April 9, 2020

New DoD Policy To Ease Space Secrecy (Source: Breaking Defense)
A new DoD policy to ease the high levels of classification surrounding all things space — from threat analyses to US capabilities to budgets — is nearing completion, says Gen. Jay Raymond. “We are overly classified,” Raymond, who currently is double-hatted as head of both the Space Force and Space Command, told reporters this afternoon during a Mitchell Institute video conference. He explained that too much secrecy is an obstacle to both deterring adversaries and working with allies. “To do that deterrence, you have to change the calculus of your opponent. And to do that, you have to be able to talk and you have to be able to message.” (4/7)

Russia Launches Crew to ISS (Source: Space News)
A Soyuz spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station after a successful launch earlier this morning. A Soyuz rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:05 a.m. Eastern and placed the Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft into orbit nine minutes later. The spacecraft will dock with the International Space Station later this morning. On board the Soyuz spacecraft are Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner and American astronaut Chris Cassidy. Prelaunch preparations for this mission were unusual given the addition of Ivanishin and Vagner to the crew in February, replacing Nikolai Tikhonov and Andrei Babkin because of a medical issue, and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that greatly reduced the number of people at the launch site. (4/9)

Rocket Lab Tests Air-Snatch Procedure for Rocket Reusability (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab said Wednesday it has demonstrated a key part of its plan to recover and reuse its Electron rocket. In a test in early March, one helicopter released a replica Electron first stage, which deployed a parachute. A second helicopter then grabbed that parachute with a hook, demonstrating the ability for midair capture of falling rocket stages. The company has already shown that those first stages can make it back to the surface intact, and on a future launch will demonstrate the ability to recover the stage for potential reuse. Electron launches are currently on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the company expects to be able to resume launches from New Zealand shortly after the government lifts a nationwide lockdown. (4/9)

DoD: Local Support Essential for Keeping Contractors Busy (Source: Space News)
A Pentagon agency is helping companies demonstrate to local officials that their work is essential and should continue during the pandemic. The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is issuing letters to help contractors and their subcontractors inform local authorities their work is essential to national security. Space technology is one of five focus areas for DIU, an organization designed to give the U.S. military rapid access to innovative commercial technology, and has supported companies working on launch vehicles and space applications. (4/9)

SpaceX Plans Next Starlink Launch NET April 16 (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
SpaceX is preparing for another Starlink launch next week. The Falcon 9 launch is scheduled for no earlier than April 16, carrying a seventh set of 60 Starlink satellites. The launch is proceeding despite restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic that led some other Falcon 9 customers to delay their launches. (4/9)

Maxar Sells Canadian MDA Unit (Source: Maxar)
Maxar has completed its sale of its Canadian business unit, MDA, to a private investment group. Maxar said Wednesday its sale of MDA to a group led by Canadian private equity firm Northern Private Capital, announced in December, has closed, netting Maxar $729 million. Maxar said those proceeds, along with those from the sale of real estate in California, will allow it to reduce its debt by $1 billion. MDA will now be a stand-alone company with expertise in space robotics and remote sensing. (4/9)

Indian Satellite Grounded (Source: Defence Aviation Post)
The launch of Indian remote sensing satellite remains indefinitely postponed. The GISAT-1 spacecraft was to launch in early March, but the Indian space agency ISRO postponed the launch because of an unidentified technical issue. With a nationwide lockdown in place in India because of the pandemic, launch operations remain on hold. ISRO has yet to state when the launch can take place, saying only that a new launch date will be identified "in due course." (4/9)

Crews Test Pad Escape System for Dragon Launch Anomalies (Source: Space.com)
Crews recently tested an escape system at the pad that will host Crew Dragon launches. The emergency egress drill involved NASA and SpaceX crews simulating an emergency on the gantry at Launch Complex 39A that required them to quickly evacuate the structure. That involved boarding baskets that then sped down wires to the ground, then getting in an armored vehicle. The slidewire basket system dates back to the shuttle program and was refurbished for use on Crew Dragon launches. (4/9)

Masten Wins NASA Lunar Lander Award (Source: Space News)
NASA announced April 8 it has selected Masten Space Systems to fly a suite of payloads to the south pole of the moon in late 2022. Masten won a task order for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program valued at $75.9 million. Masten will deliver nine science and technology demonstration payloads to the lunar surface near the south pole by December 2022 on the company’s XL-1 lander.

