January 31, 2022

Space Force Lays Groundwork for Faster Acquisitions (Source: Air Force Magazine)
Col. Eric Felt, who is taking a leadership role in the Space Architecture, Science, and Technology Directorate, says he is focused on speeding up acquisition processes within the US Space Force. "What I'm hearing from our senior leadership is that we need to go faster -- accelerate the pace of things to keep up with the threat," he said. (1/28)

Orbital Prime Seeks to Address Space Junk Problem (Source: Seattle Times)
The US Space Force's Orbital Prime program is offering up to $250,000 in the first round of funding to advance concepts that would address the challenge of orbital debris. The end goal of the program is a demonstration in orbit. (1/28)

NASA HERMES Mission Passes Key Milestone – Moves Toward Launch (Source: SciTech Daily)
NASA’s HERMES mission – a four-instrument suite to be mounted outside NASA’s Moon-orbiting Gateway – has passed a critical mission review on January 27, 2022. The review, Key Decision Point C, evaluated the mission’s preliminary design and program plan to achieve launch by its target launch readiness date no earlier than November 2024. With the successful review, HERMES now moves into Phase C, which includes the final design of the mission.

“HERMES will be a critical part of the Artemis mission and NASA’s goals to create a permanent presence on the Moon,” said Jamie Favors, HERMES program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. “We’re very excited to pass this critical milestone and move closer to launch.” HERMES, short for Heliophysics Environmental and Radiation Measurement Experiment Suite, will be mounted outside the Habitation and Logistics Outpost module of NASA’s Gateway outpost. (1/30)

Extreme Alien World: Strange Exoplanet Has a Complex and Exotic Atmosphere (Source: SciTech Daily)
An international team including researchers from the University of Bern and the University of Geneva as well as the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS analyzed the atmosphere of one of the most extreme known planets in great detail. The results from this hot, Jupiter-like planet that was first characterized with the help of the CHEOPS space telescope, may help astronomers understand the complexities of many other exoplanets – including Earth-like planets.

WASP-189b is a planet outside our own solar system, located 322 light years from Earth. Extensive observations with the CHEOPS space telescope in 2020 revealed among other things that the planet is 20 times closer to its host star than Earth is to the Sun and has a daytime temperature of 3200 degrees Celsius. More recent investigations with the HARPS spectrograph at the La Silla Observatory in Chile now for the first time allowed the researchers to take a closer look at the atmosphere of this Jupiter-like planet. (1/29)

A Short History of Death by Meteorite—and How to Avoid It (Source: Daily Beast)
Do you have an impending sense of doom that you will be unlucky enough to be struck by a meteorite? Or, even more consequentially, do you think Earth as we know it will end with the supersonic arrival of a giant flying rock from space? The effect of Hollywood disaster movies on the human psyche is hard to overstate here, but as you may have recently read… space-based material landing on Earth is a thing that happens. And if it hits you or it is big, it will quite likely be problematic.

Historically, people have not feared death by meteorite. The main reasons for this are (1) only the last few hundred years did most people become aware that rocks could fall from space, and (2) past generations had other, more pressing things to worry about (for example, avoiding cholera, famine, and/or oxen stampedes). However, modern humans widely understand that they could die from a flying rock and many of us have loads of extra time to worry about such things.

This combination, and the fact that stray meteorites are far more exciting to worry about than realistic issues like heart disease, car accidents, pandemics or gun violence, means there has been a significant uptick in the death-by-meteorite fear department, which is why it feels prudent to address it here. Numerous stories suggest that meteorites have hit people, and many of these may be true; but, unless the fall is witnessed by other people, recovered, and analyzed, the authenticity of such events can be difficult to parse, particularly given the financial incentives now realized for possessing a physical piece of such a bizarre event or the short-lived notoriety associated with human/meteorite interaction. Click here. (1/30)

NASA to Buy Commercial Earth Observation Data (Source: Space News)
NASA says it is committed to buying commercial Earth observation data. NASA spends roughly $30 million a year evaluating commercial data sources and purchasing datasets, and an agency official said at a conference last week that the initiative is now a "sustainable program" that will be continued. The increasing pace of commercial satellite launches is prompting NASA officials to look for ways to improve the data-acquisition process. NASA cooperates with other government agencies that acquire commercial remote sensing data, including NOAA and the NRO. (1/31)

