February 25, 2021

Embry-Riddle Accepting Donations for Lunar Camera Payload (Source: ERAU)
EagleCam will be taking the world’s ultimate selfie when it captures the first-ever third person views of a spacecraft making an extraterrestrial landing. More than just a camera, EagleCam will also uncover new scientific findings through dust plume imagery, dust accumulation analysis, and lunar surface imagery. As the Intuitive Machines Nova-C Lunar Lander approaches the surface of the Moon, EagleCam will separate from the lander to capture the moment it touches down.

Slated for launch in Q4 of this year, the CubeSat camera system is being designed and built by Embry-Riddle engineering students and faculty researchers. To learn more and get a behind-the-scenes look at the project, visit the EagleCam website and follow the student team on Instagram. Click here. (2/23)

Swamp Watch: Pentagon Policy Official's Nomination Threatened by Republican Concerns, Israeli Interference (Sources: Politico, @sarakendzior)
The top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee has "serious concerns" over the nomination of Colin Kahl, President Joe Biden's pick to serve as DoD's Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. The news comes as the committee plans to hold a confirmation hearing on March 4 for Kahl. Republican opposition is brewing over Kahl’s involvement in crafting the controversial 2015 Iran nuclear deal and other aspects of his record in working on Middle East policy in the Obama administration.

Not coincidentally, Kahl and his family are also reportedly the target of a smear campaign by Israeli intelligence firm Black Cube--composed of former Mossad agents--aimed at discrediting and intimidating him, based on his role in Iran nuclear deal. The Observer reported that aides of President Trump had hired Black Cube to run the operation to discredit Obama administration officials backing the Iran nuclear deal, allegations that Black Cube denies. Black Cube was also hired by predator Harvey Weinstein to discredit and threaten his victims. The position Kahl would fill was one held in an acting capacity by controversial Trump nominee Anthony Tata. (2/24)

Dish Asks To Pump Brakes On SpaceX FCC Funds For 12 GHz (Source: Law360)
Dish Network is asking the Federal Communications Commission to bump SpaceX out of the running for funds from the agency's $20 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, at least as it pertains to the 12 GHz band. (2/23)

U.S. to Support International Effort to Set Rules of Behavior in Space (Source: Space News)
The U.S. and allies are drafting language in support of an international effort to adopt rules of behavior in space,  U.S. Space Command’s Maj. Gen. DeAnna Burt said. Burt is the commander of U.S. Space Command’s combined force space component at Vandenberg AFB, California. She said international momentum is building for the adoption of a binding set of rules to make space safer and sustainable.

U.S. Space Command is taking a central role in this effort amid growing alarm about Russia’s anti-satellite weapon tests and concerns that the proliferation of satellites and debris is rapidly cluttering Earth orbit. Burt said a team of Defense and State Department officials is drafting language on the U.S. position on a resolution approved in December by the UN General Assembly which calls for “norms, rules and principles of responsible behaviors” in space. The UN has asked countries to submit input by May 3 for inclusion in a report to be reviewed by the UN General Assembly this summer.

The problem with previous UN resolutions is that they were non binding, said Burt. “We’re going to prepare what we believe will be proposal language that will go to the UN and hopefully result in a binding resolution,” she said. “There’s a lot of good work happening on the international stage.” The December UN resolution — originally proposed by the UK — focuses on curtailing irresponsible or potentially threatening activities and on reducing the risks of misunderstandings and miscalculations. “The UK has stepped up,” Burt said. The United States is working with the UK and with a broader coalition that includes Canada, France, Germany Australia, Canada and New Zealand. (2/24)

UCF Researcher is Part of Team that Will Send Rotorcraft to Saturn’s Moon, Titan (Source: UCF)
The helicopter that arrived on the Red Planet on Feb. 18 as part of the Mars 2020/Perseverance mission is not the only rotorcraft NASA is sending into space. A team of scientists, including a University of Central Florida researcher, is working to help NASA design a rotorcraft to explore Saturn’s moon, Titan. The mission and lander are called Dragonfly and are planned to launch in 2027 and reach Titan by the mid-2030s.

