October 27, 2021

ULA Sets Nov. 22 for Space Force Launch (Source: Space News)
United Launch Alliance has rescheduled a Space Force mission for next month. ULA says the Space Test Program (STP) 3 mission will launch Nov. 22 on an Atlas 5 from Cape Canaveral. STP-3 was previously scheduled to launch in June but postponed to investigate an issue with the Atlas 5's RL10 upper stage engine. The STP-3 mission is carrying the the STPSat-6 satellite built by Northrop Grumman and several secondary payloads. (10/27)

Poland Joins Artemis Accords (Source: Space News)
Poland is the latest company to sign the Artemis Accords. The president of the Polish Space Agency, Grzegorz Wrochna, signed the agreement in a ceremony at the IAC along with NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. Poland is the 13th country to join the Accords, which outline best practices for safe and sustainable space exploration. Wrochna said he hoped the agreement would be the first step in a process with NASA to allow Polish companies to participate in the Artemis program. (10/27)

Lockheed Martin's Aerojet Rocketdyne Acquisition (Source: Space News)
Lockheed Martin says it won't complete its acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne before the end of the year, as originally hoped. Lockheed CEO James Taiclet said in an earnings call Tuesday that the closing of the deal has been delayed by the regulatory approval process, and that he now expects it to be done in the first quarter of 2022. Some companies and regulators oppose the deal because it would mean the only remaining major independent developer of solid-rocket motors would be owned by one of the companies that uses them, forcing competitors to work with Lockheed. (10/27)

Astra Postpones Alaska Launch Attempt for Range Upgrades (Source: Astra)
Astra is postponing a launch that had been scheduled for this week. The company said in a regulatory filing that its next Rocket 3.3 mission, LV0007, won't take place in a window that opened Wednesday through the end of the month because the spaceport at Kodiak Island, Alaska, had not completed range upgrades in time. Astra says it hopes to attempt the launch during a second window that opens Nov. 5. (10/27)

White House Nominates Rosenworcel and Sohn to FCC, Rosenworcel to Replace Ajit Pai as Chair (Source: Reuters)
The White House has nominated acting FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to be the next permanent chair of the commission. The White House said Tuesday it was nominating Rosenworcel, who has been an FCC commissioner since 2012 and acting chairwoman since January. She has been an advocate of expanding broadband availability. The White House also nominated Gigi Sohn to be an FCC commissioner, filling a seat that has been empty since January. Sohn previously was an aide to Tom Wheeler when he served as FCC chairman in the Obama administration. (10/27)

Ingenuity Drone Flies Again on Mars (Source: NASA)
NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter made its 14th flight this week, testing its ability to fly in a thinner Martian atmosphere. The flight, lasting just 23 seconds on Sunday, took the helicopter five meters above the ground before landing two meters from its takeoff spot. The brief flight demonstrated the ability of Ingenuity to operate its rotors at higher speeds, allowing it to generate sufficient lift despite decreased atmospheric pressure because of changing seasons at Jezero Crater. (10/27)

SpaceX Needs to Tame Toilet tTrouble Before Weekend Launch (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
SpaceX is taming some toilet troubles in its capsules before it launches four more astronauts. The company and NASA want to make sure the toilet leaks won’t compromise the capsule launching early Sunday from Kennedy Space Center or another one that’s been parked at the International Space Station since April.

During SpaceX’s first private flight last month, a tube came unglued, spilling urine onto fans and beneath the floor, said William Gerstenmaier, a SpaceX vice president who used to work for NASA. The same problem was recently discovered inside the Dragon capsule at the space station, he told reporters Monday night. As a permanent fix, SpaceX has welded on the urine-flushing tube that’s inside the company’s newest capsule, named Endurance by its U.S.-German crew. NASA isn’t quite finished reviewing the last-minute fix. (10/26)

SpaceX to Launch Emirati Imaging Satellite (Source: Space News)
SpaceX has won a contract to launch an Emirati high-resolution imaging satellite on a Falcon 9 rideshare mission in 2023. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) announced at an Oct. 27 press conference here, held during the 72nd International Astronautical Congress, that it selected SpaceX to launch its MBZ SAT satellite in the second half 2023. The center did not disclose the value of the contract. (10/27)

Boeing Takes Big Financial Hit From CST-100 Starliner Delays (Source: Space Policy Online)
Boeing is taking a $185 million 1Q2021 earnings charge for commercial crew (i.e. CST-100 Starliner). That's on top of $410 million charge in 4Q2019. That's all for the long-delayed OFT-2 test mission, which Boeing--not NASA--must pay for since it's a fixed price contract. (10/26)

NASA Seeks Input to Position Mega-Rocket for Long-Term Exploration (Source: Space Daily)
NASA is preparing for the first flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, along with other flight hardware for the next several Artemis missions in production around the country. The agency also is looking forward to future missions and working to transition SLS from design and development to production and operations to support NASA's long-term exploration goals.

