September 7, 2021

Kymeta and OneWeb Successfully Tests LEO-GEO Capable Land and Maritime Flat Panel User Terminal (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Kymeta and OneWeb successfully tested the Kymeta u8 based LEO terminal with OneWeb’s LEO satellite constellation. Kymeta and OneWeb performed a series of LEO satellite acquisition, tracking and throughput measurements in Toulouse, France. Kymeta plans to leverage these results in the definition of future-proof solutions that are fully integrated and compatible with the rapidly expanding OneWeb system. (9/7)

Space Force is Starting to Lean Into Innovative Launch Concepts (Source: Ars Technica)
In June, a previously flown Falcon 9 booster lofted a new-generation Global Positioning Satellite for the US Space Force. This marked a watershed moment for the US military and the concept of reusable rockets, as the Space Force entrusted a satellite worth about half a billion dollars to the new technology. Now we have a little more insight into why the Space Force is leaning into reusable rockets and other technology from innovative companies such as SpaceX.

Using a refurbished booster—this particular first stage had launched a GPS III satellite in November 2020—did save the Space Force money. By agreeing to launch two of its new GPS III satellites on used rockets, essentially, the US government pocketed $52 million in cost savings. This was certainly welcome, Space Force officials said, and it's nice to have the potential to increase launch tempo.

Additionally, the military has expressed an interest in SpaceX's "Starship" program that seeks to develop a fully reusable, super-heavy lift rocket. As part of a new "Rocket Cargo" program," the Air Force seeks to leverage emerging commercial rocket capabilities to launch cargo from one location and land elsewhere on Earth. "It's always been an intriguing idea. We've looked at it about every 10 years, but it's never really made sense. The reason we're doing it now is because it looks like technology may have caught up with a good idea." (9/7)

South Korea’s First Lunar Orbiter to be Launched in August Next Year (Source: Business Korea)
South Korea’s first lunar orbiter will be launched in August next year in cooperation with NASA. On Aug. 30, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that the lunar orbiter currently in the process of development is now equipped with NASA’s high-precision camera for lunar surface research. South Korea joined the Artemis Accords in May this year. (9/6)

Nauka Module to Test Radiation Protection Material (Source: Sputnik)
New equipment that will help protect people from radiation during interplanetary flights will be tested on the Russian Nauka multipurpose laboratory module at the International Space Station. "We are wrapping up the construction of a design and development prototype of the BTN-M2 scientific equipment. … I hope that in 2023, the BTN-M2 flight equipment will be taken into orbit by a Progress spaceship and will start working on the ISS," Igor Mitrofanov said. He specified that unlike the BTN-M1 equipment currently installed on the outer surface of the Zvezda module, the new device will be installed inside the Nauka module. (9/7)

Forget Rockets – a Lunar Elevator is the Future of Moon Travel (Source: Science Focus)
A cable anchored to the lunar surface would stretch most of the 400,000km (250,000 miles) home. It couldn’t be directly attached to the Earth, due to the relative motions of the two objects, but it could terminate high in Earth orbit. That would have the added benefit of placing it above the bulk of our space junk, a growing problem as we launch ever more satellites. Solar-powered robotic shuttles could move up and down the cable, acting as a conveyor belt to ferry precious resources our way.

The cable, which would be no thicker than a pencil, would weigh 40 tonnes – well within the remit of modern rockets, such as SpaceX’s Starship. Unlike a space elevator that would travel from Earth’s surface into space, a lunar elevator stopping slightly shy of our planet wouldn’t have to contend with huge gravitational forces. The Moon has no atmosphere either, which simplifies matters. That means the cable could be made from existing materials, such as Kevlar, instead of the yet-to-be-invented super-strong materials needed for an Earth-to-space elevator. (9/6)

Nanoracks' Spinoff Aims to Bring Food Production to Earth's Deserts and Orbital Space (Source: Space.com)
High-tech solar greenhouses inspired by technology developed for missions to the moon and Mars could soon grow food in Arabian deserts and in Earth orbit, according to the space services company Nanoracks. Nanoracks, known for deploying small satellites from the International Space Station, has just set up a spinoff in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) called StarLab Oasis.

