September 16, 2021

SpaceX Launches Inspiration4 Crew From Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space News)
SpaceX's first private crewed mission is in orbit after a successful launch Wednesday night. A Falcon 9 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 8:02 p.m. Eastern and placed the Crew Dragon spacecraft Resilience into orbit 12 minutes later. The spacecraft, with four people on board, is flying the private Inspiration4 mission led by billionaire Jared Isaacman. The spacecraft will stay in its 575-kilometer orbit for three days before splashing down off the Florida coast. The flight is the fourth Crew Dragon mission but the first not part of NASA's commercial crew program to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Some see Inspiration4 has a first step towards more routine private orbital human spaceflight. (9/16)

China's Astronauts Return to Earth as New Supply Launch Readied (Source: Space News)
Three Chinese astronauts are heading back to Earth after leaving the country's new space station late Wednesday. The Shenzhou-12 spacecraft with Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo on board undocked from the Tianhe core module after a three-month stay. The spacecraft is expected to land early Friday in the Gobi Desert northeast of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. At the same time, a Long March 7 rocket carrying the Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft rolled out to the pad at the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center for a launch expected on Monday. Tianzhou-3 is expected to carry supplies, equipment and propellant to Tianhe in preparation for the arrival of Shenzhou-13 in October. (9/16)

ESA Supports UK Lunar Mission (Source: Space News)
ESA will be the anchor customer on a British commercial lunar spacecraft. ESA will buy communications services from and fly payloads on Lunar Pathfinder, being developed by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. for launch in 2024. Lunar Pathfinder will serve as a communications relay between spacecraft on or around the south pole of the moon with the Earth. ESA plans to use those communications services for its own missions and also potentially offer them to landers in NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Lunar Pathfinder will serve as a proof of concept for Moonlight, an ESA initiative to develop a lunar communications and navigation satellite constellation. (9/16)
 
ULA Atlas Launch of Weather Satellite Delayed by California Winds (Source: NASA)
The launch of the next Landsat spacecraft has suffered another delay. NASA said Wednesday that the launch of the Landsat 9 spacecraft has slipped at least four days to Sep. 27. The agency said "out-of-tolerance high winds" had delayed attaching the spacecraft to its Atlas 5 rocket, along with range conflicts caused by other launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base. A shortage of liquid nitrogen at the base previously caused a one-week delay in the launch. (9/16)

India's First Crewed Mission Delayed (Source: PTI)
India's first crewed spaceflight is now expected no earlier than late 2022. Jitendra Singh, the Indian government minister responsible for space, said the first Gaganyaan flight would take place in late 2022 or early 2023 after delays caused by the pandemic. The Indian government had earlier set the goal of launching the mission by the 75th anniversary of India's independence in August 2022, but it had become clear that schedule was no longer realistic because of pandemic-related slowdowns in the Indian space program. (9/16)

Launch of Taiwanese Rocket From Australia Spaceport Fails on Launch Pad (Source: AAP)
A Taiwanese rocket attempting to launch on a suborbital flight from Australia caught fire instead. Southern Launch, the Australian company that operates a commercial launch site in South Australia, said Thursday that the Hapith 1 rocket by TiSPACE caught fire on its third launch attempt. The companies didn't release additional information about the failure beyond saying that damage was contained to the pad and there were no injuries. TiSPACE planned to use the rocket to test a hybrid propulsion system it is developing for future orbital launch vehicles. (9/16)

Virgin Galactic Dinged for 'Selective Disclosure' and Lack of Transparency (Source: Insider)
Bank of America analysts questioned the "selective disclosure" practices of Virgin Galactic. In a research note Wednesday, they said the company's lack of transparency on the airspace excursion issue on a July flight of SpaceShipTwo, prompting an FAA investigation that has temporarily grounded the suborbital vehicle, is "a culture red flag." Virgin Galactic did not disclose the problem and investigation to the SEC when it happened, and waited for media reports before revealing it. Bank of America has given the company an "underperform" rating on its stock. (9/16)
 
Space Force Backs Development of Commercial Orbital Debris Removal Systems (Source: Space News)
A Space Force general endorsed the development of commercial systems for removing space debris, saying they can address congestion in Earth orbit without the policy concerns a government-run alternative might have. Maj. Gen. DeAnna Burt, vice commander of the Space Force’s Space Operations Command, told an audience of space traffic management experts that active debris removal is essential to address the growing population of objects in low Earth orbit that pose a threat to government and commercial satellites.