Michael Kinzel, an assistant professor in UCF’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, is working with NASA as part of the Dragonfly mission. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory is managing the mission for NASA and will build and operate the rotorcraft-lander. Kinzel’s team is supporting the aerodynamic design of the rotorcraft’s fuselage. With low gravity and an atmosphere that’s thicker than Earth’s, Titan is better suited to a flying vehicle than a wheeled surface rover like those that have been used to explore Mars. (2/24)

Nuclear-Powered Rockets Could Be The Best Option For Bringing Humans To Mars (Source: NPR)
If NASA agency or others hope to leave and send astronauts to Mars, experts say they need to consider a technology that was studied decades ago but never fully developed: nuclear-powered rockets. "If we decide to send humans to Mars, nuclear propulsion is likely to be central to that journey," says Roger Myers, an independent aerospace consultant and co-chair of a panel convened by the National Academies to study nuclear propulsion.

A new report out from Myers and his colleagues suggests that NASA should begin studying nuclear propulsion now, if it hopes to use it in a Mars mission in 2039. Although NASA does spend some money studying the technology, Myers says, funding is "going to have to be ramped up significantly if we're going to hit 2039." (2/24)

Nearly Half the Public Wants the U.S. to Maintain Its Space Dominance. Appetite for Space Exploration Is a Different Story (Source: Morning Consult)
1 in 3 adults said sending human astronauts to the moon or Mars should be a priority, about 30 points lower than the highest-ranked space research priorities. 58% said they were either “not too likely” or “not likely at all” to participate in civilian space travel, even if price weren’t a concern, up 10 points from the 48% who said the same in September 2017.

Those priorities shed light on a larger trend among adults’ sentiments on space research and exploration: While a plurality (47 percent) say it’s essential that the United States continues to be a world leader in space exploration, few think it should be a high priority for the Biden administration — and even fewer say they’d want to embark in space travel themselves, even if price weren’t a concern. (2/25)

As Private Companies Erode Government’s Hold on Space Travel, NASA Looks to Open a New Frontier (Source: Washington Post)
The four astronauts who will fly aboard a SpaceX mission by the end of the year will be a bunch of private citizens with no space experience. One’s a billionaire funding the mission; another a health care provider. The third will be selected at random through a sweepstakes, and the last seat will go to the winner of a competition. In the new Space Age, you can buy a ticket to orbit — no need to have been a fighter pilot in the military or to compete against thousands of other overachievers for a coveted spot in NASA’s astronaut corps.

In fact, for this mission, the first comprised entirely of private citizens, NASA is little more than a bystander. It does not own or operate the rocket that will blast the astronauts into space or the capsule they will live in for the few days they are scheduled to circle the Earth every 90 minutes. NASA has no say in selecting the astronauts, and it will not train or outfit them — that will all be done by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

This is the new look of human space exploration as government’s long-held monopoly on space travel continues to erode, redefining not only who owns the vehicles that carry people to space, but also the very nature of what an astronaut is and who gets to be one. Thanks to NASA’s investments and guidance, the private space sector has grown tremendously — no entity more than SpaceX. Space enthusiasts, including NASA, see enormous benefit in the shift — a new era of space exploration that will usher in a more capable and efficient space industry. (2/25)

Blue Origin Videos Give Rare Glimpse Into Florida Factory (Source: Blue Origin)
Check out the recent progress at our #NewGlenn rocket factory at Cape Canaveral. We are testing flight operations with the giant stage 1 simulator, producing flight hardware, and growing the integration and test facilities around the campus. Click here. (2/25)

Blue Origin Delays First Launch of New Glenn to Late 2022 (Source: Space News)
Blue Origin is pushing back the first launch of its New Glenn rocket to late 2022, saying it “re-baselined” the development of the launch vehicle after losing a key Pentagon contract last year. Blue Origin announced Feb. 25 that it has set a new target in the fourth quarter of 2022 for the first launch of the rocket from Launch Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The company originally targeted New Glenn’s inaugural launch for 2020. The Space Force decided in August to not select New Glenn for the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 2 Launch Services Procurement.

