December 14, 2021

Space Florida Seeks to Bring 2,100 High-Paying Space Manufacturing Jobs to Melbourne Airport (Source: Florida Today)
Florida’s aerospace agency pushed forward with negotiations Tuesday to bring 2,100 high-paying spacecraft manufacturing jobs to Brevard County over the next three years. The Space Florida board of directors approved a staff request to complete negotiations with a company that is expected to invest more than $300 million in a new facility at the Melbourne Orlando International Airport.

The jobs being pursued are expected to have an average wage of $84,000 a year, plus benefits. The identity of the company has not been released, with the proposal going by the code name “Project Griffin.” Space Florida's Howard Haug said in a conference call with the Space Florida board that the agency will pursue “conduit financing” for construction and equipment acquisitions. Staff members also will work on lease agreements between Space Florida and the Melbourne Airport Authority, along with the sublease agreements with the company for the property, Haug said. He added the project is subject to funding availability and approval of a final agreement that would go before the board.

In September, satellite manufacturer Terran Orbital decided to base its new 660,000-square-foot headquarters at the Kennedy Space Center’s former Shuttle Landing Facility, now called the Launch and Landing Facility, which is operated by Space Florida. That project — which went through negotiations under the title Project Kraken — also is expected to produce 2,100 jobs by the end of 2025 that carry an average salary of $84,000. (12/14)

Construction of New Spaceport "Bridge to the Future" Begins on Florida's Space Coast (Sources: SPACErePORT, Florida Today)
Officials from NASA, the Florida Department of Transportation, and Space Florida participated in a 14 December ceremony kicking off construction to replace a causeway drawbridge built in 1964 connecting Titusville and the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The new "Bridge to the Future" replaces the deteriorating structure (which has a 28-foot clearance) with one featuring a minimum clearance of 65 feet. The old drawbridge often backs up traffic when tall boats need to pass. The bridge is also part of the coastal hurricane evacuation route.

FDOT estimated the total project cost at $126 million, but NASA will only have to foot $13.5 million of the bill – $90 million comes from a U.S. Department of Transportation grant while the rest will be covered by Space Florida, the state's spaceport authority. For some companies like Lockheed Martin's Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, it's the only way to get processed spacecraft across the river and to the spaceport. The company is also renovating a facility near the causeway for heat shield work related to NASA's Orion crew capsule, adding yet another bridge dependent. (12/14)

Maezewa Having an "Amazing" Time on ISS (Source: AP)
Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa says he's having an "amazing" time on the International Space Station. In his first interview since arriving at the station last week on a commercial Soyuz flight, Maezawa said the experience on the station has been worth the cost of the mission, estimated to cost him more than $80 million for him and his assistant, Yozo Hirano. He said he's gotten over space sickness from the early days of the flight and looked forward to trying out some sports on the station. "What I am not looking forward to that much," he added, "is toilet-related stuff." (12/14)

Cosmic Explosion is Birth of Neutron Star or Black Hole (Source: Sky & Telescope)
An explosion called the "Space Cow" by astronomers was likely the birth cry of a neutron star or black hole. The object, nicknamed after its designation AT2018cow, was detected in 2018 and linked to a galaxy 200 million light-years away. The object was much brighter and bluer in color than usual supernova explosions. Astronomers later detected X-ray emissions from the object, and concluded that it must be a black hole or neutron star. (12/14)

WVU Engineers Creating Software for Aerobots to Explore Venus (Source: Space Daily)
Engineers at West Virginia University are propelling exploration forward by creating control software for a group of aerial robots (aerobots) that will survey the atmosphere of Venus, the second planet from the sun. According to researchers, Venus went through a climate change process that transformed it from an Earth-like environment to an inhospitable world. Studying Venus can help model the evolution of climate on Earth and serve as a reference for what can happen in the future.

