September 3, 2021

Cosmonauts' Spacewalks to Complete Nauka Module Connection (Source: NASA)
Two Russian cosmonauts conducted a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Friday. Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov started the seven-hour spacewalk at 10:35 a.m. Eastern, working to attach cables on the exterior of the station's new Nauka module. The two cosmonauts will continue that work on a second spacewalk Sep. 9. (9/3)
 
Virgin Orbit Sees Opportunities for DoD Responsive Launch (Source: Space News)
Renewed interest in launching satellites on short notice is a good fit for Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne, say executives with VOX Space, Virgin Orbit's government services subsidiary. The U.S. Space Force demonstrated tactically responsive launch in June in a mission named TacRL-2 on a Pegasus. Virgin Orbit plans to compete for future TacRL demonstration missions, arguing its air-launch system and liquid-propellant rocket offer performance and flexibility. (9/3)

Rocket Lab Expands Component Business (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab is expanding its satellite component business. The company said this week it's set up a new production line for reaction wheels in New Zealand, allowing it to produce up to 2,000 of them per year. Rocket Lab says there's strong demand for those components from companies developing satellite constellations. Rocket Lab got into the satellite component business with its acquisition of Sinclair Interplanetary, a Canadian producer of smallsat components, last year. (9/3)

Russia Plans Launches for New Space Station (Source: TASS)
Russia will start launching elements of a new national space station in five to six years. Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, offered that schedule Thursday, saying a research and power module will serve as a core of that station. He did not state how long it would take to complete the station or its cost. (9/3)

NASA’s Newest Mars Rover Snags 1st Rock Sample for Return (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA’s newest Mars rover has successfully collected its first rock sample for return to Earth, after last month’s attempt came up empty. The Perseverance rover’s chief engineer, Adam Steltzner, called it a perfect core sample. “I’ve never been more happy to see a hole in a rock,” he tweeted Thursday. A month ago, Perseverance drilled into much softer rock, and the sample crumbled and didn’t get inside the titanium tube. The rover drove a half-mile to a better sampling spot to try again. Team members analyzed data and pictures before declaring success. (9/2)

Firefly's Inaugural Launch Fails with Explosion After California Launch (Source: Space News)
Firefly Aerospace's first Alpha launch ended with an explosion two and a half minutes after liftoff Thursday. The rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 9:59 p.m. Eastern. About two and a half minutes later, the rocket started to tumble and then exploded. Firefly said the vehicle suffered an anomaly but that it was too early to know the root cause. Company executives had emphasized before the launch that this mission was a test flight of a new vehicle, with the goal of collecting as much data as possible. (9/3)

GAO: Insufficient DoD Capacity for Narrowband Satellites (Source: Space News)
The GAO found that the military's narrowband communications satellites are oversubscribed and there is insufficient capacity to meet the needs of users. In a report Thursday, the GAO said the Defense Department has not supplied enough user handsets and terminals to take advantage of advanced features on the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) series of satellites designed to greatly increase capacity. The report warned the DoD needs to start thinking about what comes after the MUOS system when it begins to degrade in the 2030s. GAO over the years has criticized the disjointed management of the MUOS program, with the Navy responsible for the satellites and ground systems but with the primary users being the Army and Marines. (9/3)

OneWeb Insures Launches of Remaining Satellites (Source: Space News)
OneWeb has secured an insurance policy worth more than $1 billion for the launch of its remaining satellites. A previous multi-launch policy arranged by insurance broker Willis expired in August and rival broker Marsh won the tender for the remaining 56% of its 648-strong constellation. OneWeb is said to have secured coverage for less than half the 5-6% going rate for Soyuz launch insurance in the current market. Preparations are underway for the next Soyuz launch of OneWeb satellites, scheduled for Sep. 14. (9/3)

Virgin Galactic Statements In Response to New Yorker Article (Source: SpaceRef)
“We dispute the misleading characterizations and conclusions in the New Yorker article published today... The safety of our crew and passengers is Virgin Galactic’s top priority. Our entire approach to spaceflight is guided by a fundamental commitment to safety at every level, including our spaceflight system, our test flight program and our rigorous pilot training protocol. 

