17 Years in the Making, Flights From
Spaceport America Now a Turning Point for New Mexico Economy
(Source: Albuquerque Journal)
Except for a slight weather delay, it was a seemingly flawless flight
into history with the world watching. Virgin Galactic’s mothership VMS
Eve, with VSS Unity attached, took off from Spaceport America last
Sunday with company founder Richard Branson, two pilots and three other
crew members strapped into Unity’s cabin.
That involved more than $225 million from the state’s coffers to build
the futuristic spaceport and find money to keep it operating even as
Branson’s company struggled to master the technology for Sunday’s epic
flight. As Richardson put it, Branson did his part after their famous
handshake deal in the desert. Virgin Galactic invested more than $1
billion and overcame a tragic test flight accident in 2014. It took 17
long years from a sales call in London by Richardson’s economic
development director, Rick Homans, to reach the point of Sunday’s
flight.
Richardson and Homans both said that now is the time to ramp up New
Mexico’s efforts for space tourism. “New Mexico is going to have to be
even more aggressive and more visionary to stay out front,” Homans
said. Alicia Keyes, the state’s current economic development secretary,
is on board. “We’ve been preparing for this for more than 16 years, and
now it’s time to focus on the future of space tourism, which can be a
magnet for many more companies to operate out of the spaceport,” she
said. “It’s all about diversifying our economy.” If things go according
to plan, that’s not far off. (7/18)
Shuttle Firing Room Veterans Preparing
to Help Launch Artemis 1 (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
The final mission in the Space Shuttle Program, STS-135, was launched
ten years ago on July 8, 2011, from the Kennedy Space Center in
Florida. Several members of the immediate and extended launch team that
gave Shuttle Atlantis and her four-person crew a final space send-off
gathered again on the tenth anniversary of the STS-135 launch to
practice the choreography necessary to launch the Artemis 1 Orion/Space
Launch System (SLS) vehicle for the first time.
A few of the veterans of hundreds of countdowns in the KSC Launch
Control Center spoke with NASASpaceflight about some of their Shuttle
history and how they’ll bring their Firing Room experience launching
Shuttles to a new generation of team members as Artemis 1 approaches.
The “Day of Launch” simulation conducted on July 8, 2021 was the first
integrated simulation of major launch day activities from the “go for
tanking” of vehicle propellants, through terminal countdown, liftoff,
ascent, and the Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI) of Orion to the Moon. (7/17)
Biden to Nominate CSIS’ Andrew Hunter
as Top Air Force Acquisition Executive (Source: Space News)
The White House announced July 16 that President Biden intends to
nominate defense procurement expert Andrew Hunter to be assistant
secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics.
Hunter, director of the defense industrial initiatives group at the
Center for Strategic and International Studies, would be the Department
of the Air Force’s top acquisition executive, overseeing both Air Force
and Space Force research, development and acquisition programs. (7/16)
If Jeff Bezos' Rocket Fails During
Launch, an Emergency System Should Jettison Him to Safety
(Source: Business Insider)
It's about 10,000 times more dangerous than flying on a commercial
airliner," George Nield, a former associate administrator of the
Federal Aviation Administration, previously told Insider. "In order to
learn how to do this safer, more reliably, and more cost effectively,
many people believe we need to keep gaining experience by having more
and more of these flights."
Like many other launch systems, though, New Shepard comes with an
escape system. If the rocket starts to fail, the capsule that carries
the passengers is programmed to detach itself from the rocket and
jettison away from impending doom. It's designed to "get the astronauts
away, and get them to safety," Gary Lai, senior director of New
Shepard's design, said in a Blue Origin video about safety, posted in
April. The company has tested the capsule's escape system three times —
once on the launchpad, once in mid-air, and once in space. (7/16)
China’s Space Program Is More Military
Than You Might Think (Source: Defense One)
China's remarkable space growth has led to a spate of recent
international cooperation programs, including European Space Agency and
taikonauts training together and a reported 42 applications of interest
for joint research programs. Some are urging the U.S. and China to
collaborate in space as a means to dampen great power tension, though
the Wolf Amendment has since 2011 effectively barred NASA from such
cooperation.
The militarized tilt of the Chinese space program complicates these
plans. Space planning and directing organizations, the ground
infrastructure supporting its space programs, and the taikonauts
themselves are all under the purview of the People’s Liberation Army.
Understanding these connections is important for any plans to cooperate
with China in space, whether governmental or commercial.
On the organizational side, China’s equivalent to NASA has a focus on
the space program’s international exchanges. It falls under the State
Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National
Defense, which handles defense-related science and technology,
including China’s state-owned defense conglomerates. However, unlike
NASA, the CNSA doesn’t oversee China’s astronauts. The organization in
charge of China’s manned space program is the China Manned Space
Engineering Office, which is under China’s Central Military Commission
Equipment Development Department. (7/16)
Space Coast Astronaut Rescue Unit
Changes Designation, Commander (Source: MyNews13)
The women and men tasked with keeping NASA’s astronauts safe going to
and from space now have a new commander and designation within the
military. On Thursday, Detachment 3 went through a pair of ceremonies,
ushering in new changes for the unit that was first chartered back in
1958 as the DoD Mercury Support Office. More than 60 years later, the
organization is still supports all current and future NASA crewed
missions.
“It’s an amazing organization that spans across the DoD, making sure
that we’re not only there to rescue the astronauts if they need us, but
also for the nominal end-of-mission for the Artemis Program when they
land off the coast of California,” said Lt. Col. Chris Hearne of Det.
