July 4, 2020

Scientific `Red Flag’ Reveals New Clues about Our Galaxy, Embry-Riddle Researcher Says (Source: ERAU)
Figuring out how much energy permeates the center of the Milky Way — a discovery reported in the July 3 edition of the journal Science Advances — could yield new clues to the fundamental source of our galaxy’s power, said L. Matthew Haffner of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The Milky Way’s nucleus thrums with hydrogen that has been ionized, or stripped of its electrons so that it is highly energized, said Haffner. “Without an ongoing source of energy, free electrons usually find each other and recombine to return to a neutral state in a relatively short amount of time,” he explained. “Being able to see ionized gas in new ways should help us discover the kinds of sources that could be responsible for keeping all that gas energized.”

To determine the amount of energy or radiation at the center of the Milky Way, the researchers had to peer through a kind of tattered dust cover. Packed with more than 200 billion stars, the Milky Way also harbors dark patches of interstellar dust and gas. Benjamin was taking a look at two decades’ worth of WHAM data when he spotted a scientific red flag — a peculiar shape poking out of the Milky Way’s dark, dusty center. The oddity was ionized hydrogen gas, which appears red when captured through the sensitive WHAM telescope, and it was moving in the direction of Earth. (7/3)

Hat Tip to 'Star Trek'? US Space Force Names New Unit 'SpOC' (Source: Space Daily)
The United States' new Space Force military wing revealed Tuesday that one of its units would be named "Space Operations Command" -- or "SpOC" for short, in an echo of pointy-eared "Star Trek" character Spock. An earnest statement from Space Force unveiled its organizational structure, but made no reference to SpOC's fictional predecessor who was the unflappable science officer on the Starship Enterprise. "SpOC will be the primary force provider of space forces and capabilities for combatant commanders, coalition partners, the joint force and the nation," the statement said, adding SpOC would be headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. (6/30)

Hypergiant and USAF to Develop Satellite for Real Time In Orbit Modification (Source: Space Daily)
Hypergiant Industries announces the debut of the prototype of its first node in its Chameleon Constellation, an updatable satellite and software system that adds additional distributed computing power for various use cases. The Chameleon Constellation will utilize the United States' Air Force's secure, hardened, and accredited Platform One system as the foundational layer for the constellation's architecture.

The partnership with Platform One and Space Camp Software Factory will ensure that the Air Force has superior technical advantages in Space with the ability to update satellites' functionality and mission profiles on the fly based on real-time emergent scenarios and information. "Traditional satellite systems need years to build because the hardware and software both need to be complete before they can launch," said Hypergiant CEO Ben Lamm. (7/1)

Up to £75,000 Available for UK Space Technology Projects (Source: Gov.UK)
Government grants worth up to £75,000 are available to the UK space sector to develop new commercial technologies and bring them closer to market. The funding from the UK Space Agency is available for businesses, non-profits and academics. The UK has a thriving space sector which generates an income of £14.8 billion each year. The UK Space Agency is working closely with industry and academia to ensure it recovers strongly from the coronavirus pandemic. This funding call, as part of the National Space Technology Programme (NSTP), is looking for innovative 6-month projects that could develop instruments for commercial applications or test disruptive ideas. (7/2)

China's Commercial Space Industry Charges Ahead (Source: Axios)
China’s commercial space ambitions stretch far beyond the industry’s current domestic focus, with plans to use private space capabilities to help bring Chinese influence to the world. Why it matters: Space is a cornerstone of the global race for tech supremacy, and China wants to dominate from both a governmental and commercial standpoint. China's future in space could be, in part, defined by private companies that help to wield the country's soft power and influence on Earth.

At the moment, the Chinese space industry is mostly focused on working to get a foothold regionally and provincially before potential global expansion, experts say. "There is a sense that there's more entrepreneurship and innovation that could come from the private sector," Bhavya Lal, of the Institute for Defense Analyses, told Axios. "Many in policy circles believe that the Chinese need to develop this commercial space sector because there isn't as much innovation in state-owned enterprises." (6/30)

How Competition Will Make the New Space Race Flourish (Source: The Hill)
Welcome to the age of commercial spaceflight! Private rockets are delivering private satellites to space via rideshare and reusable rockets. As of this week, Virgin Galactic, in conjunction with NASA, is set to open a private astronaut program with public accessibility. Most importantly, private companies are raising billions for operations in space. These are developments that could only be called science fiction some 20 years ago. The progression of commercial operations in space has been at a pace unlike anything else in history. Much of this change can be traced back to legislation from the George W. Bush administration that gives clues to where we can expect the market to take us in the next 20 years. Click here. (7/1)

