January 10, 2022

All Hail the Ariane 5 Rocket, Which Doubled the Webb Telescope’s Lifetime (Source: Ars Technica)
There were two stunningly good pieces of news about the James Webb Space Telescope this weekend. One was widely reported—that after an intricate, two-week process, the telescope completed its deployment without any difficulties. The next steps toward science operations are more conventional. The other piece of news, less well-covered but still important, emerged during a news conference on Saturday. NASA's Mission Systems Engineer for the Webb telescope, Mike Menzel, said the agency had completed its analysis of how much "extra" fuel remained on board the telescope. Roughly speaking, Menzel said, Webb has enough propellant on board for 20 years of life.

This is twice the conservative pre-launch estimate for Webb's lifetime of a decade, and it largely comes down to the performance of the European Ariane 5 rocket that launched Webb on a precise trajectory on Christmas Day. Prior to launch, the telescope was fueled with 240 liters of hydrazine fuel and dinitrogen tetroxide oxidizer. Some of this fuel was needed for course adjustments along the journey to a stable point in space, about 1.5 million km from Earth, where Webb will conduct science observations. The remainder will be used at Webb's final orbit around the stable Lagrange point for station-keeping and to maintain its orbit. (1/10)

Proliferated Architecture Necessary for Future Satellite Communications (Source: Air Force Magazine)
When it comes to the Defense Department’s plans for satellite communications, the Pentagon will need all different kinds of space architectures, two top Pentagon officials said. David Voss, director of the Spectrum Warfare Center of Excellence at the Space Warfighting Analysis Center, and Stephen Forbes, Blackjack program manager at DARPA, addressed the need for proliferated architectures while discussing a recent Mitchell Institute policy paper, “The Backbone of JADC2: Satellite Communications for Information Age Warfare.”

The paper by retired Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton and senior analyst Lukas Autenreid recommended that the Space Force “distribute, disaggregate, diversify, and expand its SATCOM options,” particularly by building out a constellation of low Earth orbit satellites and linking them with laser communications to create a mesh network. But that’s not to say that GEO satellites don’t have some value, they agreed. Analysts and observers have been warming to the idea of free-space laser communication, or lasercom, due to it being faster and more secure than radio waves. (1/6)

NSF and CASIS Research Opportunity: Transport Phenomena and Nanoscale Interactions (Source: CASIS)
For seven years, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has collaborated with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) on a funding opportunity to utilize the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory for research in transport phenomena and nanoscale interactions. This year’s joint solicitation will award up to $3.6 million for multiple flight projects to leverage the ISS National Lab to enable fundamental research in the fields of fluid dynamics, particulate and multiphase processes, thermal transport, combustion and fire systems, and nanoscale interactions. (1/4)

Yes, There is Really 'Diamond Rain' on Uranus and Neptune (Source: Space.com)
At first glance, Uranus and Neptune are just bland, boring balls of uninteresting molecules. But hiding beneath the outer layers of those worlds, there may be something spectacular: a constant rain of diamonds. The idea of diamond rain was first proposed before the Voyager 2 mission which launched in 1977. The reasoning was pretty simple: We know what Uranus and Neptune are made of, and we know that stuff gets hotter and denser the deeper into a planet you go.

The mathematical modeling helps fill in the details, like that the innermost regions of the mantles of these planets likely have temperatures somewhere around 7,000 kelvins (12,140 degrees Fahrenheit, or 6,727 degrees Celsius) and pressures 6 million times that of Earth's atmosphere. Those same models tell us that the outermost layers of the mantles are somewhat cooler — 2,000 K (3,140 F or 1,727 C — and somewhat less intensely pressurized (200,000 times Earth's atmospheric pressure). And so, it's natural to ask: What happens to water, ammonia and methane at those kinds of temperatures and pressures?