3. Back in March 2021, U.S. Army Gen. James Dickinson, the U.S. Space
Command commander, named 1st Air Force as the future air component to
U.S. Space Command.
The Secretary of the Air Force decided to re-designate Det. 3 from
Patrick Space Force Base to 1st Air Force at Tyndall Air Force Base.
“Det. 3, is undoubtedly first and foremost an Air Force rescue unit,"
Betts said during Thursday's ceremony. "So, it made perfect sense to
bring them home and transfer Detachment 3 from USSPACECOM to First Air
Force under Air Combat Command." Lt. Col. Richard Bolton took over
command from Lt. Col. Michael Thompson, who, as the Det. 3 commander,
was also the commander of Task Force 3, the global contingency rescue
operation during the SpaceX Crew-2 launch and Crew-1 landing. (7/15)
SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic
Hubs Could Help Boost Local Real Estate Prices (Source: Fox
Business)
The job growth and presumably high incomes at aerospace giants like
Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin have the potential to
boost average median real estate prices around their hub locations in
the South and West regions over the long term, according to the
National Association of Realtors.
"If say a large tech company decided to open another headquarters with
high-income jobs, then the local area will experience a sizable growth
in home prices," NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun told FOX Business.
"Given that SpaceX and Blue Origin employees have sophisticated
high-tech skills with presumably high income, the impacted small
community real estate market will clearly benefit." (7/16)
Virgin Galactic, Aerojet Rocketdyne:
How Are Space Stocks Doing? (Source: Forbes)
Our Space Stocks Theme has underperformed this year, rising by just
about 8% year-to-date, compared to a return of over 17% for the S&P
500. That said, things could look up for these stocks. July is turning
out to be an eventful month for the space industry. High-profile space
trips are likely to create a lot of buzz for the space industry,
turning the focus on publicly listed space stocks in the near term.
The longer-term outlook for the sector also looks promising, given the
shift from government-driven space programs toward enterprise-backed
programs and the emergence of a host of space-related opportunities
including reusable rockets, satellite-based Internet, and
point-to-point transport. Virgin Galactic has been the strongest
performer within our theme, rising by about 39% year-to-date. On the
other side, Aerojet Rocketdyne was the worst performer, with its stock
down by roughly 11% year-to-date. (7/16)
First Woman to Lead NASA’s Kennedy
Space Center is a BU Alum (Source: BU.edu)
“More and more meetings, I’m not the only woman in the room,” says
Janet Petro. Some women shatter the glass ceiling. Janet Petro (MET’88)
has broken Earth’s glass atmosphere, becoming the first woman to lead
NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center. Petro, the 11th director, is a
14-year Kennedy veteran who had already historically reshaped its
mission. Previously, as the deputy director, she helped steer the
Center’s transformation into a launch pad for private space vehicles as
well as government craft. Petro, who graduated from West Point in 1981,
earned a master’s degree in business administration from Boston
University’s Metropolitan College. Click here.
(7/16)
An Alabama Lawmaker Just Wants NASA to
Fly SLS, Doesn’t Care About Payloads (Source: Ars Technica)
The US House Appropriations Committee passed a NASA budget bill that
provides $25.04 billion, and funds most of NASA's top spaceflight
priorities, including the Artemis program. Notably, the bill
appropriates $1.345 billion for a Human Landing System as part of the
Artemis Program. And although some House members grumbled about NASA's
decision in April to select SpaceX as the sole provider of the first
demonstration landing, the legislation does not block NASA from moving
forward with the contract.
Some members of Congress tried to buttress the SLS program, which is
based at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. Rep. Robert Aderholt,
R-AL, proposed an amendment that modified the Human Landing System
program and supported upgrades of the SLS rocket. Ultimately, the
amendment was withdrawn, but it illustrates the lengths to which
politicians such as Aderholt are willing to go to save the SLS rocket
from obsolescence.
All of the HLS bidders could choose whatever rockets they preferred to
launch on. (In 2019 NASA and Boeing actually pitched a "commercial"
version of the SLS for lunar landers.) None of the main three bidders
chose the SLS rocket, of course. It was too expensive, and there was no
guarantee NASA or Boeing could build them at a high enough rate. In
addition to mandating lunar lander flights, Aderholt's provision says
that NASA must have a plan for an SLS cargo launch once a year by 2032.
Imagine how this would have hamstrung NASA: Congress basically telling
the agency, "More than a decade from now, you have to use this
super-expensive rocket every year, whether you need it or not. And to
make sure you do so, we're writing it into law." (7/16)
US Wants Giant Radar in UK to Track
Space Objects (Source: BBC)
The US wants to locate a giant new radar system in the UK to track
objects in deep space. The US Space Force is developing the global
system to identify potential "targets" up to 36,000km away, in areas of
deep space where a lot of military satellites are positioned. Other
sites would include Texas and Australia. The Ministry of Defence said
the new radar capability has the potential to make space "safer and
more secure". (7/16)
Trailblazing Astronaut Doug Hurley
Retires from NASA (Source: NASA)
NASA astronaut and former U.S. Marine Col. Doug Hurley is retiring from
NASA after 21 years of service. His last day with the agency is July
16. “Doug Hurley is an exceptional astronaut whose leadership and
expertise have been invaluable to NASA’s space program,” said NASA
Administrator Bill Nelson. “His impact on the agency transcends his
impressive work in spaceflight, inspiring us to take on bold endeavors.
I extend my deepest gratitude to Doug and wish him success in his next
adventure.”
Hurley’s career highlights include 93 days in space on missions that
include the final space shuttle flight and the first crewed flight of
the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. (7/16)
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