Virgin Galactic Prepares to Unveil Spaceship’s Interior (Source: KRQE)
Virgin Galactic is preparing to unveil the cabin interior of its spaceship as final testing of the craft nears completion at Spaceport America in southern New Mexico. The space tourism company on Tuesday announced that the cabin’s interior will be revealed during a virtual event planned for July 28 that will be streamed on YouTube. Company officials consider the cabin of SpaceShipTwo the centerpiece of a customer’s journey, saying it was designed to provide a level of intimacy as customers are launched into the lower fringes of space where they can experience weightlessness and get a view of the Earth below. (7/2)

UK Wins Bidding War for Satellite Firm OneWeb (Sources: The Telegraph, Gov.UK)
The UK’s joint bid with India’s Bharti Enterprises to buy satellite operator OneWeb has won at an auction in New York. The government has pledged $500m (£400m) in equity for the company, which went bankrupt in March after its biggest investors, including SoftBank, pulled out amid the coronavirus pandemic. Bharti Enterprises will invest another $500m. If the deal gains US regulatory approval on 10 July, it will give the UK a 45% stake in the company along with a consortium of other private investors.

“This deal underlines the scale of Britain’s ambitions on the global stage," said Business Secretary Alok Sharma. With a sovereign global satellite system, the UK will further develop its advanced manufacturing base, making the most of its highly skilled workforce as the hardware is further developed and equipment and services are deployed to make the most of this unique capability.

OneWeb will also contribute to the government’s plan to join the first rank of space nations, along with our commitment to making the UK a world leader in science, research and development. The deal is subject to US court approval and regulatory clearances and is expected to close before the end of the year. The UK government will have a final say over any future sale of the company, and over future access to OneWeb technology by other countries on national security grounds. (7/3)

UK's Vision for OneWeb Positioning Services May Be Flawed (Source: Telegraph)
A key motivation for the UK bid for OneWeb has been the possibility that its satellite technology can be repurposed and used as an alternative to GPS. The UK is no longer part of the EU’s Galileo project due to Brexit, so a purchase of OneWeb could allow the country to build its own system by repurposing OneWeb’s existing satellite technology. However, experts have warned that OneWeb satellites may not be up to the task because its low-earth-orbit satellites may be unable to provide accurate location signals. They would require hundreds of satellites and could be more susceptible to interference from jamming technology and anti-satellite weapons, experts warned. (7/3)

UK OneWeb Ownership Could Shutter Florida Manufacturing Site, Relocate Launch Operations (Source: Telegraph)
OneWeb’s corporate headquarters is in the UK, but its manufacturing has been taking place in a factory in Florida which is capable of producing two satellites per day. A UK purchase of OneWeb could encourage the business to move some of its manufacturing capacity to the UK. The UK is also keen to position itself as a leading country for private space flight and satellite launches. Plans for a new “space hub” in Scotland were approved last month, paving the way for British space companies to begin planning for their own launches. (7/3)

Quantum Fluctuations Can "Kick" Objects on the Human Scale (Source: CalTech)
For the first time, researchers have measured the effects of quantum fluctuations on an object at the human scale. In a paper published today in Nature, they report the observation that quantum fluctuations, tiny as they may be, can nonetheless "kick" an object as large as the 40-kilogram mirrors of the National Science Foundation's Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), causing them to move by an infinitesimal degree. The team was able to measure these minuscule movements.

The new study, led by MIT and including several researchers from the LIGO Laboratory headquarted at Caltech, was carried out at the LIGO Livingston Observatory in Louisiana. It turns out that the quantum noise in LIGO's detectors is sufficient to move the large mirrors by 10-20 meters, a displacement that was predicted for an object of this size by quantum mechanics, but had never before been measured. In order to measure this motion, the team used a special instrument they designed called a "quantum squeezer" to manipulate the detector's quantum noise and reduce its kicks to the mirrors; by reducing the quantum noise, they were able to determine how much it contributed to the movement of the mirrors. (7/2)

Spaceport America CEO Dan Hicks Placed on Administrative Leave (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Dan Hicks, CEO of Spaceport America since 2016, has been placed on administrative leave, the Las Cruces Sun-News learned Thursday. New Mexico Economic Development Secretary Alicia Keyes, who chairs the New Mexico Spaceport Authority's board of directors, confirmed Thursday that Hicks was on leave pending an investigation, but did not provide further details. Hicks did not immediately respond to a query from the Sun-News.

