August 12, 2021

Telesat Close to Completing Lightspeed Funding (Source: Space News)
Telesat is close to securing all the funds it needs for Lightspeed, after the Canadian government said it would inject more than a billion dollars into the low Earth orbit constellation. The government plans to invest 1.44 billion Canadian dollars ($1.15 billion) in the project, which aims to start launching a network of nearly 300 broadband satellites next year.

In return, Telesat will invest in Canadian infrastructure to build out Lightspeed, including hundreds of jobs and scholarships. It means Telesat has now made arrangements for about 4 billion Canadian dollars of funding for Lightspeed, more than two-thirds of its expected overall cost. Telesat has put a $5 billion price tag on Lightspeed, or 6.3 billion Canadian dollars. (8/12)

Space Force Reluctant to Spearhead Pentagon's UFO Investigation Program (Source: Space Daily)
A former US intelligence official reportedly said that it "makes perfect sense" for the Space Force to handle the UFO-related matters since it "doesn't have a geographic boundary." The US Space Force is "conflicted" over the prospect of leading the country's effort to collect information about UFOs, Politico reports.

While the Pentagon is contemplating the replacement for its temporary UAP Task Force (UAPTF) - formed in 2020 and led by the Navy - the Space Force is reportedly not thrilled about the prospect of spearheading the operation as its leadership is "still struggling to rebrand an organization that has been lampooned since before its birth... "They really are sensitive to that," said a former intelligence official who "is advising the military in the planning."

"They want people to take them seriously. They don't want to do anything that is embarrassing. But this is national security. This is their job." The official, however, suggested that the Space Force taking control of UFO-related matters from the Navy "makes perfect sense" due to the former armed forces branch having "more expansive geographic responsibilities" and access to global surveillance tech. (8/11)

Measat Gives Up on Drifting satellite in a Blow for Insurers (Source: Space News)
Satellite insurers are bracing for a $45 million claim from Malaysian operator Measat, which plans to de-orbit Measat-3 after failing to return it to service. Measat said Aug. 6 it was unable to rescue the aging satellite despite maintaining continuous telemetry and command control since an anomaly first appeared June 21. The operator and Measat-3’s manufacturer Boeing are still investigating the incident.

Space tracking company ExoAnalytic Solutions said the issue caused the spacecraft to drift westward out of its 91.5 East orbital slot in geostationary orbit. Launched on a Russian Proton rocket in December 2006, Measat-3 was nearing the end of its 15-year design life. The key limiting factor in the life of a satellite with chemical propulsion is the amount of fuel onboard, needed for the frequent maneuvers it must make to stay in its orbital slot. (8/11)

India’s GSLV Mk.2 Fails During Launch (Sources: SpaceFlight Now, Space News)
ISRO confirms today’s GSLV Mk.2 launch has failed due to a "performance anomaly observed in the cryogenic stage.” K. Sivan, chairman of ISRO, confirms today's mission “could not be fully accomplished, mainly because of a technical anomaly in the cryogenic stage." An animation of the GSLV's flight showed the third stage begin rolling and losing control shortly after ignition of its cryogenic engine. Officials at India's launch control center are analyzing data and will make an announcement soon.

The first two stages of the rocket performed as planned, but the upper stage appeared to lose attitude control shortly after separation. The Indian space agency ISRO later said the launch "could not be fully accomplished" when the cryogenic engine in the upper stage failed to ignite. The failure is the first for the GSLV Mark 2 since its inaugural flight in 2010 that also suffered an upper stage malfunction. EOS-03, formerly known as GISAT-1, was to provide images of India and the surrounding region from geostationary orbit. (8/12)

Satellites Reveal How Forests Increase Cloud and Cool Climate (Source: Space Daily)
Forests are not only key to moderating our climate by sequestering atmospheric carbon, but they also create a cooling effect by increasing low-level cloud. A first global assessment using satellite observations has shown that for two-thirds of the world, afforestation increases low-level cloud cover, with the effect being strongest over evergreen needleleaf forest.