CACI Developing Laser Comm Terminals for DARPA (Source: Space News)
CACI is ramping up production of laser communications terminals for a DARPA satellite program. CACI, a large defense contractor, acquired SA Photonics to pursue military and commercial markets for small, lower-cost optical terminals. SA Photonics had a contract to provide such terminals for DARPA's Blackjack program. CACI is expanding manufacturing facilities in Florida to produce several hundred optical terminals per year, with the first of those terminals to be integrated onto Blackjack satellite buses made by Blue Canyon Technologies and be ready to launch sometime this fall. (1/31)

China's Deep Blue Raises $31.5 Million, Plans Reusable Launcher (Source: Space News)
Chinese launch startup Deep Blue Aerospace hopes to reach orbit next year while also landing the rocket's first stage. The company's Nebula-M test stage rose to a height of 103.2 meters before landing during a test in October. The company secured nearly $31.5 million in funding with investors including Zhencheng Capital, DT Capital and Galaxy Capital earlier this month to support development of its Nebula-1 rocket, with a first flight planned in 2023. (1/31)

Virgin Orbit's First UK Launch to Carry Oman Satellite (Source: Virgin Orbit)
Virgin Orbit will launch the first satellite for Oman. The satellite, built by Polish company SatRevolution, will launch on Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne this summer from Spaceport Cornwall in England. In an agreement last week, the companies said they will also launch Oman's first deep-space mission in 2024. An upcoming study will determine the destination of that mission and its other aspects. (1/31)

Auctioned Challenger Artifacts Transferred to Reagan Library (Source: CollectSpace)
Artifacts from the Challenger accident intended for President Ronald Reagan are finally in the hands of his presidential library. The artifacts, a patch and flag recovered from the 1986 accident and mounted on a plaque, showed up at an auction of items from the late James Foster Fanseen, a White House NASA liaison. The plaque was a gift to the president and, under the Presidential Records Act, such gifts are not meant to be kept by the president or given away. It's unclear how Fanseen obtained the plaque, but his family and the auction house agreed to hand it over to Reagan's library. (1/31)

Houston Gets Space Cowboys Team (Source: Houston Chronicle)
The Space Cowboys have landed in the suburbs of Houston. A minor league baseball team in Sugar Land, Texas, announced Saturday it was changing its name to the Space Cowboys. The team, previously known as the Skeeters, is affiliated with the Houston Astros. The team's logo features a spacesuit helmet with a cowboy hat on top and a bandana underneath. The Space Cowboys also have a new mascot, a light blue "cosmic space dog" named Orion. (1/31)

Space 11 Corp. Announces Selection of Nanoracks as Partner for Outer Space Collaborations on Movies, TV Series and More (Source: Parabolic Arc)
It was revealed today that Space 11 Corp, an aerospace company pioneering outer space entertainment productions including film, TV, sports and special events, founded by veteran movie producer Andrea Iervolino and run by its Vice President and Head of Operations, MMA legend and movie producer John Lewis, is developing a first-of-its-kind partnership with Nanoracks, a Voyager Space company, and the largest commercial user of the International Space Station.

Through this partnership, Space 11 plans to construct and launch a specialized free-flying space station to service film and TV projects as a dedicated and one-of-a-kind in-space platform akin to a live venue / soundstage. This specialized station is named S11S. The S11S will also be outfitted with multiple compartments for use as accommodations and sleeping quarters. (1/31)

KBR Selected as Primary Provider of Space Medicine Support to European Space Agency (Source: Parabolic Arc)
KBR was selected to continue providing high-end astronaut medical support services for ESA's European Astronaut Centre (EAC) Space Medicine Office in Germany. KBR will be the primary provider of space medicine support services to ESA, which is introducing a new service model. A partner to ESA for more than 20 years, KBR’s major activities include astronaut medical care, engineering support, rehabilitation, fitness, project management, healthcare administration, psychology and behavioral health, nutrition, radiation, education coordination, and operational research. (1/31)

Brevard County Posts Record Tourism During Fall, Sees Bright 2022 for More Visitors (Source: Florida Today)
A key measure of tourism along the Space Coast set records in October, November and December, with momentum strong for 2022, Brevard County's tourism chief reports. Space Coast Office of Tourism Executive Director Peter Cranis said tourist development tax revenue during each of those three months was the highest it has ever been during the respective months, breaking records set in 2019. That 5% tax is charged on hotel rooms and other short-term rentals, and is a widely watched economic indicator of the tourism industry's strength.

