March 27, 2021

Space Traffic Jams at Cape Canaveral (Source: Astralytical)
Of the reasons given for launch delays out of Cape Canaveral Spaceport, 6% were due to launch site logistics, balancing the need to accommodate multiple users as well as multiple launches by the same user within the same launch site range. While 6% is a small minority of launch delays, launch site logistics delays were unique to Cape Canaveral Spaceport. No other launch site examined experienced delays due to launch site logistics.

Cape Canaveral Spaceport hosted 30 orbital launches and 1 suborbital launch in 2020. At an FAA Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) meeting on March 23, 2021, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana estimated the current infrastructure at Cape Canaveral Spaceport could host up to 50 launches per year.

"If you do the study about what causes launch delays, it's usually not the infrastructure that's impacting it,” Mr. Cabana stated. “It's usually somebody's problem with their own rocket or weather delays that cause it. Very few delays are caused because of problems on the range or the infrastructure being able to support the launch.” Click here. (3/25)

Japan's Sky Perfect JSAT Orders Satellite From Airbus (Source: Space News)
Japanese satellite operator Sky Perfect JSAT has ordered a spacecraft from Airbus Defence and Space for the first time. Superbird-9 will be based on the reconfigurable payload platform OneSat developed by Airbus, with launch scheduled for 2024. The satellite will use Ku-band to provide broadcast and broadband services, primarily over Japan and Eastern Asia, and also have Ka-band capability. Airbus, which announced a contract earlier this week to build the Eutelsat 36D satellite, expects 15-18 GEO orders this year, with the majority being replacement missions. (3/26)

Payload for Next ULA Atlas Mission Arrives in Florida (Source: Space News)
A missile warning satellite is now in Florida for a launch in May. The U.S. Space Force said the Space Based Infrared System GEO-5 satellite arrived in Florida last week for a launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 on May 17. SBIRS satellites use staring and scanning infrared sensors to detect missile launches and provide advance warning. A sixth and final satellite in the program is expected to launch next year. (3/26)

Launcher Inc. Moving From New York to California (Source: Space News)
Small launch vehicle developer Launcher is moving to California. The company, which was founded in New York, is leasing a 24,000-square-foot facility in Hawthorne, California, not far from SpaceX's headquarters, for development of its small launch vehicle. The company said it moved to Southern California because of the supply chain and talent in the region, as well as being closer to customers. Launcher's new focus is on a vehicle called Launcher Light, a smaller version of the Rocket-1 vehicle it initially proposed, with test flights projected to begin in 2024. (3/26)

ABL Raises $170 Million for Rockets and US and UK Launch Site Development (Source: Space News)
Small launch vehicle company ABL Space Systems raised $170 million. The company announced Thursday the Series B round, led by funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates. The new round values the company at $1.3 billion. ABL said it will use the capital to scale up production and establish launch sites in the United States and United Kingdom. The company's RS1 rocket is slated to make its first launch as soon as this spring. (3/26)

Firefly Wins NASA SBIR to Advance "Space Utility Vehicle" (Source: Firefly)
Firefly Research has won a NASA SBIR Phase 1 contract for the development of a Space Utility Vehicle (SUV). This vehicle serves as a solar electric transfer stage, offering enough delta-V to transfer more than 500 kg of payload from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to Low Lunar Orbit (LLO) after launch on a small lift launch vehicle. While most technologies needed for such a transfer stage are reasonably mature, the SUV is innovative in how the vehicle architecture breaks the long-held assumptions of Electric Propulsion (EP) being either slow or expensive.

We are able to offer a high-power platform with rapid transit capability at a competitive cost through refueling and reuse of that platform, amortizing platform cost over multiple missions. (3/26)

Almost Anyone Can Train to be an Astronaut (Source: MIT Technology Review)
Once upon a time, getting a launch ready was a two-year process. The first astronauts selected for the Mercury program had to be military test pilots with college degrees and 1,500 hours of flying time under their belts. They also had to be younger than 40 and shorter than 5 feet 11 inches. The Gemini and Apollo programs were opened up to civilian applicants, raised the height barrier to 6 feet, took applicants no older than 35, and put a bigger emphasis on educational background.

As part of the training for these programs, recruits had to take classes on literal rocket science and spacecraft engineering. They had to learn medical procedures. They had to take public speaking courses and become media ready. Oh, and there was also a bunch of training in the air, on the ground, and underwater designed to physically and mentally prepare astronauts for the stresses and experiences they were about to face.

