December 3, 2021

NASA Awards $415 Million for Commercial Space Stations (Source: Space News)
NASA selected three companies for more than $400 million in awards to advance concepts for commercial space stations that could succeed the International Space Station. The awards announced Thursday went to teams led by Blue Origin for the Orbital Reef station, Nanoracks for the Starlab station, and Northrop Grumman for an as-yet-unnamed station that would make use of technologies developed for the Cygnus cargo spacecraft and HALO module for the lunar Gateway.

The awards cover work through mid-decade to mature the three designs. NASA will hold another competition for these three teams and other companies to certify stations for use by NASA astronauts and purchase initial services. Both NASA and the companies said they were confident those stations could be ready before the ISS is due to be retired at the end of the decade, despite warnings in a report earlier this week by NASA's inspector general. (12/2)

Planetary Scientists are Starting to Get Stirred up by Starship’s Potential (Source: Ars Technica)
A growing number of planetary scientists are looking to SpaceX's Starship vehicle as a means of exploring the Solar System more efficiently. "You can really take advantage of the Starship architecture and get to the outer Solar System in ways we haven't thought about before," NASA Ames scientist Jennifer Heldmann said. "It could provide a revolutionary new way of exploring these worlds."

Go faster, farther ... Earlier this year, some of these scientists began to recognize the urgency of getting NASA on board with using Starship for science missions. So they wrote a white paper, with Heldmann as the lead author, titled "Accelerating Martian and Lunar Science through SpaceX Starship Missions." They called upon the space agency to create a commercial Mars science program.

"NASA must develop a funded program aligned with the development approach for Starship, including a rapid development schedule, relatively high risk tolerance compared to traditional planetary science missions, and ultimately a high ratio of potential science value for the dollars spent if successful," they wrote. (12/1)

Indian Company Tests 3D-Printed Engine (Source: Ars Technica)
The startup company Skyroot Aerospace says it has test-fired India's first privately developed fully cryogenic rocket engine, successfully demonstrating the technology that will power the upper stages of its upcoming Vikram-2 orbital launch vehicle. The rocket engine, named Dhawan-1, is fueled by liquefied natural gas and liquid oxygen, The Economic Times reports.

Going to space next year? ... "This is a completely 'Made-in-India' cryogenic engine developed using 3D printing with a super-alloy, reducing manufacturing time by more than 95 percent," said Pawan Kumar Chandana, co-founder and chief executive at Skyroot Aerospace. "This test makes us one of the very few companies in the world to have successfully demonstrated this technology." Skyroot is aiming to make its first launch attempt in 2022. (12/3)

Broker Urges Court to Revive $3.1B Satellite Deal Dispute (Source: Law360)
Broker Blemheim Capital Holdings has urged the Fourth Circuit to revive its case alleging Airbus, Lockheed Martin and South Korea wrongly cut it from a $3.1 billion military satellite deal, saying its claims were timely and South Korea shouldn't be considered sovereignly immune. A district court mistakenly found the South Korean government was immune to the suit, as the disputed satellite deal and overarching sale of F-35 fighter jets that it stems from both fall under an exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act that applies to commercial activities by foreign governments. (12/1)

New Mexico and Investors 'Reeled In' by SpinLaunch (Source: American Thinker)
The mechanics of Spinlaunch will never launch a satellite into orbit. But the physics of Spinlaunch is good enough for the Brothers Yaney to gain the backing of New Mexico political leaders.  Once N.M. politicians were reeled in, then the big investors.  So far, the Brothers Yaney have secured $110 million in investor support and now $2.5 million in additional state money.  This is called longlining in the ocean fishing industry and business as usual by corrupt political and business leaders.

The Brothers Yaney ran the same racket in Moriarty, N.M. just eight years ago.  Titan Aerospace's goal was to manufacture solar-powered high-flying drones that could provide low-cost internet access to rural areas around the globe.  The physics was straightforward; the mechanics were anything but.  The Brothers Yaney demonstrated that it would work, then sold the company to Google and left town before it collapsed.  Google soon realized that it just bought air and quietly shut down Titan Aerospace in 2017.

Clearly, the Brothers Yaney learned their lesson of not taking federal money or crossing federal law.  In 2015, Maximus Yaney pleaded guilty to mortgage fraud with Titan, LLC that he perpetrated in 2007.  Surprisingly, they used Titan in the names of both enterprises.  The trusting folks in Moriarty never stood a chance, while the Santa Fe politicos were right at home. (12/3)

Big Data Throttling the Space Engine (Source: BBN Times)
Information is vital for organizations as it helps them in knowing what can be the best option for increasing sales and focusing on improving the productivity of their organization. With big data being available from diverse sources, businesses are provided with actionable insights from information stored in varying databases. Sources of data are increasing every day; information is being collected even from the sky. The reducing cost of purchasing, launching, and maintaining a satellite is encouraging companies to explore big data in space.