To keep the momentum going, the Office of Tourism plans to spend $1.1 million on a marketing campaign for the spring tourism season. The campaign will target millennials, Generation X adults, families with children and families with annual household incomes of more than $100,000. It also will target people with interests in beaches, space, nature and going on cruises. (1/30)

Virgin Orbit Adds Talent Amid Operations Scale-Up (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Virgin Orbit announced today the addition of industry leader Dr. Candace Givens as its new Vice President of Engineering. Dr. Givens joins the Virgin Orbit team as the company scales up its flight rate to accommodate high demand seen from commercial customers, the national security community, the international community, and NASA.

Dr. Givens brings to Virgin Orbit more than two decades of experience combined from Northrop Grumman, Boeing and TRW. Prior to joining Virgin Orbit’s senior leadership team, she served as vice president of remote sensing programs for Northrop Grumman’s space systems sector. In this role, she directed the business unit, focusing on key space systems, payloads and software that supported customer missions. In this $500 million business, she drove operational and production efficiencies with integrated development and design activities across the product lines. (1/31)

Comtech Debuts New Satellite-Focused Business Lines (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Comtech Telecommunications, a provider of next-generation 911 emergency systems and secure wireless communications technologies, announced today that, in keeping with generational renewal cycles occurring across its core businesses, Comtech has established two business units focused on exploiting long-term and growing business opportunities in the satellite ground station market. These two new business units, each of which will have its own agile and nimble business structure, will formalize and improve Comtech’s ability to serve U.S. and allied governments as a defense contractor. (1/31)

Brazil Follows Chile in Approving Elon Musk’s Starlink Satellite Operations (Source: BNAmericas)
Brazilian telecoms regulator Anatel greenlighted the commercial operations of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite fleet in Brazil. Anatel’s frequency permit is valid until 2027 and covers a fleet of 4,400 low-orbit Starlink satellites. Brazil has now followed Chile, whose regulator Subtel cleared Starlink's operations in October. In addition to these countries, Starlink has plans to operate in other Latin American markets. In addition, Anatel approved the operations of Swarm, which also offers satellite connectivity via low-orbit satellites. (1/29)

Bizarre Alien Planet Has Layered Atmosphere of Vaporized Metals (Source: Space.com)
Scientists have spotted the first evidence of an alien world with an atmosphere that's layered like Earth's — although perhaps a little too toasty for human tastes. The planet, dubbed WASP-189b, isn't a new discovery. Scientists already knew that the world, which lies about 322 light-years from Earth, is a gas giant that orbits its star 20 times closer than Earth does the sun, making it a sweltering world. And in a new study of the exoplanet, scientists found the first hint that such a body sports a complex atmosphere like our own. (1/31)

ESA’s Spacecraft Can Refuel, Refurbish, and Boost Satellites in Orbit (Source: Interesting Engineering)
Desperate times call for desperate measures. According to the European Space Agency (ESA), there are 128 million objects the size of 1 mm to 1 cm, 900,000 objects the size of 1 cm to 10 cm, and 34,000 objects greater than 10 cm currently whizzing around our planet. These objects are in danger of colliding with new space missions causing untold damage.

That's why ESA is now repurposing its proposed e.Deorbit mission initially conceived to take down a derelict satellite, according to a press statement by the agency. The new mission will serve as a space servicing vehicle. e.Deorbit will now be responsible for the refueling, refurbishing, and boosting of satellites already in orbit. It's called the Clean Space initiative and it was first introduced in 2013 to safely deorbit the derelict Envisat Earth-observing satellite in highly trafficked low-Earth orbit. The satellite had suddenly stopped working in 2012 without any notice. (1/31)