May 25, 2021

UK Companies Join Forces to Build Revolutionary Beam-Hopping Satellite (Source: Space Daily)
A group of UK space tech companies are developing a new beam-hopping satellite that will allow satellites to switch which part of the world they cover, managing real-time surges in commercial demand or responding to emergencies such as natural disasters, thanks to government funding. Led by global satellite communications network OneWeb, the industrial partners have received over 32 million pounds from the UK Space Agency, via the European Space Agency's Sunrise Programme, for a demonstration satellite due for launch in 2022. (5/25)

A Serene Shore Resort, Except for the SpaceX ‘Ball of Fire’ (Source: New York Times)
The text arrived late at night: For your own safety, leave home by morning, it read. Nancy and James Crawford, no longer surprised but still unsettled, raced away after sunrise, occasionally twisting their necks to catch a glimpse of the space rocket towering behind them. Moments later, the Crawfords, who are in their 70s, watched from a 12th-floor balcony on South Padre Island, a few miles up the coast, as the rocket shattered on impact during an attempted landing, spreading fiery debris along the sand dunes and tidal flats.

 The building shook, Mr. Crawford recalled, and in the distance, there was a ball of fire. “It was exciting,” echoed his wife, “but too dangerous if we had stayed home.” Ever since the billionaire Elon Musk brought his private space company, SpaceX, to the area, life has not been the same. A gargantuan gray rocket, surrounded by chain-link fencing less than a mile from the ranch-style brick homes, is a constant reminder that the Crawfords and their remaining neighbors live near a space launching pad.

SpaceX representatives usually give the 10 or so residents plenty of warning that a rocket is scheduled for launching. Other times, loud sirens warn them, and some, like the Crawfords, choose to put on heavy-duty headphones to block some of the noise. When a rocket engine is tested, the roar and trembling are so powerful that they can blow windows inward. (5/25)

Phantom Space Startup Announces 100% US-Based Satellite Supply Chain After Acquiring StratSpace (Source: FOX Business)
The race is on to democratize the rocket-launch industry, and Phantom Space Corp, a roughly two-year-old startup, continued its warp-speed flight toward that goal Tuesday, announcing the acquisition of StratSpace, a major U.S. aerospace firm. For roughly two decades, the Tucson, Ariz.-based StratSpace has been engineering space hardware, in addition to forecasting space markets, consulting and fundraising for extraterrestrial projects.

Phantom says the deal will give it control of the first 100% U.S.-based supply chain for small and medium satellites in its effort to mass produce rockets on a scale not yet seen outside of science fiction. Phantom hopes to launch its first orbital mission in 2022 or 2023 and has been cutting costs and saving time on research and development by securing access to existing tech.

As co-founder Jim Cantrell put it last month, "What’s out there that we could buy? ... Like the automotive industry, [it’s] a good starting point, rather than having to reinvent everything." To that end, the Phantom’s Daytona rockets will be powered by liquid oxygen and kerosene engines from the Denver-based Ursa Major, saving $50 million and five years in development. (5/25)

A Data Center on the Moon (Source: DCD)
A lunar data center (LDC) could be built on the Moon before the end of the decade as part of an international effort to develop a permanent base on our nearest neighbor. As part of the wider NASA Artemis Moon program, Italian space agency ASI turned to Thales Alenia Space (TAS) to study 16 design concepts to support a human presence on the Moon, including a data center. "We believe the LDC would be a major building block, able to serve most - if not all - of the other [lunar exploration] elements, and a game-changer in how we design and operate the other systems."

The study will aim to investigate the architecture and design of the data center, with TAS and its partners proposing a few initial solutions, each "extremely different one from another." With the process still in its early days, TAS is first trying to determine what the LDC will need to be used for. "Then, based on those requirements we will be able to assess the different configurations to find the most promising one," Eleonora Zeminiani said. (5/19)

Sally Ride to Be Among First Women Featured on U.S. Quarters (Source: Smithsonian)
Come next year, at least two new faces are set to join the ranks of new individuals featured on U.S. quarter coins. Astronaut Sally Ride and writer Maya Angelou will be the first individuals honored through the U.S. Mint’s four-year American Women Quarters Program. Between 2022 and 2025, the Mint plans to release up to 20 quarters (up to five each year) recognizing women “from a wide spectrum of fields, including, but not limited to, suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, humanities, science, space and the arts.” (5/21)

Iridium Makes Strategic Investment in DDK Positioning for Enhanced GNSS Accuracy (Source: Space Daily)
Iridium Communications has made a strategic investment in DDK Positioning (DDK), an Aberdeen, Scotland based provider of enhanced Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) accuracy solutions. DDK uses the Iridium network to provide global precision positioning services that can augment GNSS constellations, including GPS and Galileo, to significantly enhance their accuracy for critical industrial applications. DDK is also developing similar services for other GNSS constellations, such as GLONASS and Beidou. Terms of the investment are not being disclosed. (5/25)

Why Did Australia Sign the Moon Treaty? (Source: The Interpreter)
The Hawke government acceded to the Moon Treaty in 1986. By signing on to the US-centric Artemis Accords, Australia has placed itself in seeming conflict with its older treaty commitment to an international regime to oversee space resource extraction. Moreover, it has done so without any public statement on the matter.

