November 23, 2021

NASA Announces Discovery of 301 New Exoplanets (Source: Space Daily)
NASA scientists have discovered another 301 exoplanets -- those outside the solar system. The new discoveries bring the total of validated exoplanets to 4,569 since the discovery of the first ones in the mid-1990s. NASA said Monday that the discoveries can be attributed to a new network called ExoMiner, that leverages NASA's Supercomputer, Pleiades, and can distinguish real exoplanets from different types of impostors, or "false positives." Deep neural networks are machine-learning methods that automatically learn a task when provided with enough data. (11/22)

Processing Accident Delays JWST Launch (Source: Space News)
The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope will be delayed by at least four days after a payload processing incident. NASA said Monday that it is delaying the launch from Dec. 18 to no earlier than Dec. 22 to perform additional testing of the spacecraft after the "sudden, unexpected" release of a clamp band securing JWST to its Ariane 5 launch vehicle adapter. NASA officials said they were being very conservative, deciding to conduct the tests out of an abundance of caution to ensure no subsystems were damaged when the clamp band released and imparted vibrations into the spacecraft. (11/23)

Blue Canyon Wins AFRL Contract for Satellite-Inspecting Satellite (Source: Space News)
Blue Canyon Technologies won a $14.6 million contract to produce a small inspector satellite for operations beyond geosynchronous Earth orbit. The contract from the Air Force Research Lab is for the Space Situational Awareness Micro-Satellite Bus program, and is intended to develop a spacecraft that can operate and maneuver for three years in orbits beyond GEO, carrying a wide range of payloads. The spacecraft is set to be delivered in early 2023. (11/23)

RocketStar Gets SBIR Contract to Develop New Plasma Thrusters (Source: Space Daily)
RocketStar, an industry leader transforming access to space with fully reusable rockets, has announced that the company has been selected by the U.S Air Force to participate in a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to develop a novel plasma thruster designed to greatly enhance space propulsion capabilities using fusion. The proposed Boron-enhanced plasma thruster can be scaled to any size payload for satellite and other Earth orbiting spacecrafts, and can significantly reduce transit time for space vehicles while also reducing the amount of fuel necessary to do so. (11/19)

Turning Space Junk Into Rocket Fuel (Source: Sputnik)
While SpaceX is working hard to make reusable rockets a new reality, the launches still leave behind massive amounts of debris in orbit, posing a potential hazard to communication satellites and spacecraft, as the thousands of fragments move at speeds of up to 14 kilometers per second. Australian aerospace company Neumann Space has developed a new technology that would enable the processing of space debris into rocket fuel in space. The "in-space electric propulsion system" is expected to enhance the potential of space flights.

The chain of processing space junk is seen by specialists as a multi-step task requiring a combination of different spacecraft. So far, Japanese start-up Astroscale presented its debris-collector technology earlier this summer, and American company Nanoracks has developed a machine that would store and grind waste materials in space.

Another US company, Cislunar, constructed an experimental space foundry to melt debris into metal rods that would be used in Neumann Space's "in-space electric propulsion system" to produce solid fuel. The principle is based on an ion thruster "which uses electricity, in powerful bursts similar to an arc welder, to produce plasma, and thrust." (11/22)

Pulsar Demonstrates Green, High Power Rocket Engine (Source: Space Daily)
Pulsar Fusion Ltd, a UK nuclear fusion company based in Bletchley, has just developed and tested its first launch capable, high-power chemical rocket engine in the UK. These rocket engines could be used for a variety of applications, including launching people and satellites into space. This successful set of test firings showcases the rapid design development and test process of high-performance engineering components to support Pulsar Fusion's energy and propulsion hardware portfolio roadmap. The rocket engine proudly displayed the Union Jack flag during testing. (11/23)

Astra Ready for Commercial Launches (Source: Space News)
Astra says it's ready to begin commercial launch operations after its first successful orbital launch. Company executives said Monday that the launch of its Rocket 3.3 vehicle late Friday night from Alaska went as planned, although data analysis from the launch is still underway. The company has not set a launch date for its next launch, but said it would take place in the near future. Future launches will be commercial missions, they said, although they projected performing test flights next year of a new vehicle, Rocket 4. (11/23)

China Launches Another Imaging Satellite (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
China launched another imaging satellite Monday. A Long March 2C spacecraft lifted off at 6:45 p.m. Eastern from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and placed the Gaofen-3 (02) satellite into orbit. The spacecraft carries a C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging payload. (11/23)

