Voyager Space and Nanoracks announced that the Universities Space Research Association, ZIN Technologies, The Ohio State University, and the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation have been selected as the founding leadership team of the George Washington Carver (GWC) Science Park on the Starlab commercial space station. The GWC Science Park, established by Nanoracks, is the world's first-ever science park in space, operating today on the ISS and soon on future commercial platforms. (12/8)
Oculus Observatory Set to Disrupt Space Situational Awareness Globally (Source: Space Daily)
The 'Oculus Observatory' is a new kind of space observatory, designed, built, and managed by Silentium Defence, which delivers the widest field of view, and the most cost-effective monitoring of objects in orbit, anywhere in the world. Opened today, by Head of the Australian Space Agency, Enrico Palermo, 'Oculus' is located on the fringe of South Australia's dark sky reserve in the Mid-Murray region. (12/9)
Russia Strikes Deal with NASA for First Cosmonaut on SpaceX Flight (Source: Space Daily)
Russia's only active female cosmonaut, Anna Kikina, will make her first trip into space in fall 2022 as the first Russian to fly on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, Russia's space agency announced Wednesday on Twitter. Dmitry Rogozin, director general of Russia's Roscosmos agency, said his program has pledged a seat of a Russian Soyuz capsule to an American astronaut in return. Rogozin did not specify SpaceX in his statement, saying only "an American spacecraft." But SpaceX's Crew Dragon is the only American spacecraft certified to carry people. (12/9)
Mars Helicopter Flies Again; Encounters Radio Interference on 17th Flight (Source: Space Daily)
Ingenuity flew for the 17th time at Mars on Sunday, Dec. 5. After the helicopter executed the planned 614-foot (187-meter) traverse to the northeast, the radio communications link between Ingenuity and the Perseverance Mars rover was disrupted during the final descent phase of the flight. Approximately 15 minutes later, Perseverance received several packets of additional Ingenuity telemetry indicating that the flight electronics and battery were healthy.
All available telemetry during and after the flight suggests that the activity was a success and that the loss of link was due to a challenging radio configuration between Perseverance and Ingenuity during landing. However, before planning our next flight, we need transfer the missing data from Flight 17 from helicopter to rover, and then to Earth, so we can confirm vehicle health. (12/9)
SpaceX Launches NASA Astronomy Satellite From Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space News)
A Falcon 9 launched a NASA X-ray astronomy satellite overnight. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center at 1 a.m. Eastern Thursday and released the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft into orbit 33 minutes later. IXPE is designed to measure the polarization of X-rays from black holes and neutron stars, providing new information about the nature of those objects. To maximize the science of the mission, IXPE needs to fly in an equatorial orbit, which required most of the performance available from the Falcon 9 to change its inclination despite the fact that the spacecraft weighs only about 325 kilograms. (12/9)
New NASA Telescope Will Provide X-Ray Views of the Universe (Source: New York Times)
A brand-new space telescope will soon reveal a hidden vision of the cosmos, potentially transforming our understanding of black holes, supernovas and even the nature of the universe itself. No, not that one. Much attention is being devoted this month to the James Webb Space Telescope, from NASA and the European Space Agency, which is set to launch on Dec. 22. But a more exclusive cadre of astronomers watched excitedly on Thursday during the trip to space of a smaller, but also transformative, observatory.
