October 15, 2021

Jury Finds Former NASA Executive Guilty in Shooting Death of Springfield Neighbor (Source: WTOP)
A former NASA executive who is accused of shooting his neighbor in Springfield, Virginia, with whom he had an ongoing dispute, has been found guilty of first-degree murder. Michael Hetle, 52, was found guilty of shooting Javon Prather, 24, seven times. The shooting was captured by a Ring doorbell camera. Hetle claimed he feared for his life when Prather came knocking on the door of his home, but prosecutors called it a coldblooded execution.

Hetle and Prather had simmering disputes since 2016, with Hetle repeatedly complaining and calling police about barking dogs and loud music. Descano said that evidence submitted during trial revealed that “racial animus was a contributing factor” in Hetle’s actions, citing evidence from Hetle’s son about how the defendant referred to Prather and his wife, among other things that Descano said the jury found compelling. (10/14)

Why NASA Is Launching a Robotic Archaeologist Named Lucy (Source: New York Times)
NASA is sending a probe toward clusters of asteroids along Jupiter’s orbital path. They’re known as the Trojan swarms, and they represent the final unexplored regions of asteroids in the solar system. The spacecraft, a deep-space robotic archaeologist named Lucy, will seek to answer pressing questions about the origins of the solar system, how the planets migrated to their current orbits and how life might have emerged on Earth.

The spacecraft will study the geology, composition, density and structure of the Trojans, which are small bodies locked in stable points along Jupiter’s orbit of the sun, fixed in their own orbits ahead or behind the massive planet. About 10,000 such objects have been discovered. When the first was spotted more than a century ago, astronomers began naming them after heroes of Homer’s Iliad. The result was the overall descriptor of “Trojan.”

The latest science suggests that Neptune and Uranus formed much closer to the sun than their current orbits, and that the increasingly eccentric orbits of a young Jupiter and Saturn destabilized and rearranged the solar system. In the process, as the giant planets moved, and Uranus and Neptune bounded outward, they scattered the small bodies of the solar system. Some comets and asteroids were flung to the deep outer solar system, and others were ejected entirely out into the Milky Way. A small minority of scattered asteroids were ensnared in two of Jupiter’s permanent Lagrange points. Those asteroids are the Trojan swarms. (10/15)

NASA Finds Evidence of Persistent Water Vapor in One Hemisphere of Europa (Source: Space Coast Daily)
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope observations of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa have revealed the presence of persistent water vapor – but, mysteriously, only in one hemisphere. Europa harbors a vast ocean underneath its icy surface, which might offer conditions hospitable for life. This result advances astronomers’ understanding of the atmospheric structure of icy moons, and helps lay the groundwork for planned science missions to the Jovian system to, in part, explore whether an environment half-a-billion miles from the Sun could support life. (10/14)

Virgin Galactic Delays Beginning of Commercial Spaceflights to Fourth Quarter 2022, Stock Falls 13% (Sources: CNBC, Space News)
Virgin Galactic is delaying the beginning of its commercial space tourism service to fourth quarter 2022. The space tourism company will this month begin work refurbishing and improving its spacecraft and carrier aircraft, rather than fly its next spaceflight test. Virgin Galactic’s enhancement process, which is expected to take eight months, makes mid-2022 the earliest that the Unity 23 spaceflight may fly. Lab tests of materials used on the spaceplane and its carrier aircraft on previous flights "flagged a possible reduction in the strength margins." (10/14)

Virgin Galactic Delays Italian Researchers' Flight (Source: Space News)
Virgin Galactic has delayed a SpaceShipTwo flight for the Italian Air Force until next year. The company announced Thursday it was moving immediately into a planned maintenance period. Virgin Galactic announced in August it would have an extended downtime to work on both vehicles, but planned to start it after one more SpaceShipTwo flight in the fall. That flight will now take place no earlier than next summer, after the end of the maintenance period. (10/15)

