September 11, 2021

UP Aerospace Launches Test Rocket with Los Alamos National Laboratory at Spaceport America (Source: Denver Business Journal)
A Colorado aerospace company last month launched a successful research mission for Los Alamos National Laboratory from Spaceport America in New Mexico — a test that could be the first of many. UP Aerospace, one of four commercial tenants at the desert space launch facility, partnered with the lab for the test flight, which is expected to be followed by many more. An UP Aerospace rocket launched Aug. 11 with a test payload that relayed flight data, such as acceleration and rotation, to a Department of Defense satellite already in orbit. (9/9)

Branson Sold $800 Million in Stock Before Investors Knew About an In-Flight 'Mishap' that Would Trigger an FAA Investigation (Source: Business Insider)
On July 12, Virgin Galactic announced in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it was selling $500 million worth of common stock. The filing did not mention that during its edge-of-space flight the day before, its aircraft deviated from its air-traffic-control clearance, a mishap that would ultimately trigger an FAA investigation and lead to the indefinite grounding of its space-tourism operation. (9/9)

Hughes and OneWeb Announce Agreements for Low Earth Orbit Satellite Service in U.S. and India (Source: OneWeb)
Hughes Network Systems and OneWeb announced that they have signed a distribution agreement in the U.S. focused on enterprise services. In India, the parties have entered into an MOU for a strategic agreement to distribute services to large enterprises, small and medium businesses, government, telcos and ISPs in the rural and remote parts of the country. (9/9)

Virgin Galactic Delays Next SpaceShipTwo Flight (Source: Parabolic Arc)
During preparation for the Unity 23 test flight, a third-party supplier recently flagged a potential manufacturing defect in a component of the flight control actuation system that they supply to Virgin Galactic. At this point, it is not yet known whether the defect is present in the company’s vehicles and what, if any, repair work may be needed. Out of an abundance of caution, and in line with Virgin Galactic’s established safety procedures, the company is in the process of conducting inspections in partnership with the vendor.

This issue is unrelated to the Unity 22 flight or the current FAA matter, which is focused on air traffic control clearance and communications. As a result, and pending resolution of the FAA matter, the earliest the Company expects to open its flight window for Unity 23 is mid October. A further update and specific flight window will be shared once the inspection is complete, in coordination with the Italian Air Force. (9/10)

You Can Sign the International Open Letter Opposing Kinetic ASAT Testing (Source: Outer Space Institute)
This form will add your name to the International Open Letter on Kinetic ASAT Testing. This letter urges the UN General Assembly to take up consideration of a treaty that would prohibit conducting debris-generating anti-satellite weapon tests. The need for such a treaty is driven by very rapid growth in the number of satellites in orbit. Click here. (9/10)

Yahsat Picks SpaceX's Falcon 9 to Launch Thuraya 4-NGS Satellite (Source: Arabian Business)
Yahsat has selected SpaceX’s Falcon 9 to launch Thuraya 4-NGS to expand coverage across Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 was selected primarily due to its high reliability and advanced capabilities, underscoring Yahsat’s continued commitment to maximizing quality and performance across its businesses. Yahsat plans to launch Thuraya 4-NGS in the second half of 2023, with operations scheduled to commence in 2024. (9/10)

NASA Picks Falcon Heavy to Launch GOES-U Mission (Source: Parabolic Arc)
NASA has selected SpaceX to provide launch services for the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-U (GOES-U) mission. The GOES-U mission is targeted to launch in April 2024 on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. GOES-U will provide advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth’s weather, oceans, and environment, as well as real-time mapping of total lightning activity and improved monitoring of solar activity and space weather. The total cost for NASA to launch GOES-U is approximately $152.5 million. (9/10)

Rocket Lab Wins Launch Contract For Kinéis Constellation (Source: Aviation Week)
Launch provider Rocket Lab has secured a contract to deploy a 25-satellite constellation for Kinéis, a French-based connectivity provider. The satellites will be launched on five Electron flights scheduled to take place in quick succession over the second quarter of 2023.

Earthlike Planets in Other Solar Systems? Look for Moons (Source: Space Daily)
Finding an exact copy of the Earth somewhere in the universe sounds like a far-fetched notion, but scientists believe that because Earth happened in our solar system, something similar is bound to exist someplace else. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researcher Siegfried Eggl and his colleagues say orbiting moons may play a key role in keeping planets habitable over long periods and identified a method to find them. (9/10)

Inspiration4 Crew Arrives at Kennedy Space Center Before First All-Civilian Launch (Source: Click Orlando)
Four non-professional astronauts arrived at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport Thursday ahead of their SpaceX rocket launch, which will mark the first time a human spaceflight from Florida will not have a single NASA astronaut onboard. SpaceX was chartered by billionaire businessman Jared Isaacman to launch the Inspiration4 mission on a three-day orbit of Earth. Three other civilians joining Isaacman include St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital employee Hayley Arcenauex, college geology professor Dr. Sian Proctor, and aerospace engineer Chris Sembroski.