The new company, supported by the government of the desert-covered state, which imports 90% of its food, will open its first experimental greenhouse in 2022, the company's general manager Allen Herbert said. In addition, the company's scientists will send seeds to space to induce mutations in the hopes of creating new, more resilient and productive varieties of key agricultural crops. This technique, also known as space mutagenesis, has been successfully used in China for more than three decades. (9/7)

Redwire Closes Higher in Stock Market Debut (Source: CNBC)
Redwire closed higher in its first day of trading as a public company. Shares in the space technology company closed up 16.6% Friday on the New York Stock Exchange. The company, established last year by combining several companies that develop components and advanced technologies, went public through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC). Redwire went public to raise money for additional acquisitions. (9/7)

Florida Legislator Seeks More Tax Breaks for Florida Space Companies (Source: Florida Today)
A Florida legislator is introducing a bill to give space companies in the state a tax break. The "Zero G, Zero Fee Act" would exempt materials and consumables used for launch vehicles and payloads from sales tax, and also prohibit the state from taxing launches and landings of spacecraft. State Rep. Tyler Sirois, who introduced the bill, says the legislation is intended to keep Florida competitive with other states seeking to attract space companies. (9/7)

Arabsat Gets New Leadership (Source: Arabsat)
Satellite operator Arabsat has new leadership. The company announced Monday that Haitham Al-Ohali, vice minister of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Saudi Arabia, was the new chairman of its board of directors. Khalid bin Ahmed Balkheyour, who had been CEO of Arabsat, then stepped down and was replaced by Badr bin Nasser Al-Suwaidan, Arabsat's chief technical officer. Arabsat didn't elaborate on the reasons for changing leadership. (9/7)

Billions More for NASA in House Version of Spending Bill, But No Second Lunar Lander (Source: Space News)
A House version of a multitrillion-dollar spending package includes several billion for NASA infrastructure but no funding for a second Human Landing System award. A draft version of one portion of the bill, updated Saturday, includes $4 billion for updating infrastructure at NASA field centers, a priority of NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

However, the bill offers no money for a second agency priority, funding to allow the agency to make a second HLS award. Instead, the bill provides nearly $400 million for climate change research and cybersecurity. The bill also includes $173 million for NOAA to accelerate work on a space weather mission. The House Science Committee is scheduled to mark up its version of the bill Thursday, which will be combined with other elements of the overall $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation spending package intended to support "social infrastructure" efforts. (9/7)

Firefly Confirms Engine Shutdown Contributed to Launch Failure (Source: Space News)
Firefly says its first Alpha launch failed last week when a first-stage engine shut down prematurely. The company said Sunday that one of four engines in the first stage of the rocket shut down 15 seconds after liftoff. The engine had what the company called an "uneventful shutdown" when propellant valves closed for unknown reasons. The other three engines allowed the vehicle to continue its ascent, but with reduced thrust, and the loss of the fourth engine deprived the vehicle of thrust vector control needed to remain stable once it went supersonic. The rocket then started to tumble, and the flight termination system destroyed it. (9/7)

Space Force Delays Selection of Weather Satellites (Source: Space News)
The Space Force is delaying a selection of new weather satellites. The service had been expected to select later this year which vendors will build next-generation weather satellites for the Defense Department as part of the Electro-Optical Infrared Weather System program. However, the Space Force is extending the competition to next spring to give the teams more time to fine tune their designs. Three companies are working on designs for satellites, or constellations of satellites, to provide weather imaging and cloud characterization data. (9/7)

DoD Pilot Program Will Continue Providing Imagery to Fight Wildfires (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon will extend a pilot program that provides imagery from satellites and other sources to help track and combat wildfires. The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) started the "Firefly" program in 2019, providing firefighters with maps updated every 15 minutes on areas where fires were rapidly spreading. Those maps are based in part on infrared sensor data from missile-warning satellites to help domestic agencies spot and track fires. The program was set to expire this month, but the Pentagon announced Friday it will be extended a year. (9/7)

