October 25, 2021

The Mystery Behind a Nearby Alien Beacon Is Solved (Source: Daily Beast)
Back in April 2019, an Australian telescope picked up a very tantalizing radio signal that seemed to emanate from our closest neighboring star. The signal didn’t have any obvious explanation. Instead, it seemed to possess the hallmarks of something created by intelligent alien life. And in fact, that was the whole point of the research project that stumbled on the signal. Called Breakthrough Listen, the $100 million effort has spent the last five years using state-of-the-art telescopes around the world to listen in on signs of extraterrestrial life from around the galaxy.

The 2019 signal, called “blc1,” was exactly what the Breakthrough researchers were hoping to find. Detected by the Parkes Murriyang radio telescope in southeastern Australia, blc1 was coming right from Proxima Centauri, a star just 4.2 light-years away, and home to two planets—one of which is thought to be potentially habitable to life. According to Sofia Sheikh from the Berkeley SETI Research Center, the signal was “uniquely similar to the kind of signal we would expect from space.”

Over the last two years, the Breakthrough team has pored over the data and finally come back with a verdict on blc1. Bad news: It’s not aliens. “We can confidently say that blc1 is consistent with human radio frequency interference from some sort of ground-based technology.” A deep dive into the data found over 60 “copies” of the blc1 signal, all with very clear signs of being radio interference. Sheikh and her colleagues don’t consider this investigation to be a total loss. In her view, it’s an opportunity to improve the algorithms designed to weed out human interference. (10/25)

Blue Origin Teams With Sierra Space, Boeing and Others on ‘Orbital Reef’ Space Station Project (Source: GeekWire)
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture is joining forces with Colorado-based Sierra Space and a host of other partners, including Boeing, to propose building a space-based “mixed-use business park” called Orbital Reef. The plan, announced today at the International Astronautical Congress in Dubai, is among about a dozen proposals being submitted to NASA for a share of development funds under a program that’s aimed at preparing the way for replacing the International Space Station.

If Blue Origin and its partners follow through on the plan, the basic version of Orbital Reef would be in low Earth orbit sometime during the latter half of the 2020s — in time for an orderly transition from ISS operations. That version would include power-generating capability, a core module with picture windows looking down on Earth, an inflatable habitat provided by Sierra Space and a Boeing-built science lab.

Blue Origin’s senior vice president of advanced development programs, Brent Sherwood, told GeekWire that Orbital Reef would cost “at least an order of magnitude less” than the International Space Station. The development cost for the International Space Station is typically estimated at $100 billion, which would imply a cost in the range of $10 billion for Orbital Reef. (10/25)

NASA Drops Epic Sci-Fi Video of Human Space Exploration Across the Universe (Source: C/Net)
NASA may be focused on hard science, but it's not opposed to dabbling in a bit of science fiction. On Tuesday, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center shared its vision for future human space exploration, and it's inspiring. The Visions of the Future video shows off exotic vacation destinations booked through the fictional Exoplanet Travel Bureau. "At least as important as the spacefaring rockets and satellites is the explorer and the inspiration to make the journey," said NASA Goddard. Click here. (10/20)

How Asteroid, Comet Strikes May Have Delayed Evolution of Earth's Atmosphere (Source: Brighter Side)
A team of scientists analyzed remnants of ancient asteroids and modeled the effects of their collisions to show that the strikes took place more often than previously thought and may have delayed when oxygen started accumulating on the planet. The new models can help scientists understand more precisely when the planet started its path toward becoming the Earth we know today. (10/24)

Rogozin: SpaceX Ships Have Gained Enough Experience to Carry Russian Cosmonauts (Source: TASS)
The head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin expressed the opinion that the Crew Dragon ships of the Ilona Mask SpaceX company have gained sufficient experience so that Russian cosmonauts can fly on them as part of cross flights. "From our point of view, SpaceX has gained enough experience to be able to send representatives of our crews on their ships," Rogozin told reporters. According to the head of Roscosmos, on Tuesday, the topic of cross flights in negotiations with NASA may be raised. (10/25)

Rocket Builder ABL raises $200 Million, Increasing Valuation to $2.4 Billion (Source: CNBC)
Rocket builder ABL Space on Monday announced the close of a $200 million round of funding from existing investors. The financing increases the private space company's valuation to $2.4 billion. ABL aims to launch its first RS1 rocket from Alaska before the end of this year, president Dan Piemont told CNBC in September.