While Arcenauex was chosen by her employer after Isaacman approached the research hospital about a fundraising effort to raise $200 million for St. Jude, Proctor and Sembroski had a different path to space. Sembroski entered a raffle that was kicked off via a Super Bowl ad in February and Proctor used Isaacman’s Shift4Payment platform to raise funds for St. Jude with her art and poetry. She was then selected by a panel of judges for the mission.

After completing their final round of training at SpaceX headquarters in California, the four future astronauts traveled to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center landing on the old space shuttle runway Thursday. The crew arrived via a fleet of fighter jets touching down on the Launch and Landing Facility operated by Space Florida. (9/9)

National Space Council Priorities Begin to Emerge (Source: Space Policy Online)
The space community is eagerly waiting to see what Vice President Kamala Harris’s priorities are for the White House National Space Council, which she chairs. The Council’s Executive Secretary, Chirag Parikh, told a satellite conference today that continuity, international cooperation, Space Traffic Management, and STEM education are at the top of the list. He also announced that nominations for the Users’ Advisory Group will open next week.

Parikh is a seasoned member of the space policy community and a White House veteran having served as the space policy director at the National Security Council during most of the Obama Administration. He left government in early 2020, but returned last month when appointed to his current position.

He hit the ground running, speaking at the Space Symposium just three weeks into his new assignment and again today at Satellite 2021. An assurance that the Biden-Harris Administration wants continuity of policy from previous administrations was key to his decision to take the job. That includes a commitment to a sustainable return to the Moon through the Artemis program and moving forward with the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command. Click here. (9/9)

SpaceFund Invests in HydroSat (Source: SpaceFund)
SpaceFund is excited to announce our recent impact investment in Hydrosat. While we consider almost any investment in opening the Frontier to be an impact investment, as we believe that many of the near and long term solutions to the issues challenging humanity will be found in space, Hydrosat fits neatly into the center of what many beyond the space movement consider as a company whose work will have a direct impact on human life. (9/10)

Budget Reconciliation Bill Includes $4 Billion for NASA (Source: Space News)
The House Science Committee advanced its portion of a multitrillion-dollar spending bill with more than $4 billion for NASA. The committee voted on party lines Thursday to approve a portion of the overall budget reconciliation package worth $45.5 billion. The bill includes $4 billion for NASA infrastructure and nearly $400 million for climate change research and agency cybersecurity. The committee rejected amendments to make major changes to the NASA provisions, including one that would have combined the infrastructure and climate change funding and allowed it to be used for exploration, such as funding a second lunar lander award. (9/10)

VP Wants More Diversity in the National Space Council’s Industry Advisory Group (Source: Space News)
The White House will soon seek nominations for new members of the National Space Council's advisory group. Chirag Parikh, executive secretary of the council, said Thursday that a notice could appear in the Federal Register as early as next week seeking nominations for the Users' Advisory Group. The goal is to attract a greater diversity of members from the space sector, which is a priority of the vice president, he said. A first meeting of the council under the leadership of Vice President Kamala Harris has yet to be scheduled. (9/10)

BlackSky Completes SPAC Merger (Source: BlackSky)
BlackSky has completed its merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The company said Thursday it completed the merger with Osprey Technology Acquisition Corporation after its shareholders approved the deal. BlackSky will start trading today on the New York Stock Exchange as BSKY. The deal raised $283 million for the geospatial intelligence company as it deploys a constellation of imaging satellites. (9/10)

SPAC Surge a Sign of Acquisitions Ahead? (Source: Space News)
The current surge of SPAC deals could lead to a wave of acquisitions. During a panel at the Satellite 2021 conference, Chris Kemp, CEO of Astra, predicted his company and others that have gone public through SPACs will start buying up suppliers to gain access to their personnel and technologies. Other industry observers say there may not be quite as many acquisitions, citing concerns some suppliers might have merging with public companies that are still in early stages of development. (9/10)

Boeing Expects Lower Demand for GEO Satellites (Source: Space News)
The head of Boeing's commercial satellite business doesn't expect demand for GEO orders to fully recover. In an interview, Ryan Reid said he didn't project GEO satellite orders to return to about 20 per year, as was the case before a sharp downturn in recent years that has only seen a partial recovery since. He said that, despite disruptions caused by the pandemic, the company is still on schedule to deliver a series of C-band replacement satellites ordered by SES. (9/10)