China Launches Earth Science Satellite (Source: Xinhua)
China launched an Earth science satellite Monday night. A Long March 4C rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at 11:01 p.m. Eastern and placed the Gaofen-5 02 satellite into orbit. The first Gaofen-5 satellite, launched in 2018, carried several instruments for civilian Earth science applications. (9/7)

China's Chang'e Lunar Orbiter On the Move (Source: Space News)
The orbiter from China's Chang'e-5 lunar sample return mission is heading back to the moon. The spacecraft flew by Earth last December after delivering a capsule with samples and headed out to the Earth-sun L-1 Lagrange point. Data from amateur satellite trackers show that the spacecraft has left L-1 and appears to be heading back towards the moon, making a flyby later this week. China's plans for the spacecraft are not known, but options range from going back into orbit around the moon to going to another Lagrange point or even a flyby of a near Earth object. (9/7)

German Government, Industry Back North Sea Spaceport Plan (Source: AP)
The German government said Monday it supports plans for a floating North Sea spaceport that would be used to launch small satellites into space from Europe. Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said the government would act as an “anchor customer” for the floating launch site off the German coast. Siegfried Russwurm, head of the Germany industry association BDI, said a spaceport in the North Sea would make it easier to launch satellites into polar and sun-synchronous orbits. (9/7)

This Very Weird ‘Accidental’ Star Could Help Reveal the Secrets of the Cosmos (Source: Daily Beast)
The Milky Way galaxy just got a lot weirder. More to the point, our understanding of how weird the galaxy is got a lot better. It’s possible the Milky Way is positively teeming with a startling number of dead stars, some of which might be nearly as old as the galaxy itself. We have an amateur stargazer to thank for the discovery. Dan Caselden was playing the video game Counter-Strike late one night back in 2018 when a custom software program he’d created for analyzing data from a NASA star survey found something odd.

A huge cold object in space, moving fast 50 light-years from Earth. “The system enthusiastically pointed me to a place in the sky that had absolutely nothing interesting there at all,” Caselden told The Daily Beast. “But in the bottom left corner, there was a faint object just screaming across the screen.” Because he’d found the object without really trying, Caselden named it… The Accident. (9/7)

Ocean Worlds With Hydrogen-Rich Atmospheres Could be the Perfect Spots for Life (Source: Universe Today)
The search for planets beyond our Solar System (extrasolar planets) has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade. A total of 4,514 exoplanets have been confirmed in 3,346 planetary systems, with another 7,721 candidates awaiting confirmation. At present, astrobiologists are largely focused on the “low hanging fruit” approach of looking for exoplanets that are similar in size, mass, and atmospheric composition to Earth (aka. “Earth-like.”)

However, astrobiologists are also interested in finding examples of “exotic life,” the kind that emerged under conditions that are not “Earth-like.” For example, a team of astronomers from the University of Cambridge recently conducted a study that showed how life could emerge on ocean-covered planets with hydrogen-rich atmospheres (aka. “Hycean” planets). These findings could have significant implications for exoplanet studies and the field of astrobiology. (9/4)

SpaceX Prepares Starship for Orbital Test (Source: Teslarati)
SpaceX has begun reinstalling three of the six Raptor engines that will power the first orbital-class Starship and repairing the heat shield that will hopefully protect it on its first trip to space. Known as Starship 20 or S20, the prototype has been stationed at one of SpaceX’s two suborbital testing pads since Aug. 13. A small army of SpaceX technicians and engineers have instead spent the last three or so weeks effectively turning a collection of steel tanks, tubes, and parts into a functional rocket. While it’s unclear why SpaceX chose to do that outfitting work at an unsheltered launch pad, new activity suggests that it may be almost complete. (9/6)

Vaccines Required for Active-Duty Air Force, Space Force by Nov. 2 (Source: 9/5)
Active-duty Airmen and Guardians have until Nov. 2 to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while members of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve have until Dec. 2. Personnel will be considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose of a two-dose vaccine, according to a Department of the Air Force release, or two weeks after the first dose of a single-dose vaccine. Because two-dose vaccines are usually given three weeks apart, that means those who have never received a dose at all may have to squeeze in the five-week process over the next eight weeks. (9/5)