Russians Wrapping Up ISS Film Shoot (Source: TASS)
An actress and director are wrapping up filming on the International Space Station. Roscosmos said director Klim Shipenko and actress Yulia Peresild have completed most of the scenes they planned to shoot on the station for a movie called Challenge. The two, along with cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, will return to Earth on the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft late Saturday. (10/15)

Leaf Space Adds Ground Stations to Network (Source: Space News)
Italian ground segment provider Leaf Space is adding five ground stations. Leaf Space said Thursday is establishing ground stations in West and South Australia, British Columbia, Iceland and Bulgaria in response to customer demand for both capacity and coverage footprints. Leaf Space now has 15 stations and is planning further expansion of its network in the first quarter of 2022 to ensure the company can help customers communicate with satellites in any low Earth orbit. (10/15)

Iceye Links with Europe's Copernicus Program to Share Data (Source: Space News)
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Iceye is joining Europe's Copernicus program. Iceye won a contract to provide SAR data to Copernicus, which will make that data available free of charge to European public organizations, European service providers and international organizations that serve European citizens. Iceye has launched 14 satellites to date and plans to expand its constellation by more than 10 satellites in 2022. (10/15)

Orbit Fab Links with AFRL (Source: Space News)
Orbit Fab has signed a technology sharing agreement with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. The company, developing tankers for refueling spacecraft, will share technical details of its in-space refueling port known as RAFTI, short for Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface. AFRL, in turn, will review Orbit Fab's refueling technologies, advise on requirements and designs, and make available its facilities for testing and qualification. (10/15)

Australia’s Space Start-Ups Already Bursting at the Seams (Source: Cosmos)
The Adelaide incubator has been running hot. Space technology start-ups have started to hatch, and Australia’s newest industry is eager to fly the nest. Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA) CEO James Brown told Cosmos he’s excited to see the rapid growth of the first clutch of start-ups based at South Australia’s Lot Fourteen precinct. Their feathers are forming. He hopes they will soon take flight.

But there’s a bit of growth needed before they can leave the nest for good. “Australia’s space industry won’t be sustainable if it just relies on regular government grants,” the industry advocate says. “What works for these companies now hopefully won’t work for them too much longer. Ideally, we’ll quickly get to the point where Lot Fourteen isn’t big enough for the space companies there now.”

Brown adds that support from state and federal government agencies is vital to nurturing start-ups in such a global industry. “But we need to get to the point where we’re seeing large-scale deals involving decade-long procurements for big space missions. And we’re not there yet.” SIAA is an industry advisory and representative body dedicated to promoting the Australian space sector. Confidence and enthusiasm, Brown says, are running high. (10/15)

South Korea Preps for Debut Launch of KSLV-2 Rocket (Source: Reuters)
South Korea is preparing for the first launch of its KSLV-2 rocket next week. The launch, scheduled for next Thursday, will place a dummy payload into orbit to test the rocket, the first developed entirely by South Korea. The KSLV-2, also known as Nuri, is designed to carry satellites weighing up to 1.5 tons into low Earth orbit and could be used for both military and civil payloads. (10/15)

Scientists Detect 1,652 Radio Signals From Mysterious Source in Space (Source: Vice)
Of all the mind-bending phenomena in the cosmos, few are more tantalizing than fast radio bursts, or FRBs. Since the first detection in 2007, these mysterious radio signals emanating from the void have puzzled scientists searching for their source. Some of them even repeat, and demonstrate unexplained patterns of activity.

Now, a new look at the first repeater ever discovered—FRB 121102, first observed in 2012—has revealed some amazing insights. An international team of scientists recorded an incredible 1,652 independent radio bursts from the mysterious source in just 47 days, according to a study published in Nature on Wednesday. The finding represents the highest activity ever recorded from an FRB, with 122 radio bursts coming in the span of one hour in one instance. The scale of the discovery is remarkable: the total number of previously reported FRBs from this source was a mere 349.

