September 15, 2021

NASA Lab Studies Sleepiness and Use of Automated Systems (Source: NASA)
Drowsy driving accounts for a large proportion of car crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. So, you might think self-driving cars would fix that. After all, computers just don’t get sleepy. But today’s vehicles are only partially automated, requiring the human driver to stay alert, monitor the road, and take over at a moment’s notice.

A new study conducted by the Fatigue Countermeasures Lab at NASA’s Ames Research Center suggests this passive role can leave drivers more susceptible to sleepiness – especially when they’re sleep deprived. The research was carried out to help understand how humans interact with autonomous systems, such as those used in aircraft and in spaceflight systems. The findings will contribute to the agency’s research around the safe introduction of automation in aviation and the growing complexity of advanced systems. They also suggest drowsy drivers may be an important consideration for safe introduction of self-driving features in cars. (9/14)

Space: The Next Tech Industry Frontier? (Source: Information Week)
Tech has transformed life on earth over the past several decades. Will new space-oriented research lead to a fresh generation of innovations, both in space and on earth? Many remarkable innovations, as varied as satellite communication, global positioning systems, digital photo sensors, and OpenStack cloud computing, have deep roots in space research. Now, in an era when even tech business leaders and tourists are journeying into space, enterprises of many different types and sizes are aiming to establish a presence in the final frontier.

Telecommunications, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, materials science, additive manufacturing ... all have roots in the space ecosystem, observes Tom Zelibor, CEO of Space Foundation, a non-profit organization that advocates for the global space industry. “The foundational heritage that each of those areas, and others, have with space exploration will shape not just our ongoing pursuits with space but also continually transform life here on earth,” he predicts.

The overall space economy grew 4.4% last year to nearly $450 billion, with commercial activities accounting for well over half of the growth, reports Steve DelBusso, leader of the national security group at management and consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. “It’s clear that space will be a domain of continued interest, spend, and opportunities,” he adds. (9/13)

Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Launches Private Space Company (Source: Fox Business)
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak announced the creation of a new private space company "unlike the others." In a tweet, Wozniak shared a promotional video for the company, called Privateer Space, with a striking tone. "Together, we'll go far. We'll look out for one another. Solve problems together. This isn't a race. It isn't a competition or a game. We are not one person, one company, one nation. We are one planet," the narrator says over images of the Earth, children, NASA members and more.

In a caption for the YouTube video, the company wrote that Privateer Space is "working to keep space safe and accessible to all humankind." In an August press release for an unrelated 3D titanium alloy printer, the company was described as a "new satellite company focused on monitoring and cleaning up objects in space." ...

"With the Studio System 2, the team at Privateer Space will be able to achieve the affordability and lightweighting capabilities needed to pave the way for our satellite design and launch. This technology is truly a differentiator in helping companies to accelerate innovations in space and, through the material advancements that Desktop Metal is making, we have an amazing opportunity to collaborate and keep space accessible for future generations." (9/14)

With Latest Russian Launch, OneWeb Constellation Deployment Nears Halfway Mark (Source: Space News)
OneWeb's constellation is now nearly the halfway mark after its latest launch Tuesday. A Soyuz rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 2:07 p.m. and deployed 34 satellites over the next four hours. The company now has 322 satellites of a planned 648-strong constellation in orbit. OneWeb expects to launch commercial services in the upper part of the Northern Hemisphere in 60-90 days, its executive chair, Sunil Bharti Mittal, said last week. (9/15)

Spire Acquiring exactEarth (Source: Space News)
Newly public Spire is acquiring Canadian ship-tracking company exactEarth. Spire said it will pay $161.2 million in cash and stock to acquire exactEarth. Both companies operate satellite systems that track ships using AIS signals. The deal, pending approval by exactEarth shareholders, would turn exactEarth into a wholly owned subsidiary of Spire. The deal is the first since Spire went public last month through a SPAC merger. (9/15)