Blue Origin Announces Next Suborbital Crew, Including Alan Shepard's Daughter (Source: Blue Origin)
Blue Origin announced Tuesday the crew of its next New Shepard suborbital flight. The NS-19 mission, scheduled for launch Dec. 9, will be the first to carry six people. The crew includes two "honorary guests": Laura Shepard Churchley, daughter of Alan Shepard, and Michael Strahan, a TV host and former NFL player. The four customers are space industry executive Dylan Taylor, investor Evan Dick, Bess Ventures founder Lane Bess and Cameron Bess. The Besses will be the first parent-child duo to fly in space together. (11/23)

DoD's LEO Plans a Boon for Satellite Companies (Source: Space News)
The Defense Department's "pivot to LEO" is a boon for commercial satellite companies, according to a research firm. A report by market research firm Quilty Analytics said that initiatives like the Transport Layer constellation by the Space Development Agency will generate significant opportunities for satellite manufacturers, both established and nontraditional suppliers. The Defense Department's investments in LEO systems will not immediately impact current procurements of satcom capacity from commercial geostationary orbit satellites, but there could be reduced demand later in the decade if LEO constellations meet their performance goals. (11/23)

Cognitive Space Raises $4 Million for Satellite Software (Source: Space News)
A startup has raised $4 million in seed funding to develop new software to manage imaging satellite systems. Cognitive Space raised the round from several investors to support work on artificial intelligence-based software designed to manage imaging satellite constellations. In a recent test, that software was used orchestrate data collection across more than 400 satellites from more than 12 different suppliers. The company believes these collection management tools could be game changers for government agencies that traditionally have worked with only a small number of commercial satellite imagery providers. (11/23)

SpaceX VP Departure Linked to Raptor's Slow Progress (Source: CNBC)
Several senior executives have left SpaceX in recent weeks. SpaceX's vice president of propulsion, vice president of mission and launch operations and a senior director of mission and launch operations all left the company recently. Will Heltsley was reportedly removed from his position as vice president of propulsion because of a lack of progress on the Raptor engine the company is developing for its Starship vehicle. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently tweeted that the company will need to perform a "complete design overhaul" to create the engine that will be used to "make life multiplanetary," adding that the revised engine "won't be called Raptor." (11/23)

US-European Satellite to Track World's Water (Source: Space Daily)
An international team of engineers and technicians has finished assembling a next-generation satellite that will make the first global survey of Earth's surface water and study fine-scale ocean currents. The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission is just a year out from launch, and the final set of tests on the spacecraft have started.

SWOT is a collaboration between NASA and the French space agency Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the United Kingdom Space Agency (UK Space Agency). The SUV-size satellite will collect data on the height of Earth's salt- and fresh water - including oceans, lakes, and rivers - enabling researchers to track the volume and location of water around the world. (11/19)

Kenya Looking to Develop Spaceport (Source: Viwanda Africa Group)
Kenya has made significant progress in building its space sector; with the establishment of the Kenya Space Agency in 2017, establishment of university Aerospace Engineering programs, and the increased interest from investors in the tech and innovation sectors, Kenya is well on its way to building this industry. The benefits of establishing a spaceport capable of launching rockets within Kenya are numerous. On the equator and on the east coast of Africa, Kenya is located in a geographically favorable position, able to launch vehicles very efficiently and with minimized risk to its population. Click here. (11/18)

Site Found Most Suitable for Kenyan Spaceport Hub (Source: Hapa Kenya)
Marsabit County has been identified as the most suitable county in Kenya to set up a spaceport. Other counties considered included Laikipia, Kilifi, Tana River, Isiolo, Turkana and Narok. The recommendation was made by a Viwanda Africa report, in collaboration with Longshot Space Technology and student engineering researchers from Kenyatta and Nairobi universities. The report examined the viability of establishing a Spaceport in Kenya. (11/22)

California-Based LongShot Interested in Kenya Spaceport (Source: LongShot Aerospace)
LongShot is a Silicon Valley-based company building ground-based hypersonic solutions. Our technology provides a carbon-neutral way of launching goods to space that will be two orders cheaper than current methods, as well as provide cheap means to test at speeds exceeding Mach 5. To date we have been awarded a Phase II SBIR from the United States Air Force for research and development of a hypersonic testbed. Our work has the potential to culminate in a largescale version of our device to launch satellites, food, fuel, and building materials into space to support human habitation of the solar system.