Blue Origin lost out to ULA and SpaceX, who were selected as national security space launch providers from 2022 to 2027. New Glenn will be ready to compete again for NSSL Phase 3 when the next contract goes up for bidding in 2024, said Jarrett Jones. Not being selected cost Blue Origin billions of dollars, he argued. Blue Origin in October 2018 won a $500 million Launch Service Agreement deal with the Air Force but the LSA was terminated in December 2020 after Blue Origin received just $255.5 million. Blue Origin estimated that not winning the five-year procurement contract cost the company up to $3 billion in revenue, Jones said. (2/25)

Inmarsat Hires Former Nokia Chief as CEO (Source: Space News)
Inmarsat has hired the former president and CEO of Nokia as its new CEO. Inmarsat said Wednesday that Rajeev Suri will take over as CEO effective March 1, succeeding Rupert Pearce. Suri led Nokia for six years, through last summer, as that company shifted from mobile phones to broader telecommunications infrastructure such as 5G networks. The companies didn't explain the reason for changing CEOs, but said that Pearce, who had been Inmarsat's CEO since 2012, would remain in an advisory role for an unspecified "transitional period." (2/25)

NASA Seeks to Maintain Competition Among Lunar Lander Companies (Source: Space News)
NASA wants to maintain competition in lunar lander development as it nears a decision on what companies will proceed in that program. Agency officials said Wednesday that they are "down to the wire" in reviewing proposals for the next phase of the Human Landing System (HLS) program, awards called "Option A" that fund work on crewed lunar landers through a flight demonstration. Three companies received HLS base period contracts last year, and NASA plans to select up to two of them for Option A awards. Despite a shortfall in funding for the program from earlier projections, NASA said it wants to maintain competition in the overall effort, particularly when it later seeks proposals for landing services after the initial demonstration missions. (2/25)

DoD Climate Policy Could Shape Weather Satellite Plans (Source: Space News)
A Defense Department policy about climate change could influence investments in weather satellites. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last month directed the Pentagon to develop plans to prepare for the impact of climate change and extreme weather. That will shape policies and budgets over the next several years, such as investments in satellites for weather monitoring. The Space Force is considering future investments to improve weather monitoring in the Arctic, a region considered strategically important and where melting ice could cause significant disruption. Industry officials believe the new emphasis on climate change could create opportunities for the military to invest in advanced sensors and to take advantage of less expensive satellites. (2/25)
 
UK Spaceport Wants Virgin Orbit, Not Virgin Galactic (Source: Falmouth Packet)
A prospective British spaceport is interested in hosting Virgin Orbit but not Virgin Galactic. Spaceport Cornwall, also known as Cornwall Airport Newquay, is working to support flights of Virgin Orbit's air-launch system. However, at a meeting this week of the Cornwall Council, members said they opposed any plans to use the airport for flights of Virgin Galactic's suborbital space tourism system, with one council member calling it "an abundant waste of money." The discussion was prompted by media reports about the possibility of the airport hosting Virgin Galactic, but it's not clear the company was actually interested in operating from Cornwall. (2/25)

Solar Probe Snaps Surprising Images of Venus (Source: NASA)
A NASA mission to study the sun captured a closeup image of Venus. The Parker Solar Probe took the image of the planet during a flyby last July, viewing the planet's night side at a distance of about 12,500 kilometers. To the surprise of scientists, the camera, designed to observe at visible wavelengths, was able to see features on the surface normally hidden by the planet's dense clouds. Engineers are testing the camera to see if it has an unexpected ability to observe at infrared wavelengths, which can penetrate the clouds, or if they found a lucky break in the clouds. (2/25)

Fry's Electronics Closes, With ISS Mockup (Source: CollectSpace)
The closure of a chain of electronics stores also means the end of a full-sized model of the International Space Station. Fry's Electronics announced this week it was closing all of its stores as it winds down its business. The chain was known for elaborate themes for each of its stores, which for its store in Houston near the Johnson Space Center involved space. The store's interior included a full-sized mockup of the modules of the ISS amid the store's aisles. The mockup was not entirely accurate, but included many of the station's modules and a Soyuz spacecraft. That model, and the rest of the company's assets, will likely be liquidated as part of the wind-down process. (2/24)