The funds came from existing investors, which include T. Rowe Price, Fidelity Management, Venrock, New Science Ventures, Lynett Capital, and Lockheed Martin Ventures. The company has raised $420 million to date. The company noted that its manifest features 14 customers and a backlog of 75 contracted launches. That includes a bulk order from Lockheed Martin earlier this year. The company signed a long-term agreement with ABL for up to 58 rockets for launches through 2029. (10/25)

Israel's IAI Unveils New Small Satellite Bus (Source: Space News)
Israel Aerospace Industries announced a new small GEO satellite bus Monday. The company says its Mini Communications Satellite (MCS) will weigh 600 to 700 kilograms but carry a fully digital payload that can be reconfigured in orbit and last for 14 years. The company is leveraging technologies developed for the Israeli government's Dror-1 communications satellite it is building. IAI has not announced any sales of MCS yet but an executive said it is in negotations with a couple potential customers. (10/25)

IAC Hosts Elected Officials to Boost Space Interests (Source: Space News)
The International Astronautical Congress hosted a group of elected leaders to build support for space. The meeting of parliamentarians, held over the weekend, was designed to get more political leaders interested in space by having them discuss beneficial space applications. The meeting did not go into potential obstacles to the use of space, like growing concerns over orbital debris. (10/25)

SpaceX and Vodaphone Talk Spectrum for UK Starlink Service (Source: The Telegraph)
SpaceX is in talks with mobile phone operator Vodaphone to access spectrum for services in the United Kingdom. Vodaphone said in a British regulatory filing that it is open to discussions with satellite operators about the use of a frequency band used for links between satellites and gateways. That could make it easier for SpaceX to expand its Starlink services in the U.K., although it did not comment on the filing. (10/25)

Imagery Industry Seeking Direct DoD Sales In Wake Of Tiny NRO Bid (Source: Breaking Defense)
In recent months, commercial remote sensing company representatives have become increasingly jaded with long-standing promises by the National Reconnaissance Office to increase its acquisition from, and support of, the burgeoning industry. At least some industry execs now say they are pivoting marketing efforts away from the NRO and instead focusing on direct sales to other US national security customers, such as the military services and Combatant Commands — and even foreign governments.

This is in part because many commercial remote sensing firms, both in the US and abroad, have been funded by short-term venture capital, and waiting for substantial contracts come to fruition can be a life or death matter. Many in industry had their hopes raised in the waning years of the Trump administration, and more recently by strong congressional pressure on the agency to take commercial providers seriously. (10/22)

New ESA Advisory Report Recommends Urgent Steps to Accelerate Europe’s Use of Space (Source: Parabolic Arc)
With warnings about an imminent climate crisis and decreasing competitiveness, an independent advisory group has recommended the European Space Agency (ESA) urgently transform the way it uses space by establishing accelerators in three key areas leveraging commercialization, user-driven approaches and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

The independent High-Level Advisory Group on Accelerating the Use of Space in Europe was appointed by ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher. The group recommended the space agency focus on 1) Rapid and Resilient Crisis Response; 2) Space for a Green Future; and 3) Protection of Space Assets. The advisory group warned that fierce international competition and a global competition for talent threaten to leave Europe behind as the space industry is transformed. (10/24)

Cyprus Aims for Mars with X-Ray Rock Dating Instrument (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Tiny Cyprus aims to join the global space exploration drive by developing a compact, X-Ray instrument capable of dating Martian soil and rock samples relatively accurately to potentially reveal more about the Red Planet’s geological history and offer a glimpse of Earth’s own future. George Danos, President of the Cyprus Space Exploration Organization, told reporters on Thursday that the 1.5 million euro ($1.75 million) European Union funded project is a first for Cyprus and aims to be completed over the next 18 months. (10/22)

UCF Football’s Space-Themed Uniforms and the University’s Connection to the Cosmos (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
When the University of Central Florida football team rocketed onto the field at Bounce House Stadium last week, they did so with a nod to NASA’s space program. The players sported their alternate space-themed uniforms honoring the 40th anniversary of the shuttle program as they took on the Memphis Tigers. Here are some other interesting facts about UCF’s long relationship with NASA and space exploration.

The creation of the University of Central Florida in Orlando was largely because of its close proximity to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Kennedy Space Center. The school was originally called Florida Technological University and was unofficially known as “Space University.” It was founded as an incubator to support the growth of the space industry, the country’s pursuit to the moon and future space exploration.

The school officially welcomed its first class of students Oct. 7, 1968, the same year the Apollo 8 mission sent astronauts to orbit the moon. The university received its first grant for $12,500 from NASA the same year it opened, and in 1969, famed Orlando astronaut John Young gave the first commencement speech. (10/22)