January 9, 2020

New Mexico Governor Welcomes Executives to Closed-Door Space Valley Summit (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham welcomed approximately 30 executives from Spaceport America, Virgin Galactic and numerous aerospace laboratories and businesses to an inaugural "Space Valley Summit" at New Mexico State University Wednesday. The event was described as a "collaboratory" in which technical experts and business leaders "propose, consider and refine ideas, concepts and strategies that promote development of aerospace business and economy in New Mexico," per a Spaceport America news release.

The four-hour meeting was closed to the public following introductory speeches. Minutes after the governor exhorted the summit to "make sure every New Mexican … knows exactly what is happening here," all reporters were asked to leave. The spaceport's director of business development, Scott McLaughlin, said the meeting had originally been planned as a "low key" gathering so the large group of industry leaders and higher education officials might collaborate, rather than an open session. Lujan Grisham recalled how early proposals to build an inland spaceport in New Mexico were met with skepticism.

Lujan Grisham said that skepticism over the viability of the spaceport and the  commercial space flight industry was due to change in 2020, and that other states were already looking for ways to catch up with New Mexico in aerospace development. McLaughlin said discussions at the four-hour session did not include proprietary or sensitive information, but broader topics such as STEM education, how New Mexico can retain graduates, and opportunities for the state to attract more aerospace industry. He said the recent creation of the U.S. Space Force, an initiative promoted by President Donald Trump, and what the implications were for New Mexico industries, was also a topic of discussion. (1/8)

SpaceX Meeting with Astronomers to Mitigate Starlink Interference (Source: Space News)
Both SpaceX and astronomers say they're working to address the impact that Starlink satellites could pose on the field. At a session of an American Astronomical Society (AAS) conference Wednesday, a SpaceX executive said the company was surprised how bright its satellites appeared in the night sky after launch, and was committed to reducing the impact they have. One of the 60 satellites in the latest Starlink launch Monday has experimental coatings designed to reduce its reflectiveness, although it may be at least a couple months before astronomers know how effective that approach is. An AAS committee has been meeting with SpaceX on a regular basis on the issue, and that committee also plans to meet with other companies developing satellite megaconstellations. (1/9)

Missile Warning Satellites Allowed US Troops to Avoid Iranian Strikes (Source: Space News)
Missile warning satellites played a critical tole in preventing casualties in an Iranian missile strike on U.S. bases in Iraq Tuesday. President Trump said an "early warning system" provided advance notice of the incoming missiles, allowing personnel to take shelter before the missiles struck. The U.S. military is alerted of missile launches by a constellation of geosynchronous and polar orbit satellites equipped with scanning and staring infrared sensors called the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS). Neither the Pentagon nor the U.S. Air Force would comment specifically on the use of SBIRS satellites to detect the Iranian missile attack. (1/9)

China's Galactic Energy Raises $21.5 Million for Small Launcher Development (Source: Space News)
Chinese private space launch firm Galactic Energy has raised $21.5 million. The round was led by Puhua Capital and Huaqiang Capital with six further investors. The company will use the funds to complete development of the Ceres-1 small launch vehicle, which uses three solid-fuel lower stages and a liquid-fuel upper stage. Ceres-1 is slated to make its first launch in the first half of 2020 and place up to 350 kilograms into low Earth orbit. (1/9)

NASA Delays Lunar Lander Selection (Source: Space News)
NASA is delaying plans to select a commercial lunar lander for a rover mission. NASA previously planned to select a lander from among the 14 Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) companies in January or February to carry its VIPER rover, but the agency said it is delaying the release of the final version of the task order for that mission to incorporate feedback from a workshop discussion the agency had with CLPS companies. NASA announced in October its intent to launch VIPER, a 350-kilogram rover, by late 2022 to study water ice in craters at the south pole of the moon. NASA will instead move ahead with a task order for a small polar lander mission, similar to those awarded last year to Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines. (1/9)