Because trees sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into biomass, forests are widely championed for their role in mitigating climate change. What has been less clear, however, is how forests affect the climate in other ways such as their role in the water cycle and surface energy balance. The paper uses global data records of cloud and land-fractional cover produced by ESA's Climate Change Initiative to examine the effect of the transition of vegetation cover into deciduous and evergreen forest. (8/6)

South Korea's Hanwha Buys Stake in OneWeb (Sources: OneWeb, Space News)
South Korean company Hanwha is investing $300 million in OneWeb. Hanwha is taking an 8.8% stake in OneWeb in a transaction expected to close in the first half of 2022. Hanwha has built up its space portfolio by investing in South Korean satellite manufacturer Satrec Initiative and acquiring British antenna developer Phasor Solutions. OneWeb, which previously said its first generation satellite system is fully funded, did not disclose how it would use the new investment. (8/12)

Northrop Grumman May Pursue Post-OmegA Launch Business (Source: Space News)
Northrop Grumman is open to getting back in the national security space launch business. The company abandoned development of its OmegA rocket after losing the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 competition a year ago. Company executives said Wednesday they have not ruled out bidding on the Phase 3 competition in 2023, and plan to participate in an industry day about that effort later this month. The company said a decision on whether to restart a rocket development will be entirely driven by market opportunities. (8/12)

DoD Wants Space-Based Missile Tracking Sensors That See Everything (Source: Space News)
The Defense Department says it needs space-based sensors that "see everything" to counter the threat posed by hypersonic missiles. Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Hyten said such tracking capabilities need to be at the top of the Defense Department's wishlist. Hyten, who will retire later this year, said he wants the military to develop "overhead sensors that see everything, characterize everything that goes on on this planet from a missile perspective, all the time, everywhere." (8/12)

Cygnus Connects to ISS for Delivery of Supplies and Experiments (Source: NASA)
A Cygnus cargo spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station early this morning. The station's Canadarm2 robotic arm grappled the NG-16 Cygnus spacecraft at 6:07 a.m. Eastern, 36 hours after the spacecraft launched from Virginia. The arm will berth the spacecraft with the Unity module later this morning. The Cygnus is carrying more than 3,700 kilograms of equipment, supplies and experiments for the station. (8/12)
 
Momentus SPAC Deal Approved by Shareholders, More to Come (Source: Space News)
Shareholders approved a merger of a special-purpose acquisition company with in-space transportation company Momentus. More than 97% of votes cast by shareholders in Stable Road Acquisition Corp. approved the merger with Momentus, but shareholders representing only about 55% of outstanding shares voted. Four more space companies are scheduled to complete their mergers with SPACs over the next month, although some in the investment community remain skeptical about the benefits of SPAC deals. (8/12)

Ground Station Collaborations Anticipated to Keep Pace with Smallsat Demand (Source: Space News)
Ground station providers anticipate a new era of collaboration to support the smallsat industry. Demands by Astroscale for testing its ELSA-d mission in low Earth orbit required it to put together a network of 16 ground stations operated by several companies. This level of integration called for software virtualization tools that the industry has only recently adopted, executives of ground station companies said at the Small Satellite Conference, which may be extended to support other customers. (8/12)

Powdery Rock Impedes Perseverance Sample Recovery (Source: AP)
NASA blamed the failure of the first sampling attempt by the Mars rover Perseverance on the rock it tried to collect.Project officials said Wednesday that the rock the rover drilled into to collect a sample was unusually weak, leaving only powder rather than an intact core. The rover's sampling system worked properly, they concluded. Perseverance will travel to a different location that has sedimentary rocks likely to be strong enough to collect samples from. (8/12)

OSIRIS-REx Helps Refine Bennu Collision Probability (Source: Space.com)
NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has helped scientists revise the impact risk of a near Earth asteroid. Research announced Wednesday concluded that the asteroid Bennu has a 1-in-1,750 chance of colliding with the Earth any time between now and the year 2300. That impact risk is slightly higher than earlier estimates, but still extremely small. Most of that risk is concentrated in a single close approach on Sept. 24, 2182, with a 1-in-2,700 chance of an impact. The new odds come from data collected by OSIRIS-REx during the two and a half years it spent orbiting the asteroid, collecting a sample it is now returning to Earth. (8/12)