The CLPS payloads, with a mass of about 80 kilograms, will serve as the initial, anchor customer for that mission, Sean Mahoney, chief executive of Masten, said in an interview. He said there are “hundreds” of kilograms of additional payload space available on the lander, and that the company is working to line up additional customers. (4/8)

Space Florida Supports Web Portal to Assist Florida Manufacturers During Pandemic (Source: AIF)
The Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) in partnership with Space Florida and FloridaMakes are deploying an online database for Florida’s small to large manufacturers to engage in the marketplace. The online database, Connex Florida, started as a disaster risk mitigation effort in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma and is proving to be a critical tool to streamline connections between Florida manufacturers and businesses in need of their products during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Florida, manufacturers are identified as essential critical infrastructure who bear a unique responsibility during a crisis to continue operations that, in turn, contribute to overall sustainability of Florida’s communities. As such, AIF, Space Florida and FloridaMakes have begun compiling a database on industrial assets, capabilities and capacities that can be drawn upon at this time of critical demand. (4/8)

Space Force Delays GPS Satellite Launch (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force said Thursday it's delaying a GPS satellite launch by two months because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Falcon 9 launch of the third GPS 3 satellite, which had been scheduled for late April, has been pushed back to no earlier than June 30. The Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) decided that the current GPS constellation with 31 satellites in orbit is providing adequate services, so taking a pause in launches would not affect operations and allows the range to focus on the health of the workforce. SMC said it still plans to complete the next three GPS launches in 2020. (4/8)

HASC Chairman Urges DoD to Proceed with Launcher Procurement (Source: Space News)
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee urged the Pentagon not to delay a launch services procurement. Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) said Tuesday that the national security space launch procurement, involving Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, SpaceX and United Launch Alliance, should not be delayed despite disruptions caused by the pandemic. SMC plans to select two companies in the middle of this year for five-year launch contracts. Smith warned that a delay would impact the finances of companies that are already hurting from the economic fallout of the coronavirus. (4/8)

Techshot Prints Knee Cartilage in Space (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Commercial space company Techshot Inc., used its space-based 3D bioprinter, called the BioFabrication Facility, or BFF, to successfully manufacture test prints of a partial human meniscus aboard the International Space Station (ISS) last month. The meniscus pattern was manufactured for the company’s customer, the 4-Dimensional Bioprinting, Biofabrication, and Biomanufacturing, or 4D Bio3 program, based at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU). The program is a collaboration between the university and The Geneva Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that advances military medical research. (4/9)

SAS Files for Bankruptcy in Australia (Source: Space News)
Low Earth orbit constellation company SAS Global has filed for bankruptcy protection in Australia. The company, which is traded on the Australian Stock Exchange, said it entered "voluntary administration," a bankruptcy-like procedure that gives the company an opportunity to restructure and avoid liquidation. The company raised $29.1 million, and was seeking to raise $14.2 million more, to deploy an initial constellation of eight smallsats to provide communications services. (4/8)

NASA Selects Proposals for In-Space Development of Projects (Source: NASA)
NASA is providing seed money for seven proposals to enable enterprising companies to mature their concepts and stimulate demand to develop their future markets. The awards are a key element of NASA’s five-point plan to enable development of a robust economy in low-Earth orbit (LEO) in which NASA will become one of many customers. NASA made the awards to help the selected companies raise the technological readiness level of their products and move them to market, to propel U.S. industry toward the development of a sustainable, scalable, and profitable non-NASA demand for services and products in low-Earth orbit.

