November 9, 2021

NASA Can Facilitate the Commercial Space Station Race (Source: The Hill)
Recently, former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine testified before the Senate Commerce Committee on the need, among other things, to develop commercial space stations to replace the ISS when that orbiting laboratory is due to retire at the end of this decade. He stated, “It is absolutely critical that Congress fund America’s replacement for the International Space Station...Humanity is only at the beginning of understanding the immense economic, technological, and medicinal value of microgravity, and America is at risk of ceding these capabilities to our greatest competitor.”

Bridenstine suggested that Congress fund LEO space commercialization efforts at $2 billion a year. This figure is over and above other NASA priorities, such as the Artemis return to the moon program. Thus far, neither the Biden administration nor Congress have been that generous. The administration request for NASA included just $101 million to develop a commercial space station. The final appropriations bill is still pending. (11/7)

Prof. Implicated As Chinese Agent Says NASA Knew His Work (Source: Law360)
A former Texas A&M University professor denied the U.S. Department of Justice's allegations that he shared NASA-funded research with a Chinese university, saying his grant allowed him to collaborate with researchers around the world, even if they were from China. (11/8)

Arksys Handbook Guides Use of On-Orbit Servicing Outposts (Source: Arksys)
Arkisys has released the initial version of its Visiting Vessel Handbook for its orbital outpost architecture, the Port. The Arkisys Port System provides a long duration platform capable of enabling commercial hosting and precision mission services from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) out to cislunar space. Each Port operates independently depending upon the orbit, and supports the transfer of payload and cargo to and from the platform while managing the arrivals and departures of spacecraft capable of maneuvering and operating in close proximity (or attached) to a Port Module.

Arkisys is building the world's first autonomous robotically enabled Commercial Space Outpost for Assembly, Integration and Resupply. Led by a renowned team of space industry pioneers, Arkisys is assembling the first incremental space infrastructure step through an agile aggregatable platform that directly supports customer needs today, with services to expand and create new markets tomorrow. (11/8)

Boldly insure Where No One Has Gone (Source: Space Review)
Insurance is a critical, if often overlooked, part of the space industry. A group of insurance executives raises issues that growing space activities pose for insurers. Click here. (11/8)
 
For Private Space Travelers, Questions of Vistas and Titles (Source: Space Review)
Can a suborbital spaceflight provide the same change in perspective as an orbital flight? And, do private space travelers get to be called astronauts? Jeff Foust reports on how those issues are being considered as private human spaceflight takes off. Click here. (11/8)
 
Witch-Hunts, Power, and Privilege From Salem to the Stars (Source: Space Review)
How does the fear and power asymmetry that contributed to the infamous Salem witch trials manifest itself in the modern-day aerospace industry? Layla Martin presents similarities between the events at Salem and modern space culture. Click here. (11/8)

ISS Crew Splashes Down in Dragon Capsule Near Pensacola (Source: Space News)
Four astronauts safely returned to Earth Monday night on a Crew Dragon spacecraft. The Crew Dragon spacecraft Endeavour undocked from the station at 2:05 p.m. Eastern and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico at 10:33 p.m. Eastern. The landing went as planned other than one of four main parachutes that was slow to fully inflate. NASA said such behavior had been seen in other tests and that the capsule's deceleration was as expected. The spacecraft returned the four Crew-2 astronauts, who spent nearly 200 days in space. (11/9)

HawkEye 360 Raises $140 Million to Expand RF Satellite Constellation (Source: Space News)
HawkEye 360 announced Monday it raised $140 million in a new funding round to expand its satellite constellation.The company said Insight Partners and Seraphim Space Investment Trust led the Series D round, which brought the total it raised to date to $302 million. The company operates nine radio-frequency monitoring satellites that can geolocate a variety of signals, such as from vessels. The new funds will allow the company to expand its constellation and ground systems while enhancing services to customers. (11/9)

Virgin Galactic Signs More Customers (Source: Space News)
Virgin Galactic said Monday that it has added 100 customers since restarting ticket sales this summer. The company said it's seen strong interest in tickets despite the higher price of $450,000. The new sales require customers to pay a deposit of $150,000, with $25,000 of that non-refundable. Virgin Galactic hopes to have 1,000 customers by the time it starts regular commercial flights late next year. The company is in the midst of an extended maintenance period for its current SpaceShipTwo vehicle, VSS Unity, and its WhiteKnightTwo aircraft, while completing its next suborbital spaceplane, VSS Imagine. The company reported negative free cash flow of $53 million in the third quarter. (11/9)

Space Force Wants More Situational Awareness (Source: Space News)
A Space Force general said the service wants more intelligence about space activities. During a conference panel Monday, Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno, staff director of the U.S. Space Force said catalogs of space objects don't provide enough information about what is going on in orbit. She said the military now needed "space domain awareness" to allow the service to "understand basically who is doing what to whom, and why." (11/9)