One aerobot concept is the Venus Atmosphere Maneuverable Platform, which is a hybrid airship that uses both buoyancy and aerodynamic lift to control its altitude. The benefit of a hybrid aerobot is its ability to, during the day, behave like a plane, collecting and using energy from the sun to drive its motors, and, during the night, float like a balloon to save energy. The buoyancy of the vehicle would prevent it from going below 50 km - or 31 miles, below the surface of Venus where the temperature is very high and would damage the vehicle. (12/10)

Mirror, Mirror, on the Moon (Source: Space Daiy)
MoonLIGHT or Moon Laser Instrumentation for General relativity/geophysics High-accuracy Tests is seeking the answer to this and more questions on general relativity, the gravitational dynamics of the Earth-Moon system and the deep lunar interior. MoonLIGHT is a laser retroreflector, imaged here, which allows laser beams sent from Earth to be reflected back from the Moon to receivers on our planet. This allows very precise measurement of the distances between the reflector and the ground station.

Known as lunar laser ranging, this technique has been in use since the Apollo missions to investigate Einstein's theory of general relativity, lunar geophysics and the Earth-Moon dynamics, among other fields of study. However, data from retroreflectors of the Apollo era is not as precise due to lunar vibrations, or the perceived lagging and wanning of the Moon when viewed from Earth, caused by its eccentric and tilted orbit of our planet. The MoonLIGHT retroreflector can reduce this error thanks to its next-generation compact design. The single, larger reflector with a front face 100mm in diameter can improve accuracy to within millimeters. (12/9)

New Space Economy Ready to Lift Off Thanks to Finnish Innovation (Source: Space Daily)
The new space economy is taking a giant leap as space technology turns towards improving the future of life here on earth. As the sector grows, innovative Finnish companies are leading the way using their digital and tech-savvy expertise as well as stellar engineering skills to bring space back down to earth. According to Morgan Stanley's Space Team the global space industry will surge to over $1 trillion by 2040, as companies use space technology and innovation to solve issues that impact our lives, including climate change, rising sea levels, wildfires and ice melting rates.

Finland is fast becoming a technological superpower with innovations that have led to the rise of 'astro-preneurship' and the establishment of the New Space Economy. Independent space companies are set to reshape traditional business models, develop faster and cheaper access to space than ever before, and advance earth observations far beyond today's satellite capabilities. (12/10)

Space Habitat Market Size to Grow by $94.92 Billion (Source: Space Daily)
Technavio analyzes the space habitat market by technology (inflatable and non-inflatable) and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, and ROW). The report expects the market to witness an incremental growth of USD 94.92 million between 2020 and 2025, accelerating at a CAGR of 8.41% during the forecast period.

By technology, the market generated maximum revenue in the inflatable segment in 2020. The segment is driven by the lower risk posed by inflatable space habitat technology compared with non-inflatable space habitat technology. The market growth in the inflatable segment will be significant during the forecast period. (12/10)

Orbex begins Construction of New Rocket Launchpad in the UK (Source: Space Daily)
Orbex, Europe's leading private small satellite launch services provider, has announced it has started construction of its first state-of-the-art Launch Platform, the first orbital space launchpad to be built in the UK for more than half a century. Orbex has commissioned Motive Offshore Group, a leading Scottish company specialising in the design and manufacture of marine and lifting equipment, to fabricate and install the Launch Platform at a dedicated test site near Kinloss, close to the Orbex headquarters in Forres, Scotland.

The Launch Platform, known as Orbex LP1, is expected to be fully operational by early 2022. The new Launch Platform will support the testing of Orbex's Prime rocket, a micro-launcher designed to transport small satellites weighing around 150kg to low Earth orbit. Although actual launches of the Orbex Prime rocket will not take place at the Kinloss site, the Launch Platform will be fully capable of launching an orbital rocket, allowing for full 'dress rehearsals' of launch procedures. (12/10)

Mars Helicopter to Sit Dormant Until Radio Contact Restored (Source: Space Daily)
NASA's Mars helicopter may have to wait days to overcome a blocked radio signal caused by hills between it and the Perseverance rover in Jezero Crater, a NASA official said. Until then, the tiny helicopter that has captured the imagination and attention of people around the globe will sit quietly, charging its solar-powered batteries, Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity program lead, said in an interview.

