October 23, 2021

NASA Wallops Supports Department of Defense Rocket Launches (Source: NASA)
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility supported the launch of three suborbital sounding rocket the evening of Oct. 20, 2021, for the Navy Strategic Systems Programs and the Army Hypersonic Program Office. The High Operational Tempo for Hypersonics flight campaign was executed by Sandia National Laboratories. The test will be used to inform the development of the Navy’s Conventional Prompt Strike and the Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon offensive hypersonic strike capability. (10/22)

Air Force Materiel Command Reaches IOC as Servicing Major Command for Space Force (Source: USSF)
The Air Force Materiel Command declared Initial Operational Capability for its support to the U.S. Space Force on Oct. 1, 2021. The IOC milestone means AFMC is well on its way to fully supporting the Space Force as its Servicing Major Command for Space Force-assigned Airmen. The USAF and USSF took a series of steps over the past year in the designation of AFMC as Servicing MAJCOM for the USSF.

Those actions included a programming plan, approved this summer, outlining the functional support AFMC will provide to Airmen assigned to the USSF. At IOC, a memorandum of agreement has been established between the Department of the Air Force and U.S. Space Force, and the functions and personnel who will be serviced by AFMC have been identified. (10/21)

Battle Brews Over Creating Space National Guard (Source: Politico)
The Space Force is here to stay. But the debate over whether the military's newest branch should have its own weekend warriors has turned into the latest space-based political brawl. Lawmakers from Colorado, Florida, Hawaii and other states that are home to space operations are pushing for a dedicated Space National Guard that can provide a talent pool for the technical space branch — while also benefiting from some of the additional spending that would go with it.

The House recently passed bipartisan defense policy legislation mandating that a Space Guard be established within 18 months. But the White House “strongly opposes” the move, arguing it “would not deliver new capabilities” and only “create new government bureaucracy.” The Pentagon is also not eager to create a new organization. Some active-duty leaders are reluctant to have to contend with another powerful lobby in Washington pushing parochial interests and projects, according to current and former military officials and experts. (10/21)

Asia in the Midst of a Space Race, But it's Not Just About Exploration. It's Also a Military Flex (Source: ABC.net.au)
The space race has never purely been about planting a nation's flag on an object in space or benign scientific discovery. It's always had a military and strategic dimension. For almost half a century, as the US and Russia competed for dominance above Earth, both superpowers spent billions exploring space weapons, like death rays fired from rocket ships.

Yet while the cold war ended some 30 years ago, some fear that a new space race may be a sign the world is poised to enter another arms race too. This time, however, it won't just be limited to global superpowers. "The reality is that militarization — and, if you like, democratization — of space technologies, means that there are going to be more and more entrants into the area," said Brett Biddington.

China, India and Japan have already started to demonstrate both the ambition and technological skills necessary to be considered space powers. This week, South Korea revealed that it too wants to be taken seriously on the global stage, refusing to be left behind in the race to space. (10/21)

China's Space Progress Benefits Us All (Source: ECNS)
An open invitation for international cooperation has been issued, in the hope that China's space station will facilitate broader collaboration between nations as it progresses towards full utility. The launch of the station will round off what have been a spectacular few years for the country's space endeavors, rapidly promoting China alongside the United States as a world leader in space exploration, as well as the technological research gains that naturally come from such resource-intensive risk-taking.

China's achievements in space have snowballed in the last year-and-a-half. In June 2020, the final Beidou satellite was successfully launched, providing a network of satellites for global navigation akin to the US-owned GPS and Europe's Galileo networks. The network is set to bring greater coverage to the surrounding Asia region, which makes up roughly 50 percent of the world's population, potentially benefiting billions of people. (10/22)

Chinese Institutions to Receive 2nd Batch of Lunar Samples for Research (Source: Xinhua)
China has announced a list of research institutions that are to receive the second batch of lunar samples brought back by its Chang'e-5 mission. The newly distributed samples, weighing about 17.9 grams, will be divided into 51 lots and handed over to scientists from 17 research institutions, according to a notice issued by the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. (10/21)

Environmental Racism? SpaceX Faces Public Hearings in Texas (Source: PJ Media)
Commenters at the FAA public meeting for Boca Chica, local and otherwise, talked about the problems with infrastructure projects attached to SpaceX, including a solar farm. Other concerns included area homes getting shaken and beach and road closures during launches. Even residents from Mexico weighed in with environmental comments and concerns about gentrification as the project grows.

Round 2 was held Wednesday night. One of the biggest bones of contention was that not enough accommodations were made for Spanish-speaking people. One speaker called it a civil rights violation. Much of the objections and messages of support were the same as in the previous meeting, however some opponents referred to the project as “environmental racism.” The night brought out the worst in some people, including one man who upped the racial tension when he said he that did not want a “billionaire” to “hire a bunch of Mexicans because they’re just polluting the local area,” this despite the fact that Mexico is just miles away. (10/21)