July 24, 2021

Congress Can’t Agree on Big Things. Let Billionaires Handle Space (Source: Washington Post)
Before both flights, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) tweeted: “Should billionaires play out their space travel fantasies, or should we invest in schooling, provide healthcare, and create prosperity for everyone? We need a wealth tax.” This week, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), said he’ll introduce legislation that would tax wealthy passengers on space flights that don’t have scientific goals, in order to “support the public good.” They’re not wrong that there are plenty of problems here on Earth that need attention, and resources. But what’s wrong with letting the billionaires take a turn at tackling outer space?

You or I might not choose to spend money the way Bezos, Branson or SpaceX’s Elon Musk have. But it’s one giant leap from there to suggesting that Congress is better at spending money, or that a private space race, which right now looks like a game of one-upmanship between famous rich guys, can’t ultimately redound to the public good.

In a country where there is ever-increasing disagreement about policy priorities, the proper role of the state, and the trustworthiness of our elected officials, it’s time to take seriously the idea that government may not always be primed to take on some of our biggest problems. As Bezos explained to CNBC, there’s a broader vision: “What we’re really trying to do is build reusable space vehicles. It’s the only way to build a road to space, and we need to build a road to space so that our children can build the future.” (7/24)

Court Denies Viasat Attempt to Halt Starlink Launches Pending Legal Action (Source: Space News)
A federal appeals court denied a motion from satellite operator Viasat to stop SpaceX from enlarging its Starlink megaconstellation. Viasat had requested a stay on a SpaceX license modification that allows it to continue building out the low-Earth-orbit constellation, while legal action seeking to compel a thorough environmental review of the broadband network plays out through the court.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled July 20 that Viasat, which operates broadband satellites in geostationary orbit, “has not satisfied the stringent requirements for a stay pending court review.” The court also granted a motion to expedite the appeal, setting dates that end with an Oct. 26 deadline for final briefs to clear the way for oral arguments. (7/23)

Lawmakers Position U.S. to Become the Galaxy’s Garbage Man as Space Trash Piles Up (Source: Washington Times)
America took on the mantle of the world’s policeman in the 20th century and Congress is now poised to make the U.S. the galaxy’s garbage man in the 21st century. Legislation working its way through Congress would fund the development of new capabilities to track space trash and establish a federal office to monitor the trash and other objects in space.

Advocates for a more aggressive U.S. effort on this front cite the mounting dangers of space trash. A boom of the commercial space industry and increased space exploration by other countries is cluttering the road to the final frontier with piles of space junk and traffic jams. Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, the top Republican on the Commerce Committee’s space and science panel, said Thursday that she is comfortable being identified as the “space junk lady” because she wants the U.S. to take a lead role in developing space situational awareness, space traffic management, and space policy for earthlings to follow. (7/23)

Can the World Avoid War in Cyberspace—and in Space? (Source: Foreign Policy)
Billionaire rocket launches and ongoing cyberattacks reveal that, without norms governing conflict, there could be chaos. We are moving beyond the age of exploration in space to the age of commercialization. I suspect that in several decades, many of us will be traveling, working, maybe even living in space. It will be an extension of life on Earth—more like the oceans today than some far-off domain.

But, to get there, we will need investment and innovation, and today’s advances will unlock future breakthroughs that we cannot yet see. I’m particularly thrilled to see that this is coming from the private sector. I think the worst thing we could do is start to consider space as merely a forum for great-power competition between the United States and China. That would militarize space at the cost of all these potential commercial advances.

Commercializing space will require securing space, and China and Russia present some of the biggest threats in that domain—they are building capabilities, including direct ascent anti-satellite missiles, to destroy space-based assets. So, making this work will require the United States and its allies to extend their terrestrial military advantages to outer space. Washington needs to invest in military capabilities to deter and defend against hostile adversary attacks. (7/23)

Don’t Be Duped Into Loving or Hating Space Tourism (Source: NBR)
Of course, space tourism is easy to criticize. The implications for climate change are, on the face of it, dire. If you were already horrified by the carbon costs of plane travel, then you will be devastated by the costs of space tourism. If space tourism becomes as common as Earthbound tourism, then its emissions will likely significantly contribute to human-induced climate change. There is also something inherently distasteful about sending billionaires to space while so many people down here on Earth are suffering.

On the other hand, it is easy to argue that space tourism is ultimately a good thing for sustainability. Advances in space technology – whether in space tourism or other segments of the space economy – make space more accessible, and that is important. How do you think we even understand humanity’s impact on Earth, anyway? Spaceborne sensors are critical for looking back on the Earth system and seeing it as a whole. Our understanding of human-induced climate change is built in no small part on comparative planetology.

One can debate the comparative weight of the merits, of course; acknowledging there are multiple views does not require you become paralysed with indecision. You can still be open-minded and act. The point is: it is false to deny that there are valid arguments on both sides, that there are compelling rationales both for and against space tourism. It is not worth your time to listen to commentators who claim to have crystal balls telling them the future, that space tourism will certainly save or destroy humanity. (7/24)

Cecil Air and Spaceport Plans Space Launches (Source: Action News Jax)
F-18s are among many aircraft that use Cecil Air and Spaceport’s runways. Soon, they’ll be sharing with spacecraft. ”We have done rocket testing here at Cecil already, and we are very excited for the future of space,” airport director Kelly Dollarhide said. Dollarhide says two exciting potential launches are in the works. The first, Aevum Space Logistics, is a company that plans to use an unmanned drone the size of a jet to launch aircraft into space.

