December 8, 2021

NASA Returns Hubble to Full Science Operations (Source: NASA)
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope team recovered the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on Monday, Dec. 6, and is now operating with all four active instruments collecting science. The team has still not detected any further synchronization message issues since monitoring began Nov. 1.

The team will continue work on developing and testing changes to instrument software that would allow them to conduct science operations even if they encounter several lost synchronization messages in the future. The first of these changes is scheduled to be installed on the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph in mid-December. The other instruments will receive similar updates in the coming months.

Hubble has been operating now for over 31 years, collecting ground-breaking science observations that have changed our fundamental understanding of the universe. With the launch of the Webb Telescope planned for later this month, NASA expects the two observatories will work together well into this decade, expanding our knowledge of the cosmos even further. (12/7)

Soyuz Brings Two Japanese Tourists, One Russian to ISS (Source: Space News)
A Soyuz spacecraft delivered two Japanese private astronauts and a Roscosmos cosmonaut to the International Space Station Wednesday morning. A Soyuz rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 2:38 a.m. Eastern and placed the Soyuz MS-20 spacecraft into orbit. That spacecraft docked with the station six hours later. Soyuz MS-20 is commanded by Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin with two private astronauts on board: Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa and his production assistant, Yozo Hirano. Space Adventures arranged the dedicated commercial flight. The three will return to Earth on the Soyuz spacecraft Dec. 19. (12/8)

Euroconsult: 17,000 Satellites Will Be Launched By 2030 (Source: Euroconsult)
17,000 satellites will be launched in the next 10 years: a fourfold increase over the past decade, reflecting structural changes in the whole space ecosystem and a limited short-term impact of the pandemic. 170 constellation projects (110 from commercial companies) are individually assessed. OneWeb, Starlink, Gwo Wang, Kuiper and Lightspeed will represent 58% of the 17,000 satellites to be launched, but will account for only 10% of the satellite manufacturing and launch revenues of the space industry. Two reasons: economies of scale in satellite manufacturing and a strong decrease in launch prices. (12/8)

NDAA Bill Authorizes $768 Billion for DoD, But Removes Space National Guard Provision (Source: Space News)
The final version of a defense authorization bill dropped language that would have created a Space National Guard. The final version of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2022 was released Tuesday after House and Senate negotiators worked out differences between their two versions. The compromise bill does not include language in the House version that would have created a space component of the National Guard, a proposal opposed by the Senate and the White House.

The bill still requires the Pentagon to study options to stand up a reserve component for the Space Force. The bill directs the Defense Department to examine all Space Force programs to determine if the classification level of any of these programs could be changed to a lower level or declassified entirely. It allows the Pentagon to spend money on relocating U.S. Space Command headquarters to Alabama even as investigations into that basing decision continue. (12/8)

Tomorrow.io Plans SPAC Merger Deal to Fund Satellite Constellation (Source: Space News)
Weather company Tomorrow.io will go public through a merger with a SPAC to fund the development of a constellation of satellites. The company said Tuesday it expects to raise up to $420 million by merging with Pine Technology Acquisition Corp., a deal projected to close in mid-2022. Tomorrow.io will use the funds to build a constellation of approximately 32 small satellites equipped with storm-tracking radars to improve weather forecasts. California-based Astro Digital is building the first two spacecraft for a launch late next year. (12/8)

Valley Tech Systems Wins $94 Million Lockheed Martin Contract for Propulsion Systems (Source: Space News)
Valley Tech Systems, a firm recently acquired by Voyager Space, won a $94 million contract for missile propulsion systems from Lockheed Martin. The contract, announced Tuesday, covers technology development and risk reduction for a roll control subsystem to help stabilize the flight trajectory of NGI, a missile designed to defend the United States from intercontinental ballistic missiles. Valley Tech Systems is scheduled to deliver a flight-qualified, production-ready propulsion subsystem to Lockheed Martin in time for NGI to be fielded in 2027. (12/8)

China Plans 36-Satellite Imaging Constellation (Source: Space News)
A new Chinese imaging satellite constellation is in development. The "36 Tiangang" project is led by Tianjin Satcom Geohe Technologies Co., Ltd., with involvement from Satellite (Zhuhai) Aerospace Technology Co, Ltd. The 36-satellite constellation will include a mix of panchromatic, multispectral, hyperspectral and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) spacecraft, with more than half carrying SAR payloads. The first six satellites are scheduled to launch in June 2022, with the entire constellation in place by May 2023. SAR imagery, which is typically more expensive and more difficult to use than optical imagery, is in short supply in China, which is likely a big factor in the new plans. (12/8)

