May 23, 2021

With Successful Virgin Galactic Flight, New Mexico and Spaceport America Finally Sends Crewed Spacecraft to (Suborbital) Space (Source: Albuquerque Journal)
Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity spaceship successfully shot into space Saturday morning from Spaceport America in southern New Mexico. The milestone puts the company’s test-flight program back on track after its last attempt to reach space, in December, failed because of a glitch in the rocket’s onboard computer. Saturday’s flight, however, took place without a hitch.

The mother ship VMS Eve took off from the spaceport runway about 8:30 a.m., with the Unity attached to its underbelly. About an hour later – after the craft reached about 44,000 feet and the pilots in both vehicles completed final flight checks – the Unity broke away from the mother ship and fired up its rocket motors to shoot into space at three times the speed of sound.

The Unity climbed to about 55 miles above Earth to reach suborbit and then turned around to glide safely back down to the spaceport runway. It’s the first time the Unity has successfully reached space from New Mexico, after flying to suborbit two times before from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California in December 2018 and February 2019. Saturday’s flight makes New Mexico only the third U.S. state to send humans into space, after Florida and California, said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who observed the event at the spaceport. (5/22)

NASA Needs to Improve Cybersecurity Efforts (Source: Florida Today)
Cyberattacks against NASA's are increasing in both number and complexity and the space agency needs to better protect its computer networks, according to a new report from NASA's inspector general. NASA leadership concurred with the IG findings and have begun to implement the report's recommendations. Given its high-profile mission and broad computer connections with the public, educational institutions, and outside research facilities, NASA presents cybercriminals a larger potential target than most government agencies. NASA's vast online presence of approximately 3,000 websites and more than 42,000 publicly accessible datasets also makes it highly vulnerable to intrusions. (5/19)

Making Space Sustainable will Advance Biden's Agenda (Source: Space.com)
Addressing the problem of space debris presents both challenges and opportunities. In that respect, it is reflective of space policy more generally. As former Florida senator Bill Nelson takes the reins as NASA administrator, and Vice President Kamala Harris assumes her leadership role as the head of the National Space Council, they and other senior officials should draw on the thinking the Biden Administration has articulated in two other contexts: foreign policy and infrastructure.

President Biden's National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, has articulated a new vision of building a "foreign policy for the middle class," focusing on deliverables to ordinary Americans. What would a space policy for the middle class consist of? Primarily, a recognition of the huge and growing job-creating power of the space industry. Exploration remains central to our national interests, and support for those programs generates many jobs. But major economic expansion and a thriving innovative spirit are also generated by the development, launch and maintenance of satellites that power our digital infrastructure. (5/22)

Will Space be the Next Waste Dump? (Source: Aharq Al-Awsat)
After land and oceans, will space become the new waste dump? The issue is not a new one, as it has been the focus of discussion for years, and has been regarded by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for two decades as a crucial emerging challenge facing humanity. However, the panic that struck the world because of the unguided returning Chinese rocket, wandering uncontrolled in space before falling into the Indian Ocean, has renewed interest in space debris as a current problem, not limited to the future or science fiction.

Of course, we cannot compare the volume of current space waste to the solid waste produced around the world on a daily basis, which exceeds two billion tons annually according to World Bank estimates. Yet, no one would have imagined 100 years ago that solid waste would reach this size, overrunning the sea after swarming landfills. Therefore, any delay in the treatment of scrap waste caused today by human activity in space threatens to convert it into a new waste dump in the future. Signs have already begun to appear, not only in space orbits, but on the surface of explored planets as well. (5/23)

Mega-Satellite Constellations Could Lead to Chain-Reaction Spacecraft Pile-ups in Orbit (Source: CBC)
A new report is highlighting the growing hazard of space debris. It warns that the new mega-constellations of tens of thousands of communication satellites could pose a new kind of danger that could ultimately threaten other satellites, astronauts, our ability to use space and could even have an impact on the climate. The amount of stuff — satellites, discarded boosters and other debris in Earth orbit — is huge.  And this new report warns that with projects like the SpaceX Starlink satellite constellation, the issue of space debris could approach a critical turning point.

"Right now, Starlink has full approval within the current legal system to go ahead and launch 12,000 satellites, and they want to put up 30,000 more, so there will be 42,000 satellites. With Starlink alone, there will be more satellites in the sky than there are naked eye visible stars." And that's not all. Others have similar plans, including OneWeb, Amazon, Telesat, and GW, which is a Chinese state-owned company. This astounding number of satellites will outnumber the total number of objects orbiting the Earth today and form shells around the planet in low Earth orbit up to about 750 km altitude. (5/21)

If a Satellite Falls on Your House, Space Law Protects you – But There Are No Legal Penalties for Leaving Junk in Orbit (Source: The Conversation)
Space debris is any nonfunctional human-made object in space. As a professor of space and society focused on space governance, I’ve noticed that there are three questions the public always asks when falling space debris gets into the news. Could this have been prevented? What would have happened if there was damage? And how will new commercial companies be regulated as space activities and launches increase exponentially?

For space law to be effective, it needs to do three things. First, regulation must prevent as many dangerous situations from occurring as possible. Second, there needs to be a way to monitor and enforce compliance. And finally, laws need to lay out a framework for responsibility and liability if things do go wrong. So, how do current laws and treaties around space stack up? Click here. (5/18)

China Space Station’s Giant Robotic Arm Sparks Concerns in US (Source: South China Morning Post)
China’s deployment of a powerful robotic arm attached to the core module of its Tiangong Space Station has sparked concerns in the United States over its possible military applications. Chinese scientists say the 10-meter-long device, which is capable of lifting objects weighing up to 20 tonnes and can move around on the outside of the station, will be used to grab incoming spacecraft as they approach and help them to dock. China has launched several scavenger satellites fitted with robotic arms to gather and steer space debris so it burns up in the Earth’s atmosphere – not everyone in the US is convinced its purpose is wholly benign. The device could be ‘used in a future system for grappling other satellites’, the head of US Space Command says. (5/22)

China's Zhurong Rover Takes First Drive on Mars (Source: BBC)
China's remote-controlled rover, which landed on Mars a week ago, has driven down from its landing platform to the surface of the planet. This makes China the second country after the US to operate a rover there. The Zhurong robot is due to study the planet's surface rocks and atmosphere. It will also look for signs of life, including any subsurface water or ice. China's Tianwen-1 mission, consisting of an orbiter, lander and rover, was launched in July last year. (5/22)

Airport Formally Renamed in Honor of Eugene F. Kranz (Source: Toledo Blade)
Toledo celebrated its space-pioneering native son Saturday with a nearly two-hour ceremony rededicating Toledo Express Airport in honor of Eugene F. Kranz, the 34-year NASA mission-control veteran best known as flight director for the Apollo 11 and Apollo 13 moon missions. "My life began here, it began in aviation," Mr. Kranz, 87, said during his own remarks after being regaled by several local and aerospace dignitaries. He called his career in aviation and aerospace testament to good things that happen "if you're willing to make the best" of your opportunities. (5/22)