November 11, 2021

Blue Origin Strikes Deals in Wichita Kansas (Source: Wichita Business Journal)
The burgeoning space industry has landed new manufacturing work in Wichita. Blue Origin has signed four local shops to long-term supply deals, just months after the company’s CEO made his first trip to the Air Capital. Deals have been made with Harlow Aerostructures Inc., Accurus Aerospace Wichita, C.E. Machine Company Inc. and Orizon Aerostructures LLC.

“The greater Wichita region has played a pioneering role in aerospace that dates back to Amelia Earhart, and with these agreements, that legacy continues into the second golden age of spaceflight," Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith said. “We are thrilled for these manufacturers to join us as we write the next chapter of aerospace history.” Financial terms of the contracts were not disclosed. The local companies will be helping provide components for Blue Origin’s engine programs and its New Glenn reusable launch vehicle. (10/29)

ULA Considers Wichita Suppliers for Launch Business (Source: Wichita Business Journal)
Another space company has made its way to Wichita, with its CEO saying Wednesday the visit should result in millions of dollars in job-driving partnerships with local suppliers. “This is an incredible location,” Tory Bruno, CEO of United Launch Alliance, said of Wichita following a stop at supplier the Atlas Group as part of a tour of Wichita with Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS). “The aerospace technology and capability that I’m seeing here on my trip are impressive, and I plan to go home with a couple of suppliers because we are always looking for partners to do this important work.”

Colorado-based ULA handles a majority of U.S. military and spy agency launch missions. It’s developing its Vulcan rocket to end its reliance on Russian-made engines that power the booster stage of its current workhorse rocket, the Atlas V, and to compete better against lower-priced SpaceX. (11/10)

Who Owns the Moon? One Man's Lunar Claim (Source: Space.com)
Richard Garriott is president of the Explorers Club, a founding and well-heeled father of the video game industry, a commercial spaceflight industry pioneer, an astronaut who paid his own way to the International Space Station in 2008, and an adventurer who has traveled around the globe, from the jungles of the Amazon to the South Pole to the deepest point in Earth's ocean.

And Garriott would like to add another high-profile line to his resume. Speaking "only slightly tongue in cheek, I will say that I own the moon," Garriott said during the recent Explorers Club event. "I won't lay claim to the whole moon," he added. But he believes he has a fairly unique and supportable claim to a small part of Earth's nearest neighbor.

That declaration stems from his plunking down $68,500 in 1993 to purchase both the Soviet Union's Luna 21 lander and its Lunokhod 2 rover, which wheeled onto and across the moon. The deal was struck during a Sotheby's space auction in New York. For all that "moon moolah," he got a photograph of a Lunokhod 2 model and a set of documents in both Russian and English, including a deed of title transfer as well as certification of ownership. "I purchased Lunokhod as an object that is still sitting on a foreign celestial body. So, it's the first time an object was sold that is not on the Earth," Garriott said. (11/10)

Rocket Hardware Builder Avio, Pointing to Growth in Backlog, Tells Investors Better Days are Coming (Source: Space Intel Report)
Rocket-hardware builder Avio SpA reported sharply lower revenue and profit for the nine months ending Sept. 30 as it suffered the continuing effects of an overhaul of its Vega rocket production following failures in 2019 and 2020. An independent board of inquiry advised Avio to revamp many of its Vega production and quality-assurance procedures. The cost of that work, coupled with the Covid pandemic-caused slowdown in Europe’s launch activity, were blamed for the 8% decline in revenue. (11/11)

Brilliant UK Tech Inside James Webb Space Telescope (Source: BBC)
When the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launches in December it will be carrying some remarkable British technologies. Prof Gillian Wright is the director of the UK Astronomy Technology Centre in Edinburgh and the European principal investigator on JWST's MIRI instrument. The exquisitely engineered mirror enables an image to be obtained of an object in space at the same time as acquiring its spectra. The latter will reveal details of the physical properties of that object. If it's a star, this could be its composition or perhaps its temperature. (11/11)

Shift4 Stock Surges After Deal with SpaceX’s Starlink (Source: CNBC)
Shares of payments processing company Shift4 surged in trading on Wednesday after the company announced a five-year partnership with SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service. “Starlink is a cornerstone, global client opening up opportunity throughout the globe. By servicing the business globally, Shift4′s [total addressable market] expands in all the verticals we serve,” the company said. Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4, notably became an astronaut when he flew to orbit with SpaceX in September on the historic Inspiration4 private mission. (11/10)

SpaceX Launches Astronauts to International Space Station (Source: Wall Street Journal)
SpaceX launched another crew of astronauts into orbit Wednesday night, the fourth time the company founded by Elon Musk has blasted astronauts into space for NASA. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket topped by a Crew Dragon capsule lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport at 9:03 p.m. ET and headed toward the International Space Station. Four people were on board the Crew Dragon spacecraft: NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron as well as European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer. (11/

