February 11, 2020

Space Force Criticizes Provocative Russian Satellite Activity (Source: Space News)
The head of the U.S. Space Force is criticizing Russia for activities by a Russian satellite that is maneuvering close to an American reconnaissance satellite. Gen. John Raymond said the actions by Cosmos-2542 and Cosmos-2543, an inspector satellite and its sub-satellite seen by satellite trackers in the vicinity of USA 245, "has the potential to create a dangerous situation" and is not responsible behavior. Raymond's comments are the first official statements confirming that the Russian spacecraft were in the vicinity of USA 245, as noticed by amateur satellite trackers.

Raymond also revealed that the United States believes Russia in 2017 deployed a similar satellite that released a sub-satellite, and that one satellite "exhibited characteristics of a weapon." The United States subsequently expressed concerns to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament in 2018. (2/11)

Russia to Meet with NASA on Artemiz Cooperation (Source: TASS)
The head of Roscosmos said he will meet with NASA in April to discuss Russian participation in NASA's exploration plans. Dmitry Rogozin said he will meet with NASA officials prior to the launch of the next crewed Soyuz spacecraft in April about cooperation in deep space exploration. Such discussions will likely include any role for Russia in the lunar Gateway or other aspects of NASA's Moon-to-Mars strategy. (2/11)

Indian Astronauts Training in Russia (Source: The Hindu)
Indian astronauts have started training in Russia. Four Indian Air Force pilots recently started a 12-month training program at the Russian cosmonaut training center in Star City, outside Moscow. The four, whose identities have not been disclosed by the Indian government, will train for India's first crewed spaceflight, expected in 2022 and likely to carry one or two people. (2/11)

Planetary Simulator Helps in Exoplanet Characterization (Source: Space.com)
A "planetary simulator" is helping scientists study the habitability of exoplanets. ROCKE-3D is a model based on one developed for Earth's climate, but adapted for use examining conditions on wide range of exoplanets. Scientists used the model to examine Proxima b, a planet orbiting the nearby star Proxima Centauri and thought to be tidally locked so that one side of the planet always faces the star. That would seem to make the planet uninhabitable, but ROKE-3D showed that, in some cases, clouds could form on the side facing the star, making conditions there less harsh. (2/11)

SpaceX Satellite Internet Plan Is More Fantasy Than Strategy (Source: Seeking Alpha)
SpaceX has claimed that Starlink satellite internet services will generate billions of dollars in profits, which would justify the program's $10 billion cost as well as fund its future operations. The history of satellite internet constellations throws the economic argument into serious doubt; high costs and limited customers have forced previous attempters out of business.

Current ground and satellite infrastructure are capable of serving virtually all of Starlink's target market already; future competition in its own niche from OneWeb and Blue Origin makes its profit potential even more dubious. Starlink will not save SpaceX; indeed, it is far more likely to end up a disastrous and expensive flop. (2/11)

Spaceport Camden - America's Small Rocket Pure Play (Source: Space Daily)
Once approved by the FAA, Spaceport Camden will be positioned to create generations of tech, research, service and manufacturing jobs in Camden County, Georgia. No other place in America has a better case for building a spaceport and research center than Georgia and Camden County. Ideally located in Georgia's southernmost coastal county and central to Savannah (with Gulfstream Aerospace), Atlanta (with Georgia Tech) and Cape Canaveral (with NASA).

Georgia already has the building blocks in place to compliment a spaceport and research center since the state of Georgia's #1 export is aerospace products. The Georgia Department of Economic Development reports that Georgia's aerospace manufacturing industry base includes 800+ companies including over 80 existing NASA suppliers, 108,000 employees, $57B impact (6% of GDP) and $500+ million in university research.

Local and industry experts support the project including Camden County resident Major General Robert S. Dickson (sic), USAF Retired, who has been involved in the commercial space sector for the past decade and attests to the growing demand for small satellite launches. He feels Camden County is an ideal and safe location for a spaceport. (2/11)

Space Hub Sutherland (Scotland UK) Submits Planning Application (Source: Highland Council)
Construction of vertical launch space port with launch operations control centre, site integration facility, launch pad complex, antenna park, access road, fencing, services and associated infrastructure. Click here. (2/7)

Silicon Valley Satellite Startup Installs Ground Station in Antarctica (Source: Quartz)
It’s all business for corporate founders: Meeting investors, interviewing potential hires, and—making an expedition to ride bikes in Antarctica? That’s the case for Swarm Technologies, a San Francisco satellite start-up whose two founders journeyed over three days to remote McMurdo Station in November to install a ground antenna for a space network designed for Internet of Things sensors. The research center, on an island just 850 miles (1,360 km) from the South Pole, is operated by the National Science Foundation (NSF), which has also backed Swarm since 2016.

