May 15, 2021

Why Jeff Bezos Trails Elon Musk in the Private Space Race (Source: LinkedIn)
Blue is a 20-year-old private space company that employs over 3,500 people. Its grandiose mission: to “preserve the Earth” by going “to space to tap its unlimited resources and energy.” But Blue Origin has never launched a space vehicle into orbit or brought humans to suborbital space (though it may finally be close). And it regularly loses government and commercial contracts to SpaceX, run by Elon Musk — Bezos’s putative rival in space and for the title of wealthiest person alive. Click here. (5/13)

Decision on Russian Heavy-Lift Rocket Coming This Year (Source: TASS)
The final decision on the super-heavy launch vehicle project will be made no earlier than the end of 2021, according to Dmitry Baranov, General Director of the Progress Rocket and Space Center (RSC). “We have issued a draft design for a super-heavy rocket. Yes, perhaps we will have several additional options on the technical design. The main option is being considered - the option that was in the draft design. the technical project is about to end," he said. The super-heavy launch vehicle being developed in Russia was named Yenisei. It is planned to use it, including for the lunar program. According to the federal target program, its first launch should be performed in 2028. (5/14)

Space: The New Frontier for US-China Rivalry (Source: Aljazeera)
China was excluded from the International Space Station, which is a joint project of the US, Russia, Canada, Japan and the European Union, so the CSS is an opportunity for the world’s second-largest economy to extend its influence into the skies. China envisions the CSS as a hub for future scientific experiments, including a much-anticipated Hubble-class space telescope with a field of view 300 times greater than that of the Hubble telescope, according to state media.

China’s gradual yet steady rise in space power, although lacking the intensity of the race between the United States and the former Soviet Union during the Cold War, has raised questions about competition with the US as relations between the two countries back on Earth deteriorate to their lowest level in years. In the US, with Taiwan and the South China Sea emerging as potential flashpoints, some are concerned that China might leverage its space breakthroughs to aid its military development.

“The United States is primarily concerned about China’s military space power,” Cornell University’s Lincoln Hines, whose work focuses on China’s space policy, told Al Jazeera. “It could potentially negate the US’s advantage in the context of conflict.” Still, quite how China’s space programme will tilt the power balance between the US and China remains open to question, and experts have cautioned against exaggerating China’s space capabilities. (5/13)

China’s Zhurong Mars Rover Lands Successfully in Utopia Planitia (Source: Space News)
China succeeded with its first planetary landing attempt Friday, safely setting down the solar powered Zhurong rover on the surface of Mars. The 240-kilogram Zhurong rover touched down on the dunes of southern Utopia Planitia just after 7:00 p.m. Eastern May 14 after three months of preparations in orbit and around 9 minutes after entry into the Martian atmosphere.

The critical entry, descent and landing sequences were carried out successfully, with a final hazard avoidance hover phase allowing selection of a safe final landing spot. Teams back on Earth will now prepare the rover, named after an ancient fire god, to complete a panoramic image of the landing area, perform systems checks and then descend from its landing platform and onto the Martian soil. The rover will then begin an initial 90-day mission to explore and analyze the local area, climate, magnetic field and subsurface. (5/14)

NASA Partners with Deep-Ocean Explorers to develop Tech for Europa Mission (Source: Space.com)
A new deep-sea exploration technology that could one day search for life in subsurface oceans on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn will be put to test during a two-week demonstration expedition aboard a NOAA ship. The new underwater vehicle, called Orpheus, relies on autonomous navigation software developed by NASA JPL for the Mars Perseverance rover and the Ingenuity helicopter. The primary task for the mini-submarine, which was built by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts, will be to advance humanity's understanding of the deepest regions of the oceans, the so-called hadal zone. (5/13)

Roscosmos Ready to Share Water with NASA Astronauts Aboard ISS After US Equipment Setback (Source: TASS)
The Russian side is ready to assist its overseas partners on the ISS by providing them with water, following a setback that arose with the US equipment. "Parity relations exist between the partners of the ISS project in providing resources necessary for the crew, including water, and that is why we will certainly help our colleagues, if necessary," Roscosmos assured. As the Russian space agency specified, the US crew has its own stock of water. "As of today, we have received no requests for the provision of our reserves," the press office added. (5/13)

China's Small-Satellite Smart Manufacturing Facility Starts Operations (Source: Xinhua)
China's first smart manufacturing facility for small satellites in the central city of Wuhan is ready for official production operations, with the first satellite rolling off the production line on Thursday. The first satellite is a typical product for mass production self-developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, Ltd. (CASIC).

This new development demonstrates that China is entering a phase of mass production of small satellites. The production line has an annual capacity of 240 small satellites weighing less than one tonne, according to CASIC Space Engineering Development Co., Ltd., owner of the facility. With smart manufacturing techniques, it can improve the production efficiency of small satellites by more than 40 percent. (5/13)

Collins Aerospace Coming to Houston Spaceport (Source: Community Impact)
Houston officials have announced another company slated for the Houston Spaceport at Ellington Airport. As early as June, Collins Aerospace may break ground on an eight-acre parcel in the recently completed Phase 1 of the spaceport. The plan includes a second eight-acre tract Collins will have the option to expand into. Collins will build a 116,000-square-foot facility that will include office space, manufacturing laboratory space and 10,000 square feet of accelerator space.