Astronaut Gets Additional Six Months on ISS (Source: Space News)
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei will get an additional six months on the ISS. NASA confirmed Tuesday that Vande Hei and Russian cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov will stay on the station through March 2022 to allow Roscosmos to fly a film director and actress to the station next month for a brief stay. Under the new plan, Vande Hei will spend about 353 days in space, setting a record for longest spaceflight by an American astronaut. (9/15)

NASA Contract Provides Planet Imagery to More Researchers (Source: Space News)
A new contract will give government-funded researchers access to imagery from Planet's constellation of satellites. The NASA contract will allow researchers to use Planet data for the next year. The announcement follows NASA's decision in July to offer wider access to Planet data, which had previously been limited to NASA-funded work. Now some 300,000 researchers, contractors and grantees, who receive funding from federal civilian agencies and NSF, will have access to the data. (9/15)

New DARPA Project Supports Optical Satellite Links (Source: Space News)
A new DARPA program is looking for ways optical inter-satellite links can connect government and commercial space communications systems in low Earth orbit. The space-based adaptive communications node, or Space-BACN, program is seeking proposals for "a novel optical communications terminal" that can connect different satellite systems. DARPA said the desired optical terminals should support data rates of 100 gigabits per second, require no more than 100 watts of power and cost no more than $100,000 per unit. (9/15)

South Korea's Government Seeks Funding Increase for Space (Source: Space News)
The South Korean government is requesting $553 million for its space program in 2022. More than a quarter of the budget would go toward the KSLV-2 launch vehicle program and plans for a new, larger vehicle. The budget would also fund work on a satellite navgation system and the launch of a lunar orbiter scheduled for August 2022. The government's budget request will go through a parliamentary review to get approval by the end of the year, with the nation's new budget year beginning Jan. 1. (9/15)

Taiwan Seeks More Space Funding (Source: Space News)
Taiwan needs to invest in space capabilities, its president said Tuesday. President Tsai Ing-wen said that Taiwan must "secure a strategic position in the space industry's supply chain" by leveraging its capabilities in semiconductor and precision engineering to gain footholds in satellite manufacturing and ground station equipment. She said the government will support the effort legally and financially through a Space Development Act passed in May and a $906 million budget set aside for investing in Taiwan's space sector through 2028. (9/15)

Mars Habitats Built with Blood, Sweat, and Tears (Source: Space.com)
Future Mars habitats may be built with the blood, sweat and tears of astronauts. Researchers at the University of Manchester found that they could create bricks using Martian regolith combined with with a protein found in human blood and a compound called urea from sweat, tears or urine. Such "biocomposite" materials were at least as strong as ordinary concrete. That approach would require astronauts to regularly donate blood so it could be used in habitat construction, and researchers acknowledge they need to study the health effects of those donations. (9/15)

Head of UK’s Space Directorate Warns of Space Terrorism (Source: C4ISRnet)
The head of the United Kingdom’s new Space Directorate warned that increased access to space increases the possibility of “space terrorism,” drawing parallels to the way terrorists were able to use commercial aircraft during the 9/11 attacks.

“We all have witnessed what happens, and what particularly happens when the air domain became accessible to all — terrorists turned airliners into weapons. If such a trend holds true for space, when will we have to deal with our first example of space terrorism? And are we prepared for such a dramatic strategic shock?” said Air Vice Marshal Harvey Smyth on Sep. 14, just days after the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

The decreasing cost of launch and the increasing capability of relatively cheap, small satellites makes it easier than ever for governments, corporations and academics to access space. This development has been hailed for the possibilities it’s introduced in the commercial and defense spheres, but Smyth argued that it also opens up new challenges. (9/14)

NASA Selects Five U.S. Companies to Mature Artemis Lander Concepts (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected five U.S. companies to help the agency enable a steady pace of crewed trips to the lunar surface under the agency’s Artemis program. These companies will make advancements toward sustainable human landing system concepts, conduct risk-reduction activities, and provide feedback on NASA’s requirements to cultivate industry capabilities for crewed lunar landing missions.

