April 2, 2021

NASA Has a Plan to Punch an Asteroid With a Spaceship to Protect Earth (Source: Motherboard)
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), due for launch this summer, is NASA’s first flight demonstration for planetary defense—in other words, it’s a spaceship that will directly punch an asteroid. The mission’s target is an asteroid system called Didymos, which contains two space rocks that orbit each other. In late 2022, DART will forcefully impact the smaller asteroid in this system, a tiny moon called Dimorphos, so that scientists can assess the feasibility of knocking any space rocks that threaten Earth off course in the future. (4/1)

Orlando Soccer Team Launches Unforms Into Space, Honoring Aerospace Women (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The Orlando Pride primed fans for the impending 2021 NWSL season with a kit launch — a literal one, sending the team’s “Ad Astra” primary kit into space Tuesday. The space-themed kit pays tribute to Central Florida’s Space Coast and the region’s rich history in the space industry. The club coordinated a space launch with Sent Into Space, a British-based company that took the 2021 kit and a game ball into space. The Pride plan to use that game ball to kick off the team’s regular-season home opener in May.

To accomplish the launch, the company attached the jersey and ball to a high-altitude balloon. After reaching the edge of space — roughly 50 miles above sea level — for long enough to capture images, the balloon popped and allowed the vessel to free-fall back to earth. The Pride are also using the kit to highlight Black women whose accomplishments in the aerospace industry have often been overshadowed. The team’s stars wore the names of four of these women for a photo shoot at the Kennedy Space Center last week. (3/31)

Mars Helicopter Flight Delayed (Source: Space.com)
The first flight of a Mars helicopter has slipped a few days. NASA said this week it's now targeted April 11 for the first flight of the Ingenuity helicopter, three days later than previously announced. Spacecraft controllers are in the process of releasing Ingenuity from the underside of the Perseverance rover, after which the rover will drive a safe distance away to observe the flights. The mission is planning a campaign of up to five flights over the course of a month. (4/2)
 
Iceye to Launch More Satellites in 2021 (Source: Iceye)
Synthetic aperture radar company Iceye says it will launch more spacecraft this year than previously planned. The company announced this week that it has booked launches of 10 satellites this year, adding satellites to meet growing demand for its radar imagery. The next launch is scheduled for the middle of this year and will include a next-generation satellite "with new and innovative capabilities." Iceye said it booked $50 million in contracts last year. (4/2)

HawkEye Geolocation Satellites Operational After January Launch (Source: HawkEye 360)
HawkEye 360 has completed commissioning of its second cluster of satellites. The three spacecraft were launched in January on a SpaceX rideshare mission and are now in service, the company announced this week. The new satellites include a number of technology improvements over the first set of three satellites to improve the quality and quantity of radiofrequency geolocation data they collect. HawkEye 360 will launch its next clusters of satellites in June and October of this year, with quarterly launches planned thereafter through 2023. (4/2)

Stock Traders Hope Satellite Constellations Will Speed Trades (Source: Wall Street Journal)
High-frequency traders think satellite constellations could give them an edge. Such traders look for speed improvements on the order of milliseconds in order to transmit orders to financial exchanges ahead of rivals. Some believe that satellite constellations could be better than microwave transmissions or fiber-optic cables. One company has proposed a satellite constellation designed exclusively for high-frequency trading, although its funding and access to spectrum are unclear. One venture, LeoSat, used speed as a selling point for its constellation, but went out of business before launching any satellites. (4/2)

Some Scientists Wary of FAST Research Collaborations with China (Source: Science)
Western scientists have mixed views about collaborating with China on astronomy and planetary science projects. China is opening up access to its giant radio telescope, FAST, and will soon offer lunar samples collected by the Chang'e-5 mission to foreign researchers. Some scientists see collaboration as a form of scientific diplomacy, building up cooperation in a time when relations between the United States and China are frayed. Others, though, worry that any cooperation with China in space research creates "an ethical trap of lending legitimacy" to the Chinese government. (4/2)