With improved satellites and enhanced sensors, corporations are now holding information which once analyzed can help them in making decisions that will be beneficial for the entire country. Big data in space is also referred to as spatial data. This information is considered to be crucial as data collected from space can help people across the globe to have a foresight into the future course of events in our environment. (12/2)

Coming in January 2022: Space Day in Tallahassee on Jan. 27 (Source: SPACErePORT)
Florida's annual Space Day will be held in the Florida Capitol on January 27 during the state's legislative session. The event brings the state's aerospace industry and government leaders together to focus statewide attention on aerospace industry development, including advocating for pro-aerospace policies and appropriations such as Space Florida's annual budget. Click here. (12/3)

Coming in January 2022: Spaceport Summit / SpaceCom Conference in Orlando (Source: SPACErePORT)
SpaceCom, the Global Commercial Space Conference & Exhibition, connects private and public sectors enabling new, lucrative opportunities in space-earth ventures, advancing the business of space, and protecting our planet. Planned for Jan. 12-12 in Orlando, this year's event will feature NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana (former KSC Director), Current KSC Director Janet Petro, Space Launch Delta 45 Commander Brig. Gen. Stephen Purdy, FAA Associate Administrator for AST Wayne Monteith, and a lot of other industry leaders. Click here. (12/3)

SpaceX Breaks Annual Flight Record (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
SpaceX launched another batch of Starlink satellites, as well as two rideshare payloads for BlackSky, into low Earth orbit atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket. This launch was the 32nd dedicated Starlink mission overall, boosting the total number of satellites launched to date to 1,892. Including this batch, there some 1,700 currently active in orbit around Earth. Currently, 30 more launches are needed to fill this Starlink shell, which is the second being constructed.

This was SpaceX’s 27th launch of 2021, which breaks the company’s record for orbital launches in a calendar year. Overall, this was the 75th flight of a previously-flown booster and the 130th launch of a Falcon 9 rocket since its debut in 2010. (12/2)

Rocket Lab Avoids Ocean Landings for Neutron (Source: Ars Technica)
In its current conception, Neutron is a fairly stubby rocket, and Beck said this shape was designed both for launch and reentry into Earth's atmosphere. Rocket Lab intends to use a wider-shaped rocket to catch more atmospheric drag during reentry, requiring less fuel to slow down. The structure will be made of a proprietary carbon fiber for strength and less mass, Ars reports.

The first stage will have fixed landing legs, and the rocket will only land back at the launch site rather than offshore. Beck said the costs of marine landings were simply too high, and the goal is to eventually be able to launch a Neutron, land it, and launch again within 24 hours. The upper half of the rocket also has some unique characteristics. The second stage will not be reusable, so it will be as light as possible and suspended above the first stage. It will consist only of a single vacuum-optimized Archimedes engine, fuel tanks, and the payload itself. The payload fairing will open into four separate sections, release the second stage, and then close again before landing back on Earth with the first stage. (12/3)

SLS Engine Issue Could Impact Launch Schedule (Source: Ars Technica)
There's an issue with an SLS engine controller. This past weekend, rumors emerged about a problem with the controller for one of the four RS-25 engines that power the Space Launch System. NASA has not officially commented, but Aviation Week's Irene Klotz spoke with Aerojet's RS-25 program manager, Jeff Zotti. Troubleshooting the problem began on November 22, Aviation Week reported.

Schedule impacts yet to be determined ... If necessary, "replacing a line or a component … we're probably talking about multiple days. Replacing an engine, we're probably talking about multiple weeks," Zotti told the publication. "On top of that, we have to assess what that does and how that affects the vehicle and the integration activities that are going on," he added. All of that must be factored into a potential delay of the launch, presently scheduled for February 12. A summer launch for the SLS now seems far more likely than spring. (12/3)

NASA Awards Artemis Contract for Future Mega Moon Rocket Boosters (Source: NASA)
NASA has awarded the Booster Production and Operations Contract (BPOC) to Northrop Grumman of Brigham City, Utah, to build boosters for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to support nine SLS flights. Northrop Grumman, the lead booster contractor, has produced booster motors for the first three Artemis missions and is casting the motors for the fourth lunar mission.