He succeeded Christine Anderson, who served as the spaceport's CEO from 2011 until her retirement. Previously, Hicks served for 34 years at White Sands Missile Range, ultimately assisting WSMR's commanding general and its executive director. The Las Cruces native graduated from Las Cruces High School, earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from New Mexico State University and received an honorary selection to NMSU's Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Academy. (7/3)

Swamp Watch: Commerce Department Prevents Release of IG Report on NOAA Controversy (Source: Washington Post)
The inspector general for the Commerce Department sent a memo to Secretary Wilbur Ross on Wednesday evening expressing “deep concern” that the department is infringing on the office’s independence by preventing the release of a final report on the investigation of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration statement about Hurricane Dorian in 2019. The memo by Peggy Gustafson was posted to the Office of the Inspector General’s website in what marks a rare public airing in a dispute between an agency inspector general and a Cabinet secretary. (7/2)

India Space Privatization: Poor Prospects and Inevitable Lurking Dangers (Source: NewsClick)
As part of the Rs 20 lakh crore economic stimulus package announced by the government to supposedly boost a COVID-19-impacted economy, the Finance Minister (FM) declared that all sectors of the economy would henceforth be open for the private sector, and that public sector undertakings (PSUs) would work mainly in strategic sectors and be privatized in others. One of the areas thrown open to the private sector was space.

A Union Cabinet decision on June 24 approved “far reaching reforms in the Space sector aimed at boosting private sector participation in the entire range of space activities,” including launch, satellites and even “space exploration”, through an “announcement of opportunity mechanism.” There has been the usual gushing welcome laid out for these “reforms” in the pink press and by some commentators. There has also been much speculation about the privatization of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), and predictions of the blossoming of a hitherto sluggish space establishment.

Before discussing these in detail, it should first be clarified that ISRO is not being privatised, not yet at least. Second, nevertheless, there are lurking dangers inherent in the extent and direction  to which space is opened up to the private sector. Third, the anticipated efflorescence of an extensive private sector Indian space industry is very unlikely, given known structural weaknesses and capability constraints of the private sector in India. (7/3)

Minotaur Rocket Launching July 15 from Virginia Spaceport (Source: NASA)
A Minotaur IV rocket carrying a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is scheduled for launch July 15, 2020, from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space and Missile Systems Center’s Launch Enterprise Program is providing the launch services for this mission. The launch vehicle, built and operated by Northrop Grumman, is scheduled for liftoff from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s (MARS) Pad 0B on Wallops Island. (7/2)

NASA Preparing Second Round of Smallsat Launch Services Program (Source: Space News)
NASA plans to issue multiple contracts in the coming months for smallsat launch services in the second phase of a program intended to support the emerging small launch vehicle industry. NASA’s Launch Services Program released a draft request for proposals July 1 for its proposed Venture Class Launch Service (VCLS) Demonstration 2 procurement. The agency requested comments on the draft RFP by July 14, and will host an online industry day discussion July 7.

The agency “is seeking a NASA launch service to demonstrate a launch vehicle capability for future use on operational missions,” the draft RFP states. “The government plans to award multiple contracts.” The RFP mentions two classes of missions it plans to award contracts for. One would be a dedicated launch of a set of cubesats weighing 30 kilograms, placing them into a 500-kilometer orbit at an inclination of between 40 and 60 degrees.

NASA’s proposed second round of VCLS contracts comes as the Defense Department is backing away from its own effort to stimulate the small launch vehicle industry. The Pentagon announced July 1 it was canceling plans announced in June to award launch contracts to six small launch vehicle developers: Aevum, Astra, X-Bow, Rocket Lab, Space Vector and VOX Space, the government services arm of Virgin Orbit. Editor's Note: The NASA Launch Services Program is based at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. (7/2)

Optus Orders OneSat Satellite From Airbus (Source: Space News)
Airbus Defence and Space on July 2 announced that it will build a geostationary communications satellite for Optus that will provide coverage over Australia and the surrounding region. Airbus will build the satellite, called Optus-11, on its new OneSat platform, designed with a reconfigurable payload that can steer and reassign beams for different customers and services. Optus-11 is projected to launch in 2023, though a launch provider has not been announced, and will expand Optus’ fleet to six geostationary satellites. (7/2)