The accelerator space will be subleased by Collins Aerospace to a third-party organization that will bring Houston's entrepreneurial, corporate and academic communities together to accelerate innovation and opportunities to tackle aerospace-related challenges, officials said. Houston Spaceport Phase 1, which began in June 2019 and was completed in December 2020, is about 153 acres of streets and other infrastructure built to house aerospace companies at the 640-acre spaceport.

In December, Houston officials announced Axiom would build a 430,000-square-foot facility in Phase 1. Axiom will build the first private space station at the site. Axiom's facility will break ground late this year and take two years to build, and it will bring 1,000 jobs to the area, officials said. Venus Aerospace is relocating from California to the Clear Lake area and plans to eventually have a spaceport presence. Venus will develop space planes capable of flying at hyper- and supersonic speeds, delivering passengers to other continents in just a few hours. Additionally, officials in June will announce a third development at the spaceport. It will take up about 10 acres of Phase 1. (5/13)

SpaceX Begins Work on Starship Orbital Propellant Transfer Test for NASA (Source: Teslarati)
More than six months after SpaceX won a NASA ‘Tipping Point’ award to demonstrate a large-scale cryogenic propellant transfer in orbit with Starship, the agency has begun disbursing funds, officially kicking off work on the mission. SpaceX’s Starship program has won $53 million from NASA to perform a full-scale test of orbital propellant transfer, taking the company and space agency’s relationship on the crucial technology to the next level.

Back in October 2020, NASA awarded 15 different companies more than $370 million for research and development projects related to managing cryogenic propellant in space, lunar surface operations, and autonomous landing technology. More than two-thirds of that funding went to four real in-space demonstrations of cryogenic propellant management and storage from Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance (ULA), SpaceX, and little-known Space Coast startup Eta Space. (5/14)

Space Tourism Missions Emerge Like Cicadas After 12 Years in Hibernation (Source: Parabolic Arc)
After 12 years living without billionaires– forgive me, spaceflight participants — floating around in space, the schedule is suddenly filling up with private orbital and suborbital flights. By January, we can expect to see paying customers on three American and Russian flights to the International Space Station (ISS), one Crew Dragon mission in Earth orbit, and two or more suborbital flights.

SpaceX and Roscomos will conduct two orbital missions apiece. Space Adventures will fly a client on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft for the first time in 12 years. Blue Origin is planning one suborbital flight and possible two more by the end of the year. Virgin Galactic has three flight tests planned with spaceflight participants in the cabin to evaluate the passenger experience. (5/13)

From Texas to Hawaii: SpaceX Plans First Orbital Starship Test (Source: The Verge)
SpaceX plans to have its first Starship test flight to orbit launch from Texas and splash down off the coast of an island in Hawaii, according to a document the company filed with the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday. The orbital flight test would mark the first time SpaceX stacks both elements of its massive Starship system together, the next key development step in its attempt to build a rocket that could one day land on Mars.

As outlined in the document, a super heavy booster stage will launch Starship from SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas, facilities and separate in midair nearly three minutes into flight. About five minutes later, that booster stage will return back to Earth and splash down in the Gulf of Mexico — or as SpaceX puts it: it will “perform a partial return and land in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 20 miles from the shore.”

Meanwhile, Starship (the top half of the entire rocket system) will continue into orbit, nearly completing a full trip around Earth before plunging back through the atmosphere over Hawaii roughly 90 minutes after launching from Texas. Starship will aim to nail a “powered, targeted landing” on the ocean about 62 miles off the northwest coast of Kauai, the state’s northernmost island. (5/14)

DoD Advances Launch Collaboration with Japan (Source: Air Force Magazine)
The Space and Missile Systems Center is one step closer to sending U.S. payloads on Japanese space launch vehicles, a key move toward increasing international cooperation in the increasingly important domain. SMC boss Lt. Gen. John F. Thompson, speaking May 12 during a virtual Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Space Power Forum, said strengthening these ties with allies is important to realizing “big-time” cost savings and speeding up the delivery of operational capability. (5/12)

SpaceX Drops Charges Against YouTuber Who Filmed Himself at Boca Chica Property (Source: KXAN)
After filing trespass charges against a YouTuber who filmed himself at the SpaceX facility, the company has decided to drop the complaint. On Thursday, Cameron County Sheriff Eric Garza stated that SpaceX dropped charges against Cesar L. Galaviz, who runs the YouTube channel ‘Loco VlogS’. Authorities issued a warrant for Galaviz’s arrest on Monday. Galaviz was wanted for Criminal Trespass for intentionally going onto the SpaceX property without their consent. (5/13)

Long Beach Benefits From Surge in Rocket Industry (Source: Spectrum News)
When SpaceX announced it would take up residence at the Port of Long Beach, it was another victory in a lengthening win streak. In recent years, the city has drawn in businesses that have enjoyed a surge in the space launch market. Among them are Rocket Lab, Relativity Space and Virgin Galactic. But not too long ago it saw its aerospace presence dip.

The city saw its boom around World War II as the oil industry there bloomed and a navy port became a chief source of jobs. And warplane manufacturing sprung up producing aircraft with names like “Flying Fortress” and “Havoc.” In those days there was fierce competition for military plane contracts with multiple companies offering competitive bids. But as the years passed, companies consolidated in the aerospace and defense industry. And soon the final plane manufacturer in the city left. In 2015 Boeing’s last C-17 Globemaster III rolled off the assembly line, closing a once important part of the city’s economy and identity. Click here. (5/13)