To accomplish this goal, NASA has invited industry to submit responses to a Request for Information (RFI) to assist NASA in maximizing the long-term efficiency of the SLS rocket's super-heavy-lift, national launch capabilities while streamlining operations to minimize production, operations, and maintenance costs. NASA will use the information received to inform plans for production and operations of the SLS rocket beginning on or about Artemis V to ensure this national asset is available for decades of deep space exploration to the Moon, Mars and beyond. (10/27)

Airbus, Air Liquide and ispace Europe Launch EURO2MOON (Source: Space Daily)
In a contex of increased momentum around space exploration, Airbus Defence and Space, Air Liquide and ispace Europe have announced the joint creation of EURO2MOON. This non-profit organisation will be dedicated to promoting a better use of lunar natural resources, while accelerating the cis-lunar economy and federating industrial efforts across Europe.

Bringing in complementary expertise from public and private partners, EURO2MOON will focus on topics related to the exploration of the lunar surface and the utilization of its resources in a commercial and sustainable way. Topics to be addressed will also include long duration transport, life support, energy needs for scientific and commercial applications. EURO2MOON aims to position the European industry as a leader of the rising cis-lunar economy, creating a strong industrial ecosystem based on an ambitious "In Situ Resources Utilisation" (ISRU) vision. (10/27)

China Sets New National Launch Record with Kuaizhou-1A Mission (Source: Space News)
China set a new national record for orbital launches in a calendar year with the launch of a commercial remote sensing satellite on a Kuaizhou-1A solid rocket Wednesday. The Kuaizhou-1A lifted off from a transporter erector launcher into clear blue skies above the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on Oct. 27. The Jilin-1 Gaofen (“high resolution”) 02F remote sensing satellite was successfully inserted into its intended orbit. (10/27)

Space Club Hosts Nov. 9 In-Person Luncheon with President of Embry-Riddle (Source: NSCFL)
The National Space Club Florida Committee welcomes P. Barry Butler, Ph.D.,  as the featured guest speaker for a Nov. 9 in-person luncheon event at the Radisson Resort at Port Canaveral. Dr. Butler, president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, will discuss his institution's growing role and strategy for space enterprise expansion, innovation, and workforce development.

Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Embry-Riddle's two residential campuses, dozens of satellite campuses (many at U.S. military installations worldwide), and growing online degree programs support the continued development of our nation's aerospace industry. The Daytona Beach campus has seen impressive expansion over the past decade, with a growing focus on space science, commercial space operations, and space traffic management programsk, all contributing to Florida's efforts to attract, develop, and maintain a vibrant space industry. (10/27)

Blue Origin Has its Eye on UAE Desert for Spaceport (Source: The National)
Blue Origin is looking at the UAE’s desert as a possible location for a spaceport for tourists. The company has successfully sent eight people into space through its New Shepard suborbital flights — including Star Trek actor William Shatner, 90, who became the oldest person in space. In an exclusive interview with The National, Brent Sherwood, senior vice president of advanced development programmes for Blue Origin, said the UAE was an “obvious choice” for a spaceport and that it was looking to expand its launch sites from the current one in El Paso, Texas.

“Now that we are operational for tourism, the next thing we are looking at is other locations around the planet to establish launch and landing sites for New Shepard,” he said. “It’s an obvious place to look here. All we really need is some desert. One of the endearing qualities of the West Texas desert is that it is hard to get to the El Paso airport. You have to drive for a couple of hours and it is in the middle of nowhere. (10/26)

Controversy Erupts Over Naming NASA's Next Big Telescope (Source: Axios)
A debate is raging about whether a revolutionary telescope should be named for a former NASA administrator accused of being involved in the ousting of members of LGBTQ+ communities from their federal jobs during the 1950s and 1960s. Astronomy has been reckoning with a history of discrimination and harassment for years. The naming of the field's soon-to-be-launched flagship telescope — which will bring generations of astronomers new data — also helps set the tone for the next era of space science.

Telescopes are typically named for famous scientists who made seminal contributions to astronomy. Webb's political background makes him something of an outlier as a choice for a spacecraft's namesake. The telescope was named by former NASA administrator Sean O’Keefe in 2002, a choice that took many in the community by surprise, according to Alexandra Witze in Nature. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein said that kind of naming should not be allowed to happen again: "It should not be up to one person alone." (10/26)

SpaceX’s Path to Refueling Starships in Space is Clearer Than it Seems (Source: Teslarati)
The question of how SpaceX will make Starship the world’s most rapidly, fully, and cheaply reusable rocket is a hard one, but it’s not all that difficult to extrapolate from where the company is today. The sum total of SpaceX’s official discussions of orbital refueling can be summed up in a sentence included verbatim in CEO Elon Musk’s 2017, 2018, and 2019 Starship presentations: “propellant settled by milli G acceleration using control thrusters.”