Russia Awaits Certification of Dragon Before Launching Cosmonauts (Source: TASS)
Russia’s federal space agency Roscosmos will agree to the delivery of its cosmonauts to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a US Crew Dragon spacecraft only after it is certified, Roscosmos First Deputy Head for the Orbital Grouping Development and Priority Projects Yuri Urlichich said on Thursday. "The spaceship has not passed its certification and the Americans are offering us to make swaps as was the case during the period when their shuttles made flights: our cosmonauts flew in their shuttles and their astronauts on our Soyuz spacecraft. We agree to that but only inasmuch as their spaceship is certified," Urlichich said in the upper house of Russia’s parliament. (7/2)

Amid Rivalry with China, Japan is Aiming for the Moon – and Beyond (Source: SCMP)
Japan has announced plans to double the scale of its space industry, a decision driven by the quest for resources to be found in outer space, defence considerations and a certain degree of rivalry with China. The cabinet on Tuesday approved an updated Basic Plan on Space Policy for the first time in five years, outlining Japan’s aims over the coming decade. Its current spending of Ұ1.2 trillion (US$11 billion) a year lags well that of the United States and Europe – and Tokyo intends to double that figure by the early 2030s.

The plan calls for the private sector to play a bigger role in space development and technology, with one component of the policy being cooperation with NASA on its Artemis program, which aims to put astronauts back on the moon by 2024. Tokyo hopes that a Japanese astronaut will be on one of the early missions. Japan also intends to make use of its advanced robotic technology to explore the moon in search of water, in the form of ice, that will be needed to sustain the first colonists on the Earth’s nearest neighbor. Tokyo also plans to step up defence cooperation with Washington by increasing the number of intelligence-gathering satellites, primarily to monitor the developing threats posed by China and North Korea, such as the deployment of intercontinental ballistic missiles. (7/1)

Will Arizona Be the Headquarters for the US Space Force Command? (Source: 3TV/CBS 5)
If Congresswoman Debbie Lesko and Congressman Paul A. Gosar get their way, Peoria could be the U.S. Space Force Command's headquarters. Lesko and Gosar sent a letter to Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett advocating for the city. "My hometown of Peoria, Arizona, located in the heart of my congressional district, would be the perfect location for the headquarters of the United States Space Force Command," Lesko said in a statement. "Based on the criteria released by the Department of the Air Force earlier this year, Peoria meets all requirements for command headquarters.

My district is already home to Luke Air Force Base and our community is proud of the support we provide to our outstanding air men (sic) and women. We would love to welcome the Space Force to our district." The plan is to find a location that is about 25 miles from a military installation, in the top 150 metro areas and has an AARP index score of 50 or higher. Peoria checks each of those boxes, according to Lesko's office. (7/2)

Despite Surge in COVID-19, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Remains Open for Fourth of July (Source: Florida Today)
As individuals along the Space Coast prepare for the Fourth of July weekend, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will be among those attractions open for people to visit this weekend. The complex, which reopened May 28 after being shut down for over two months due to the novel coronavirus, continues to remain open at limited capacity for visitors despite the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Florida. To ensure guests' and employees' health and safety, the visitor complex reduced capacity to 50% and recommends all guests purchase their tickets in advance. (7/2)

Russian Soyuz Rocket to Orbit 15 Foreign Satellites in Autumn (Source: TASS)
A Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket will blast off in the autumn to deliver Russia’s Gonets communications satellites into orbit along with 15 foreign space vehicles as a hosted payload, Deputy CEO of Glavkosmos commercial launch operator Vitaly Safonov announced. "As part of the launch of Gonets space vehicles in the autumn of this year, there are plans to orbit an additional payload of 15 foreign-made small satellites and four small space vehicles of Russian universities," the deputy chief executive said. (7/2)

Space Startup Momentus Provides ‘Last Mile Delivery’ for Satellites Launched on Any Rocket (Source: CNBC)
Space startup Momentus has so far struck $40 million worth of customer contracts this year and announced on Thursday its latest deal with Dutch small satellite specialist ISILaunch. The company offers a “last mile delivery” service for spacecraft, tapping into the growing small satellite market. “From a single launch we can drop into multiple orbits, and just change altitude or change inclination, dropping you in several spots. Basically increasing the flexibility of a big rocket launch dramatically,” Momentus CEO Mikhail Kokorich told CNBC. (7/2)

EGS, Jacobs Begin SLS Booster Build Up for Artemis 1 (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
NASA Exploration Ground Systems and prime test and operations contractor Jacobs mated the first of two Space Launch System (SLS) aft motor segments for the Artemis 1 launch with its aft skirt on June 24. The connection of two of the major elements of the right-hand aft booster assembly continues preparations of Northrop Grumman booster hardware for the first SLS launch tentatively scheduled for late next year. (7/2)