November 15, 2021

It’s Now Time to Protect Earth’s Orbital Environment (Source: Space News)
On November 12, 2021, during the fourth edition of the Paris Peace Forum, actors from all over the world concerned with the rapidly deteriorating state of Earth’s orbital environment have launched the Net Zero Space initiative, calling for ensuring sustainable use of outer space by 2030 by taking urgent steps to reduce the number of space debris. We welcome this multi-actor initiative and support its ambition in gathering both stakeholders from the space sector and political forces to protect the long-term sustainability of outer space.

As the space market is projected to generate more than one trillion dollars by 2040 (Morgan Stanley), or even by 2030 (Bank of America), we should not forget the costly consequences of unsustainable economic development and unmanaged pollution. Beyond strategic capacities, daily technologies such as telecommunications, GPS tracking, but also financial transactions or cloud capacities rely on space infrastructure and are more and more threatened by the increase of the number of space debris. Development of forthcoming technologies with strong social benefits depending on the viability of outer space, such as space-based solar power, would also be severely slowed if not simply prevented by an excessively polluted orbital environment. (11/13)

Embry-Riddle Students Sending Camera to Space (Source: WFTV)
In a small lab at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, engineering students are putting the final touches on a project three years in the making. If the project is successful, it will last just 15 minutes yet provide information that will help guide missions to the moon and beyond. The “Eagle Cam” project will send a small box on a lunar probe to the moon in 2022. The camera will jettison from the spacecraft prior to landing, establish a Wi-Fi signal, and capture the first-ever pictures of a lander, landing on the moon’s surface. (11/12)

Astronauts Hunker Down as ISS Passes Through Debris Field (Source: TASS)
Operations of the ISS were interrupted early this morning by a "debris field" passing close to the station. The seven people on the station were forced to shelter for a time in their Crew Dragon and Soyuz spacecraft because of unspecified debris passing close to the station. It's unclear what the object or objects are, but flight controllers warned they may make additional close passes to the station on later orbits. (12/15)

Canadian Deep Food Space Challenge Emphasizes Biodiversity in Entries (Source: SpaceQ)
From insects to microalgae, the semi-finalists of the Canadian Deep Space Food Challenge are offering a range of ideas to sustainably feed astronauts of the future. The joint NASA-Canadian Space Agency competition is looking to create food that will not only help astronauts, but may also benefit people in areas of food scarcity on Earth – which is an especially pressing problem giving the accelerating pace of global warming.

Semi-finalists going to Phase 2 will conduct a kitchen demonstration of their technologies at an equivalent of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4. NASA considers tested technologies that have completed TRL 5 ready for a prototype demonstration on either the ground, or in space, which would then achieve TRL 6 if completed. Winners of Phase 2 (up to four) receive up to $100,000 in grant funding and a chance to pass to a Phase 3 of the competition. A full system demonstration will be made in fall 2022 under Phase 3 with further funding and possible non-monetary prizes, and then the grand prize winner will be selected in spring 2024. (11/15)

China Could Land Humans on Moon by 2030 (Source: Space News)
A senior Chinese official in its lunar exploration program says that a human landing by Chinese astronauts by 2030 is "entirely possible." Ye Peijian, a senior designer and engineer in China's lunar program, said in a recent interview that a human landing by 2030 is feasible if the country remains committed to the effort and continues technology development needed for it. Ye's words do not equate to an official statement of China formally approving crewed lunar landings, but do reflect recent progress and successes and ongoing development of capabilities needed for such a program. If progress on the various elements proceeds, China could include a moon landing as part of space plans for the country's next five-year plan, covering 2026-2030. (12/15)

South Korea's Contec Buing Satellite (Source: Space News)
A South Korean operator of ground stations is buying its first satellite. Contec has signed a contract with smallsat mission integrator NanoAvionics for an Earth observation satellite that will launch in the second half of 2023 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The satellite, which will be equipped with Contec's laser communications terminal and a medium-resolution camera, is part of the company's effort to diversify its business portfolio ahead of its Series C funding round next year (12/15)

Viasat Could Headquarter in Londin with Inmarsat Acquisition (Source: The Telegraph)
Viasat is considering steps such as establishing an "international headquarters" in London to win British government approval of its acquisition of Inmarsat. The discussions reportedly involve placing the combined company's global mobility headquarters in London, although Viasat itself would remain headquartered in the United States. Viasat would also pledge to continue working with the U.K.'s Ministry of Defence. (12/15)

Policy and Regulatory Issues a Challenge for Orbital Debris Removal (Source: Space News)
The policy challenges of active debris removal aren't necessarily as high as some believe. During a panel discussion at the ASCEND conference last week, industry officials said there are steps companies and governments can take to address the legal and regulatory issues of orbital debris removal. While such initial steps can address some debris, many of the most dangerous objects, such as Russian upper stages, still face significant policy hurdles. (12/15)

Medical Experiments in Space (Source: Space Daily)
Thursday saw the launch of the mission 'Cosmic Kiss' to the International Space Station (ISS). German astronaut Dr. Matthias Maurer forms part of the crew. Plans for the mission include approximately 100 scientific projects, four of which will be led by researchers from Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin. These will focus on: the monitoring of changes in body temperature and muscle properties during space missions; improvements in training programs aimed at preventing muscle loss; and changes in cell-to-cell contacts under zero gravity conditions.

The coordination of individual projects falls under the remit of the national space program of the German Space Agency at German Aerospace Center (DLR) and will be handled in conjunction with the European Space Agency (ESA). Charite's four projects receive more than euro 1.5 million in funding from the DLR with funds from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). (11/12)

Space Industry Supply Chain Issues Different For Traditional and NewSpace Companies (Source: Space News)
Traditional space companies face different supply chain challenges than newer ones. Industry officials said that the disruptions caused by the pandemic exacerbated existing weaknesses in the supply chain used by companies working on traditional government or commercial satellite programs, where there is little excess capacity. Companies working on satellite constellations, by contrast, deal with higher volumes of components, and face issues more like automotive or consumer electronics companies regarding supplies. Supply chain issues for the space industry could be a topic for the National Space Council at its first meeting next month. (12/15)

SOFIA Airborne Telescope Gets No Love in Decadal Survey (Source: Space News)
The future of NASA's SOFIA airborne observatory remains in limbo after a vote of no-confidence by the astrophysics decadal survey. The final report by the survey earlier this month recommended that NASA terminate SOFIA, citing its high costs and low scientific productivity. NASA proposed terminating SOFIA in its fiscal year 2022 budget request; the House restored funding for SOFIA but the Senate was silent in its spending bill. A final decision will come when the House and Senate conference the two versions of the bill. (12/15)

UK Space Agency Funds Further Research Into New Laser-Based Satellite Communications System (Source: Space Daily)
The UK Space Agency has awarded almost £650,000 to Northumbria University to continue world-leading work to develop the first commercially available laser-based inter-satellite communications system. By using lasers instead of radio frequency, the CubeSats become much more secure and can transmit 1,000 times more data per second. (12/15)