December 6, 2021

New National Science Foundation Tissue Engineering Solicitation to Leverage ISS National Lab (Source: CASIS)
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS) announced a solicitation to utilize the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory to advance research in tissue engineering and mechanobiology. NSF will provide up to $1.2 million in funding to support multiple projects that will launch to the orbiting research platform under the sponsorship of the ISS National Lab.

Microgravity affects organisms—from bacteria to humans, inducing changes such as altered gene expression and DNA regulation, changes in cellular function and physiology, and 3D aggregation of cells. Research leveraging these effects can drive advances in pharmaceutical development, disease modeling, regenerative medicine, and many other areas within the life sciences. (12/6)

Launch Startup Astra Will Fly its First Florida Mission in January (Source: Florida Today)
Astra, an upstart launch provider with high-profile investors and dozens of contracts under its belt, will fly its next mission from the Space Coast. The California-based small satellite launcher will become one of a select few to fly from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport in January when its launch system boosts a $3.9 million NASA mission to orbit. An exact timeframe has not yet been approved by the range.

Hosting the Venture Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 mission will be Launch Complex 46, a pad formerly used for military ballistic missile tests now operated by Space Florida, the state's spaceport authority. The agency over the years has turned LC-46 into a "plug-and-play" facility, meaning agile launchers like Astra don't need to construct a dedicated pad for their rocket and can instead use provided infrastructure.

That existing infrastructure combined with Astra's ability to fit the majority of its launch system in a few shipping containers meant Space Florida and the Space Force's locally based Space Launch Delta 45 were able to approve the company in just seven months. Companies typically take between three to five years for approval because of the need for complicated ground systems and entire complexes dedicated specific types of rockets. (12/5)

Space Force Accelerator Funds Three Startups (Source: Space News)
Three space industry startups won prize money from a business accelerator funded by the U.S. Space Force. Hyperspace Challenge, run by the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Space Force's SpaceWERX program, announced Dec. 2 that Varda Space Industries, SCOUT and Neutron Star Systems received $25,000 (first place), $15,000 (second place), and $10,000 (third place), respectively. Varda is working on in-space manufacturing technologies, SCOUT on space situational awareness and Neutron on electric propulsion. (12/6)

Another Funding CR Keeps New Space Force Programs in Limbo (Source: Space News)
The decision by Congress to pass another stopgap spending bill rather than full-year appropriations is "very unfortunate," Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said. In an interview, Kendall said the continuing resolution (CR), which funds the government at 2021 levels through Feb. 18, means new programs at the Air Force and Space Force remain in limbo. The potential for a year-long CR "would be devastating," he warned. "We're in a race, and giving time to your adversaries is not a good thing to do." (12/6)

DoD Space Procurement Nominee Expected Soon (Source: Space News)
Kendall said the White House is preparing to nominate a senior procurement executive for space programs. The candidate for the position of assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration is being vetted by the White House ahead of a formal nomination for the position, which requires Senate confirmation. Kendall said having a senior leader in charge of military space acquisitions is important as the Space Force looks to modernize its satellites and other systems developed decades ago, and to acquire advanced technologies needed to compete with China and Russia. One of the first assignments for the new assistant secretary will be to oversee organizational changes in the Space Force procurement enterprise. (12/6)

Bruno: Vulcan BE-4 Engines Coming Soon, Testing Well (Source: Space News)
ULA CEO Tory Bruno says he expects to receive the first flight versions of the BE-4 engines for his Vulcan Centaur rocket early next year. Bruno said Friday that those engines are being built by Blue Origin, but won't be ready by the end of this year as he had hoped. Production of the engines has been affected by supply chain problems, he said, but added that certification testing has been "going really, really well." ULA expects to conduct two Vulcan launches in 2022. (12/6)

Soyuz Rocket Launches Galileo Satellites From Kourou (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
A Soyuz rocket launched two Galileo navigation satellites Saturday night. The Soyuz ST-B rocket lifted off from French Guiana at 7:19 p.m. Eastern after a few days of delays because of weather and a malfunctioning downrange tracking station. The Fregat upper stage deployed the two Galilleo satellites nearly four hours after liftoff. The satellites are the first two in a batch of 12 ordered by ESA in 2017 and built by OHB in Germany. (12/6)

Phase Fource Tests Electric Thruster (Source: Space News)
Phase Four says it completed testing that confirms significant performance improvements in its electric thruster. The company said that tests of the Block 2 version of its Maxwell thruster show an 85% increase in performance in terms of both thrust and specific impulse. The company has several smallsat constellation customers for the new thruster, with production set to begin early next year. (12/6)

UAE Gets New Space Chief (Source: The National)
The United Arab Emirates' major space center has a new leader. Salem Al Marri is the new head of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, which is responsible for the Hope Mars orbiter and the country's astronaut program. He replaces Yousuf Al Shaibani, who led the center since 2013. (12/6)

ESA Head Says Europe Needs to Stop Facilitating Elon Musk’s Ambitions in Space (Source: Ars Technica)
The head of the European Space Agency has urged the continent’s leaders to stop facilitating Elon Musk’s ambition to dominate the new space economy, warning that the lack of coordinated action meant the US billionaire was “making the rules” himself.

Josef Aschbacher, the new director-general of ESA, said that Europe’s readiness to help the rapid expansion of Musk’s Starlink satellite Internet service risked hindering the region’s own companies from realizing the potential of commercial space. “Space will be much more restrictive [in terms of] frequencies and orbital slots,” he said in an interview. “The governments of Europe collectively should have an interest to... give European providers equal opportunities to play on a fair market.” (12/6)

dMY Technology Group Stockholders Approve Plan to Take Planet Labs Public (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Planet Labs Inc. (“Planet”) announced that its proposed business combination with dMY Technology Group, a special purpose acquisition company, was approved by stockholders at a special meeting held on December 3. Approximately 99% of the votes cast at the meeting on the business combination proposal voted to approve the transaction.

The closing of the business combination is expected to take place on December 7, 2021. The transaction will result in at least $590 million in gross proceeds for the post-closing company, including proceeds from the dMY IV trust account and the previously announced committed private placement. Following the closing, the post-closing company will be renamed “Planet Labs PBC” and its common stock is expected to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange beginning on December 8 under the ticker symbol “PL”. (12/6)