The second potential launch would be by a company called Space Perspective, which wants to launch a gondola held by a giant balloon, and yes, you can ride the gondola. There’s currently no set timeline for that, as Space Perspective is waiting on the FAA’s approval. Cecil Spaceport plans to make some initial launches into space around Spring and Summer of 2022. (7/23)

Cecil Airport and Spaceport Unveils Mission Control for Commercial Spaceflight (Source: WJCT)
More than a decade after the FAA granted a spaceflight permit to Jacksonville’s Cecil Airport and Spaceport, the commercial airport is unveiling a traffic control center that’s better capable of handling horizontal-launch flight into suborbit. The new Dr. Norman Thagard Mission Control Center is named in honor of the Jacksonville astronaut and Paxon School graduate who completed five missions in space and was the first American astronaut to ride to space on a Russian spacecraft.

The control center includes a terminal for managing spaceflight and a new 126-foot air traffic control tower for commercial flights. Air traffic control specialist Tim Altman said moving from the old 60-foot tower to the new one was like switching from a Razr flip phone to a brand new iPhone. (7/23)

SpaceX to Launch the Europa Clipper Mission for a Bargain Price (Source: Ars Technica)
After years of speculation, NASA officially announced Friday that SpaceX's Falcon Heavy would launch what is arguably the space agency's most important Solar System exploration mission of the 2020s—the Europa Clipper. Slated to launch in October 2024, the $4.25 billion mission will spend much of the remainder of this decade flying to the Jovian system before entering an elongated orbit around Jupiter. The spacecraft will then make as many as 44 flybys of Europa.

The total contract award amount for launch services is approximately $178 million, NASA said in a news release. This is a significant moment for SpaceX, as the company will be entrusted with one of NASA's highest-priority exploration missions. The deal also saves NASA about $2 billion.

The selection of a launch vehicle for this ambitious mission has been subjected to a long, drawn-out political process. Originally, at the urging of Congress, NASA planned to launch the spacecraft on its Space Launch System rocket. There were two reasons for this. Legislators (particularly US Sen. Richard Shelby, R-AL) wanted to find additional missions for the SLS rocket. And second, the powerful SLS rocket had the ability to get the Clipper to Jupiter within about four years. (7/23)

Marsquakes Reveal Red Planet has Surprisingly Large Core, Thin Crust (Source: Space.com)
Quakes on Mars have unveiled its interior to an unprecedented degree, revealing surprising details about the Red Planet's crust, mantle and core. Measurements taken by NASA's InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) lander have uncovered details, including a crustal layer that varies dramatically from previous understanding, a mantle less dense than the surface and a core that is larger and less dense than previously estimated, new results reveal. (7/23)

Jupiter's Volcanic Moon Io is Emitting Strange Radio Waves and NASA's Juno Probe is Listening (Source: Space.com)
NASA's Juno spacecraft is "listening" in on radio emissions from Jupiter's volcanic moon Io, allowing researchers to discover what triggers the strange radio waves. Of all the planets in our solar system, Jupiter has the largest and most powerful magnetic field, which extends so far that some of the planet's moons orbit within it. Because Io is closest to the planet, the moon is "caught in a gravitational tug-of-war" between Jupiter and two other large moons, according to NASA. These opposing pulls cause massive internal heat, which has led to hundreds of volcanic eruptions across the moon's surface. (7/23)

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Europa Clipper Mission to SpaceX (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected SpaceX to provide launch services for Earth’s first mission to conduct detailed investigations of Jupiter's moon Europa. The Europa Clipper mission will launch in October 2024 on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The total contract award amount for launch services is approximately $178 million. Europa Clipper will conduct a detailed survey of Europa and use a sophisticated suite of science instruments to investigate whether the icy moon has conditions suitable for life. (7/23)

Former Virgin Galactic CEO to Launch on the Company's Next Spaceflight Test (Sources: CNBC, Parabolic Arc)
George Whitesides, the former CEO of Virgin Galactic, will fly on the company's next spaceflight test. Sir Richard Branson made the announcement at a party on July 11 in Las Cruces, New Mexico — following his own spaceflight — after thanking Whitesides for leading the company for a decade. Whitesides was the only member of the next crew who Branson mentioned at the celebration, with three more people expected to join the spaceflight.

According to Parabolic Arc, Whitesides had the SpaceShipTwo flight test included in a new contract he negotiated with Virgin Galactic last summer when they made him chief space officer and hired Michael Colglazier as CEO. The deal included a flight opportunity for his wife Loretta. (7/23)

FAA Posts Sierra Space Dream Chaser Proposed Project Information (Source: FAA)
The FAA developed a project website for the public to learn more about Sierra Space Corporation’s proposed plan to land its Dream Chaser reentry vehicle at the Space Florida Launch and Landing Facility at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. People interested in the project can subscribe to receive project updates and information about opportunities for public involvement.

The Dream Chaser is a reusable reentry vehicle and would be launched as payload on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from a different site. Sierra Space has a contract with NASA to carry supplies to and from the International Space Station. This proposed project is currently in the pre-application consultation phase. Once the FAA receives Sierra Space’s license application, the agency will begin its license evaluation process. Click here. (7/23)