With methane, in particular, the intense pressures can break the molecule apart, releasing the carbon. The carbon then finds its brethren, forming long chains. The long chains then squeeze together to form crystalline patterns like diamonds. The dense diamond formations then drop through the layers of the mantle until it gets too hot, where they vaporize and float back up and repeat the cycle — hence the term "diamond rain." (1/10)

US ISS Extention Puts Partners in Motion (Source: Space News)
The decision by the U.S. to formally extend operations of the International Space Station has started the decision-making process among other station partners. NASA announced at the end of December that the White House had committed to extending operations of the ISS from 2024 to 2030, a move immediately endorsed by the European Space Agency. At a conference last week, representatives of the Canadian Space Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said that announcement was a "trigger" for them to start their own plans for an ISS extension. JAXA expects to announce its plans by the end of the year. Roscosmos has yet to publicly comment on an ISS extension after its leadership previously raised doubts about doing so. (1/10)

Debris Complicating Perseverance Sample Collection (Source: NASA)
Engineers are looking into a problem with the latest sample cached by NASA's Perseverance Mars rover. NASA said Friday that the rover collected a sample from a rock in late December, but rover operators noticed an issue when transferring the sample to a "bit carousel" from the sampling drill. Images showed several pieces of debris the size of pebbles in the bit carousel, which scientists think are parts of the rock that fell out of the sample tube. That debris prevented the drill bit containing the sample from seating completely in the carousel. Designers of the system anticipated the possibility of such debris and ways to remove it, but the agency said engineers will "take whatever time is necessary to ensure these pebbles exit in a controlled and orderly fashion." (1/10)

Sidus Space Plans 100 Satellite Constellation for On-Orbit Testing (Source: Space News)
A company best known as a government contract hopes going public will help it transform into a satellite constellation operator. Sidus Space, formerly known as Craig Technologies Aerospace Solutions, raised $15 million last month in an IPO on the Nasdaq Capital Market, the exchange's least-stringent tier intended for early-stage companies. The company says it will use the proceeds to grow an international sales team and begin development of a constellation of 100 satellites for on-orbit testing services. The first satellite of that constellation is scheduled for launch late this year. (1/10)

Momentus Getting New Leadership (Source: Momentus)
The president of in-space transportation company Momentus is resigning. Momentus announced Friday that Fred Kennedy will step down as president effective Jan. 21. Kennedy joined Momentus in late 2020 and the company did not give a reason for his departure, but Kennedy said in the statement that he was leaving the San Francisco Bay area, where the company is headquartered. John Rood, who became CEO of Momentus last summer, will take over the role of president as well. (1/10)

Rocket Display May Have Bumped Up Virgin Orbit's Nasdaq Debut (Source: CNBC)
Putting a rocket on display in Times Square did wonders for Virgin Orbit's stock Friday. Shares in the launch company closed up nearly 25% Friday, the day that the company held an "opening bell" ceremony on the Nasdaq and displayed a full-sized model of the rocket outside the Nasdaq's offices in Times Square. The company's shares had been steadily declining since it completed its merger with a SPAC and went public in late December. Virgin Orbit is gearing up for a launch as soon as Wednesday, the first of as many as seven planned by the company this year. (1/10)

Arianespace to Launch PLATiNO 1 and 2 on Vega and Vega C (Source: Space Daily)
Arianespace has been awarded a launch contract by SITAEL, with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) as the final customer, to orbit PLATiNO 1 and 2 satellites, between 2022 and 2024 on Vega and Vega C. PLATiNO 1 and 2 are Earth observation small satellites operating on Sun-synchronous orbits. PLATiNO 1 will embark a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), operating in the X band, while PLATiNO 2 will carry an optical thermal instrument. (1/7)

SpaceX Preparing for Third Rideshare Launch with Dozens of Small Satellites (Source: Teslarati)
One week after SpaceX and the world’s first orbital launch of 2022, the company is a few days out from its second launch of the year – this time carrying dozens of small satellites for a variety of rideshare customers. Aside from potentially being the world’s second orbital launch of the year, the mission – known as Transporter-3 – will be the third Falcon 9 launch dedicated to SpaceX’s Smallsat Rideshare Program, which offers what is likely the world’s most affordable ticket to orbit.

