Dec. 9 under the auspices of the former Air Force Space Command, but finished on the very day the U.S. Space Force was established upon President Trump’s signing of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.

Space Flag represents a fundamental pivot from viewing space as a benign environment to viewing space as a contested domain of warfare. This critical exercise provides an educational environment where our space warfighters are challenged to defend, fight, and win in space against a thinking adversary in potential future conflicts. (1/16)