Satellite Execs Expect DoD Demand for Secure Satellite Communications (Source: Space News)
The U.S. military is demanding more advanced technologies to protect its tactical communications systems from sophisticated electronic attacks. Industry executives said at Satellite 2021 that they expect the Defense Department to seek new mobile networking capabilities following the U.S. military's withdrawal from Afghanistan and a shift in focus to other regions like Eastern Europe and the Pacific Rim. Satellite communications networks will need to be better defended against Chinese and Russian jammers, and equipment like satellite antennas will need to be more compact and harder to detect. (9/10)

Inspiration4 Mission Ready for Sep. 14 Evening Launch (Source: Space News)
A SpaceX commercial human spaceflight mission is set to launch next week. The four-person Inspiration4 mission will launch on a Falcon 9 during a 24-hour window that opens the evening of Sep. 14. The project has not disclosed a more specific launch window. The Crew Dragon will spend three days in orbit before returning. The project was announced in February as a fundraiser for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, although it has raised less than a third of the $100 million goal to date. (9/10)

China Launches Communications Satellite (Source: Space News)
China launched a GEO communications satellite Thursday. A Long March 3B lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China, at 7:50 a.m. Eastern and placed the ChinaSat-9B satellite into orbit. ChinaSat-9B will provide live broadcast services, support 4K and 8K high-definition video program transmission and provide high-quality live broadcast transmission services. (9/10)

Russia Launches Reconnaissance Satellite (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Russia launched a reconnaissance satellite Thursday. A Soyuz-2.1v rocket lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia at 3:59 p.m. Eastern. It placed into orbit a small optical reconnaissance satellite, called Razbeg, designed to produce high-resolution images. (9/10)

Cobham to Build Yahsat Ground System (Source: Space News)
Cobham SATCOM will build the ground system for Yahsat's next-generation Thuraya 4-NGS satellite. Denmark-based Cobham SATCOM will develop Thuraya 4-NGS ground infrastructure and terminals for its narrowband mobility services. Cobham SATCOM will also integrate end-to-end solutions to expand Thuraya's military, government and enterprise customer bases across land, maritime and aeronautical verticals. (9/10)

Fostering Diversity and Inclusion in Aerospace Workforce Takes Work (Source: Space News)
Attracting and retaining a diverse workforce may take effort but it can help companies succeed. Members of a Satellite 2021 panel argued diverse teams work better, something that is especially true in engineering and manufacturing. Retaining a diverse workforce requires effort, they said, but it's more necessary than ever given the changing labor market, with millions of Americans moving or looking for new jobs. (9/10)

Harris, We Have a Problem (Source: Politico)
Among Vice President Kamala Harris’ high-profile portfolios, one that’s received virtually no attention is her role in steering the accelerating space race. Eight months into the administration, and more than four months after the White House announced she would chair the National Space Council, Harris has been silent on her plans for the cabinet-level body. The council hasn’t even held its first public meeting.

Members of Congress and officials at NASA, the Commerce Department, the Pentagon and executives in the space industry are increasingly wondering why she’s taking so long to lay out the administration’s galactic goals. “People are anxious and eager to hear from her,” said Greg Autry, a professor of space leadership, policy and business at Arizona State University who has advised the Federal Aviation Administration on the safety of commercial spacecraft. “We’d like to know if there is a vision or any change in direction.” (9/9)

El Paso’s Third Annual Space Festival Returns (Source: KTSM)
The annual week-long Space Festival will be back in El Paso Sep. 18-25. Families attending the festival events will be able to learn about rockets, make space art, learn about current NASA Research, stargaze, make moon craters, and much more! This is the main event at the #EPSpaceFestival. This year there will be new interactive Experience Zones where families can learn about space and astronomy through dozens of hands-on activities, prizes, space art, and makerspace crafts. (9/9)

European Space Agency: Europe Risks Being 'Left Behind' (Source: DW.com)
The head of the European Space Agency has said that Europe needs to beef up its space program or be left in the dust by other countries. "European astronauts should be on European rockets," he said. Josef Aschbacher, head of the European Space Agency (ESA), said in a press conference on Thursday that "Europe needs to scale up in order not to be thrown out of the race or left behind" when it comes to space exploration.

"I want to develop Europe's space capabilities. That means European astronauts on European rockets." Aschbacher was speaking next to German astronaut Matthias Maurer, who is set to fly to the ISS at the end of October on a US rocket from Florida. Both Aschbacher and Maurer spoke enthusiastically about the future of European space tourism in light of billionaires Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Richard Branson making first attempts at similar projects in July. (9/9)

The Coming Lunar Armada (Source: Science)
Next year, NASA’s first mission to the lunar surface in 50 years will be run from an unlikely place: a low-slung building wedged between fast-food joints just off the Ohio River. This unassuming former data center in Pittsburgh is the new home of Astrobotic, one of a few startups that NASA has selected to ferry scientific instruments to the lunar surface as part of the agency’s $2.6 billion Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Starting next year, CLPS landers will reach the Moon’s surface at least twice a year, the agency hopes. Click here. (9/9)