Prospective customers buying directly through SpaceX can currently pay just $1 million to launch up to 200 kg to sun-synchronous low Earth orbit (LEO). In just two Transporter launches, the company has delivered almost 220 small satellites to orbit for dozens of different customers – including startups, universities, space agencies, student groups, science teams, and more. While rideshare payloads lose out on the benefits of hands-on, white-glove customer service and a more direct, tailored orbit insertion offered by a dedicated launch, the small rockets that offer direct launch services for small satellites are extremely expensive.

There are only two relatively affordable small rockets that are active today and have successfully launched at least a few times. Rocket Lab’s Electron is capable of launching 200 kilograms to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) for about $7.5 million – $37,500/kg if fully exploited. While it’s only completed two successful launches, Virgin Orbit’s air-launched LauncherOne rocket is capable of delivering 300 kg to the same orbit for $12 million ($40,000/kg). Astra’s Rocket 3.0 vehicle will cost at least $2.5 million to launch 150 kg  to SSO – about as good as dedicated small launch affordability is ever going to get. (1/10)

What Will the US Space Force Be Able to Do With its New GPS III Variant? (Source: C4ISRnet)
The U.S. Space Force has yet to launch all of the GPS III satellites at its disposal, but work on new, more powerful versions is already underway. New GPS III Follow-on satellites — or GPS IIIF for short — will continue to improve the constellation’s accuracy and protection against jamming. The Space Force has a contract with Lockheed for up to 22 GPS IIIF satellites. The service already exercised contract options for seven GPS IIIF satellites.

Most notably, the new space systems will prove a new Regional Military Protection capability, a steerable M-code signal that can concentrate the effect in a specified region. RMP can provide up to 60 times greater anti-jamming measures, helping ensure soldiers can access critical position, navigation and timing data in contested environments. Other new features include a laser retroreflector array to increase accuracy; an upgraded nuclear detection detonation system payload; and a search and rescue payload.

The company claims its new bus, which will also be used for the Space Force’s next missile warning satellites, will have greater resiliency and cyber protections, more power, and better propulsion. And thanks to a new port on the LM2100 bus, it will be possible to upgrade GPS IIIF satellites on orbit. The company’s Augmentation System Port Interface essentially works as a USB port for the satellite, allowing the Space Force to launch new payloads into space that can be plugged into the system. (1/9)

SpaceX Simulates Lifting Starship with Launch Tower ‘Arms’ (Source: Teslarati)
SpaceX has taken Starbase’s rocket-catching launch tower ‘arms’ to new heights during the latest series of proof tests. That process began in earnest on January 4th, when SpaceX lifted, opened, and swung the tower’s building-sized arms for the first time. Four days later, SpaceX performed a variation on the first round of tests, again slowly lifting the assembly up the side of the launch tower and opening and closing the arms.

The most notable difference was the addition of a pair of tandem swing tests, which hinted at more applied tests that were soon to come. While subtle, SpaceX also performed some basic tests with a third Starship fueling arm higher up on the tower, very slowly swinging it towards where Starship would be standing. On Sunday afternoon, a third major round of testing kicked off. This set of tests was considerably more focused than the prior two, suggesting that it was more of a simulation of the main purpose of the arms.

Instead of lifting a few dozen feet and performing basic actuation and coordination tests, SpaceX simply lifted the arm assembly up along the tower’s exterior and didn’t stop. There were a few temporary pauses but the arms ultimately reached the approximate height they’d need to reach to stack a Starship on top of a Super Heavy booster. In fact, despite being (in)famous for being partially designed to catch boosters and ships out of mid-air, the main purpose of the arms – and likely the only reason they exist at all – is to safely, accurately, and precisely lift, install, and stack Starships and Super Heavy boosters. (1/10)

Why Elon Musk's SpaceX Starlink Satellites Look So Weird (Source: New Zealand Herald)
If you happen to see a peculiar-looking, chain-like object zipping across the sky at dusk or dawn, it's likely part of Elon Musk's grand vision of offering fibre-speed internet from above. That's Starlink – a constellation of more than 1,700 satellites operated by the tech billionaire's SpaceX, and which deliver internet access to remote spots as they communicate with ground-based transceivers from low Earth orbit.