The new research essentially rules out one leading theory for the source of FRBs. "The leading model to interpret FRBs invokes magnetars, the most magnetized neutron stars in the universe," he wrote. "There are two versions of it, one involving the magnetosphere of the magnetar to emit FRBs, another invoking shocks far from the magnetosphere to generate them. This observation disfavors the latter mechanism which has a very low efficiency to generate bursts. (10/14)

SECAF Wants to Accelerate Space Acquisition Appointment, Shift Policy Nexus (Sources: Space News, Breaking Defense)
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall wants to accelerate the appointment of a civilian leader of space acquisition. Kendall is working with both the House and the Senate to amend the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) so a new assistant secretary for space acquisitions can be nominated and, if confirmed by the Senate, take office sooner than next October. The 2020 NDAA directed the Air Force to create a new office with the title of assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration to oversee Space Force programs by October of 2022. Kendall’s recommended changes to the 2022 bill would authorize the new position as soon as the law is signed.

The Department of the Air Force is also planning a change in how it develops space policy. Policy development, which had been directly under the Air Force secretary, will be moved to the office of the chief of space operations, Gen. John Raymond. The move would put space policy development in the military chain of command rather than civilian leadership, although Pentagon officials emphasized overall authority would reside with Kendall and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. (10/15)

China Launches Solar Research Satellite (Source: Space News)
China launched a space science satellite Thursday. The Long March 2D lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at 6:51 a.m. Eastern and placed the Chinese H-alpha Solar Explorer into a sun-synchronous orbit. The spacecraft will study solar activity and provide critical data for space weather forecasting. The launch also carried 10 secondary payloads. The rocket's first stage incorporated grid fins, like those on SpaceX's Falcon 9, to constrain the expected drop zone of the stage downrange. (10/15)

China Welcomes Foreign Astronauts to Space Station Flights (Source: Xinhua)
Astronauts from foreign countries will be able to participate in joint flights on board China's space station, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced. China welcomes foreign astronauts to its space station to carry out international cooperation, Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, told a press conference ahead of the Shenzhou-13 spacecraft launch, which is scheduled for 12:23 a.m. (Beijing Time) on Oct. 16 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. (10/15)

Wang Yaping, First Woman Taikonaut to Enter China's Space Station (Source: Xinhua)
Frequent goodbyes to her family come hand-in-hand with Wang Yaping's intensive training. This time, however, her goodbye will spark joy in her 5-year-old daughter's eyes as she is "shooting for the stars." Wang is slated to take part in the Shenzhou-13 crewed mission, with the spaceship to be launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Oct. 16. She will become the first woman to enter China's space station core module Tianhe.

While Wang's six-month trip to space will be the longest absence from her daughter, she and two other astronauts, Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu, of the Shenzhou-13 space mission will make the longest ever stay in space by Chinese astronauts. The last time Wang was in space was eight years ago, three years before the birth of her daughter. (10/15)

Reusability on the Horizon for Small Satellite Launch Providers (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
During October 2021’s Small Payload Ride Share Association Symposium, a collection of small satellite launch providers gave updates on current and future projects. These providers range from those preparing for first flights, others in the middle of their test flight program, and still others that have already delivered operational payloads. A common theme was having eyes on reusability as future evolutions for small satellite launch systems. Click here. (10/14)

UCF Knights to Pay Tribute to Space Industry with ‘Mission V: Discovery’ Alternate Uniforms (Source: Space Coast Daily)
The UCF Knights football team to pay tribute to the 40th Anniversary of the Shuttle Program with the new “Mission V: Discovery” alternate uniforms against Memphis on October 22. So, now, welcome to the 21st century. October 22nd’s game against Memphis provides the latest “Space Game” wrinkle —and, boy, are these Nike design elements a long ways from those old traditional football threads worn by the Knights. (10/15)

Space Coast EDC Teaming with Terran Orbital to Foster Strong Workforce (Source: Space Coast Daily)
“Florida’s Space Coast oers Terran Orbital the day-one, ready-to-work talent this innovative manufacturer needs to scale up quickly,” said Lynda Weatherman, of the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast. "The EDC is teaming with the company and our state and local partners to foster a strong workforce pipeline sustained by higher education and other training programs to drive success."