DARPA Blackjack Program Seeks to Make Use of Commercial Constellations (Source: Space News)
DARPA is seeking to leverage the growth of commercial satellite constellations with its Blackjack program. Blackjack is an "architecture demonstration" to test the military utility of LEO constellations and mesh networks of low-cost satellites, with the goal of launching 20 satellites by 2022 to demonstrate that LEO systems can be a more resilient and affordable alternative to existing large military satellites. The Blackjack program manager at DARPA said the agency plans to select payloads to fly on those satellites later this year, and will release a broad agency announcement for launch services for those satellites in the near future. (1/9)

NASA Plans January ISS Spacewalks (Source: NASA)
NASA announced Wednesday a schedule of spacewalks outside the International Space Station later this month to wrap up two different repairs. Astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch will perform spacewalks Jan. 15 and 20 to complete the replacement of batteries in the station's power supply, work that was interrupted in October by the failure of a battery charging unit. Andrew Morgan and Luca Parmitano will then carry out a spacewalk Jan. 25 to complete repairs to the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer instrument mounted on the station's exterior. Morgan and Parmitano performed four spacewalks in November and December to replace the instrument's cooling system, and this final spacewalk will verify the repair is successful. (1/9)

Paper Casts Doubt on Dark Energy (Source: Space.com)
The rumors of dark energy's demise may be greatly exaggerated. A new paper by South Korean astronomers claims that evidence of the accelerating expansion of the universe through measurements of supernova explosions in distant galaxies is incorrect since supernova luminosity changes over time, with supernovas in younger galaxies fainter than those in older ones. While the paper got a lot of attention online, many astronomers are skeptical of its conclusions. The original supernova studies won astronomers the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics, and one of the laureates, Adam Riess, said he has issues with the new paper, noting that, among other things, it includes galaxies with ages older than the universe. (1/9)

Spaceflight Federation Honors Leaders (Source: CSF)
The Commercial Spaceflight Federation announced the winners of its second annual Commercial Space Leadership Awards. Among the winners are Virgin Galactic, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, Washington Post reporter Christian Davenport, and the Commercial Spaceflight Federation's Founding Patron Dylan Taylor. The winners will be inducted into the new CSF Commercial Space Hall of Fame and recognized at the 23rd annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference in Washington later this month. (1/9)

North Korea Defends 'Peaceful' Satellite Launches, Report Says (Source: Space Daily)
North Korea is determined to press forward with space development "regardless of any opposition," according to a South Korean press report. A law journal published by Kim Il Sung University in 2019 includes an article on the regime's efforts to take on space exploration for peaceful and scientific purposes. The article comes at a time when concerns are rising North Korea could resume staging long-range missile provocations under the guise of satellite launches, including the Kwangmyongsong-5, according to the report.

The North Korean law journal article specifically defended the legitimacy of the regime's satellite launches. "It is an undeniable truth that satellites launched into orbit by many countries around the world were made possible by rocket propulsion," the article said. "Whether or not a projectile used for peaceful satellite launch is an intercontinental ballistic missile depends not on the propulsion of the projectile, but on whether the vehicle is equipped with a satellite or a bomb." (1/7)

Space Coast Regional Airport Wants to Launch, Land and Develop Spacecraft in Titusville (Source: Florida Today)
The airport closest to one of the busiest spaceports in the world wants to push beyond just general aviation – and it wants to start sooner rather than later. Officials at Space Coast Regional Airport, located just west of NASA's Kennedy Space Center and often used for transporting personnel and spacecraft, want the facility to cater to a growing commercial spaceflight industry.

Environmental documents released by the FAA in December show officials want to cater to horizontal takeoff and landing vehicles, which lift off and land like airplanes. The 419-page environmental assessment proposes that the airport, built during World War II and known under several names since then, change its designation to Space Coast Air and Spaceport. Several sizable construction projects slated to begin this year are being planned to help cater to commercial spaceflight companies, including construction of a 400,000-square-foot hangar for production and development of horizontal spacecraft. (1/7)

Arianespace Expects Record-Setting 2020 (Source: Space News)
Arianespace expects to have a record-setting year for launches, thanks in large part to OneWeb. The company projects carrying out 22 launches this year, shattering its record of 12 launches set in 2015. Of those launches, half will be for broadband satellite constellation company OneWeb, 10 on Soyuz rockets as well as the inaugural flight of the Ariane 6 in late 2020. The Vega rocket will return to flight in March with the Small Spacecraft Mission Service rideshare mission, carrying 42 smallsats. (1/8)

