July 20, 2021

Flattops From Space: the Once (and Future?) Meme of Photographing Aircraft Carriers From Orbit (Source: Space Review)
Aircraft carriers, given their size and distinctive shape, stand out in satellite imagery. Dwayne Day explores the long history of taking images of carriers from space, from spysats in the Cold War to commercial imagery of Chinese, Indian, and other carriers. Click here. (7/19)
 
Astronomy Flagships, Past and Future (Source: Space Review)
Astronomers are awaiting the final report of the astrophysics decadal survey, which will make recommendations on future large missions to pursue. Jeff Foust reports that as NASA waits for the report, it’s busy getting past recommendations launched or recovered from technical and policy problems. Click here. (7/19)
 
Assessing and Celebrating the Global Impact of the “First Lady Astronaut Trainees” (Source: Space Review)
On Tuesday, Wally Funk, one of the women who passed astronaut medical exams more than 60 years ago, will finally go to space on New Shepard. James Oberg says the impact of the so-called “Mercury 13” goes beyond a long-awaited spaceflight. Click here. (7/19)

China Launches Imaging Satellites (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
China launched another set of Yaogan imaging satellites. A Long March 2C rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 8:19 p.m. Eastern Sunday and placed the three Yaogan-30 satellites into orbit. A small communications satellite, Tianqi-15, was also on the launch. The launch reportedly included an attempt to recover the rocket's payload fairing. (7/20)

Lynk Plans to Launch Multiple Satellites for Cellular Connectivity (Source: Space News)
Lynk will launch satellites designed to provide cellular connectivity on a future SpaceX rideshare mission.The company says it worked with Spaceflight to book the launch of "multiple" satellites on a rideshare mission in December, and is looking at opportunities for additional launches next year. The company plans to take advantage of the FCC's streamlined regulations for licensing smallsats to allow an initial group of satellites to provide commercial service. (7/20)

Investors Balk at Momentus SPAC (Source: Space News)
Some investors who planned to participate in the merger of in-space transportation company Momentus with a SPAC have dropped out. As part of a settlement with the SEC last week, Stable Road Acquisition Corporation had to give investors who agreed to participate in a standalone funding round, intended to raise an additional $175 million, the opportunity to withdraw. Investors accounting for $118 million chose to drop out, although other investors joined the round, bringing its revised total to $110 million. Stable Road shareholders are scheduled to vote on the merger Aug. 11. (7/20)

NRO Limits Purchases of Commercial Imagery to US Companies (Source: Breaking Defense)
The National Reconnaissance Office has decided not to purchase commercial imagery from companies outside the United States. The NRO informed senators earlier this year that it would only buy images and other geospatial products from U.S. companies. The NRO says the decision is intended to comply with language in last year's defense authorization bill to "leverage, to the maximum extent practicable, the capabilities of United States industry" when buying commercial satellite imagery and other data. Some in Congress and elsewhere in the national security community disagree with that interpretation, saying it goes counter to efforts by other agencies to buy commercial data more broadly, including from companies in allied nations. (7/20)
 
SpaceX Tests Super Heavy Engines (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX performed the first static fire test of a Super Heavy booster Monday evening. The Booster 3 prototype fired its three Raptor engines for a few seconds on a test stand at the company's Boca Chica, Texas, test site. Elon Musk said that firing was a full-duration test, and suggested the company might consider performing one with nine Raptor engines installed depending on the progress building the next booster, which will be used for the first Starship orbital launch attempt as soon as later this year. (7/20)

Air Force Experiments on Space Hardware Radiation (Source: Space News)
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has completed a two-year experiment to study the effects of radiation on space hardware. The Demonstration and Science Experiments (DSX) spacecraft launched on a Falcon Heavy in 2019 to study the harsh radiation environment of medium orbits. AFRL says it completed more than 1,300 tests using DSX, which featured the largest self-supporting deployable structure on a robotic spacecraft. (7/20)

Air Force Tasks Rhea Space Activity to Build Rapid-Response Lunar Communications Spacecraft (Source: Rhea Space Activity)
As U.S. operations in space steadily move further away from Earth orbit, the rapidly growing 'New Space' company Rhea Space Activity (RSA) is pleased to announce that it has been selected by the Air Force for a Phase I, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) 2021 Space Force Pitch Day award to investigate a bi-modal, solar-thermal propulsion system that would provide rapid repositioning capabilities for a future United State Space Force (USSF) deep space communications spacecraft. (7/19)

Umbra Awarded $950M Air Force IDIQ Contract (Source: Space Daily)
Umbra has been awarded a $950,000,000 ceiling indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract for the maturation, demonstration, and proliferation of capability across platforms and domains, leveraging open systems design, modern software, and algorithm development to enable Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2). (7/20)

Air Force Tasks Rhea Space Activity to Build Rapid-Response Lunar Comsats (Source: Space Daily)
As U.S. operations in space steadily move further away from Earth orbit, the rapidly growing 'New Space' company Rhea Space Activity (RSA) is pleased to announce that it has been selected by the United States Air Force (USAF) for a Phase I, Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) 2021 Space Force Pitch Day award to investigate a bi-modal, solar-thermal propulsion system that would provide rapid repositioning capabilities for a future United State Space Force (USSF) deep space communications spacecraft. (7/20)