“I think there is a use case for industry to go after that as a service-based opportunity,” said Burt, who is also commander of the Combined Force Space Component Command of U.S. Space Command. She said that concern was driven by the inability to do anything if there is a threat of a collision between two non-maneuverable objects, like debris. “Those are bad days,” she said, with nothing to do other than hope that the predicted conjunction passes without any new debris objects tracked. She emphasized that orbital debris removal should be done by the private sector. “Absolutely there’s a business case for debris removal for industry,” she said. (9/15)

Florida Defense Community Grants Supprt Base Protection and Diversification, Including on Space Coast (Source: Enterprise Florida)
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and Enterprise Florida have awarded $3.4 million to communities throughout Florida through the Defense Infrastructure Grant Program, the Defense Reinvestment Grant Program, and the Florida Defense Support Task Force Grant Program. These grants will bolster military facilities, support economic diversification efforts for defense-dependent communities, and fund programs to improve military-community relations.

$85,000 goes to the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast to enhance community relationships and partnerships with the US Space Force at Patrick Space Force Base, and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Funding will also be used to promote the STARBASE Academy, a 45th Space Wing and Brevard County Public Schools program created by a grant from the Department of Defense to raise interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Click here. (9/15)

ABL Space Systems to Launch NASA Technology Demonstration Mission (Source: Space News)
Small launch vehicle developer ABL Space Systems has won a contract to launch a NASA technology demonstration spacecraft in 2023. ABL Space Systems will launch the NASA Cryogenic Demonstration Mission spacecraft on its RS1 rocket. NASA selected a team led by Lockheed Martin in 2020 to develop the smallsat mission, which will test cryogenic fluid management technologies in orbit using liquid hydrogen, under a $89.7 million contract.

At the time of the award, Lockheed Martin planned to launch the spacecraft using in-space transportation company Momentus, who would manifest the satellite on a Vigoride transfer vehicle launched on a Terran 1 rocket by Relativity Space in 2023. Lockheed, though, dropped Momentus from the program. Neither Lockheed nor Momentus disclosed the reason for removing Momentus from the project, but the filing came as Momentus was facing federal government investigations into its Russian ownership at the time that delayed its first Vigoride missions.

Lockheed is an investor in ABL Space Systems, but this launch contract is separate from a block buy of up to 58 RS1 launches Lockheed made in April. Lockheed also selected ABL for its “UK Pathfinder” launch from the Shetland Space Centre in the United Kingdom in 2022. ABL had been working toward a first launch of its RS1 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California this year, but the company now plans to perform its first RS1 launch before the end of this year from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Alaska. The company will operate from both Kodiak and Vandenberg, but decided to use Kodiak for its first mission. (9/16)

Inspiration4 Mission Inspired Me. Here's Why? (Source: Florida Today)
I’m inspired. I resisted at first. Just another billionaire in space, I thought. Sure, this SpaceX all-civilian orbital mission was more ambitious – a higher orbit than the space station and approximately three days circling Earth – than what Richard Branson and Blue Origin did. But still. Add to that the Netflix documentary series, "Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space," that as Space Editor John McCarthy noted often felt like supercharged reality TV. You could be forgiven for thinking each crew member was playing to a type.

There was the young slightly clueless 20-something who discovered no, she wasn’t headed to the moon “apparently people haven’t gone there in decades, I learned that.” The adrenaline junkie billionaire, the crew’s commander, who sometimes came across like a kid playacting as an astronaut. It became hard to tell what was real and what was being filtered out (or in) to make compelling TV viewing. But even if it is an extremely high-altitude joyride, he opted to do things differently.

One, billionnaire Jared Isaacman’s raising money for charity, for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. But two, he wanted to take three strangers with him, people whom he said embodied ideas like “Hope” and “Generosity” and “Prosperity.” And while I’m not entirely sure I fully get those connections after watching four episodes of the Netflix series and the crew’s live Youtube interview, one thing stands out: Isaacman picked well. (9/16)

Why We Need Astronauts With Disabilities (Source: Gizmodo)
Sci-fi literature and cinema have long used the trope of starting new colonies on another planet, and the disabled are always left behind while the healthy and those perceived as more capable go off to explore and have adventures. In sci-fi, the absence of the disabled is often accepted as fact—that’s how deep-routed ableism is. But now that trope of space colonies without the disabled is about to be no more, so writers are going to have to reimagine the stories they tell and the worlds they create.

One of the arguments for not having the disabled depicted in space is that “artificial intelligence will remedy every medical issue in the future.” What’s flummoxing about this argument is that if humanity goes to another planet, we are destined to find new environments, new challenges, and new diseases, and the building of a new colony will likely result in at least some temporary and permanent injuries. Unforeseen catastrophes will be around every corner. Instead of denying the disabled a place in, let us look at the advantages they may have and what they can teach everyone.