VP Harris Announces Space Cooperation with France (Source: Space Policy Online)
As part of her ongoing visit to France, Vice President Harris and French President Macron have agreed on additional space cooperation. It includes initiation of regular bilateral meetings and a partnership on a Space Climate Observatory to make space data accessible to local communities to help mitigate climate change. Harris chairs the White House National Space Council.  Before leaving for France she announced that the first meeting of the Space Council will take place on December 1. (11/11)

Rocket Lab Delays Return to Action (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Following a hiatus of several months, Rocket Lab is preparing to return to launch operations with its 22nd overall mission on Thursday. An Electron rocket was to lift off from the company’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand on November 11, but will now attempt a launch no earlier than November 16 in order to evaluate an out-of-family ground sensor. Named “Love at First Insight,” the mission aims to loft two satellites for geospatial intelligence company BlackSky, as well as complete the third ocean splashdown of an Electron first stage as Rocket Lab continues to work towards reusability. (11/10)

ISS Dodges Debris From Chinese Weapon Test (Source: New York Times)
On Wednesday, about six hours before NASA’s Crew-3 mission launched to orbit, the International Space Station was forced to maneuver itself to avoid a piece of debris spawned by a Chinese antisatellite weapon test in 2007. The piece of junk was projected to enter what’s called the “pizza box,” a square-shaped zone 2.5 miles deep and 30 miles wide, where the station sits in the middle. NASA officials keep close eyes on the zone using data models on the location of objects in space kept by the U.S. Space Command. (11/10)

Momentus Makes Progress Implementing National Security Agreement (Source: Space News)
In-space transportation company Momentus says it’s making progress in implementing a national security agreement that would allow the company to secure the licenses needed for its first mission. In its first quarterly financial results since completing a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in August, Momentus executives said Nov. 9 they are working on both technical and regulatory fronts toward a first launch of its Vigoride tug on a SpaceX rideshare mission in June 2022. (11/10)

Space Startups an Investment Target for Big Defense Contractors (Source: Space News)
For large defense and aerospace firms looking to up their innovation game, investing in commercial space companies can be a winning strategy, said Ronald Epstein, senior equity analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Investing in or outright acquiring space industry startups “I think is an important way for a big company to remain innovative and nimble,” Epstein said Nov. 10 at a Foundation for the Future online conference on space ventures.

Lockheed Martin has pursued that strategy successfully so far. The company owns 50% of United Launch Alliance and in recent years has invested in a number of commercial space companies including Terran Orbital, Rocket Lab, ABL Space Systems and Orbit Fab. Raytheon recently acquired commercial satellite manufacturer Blue Canyon Technologies and the spacecraft engineering firm SEAKR. Boeing has made an investment in Virgin Orbit. Northrop Grumman also has invested in Orbit Fab. (11/10)

Telesat to Become a Public Company Next Week Amid Lightspeed Delay (Source: Space News)
Canadian satellite operator Telesat expects to start publicly trading shares next week, broadening potential funding sources for its delayed $5 billion low Earth orbit Lightspeed broadband network. Telesat expects to finish its merger with Loral Space & Communications, a major shareholder that already trades on the Nasdaq, Nov. 19 following a two-day closing process. The company will list on the U.S.-based stock exchange if the merger goes ahead as planned. It is still awaiting confirmation from The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) to trade shares in Canada. (11/10)

Space Consultant Talks About the Future of Space Travel in West Texas (Source: NewsWest9)
Oscar Garcia and his company InterFlight Global have been working directly with Midland for over four years now. Last week, Garcia addressed the Midland Development Corporation on the future of aerospace and space travel in west Texas. "Remember, Jeff Bezos is 120 miles down the road for a reason, he could have set up his location anywhere in the country he wanted," said Garcia.

With Blue Origin setting up shop in Van Horn and SpaceX possibly opening a site in south Texas, space travel is here to stay. "The space industry for five or six decades has developed in the coasts, east coast around Florida, at the Kennedy space center, west coast around California Vandenberg space center, so what's happening is the center of the country was kind of left alone in the growth of the space industry," said Garcia. But, in the last couple of decades, more space ports have been established in the middle of the country, including right here.

"Midland and six others in the center of the country started developing, and what happens now is we have the coasts and what we call the U.S. central space basin," said Garcia. Midland International Air and Space Port happens to be in the middle. "Midland has emerged kind of as the central point of all the seven spaceports in the center of the nation," said Garcia. "We are working to consolidate that position for Midland to be the hub." (11/8)

Planet Acquiring VanderSat (Source: Space News)
Planet is acquiring VanderSat, a Dutch company that provides data on Earth surface conditions by combining public satellite data with proprietary algorithms, for about $28 million. It was the fourth acquisition for Planet as it prepares to trade shares publicly later this year. Through the acquisition, Planet intends to extend its agriculture product line and grow its insurance and finance businesses. (11/10)