Future generations of private astronauts won’t have to jump through half as many hoops. The “right stuff” has changed. The FAA has only light safety guidelines around training private astronauts. It’s really up to the companies to approach things as they see fit. “What we're looking at now is basically a paradigm shift in space training,” says King. “The private sector is looking at basically everybody in the general public that has a desire and the finances to fly into space to have the opportunity to go.” (3/24)

NASA Provides $45M Boost to US Small Businesses (Source: Space Daily)
Small businesses are vital to NASA's mission, helping expand humanity's presence in space and improve life on Earth. NASA has selected 365 U.S. small business proposals for initial funding from the agency's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, a total investment of more than $45 million.

Editor's Note: Florida SBIR winners include: Interdisciplinary Consulting Corporation of Gainesville, LeNgineer of Titusville, Mainstream Engineering Corporation of Rockledge, Miles Space of Tampa, Streamline Numerics of Gainesville, SurfPlasma of Gainesville, and Truventic of Orlando. Florida STTR winners include Mainstream Engineering Corporation of Rockledge, and Modus Operandi of Melbourne, with IHMC of Pensacola. (3/26)

Space ETF is Ark’s First New Fund in Two Years (Source: Bloomberg)
Cathie Wood may be about to cap a stellar year with a suitably themed new product. Ark Investment Management’s new space ETF could make its debut as soon as the start of next week, based on regulatory filing dates. The actively managed exchange-traded fund would track U.S. and global companies involved in space exploration and innovation.

If it comes it will be the first new product from Ark since the 2019 launch of the ARK Fintech Innovation ETF and follows a stellar 12 months in which Wood’s ETF assets skyrocketed to $47 billion from just $3.3 billion. Her funds -- which include five that are actively-managed and two that track indexes -- had a rough ride as tech shares sold off in recent weeks. But the flagship fund is still up 154% over the past 12 months and her products have taken in about $16.4 billion just this year, suggesting a new one would be met with strong demand. (3/25)

NASA's Space Launch System is America's Ride to the Moon and Beyond (Source: The Hill)
When astronauts’ lives are at stake you must get it right the first time. That’s why I was impressed with NASA’s successful test firing of its SLS core stage on March 18. This rocket paves the way for an exciting era of U.S.-led space exploration, leading to a permanent human presence on the moon and eventual journeys to Mars and beyond.

Although the commercial rocket industry has made impressive progress over the last few years, the Starship and its Super Heavy booster are many years and many tests away from reliable flight and are not a realistic substitute for SLS.  With the success of this latest hot fire test, the SLS’s 212-foot-tall core stage now heads for KSC for mating with its boosters and the human-rated Orion spacecraft. On its inaugural flight, SLS will hurl the unpiloted Orion to lunar orbit and back. The last time America sent an astronaut-rated craft there was 1972.

The SLS is real, with hardware built or on order for its first 10 launches supporting NASA’s Artemis program. Five Orion spacecraft are either in hand or have been ordered to carry astronauts, with contracting mechanisms set up for an additional nine vehicles. America should not trade all this hardware and momentum for the ephemeral lure of some cheaper alternative which may never materialize. SLS has nearly three times the lift capability of any other launch vehicle in the world, either flying or in development. Adapting proven rocket technology, the SLS will enable our safe return to the moon and deep space. (3/24)

South Korea's Home-Grown Rocket Readies for October Launch (Source: Yonhap)
South Korea's plan to launch its first homegrown rocket later this year is on a roll after researchers successfully conducted the final combustion test for its main first-stage engines, the science ministry said Thursday. The Ministry of Science and ICT said the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) successfully ran the third and final test for the four 75-ton liquid engines of the 200-ton rocket, named Nuri, at the Naro Space Center in Goheung, 473 kilometers south of Seoul. Local researchers will now test the locally developed three-stage rocket's launch pad until July and complete assembly of the rocket's flight model before its planned launch with a mock payload in October. (3/25)

Can the U.S. and China Find Common Ground in Space? (Source: Bloomberg)
Last week’s contentious meeting between Chinese and U.S. delegations in Alaska was entering its second hour when Mars entered the conversation. First mention was made by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who invoked the recent landing of the Perseverance rover as an example of a successful U.S. collaboration with another power (in this case, Europe).

Yang Jiechi, the Communist Party’s foreign-affairs chief, who spent much of the meeting haranguing the U.S. delegation for protocol breaches, democratic failures and insufficient respect, took notice. Concluding his fierce remarks, his voice loosened and he made an otherworldly offer: “While the United States has talked about its cooperation to land on some other planet with the European side, well, China would welcome it if there is a will to carry out similar cooperation from the United States with us. I’ll stop here.”

