January 14, 2022

Russia Plans Photonic Technologies to Control Space Debris (Source: Parabolic Arc)
To control near-earth space and observe artificial objects in near-earth orbit, specialists of Russian Space Systems (RKS, part of the Roscosmos State Corporation) propose to use the latest photonic technologies and original methods of ground processing of optical information. The corresponding system for monitoring “space debris” was developed and patented by the RKS to solve one of the most urgent tasks today – cleaning the orbit from exhausted artificial Earth satellites, various space objects and their fragments.

With the help of optical signals and their processing system, it will be possible to find, recognize, identify, measure the dimensions and calculate the trajectory of movement of even small fragments of space debris. The system will be able to identify potential threats for timely reactions and changes in movement trajectories, for example, spacecraft or ships. (1/14)

India's Pixxel Partnering with Mining Company for Hyperspectral Imagery (Source: Space News)
Indian hyperspectral startup Pixxel announced a partnership with mining company Rio Tinto. As part of the "early adoption partnership" program, Rio Tinto will get early access to hyperspectral imagery from Pixxel's satellites, with the companies cooperating on analyzing and using the data. Pixxel plans to launch its first two satellites early this year, providing hyperspectral images at a resolution of five meters. (1/14)

Texas Spaceport Grants to Support Houston and Boca Chica Development (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Two Texas facilities have won spaceport grants from the state government. The Texas Spaceport Trust Fund awarded $5 million to Spaceport Houston at Ellington Airport and $5 million to the Cameron County Spaceport Development Corporation in South Texas. While not hosting any launches, Spaceport Houston is seeking to become a hub for space companies such as Axiom Space and Intuitive Machines. Cameron County is home to SpaceX's Starship test site at Boca Chica. Editor's Note: The Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport is seeking an FAA spaceport operator's license, for horizontal launch operations. (1/14)

Florida Defense Grant Funding Sought for Spaceport Wastewater Improvements (Source: SPACErePORT)
Florida's annual grant program for defense community improvement initiatives could provide funds needed to improve wastewater treatment at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, under a grant application being considered by the local economic development agency. Such a grant would open access to larger federal funding available for community development. Improved wastewater treatment is vital for saving the Indian River Lagoon and surrounding waterways. (1/14)

Bills in Tallahassee Seeks to Establish Northeast Florida Regional Spaceport Authority (Source: SPACErePORT)
Companion bills in the Florida House and Senate have been introduced to create a regional spaceport authority to serve the northeastern area that is home to the Cecil Spaceport. Cecil is an FAA licensed site for horizontal launch and landing operations. It currently is managed by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority. The bill would empower the new spaceport authority in ways that borrow from Chapter 331, Florida Statutes, which is the enabling legislation for Space Florida. Click here. (1/14)

Space Florida Announces Space Transportation Call for Projects (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida solicits proposals to continue the development of space transportation infrastructure that supports Space Florida’s legislative intent and Florida spaceport territory master plans. Each year, Space Florida invites the aerospace industry to submit projects for consideration into the subsequent year’s Work Program and Spaceport Improvement Program. This year, Space Florida will be accepting Space Transportation Infrastructure Matching Fund applications for 2024 to 2028. Applications are due March 16. Applications and additional information can be found here. (1/14)

Astronomers Spot Exomoon with Kepler (Source: Space.com)
Astronomers believe they have discovered an "exomoon," or a moon orbiting an extrasolar planet. The discovery, announced Thursday, is based on analysis of data collected by NASA's Kepler mission, which looked for exoplanets by measuring tiny dips in the brightness of stars as those planets passed in front of them. Astronomers compared the data to models of what it would be like if those exoplanets had a moon orbiting them and found a potential match for one star, called Kepler 1708. The data from that star can be modeled by a "mini-Neptune" moon orbiting a Jupiter-sized exoplanet. Other scientists say the analysis is compelling, but more observations are needed to confirm if the exomoon exists. (1/14)

FAA Plans to Check Launch/Landing Operators' Financial Compliance for Covering Potential Damage/Injury (Source: FAA)
The FAA invites public comments on their plan to request OMB approval to renew an information collection to determine if licensees have complied with financial responsibilities for maximum probable loss (MPL) determination as set forth in FAA regulations. The MPL determination forms the basis for financial responsibility requirements issued in a license or permit. Licensed/permitted launch/landing operators must be able to cover claims by a third party for bodily injury or property damage, and the United States, its agencies, and its contractors and subcontractors for covered property damage or loss. Click here. (1/13)

Space-Focused SPAC Brings in $287.5M with Former Blue Origin President as CEO (Source: GeekWire)
A blank-check company that has former Blue Origin President Rob Meyerson as its CEO has completed a $287.5 million initial public offering, furthering its plans to link up with ventures focusing on space, cybersecurity and energy innovation. C5 Acquisition Corp. closed the IPO with the sale of 28.75 million units at $10 per unit, which was 3.75 million units above the original allotment for sale. Those units are now listed as CXAC.U on the New York Stock Exchange, and common stock is expected to be listed as CXAC.