The principles behind such a ‘settled propellant transfer’ are fairly simple and intuitive. The crucial question is how much acceleration the process requires and how expensive that continuous acceleration ends up being. According to Kutter et al’s 2006 paper, the answer is surprising: assuming a 100 metric ton (~220,000 lb) spacecraft pair accelerates at 0.0001G (one ten-thousandth of Earth gravity) to transfer propellant, they would need to consume just 45 kg (100 lb) of hydrogen and oxygen propellant per hour to maintain that acceleration.

With large enough pipes (on the order of 20-50 cm or 8-20 in) connecting each Starship’s tanks, SpaceX should have no trouble transferring 1000+ tons of propellant in a handful of hours. Ultimately, that means that settled propellant transfer even at the scale of Starship should incur a performance ‘tax’ of no more than 20-50 tons of propellant per refueling. All transfers leading up to the worst-case 1600-ton scenario should also be substantially more efficient. Overall, that means that fully refueling an orbiting Starship or depot with ~1200 tons of propellant – requiring anywhere from 8 to 14+ tanker launches – should be surprisingly efficient, with perhaps 80% or more of the propellant launched remaining usable by the end of the process. (10/24)

Engineering the Arts for Space: Developing the Concept of “Mission Laureates” (Source: Space Review)
There has long been a link between the arts and NASA missions. Christopher Cokinos describes how those links can be strengthened by a new concept to involve all kinds of creative people into those missions. Click here. (10/26)
 
The Battle for Boca Chica (Source: Space Review)
An environmental review of SpaceX’s proposed Starship launch plans from Boca Chica, Texas, has created sharp differences of opinion. Jeff Foust reports on public feedback from those strongly in favor of the company’s launch plans and those with equally strong objections. Click here. (10/26)
 
Is Outer Space a De Jure Common-Pool Resource? (Source: Space Review)
Two of the more controversial elements of the Artemis Accords involve safety zones and rights to use extracted resources. Dennis O’Brien argues, that, as current written, those provisions could run afoul of space law. Click here. (10/26)
 
How Space Tourism Could Affect Older People (Source: Space Review)
The two oldest people to fly to space both did so this year as space tourism opens up new opportunities for a wider range of people. Nick Caplan and Christopher Newman discuss some of the issues associated with the elderly going to space on even brief suborbital flights. Click here. (10/26)

AFRL and Industry Launch Revolutionary Satellite Technologies (Source: AFRL)
The Air Force Research Laboratory has partnered with ThermAvant Technologies and Maxar Technologies to develop and deploy the next generation of spacecraft thermal control technology. The groundbreaking technology, Oscillating Heat Pipes (OHPs), provides lightweight and highly-efficient temperature control on higher-power, yet smaller spacecraft. The OHP was recently launched in the second quarter of 2021 on a Maxar-built satellite. (10/25)

Satellite Solar: an Explainer (Source: Cosmos)
The theory is relatively straightforward. Satellites powered by solar already routinely move around in their orbits of Earth. Plans are being devised to expand this harvesting potential, then direct the energy back to Earth as a constant, on-tap power source. “Photovoltaic panels are obviously the most important part of a satellite,” says Way. “The solar panels capture the photons and convert them into electrons. This is the form that can be beamed back to Earth.”

This energy would be wirelessly dispatched via a large antenna down to a receiver – called a rectenna – on Earth, where the electromagnetic energy is converted into current and distributed. “These beams can be microwave beams,” say Way. “People can get concerned about having a big beam like that, but they won’t hurt you. There are safety limits that control the beam’s maximum intensity.”

Of the models so far proposed, each satellite design aims to generate around 3.4GW of electricity, transmit the microwave power at 2.45GHz with a maximum beam intensity of around 230W/m2 (one quarter of the intensity of midday sunlight) to produce around 2GW of electrical power to the grid. The antenna needs to be directed towards Earth all times, while the rectenna will need to be kilometres wide to capture the microwave beam. (10/26)

UK Funds Studies to Remove Two Spacecraft From LEO (Source: Space News)
The UK Space Agency has awarded study contracts for a mission to remove two spacecraft from low Earth orbit by 2025. Consortiums led by Swiss startup ClearSpace and Japan-based Astroscale received just under £700,000 ($1 million) between them to complete mission feasibility studies by the end of March.

The UK Space Agency is funding the study contracts and said it is collaborating with the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) on the project. They signed an agreement in January to support international efforts for promoting space sustainability through a series of events and engagement activities. Under the Active Debris Removal Phase 0-A Feasibility Study, Astroscale and ClearSpace are tasked with researching how to de-orbit two defunct satellites that were not built with retrieval and removal in mind. (10/26)