July 1, 2020

NASA's Mission to the Moon is About Far More Than Cost (Source: The Hill)
In March 2019, Vice President Pence called for NASA to accelerate its human exploration program known as “Artemis,” returning American astronauts to the surface of the moon by 2024 rather than 2028 per the previous plan. The announcement injected some much-needed urgency into the program. A revitalized space industry was at the ready. On the government side, NASA was completing the only crew vehicle designed for deep space, Orion; a next generation super-heavy launch vehicle (SHLV), the Space Launch System (SLS); and Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) to support them. These systems provide the backbone upon which additional in-space infrastructure will be built, first at the moon and later on Mars. 

At the same time, new manufacturing methods, technologies and advanced computing capabilities have reduced costs, encouraged new entrants and attracted billions of dollars in the entrepreneurial space sector. Noting these successes, some question why commercial systems now being deployed in low Earth orbit should not be used for deep space, instead of the larger and more expensive systems designed for the moon and Mars. In fact, given the progress being made in the private sector, some ask why the national systems are needed at all. The answers are clear: One technical, the other geopolitical. Click here. (6/26)

Firefly Aerospace is Connecting the Dots to Fly Above Smallsat Launch Challenges (Source: Connectivity Business)
Firefly Aerospace, the smallsat launch startup backed by serial entrepreneur Max Polyakov’s Noosphere Ventures, is shrugging off a recent test stand fire and pandemic-related disruption to carry out its first launch this year. As analysts forecast a major cull of newspace startups in the economic downturn, Firefly CEO Tom Markusic speaks to Connectivity Business about how it is not only tackling these pressures, but is expanding its offering with spacecraft that will see it also compete with heavier lift launchers. Click here. (6/25)

Boeing Starliner Parachutes Perform Under Pressure (Source: NASA)
Boeing put Starliner’s parachutes to the test again on June 21 as part of a supplemental reliability campaign designed to further validate the system’s capabilities under an adverse set of environmental factors. Boeing conducts a landing system reliability test on June 21, 2020. This latest balloon drop, conducted high above White Sands in New Mexico, demonstrates Starliner’s parachutes continue to perform well even under dynamic abort conditions and a simulated failure. Boeing and NASA jointly developed the conditions for this test as part of a comprehensive test campaign to demonstrate Starliner parachute performance across the range of deployment conditions. (6/29)

Lockheed Paid Suppliers $1.1 Billion, Added 8,300 Jobs Since Pandemic (Source: Defense News)
Lockheed Martin has sent $1.1 billion in accelerated payment to support its network of suppliers amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the company announced Friday. The defense contracting giant has also hired 8,300 employees since the crisis began in March, with plans to hire 3,200 more before the end of the year. The hires mark a contrast with the rest of the U.S. economy, which saw the unemployment rate hit 13 percent this month and began a recession in February. (6/28)

NASA Invented a Wearable that Reminds You Not to Touch Your Face (Source: USA Today)
Touching your face is a difficult habit to break, so NASA set out to invent a solution. The space agency developed a wearable dubbed PULSE that's meant to alert users when they're about to touch their face. The round pendant is worn around your neck, and when you raise your hands toward your head, it'll vibrate, reminding you to stop.

"The haptic feedback from a vibration motor simulates a nudge, reminding the wearer to avoid touching these entryways in order to reduce potential infection," NASA said on its website. The idea is to help people curb the spread of the coronavirus, which is mostly contracted via respiratory droplets. Health experts warn that it could also spread via contact with infected surfaces. Touching your face with unwashed hands could bring COVID-19 closer to your eyes, nose and mouth. (6/29)

Canadian Space Agency Awards $9M in Technology Contracts (Source: SpaceQ)
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) announced on Twitter yesterday the first round of contracts for its Space Technology Development Program AO 6. All told, the CSA awarded $9 million in 14 contracts to 8 companies. MDA was the recipient of 6 contracts valued at just over $3.5 million. Multiple sources tell SpaceQ that there are more contract awards to be announced and this is confirmed by a notice on the CSA website which states that “contributions, names of the companies and projects will continue to be announced as soon as the funding is given." (6/30)

