August 23, 2021

UCF Experimental Space Dirt Used by NASA, Private Companies to Advance Space Exploration (Source: UCF Today)
An ingenious idea born out of a research lab at the University of Central Florida has led to a growing operation that is having a direct impact on space exploration. Chances are that some of the equipment landing on the moon and the methods that will be used to grow food or build shelter, will have been tested first on experimental soil developed right at UCF.

UCF’s Exolith Lab has produced and shipped 25 tons of simulated extraterrestrial soil so far this year. Customers include NASA and commercial companies domestically and around the globe, who are using the dirt to test equipment being developed for Moon, Mars, and asteroid missions. University researchers also are using the material to test strategies they are developing to address a variety of problems facing astronauts such as finding sustainable ways to grow food on other planets. Even K-12 schools are among the clients because they are using the material to provide students hands-on science experiences to increase interest in STEM. (8/23)

Russian Lunar Mission Slips to 2022 (Source: TASS)
The launch of a Russian mission to the moon has slipped to next year. The Luna-25 robotic lander mission was scheduled to launch in October, but Roscosmos said Friday the launch has been rescheduled to next May. The spacecraft, which has suffered years of development delays, will attempt to land near the lunar south pole, and is the first Russian/Soviet mission to the moon since the mid-1970s. (8/23)

Virgin Orbit Going Public with SPAC Merger (Source: Space News)
Virgin Orbit will go public through a merger with a SPAC, it announced Monday. Virgin Orbit said it will merge with NextGen Acquisition Corp. II, providing it with up to $383 million in capital. A concurrent funding round, with participation from Boeing and AE Industrial Partners, will give it an additional $100 million. The deal, slated to close by the end of the year, would turn Virgin Orbit into a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq with an initial valuation of $3.2 billion. Virgin Orbit had been rumored to be in talks with NextGen for months, and had been working on a new funding round since last year. Its air-launched LauncherOne vehicle has flown three times, most recently in June. (8/23)

Boeing Plans Investment in Virgin Orbit’s $3.2 Billion SPAC Listing (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit said Boeing will invest in the satellite-launching startup’s planned $3.2 billion SPAC listing later this year, an investment that comes as the plane maker’s own space program faces hurdles. Virgin Orbit said it would list on the Nasdaq stock market by merging with NextGen Acquisition Corp., a special-purpose acquisition company.

Boeing’s planned investment, which The Wall Street Journal first reported earlier Monday, comes through a SPAC-related fundraising round called a private investment in public equity, or PIPE. That fundraising has garnered a total of $100 million in commitments, Virgin Orbit said. A Boeing spokeswoman declined to say how much it was investing. She said it was a strategic move and the Chicago-based company has a longstanding relationship with the Virgin Group. Boeing already has an investment in Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. (8/23)

Nelson: Blur Origin Lawsuit Brings Uncertainty to Artemis Schedule (Source: Space News)
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson says Blue Origin's lawsuit regarding the agency's lunar lander program adds further delay and uncertainty to the schedule for Artemis. In an interview, Nelson said the suit, along with ongoing two-track efforts to secure more funding for lunar lander development and a recent report about spacesuit delays, made it unclear if the agency could return humans to the lunar surface by 2024. Nelson is attending the 36th Space Symposium this week in Colorado Springs but said the agency is cutting back its presence at the event because of concerns about the delta variant of COVID. (8/23)

36th Space Symposium Opens with In-Person and Virtual Participants (Source: Space News)
This week's 36th Space Symposium will be unlike any of the previous 35. The Colorado Springs conference was originally scheduled for March 2020 but was delayed several times by the pandemic. The Space Foundation expects 7,500 to 8,000 attendees both in person and on a virtual platform. The surge in cases caused by the delta variant of COVID will reduce international participation, but leaders of 15 space agencies worldwide are still expected to attend. The event will require attendees to wear masks indoors and will facilitate social distancing in conference sessions and a new expanded exhibit center. (8/23)

Open PNT Alliance Accelerates GPS Alternatives (Source: Space News)
Competing positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) companies are joining forces to accelerate efforts to back up global navigation satellite systems. The Open PNT Industry Alliance (OPIA) was formed in December amid growing support for alternative capabilities to improve the resiliency of satellite navigation systems. It comes as the U.S. government steps up measures to encourage more companies to implement some form of protection for GPS-based services. A 2019 study warned that the loss of GPS could cause $1 billion per day in economic losses. (8/23)

ISS Spacewalk is Postponed for Astronaut Health Issue (Source: NASA)
The U.S. spacewalk outside the International Space Station originally planned for Tuesday, Aug. 24 with NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide has been postponed due to a minor medical issue involving Vande Hei. This issue is not a medical emergency. The spacewalk is not time-sensitive and crew members are continuing to move forward with other station work and activities. (8/23)

Inspiration4 Launch Nears as Intense Training Schedule Continues (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Just weeks from launch, SpaceX has started final preparations for the crewed Inspiration4 (I4) mission. I4 will be the first free flight Crew Dragon mission and the first orbital, all private crewed mission. I4 will also be the first worldwide crewed flight that will not dock with a space station since the final Hubble servicing mission on STS-125 in May 2009.

SpaceX is currently targeting the morning of Sep. 15 to launch the flight-proven Crew Dragon Resilience (C207) atop a flight-proven Falcon 9 Block 5 from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The crew’s training began in March with centrifuge training and in July with Dragon simulations at Hawthorne, where Isaacman and Dr. Proctor learned how to control the spacecraft in the unlikely event they are required to take control during flight. The crew also started to familiarize themselves with the Dragon spacecraft, learning where mission supplies are stored and how to access items in case of emergency. Click here. (8/23) https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2021/08/inspiration-4-update/

Embry-Riddle Grad Among Inspiration4 Astronauts (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Christopher Sembroski, a data engineer and US Air Force Veteran, will serve as an I4 Mission Specialist. Sembroski previously served as a counselor at Space Camp and volunteered for ProSpace, a non-profit that advocated the need for private spaceflight. After graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a Bachelor of Science, he joined the US Air Force as an Electro-Mechanical Technician. He now works as a data engineer for Lockheed Martin. His seat on the mission was given to him by a friend, who transferred their win to Sembroski. (8/23)

Rocket Lab Spacecraft Confirmed by NASA for Mars Mission (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Rocket Lab, a global leader in dedicated launch and space systems, today announced it will begin final mission design and commence manufacturing two interplanetary Photon spacecraft for a science mission to Mars, delivering Decadal-class science at a fraction of the cost of typical planetary missions.  The Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission will orbit two Rocket Lab-built Photon spacecraft around Mars to understand the structure, composition, variability, and dynamics of Mars’ unique hybrid magnetosphere. The mission will also support crewed exploration programs like Artemis through improved solar storm prediction. (8/23)