That disabled people might offer unique benefits to the field of human space travel is not a new idea. The Gallaudet 11 were 11 deaf students from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. NASA studied them in the 1960s to prepare astronauts for space travel. Like others in the program, the Gallaudet 11 had cold streams of water blown in their ears, sat in the capsule of a Human Disorientation Device, and experienced weightlessness in parabolic flights. These tests were done to study the vestibular system, and, as NASA Head of Crew and Safety John Allen coined, the Gallaudet 11 were found to be “vestibularly enhanced.” They did not experience motion sickness, while their able-bodied counterparts had more difficulty. (9/15)

NASA Awards Five Contracts for Lunar Landers to Follow SpaceX Demonstration (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA is moving ahead with plans to bring competition into the development of landers for its Artemis Moon program. This week, the space agency said it had selected five US companies to conduct additional work toward refining lunar lander concepts to take astronauts down to the Moon's surface later this decade. According to NASA, each of these companies will further develop lander design concepts and evaluate the landers' performance, design, mission assurance requirements, and more.

The companies will also mitigate lunar lander risks by conducting critical component tests and advancing the maturity of key technologies. To retain a competitive environment, NASA said it would move to procure "recurring landing services" from American companies. This contract will be for operational missions to the lunar surface following SpaceX's demonstration missions. The space agency said the awards announced this week would "ultimately help shape the strategy and requirements for a future NASA’s solicitation to provide regular astronaut transportation from lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon." The amount of those future "recurring services" awards will be determined by Congressional appropriations. (9/16)

NASA Confirms Thousands of Massive, Ancient Volcanic Eruptions on Mars (Source: NASA)
Scientists found evidence that a region of northern Mars called Arabia Terra experienced thousands of "super eruptions," the biggest volcanic eruptions known, over a 500-million-year period. Some volcanoes can produce eruptions so powerful they release oceans of dust and toxic gases into the air, blocking out sunlight and changing a planet’s climate for decades.

By studying the topography and mineral composition of a portion of the Arabia Terra region in northern Mars, scientists recently found evidence for thousands of such eruptions, or “super eruptions,” which are the most violent volcanic explosions known. Spewing water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide into the air, these explosions tore through the Martian surface over a 500-million-year period about 4 billion years ago. Scientists reported this estimate in a paper published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters in July 2021. (9/15)

Why Going to Space Doesn’t Make You an Astronaut (Source: Aerospace America)
They are spaceflight passengers, and there should be no shame in that. I have many friends who are airline pilots, and when they aren’t flying the aircraft, they sit somewhere in the cabin with people like me, as passengers. If you are an astronaut by trade, nothing precludes you from being a passenger at times too, such as when riding to and from the International Space Station on an automated craft.

We should celebrate these flights as steps on the natural path toward space travel becoming commonplace... Being an astronaut comes with serious responsibilities. The Outer Space Treaty of 1967, considered the Magna Carta Libertatum of International Space Law, states that “astronauts shall be regarded as the envoys of mankind.” An envoy is defined as an official representative of one entity or organization to another. Personally, I would find it a stretch to regard billionaires as official representatives of humanity regarding our extraterrestrial activities.

The treaty’s wording about astronauts and their responsibilities should not be taken lightly. Governments, not private citizens, bear legal liability for how people behave and conduct operations in space. I hope being called a passenger doesn’t dissuade more rich people from taking these trips. In every other domain, land and sea, before humans traveled routinely, those most resourced led the way. So, praise everyone making space more accessible to more people. (9/15)

For the First Time, NASA is a Spectator for a U.S. Crew Mission to Orbit (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
“It’s another opening up of space,” Bill Nelson said. “NASA is not involved in it because this is a totally commercial operation of which they are not touching or, in this case, docking with the International Space Station.” Private spaceflight will become the norm, if NASA gets its way. The space agency has turned over astronaut transportation to low Earth orbit to the private sector, through contracts with SpaceX and Boeing, and eventually wants a commercial space station to replace the International Space Station.

"We want commercial operations to take over low Earth orbit. We want them to do the manufacturing. We want them to have their own space station, so that NASA can continue to push outward into the solar system, and beyond.” Under that scenario, NASA, international space agencies, companies, and private citizens would be able to purchase rides to a commercial space station. That frees governments from the cost burden of building and operating an orbiting complex, allowing NASA to spend its resources on deep space exploration, such as missions to the moon and Mars.

A NASA spokesperson said SpaceX is paying NASA around $1 million for limited support of the Inspiration4 mission. The space agency’s support includes communications links with the Crew Dragon capsule through ground stations and NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, a network of satellites in geostationary orbit also used to communicate with the space station. The TDRS satellites will relay voice and data between Crew Dragon and SpaceX mission control in California. Video imagery from the capsule will only come down to Earth when Dragon is in range of a ground tracking station. (9/15)

Space SPACs Struggle to Lift Off (Source: Space News)
The rocket went sideways, so the stock went down. Astra Space made its third orbital launch attempt from Kodiak, Alaska, Aug. 28, using an upgraded version of its small launch vehicle known as Rocket 3.3. The launch was the first of two under a U.S. Space Force contract. The rocket tipped, then righted itself and drifted away from the pad before exploding on ascent. The stock market acted predictably the following Monday. Astra shares opened down nearly 25% from its close the previous Friday. The stock has traded largely flat since then.