Deep Space 1 Spacecraft at 2.3 Million Miles From Earth (Source: NASA)
Asteroids, sometimes called minor planets, are rocky, airless remnants left over from the early formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago. The current known asteroid count is 958,967. The Deep Space 1 spacecraft is now at a distance of 2.3 million miles from Earth. The spacecraft is receding from Earth at a speed of 1.1 miles per second relative to Earth. (6/30)

Neptune and Uranus Rain Diamonds (Source: Popular Mechanics)
Scientists have recreated conditions on Neptune and Uranus in a lab at Stanford's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The team explored how sheets of diamond rain form on the ice giants using lasers. The phenomenon may explain why Neptune's core is strangely hot. (6/29)

Virgin Galactic Expects to Receive key FAA License Within Next Two Flights (Source: CNBC)
Virgin Galactic is steadily moving closer to flying customers to the edge of space, as it expects to clear remaining FAA milestones after one or two more rocket-powered test flights. The company also has its own set of test objectives to complete, some of which it emphasized are separate from the FAA’s milestones. Virgin Galactic’s next major milestone may be its reveal of the spacecraft’s cabin. (6/30)

More ISS Spacewalks Planned for Battery Replacement (Source: NASA)
NASA astronauts have started a second in a series of spacewalks this morning to replace batteries outside the International Space Station. Bob Behnken and Chris Cassidy started the spacewalk, expected to last 6 1/2 hours, at 7:13 a.m. Eastern. The two astronauts will continue work started in a spacewalk last Friday to replace batteries located in the far starboard truss segment of the ISS that are part of the station's power system. At least two more spacewalks are planned for later this month to complete that battery replacement work. (7/1)

SpaceX Launches GPS Satellite for Space Force, Lands First-Use Booster on Drone Ship (Source: Space News)
SpaceX launched a GPS satellite Tuesday afternoon. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 4:10 p.m. Eastern and deployed the GPS 3 SV03 satellite into its transfer orbit about 90 minutes later. The rocket's first stage landed on a droneship in the Atlantic, the first time SpaceX has done so for a National Security Space Launch mission. The $568 million satellite will join a constellation of 31 GPS satellites currently in operation. (7/1)

Atlas Issue Delays Mars 2020 Rover Launch to End of July (Source: Space News)
A launch vehicle issue has delayed the launch of NASA's Mars 2020 mission to the end of this month. NASA announced late Tuesday that the launch of the Mars rover mission, previously scheduled for July 22, will now be no earlier than July 30 in order to give engineers time to study "off-nominal" data from a liquid oxygen sensor line during a wet dress rehearsal of the mission's Atlas 5 launch vehicle last week. This is the third delay for the mission, originally scheduled for launch July 17. NASA said they have extended the launch period of the mission by four days, through Aug. 15, and are studying the ability to extend it further, if needed. (7/1)

A Massive Star Has Disappeared Without a Trace (Source: Gizmodo)
An unusually bright star has gone missing, in a mystery of cosmic proportions. An object inside the Kinman dwarf galaxy has disappeared from view. This massive and exceptionally bright blue star was hypothesized to exist based on astronomical observations made between 2001 and 2011, but as of 2019, it is no longer detectable. Researchers have conjured two possible explanations: Either the star has experienced a dramatic drop in luminosity and is now partially hiding behind some dust, or it transformed into a black hole without sparking a supernova explosion. If it’s the latter, it would represent just the second known failed supernova. (6/30)

HASC Chairman Expects DoD Funding for Launch Vehicle Development (Source: Space News)
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is optimistic about adding funding for launch vehicle development. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) told reporters Tuesday said he expected the House and Senate to compromise on authorizing funding for research and development of future launch systems to prepare for a Phase 3 National Security Space Launch competition. The "chairman's mark" version of the National Defense Authorization Act, to be marked up today, included $150 million for such work, while the Senate's version included $30 million in 2021 as part of a long-term $250 million effort. The funding, he said, is needed to encourage competition once the Air Force selects two companies in the Phase 2 competition later this summer. (7/1)