This contract, with a value of $3.19 billion, definitizes a letter contract awarded in June 2020 that authorized Northrop Grumman to order long-lead items and build twin boosters for the next six SLS flights. The period of performance extends through Dec. 31, 2031. This includes production and operations for boosters for Artemis IV-VIII and design, development, test, and evaluation of a booster as part of Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension (BOLE) for Artemis IX. (12/2)

Climate Change Brings Stunning Shifts in Rainfall Across US (Source: USA Today)
Think your area has had more rain than usual? You're probably right. Think your area has had less rain than usual? Again, you're probably right. Our reporters used 126 years of monthly data from NOAA to analyze average annual precipitation at 344 climate divisions. They used daily precipitation data from weather stations to measure the change in frequency of extreme rain events across the U.S. from 1951-2020.

We found more than half of the nation's 344 climate divisions had their wettest periods on record since 2018. We calculated the same rolling averages for states. "East of the Rockies, more rain is falling, and it’s coming in more intense bursts," our report finds. "In the West, people are waiting longer to see any rain at all. "Taken together, the reporting reveals a stunning shift in the way precipitation falls in America." (12/3)

Astronauts Replace ISS Antenna (Source: Space.com)
Two NASA astronauts replaced a broken antenna on the ISS during a spacewalk Thursday. Astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron spend six hours and 32 minutes outside the station, successfully replacing a malfunctioning S-band antenna on the station's truss with a backup. The two completed that work ahead of schedule, allowing them to perform a few additional "get-ahead" tasks before heading back inside the station. The spacewalk was the first for Barron and the fifth for Marshburn who, at age 61, is now the oldest person to have walked in space. (12/3)

Space Station Tweaks Orbit to Avoid Pegasus Stage (Source: CBS)
The space station tweaked its orbit early Friday to avoid a close approach by a spent Pegasus stage. Thrusters on a Progress cargo spacecraft docked to the station fired for about two and a half minutes, adjusting the station's orbit by 310 meters to keep the station clear of the Pegasus upper stage that had been projected to come close to the station. Roscosmos played up the close approach in recent days despite a low risk of a collision. (12/3)

New Class of NASA Astronauts Coming Monday (Source: NASA)
NASA will announce a new class of astronauts next week. The agency said Thursday that it will introduce the 2021 astronaut class in a ceremony Monday at the Johnson Space Center. The new astronauts will begin two years of training in January, after which they will be eligible for flight assignments. (12/3)

Planet Nears SPAC Completion (Source: Planet)
Planet says it expects to close its SPAC merger next week with strong investor support. The company said Thursday that only about 2% of shareholders in dMY Technology Group, Inc. IV, the SPAC that is merging with Planet, have redeemed their shares. Planet expects the merger to give the company at least $589 million in gross proceeds, based on the holdings of the SPAC as well as separate private placements, valuing Planet at $2.8 billion. Shareholders of dMY Technology Group, Inc. IV will meet today to  approve the merger. (12/3)

Smallest Exoplanet Yet Discovered (Source: Science News)
Astronomers have discovered the smallest exoplanet yet, a world that completes a year in less than eight hours. Astronomers detected the planet, called GJ 367b, in data from NASA's TESS spacecraft. The planet has a mass 55% that of Earth, but a density slightly higher than iron. The planet may be the remnant of a larger planet whose outer, less dense layers were stripped away in a collision. The planet's short year is due to its orbit being so close to its star, creating estimated surface temperatures of 1,400ºC. (12/3)

Blue Origin Spaceflights’ Latest Superlative: Tallest Astronaut Michael Strahan (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The youngest, the oldest, the first. Blue Origin suborbital flights on its New Shepard rocket keep checking boxes to set new space records. The latest will see Michael Strahan at 6 feet 5 inches tall becoming the tallest person in space. The roughly 11-minute trips that send passengers up past 62 miles of altitude don’t require much in the way of training as the flights are automated from launch to landing, so a wider range of people will be heading up to space. (12/2)

Coming in March 2022: New Deep Space Exhibit at KSC Visitor Complex (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The Deep Space Launch Complex, a new 50,000-square-foot exhibit at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, is set to open in March 2022. This is another major Central Florida attraction for promoting space exploration and discovery. Click here for renderings. (12/2)

DOD Orders More Anti-Jam GPS Devices from BAE (Source: Defense News)
US Defense Logistics Agency orders for BAE Systems GPS modules with anti-jam capabilities have reached $641 million. "Military operations require assured positioning, navigation, and timing and our customers are shifting to M-Code to harden their GPS systems against jamming and spoofing," said Frank Zane, navigation and sensor systems business development director at BAE Systems. (12/3)