NASA launched the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, or IXPE mission, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1 a.m. Eastern. The spacecraft cost a mere $188 million, compared with the James Webb’s mammoth budget of $9.7 billion, and is expected to demonstrate a new form of astronomy. It will, for the first time, perform imaging X-ray polarimetry in orbit, a technique that could offer astronomers insights that no other telescope can match. (12/9)
Florida Governor Proposes $18.5 Million Budget for Space Florida (Source: SPACErePORT)
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has released his proposed budget for FY22-23. His "Freedom First" budget proposal will be considered during the state's annual legislative session (11 Jan through 11 Mar), with competing budgets offered by the House and Senate. DeSantis' proposal includes $12.5 million for Space Florida's operations, and $6 million for Space Florida financing and infrastructure projects. Another $5 million is proposed for "Space, Defense and Rural Infrastructure" grants (most likely not going to space projects), and $38 million for other economic development incentives that include a "Qualified Defense Contractor and Space Flight" business tax refund program. (12/9)
Space Florida Official Departs Agency to Join Space Force Delta Staff (Source: SPACErePORT)
Mark Bontrager, Space Florida's vice president for spaceport operations, will leave the state's spaceport authority to serve as a senior civilian executive with the Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45 (SLD45), reporting to Brigadier General Stephen Purdy. Bontrager has been responsible for much of Space Florida's success in accommodating new users at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. He will now bring his deep knowledge of the state's space infrastructure, policy, and financing to Space Force decision making on the spaceport's future as a multi-user, multi-agency transportation hub. (12/9)
Japanese Tycoon Tries Out Space Station Before Future SpaceX Flight to Moon (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
With his future ride to space still under construction, a Japanese billionaire and a film producer in tow hitched a ride with a cosmonaut to the International Space Station. Yusaku Maezawa, 46, who is slated to travel on SpaceX’s Starship on a trip around the moon on a future mission, paired up with civilian space tourism outfit Space Adventures to line up a 12-day visit to the space station. (12/9)
U.S. and Chinese Astronomers Are Teaming Up to Hunt for Alien Lights (Source: Daily Beast)
Scientists are widening their search for alien civilizations. They might not find actual extraterrestrial life, but that doesn’t mean they won’t find something profound. Other beings might have learned to use lights to talk to each other—and, indirectly, to us. “It's hard to predict what another civilization might be doing,” said Dan Werthimer, a Berkeley astronomer. There’s a burgeoning movement in SETI to start looking for the telltale flashes you might expect from a high-tech society.
On the surface, an optical SETI system might seem like more trouble than it’s worth. Bright stars are constantly shimmering and twinkling, but even big planets, moons and asteroids can reflect a ton of light. The most problematic sources of light for SETI come from so-called Cherenkov radiation, which are fast flickers resulting from charged particles moving quickly through Earth’s atmosphere and creating visible shock waves.
This is being investigated by a joint American-Chinese team, of which Werthimer is a member. In a paper not yet peer-reviewed that was posted online in late November, the team described a new experiment it calls Panoramic SETI, or PanoSETI. It’s a proposal to use two assemblies of 45 telescopes each spread out across a wide area, and point them all toward the same broad swath of sky. Each telescope acts as a sort of check on all the others. Using two arrays to look at the same flicker from different points of view lets scientists triangulate the source. (12/9)
DoD's SDA Plans New Missile Tracking Satellites (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon's Space Development Agency (SDA) is planning a new procurement of missile-tracking satellites. SDA is looking to buy 28 satellites for the constellation known as Tracking Layer Tranche 1, according to a draft solicitation published this week. These 28 spacecraft, projected to start launching in late 2024, would build upon the eight Tracking Layer Tranche 0 satellites SpaceX and L3Harris are building for launch in 2023. The satellites are intended to provide warnings of Chinese and Russian ballistic and hypersonic missiles. (12/9)
Space Force Pledges Proportional Response to Satellite Attacks (Source: Space News)
A Space Force official says the U.S. would respond in a "proportional manner" if a country attacked a satellite with an anti-satellite missile or other weapon. Brig. Gen. John Olson, the senior reserve officer of the U.S. Space Force, said in a video presented at a conference Wednesday that, depending on the specific situation, an attack against a satellite could justify retaliation, but it doesn't have to be with a space weapon, and could involve diplomatic and economic responses. Olson insisted that the United States "will respond in a proportional manner at a time and place of our choosing. And I think that's really effective because that leads to the element of surprise." (12/9)
India and Russia to Strengthen Space Cooperation (Source: Space News)
India and Russia have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the space sector, including human spaceflight programs and satellite navigation. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in New Delhi Monday and signed a broader set of trade, military and technology agreements. In addition to cooperation on human spaceflight and satellite navigation, the countries agreed to study potential cooperation in launch vehicle development and planetary exploration. (12/9)
Planet's First Day of Public Trading Sees Higher Share Prices (Source: Space News)
Shares in Planet closed higher in its first day of trading Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange. Planet, formally Planet Labs Public Benefit Corp., closed up 5% at $11.35. The company became publicly traded by closing a merger with a SPAC that allowed the company to raise $590 million. Planet is preparing to invest in sales, marketing and software as it seeks to bolster its revenue and customer base. Planet currently has 700 customers for its imagery services, but Robbie Schingler, Planet chief strategy officer, said he wants to grow that to thousands and millions over time: "That's the opportunity for the Earth-observation community, not just Planet." (12/9)
Insurers to New Space: Be Patient As We Adapt and Learn to Price Your Risk (Source: Space Intel Report)
Space insurers said they are adapting their business practices to with New Space constellations of small satellites and said insurance companies need to streamline the way they assess New Space risks. “It needs to be a a bespoke solution when it comes to the [individual] policy. As for the process, insurers need to be way more efficient,” said Stephanie Deml, head of aviation and space at underwriter Munich Re. “There may be an automation of some tasks that we do manually these days.” (12/9)
Israel's hiSky Raises $30 Million for Satellite Terminals (Source: Space News)
Israeli startup hiSky raised $30 million to mass-produce compact satellite terminals for internet-of-things services. Singapore-based aerospace and defense technology provider ST Engineering led hiSky's Series A funding round along with several other investors, including the U.A.E.'s Strategic Development Fund. The terminals that hiSky are developing are designed to work with satellites in multiple orbits, providing IoT services for a wide range of markets, such as oil and gas, digital farming and vessel tracking. (12/9)
SSC Awards Contract to PredaSAR for On-Orbit Hybrid Architecture Demonstration (Source: Satellite News NEtwork)
Space Systems Command (SSC), in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), has awarded a $2 million contract to PredaSAR, of Boca Raton, Florida. The contract will support an on-orbit cooperative demonstration between the PredaSAR satellite constellation and the joint SSC, AFRL, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Blackjack satellite constellation.