The reason they first appear as a chain is because that's really what they are: stacks of dozens of flat-panel satellites, weighing just over a quarter of a tonne each. With the help of krypton-fuelled ion thrusters, the satellites disperse and climb into their operating orbit, at an altitude of around 550km. University of Auckland astronomer Professor Richard Easther said the satellites were easily distinguishable from the International Space Station, which could also be regularly spotted over New Zealand. "While the ISS essentially appears as one bright light, the newly-launched Starlink satellites look like a whole bunch of stars, moving in unison with each other, in a line across the sky." (1/9)

China's Lunar Rover Travels Over 1km on the Moon (Source: Space Daily)
China's Yutu 2 lunar rover has traveled more than 1 kilometer on the moon and is still working well, according to the China National Space Administration. The administration said on Saturday that the distance traveled by the rover reached 1 km on Thursday evening. As of late that night, the robot had moved about 1,004 meters on the lunar soil. It added that Yutu 2, the second Chinese rover on the moon, is now in its 38th lunar-day working session and is in normal condition. (1/10)

Northrop Crucial to Success of James Webb Telescope (Sources: NasaSpaceFlight.com, Planetary Society)
The full deployment of the James Webb Space Telescope over the weekend capped decades of work by Northrop Grumman on the program. JWST is expected to cost NASA $9.7 billion over 24 years. Of that amount, $8.8 billion was spent on spacecraft development between 2003 and 2021; $861 million is planned to support five years of operations. Adjusted for inflation to 2020 dollars, the lifetime cost to NASA will be approximately $10.8 billion.

That is only NASA’s portion. The European Space Agency provided the Ariane 5 launch vehicle and two of the four science instruments for an estimated cost of €700 million. The Canadian Space Agency contributed sensors and scientific instrumentation, which cost approximately CA$200 million. (1/10)

X-59 Moves to Ground Testing Before First Flight Later in Year (Source: Aerospace Manufacturing)
NASA’s X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology aircraft (QueSST) has moved to Lockheed Martin’s Texas facilities for critical ground testing. This next stage, which will ensure it can withstand the stresses of flight, is progress towards the project’s target of first flight later in the year. The quiet supersonic jet was moved from Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works assembly area in Palmdale, California wrapped up in preparation for transportation. While in Texas, testing of the X-59 will also calibrate and test the fuel systems before the X-59 makes the journey back to Palmdale for more tests and completion. (1/7)

NASA and Tide are Working on a Long-Standing Space Problem:  Cleaning Astronauts' Laundry (Source: Florida Today)
With no laundry machines in orbit, International Space Station astronauts cycle through about 160 pounds of clothing per crew member per year, relying on resupply missions to replenish their wardrobes. And with limited cargo capacity, they're roughing it: ISS astronauts can wear the same pair of underwear for up to a week, NASA reports.

Could resupply missions furnish astronauts with fresh shirts, pants and socks during longer trips to the moon, Mars or other deep-space voyages? Forget it — that's far too costly. “To do a three-year mission to Mars, it would take about 500 pounds of laundry per astronaut — which is just not sustainable by any stretch of the imagination," said Mark Sivik, a Procter & Gamble research fellow. (1/4)

Paragon Space Development Corporation Agrees to Acquire Final Frontier Design (Source: Paragon)
Paragon Space Development Corporation (Paragon) is excited to announce today it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Final Frontier Design (FFD), a leading supplier of spacesuits and ancillary components for NASA and other commercial customers. FFD currently has several NASA contracts for spacesuit components and has a Space Act Agreement with NASA for its IVA suit.