Loft Raises $140 Million for SIAAS Satellites (Source: CNBC)
Loft Orbital says it's raised $140 million for its "space-infrastructure-as-a-service" satellites. BlackRock led the new funding round the company disclosed Tuesday, which included participation by several other funds as well as a $10 million in short-term debt. Loft Orbital has launched two of its YAM "condosats" so far, carrying payloads for a range of government and commercial customers. (12/8)

Canada's GHGSat Picks SpaceX to Launch Three Smallsats on Transporter-5 Rideshare (Source: Space News)
Canadian company GHGSat has selected SpaceX to launch its next three satellites. The company said Wednesday it will launch the GHGSat-C3, -C4 and -C5 satellites on the Falcon 9 Transporter-5 rideshare mission in the summer of 2022. The three nanosatellites are part of a constellation designed to measure greenhouse gas emissions, notably methane, from oil and gas installations and other facilities. The company is starting work on seven more satellites to launch by the end of 2023. (12/8)

Former JSC Director Passes Away (Source: Space News)
Former NASA Johnson Space Center Director Mark Geyer has died. Geyer passed away Tuesday, seven months after he stepped down as director of the center in order to focus on cancer treatment. Geyer was director of JSC for three years after spending several years as manager of the Orion program and other roles at the agency. (12/8)

Bye Bye Ajit Pai - Senate Confirms Rosenworcel to Chair FCC (Source: The Verge)
The Senate confirmed Jessica Rosenworcel as chairwoman of the FCC. Senators voted 68-31 to confirm Rosenworcel to a new term on the commission and to be the first woman to chair the FCC in its 86-year history. She has been an advocate for expanding broadband access, including by satellite. (12/8)

Central Florida Native Among 10 New NASA Astronaut Candidates (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
One of 10 new NASA astronaut candidates grew up with rocket launches in his backyard. Luke Delaney, 42, was born in Miami but grew up in DeBary, attending both DeLand and Deltona High School in Volusia County. He was among 10 candidates that will begin two years of training starting in January to gear up for future missions either to the International Space Station or on Artemis flights to deep space.

“I wanted to be an astronaut when growing up in Central Florida, got to see some launches, got some exposure to that,” Delaney said. “I think it was a big effort or big endeavor at the schools and elementary school, and you got a lot of exposure to those kind of things.”

Delaney joins current NASA astronaut Joe Acabá with Central Florida ties. Acabá, who once taught science and math at Melbourne High School in Brevard County as well as Dunnellon Middle School in Marion County, was chosen last year to be among NASA’s astronaut corps for its Artemis missions. Other notable former astronauts with Central Florida ties include second man on the moon and Florida Tech professor Buzz Aldrin; moonwalker and commander of the first space shuttle mission John Young; and UCF graduate Nicole Stott who flew on the space shuttle and spent 91 days on board the ISS. (12/6)

Technology Development Research Announcement to Leverage ISS National Lab Now Open (Source: CASIS)
A new research announcement was released today soliciting flight projects leveraging the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory to advance technology development applications. This research announcement seeks flight projects within the areas of applied research and development, translational medicine, technology readiness level maturation, and technology demonstration.

As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Lab allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve quality of life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit (LEO). Through this research announcement, investigators can use the unique ISS environment to develop, test, or mature products and processes that have a demonstrated potential to produce near-term, positive economic impact. (12/7)

Houston Spaceport Opens Doors to Expand Commercial Aerospace Industry (Source: KPRC)
The Houston Spaceport is creating a home for some of the forward thinkers in aerospace. The Houston Spaceport at Ellington Field is moving at incredible speed to create a multi-purpose space to attract leading companies, and provide sense of community for space innovators. KPRC provides this video report. Click here. (11/24)

Andesat Taps Astranis for Peru’s First Dedicated Telecoms Satellite (Source: Space News)
Cellular backhaul provider Andesat has ordered Peru’s first dedicated telecoms satellite in a deal with Astranis, which will build a teleport in the country ahead of the spacecraft’s expected 2023 launch. The contract is worth more than $90 million over the Andesat-1 satellite’s eight-year lifetime. It includes an option for a second satellite that could launch as early as 2024 to provide additional bandwidth.

San Francisco-based startup Astranis is building a business around satellites that, at 400 kilograms, are much smaller than traditional spacecraft in geostationary orbit (GEO), scaled to provide smaller geographies with dedicated bandwidth at lower costs. (12/7)