"The addition of Terran Orbital to our community marks a signicant milestone in Brevard County’s transformation from the place for launch to the place for launch, production and processing for the civil, defense and commercial space industries." This will be the largest satellite manufacturing facility in the world and the project is expected to create approximately 2,100 new jobs with an estimated annual average wage of $84,000 by late 2025. (10/11)

Europe Delivers Module for First Astronaut Mission to the Moon (Source: ESA)
The second European Service Module for NASA’s Orion spacecraft is on its way to USA. It is the last stopover on Earth before this made-in-Europe powerhouse takes the first astronauts around the Moon on the Artemis II mission. An Antonov aircraft sent the module across the Atlantic in a custom-built container this morning from Bremen, Germany. Upon arrival at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the second European Service Module (ESM-2) will be connected to the crew module. Together they form the Orion spacecraft. (10/13)

UK and NASA Join Forces on New Mission to Study ‘Magnetic Bubble’ Around Sun (Source: Gov.UK)
The UK Space Agency and NASA have agreed to work together on a mission to observe and map the heliosphere - the area of space surrounding the Sun filled with charged particles known as the solar wind. Scheduled to launch in 2025, the US-led mission will be crucial for future human exploration of the Moon and Mars, and could also improve the UK’s space weather monitoring capability and our understanding of potentially damaging solar flares. (10/14)

NASA Team Helps Build Top End Australian Spaceport (Source: 7news)
NASA has been lending a hand to build an outback launch pad in the Northern Territory, ahead of the space agency's first lift-off from a commercial site outside the USA. About 25 NASA personnel are on-site at the Arnhem Space Centre, near Nhulunbuy, about 650km east of Darwin, to help prepare it for the launch of three orbital sounding rockets next year.

They're expected to carry scientific instruments into space for research purposes. The NASA team has been preparing the rocket launcher, tracking systems and other support systems that will be needed for the launch campaign in mid-2022. (10/14)

Spaceflight Firsts On Offer (Source: The Atlantic)
“I think there will be just a constant stream of firsts,” Alan Ladwig, a former NASA program manager and the author of See You In Orbit? Our Dream of Spaceflight, told me. Quirky ones too. In the 1980s, Ladwig managed NASA’s spaceflight-participant program, an effort to fly ordinary citizens alongside professional astronauts, and he received a deluge of letters from interested candidates. “Everyone wanted to be the first of their profession to go,” Ladwig said. “People constantly wrote to me about wanting to be the first couple to get married in space, the first woman to have her baby in space,” even the first to have sex in space, he said.

And many private astronauts will have to grasp for a superlative that makes them stand out—because many of them will, ultimately, fit the profile of the spacefarers before them. People who are wealthy enough to afford a suborbital trip on Blue Origin or Virgin Galactic—or ultra-wealthy enough to buy an orbital journey on SpaceX—tend to resemble the majority of the nearly 600 people who have traveled to space in the past 60 years: male, white, and highly educated.

So far, the men who have underwritten these flights seem aware of these optics. Jared Isaacman, who chartered the SpaceX mission in September, deliberately chose companions who could send a message about who space is for, instead of “a bunch of my pilot buddies.” He also donated $100 million of his own money to a hospital that treats children with cancer. For his inaugural flight in July, Jeff Bezos invited Wally Funk, who outperformed John Glenn himself on astronaut tests, and had waited decades for her turn in space. Bringing along such likable “regular” people helped protect these missions from some of the industry’s most glaring weak points. You might not like Bezos, but who could root against Funk? Or a beloved cultural icon like Shatner? (10/14)