SpaceWERX on Aug. 19 Will Hold a Virtual Space Force Pitch Day (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force is launching a new industry outreach program expected to award up to $50 million in contracts to small businesses and startups. Called SpaceWERX, the program is the space-focused spinoff of AFWERX, created by the Air Force in 2017 to tap into private sector investment and help bring to market nascent technologies. SpaceWERX on Aug. 19 will hold its inaugural event, a virtual Space Force Pitch Day where companies will pitch technologies and compete for up to $34 million in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 2 contracts. The competitors already received $50,000 Phase 1 awards for study contracts. (8/12)

NASA, International Panel Provide a New Window on Rising Seas (Source: Space Daily)
NASA's Sea Level Change Team has created a sea level projection tool that makes extensive data on future sea level rise from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) easily accessible to the public. Pull up the tool's layers of maps, click anywhere on the global ocean and coastlines, and pick any decade between 2020 and 2150: The tool, hosted on NASA's Sea Level Portal, will deliver a detailed report for the location based on the projections in the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report, released on Aug. 9, which addresses the most updated physical understanding of the climate system and climate change. (8/11)

This is Probably Why Blue Origin Keeps Protesting NASA’s Lunar Lander Award (Source: Ars Technica)
Why is Blue Origin continuing to look like a sore loser in the industry and continuing to insult an important customer in NASA? I have a theory. Back in 2004, a company named Kistler Aerospace won a $227 million contract from NASA to complete the development of its K-1 rocket and allow for the delivery of supplies to the ISS. NASA's justification was that no other US company had a launch vehicle near completion. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk greeted this announcement with anger.

Although SpaceX was only two years old and would not make its first Falcon 1 launch attempt for another two years, Musk believed that NASA awarded the contract to Kistler due to favoritism. “I was told by many people that we should not protest,” Musk recounted. “You’ve got a 90 percent chance that you’re going to lose. You’re going to make a potential customer angry. I’m like, it seems like ‘right’ is on our side here. It seems like this should go out for competition. And if we don’t fight this then I think we’re doomed, or our chances of success are dramatically lowered... I had to protest.”

He did, and SpaceX won, leading NASA to open a new process that became known as Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS). SpaceX won one of these awards in 2006, and it helped the company grow quickly. Jeff Bezos looks at how SpaceX has been able to leverage federal contracts into rapid growth and hardware development programs with envy. So it seems likely to me that Bezos views the Human Landing System contract as COTS for Blue Origin. If the company could win this award, it would have a glide path toward future NASA contracts and the funding that follows. (8/11)

Supply of Small Launchers Continues to Grow (Source: Space News)
The number of small launch vehicle projects continues to grow despite the pandemic and the widespread belief of there is a significant oversupply of such vehicles, but that growth may be showing signs of slowing. An annual survey of the small launch industry has grown to 155 vehicles, ranging from 10 vehicles in operation to several dozen that have gone defunct since the survey started in 2015, when about 30 vehicles were included.

There have been some changes in the industry, though. The number of vehicles in active development declined slightly from last year, to 48, with a decrease as well in the number of vehicle concepts on a “watch” list that have not yet entered active development. More than 40 vehicles are now classified as defunct, about 10 more than last year. For those launch vehicles that have folded, one factor has been dominant: funding. Among vehicles in operation or under development, the US has the most, accounting for 22 of 58 such vehicles.

However, six of the 10 operational small launch vehicles are Chinese, thanks to the growth of small launch ventures there like Galactic Energy and iSpace. India is emerging as a new hotbed of launch activity, with four small launch vehicles under development by companies after government reforms backed commercial launch ventures there. “I think we reached market saturation back in 2015 when there were 30 or so folks trying to build vehicles,” Carlos Niederstrasser said. The current vehicles in operation may be “more than enough” to serve demand, but exactly how many vehicles are needed may not be clear for some time. (8/11)

Russia Offers Help to Boeing for Starliner Fix (Source: Roscosmos)
The Keldysh Center (part of Roskosmos) has expressed its willingness to help solve Starliner's problems if necessary. “We are well aware of the level of development of American engine building, we are well aware of all their developments, therefore, if we apply, we will be ready to help,” Koshlakov said.
According to the general director of the Keldysh Center, the corresponding order was given by the general director of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin. (8/10)