Blank-check companies — formally known as special-purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs — use their capital to pursue mergers or other types of business combinations with ventures in targeted industry segments. The strategy typically accelerates the process of going public, and it’s been used with a growing number of space ventures, including Virgin Galactic, Virgin Orbit, Rocket Lab, BlackSky and Astra. Seattle-area telecom pioneer Craig McCaw played a key role in the SPAC deal involving Astra, which set that company’s value at $2.1 billion. (1/13)

The Most Habitable Exoplanets Might Be 'Super-Earths' (Source: Daily Beast)
In the race to find a world beyond Earth that could harbor life, we’ve found over 4,500 exoplanets—planets that exist outside the solar system. A handful of these are thought to be potentially habitable, but that doesn’t mean they look like Earth. Many are what we might call “super-Earths,” which could be anywhere from two to 10 times more massive than our planet. But there’s a lot we don’t know about how the insides of these bigger planets work and whether they can truly support life of some kind.

A new study published in Science on Thursday, however, suggests super-Earths could be more friendly to life than smaller rocks like our planet. If that’s the case, alien hunters would spend their time more wisely scouring these heftier worlds for signs of life. Extraterrestrial habitability is complex, but there are a few basic ingredients you absolutely need to host life—like the presence of actual water, and an atmosphere that blankets the planet and makes things feel warm and fuzzy.

In order to maintain these things, however, a planet needs to produce a magnetic field that can protect it from its host star’s radiation. Earth has one that is constantly protecting us from getting bludgeoned by dangerous charged particles from the sun. Without this so-called magnetosphere, a planet’s atmosphere will hemorrhage away and the surface will quickly turn into a barren wasteland. (1/13)

Many New Spacecraft to Launch From Space Coast in 2022 (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The biggest rocket to ever lift off from Earth is on tap for launch from Kennedy Space Center this spring, but it won’t be the only new name to make its Space Coast debut this year. While the Artemis I mission to the moon will carry the new Orion spacecraft into space for the first time, launches in 2022 look to send up missions from new Axiom Space and Sierra Space for the first time while Boeing hopes to finally get its CST-100 Starliner to the International Space Station. Click here. (1/14)

Falcon-9 Delivers 100+ Satellites to Orbit with Latest Polar Launch From Florida (Source: Space News)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched more than 100 smallsats on a rideshare mission Thursday. The Transporter-3 mission lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport and deployed its payload of 105 spacecraft into a sun-synchronous orbit. Several companies that operate satellite constellations used the launch to replenish and augment their fleets, with some first-time customers on the launch as well. The flight was SpaceX's third smallsat dedicated rideshare mission. This was also the first of as many as four such launches planned for 2022. The rocket's first stage returned successfully to the spaceport with a sonic boom. The fairing recovery was planned downrange between the Bahamas and Cuba. (1/14)

Virgin Orbit Delivers Seven Satellites to Orbit From California (Source: Space News)
Virgin Orbit placed seven cubesats into orbit Thursday on its third operational LauncherOne mission. The company's 747 carrier aircraft took off from Mojave Air and Space Port in California at 4:39 p.m. Eastern, releasing the LauncherOne rocket a little more than an hour later. The company later said all seven payloads were successfully deployed into a mid-inclination orbit. The launch carried satellites for the Defense Department's Space Test Program, Polish smallsat developer SatRevolution and Spire. This was the first of six launches Virgin Orbit has scheduled for this year, including two launches from Spaceport Cornwall in England. (1/14)

Plumb: US Should be Prepared for Space Conflict (Source: Space News)
The White House's nominee for a Pentagon space policy post told senators the U.S. needs to be prepared for conflict in space. John Plumb, the nominee to be assistant secretary of defense for space policy, said at a Senate confirmation hearing Thursday that China's behavior in space "is a matter of grave concern" and also highlighted Russian efforts to "disrupt and destroy U.S. and allied space capabilities in crisis and conflict." He said he supported a ban on kinetic ASAT tests, as proposed by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks last month. He also endorsed a transfer of civil space traffic management activities from the Defense Department to a civil agency like the Commerce Department. (1/14)

Space Force Focus on Digital (Source: Space News)
The Space Force is eyeing investments in edge computing, data centers in space and other technologies needed to build a digital infrastructure. Lisa Costa, chief technology and innovation officer for the Space Force, said at an event Thursday that the Space Force has a long-term goal of being a "digital service" and is working on a strategy along those lines. She noted that the Space Force has to do a better job communicating its needs to the commercial industry and to universities that are developing many of the technologies the service is seeking, from advanced computing to artificial intelligence and machine learning. (1/14)

NASA's Innovative Property Lease Reauthorization Jeopardized by Voting Language in Bill (Source: Space News)
NASA's ability to lease property to companies and other organizations remains in limbo after a bill intended to extend that authority became a vehicle for voting rights legislation. A House bill passed in December extended NASA's enhanced use lease (EUL) authority, set to expire at the end of 2021, for 10 years. After the Senate passed an amended version, it returned to the House, where Democratic leadership replaced the NASA provisions with the text of two voting rights bills. That move was intended to allow the bill to avoid an initial filibuster attempt when it returns to the Senate. The House passed the amended bill on party lines Thursday, but it's unclear how Congress will now extend NASA's EUL authority, which lapsed at the beginning of January.

Editor's Note: NASA and Space Florida were pathfinders in the agency's use of EUL authority, for projects like Exploration Park at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, where Blue Origin has placed its massive New Glenn production facilities. The EUL capability was authorized in 2008 but is expiring. Does NASA require EUL authority to work with SpaceX to develop and expand its infrastructure at the Cape for Starship operations? (1/14)