The Commercially Augmented Space Inter-Networked Operations (CASINO) program office, managed by SSC’s Space Development Corps and a partner to the DARPA-led Blackjack program, is coordinating this demonstration in conjunction with the launch of the Blackjack constellation. Together, the Blackjack and PredaSAR constellations will demonstrate the military utility of proliferated Low Earth Orbit satellite architectures. (12/9)
European Consortium to Study Broadband Constellation (Source: Space News)
A consortium of more than 20 European space companies won a contract to study disruptive ideas for Europe's planned satellite broadband constellation. The New Symphonie consortium, led by Unseenlabs and Euroconsult, will use the $1.6 million six-month contract to investigate and recommend the optimal infrastructure for Europe's sovereign multi-orbit connectivity vision, drawing on new business models and capabilities in the emerging space ecosystem. The contract comes as a yearlong feasibility study awarded to a consortium of larger industrial companies in December 2020 draws to an end. (12/9)
Future of Florida's OneWeb Satellite Factory Threatened as Company Plans UK Production (Source: The Telegraph)
A OneWeb executive says that the company will move manufacturing of its satellites to the U.K. by 2025. Speaking before a parliamentary committee Wednesday, Chris McLaughlin said the company planned to build the satellites for the second generation of its constellation in the U.K. at a site to be determined. OneWeb currently builds its satellites in Florida through a partnership with Airbus called OneWeb Satellites, but it's not clear if OneWeb will continue to work with Airbus on the second-generation system. (12/9)
NASA Exploring Options to Fix Lucy Solar Array (Source: NASA)
NASA is planning additional ground tests before deciding how to fix a solar array on the Lucy spacecraft. One of the spacecraft's two circular arrays failed to fully deploy after launch in October, and ground tests concluded that "additional motor operations" are likely needed to fully deploy that array and latch it into place. NASA will conduct additional tests on how to conduct those motor operations, but is leaving open the option of keeping the array in its current state. (12/9)
How Blue Origin And Other Commercial Space Stations Will Lead NASA to Mars (Source: Inverse)
As recent air leaks and congressional funding debates have made clear, the ISS won’t live forever. While NASA has officially secured funding for the ISS through 2028, the space station — which has been continuously inhabited for more than 20 years — is not expected to live beyond the current decade. “Around 2030, approximately, is when NASA has decided it needs to transfer away from the International Space Station and start to think about deorbiting plans and end-of-life,” Laura Froczyk says.
At the same time, NASA will still need an outpost or outposts in LEO well into the 2030s, she says. Such facilities will be vital in preparing the astronauts, technologies, and procedures necessary to send astronauts to Mars. NASA estimates it needs to conduct around 200 investigations in LEO annually — but NASA cannot afford to build and operate another ISS, return to the Moon, and head into deep space at the same time.