Space Command, Japan Agree to Collaborate (Source: Space News)
U.S. Space Command signed an agreement with the Japanese military on space security collaboration. Under the agreement, an officer from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force will be assigned full-time at U.S. Space Command headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. U.S. Space Command has been working with Japan for some time on space situational data sharing agreements, missile warning data sharing and multinational space events. The U.S. and Japan previously agreed to launch two U.S. sensor payloads on Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System, a constellation used for regional navigation. (4/2)

NGA Accelerator Picks Eight Startups (Source: Space News)
A technology accelerator program funded by the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) has selected eight startups for assistance. The eight companies, chosen from more than 350 applicants, will receive $100,000 grants, mentoring and coaching from government officials and venture investors. Most of the companies are in the space data analytics and artificial intelligence sectors. NGA started the program last year to strengthen ties with entrepreneurs and build an ecosystem of startups. (4/2)

What's Next for the National Space Council? (Source: Politico)
What comes next for the Space Council is a bit murky as how it is structured and its mission is up to each administration’s discretion. The vice president has been required by law to chair the group since John F. Kennedy asked Congress to amend the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 so he could hand off the duties to lead the panel to his veep, Lyndon Johnson.

The Trump executive order that set the membership is still on the books. That means that unless Biden edits or replaces that directive, this next iteration will include the same members, including leaders of the State, DoD, and Commerce Departments, as well as NASA and OMB. Under the order, the vice president also has the authority to add “heads of other executive departments or agencies” without actually amending the document.

The council’s staffing, however, is not mandated by the order and could take an entirely different approach to who works for the council and how they write policy. “The only thing the law says about staff is its capped at six paid staff and the only role dictated by anything is executive secretary,” a former White House official said. The Biden administration’s first step should be hiring an executive secretary who can help the White House answer these questions about staffing levels and how the council will actually work. (4/2)

The Safety Dozen (Source: Quartz)
Ahead of a Dec. 2020 test, SpaceX requested that the FAA waive a requirement not to launch when unique weather conditions create a tiny chance that an explosion at the launch site could create more damage farther away, something called “distant overpressure focusing.” The FAA denied the waiver, SpaceX launched anyway, and so the FAA launched an investigation. This led Elon Musk to complain about the FAA’s “fundamentally broken regulatory structure” for rocket launches.

After that episode, the FAA added a new rule: No SpaceX launches could take place at Boca Chica without a safety inspector physically present. This week’s launch was delayed after an inspector wasn’t able to make it to the launch site with a day’s notice. One roadblock is that there are only a dozen safety inspectors employed by the FAA’s Office of Commercial Spaceflight. The FAA is actively recruiting new safety inspectors.

Meanwhile, lawmakers are calling for a hearing to investigate the FAA’s response to SpaceX’s license violations, arguing that the FAA has done too little to supervise SpaceX. Musk’s negative tweets and SpaceX’s rule-breaking will get far more attention than the polite letter, presenting space advocates with the challenge of raising funding for an agency that is also being derided as broken and ineffective. (4/1)

Lopez-Alegria: Space Success Requires Government, Commercial Elements (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Only through a team effort can success be achieved. This is a lesson as true for the space industry as it is on a baseball diamond. Over the years, space advocates on both sides of the “government” or “commercial” debate have spent far too much time attacking each other when we should be collaborating to build a better future for our nation and the world. As someone who has had the good fortune to participate in some of NASA’s triumphs, I have learned first-hand that space is a team sport — one that demands unity. (3/31)

Intelsat Posts Revenue Drop for 2020 (Source: Space News)
A drop in revenue in 2020 shows the importance to Intelsat of securing C-band clearing funds. Intelsat recorded $1.91 billion in revenue last year, compared with $2.06 billion for 2019, as COVID-19 hammered mobility and other markets. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2020 to reduce its debt of nearly $15 billion by more than half and free up funding for seven new satellites as part of a C-band spectrum clearing initiative by the FCC. Intelsat could receive a cash windfall of around $4.9 billion if it meets accelerated regulatory deadlines for clearing the frequencies but is facing a legal battle with SES, which is seeking $1.8 billion in damages after Intelsat withdrew from the C-Band Alliance. (4/1)