The awards under the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP-2) Appendix N broad agency announcement are firm fixed-price, milestone-based contracts. The total combined value for the awards is $146 million, and the work will be conducted over the next 15 months. The companies that received awards and their award values are: Blue Origin, $25.6 million; Dynetics, $40.8 million; Lockheed Martin, $35.2 million; Northrop Grumman, $34.8 million; and SpaceX of Hawthorne, $9.4 million.

The companies will develop lander design concepts, evaluating their performance, design, construction standards, mission assurance requirements, interfaces, safety, crew health accommodations, and medical capabilities. The companies will also mitigate lunar lander risks by conducting critical component tests and advancing the maturity of key technologies. This opportunity is distinct from the initial crewed lunar landing demonstration mission awarded to SpaceX under the NextSTEP-2 procurement, which will serve as the proof of concept for the Artemis architecture. (9/14)

Raytheon to Acquire Space Electronics Supplier SEAKR Engineering (Source: Space News)
Raytheon intends to acquire SEAKR Engineering, a privately owned supplier of space electronics based in Colorado. Pending regulatory approvals. SEAKR will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Raytheon Intelligence & Space. This acquisition follows Raytheon’s takeover in December of Blue Canyon Technologies, a Colorado-based satellite manufacturer. (9/14)

SpiderOak Wins Second Air Force Contract for Secure Space Communications (Source: Sierra Space)
The U.S. Air Force has approved an approximately $750,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant to SpiderOak to test its new OrbitSecure secure communications protocol on military satellites and ground stations. The outcome will enable government agencies to leverage commercial space assets for federal missions in emerging hybrid space architectures that mix commercial and government satellites. The grant will facilitate SpiderOak's adaptation of its OrbitSecure commercial technology to new uses that are of importance to those who rely on satellites, including military and intelligence operators. (9/13)

Sierra Space and Space Tango Hope to Revolutionize LEO Manufacturing (Source: Sierra Space)
Sierra Space and Space Tango are joining forces to make manufacturing more accessible and available in space, opening up new market opportunities in low-Earth orbit (LEO). The new space economy will include partners from several sectors, including technology, materials and biomedical industries. This key work can help humanity and the medical field on Earth by opening more opportunities for scientific and technical breakthroughs.

Sierra Space is leveraging Space Tango’s experience in microgravity and automated systems to create additional valuable market sectors that harness the unique characteristics of LEO. By exploring microgravity solutions, Sierra Space and Space Tango aim to revolutionize the LEO ecosystem, in promising areas such as biotechnology, manufacturing of artificial retinas, fiber optics, organ re-cellularization and carbon nanotubes. (9/13)

US Aerospace Sector to Receive $482M in Payroll Support (Source: Seattle Times)
US aerospace manufacturers will be able to access $482 million in payroll support from the federal government to protect jobs threatened by the pandemic. Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems stands to receive $75.5 million of these funds. The taxpayer-funded relief will cover up to half of the payroll costs at 313 companies nationwide, according to the Transportation Department, which said Thursday will help save up to 22,500 manufacturing jobs. Participating companies must commit not to involuntarily furlough or lay off employees or reduce pay or benefits during the six-month period when they will receive the payroll support. (9/13)

AFRL: One Lab Two Services (Source: Space Daily)
According to Maj. Gen. Heather L. Pringle, commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory: "When it comes to science and technology, I take our role very seriously, and I believe that it's non-negotiable that we pursue game-changing technologies for both Airmen and Guardians. We are one lab supporting two services. As Secretary Kendall says, 'It's one team, one fight.'"

The lab's approximately 6,500 personnel-700 of which are Guardians within the lab-work side-by-side to deliver transformational technologies, including quantum computing, artificial intelligence and microelectronics, across nearly 10 U.S. states and nine international research project arrangements throughout the world. (9/10)