The helicopter lost radio contact with the rover Sunday when it descended to a landing behind a hill after flying about 1/10 of a mile. After a 15-minute blackout, the rover managed to receive broken transmissions from Ingenuity, indicating the tiny aircraft was OK. Since such broken transmissions don't allow the helicopter to send photos or data, NASA doesn't know exactly how long the flight was, or even what the terrain looks like where Ingenuity landed, Tzanetos said. (12/10)

Private Human Spaceflight Become More Regular, but Not Routine (Source: Space Review)
Another Blue Origin New Shepard suborbital mission took place Saturday, a day after the FAA said it was shutting down its program to award commercial astronaut wings. Jeff Foust reports this is a sign commercial human spaceflight is becoming more common, at long last, but is still far from routine. Click here. (12/13)
 
Private Space Stations are Coming. Will They be Better Than Their Predecessors? (Source: Space Review)
Several ventures are now working on commercial space station proposals that could be ready to enter service by late this decade. Justin St. P. Walsh and Alice Gorman wonder if such ventures have learned the lessons from government space stations. Click here. (12/13)
 
Who was Missing at COP26 and Why it’s a Problem (Source: Space Review)
Last month’s COP26 climate conference in Scotland attracted thousands of participants, but notably absent were representatives of the aerospace and defense industry. Layla Martin discusses why the industry needs to pay more attention to climate change. Click here. (12/13)
 
Review: The Apollo Murders (Source: Space Review)
Former astronaut Chris Hadfield has written books about his spaceflight experiences, but is now turning to fiction. Jeff Foust reviews Hadfield’s novel that makes use of his space and aviation expertise to write a thriller set in the Apollo program. Click here. (12/13)

New Glenn Launch Likely Slipping to 2023 (Source: Space News)
A Blue Origin executive said Monday that the first launch of the company's New Glenn rocket is likely to slip beyond next year. Speaking at World Satellite Business Week Monday, Jarrett Jones backed away from earlier comments of a first launch of New Glenn in late 2022, saying only that the company hoped to be "ready for launch" by the end of next year. The company expects to get its first set of BE-4 engines for New Glenn in the second half of 2022. At the same conference panel, executives with Arianespace and ULA said that their new vehicles, Ariane 6 and Vulcan Centaur, were still on track for a first launch in 2022 despite some reports of schedule slips. (12/14)

"Extreme" Megaconstellation Plans Highlight Need for Rules (Source: Space News)
Satellite operators expressed frustration with filings for "extreme" megaconstellations of tens to hundreds of thousands of satellites. On Monday at World Satellite Business Week, executives said that the filings for such constellations highlighted problems with the current approach, with the ITU not taking orbital congestion into account when considering such constellations. While officials said they doubted such systems would actually be built, they called for countries to work together to develop rules to address the risks posed by them. (12/14)

BlackSky Plans 50 Centimeter Resolution (Source: Space News)
After a surge of satellite launches in the last month, BlackSky will be shifting to new, higher-resolution satellites soon. BlackSky launched six satellites on three launches in the last month, but company CEO Brian O'Toole said the company planned to launch only two to four satellites next year. The company intends to shift to a new satellite design in 2023 called Gen-3 that will produce images with a resolution of 50 centimeters, twice as sharp as the existing Gen-2 satellites. He said the company's long-term goal is a constellation of 30 satellites. (12/14)

South Korea and Australian Plan Space Cooperation (Source: Space News)
South Korea and Australia signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate on space. The MOU covers cooperation on space exploration, launch services and satellite navigation, as well as space situational awareness, Earth observation, space traffic and debris management. The MOU was announced during a summit between President Moon Jae-in of South Korea and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Canberra on Monday. (12/14)