LongShot CEO Mike Grace visited Kenya and contributed to a study of its spaceport feasibility: "I am extremely grateful that my company has been able to have a small part in supporting this study. I expect nothing but great things from these researchers, and from Kenya at large. I hope that this report can help open eyes, both in Kenya and outside, to the opportunity the nations present both to the global space launch industry and to our shared human project of exploring the cosmos." (11/18)

2022 Will Be a Big Year for New Launchers at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: SPACErePORT)
The Cape Canaveral Spaceport in 2022 will see a frenzy of development at several launch complexes as they are converted for new rockets.North to south: NASA will put the final touches on LC-39B for SLS and Artemis. ULA will complete LC-41 for Vulcan. Firefly will be converting LC-20 for their Alpha rocket. Relativity will rebuild LC-16 for their Terran family of rockets. Blue Origin will continue work at LC-36 for New Glenn. And Astra will make preparations at LC-46 for their rockets.

Meanwhile, Space Florida will begin site development at the former Shuttle Landing Facility for new horizontal launch/landing users, including Sierra Space's DreamChaser. And multiple rocket and satellite builders should start or continue developing their manufacturing facilities, including Blue Origin, Firefly, and Terran Orbital. Other deals are in the pipeline too. (11/22)

After Another ASAT test, Will Governments Finally Take Action? (Source: Space Review)
Last week, Russia tested a direct-ascent antisatellite weapon, destroying a defunct Russian satellite and creating potentially thousands of new pieces of debris. Jeff Foust reports on the test and reaction, and whether it will lead to efforts to prohibit such tests and preserve the orbital environment. Click here. (11/22)
 
Tracking Unknown Satellites (Source: Space Review)
Not all satellite catalogs are created equal, with some containing objects that are missing in others. Charles Phillips and Mykola Kulichenko discuss one effort to track down objects and link them to specific satellites. Click here. (11/22)
 
Risk, Teamwork, and Opportunity: the Tale of a Soyuz Abort (Source: Space Review)
Three years ago, an astronaut and a cosmonaut survived the first abort of a Soyuz spacecraft in decades. Jeff Foust recounts a session of a conference last month where Nick Hague and Alexey Ovchinin discussed the experience and the lessons learned from it. Click here. (11/22)

Accelerating Martian and Lunar Science through SpaceX Starship Missions (Source: SpaceRef)
SpaceX is developing the Starship vehicle for both human and robotic flights to the surface of the Moon and Mars. This two-stage vehicle offers unprecedented payload capacity and the promise of lowering the cost of surface access due to its full reusability. An individual Starship spacecraft is being designed to fly large crews to another planetary surface, many of whom could conduct long-term science investigations taking advantage of the support infrastructure SpaceX intends to build.

At present, the focus of SpaceX is on reaching Mars and providing relatively near-term opportunities for expanding humanity on the Red Planet. Our purpose here is to focus on the important research benefits that could arise from an effective partnership between NASA's Science Mission Directorate and SpaceX. Click here. (11/20)

SpaceX Rocket Business Leadership Shakes Up as Two VPs Depart (Source: CNBC)
The leadership of SpaceX’s rocket business has been shaken up, CNBC has learned, including the departure of two vice presidents. SpaceX vice president of propulsion Will Heltsley has left, multiple people familiar with the situation told CNBC, having been with the company since 2009. Lee Rosen, SpaceX vice president of mission and launch operations, left last week, sources said, having joined the company in 2013. (11/22)

US Space Industry ‘Tactically Strong’ But Lacks Long-Term Investment (Source: Breaking Defense)
The space industrial base is “tactically strong” with high levels of capital investment and innovation, but “strategically shallow” in that a lack of funding from US government agencies, including the Defense Department, puts sustainment of the current boom in question, according to a new study sponsored by the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit.

“While the pace of innovation and investment in the U.S. is at an all-time high, participants cautioned that this will not be sustained without strategic direction, robust adoption of commercial space capabilities expressed in meaningful contract opportunities, strategic workforce development, attention to fragile domestic supply lines, and addressing the anemic funding to prototype, validate and accelerate the adoption of innovative and disruptive space capabilities for national security,” the study finds.

It further suggests that without a strategic shift to make the space economy a top-level government priority the US will lose what the authors paint as a vital race with China. The findings, explain NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond in a forward, do not represent an official government position. However, the forward states, “they are extremely valuable inputs for consideration.” (11/18)