Among the winners is Jacksonville-based Made In Space, which will perform projects focused on glass alloy manufacturing and simiconductor chip manufacturing. Click here. (4/7)

NASA Langley Employee Dies of COVID Infection (Source: WAVY)
A NASA Langley employee diagnosed with COVID-19 has died. The center said Tuesday that the unnamed employee was the first there to be diagnosed with the disease. The center has been at Stage 3 of the agency's pandemic response plan since mid-March, with only mission-essential personnel allowed to work there. (4/8)

Final First-Generation Dragon Completes NASA ISS Mission (Source: Space News)
The final first-generation SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft returned to Earth Tuesday. The spacecraft departed from the International Space Station shortly after 9 a.m. Eastern and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean southwest of Long Beach, California, at 2:50 p.m. Eastern, wrapping up the CRS-20 cargo mission. The mission was the last for the original version of the cargo Dragon spacecraft, with SpaceX using a version of its new Crew Dragon spacecraft for future cargo missions. (4/8)

Umbra Labs Seeks Patent for Smallsat Radar Antenna (Source: Space News)
A patent filing reveals how startup Umbra Labs can pack a large radar antenna into a small satellite. The patent shows a reflector designed to stow compactly for launch. In orbit, a series of ribs attached to the central hub open to deploy a reflector covered in a flexible reflective material with a diameter of about four meters. That antenna will allow the spacecraft to produce synthetic aperture radar imagery with a resolution of 25 centimeters. The company is preparing to send its first spacecraft into orbit this year, although it has not announced a launch contract. (4/8)

Russians Object to US Policy on Space Resources (Source: Reuters)
Russian officials aren't exactly pleased with a new White House executive order about space resource rights. That order, published Monday, directed the State Department to seek international support for the U.S. position that companies and governments have the right to extract space resources. Roscosmos, in a statement, argued that the United States was seeking to make claims on celestial bodies. "Attempts to expropriate outer space and aggressive plans to actually seize territories of other planets hardly set the countries (on course for) fruitful cooperation," Roscosmos said. (4/8)

Pandemic Slows Indian Astronaut Training in Russia (Source: The Hindu)
Training of Indian astronaut candidates training in Russia has been affected by the pandemic. Russian space company Glavkosmos, which arranged the training for the four Indian pilots at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, said that the center is in "lockdown," requiring them to remain at the center through the end of the month. Glavkosmos said the astronaut candidates are healthy, and have been training and exercising on their own during the lockdown. (4/8)

NASA Picks 23 NIAC Projects (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected a new round of early-stage technology concepts for study. The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program selected 23 proposals for funding, with a total value of $7 million. The concepts are typically ideas in their earliest stages of development that have high risks, but also high rewards if they can be successfully developed. One project received a rare "Phase 3" award, valued at $2 million, to continue design of a space telescope that could produce detailed images of Earthlike exoplanets. (4/8)

Help Pave the Way for Artemis: Send NASA Your Mini Moon Payload Designs (Source: NASA JPL)
Future exploration of the Moon and beyond will require tools of all shapes and sizes - from sweeping orbiters to the tiniest of rovers. In addition to current planned scientific rovers like the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, NASA could one day send even smaller rovers to help scout the Moon's surface. These tiny robots would provide mission flexibility and collect key information about the lunar surface, its resources and the environment. The data collected by these rovers would be helpful for future lunar endeavors and NASA's Artemis program.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California is running a public prize competition to design miniaturized payloads for future Moon missions. The "Honey, I Shrunk the NASA Payload" challenge is seeking instrument designs that could help support a sustained human lunar presence, demonstrate and advance the use of resources found on the Moon, and enable new science.

Existing payloads are often big, heavy and require a lot of power. The payload designs sought for this challenge are required to be similar in size to that of a bar of soap at a maximum of 3.9 inches by 3.9 inches by 1.9 inches (100 millimeters by 100 millimeters by 50 millimeters) and weigh no more than 0.8 pounds (0.4 kilograms). (4/9)

NASA's Astronaut Beach House Is a Little-known Gem of Space History (Source: How Stuff Works)
Astronauts are driven, disciplined, physically fit and trained to solve complex problems in high-stakes situations. That doesn't make them any less human. Sometimes, they just want to get away from it all — from the press, the physicians and the rigors of flight prep. You've got to make time to sharpen the saw. But whether they like it or not, today's space travelers are international celebrities. They've got the Midas touch: Everything about them is interesting and pretty much everyone wants to chat them up. So where on Earth can these people find a little seclusion?

