October 24, 2021

UAE Space Industry on Track to Become a Global Player (Source: Sharjah 24)
The UAE Space Agency outlined the tremendous business opportunities in space exploration, scientific research and its potential to advance economic growth and human progress at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Her Excellency Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology and Chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency said the UAE’s space industry can become a key driver of economic growth and prosperity for the next 50 years. Delivering a keynote speech at the Space Business Forum, Her Excellency said her overriding objective was to ensure the UAE becomes a global player in the space industry. (10/23)

Prince William ‘Misinformed’ on Benefits of Space Tech, Says Industry Body Chief (Source: Sunday Times)
The head of the trade association for the British space industry has hit back at criticism from Prince William over space exploration. Will Whitehorn, the head of UKspace, said the heir to the throne’s comments were “misinformed” and could be seen as “anti-technology”.

Prince William criticized entrepreneurs focused on space tourism, insisting they should invest more time and money in saving the Earth. Whitehorn who is also chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University and former president of Virgin Galactic, said: “I understand the sentiment behind Prince William’s comments, but the reality is that space is an essential tool in the battle against climate change and reaching net zero. It’s not about a few millionaires going on a jaunt into space." (10/24)

China Targets February 2022 for First Artemis SLS Launch (Source: Space Policy Online)
NASA is targeting a two-week window in February 2022 for Artemis I, the uncrewed test flight of the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. A lot of work remains to be done, including a dress rehearsal planned for January, so the timeframe is tentative, but the announcement is a sign that the long-awaited launch is drawing near. Artemis I is the first step in NASA’s effort to return American astronauts to the lunar surface five decades after the last Apollo crew departed.

NASA completed stacking the various components of the SLS/Orion system at Kennedy Space Center, FL on Thursday. The Orion spacecraft with its launch abort tower was the crowning piece. At a media briefing on October 22, officials said the 322-foot tall stack will be rolled out to the launch pad for a Wet Dress Rehearsal in January. The tanks will be fueled and a countdown conducted just as it would be for an actual launch, but the ignition command will not be sent. If that goes well, launch will be set for sometime in the February 12-27, 2022 time period. (10/23)

China Launches Classified Space Debris Mitigation Technology Satellite (Source: Space News)
China launched the Shijian-21 satellite from Xichang late Saturday with the stated aim of testing space debris mitigation technologies. A Long March 3B lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, southwest China, at 9:27 p.m. Eastern, Oct. 23, sending Shijian-21 into geosynchronous transfer orbit.

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC) confirmed launch success within an hour of launch. Chinese state media Xinhua reported that Shijian-21 will “ test and verify space debris mitigation technologies.” No details of the satellite or its capabilities were made available. Coupled with the fact that space debris mitigation technologies are “dual-use,” having both civilian and military applications, the satellite is likely to attract interest and scrutiny outside China. (10/24)

NASA Test Fires Giant Solid Rocket Motor (Source: Space.com)
China has test fired a huge new solid rocket motor, creating more propulsion options for the country’s growing space activities. The rocket motor was ignited Tuesday (Oct. 19) at a site near Xi'an city in north China, firing for 115 seconds, creating a tremendous trail of flame and exhaust.

The new motor was developed by the Academy of Aerospace Solid Propulsion Technology (AASPT) which belongs to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the country's main space contractor. The motor has a diameter of 11.48 foot (3.5 meters)1 and a maximum thrust of 1,00,000 pounds-force (500 tons) is powered by 330,000 pounds (150 tons) of solid fuel. A CASC statement said it is the most powerful solid rocket motor with the largest thrust in the world so far. (10/24)

She Is Breaking Glass Ceilings in Space, but Facing Sexism on Earth (Source: New York Times)
Col. Wang Yaping is a pilot in the People’s Liberation Army’s Air Force. She is a space veteran, now making her second trip into orbit. She is set in the coming weeks to be the first Chinese woman to walk in space as China’s space station glides around Earth at 17,100 miles per hour.

And yet, as she began a six-month mission last week at the core of China’s ambitious space program, official and news media attention fixated as much on the comparative physiology of men and women, menstruation cycles, and the 5-year-old daughter she has left behind, as they did on her accomplishments. (No one asked about the children of her two male colleagues.)

Shortly before the launch, Pang Zhihao, an official with the China National Space Administration, let it be known that a cargo capsule had supplied the orbiting space station with sanitary napkins and cosmetics. “Female astronauts may be in better condition after putting on makeup,” he said in remarks shown on CCTV, the state television network. (10/23)

Hawaiian Scientists Discover One of the Youngest Planets Ever Seen (Source: CBS)
An international research team led by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has discovered one of the youngest planets ever observed. The findings, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, estimate the planet is a "few times more massive" than Jupiter. The new planet was found in a "stellar nursery" and formed approximately several million years ago — around the same time that the main Hawaiian islands emerged from the ocean. Named 2M0437b, researchers first spotted the planet orbiting a remote, infant star in 2018. (10/23)

L3 Harris Wins $120 Million Contract to Upgrade Space Force Electronic Jammers (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force awarded L3Harris Technologies a $120.7 million contract to upgrade a ground-based communications jammer used to block adversaries’ satellite transmissions. The contract, announced Oct. 22, is for upgrades to the Counter Communications System Block 10.2 that currently operates at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado; Vandenberg Space Force Base, California; Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida; and classified deployed locations overseas. (10/22)

Space Adventures No Longer Planning Crew Dragon Flight (Source: Space News)
Space Adventures has dropped plans to fly space tourists on a high-altitude Crew Dragon flight but has not ruled out revisiting the mission concept in the future. Space Adventures announced in February 2020 that it has signed a contract with SpaceX for a Crew Dragon mission that would not go to the International Space Station. Instead, the spacecraft, with four customers on board, would go to an orbit twice as high as the ISS, staying there for five days before returning. (10/22)

Musk Says Starship May be Ready for Orbital Launch Next Month (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of SpaceX, said Friday the company’s huge new Starship rocket could be ready for its first orbital test launch from South Texas as soon as November, but the schedule comes with two big uncertainties that may push the launch to next year. “If all goes well, Starship will be ready for its first orbital launch attempt next month, pending regulatory approval,” Musk tweeted. (10/22)

Ariane 5 Sets New Record on Latest Launch (Source: ESA)
Europe’s Ariane 5 has delivered two telecom satellites, SES-17 and Syracuse-4A, into their planned orbits. Arianespace announced liftoff on 23 October from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. “For this launch, we increased the Ariane 5 fairing volume by attaching a 1.5 m raising cylinder to accommodate these two very large, stacked satellites... Today's launch of 11.2 t to geostationary transfer orbit is a record performance for Ariane 5,” said Daniel de Chambure. Flight VA255 was the 111th Ariane 5 mission. (10/24)

Photos Show Life on Mars Training Camp in the Israeli Desert (Source: EuroNews)
The Ramon Crater in Israel’s Negev desert has been transformed into a Martian base camp. Giving scientists and astronauts the chance to experience what life might be like when humans venture to the red planet. During the one-month-long mission, six astronauts will sleep, eat and conduct experiments at the Desert Mars Analog Ramon Station (D-MARS). Experiments will serve as a simulation for future human and robotic Mars exploration missions.

When required to venture outside, the astronauts wear mock space suits fitted with cameras, microphones and self-contained breathing systems for data collection. Click here. (10/23)