“What we're seeing is NASA saying we need to free up funds to pursue the Artemis program because they've been given only so much money to do a whole lot,” Forczyk says. Just as NASA ended the expensive and troubled Space Shuttle program and now contracts with SpaceX to ferry crew and cargo to and from the ISS through the Commercial Crew program, the LEO Destinations program will replace the ISS and allow NASA to purchase space station services it needs a la carte. (12/8)
BlackSky Continues Operational Momentum with Two Back-to-Back Launches in Six Days (Source: Space Daily)
BlackSky plans to add another two satellites to its constellation Wednesday with the Rocket Lab mission titled "A Data with Destiny." Satellites from the SpaceX mission Thursday began delivering revenue-generating insights for customers less than 24 hours following launch and increased constellation revisit rates to six consistent visits per day in key markets during daylight hours. (12/8)
Rocket Lab to Launch Three Dedicated Electron Missions for EO Firm Synspective (Source: Space Daily)
Rocket Lab USA has signed a deal with Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective to carry out three dedicated Electron launches. The first two missions are scheduled for lift-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in 2022, with a third to follow in 2023. Each mission will deploy a single StriX satellite, growing Synspective's synthetic aperture radar (SAR) constellation developed to deliver imagery that can detect millimeter-level changes to the Earth's surface from space, independent of weather conditions on Earth and at any time of the day or night. (12/8)
Space Force General Claims China Moves 'Twice the Rate' of US in Space Race, May Overtake It by 2030 (Source: Sputnik)
Top American generals have repeatedly expressed fears about the speed of development of the latest generation of military technologies in the main rival countries for the US - China and Russia - noting, to their own regret, the bureaucracy and slowness of the development of the latest weapons by the US. General David Thompson, Vice Chief of Space Operations for the US Space Force, stated that China is building space capabilities at "twice the rate" of the US.
Thompson also stated that "2030 is not an unreasonable estimate" for China's space capabilities to surpass those of the United States. But the general assured the public that the Space Force and other military branches can still succeed in catching up with the Chinese. Moreover, Thomspon added that the US military has been watching Russia's tests of satellite destruction with a ground-based weapon for years, so last month's missile test that blew up a satellite in orbit did not come as a complete surprise to the military and intelligence community. "These advances in capabilities are concerning, they are not a surprise," he said. (12/6)
AFRL Opens State-of-the-Art Digital Space Legacy Portal Exhibit (Source: Space Daily)
With a video of the historic 1969 Apollo 11 launch shown on the nearly two-story screen behind him, Dr. Darren Raspa, the Air Force Research Laboratory Phillips Research Site historian, welcomed guests and colleagues to the grand opening of the AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate's Legacy Portal Mission Control exhibit, in a ceremony held November 15 at Kirtland AFB. (12/6)
Lightweight Space Robot with Precise Control Developed (Source: Space Daily)
Robots are already in space. From landers on the moon to rovers on Mars and more, robots are the perfect candidates for space exploration: they can bear extreme environments while consistently repeating the same tasks in exactly the same way without tiring.
Like robots on Earth, they can accomplish both dangerous and mundane jobs, from space walks to polishing a spacecraft's surface. With space missions increasing in number and expanding in scientific scope, requiring more equipment, there's a need for a lightweight robotic arm that can manipulate in environments difficult for humans.
However, the control schemes that can move such arms on Earth, where the planes of operation are flat, do not translate to space, where the environment is unpredictable and changeable. To address this issue, researchers in Harbin Institute of Technology's School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation have developed a robotic arm weighing 9.23 kilograms - about the size of a one-year-old baby - capable of carrying almost a quarter of its own weight, with the ability to adjust its position and speed in real time based on its environment. (12/6)
Stratolaunch Announces Research Contract with Missile Defense Agency (Source: Stratolaunch)
Stratolaunch, LLC is pleased to announce a research contract with the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The company plans to augment existing Department of Defense flight test resources through affordable, commercially contracted, rapid-turnaround hypersonic flight testing for DoD and its prime contractor partners. (12/8)
Scientists Just Discovered a Gigantic Planet That Shouldn't Exist (Source: Inverse)
A massive, odd planet was just discovered orbiting around two bright stars in the southern sky. It’s so weird that it’s challenging scientists’ ideas about how planets form and evolve. b Centauri is a double star system that lies 325 light years away from Earth. The newly-discovered gas giant planet is 11 times as massive as Jupiter, with a vast orbit that’s 100 times wider than that of Jupiter’s — and strangely, it most likely formed there.
The astronomers who discovered the planet detail their findings in a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. It marks the first discovery of a gas giant planet around a star that is more than three times the mass of the Sun, and around stars this hot. The b Centauri system is composed of two stars — b Centauri A and b Centauri B. Combined, they weigh in at about six to 10 times the mass of the Sun. At this mass range, they should be too big to have a large planet. They’re also both hotter stars than we usually find planets around. (12/8)
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