Space Force to Include Three Major Commands (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force released new details Tuesday about its organizational structure. The newest branch of the military will be organized into three major commands: Space Operations Command, Space Systems Command and Space Training and Readiness Command. Unlike the Air Force, the Space Force will not have wings or groups, but instead will have a single level of command made up of "deltas" overseen by colonels. Lt. Gen. David "DT" Thompson, vice commander of the U.S. Space Force, said this approach is designed to create a "light and lean structure" focused on space operations, acquisitions and training. (7/1)

Arianespace Postpones Vega Launch, Carrying 53 Smallsats, Amid Prolonged Weather Problems (Source: Arianespace)
A Vega launch postponed by high winds is now facing a long delay. Arianespace announced early Wednesday that it has pushed back the small launch vehicle's upcoming mission, carrying 53 smallsats, until at least Aug. 17. The company cited "exceptionally unfavorable" upper-level winds that scrubbed several previous launch attempts in June for the delay, saying there was no sign of improved conditions in the near term. Arianespace will turn its attention to its next Ariane 5 launch, carrying satellites for Intelsat and B-SAT, scheduled for July 28. (7/1)

Airbus Cutting 15,000 Jobs (Source: GCAC)
Airbus plans to cut 15,000 jobs, more than 10 percent of its workforce, over the next year. Cuts will be mostly in Europe, as Airbus struggles with the financial hit of the coronavirus pandemic. With 134,000 workers worldwide, plans to trim 5,000 workers in France, 5,100 in Germany, 1,700 in Britain, 900 in Spain and 1,300 others at Airbus facilities elsewhere. The company said it would try to reduce the number of layoffs through voluntary departures, early retirement and long-term partial employment programs. In Mobile, AL, Airbus builds A320 and A220 jetliners. Airbus Military has a maintenance, repair and overhaul operation and component repair facility at Mobile Regional Airport. Airbus also builds helicopters in Columbus, Miss. It is unclear what impact might be felt in Airbus operations in this region, but they are among the "other worldwide sites" mentioned in the press release. (6/30)

Capella Space Goes All-In on AWS (Source: Space Daily)
Amazon Web Services reports that Capella Space, a provider of on-demand Earth observation data via satellite-based radar, is going all-in on AWS. Capella runs its entire IT infrastructure on AWS to automate and scale its operations, including satellite command and control using AWS Ground Station. AWS Ground Station service makes it easy and cost-effective for customers to control satellites and download satellite data directly onto AWS using a fully managed network of ground station antennas located in AWS Regions around the world.

Using AWS, Capella provides its customers with access to satellite data within minutes of its capture - far faster than traditional satellite data delivery services, which can take up to 24 hours - and at a lower cost. In addition, Capella leverages the breadth and depth of AWS services to process satellite data in real time as it is received, helping its customers in agriculture, infrastructure, defense, and disaster response immediately analyze and extract value from their data. (7/1)

Artificial Intelligence Helping NASA Design Artemis Moon Suit (Source: SyFy Wire)
With Artemis’ 2024 launch target approaching, NASA’s original Moon suit could soon be supplanted in the minds of a new generation of space dreamers with the xEMU, the first ground-up suit made for exploring the lunar landscape since Apollo 17’s Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt took humanity’s last Moon walk (to date). Unlike those suits, the xEMU’s design is getting an assist from a source of "brain" power that simply wasn’t available back then: artificial intelligence.

Specifically, AI is reportedly crunching numbers behind the scenes to help engineer support components for the new, more versatile life support system that’ll be equipped to the xEMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) suit. NASA is using AI to assist the new suit’s life support system in carrying out its more vital functions while streamlining its weight, component size, and tolerances for load-bearing pressure, temperature, and the other physical demands that a trip to the Moon (and back) imposes. (6/30)