In current legal and industry circles, the question of why Australia signed the unpopular Moon Treaty is often raised but rarely answered. Australia participated in negotiations over the 1970s, but formally acceded only in January 1986, 18 months after the Treaty entered into force in July 1984. The archival record of cabinet deliberations during the Labor government led by Bob Hawke reveals a hasty process of ad hoc consultation begun in October 1984, spearheaded by then-Foreign Affairs Bill Hayden.

That process was based on the presumption that the Moon Treaty was first and foremost a nuclear disarmament treaty, a view that overlooked the treaty’s more legally consequential provisions. Any presumption that the Hawke government genuinely endorsed the idea of international oversight of space resource extraction should be put to bed. It was foremost a decision based on the nuclear issue. (5/24)

Necessary But Not Sufficient: Presidents and Space Policy 60 Years After Kennedy (Source: Space Review)
Sixty years ago this week, President Kennedy made his famous speech about sending humans to the Moon, the high-water mark in presidential influence on space policy. Wendy Whitman Cobb discusses how, in the decades since that speech, presidential support for space policy has become a key factor, but hardly the only one, in shaping policy. Click here. (5/24)
 
Red Planet Scare (Source: Space Review)
Many hailed the landing this month of a Chinese rover on Mars as a major achievement for China’s space program. Jeff Foust reports that, in US policy circles, it’s seen more as a symbol of the growing competition perceived between the US and China in spaceflight. Click here. (5/24)
 
Why the US Should Ban Kinetic Anti-Satellite Weapons (Source: Space Review)
Most in the space community are aware of the hazards posed by kinetic ASAT weapons, but little has been done to address them. Matthew Jenkins argues that the United States should take a leading role since it has the most to lose. Click here. (5/24)

Merida Aerospace Plans Test Launches in Late 2021 (Source: Space Daily)
All eyes in the space launch and logistics industry are now set on Merida Aerospace following the latest announcement of starting rocket test launches in late 2021. With unique expertise, talent, and resources for spacecraft manufacturing, satellite design, satellite data collection, data distribution, and now, spacecraft launch, the company has stepped into the big game and is ready to go all out. Currently, no other organization offers all these services in one place, which gives Merida Aerospace a unique advantage in the industry.

Over the past years, the team at Merida Aerospace has showcased exemplary projects, including the development of patented satellite communication systems and specialized satellite and rocket communication antennas. The team has also successfully managed satellite earth station projects, from design and development to installation. The team is also well familiar with spacecraft manufacturing.

Currently, it is working on next-gen solid fuel for rockets to provide high-value engineering solutions to its clients. The goal is to exponentially reduce costs related to the design, development, manufacturing, and launching processes. The team has also worked with the United States Department of Defense and has years of experience in maintaining US mil-spec and ISO standards for manufacturing. Having collaborated over several projects, the team is also no stranger to NASA projects. (5/25)

NanoAvionics Aims for 30 Percent US Market Share for Smallsats (Source: Space Daily)
NanoAvionics has laid out its ambitious growth and business development plans for the USA via its existing facility in Columbia, Illinois. The smallsat bus manufacturer and mission integrator will develop the only satellite manufacturing facility in the state to become its main hub in the US. Through this hub, NanoAvionics will further grow the portfolio and expand into other locations across the USA. The company is also using it to coordinate all business development activities in the LATAM region, exemplified by the existing "D-2/AtlaCom-1" rideshare mission with Mexican consortium partners Space JLTZ and Municipality of Atlacomulco among others. (5/25)

Acting SecAF and CSO Visit Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space Daily)
The acting Secretary of the Air Force, John P. Roth, and the Chief of Space Operations, U.S. Space Force Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond, visited Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, May 17, 2021. During the visit, Roth and Raymond toured the Morrell Operations Center, the Atlas Spaceflight Operations Center (ASOC), and the Spaceflight Operations Processing Center.