Well since 1963, NASA's kept a bungalow on the east Florida coast. Closed to the general public, it's been a welcome retreat for generations of astronauts. Barbecues and bottle-signings are cherished pastimes at the hideaway. So are fond farewells; historically, this was the last place where many space-bound crews got to visit their families before launch time. Click here. (4/7)

FCC Risks Political Fire With Draft Space Junk Rules (Source: Breaking Defense)
New draft FCC rules designed to prevent satellite collisions and creation of dangerous space debris have sparked strong backlash from a number of commercial firms — in contrast to past advocacy by some within DoD for even more cautious operational practices. Industry sources say that top execs from a number of companies are already planning to take their concerns to the National Space Council, and to senior officials at the Commerce Department in hopes of garnering political backing for their concerns.

Among the new requirements, issued in a 119-page report issued by the FCC late Thursday, satellite operators must elaborate in licensing applications on how they intend to ensure that DoD’s 18th Space Control Squadron can track their spacecraft. The 18th Space Control Squadron, located at Vandenberg AFB, operates the US military’s Space Surveillance Network (SSN) that detects and tracks adversary satellites, as well as other space objects. (4/8)

New Search Methods are Ramping Up the Hunt for Alien Intelligence (Source: Science News)
Bigger and better telescopes are probing deeper into the night sky. Sophisticated computational tools are poring over massive datasets on increasing numbers of stars and at a wider variety of frequencies. Observatories around the world are performing regular observations as part of Breakthrough Listen — a $100 million effort funded by Russian billionaires Yuri and Julia Milner to conduct the most comprehensive search for extraterrestrials yet.

So far, SETI scientists have found nothing but radio silence. Still, they are undeterred. They’ve scoured only a tiny fraction of the places E.T. could be. And SETI’s collective observing power will make scientists 1,000 times more likely to find E.T. during this decade than they were in the 2010s, Siemion says. This is, he says, “a boom time for SETI.”

SETI’s profile is changing, as our understanding of the universe evolves. Back when Drake was making his observations, we hadn’t yet laid eyes on a planet around another star. Within just the last decade, we’ve discovered thousands of exoplanets, giving new credence to arguments that life beyond Earth is entirely possible. In February, Breakthrough Listen released the largest ever stockpile of SETI observations for members of the astronomical community to analyze. The dataset, collected by the Parkes radio telescope in Australia, the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia and the Automated Planet Finder in California, included a survey of radio emissions from the disk of the Milky Way and the region around its core supermassive black hole. (4/8)

Weird Black Hole is Bending Light Back on Itself Like a Boomerang (Source: Space.com)
For decades, scientists have suspected that some of the light that escapes from around massive black holes nearly doesn't make it — and now, they've finally seen it happen. That's according to scientists who conducted a new analysis of old observations of a black hole feeding on a sunlike star. The researchers focused on measurements of the black hole's disk, where light escaping from the black hole shines. Specifically, the scientists teased apart, on the one hand, light that was coming directly from the disk, and on the other, light that failed to escape the disk and got pulled back toward the black hole before being reflected out into space. (4/8)

US Hitches Its Final Ride to Space From Russia—for Now (Source: WIRED)
According to a NASA spokesperson, Chris Cassidy’s seat is the last one that the agency has purchased from Roscosmos. “However, NASA is currently in negotiation with Roscosmos for an additional seat,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to WIRED. “Once NASA certifies the Boeing and SpaceX spacecraft, NASA expects to work with Roscosmos and international partners to continue to fly mixed crews.”

NASA’s dependence on Russia to send humans to space has been expensive. A seat in a Soyuz capsule costs $86 million today, an increase of nearly 400 percent over about a decade and a half. A 2016 report from NASA’s Office of Inspector General found that the agency would end up paying Roscosmos more than $3.4 billion by the time SpaceX and Boeing were ready to fly. But when you’re the only one with access to the space station, you can charge what you want. (4/8)