China Launches Data Relay Satellite (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
China launched the second satellite in a data relay system Monday. A Long March 3B rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 11:09 a.m. Eastern and placed into a geostationary transfer orbit the second Tianlian-2 satellite. The spacecraft will support communications with China's space station, similar to NASA's TDRS satellites. (12/14)

Thanks to New Satellites, BlackSky Sets a 15-Hour Pace for Refreshing Space Imagery (Source: GeekWire)
BlackSky says it has set a new standard for refreshing its satellite views of spots on Earth after adding six spacecraft to its Earth observation constellation in less than a month. The company reported reaching a peak of 15 hourly picture-taking sessions over certain locations. BlackSky said that represents the highest satellite revisit rate in the world.

The satellite images were processed through the company’s Spectra AI geospatial data analysis platform, providing insights to customers just hours after the pictures were acquired.

Spectra AI combines data from satellites and other sources to create AI-enabled status reports on intelligence matters ranging from the impact of natural disasters to the flow of maritime traffic through supply-chain chokepoints. In many cases, tracking the progression of events from above on a near-real-time basis can make a critical difference. (12/13)

Aldrin to Lead Embry-Riddle Space Operations Degree Program (Source: LinkedIn)
Dr. Andy Aldrin, son of Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin, has served since 2015 as director of the Aldrin Space Institute at the Florida Institute of Technology on the state's Space Coast. His father Buzz, who lives in nearby Satellite Beach, is the institute's namesake and was provided a faculty position at the university, alongside former astronauts Winston Scott and Sam Durrance. Now, Dr. (Andy) Aldrin has departed Florida Tech for a leadership position at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach.

"I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Program Coordinator, Masters of Space Operations at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University! We are standing up a new online program which will provide graduate students and mid career professionals a solid education in how the commercial, civil and national security ecosystem operations and how to find your place in space. Check it out at: https://lnkd.in/gmQaHd4Q". (12/13)

Boeing to Swap Service Modules for Commercial Crew Flight Tests (Source: Boeing)
Following extensive testing and analysis of oxidizer isolation valves on Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner service module propulsion system, Boeing has decided to move up service modules currently in production for its upcoming uncrewed and crewed flight tests to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

The service module originally planned for its Crew Flight Test (CFT) will now be used for the Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission, and the service module planned for the Starliner-1 flight will be used for CFT. Ongoing investigation efforts continue to validate the most probable cause to be related to oxidizer and moisture interactions. NASA and Boeing will continue the analysis and testing of the initial service module on which the issue was identified leading up to launch of the uncrewed OFT-2 mission in August 2021. (12/13)

Bill Gates Won't Join the Space Race. He Wants to Eradicate Malaria and Tuberculosis Instead (Source: CNN)
Some of the world's richest men are squaring off in what's become a rivalry for the ages -- the space race. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, the two richest men on the planet and the CEOs of SpaceX and Blue Origin, respectively, have grand designs on the cosmos. They predict a universe where the internet is accessible from anywhere, humans are an interplanetary species, and rotating space stations host permanent residents.

But Bill Gates isn't putting his wealth into these off-planet endeavors. Gates, the fourth richest person alive, according to Forbes, has what he considers higher aspirations right here on Earth. While internet constellations like SpaceX's Starlink and Amazon's proposed Project Kuiper aim to bring for-profit fixes to the world's pressing connectivity issues, Gates told CNN's Becky Anderson on Wednesday that more basic problems consume his time now.