Comtech Wins Brazilian Contract for Satellite Equipment and Services (Source: Comtech)
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (NASDAQ: CMTL), a world leader in secure wireless communications technologies, announced today, that during its fourth quarter of fiscal 2021, its Government Solutions segment was awarded a $3.2 million follow-on contract from the Brazilian military to supply additional satellite equipment and services for its Air Traffic Control network. (7/19)

Bezos’s Space Base Coexists Uneasily With Middle-of-Nowhere Town (Source: Bloomberg)
Jeff Bezos' road to space passes through Van Horn, Texas. Van Horn, population less than 2,000, considers Bezos a neighbor. The few inhabitants of this vast patch of West Texas have historically sustained themselves through ranching, mining, oil, and irrigated farming. The town’s citizenry will be wondering just how Bezos' space obsession may change their lives and fortunes. The company completed the main launchpad in 2014 and has added other facilities for engine testing, rocket housing, and a training facility and lounge.

Blue Origin has also been building in town: One 48-unit apartment building on the town’s main street, along with 12 single-family houses. These have filled up with mostly well-paid, highly educated employees, most from out of state. Several have joined the local school board and the town council and some have joined up as volunteer firefighters. But Blue Origin’s presence has caused the city’s annual budget to take a hit. Historically, Van Horn had been a low- and moderate-income town that qualified for state and federal grants to help pay for infrastructure. Now, the influx of high-paid engineering staff has changed its demographics, making Van Horn ineligible for those grants.

Blue Origin says it has helped bring in more than $1 million for the community through grants to the benefit of the school district, food bank and town infrastructure. The company says it also has an agreement with the school district to support higher education and job skills funding. City officials confirm that Blue Origin has written letters to support the town’s attempts to get funding for various projects. And personnel from the spaceport have given classes on robotics at the local high school and engaged in tutoring. (7/19)

Is Washington Ready for Space Tourism to Take Off? (Source: Politico)
When Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos blasts off on Tuesday with three other space tourists, a nascent industry will take a major step toward realizing its out-of-this-world dreams. Can Washington catch up? The first human space flight for the New Shepard will come on the heels of Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson’s historic trip to the edge of space last week aboard the rocketship SpaceShipTwo.

Together, the milestones are predicted to boost consumer confidence and propel further development of new spacecraft to support a global transportation system via low-Earth orbit. But many space policy experts and members of oversight committees in Congress are concerned that the government isn’t prepared for it — especially the office at the FAA that is responsible for regulating the new industry, but is widely viewed as overworked and understaffed.

Whether ensuring public safety, managing growing space traffic or mitigating environmental hazards, there is no framework for regulating private space travel. And while many experts say the industry is still too new to settle on details, they contend federal agencies are already way behind. “There are many open questions,” said Laura Seward Forczyk, founder of Astralytical, an aerospace consulting firm. “There will come a time when the U.S. government, the FAA, will decide that it needs to regulate this sector in a way that is close to the airline industry. It is not going to be perfectly safe initially — no one expects it to be — but it needs to become safer as it becomes less experimental. (7/19)

FAA Opens Houston Office to Support Space Lauches in Texas, New Mexico [and Oklahoma?] (Source: FAA)
The FAA has opened a Houston office to support commercial launches in Texas and New Mexico. The FAA said Monday its new Houston Space Safety Office will host personnel responsible for launches from SpaceX's Boca Chica site, Blue Origin's West Texas site and Spaceport America in New Mexico. SpaceX complained earlier this year it had to postpone a Starship test from Boca Chica because an FAA safety inspector could not get to the site in time. (7/20)

Starliner Readies for Launch Atop Atlas 5 (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
Boeing's CST-100 Starliner is installed on its Atlas 5 rocket for a test flight next week. Crews attached Starliner to the Atlas 5's upper stage over the weekend as part of preparations for the Orbital Flight Test (OFT) 2 mission launching July 30 from Cape Canaveral. OFT-2 will be an uncrewed test of the vehicle that will include a docking with the International Space Station. The original OFT mission in late 2019 suffered technical problems that kept it going to the station. (7/20)

Miami High School Takes Pride in Alumnus Jeff Bezos, Other Astronaut (Source: CBSMiami)
When Amazon’s executive chairman Jeff Bezos launches into space on Tuesday, those at Palmetto Senior High School in Pinecrest will be watching one of their own with pride. “It’s amazing to think that someone from our public school here in Miami is going up to space, it’s just incredible. We are so excited and we are proud and we can’t wait to see it,” said Katie Abbott. She said Bezos isn’t the first Palmetto Alum to make it into space. Dominic Gorie was a NASA astronaut on the International Space Station and other missions. "We are just as proud of him as we are of Mr. Bezos,” she said.

Graduating in the early 1980s, Bezos was top of his class as the Valedictorian, as well as President of the school’s Science Honor Society. School superintendent Alberto Carvalho tweeted, “Inspired by our teachers Jeff Bezos was taught to always reach for the unimaginable.” (7/19)