 “Unity 22 was a safe and successful test flight that adhered to our flight procedures and training protocols. When the vehicle encountered high altitude winds which changed the trajectory, the pilots and systems monitored the trajectory to ensure it remained within mission parameters. Our pilots responded appropriately to these changing flight conditions exactly as they have been trained and in strict accordance with our established procedures. Although the flight’s ultimate trajectory deviated from our initial plan, it was a controlled and intentional flight path that allowed Unity 22 to successfully reach space and land safely at our Spaceport in New Mexico. At no time were passengers and crew put in any danger as a result of this change in trajectory." (9/2)

China May Use an Existing Rocket to Speed Up Plans for a Human Moon Mission (Source: Ars Technica)
China appears to be accelerating its plans to land on the Moon by 2030 and would use a modified version of an existing rocket to do so. The chief designer of the Long March family of rockets, Long Lehao, said China could use two modified Long March 5 rockets to accomplish a lunar landing in less than a decade, according to the Hong Kong-based online news site, HK01. He spoke earlier this week at the 35th National Youth Science and Technology Innovation Competition in China.

He said one of these large rockets would launch a lunar lander into orbit around the Moon, and the second would send the crew to meet it. The crew would then transfer to the lander, go down to the Moon's surface, and spend about six hours walking on its surface. Then part of the lunar lander would ascend back to meet the spacecraft and return to Earth. (9/2)

Jacksonville's Redwire Completes SPAC Merger (Source: Space News)
Jacksonville-based space technology company Redwire announced Sept. 2 that it closed its merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC), taking the company public and providing it with capital for future acquisitions. Shareholders of Genesis Park Acquisition Corporation voted Sept. 1 to approve the merger with Redwire, with 97% of votes, representing 73% of outstanding shares, backing the deal. That vote was the final milestone to completing the deal, which formally closed Sept. 2.

The merger turns Redwire into a publicly traded company, which will start trading Sept. 3 on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RDW with a pro forma enterprise valuation of $620 million. (9/2)

OneWeb Secures $1 Billion Insurance Deal for Remaining Constellation (Source: Space News)
OneWeb has signed an insurance policy worth more than $1 billion to cover the remaining 10 launches for its broadband constellation, after its previous policy expired following delays caused by its 2020 bankruptcy. A previous multi-launch policy arranged by insurance broker Willis expired Aug.1, OneWeb confirmed, and rival broker Marsh won the tender for the remaining 56% of its 648-strong constellation after it was put out to the market. (9/2)

NASA Plans Yearlong Mars Simulation to Test Limits of Isolation (Source: Space Daily)
NASA wants four people to test the limits of human isolation by placing them in a simulated Mars habitat for a year, cut off from the world except for delayed communication and possible simulated spacesuit walks. The simulation, planned for Johnson Space Center in Houston, won't be the first time the space agency attempts to mimic a stay on Mars, but it will be one of the longest.

NASA seeks applicants between 30 and 55 years old who are willing and able to perform a daily routine that could include taking cognitive tests, performing indoor exercise, eating prepackaged food, engaging in limited social media and working on indoor gardens of leafy greens. The isolation and limited resources apparently don't seem so odious to many people. NASA officials said they're surprised by a flood of interest in advance of the Sept. 17 deadline for applications. (9/1)

ESA and UN Offer Worldwide Access to Hypergravity Testing (Source: Space Daily)
ESA and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs are opening the second round of their HyperGES fellowship, part of the Access to Space For All Initiative, offering student teams around the globe the chance to perform hypergravity experiments using the Large Diameter Centrifuge at ESA's ESTEC technical centre in the Netherlands, with a particular focus on developing nations.

The LDC is an 8-m diameter four-arm centrifuge that gives researchers access to a range of hypergravity up to 20 times Earth gravity for weeks or months at a time. At its fastest, the centrifuge rotates at up to 67 revs per minute, with its six gondolas placed at different points along its arms weighing in at 130 kg, and each capable of accommodating 80 kg of payload. (9/2)