While the selloff after the failure was hardly unexpected, what was perhaps more telling was what happened the preceding Friday, Aug. 27, when Astra made its first attempt to launch Rocket 3.3. While the launch window opened after the markets closed, Astra shares rose in after-market trading as liftoff approached, spiking as the countdown neared zero. Astra shares, though, plummeted in the minutes after the abort, falling more than 10% before partially recovering at the end of the after-hours trading period, an apparent lack of confidence in the company by investors.

Some space startups, particularly in the launch industry, show little interest in pursuing SPACs, either because of the perceptions associated with them or concerns about going public in general at an early stage. The companies that have done SPAC deals say they’re satisfied with how things have turned out. That includes Rocket Lab, which completed its merger with Vector Acquisition Corporation and started trading on the Nasdaq Aug. 25, providing it with $777 million in capital. Its SPAC merger had a redemption rate of only 3%. (9/15)

UCF's Ray Lugo (a Former NASA Executive) to Lead CASIS (Source: NASA)
NASA and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) Board of Directors welcome Ramon (Ray) Lugo as the acting chief executive officer and principal investigator to lead CASIS, the organization tasked with managing the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory. Lugo comes to CASIS with more than 35 years of experience within the space industry, including serving as director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center, and is currently director of the Florida Space Institute at the University of Central Florida. (9/15)

Inspiration4 Mission Largely Automated, With Manual Override for Emergencies (Source: Aerospace America)
The Inspiration4 SpaceX mission is notable for its passenger manifest of four civilians and also a bold technical innovation in their capsule. Once in orbit, the passengers will view Earth and space through a cupola, a 2-meter-diameter glass dome, at the top of their Crew Dragon capsule. During liftoff and reentry, the cupola will be covered by Dragon’s nose cone, but on orbit the cone will flip up to give the passengers a panoramic view of Earth and space during their three-day flight.

SpaceX technicians added the cupola to the capsule, named Resilience, after it returned from the International Space Station in May. The flight will mark the first time this technology has been flown in space. Dragon’s automated navigation software will steer the capsule the entire mission, but SpaceX spent several months simulating on-board emergencies in which passenger Sian Proctor, a college professor from Arizona, would override the software and manually control the capsule. (9/15)

SpaceX Vision for New Era of Travel (Source: Bloomberg)
SpaceX is touting the flight as a boundary-breaking effort to prove that ordinary, relatively fit non-astronauts can withstand the rigors of spaceflight. During their time orbiting the Earth, the crew will conduct medical research to investigate the bodily and health impacts of spaceflight. The goal is to make the public, and wealthy people in particular, more comfortable with the idea of taking a space jaunt.  If the flight goes according to plan — followed by similar journeys on SpaceX’s agenda over the next two years – an era in which well-heeled travelers orbit the earth or moon could eventually become relatively routine.

“My personal view is that a suborbital flight is like a swing on the playground versus a roller coaster in a fun park,” said Peter Beck, chief executive officer of Rocket Lab USA Inc., which is also building a rocket called Neutron designed to carry humans to deep space in the late 2020s. “If I had a choice, a swing’s fine but if you want the real experience go ride the roller coaster, ” Beck said. (9/15)

MDA Awarded Contract for Japan's Martian Moons Exploration Mission (Source: Space Daily)
MDA Ltd. been awarded the full contract from Mitsubishi Electric in Japan to provide a Laser Rangefinder (LRF) altimeter for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) mission. MDA will be providing two redundant flight units (laser range finder - LRF) altimeters and one engineering development unit (EDU) LRF altimeter.

Scheduled to launch in Japanese 2024, MMX is a mission to explore the planet's two moons: Phobos and Deimos. Approximately one year after leaving Earth, the spacecraft will arrive in Martian space and enter into orbit around Mars and then Phobos. JAXA hopes to clarify the origin of the Martian moons and the process of planet formation in the Solar System; clarify the evolution process of the Martian-sphere (Mars, Phobos, Deimos); establish the technology required for the return trip between the Earth and Mars; establish advanced sampling techniques on celestial bodies; and establish optimal communication technologies using a newly developed ground station. (9/15)

NASA NIAC Fosters New Exploration Technologies (Source: Space Daily)
NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, part of the agency's Space Technology Mission Directorate, funds early-stage research into sci-fi sounding, futuristic technology concepts. The goal is to find what might work, what might not, and what exciting new ideas researchers may come up with along the way. During NIAC's annual Symposium Sep. 21-23, researchers will present ideas that could one day be game-changers in space. Click here. (9/15)