This capability – combined with Paragon's history of Portable Life Support Systems (PLSS), uniquely positions Paragon as the only single company in the United States to offer a complete EVA system.  Paragon's unprecedented PLSS experience in design, integration, and operation on such programs as the StratEx Mission (which set three world-records) and the NASA Constellation Spacesuit System (CSSS) with Oceaneering - places the new Paragon team as a strong contributor on NASA's new xEVAS (Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services) program. The xEVAS program will select one or more companies to provide their new spacesuit for the Artemis program in early 2022." (1/6)

Israel Picks 11 Companies for Space Innovation Funding (Source: Jerusalem Post)
About $6 million was approved within the Israel Space Agency program framework on Thursday, to be given to 11 different companies for the development of innovative space technologies. The space agency's program is a collaboration between the Innovation and Science and Technology ministries, as well as the Israel Innovation Authority. The framework, which was launched in 2012, has distributed around a total of $51.4 million in funding. The overall goal of the program is to advance the technological development capabilities of the Israeli space industry. (1/8)

Voyager Space Completes Acquisition of Space Micro (Source: Space Daily)
Voyager Space has completed the acquisition of a majority stake in San Diego-based Space Micro. Voyager will provide strategic operations support to advance Space Micro's technology throughput to civil, commercial, and defense customers. Space Micro is focused on advancing high-performance satellite communications, digital, and electro-optic systems with 2.8 million hours of space flight heritage. Space Micro has multiple active contracts, including the development of AI for Earth observation missions and for providing X-Band transponders for two NASA lunar missions. (1/6)

At KSC Visitor Complex, SpaceX Falcon Booster Exhibit is Ready to Wow Guests (Source: Florida Today)
Liftoff. Side boosters separate. Grid fins deploy, guiding two SpaceX Falcon Heavy boosters screaming toward Earth from an altitude of 38 miles down to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Pause the sequence right there and you'll get an idea of what officials say is coming to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in March: one of those Falcon Heavy side boosters, complete with trajectory-adjusting titanium fins and re-entry scorch marks, will be on display at a new attraction called Gateway. The 50,000-square-foot facility will focus on the future through commercial space, upcoming NASA missions, and more science education. (1/5)

Now We Know Why Spaceflight Affects Your Eyes (Source: Universe Today)
70% of astronauts who spend time on the International Space Station (ISS) experience swelling at the back of their eyes, causing blurriness and impaired eyesight both in space and when they return to Earth. Sometimes, it’s permanent. Understanding the way microgravity affects the eyes, and the human body as a whole is an essential part of preparations for future long-duration spaceflights to the Moon and Mars.

In an effort to understand the cause of these eye problems, researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina used MRI scans of twelve ISS astronauts to measure the intracranial venous system (veins that circulate blood to the brain) before and after flight. They’ve determined that there is a strong connection between the swelling of these veins and the onset of eye trouble. The effect of spaceflight on the eyes is known as spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS). SANS is so common that “it’s gotten to the point where astronauts actually carry extra pairs of glasses when they go into space. (1/9)

Space Force to Take a Fresh Look at Communications Satellite Needs (Source: Space News)
What mix of satellites will be needed to meet rising demand for connectivity and make systems resilient to cyber attacks will be the subject of a deep-dive study by the U.S. Space Force. The work will be done by the Space Warfighting Analysis Center, or SWAC, a new organization created to design the military’s future space architecture.

The SWAC will seek to answer questions such as how much satellite capacity in what orbits is needed to support U.S. military users and how much of that demand could be met by commercial satcom, versus government-owned satellites. SWAC analysts will use models and simulations to to design hybrid architectures of commercial and government satellites and assess their vulnerabilities to threats like cyber attacks. The SWAC is tasked to look at what technologies and systems will be needed by the future force and help the Space Force develop a procurement strategy. (1/9)