Swarm’s goal is to drive down the cost of small-scale communication from space by an order of magnitude or more, says Dr. Richard Schwerdtfeger, the NSF program manager who has approved $1.2 million in funding to the company through a program that backs innovative research at small businesses. Swarm has also received development grants from the US Navy and raised more than $25 million from private investors in a 2019 round led by Craft ventures. (2/11)

Starliner Software Setback (Source: Space Review)
One software error truncated an uncrewed test flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft in December, but last week a safety panel revealed there was a second problem that could have caused a “catastrophic” failure. Jeff Foust reports on that new problem and its implications for Boeing’s commercial crew vehicle. Click here. (2/11)
 
Alternative Financing for Lunar Mining Exploration (Source: Space Review)
Despite the long-term promise of extracting water ice and other resources from the moon, such efforts, done commercially, face the daunting challenge of raising funding. Blake Ahadi suggests some alternative approaches, drawn in part from similar issues faced in terrestrial mining, to help fund lunar resource extraction. Click here. (2/11)
 
The US Space Force and International Law Considerations (Source: Space Review)
The establishment of a Space Force in the US has raised questions about international law provisions that prohibit some military activities in space. Bharatt Goel notes that while the militarization of space is hardly new, the Space Force could heighten debates about the roles of militaries in space. Click here. (2/11)

Satellite Docking Experiment Tests Space Situational Awareness (Source: Gov.UK)
Improvements in Space Situational Awareness (SSA) may result from a unique collaborative experiment being conducted by The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and representatives from the Five-Eyes nations (UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand). Two satellites are due to rendezvous for the experiment in near-Geostationary Orbit this month (February 2020).

Known as Phantom Echoes, the experiment aims to demonstrate how allied SSA sensors and processing capabilities can be integrated to enhance the performance over individual systems working independently to improve Space safety for UK and allied satellites in and near Geostationary Orbit. A combination of simulation and real-world events will be used to understand the strengths and constraints of each system that will advise the development of operational SSA architectures within the Coalition Space Operations (CSPO) initiative. (2/4)

The Journey to Mars Begins in South Texas (Source: The Atlantic)
Many of Boca Chica’s residents have lived there for years, long before SpaceX arrived, some before the company even existed. Friction between next-door neighbors is quite different when one of them is a rocket company. Instead of an ugly fence, there might be an ugly fence with massive tanks of cryogenic liquid behind it. When residents find papers stuck in their front door, the notes don’t ask them to keep the noise down or clean up after their dogs; they warn them that their windows could shatter.

Boca Chica’s residents have learned to live with a rocket company, or at least tolerate it, over more than five years. But SpaceX’s work is about to become even more disruptive.  (The explosion certainly made that clear.) So the company has offered to buy their homes. Some have taken the offer. Others, such as McConnaughey, have rejected it, even as Musk prepares to launch a giant rocketship just a short hop from their houses. SpaceX is already hard at work on the next Starship prototype, and Musk says the company might launch it into orbit as soon as this year. Click here. (2/11)

How the Space Station Has Diversified This Florida Firm (Source: Orlando Business Journal)
Carol Craig spent Jan. 28 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport watching a satellite deploy from a platform run by her company. Craig Technologies began operating two facilities at the International Space Station in the last 18 months. Craig Technologies in 2018 became the overseer for SSIKLOPS, a platform on the space station from which satellites can be deployed. The other is CraigX, a testing facility built by the company that was sent to the space station last year. CraigX acts as a testing ground for companies and academic institutions.

The space programs diversify the firm's offerings, while also providing access to space for businesses that aren't among the aerospace industry giants, says Carol Craig. "What we offer to smaller companies is reduced cost and easier access to space." Her company employs 320 people, with roughly 80 workers in Central Florida. (2/11)

SpaceX Hires Gerstenmaier as it Prepares for Crewed Launches (Source: CNBC)
SpaceX is only a couple of months away from its first attempt at launching astronauts and the company has brought in one of the foremost experts in human spaceflight to help it do so successfully. William Gerstenmaier, the former leader of NASA’s human spaceflight program, has now begun working at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. In his new role Gerstenmaier is reporting to SpaceX vice president of mission assurance Hans Koenigsmann, those people said, as the company prepares to begin launching astronauts. (2/11)