It was a bold invitation — and one that President Joe Biden’s administration should accept. Granted, that’s highly unlikely. The U.S. has long restricted such collaboration due to (reasonable) fears of Chinese espionage. But the cold-shoulder treatment is no longer serving American interests. It’s merely driving China to develop its own technologies and collaborations, especially with Russia. Rethinking this approach would not only help build trust between the two sides. It could create a model for the next era of space exploration. (3/24)

Former Magician Brings Holograms, Virtual Reality to NASA (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Tracy Evans is no longer sawing his assistants into three pieces. He doesn’t pull rabbits out of hats or escape handcuffs, either. But his decade as a magician did provide the flair required to make realistic and entertaining holographic astronauts who can answer questions about their travels in space. Exhibitry, Evans’ 25-year-old company, has taken its audience mastery to NASA. It developed holograms of Apollo astronauts and showcased the potential for using virtual reality in an outpost orbiting the moon.

This month, the public saw his holographic displays in a new location: NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The Visitor Complex reopened its Apollo/Saturn V Center on March 15 (it had been closed due to COVID-19) with new displays featuring Apollo astronauts Charlie Duke, Jim Lovell, Harrison Schmitt and Al Worden. “That was a highlight of my career so far working with these astronauts,” Evans said. Evans spent hours interviewing these men. Among their stories, Schmitt talked about the difficulties of walking on the moon. He said Evans would likely fall if he were to try it — but don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt. (3/25)

Coming Back to Spaceport America With a Launch Company (Source: Las Cruces Bulletin)
During a ribbon cutting ceremony March 16, Canadian corporation C6 Launch Systems unveiled its launch system and a new rocket engine test stand at Spaceport America’s vertical launch area. This is not the first visit to Spaceport America for C6 Director of Structures Sadben Khan. He was the co-captain and structures lead for the Ryerson Rocketry team at Spaceport America Cup in 2017.  He designed and built the entire airframe. The Ryerson team placed 2nd in the 30k ft competition.

Khan said his experience in the Spaceport America Cup taught him a lot of valuable engineering skills. People learn a lot more from hands-on work and experience with rockets than sitting in a classroom with books, he said. (3/25)

The Secret to Space Force Success Isn't Complicated (Source: War on the Rocks)
The Washington chattering class has apparently decided that the Space Force has a public relations problem. Recent headlines about the new service include “The Space Force’s PR Problem,” “Can’t Hug a Satellite: General Addresses Space Force’s PR Problem,” and “Can Biden solve the Space Force’s public relations crisis?” And Gen. Jay Raymond, the head of the Space Force, and Neil deGrasse Tyson publicly talked about going on Saturday Night Live to better explain the Space Force to the American people.

But here’s the thing — the Space Force doesn’t have a real public relations problem. While it’s getting bad press in Washington, it’s supported by President Biden and, according to polls, most Americans. Instead of responding to Beltway critics, the Space Force should continue to focus on delivering results to protect American interests in space. The Space Force should focus on standing out from its sister services, articulating responsible behavior in space, and strengthening relationships with allies and partners. In addition, the service should articulate a 20-year strategic vision, embrace the U.S. commercial space renaissance, and focus on developing and buying capabilities affordably and quickly. (3/25)

South Korea Considers Lunar and Asteroid Missions (Source: Space News)
South Korea is proposing a lunar lander and asteroid mission by the end of the decade. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Thursday that the country would land a spacecraft on the moon using a domestically developed rocket by 2030, and that feasibility studies are underway for a mission to the asteroid Apophis when it flies past Earth in 2029.

Moon spoke at the Naro Space Center during a visit to observe tests of the engine of the KSLV-2 rocket, set to make its first launch in October. In his speech, his first about space since taking office nearly four years ago, he also discussed plans for communications and navigation satellites as part of efforts aimed at strengthening international competitiveness of made-in-Korea satellite systems. (3/26)

Falcon-9 Upper Stage Reenters Over Pacific Northwest (Source: GeekWire)
A light show Thursday night in Pacific Northwest skies was caused by a reentering Falcon 9 upper stage. The falling debris, seen around midnight Eastern time, was originally mistaken to be a meteor. However, spaceflight observers noted it coincided with the projected reentry of a Falcon 9 second stage from a March 4 launch that failed to perform a deorbit burn. (3/26)

Remains of Impact That Created the Moon May Lie Deep Within Earth (Source: Science)
The remains of the protoplanet whose collision with the Earth formed the moon may still reside deep within the Earth.Current models for the formation of the moon theorize that a protoplanet, dubbed Theia, collided with the Earth early in its history, throwing off debris that coalesced into the moon. Scientists say that model could also explain two regions of denser material seen in the Earth's mantle, one under the Pacific and the other West Africa. Those regions, formally known as large low-shear velocity provinces, could be material from Theia itself that survived the impact, according to a study presented at a conference last week. Other scientists find the idea that remnants of Theia could exist in the mantle intriguing, but are not yet convinced. (3/26)