"U.S. Space Force Guardians and our space systems are absolutely vital for homeland defense, global operations with partners and allies, and many comforts that have become normal in the American way of life," Roth said. One of the goals of the visit for Roth and Raymond was to educate congressional leaders about the U.S. Space Force and its missions. Members of the House of Representatives participated in the tour including several members of the House Armed Services Committee. (5/21)

Boeing X-37 Could Carry Six Nuke Warheads Warns Russian Defense Chief (Source: Sputnik)
US X-37 spacecraft could technically carry up to six warheads and, with the US planning to deploy eight of these by 2025, it looks like a serious challenge, the director-general of Russian defence technology company Almaz-Antey, Yan Novikov, said. "The official story is that these platforms were developed for scientific purposes and, well, surveillance. But we understand that having these capacities and possibilities, the smaller spacecraft can carry up to three nuclear warheads, the large one up to six," Novikov said.

Novikov pointed out that the United States was planning to add two new platforms to the six that are already in orbit. "This is, without any doubt, a serious challenge," Novikov said. Editor's Note: Russia thinks there are six X-37 spacecraft currently in orbit? (5/21)

GAO Has Advice for Space Force for Satellite Procurement (Source: Space News)
The Space Force needs to learn from past mistakes as it procures new satellites, the GAO warned. At a House Armed Services Committee hearing Monday, a GAO official said the new service needs to make sure it avoids the missteps that plagued previous acquisitions as it prepares to acquire satellite systems worth billions of dollars. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN), chair of the strategic forces subcommittee, said he was concerned that Space Force acquisitions are headed down a similar path as past Air Force space programs that suffered cost increases and didn't include innovative technologies. (5/25)

NASA Earth Science Missions Grouped for Combined Implementation (Source: Space News)
A new generation of NASA Earth science missions will be known as the Earth System Observatory. NASA and the White House announced the new program name Monday, encompassing several "designated observables" missions included in the Earth science decadal survey in 2018. The announcement did not include details about schedules or costs of the program, but NASA's fiscal year 2022 budget does include a $250 million increase to help support work on a new generation of Earth science missions. (5/25)

Another Megaconstellation Seeks FCC Approval (Source: Space News)
Lynk has filed a license application with the FCC for an initial series of satellites to provide mobile phone connectivity services. Lynk is seeking approval for an initial set of 10 satellites using the FCC's streamlined licensing process for small satellites. Those satellites would be launched this year and next to providing messaging and other services to mobile phones, building upon earlier tests performed by the company using experimental satellites and hosted payloads. Lynk has long-term plans for a constellation of several thousand satellites to provide global service. (5/25)

DoD Working to Replace Weather Satellites (Source: Space News)
The U.S. military is making progress on weather satellite systems to replace the aging Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites. Work is underway on two new military satellite systems designed to replace the DMSP fleet of polar-orbiting weather satellites, which will reach "mission end-of-life" between late 2023 and 2026. The new satellites are scheduled to enter service between 2024 and 2026, giving little margin in the event of development delays. The Pentagon struggled to develop new weather satellites after the cancellation of the NPOESS program more than a decade ago. (5/25)

Sanders Opposes More HLS Funding in NASA Bill (Source: Ars Technica)
Bernie Sanders (I-VT) says he's opposed to a Senate bill that would authorize billions for a second Human Landing System (HLS) lander. Sen. Sanders introduced an amendment to remove a provision that would authorize $10 billion for the HLS program and direct NASA to select a second company. The purpose of the amendment, Sanders said in the amendment text, was to "eliminate the multi-billion dollar Bezos Bailout."

Blue Origin has lobbied to retain that provision in the bill. Even if the bill does pass the Senate in its current form, it would likely have to be reconciled with a separate, and likely very different, House bill. (5/25)

Virgin Galactic Stock Flies Again After New Mexico Mission (Source: CNBC)
A successful SpaceShipTwo test flight sent Virgin Galactic's stock soaring Monday. Shares in Virgin Galactic closed up more than 27% Monday, two days after SpaceShipTwo made its first flight to space in more than two years. The increase erased year-to-date losses in the stock linked to sales of shares by major shareholders and uncertainties in the schedule of test flights of SpaceShipTwo. (5/25)

Site Prep Begins for Scottish Spaceport (Source: Aberdeen Press & Journal)
Survey work is underway at the site of a proposed Scottish spaceport. Workers will be checking conditions of the site, near the town of Sutherland, including soil and groundwater tests. Final approvals for construction of the launch site, though, are still pending a judicial review filed by a neighboring landowner, billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen, who raised environmental concerns about the launch facility. (5/25)

Former NASA Glenn Buildings Being Converted for Apartments, Hotel (Source: WOIO)
Buildings once used by NASA to work on the Centaur upper stage will be converted into apartments and a hotel. The two buildings located adjacent to the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland once housed engineers developing the Centaur upper stage in the 1960s, but have been vacant for nearly two decades. Developers are now working to convert the buildings into a luxury hotel called The Orbit and an apartment complex called The Centaur, with the latter scheduled to open in December. (5/25)