"The space race, a lot of that is a commercial market. Having great internet connections throughout Africa is a good thing. Using observation satellites to see what's going on with agriculture and climate change. So that's not philanthropically motivated altogether. I do hope that people who are rich will find ways to give their wealth back to society with high impact. Clearly, they've got skills. They can't, or shouldn't, want to consume it all themselves...Until we can get rid of malaria and tuberculosis, and all these diseases that are so terrible in poor countries, that's going to be my total focus," he said. (12/13)

Japanese Space Tourist Calls Trip ‘Amazing,’ Deflects Criticism (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
A Japanese space tourist on Monday rejected criticism from those who questioned his decision to pay a fortune for a trip to the International Space Station, saying the “amazing” experience was worth it. Speaking to The Associated Press in a live interview from the orbiting space outpost, billionaire fashion tycoon Yusaku Maezawa said even though he had imagined what his mission would be like before the flight, he was struck by the reality of space travel.

“Once you are in space, you realize how much it is worth it by having this amazing experience,” he told the AP in the first TV interview since he arrived at the station. “And I believe that this amazing experience will lead to something else.” Maezawa, 46, and his 36-year-old producer Yozo Hirano are the first self-paying tourists to visit the space station since 2009. Asked about reports claiming that he paid over $80 million for a 12-day mission, Maezawa said he couldn’t disclose the contract sum but admitted that he paid “pretty much” that amount. (12/13)

A Rocket Fuel Twist to Elon Musk's $100M Carbon Removal XPRIZE Challenge (Source: SPACErePORT)
Elon Musk and his Musk Foundation are sponsoring a $100 million XPRIZE challenge for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or oceans. To win the grand prize, teams must demonstrate a working solution at a scale of at least 1000 tonnes removed per year; model their costs at a scale of 1 million tonnes per year; and show a pathway to achieving a scale of gigatonnes per year in future. The four-year competition is the largest incentive prize in history.‎

On Monday, Musk added a new twist to the carbon removal game: he announced a SpaceX program to remove atmospheric CO2 and use it to produce rocket fuel. One wonders if this might be intended to overcome SpaceX's problem with bringing enough fuel to the Boca Chica Starbase for frequent Starship launches. There has been some controversy and pushback against the FAA's environmental assessment for Starbase because it may have neglected to address SpaceX's need for major new infrastructure to transport and store natural gas that would be used to make liquid methane rocket fuel.

SpaceX's recent announcement that Starship launches will also be conducted at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport may have--in part--been in response to the company's infrastructure challenges at Boca Chica. The Cape Canaveral Spaceport has an established supply chain for rocket fuel transport, production, and storage. (12/13)

Antarctic Glacier Heading for Dramatic Change (Source: BBC)
Scientists are warning of dramatic changes at one of the biggest glaciers in Antarctica, potentially within the next five to 10 years. They say a 1,000-sq-km floating section at the front of Thwaites Glacier, which until now has been relatively stable, could "shatter like a car windscreen." US and UK researchers are currently engaged in an intense study program at Thwaites because of its melt rate. Already it is dumping 50 billion tonnes of ice into the ocean each year.

This is having limited impact on global sea-levels today, but there is sufficient ice held upstream in the glacier's drainage basin to raise the height of the oceans by 65cm - were it all to melt. Such a "doomsday" scenario is unlikely to come about for many centuries, but the study team says Thwaites is now responding to a warming world in really quite rapid ways.

Thwaites is a colossus. It's roughly the size of Great Britain, or Florida, and its outflow speed has doubled in the past 30 years. The ITGC has established how this is happening. It is the result of warm ocean water getting under - and melting - Thwaites's floating front, or ice shelf as it's known. The warm water is thinning and weakening this ice, making it run faster and pushing back the zone where the main glacier body becomes buoyant. (12/13)

Rocket Lab to Acquire SolAero Holdings, a Leader in Space Solar Power Products (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SolAero Holdings, Inc., a supplier of space solar power products and precision aerospace structures for the global aerospace market, for $80 million in cash. The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022.

The acquisition continues Rocket Lab's strategy of vertical integration to span spacecraft manufacture, satellite subsystems, flight software, ground operations, and launch. As one of only two companies producing high-efficiency, space-grade solar cells in the US, SolAero’s space solar cells are among the highest performing in the world and support civil space exploration, science, defense and intelligence, and commercial markets. (12/13)