Russia and China Continue Military Space Development (Source: Space News)
New reports describe growing efforts by China and Russia to develop counterspace capabilities. The two reports, released Thursday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and by the Secure World Foundation, describe efforts by Russia over the last decade to rebuild counterspace systems, such as recent tests of co-orbital and direct-ascent anti-satellite weapons. China continues to display advances in space capabilities, including the launch of an experimental spaceplane that may have deployed at least one small satellite on orbit. (4/1)

Bridenstine Joins Viasat Board (Source: Space News)
Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine is joining the board of Viasat. The company announced Thursday that Bridenstine would join the board of the satellite operator as it prepares to roll out its ViaSat-3 series of broadband satellites. Viasat cited Bridenstine's support for safe space operations as a reason for adding him to the board. Bridenstine, who left NASA at the end of the Trump administration, is also a senior adviser for private equity firm Acorn Growth Companies. (4/1)

Virgin Galactic and Land Rover Extend Partnership (Source: Space Daily)
Land Rover has announced a three-year extension to its global partnership with Virgin Galactic, the world's first commercial 'spaceline'. Virgin Galactic's latest spaceship was unveiled Tuesday, supported by a Range Rover Astronaut Edition. Land Rover will remain an integrated part of Virgin Galactic's day-to-day operations as the company completes test flights with 'SpaceShipTwo' and begins a regular commercial service. Land Rover vehicles are part of daily life for the Virgin Galactic team, with roles which include towing the space vehicles, carrying equipment and clearing runways before take-off. (3/31)

FCC Plans Spectrum Assignment for Launch Telemetry (Source: Space News)
The FCC is proposing to allocate spectrum for commercial launch telemetry. FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Wednesday that the commission will take up at its next open meeting April 21 a proposed rule that would provide a secondary allocation of S-band spectrum, currently reserved for government uses, for commercial launch telemetry. Companies can use that spectrum today for launch telemetry, but have to file for special temporary authority for each launch, a time-consuming process as the number of commercial launches increases. The proposal is supported by the commercial launch industry, which for years had sought some kind of spectrum allocation for launch vehicle telemetry. (4/1)

Fairing Vibration Issue Has Affected Launch Plans for Ariane 5 and Atlas 5 (Source: Space Intel Report)
Excess vibration during fairing separation on two European Ariane 5 missions in 2020 forced a months-long inquiry that has grounded the vehicle since August, with similar consequences for the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5, which uses the same fairing technology, government and industry officials said. With the help of a recent emergency cash infusion by the Swiss government, Ariane 5 and Atlas 5 fairing manufacturer Ruag Space, based in Switzerland, apparently has identified the root cause of the issue and begun implementing corrective measures. (3/19)

Scientists Just Killed the EmDrive (Source: Popular Mechanics)
In major international tests, the physics-defying EmDrive has failed to produce the amount of thrust proponents were expecting. In fact, in one test at Germany’s Dresden University, it didn’t produce any thrust at all. Is this the end of the line for EmDrive? The EmDrive, copyrighted by its parent company SPR Ltd, theoretically works by trapping microwaves in a shaped chamber where their bouncing produces thrust. The chamber is closed, meaning from the outside, it will appear to simply move without any fuel input or any thrust output. (4/1)

New Providence Acquisition Corp. Stockholders Approve Business Combination with AST & Science (Source: New Providence)
New Providence Acquisition Corp. stockholders have approved all proposals related to the previously announced business combination with AST & Science, LLC. The merger is anticipated to occur on or about April 6. Following closing, the combined company will be known as AST SpaceMobile and its class A common stock and warrants will trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbols “ASTS” and “ASTSW”, respectively.

AST SpaceMobile expects to receive approximately $462 million in gross proceeds at the time of the Business Combination, which includes $230 million in expected gross proceeds from a private placement closing concurrently. (4/1)

Voyager Space Holdings Completes Acquisition of The Launch Company (Source: Voyager)
Voyager Space Holdings has completed the acquisition of The Launch Company, a leader in developing the systems, hardware, and processes to accelerate NewSpace companies to orbit. Voyager announced the company's intent to acquire The Launch Company in Nov. 2020 and, with its closing, will now add launch services to the holding company's growing list of capabilities.

