May 9, 2020

China Tests 3D Printing in Space for First Time (Source: Xinhua)
A "space 3D printer" developed independently by China and two samples it printed in orbit successfully returned to Earth Friday, according to the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). They came back in the return capsule of China's new-generation manned spaceship for testing, which was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China's island province of Hainan on Tuesday and touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Friday.

It is China's first in-orbit 3D printing test, which has realized space 3D printing of continuous carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites for the first time in the world. Developed by a research institute of the CAST, the 3D printing system completed the scheduled tasks in orbit at 1:58 a.m. on Thursday. The images transmitted by the experimental spaceship showed that the two samples were printed successfully and could be distinguished clearly. Researchers will further check the performance of the returned printer and printed samples and give a comprehensive evaluation. (5/9)

GPS Fight Erupts As Trimble Accuses Ligado Of ‘Inaccurate’ Claims In FCC Ruling (Source: Breaking Defense)
Trimble, one of the the GPS manufacturers caught up in DoD’s battle to block the FCC’s approval of Ligado’s planned 5G mobile communications network, is accusing Ligado of misrepresentation. “Ligado has made inaccurate statements about Trimble’s agreement with Ligado, and these inaccurate statements are reflected in the FCC’s decision,” a spokesperson told Breaking D in an email today.

Ligado has swung back, arguing that Trimble has simply changed its mind in the wake of objections by some of its major customers — which not surprisingly include DoD and the FAA. “Trimble’s recent press statement obviously indicates they are simply heeding the call from a very large customer and, in the process, contradicting their own statements on the record that Trimble supports Ligado’s application,” Ligado said. (5/8)

NASA's EmDrive Leader Has a New Interstellar Project (Source: WIRED)
Harold White, the 54-year-old NASA physicist, has devoted his career to researching advanced propulsion concepts that he hopes may carry humans to the outer solar system and eventually into the uncharted wilderness of interstellar space. Conventional rocket engines are too slow to cover these vast distances on human timescales, so White has focused on more exotic solutions like faster-than-light warp drives and quantum vacuum thrusters that get a boost from space-time itself.

White’s research pedigree may sound like it was cribbed from a mad scientist in a pulp sci-fi novel, but most of his work was done as the leader of NASA’s Advanced Propulsion Physics Lab at Johnson Space Center. The lab, which White christened Eagleworks, was founded in 2009 to explore the frontier of physics in search of the next big breakthrough in space power and propulsion. In December, White left the lab he led for a decade to head up R&D at the Limitless Space Institute, a new nonprofit in Houston working to accelerate the human exploration of interstellar space. (5/8)

Spy Satellite Launch on Delta 4-Heavy Rocket Delayed to August (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
The next flight of United Launch Alliance’s triple-barrel Delta 4-Heavy rocket has been delayed from June to late August, military officials said. The heavy-lift rocket will carry a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload into orbit, likely targeting a geosynchronous station more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) over the equator, where the NRO operates surveillance satellites capable of eavesdropping on foreign communication signals. The mission was previously scheduled to launch some time in June, but has been rescheduled for Aug. 26. Military officials did not disclose a reason for the two-month delay. (5/8)

Human Urine Could Help Make Concrete on Moon (Source: ABC News)
The European Space Agency said Friday that human urine could one day become a useful ingredient in making concrete to build on the Moon. The agency said researchers in a recent study it sponsored found that urea, the main organic compound in urine, would make the mixture for a “lunar concrete” more malleable before it hardens into its sturdy final form. It noted that using only materials available on site for a Moon base or other construction would reduce the need to launch supplies from Earth. The main ingredient in “lunar concrete” would be a powdery soil found on the Moon’s surface known as lunar regolith. ESA said urea, which can break hydrogen bonds and reduce the viscosity of fluid mixtures, would limit the amount of water necessary in the recipe. (5/8)