Eastern Range Ready for 2020 Launch Surge at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space News)
The 45th Space Wing says it's ready to handle the surge in launches from Cape Canaveral this year by SpaceX. The wing, recently transferred from the U.S. Air Force to the Space Force, projects as many as 48 launches in 2020, compared to 18 in 2019. About half those launches will be Falcon 9 launches of Starlink satellites. An initiative started three years ago by the wing set a goal of being able to support 48 launches a year, but didn't anticipate reaching that milestone until 2023. (1/8)

NASA and Boeing Investigate CST-100 Orbital Anomaly (Source: Space News)
NASA and Boeing will establish a joint team to investigate the timer anomaly on last month's CST-100 Starliner test flight. NASA said the joint independent investigation team will spend about two months studying the root cause of the problem with the spacecraft's mission elapsed timer that led to the mission being shortened and a docking with the International Space Station canceled. NASA will separately evaluate whether Boeing will need to perform another uncrewed test flight of Starliner before the agency will allow astronauts to fly on the vehicle, but noted that the lack of a docking on last month's test flight doesn't necessarily mean a second uncrewed test will be required. (1/8)

York to Flight-Test Small Satellite Payloads (Source: Space News)
York Space Systems will perform a series of small satellite missions to test various payloads. The Hydra Mission Series will offer opportunities to rapidly flight qualify government and industry satellite payloads, subsystems and components. The first Hydra mission is scheduled for launch in December and is already fully booked. (1/8)

Cubesats Gain Broader Acceptance for Astrophysics Missions (Source: Space News)
While one astrophysics cubesat mission is ending, there is growing interest in the field in using such satellites. JPL announced last week that it had lost contact with the Arcsecond Space Telescope Enabling Research in Astrophysics (ASTERIA) cubesat, launched more than two years ago to test technologies needed to enable astrophysics research. ASTERIA demonstrated the pointing and thermal control needed for high-precision observations, and carried out some exoplanet studies after its prime mission ended. Five astrophysics cubesats funded by NASA are in development, performing research that is often not possible with larger spacecraft. (1/7)

Tackling the Earth's Orbiting Space Junk (Source: BBC)
Here's a quiz question: what do using road navigation systems, keeping time consistent around the world and having accurate stock exchange data have in common? The answer is that they all depend on working satellites. But an increasing amount of debris polluting space is now posing a risk to all those services. So one Japanese firm, Astroscale, has been working on ways to clean up space junk. Its founder and chief executive Nobu Okada explains. Click here. (1/3)

India's Lunar Lander Suffered Spin (Source: Indian Express)
India's Chandrayaan-2 lander may have spun out of control during its attempted landing on the moon last year. Scientists involved with the mission said that the lander, named Vikram, started spinning during its descent, which may be linked to te loss of contact before hitting the surface. What caused the lander to spin is not clear. The Indian space agency ISRO has released few details about the failed landing even as it moves ahead with another lander, Chandrayaan-3, expected to launch in 2021. (1/8)

United Paradyne Settles NASA False-Claims Suit (Source: Courthouse News Service)
A NASA contractor has agreed to pay a settlement for claims it falsely certified work it did for NASA. Federal prosecutors charged United Paradyne Corporation with filing invoices falsely claiming it had cleaned and inspected equipment it was supplying in support of NASA's exploration programs, such as a crew access arm on the mobile launcher for the Space Launch System. The company agreed to pay $375,000 to settle the case, of which $75,000 will go to a former employee turned whistleblower who alerted the government of the problem. Editor's Note: $75K seems a bit low for becoming a whistleblower and a 'former' employee. (1/8)

Chilean Telescope Renamed to Honor Female Astronomer (Source: Space.com)
A telescope under construction in Chile has been officially renamed after a famous female astronomer. Project officials announced this week that the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) would henceforth be known as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. Congress passed a law last year directing that the observatory be renamed after Rubin, who discovered the existence of dark matter by measuring the rotational curves of galaxies. The LSST acronym will now be used for the project's initial survey, called Legacy Survey of Space and Time. (1/8)