Stofan Suggests "Mission Control" for Earth Science Data (Source: Space News)
A Smithsonian Institution executive called for a "mission control" to combine space-based data on the planet's changing climate. Ellen Stofan, undersecretary for science and research at the Smithsonian Institution and a former NASA chief scientist, said such a center would bring together the wide range of space data to help decision-makers who are dealing with climate issues. A recent report by the World Economic Forum recommended standing up an "Earth operations center" modeled after NASA's mission control center to combine data and address gaps in modeling and coordination. (11/9)
 
Japan's Epsilon Rocket Launches Debris-Removal Satellite (Source: Space News)
A Japanese small launch vehicle placed nine smallsats into orbit Monday night. The Epsilon rocket lifted off from the Uchinoura Space Center at 7:55 p.m. Eastern and placed into orbit the RAISE-2 satellite for the Japanese space agency JAXA that will test orbital debris removal technologies. The rocket also carried eight secondary payloads, including a Vietnamese nanosatellite. The launch was delayed from October because of technical and weather issues. (11/9)

Viasat/Inmarsat Deal Could Start Wave of Consolidations (Source: Space News)
Viasat and Inmarsat executives said their deal will position the combined company to be more competitive in a transforming industry. In a conference call Monday about Viasat's agreement to acquire Inmarsat, officials said they will be able to combine the two companies' satellite fleets, including future Ka-band satellites, into an interoperable network, supporting future growth. Inmarsat's sale could be the start of a wave of industry consolidation as operators jostle for position in this shifting landscape, although many potential deals will face regulatory obstacles. (11/9)

Hubble Instrument Back Online, Others Remain in Safe Mode (Source: Space.com)
One instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope has resumed operations. Controllers restored the Advanced Camera for Surveys on Sunday, allowing it to resume science operations. Hubble's instruments have been in a safe mode since late October because of a synchronization issue. NASA said Monday it's looking into approaches for restoring the other instruments to service while examining the root cause of the issue. (11/9)

Ingenuity Helicopter Hopping Back to Starting Point (Source: NASA)
NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter made its 15th flight. JPL announced the flight Monday, saying the helicopter flew 128.8 seconds and landed in the predicted landing zone. The flight is the first in a series of four to seven to take the helicopter back to Wright Brothers Field, where it started its flights earlier this year. During those flights, controllers may also upgrade the helicopter's software to enable new navigation capabilities. (11/9)

Heinz Develops Mars-Ready Ketchup with Florida Tech (Source: CollectSpace)
Heinz has developed the ketchup it says that future Mars residents may consume. The company worked with the Florida Institute of Technology to develop the "Marz Edition" ketchup, growing tomatoes in simulated Martian soil. The ketchup won't be offered for sale, but Heinz said it passed quality tests that would allow it to be marketed under the Heinz brand. (11/9)

Object Detected Near China's Debris-Cleaning Satellite Fuels Fears of Satellite Crushing Weapon (Source: Sputnik)
China launched its Shijian 21 satellite into orbit from Xichang late in October on a mission to "test and verify space debris mitigation technologies". However, the launch triggered fears in the US military that Beijing had unveiled a new "satellite-crushing" weapon to achieve superior space attack systems. US space tracking has detected a mysterious object orbiting along with China's Shijian-21 satellite, launched on 23 October to "test and verify space debris mitigation technologies".

On 3 November, the US Space Force's 18th Space Control Squadron (SPCS) catalogued a so-called "companion object" alongside Shijian-21 with the international designator 2021-094C. The object is noted as likely to be an apogee kick motor (AKM) typically employed on artificial satellites to deliver the final impulse to change the trajectory from the transfer orbit into its final, geostationary orbit. (11/9)

China and Africa Will Strengthen Cooperation on Beidou Satellite System (Source: Space Daily)
China and Africa will strengthen their communication and cooperation in promoting and using the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, according to an international forum in Beijing. Officials, industry leaders and researchers from China, several African nations and the African Union shared their thoughts at the First China-Africa Beidou System Cooperation Forum and agreed to take advantage of the Beidou system to benefit social and economic development in Africa.

He Yubin, chairman of the China Satellite Navigation Committee, said at the forum that his committee is willing to share its experience and expertise of Beidou's applications with Africa and work with African countries to design Beidou-based solutions for their socio-economic development. (11/8)

Airbus and Vietnam Strenghthen Partnership on Space Observation (Source: Space Daily)
France and Vietnam have decided to strengthen their existing cooperation on Space domain. On November 3, in the presence of French and Vietnamese Prime Ministers, VAST, CNES and Airbus signed a Letter of Intent on cooperation related to Earth-Observation satellite implementation. This cooperation is aimed at facilitating the implementation of the "Vietnam Space Technology Program 2020 - 2030" Program. (11/8)