Currently, there are over 100 rocket companies working towards launch in the U.S. and around the world. The Launch Company was established to help NewSpace commercial clients, as well as DOD and USAF assets, get to space faster and more affordably by streamlining the launch process, in part through automation. The company is actively working to create the "Third Wave of Space," which is the world's first multi-user, mobile launch site designed to service the widest range of launch vehicles. (4/1)

Momentus-Stable Road Merger Faces Multi-Agency Review as SPAC Deadline Approaches (Source: Space Intel Report)
Multiple U.S. government agencies are investigating startup satellite last-mile-delivery provider Momentus Inc. and its merger partner, Stable Road Acquisition Corp. (SRAC), raising questions about the transaction and threatening to delay Momentus’s crucial June launch of its proof-of-concept mission aboard a SpaceX ride-share flight. A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) review is focused on whether the companies fully disclosed risks associated with Momentus’s Russian shareholders and its founder and now-former chief executive, Mikhail Kokorich. (3/10)

NASA Satellites to Watch the World's Farms (Source: ZDNet)
NASA has long had a unique vantage on the world thanks to its constellation of Earth-observing satellites. Satellite imagery, which is invaluable for tracking changes to the earth over time and giving a snapshot of things like crop health and distribution, has helped scientists make important observations about climate and farming practices. Via a program known as NASA Harvest, the space agency has been working to leverage its insights for food security and sustainable agriculture.

In that task, the agency is now supported by CropX, a company that specializes in soil analytics for agriculture via its proprietary soil sensor technology and cloud-based Ag analytics that integrate with irrigation systems. Utilizing CropX's soil data monitoring and NASA's network of Earth-observing satellites, NASA Harvest believes it can deliver critical insights to governments and farmers around the globe. (4/1)

Germany Reviewing Launcher Startup Funding Proposals (Source: Space Intel Report)
The German government on April 1 began reviewing proposals from three startup launch service providers competing for $13 million in German government funding and, importantly, German support for a co-funded development program with the 22-nation European Space Agency (ESA). The three companies, HyImpulse Technologies, Isar Aerospace and Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), each received 500,000 euros in government Phase 1 support in mid-2020 as part of a Phase 1 small-launcher support effort. (4/1)

MAF Continues Tornado/Hurricane Recovery While Building SLS Stages Under Pandemic Restrictions (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Boeing is moving into the final phases of standalone integration and outfitting of Core Stage-2 elements and is about to start putting the elements together as production of Core Stage-3 continues with structural assembly of the engine section while preparations are in work for Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) manufacturing to start later in the year.

In parallel with Boeing production of SLS stages and a factory optimization effort going on inside the production areas at the Michoud Assembly Facility, NASA is continuing to oversee repairs to the outside of the buildings from recent weather damage and upgrades to protect against future extreme weather while access to the facility at-large remains restricted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite impacts from severe weather and the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be another busy year at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans. Repairs to facility buildings from tornado and hurricane damage go on while inside the factory work to produce new Space Launch System rocket stages resumed when MAF re-opened in May 2020 after a COVID-19 shutdown. (3/31)

L3Harris and Raytheon Win Funding to Study for NOAA Weather Satellite Instrument (Source: @spacereportr)
L3Harris Technologies and Raytheon won NASA contracts for definition phase studies of an infrared and visible imaging instrument for NOAA’s future weather constellation. Each one-year, firm-fixed price Geostationary and Extended Orbits contract is valued at approximately $6 million. (3/31)

Bradford Space Offers Logistics for Beyond-LEO Missions (Source: Bradford Space)
Missions beyond low earth orbit (LEO) are out of reach for most SmallSat businesses. High transportation costs, long acquisition lead time, and limited delta-V of propulsion systems confine these missions to LEO orbits.

We offer a paradigm shifting SmallSat logistics service that enables routine and reliable deep space missions. We combine the best of automotive and commercial airline industry models to provide simplified procurement, planning, and operations for deep space missions. Our first service offering uses our Square Rocket spacecraft for missions as far out as 1.5AU encompassing geosynchronous orbit (GEO), low lunar orbit (LLO), and Mars flyby. (3/31)