January 5, 2022

L3Harris Focuses on Growth in Military Space (Source: Breaking Defense)
L3Harris, based on Florida's Space Coast, plans to focus on growth in its military space segment and disruptive technology. "This lean approach will deliver resilient, innovative, end-to-end solutions that propel timely mission success for our customers," said CEO Christopher Kubasik. An L3Harris spokesperson elaborated, saying that “in part, the reorganization further emphasizes the company’s focus on efficient and disruptive tech which include responsive space solutions. We are ready to address urgent customer needs such as precision tracking for hypersonic missiles and anti-satellite tests from great power competitors.”

The aerospace and defense firm, which pulls in about $18 billion in annual revenue across its portfolio, over the past two years has increasingly, and successfully, pushed itself from a subcontractor to prime level in the space and missile defense arena. This includes winning a $194 million contract in October 2020 — in a surprise victory — to build four satellites for the Space Development Agency’s Tracking Layer Tranche 0 designed to detect ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles using a wide field of view infrared (IR) sensor. (1/4)

NASA's Seeks CTO to Build Commercial Partnerships (Source: FedScoop)
NASA is working to hire a chief technologist who will foster the agency's partnerships with the commercial space sector under the newly formed Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy. NASA is recruiting from Silicon Valley and other private sector circles. (1/4)

Space Force to Support Multiple Florida Southerly Trajectory Launches in New Year, Urges Public to Observe Launch Hazard Warnings (Source: USSF)
Space Launch Delta 45 leaders are encouraging the public to pay attention and be responsive to new local launch hazard areas as polar orbit and southerly trajectory launch attempts become more frequent from the Eastern Range. SLD 45 finished 2021 by supporting its 37th successful launch, which included two launch missions from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to feature polar trajectories.

Polar orbit launch trajectories differ greatly from typical flight paths from the Eastern Range, with rockets flying south over land, meaning launch hazard areas are dramatically different for public safety. The chance of a launch scrubbing due to a range violation is increased if the public is not aware of the expanded safety measures. Boaters and aircraft operators are directed to consult the advisories for each launch that contain detailed maps, coordinates, timing, and status of the area restrictions and closures. Last year, a polar launch attempt scrubbed due to a range violation when a private aircraft strayed into the restricted airspace prior to launch.

“The 2022 launch pace is going to be exceptionally busy with up to five polar, and seven total launches, projected for the month of January alone. While three polar missions successfully launched in the past year and a half, Cape Canaveral has never had five southern trajectory launches in a single month,” said  Maj. Jonathan Szul, Director of Operations, 1st Range Operations Squadron at CCSFS. In the past, the majority of polar orbit launches occurred at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, but recent technology advancements have allowed CCSFS to launch polar and southerly trajectory missions on a more frequent basis – and the pace is only increasing. (1/4)

For DoD, Solving Spectrum Sharing is a Matter of National, Economic Security (Source: FNN)
The Defense Department is slowly chipping away at 117 different tasks to implement the October 2020 Electromagnetic Spectrum Superiority Strategy. The goal of the EMSS and its corresponding implementation plan is to help DoD take advantage of 5G and other spectrum frequencies to address an environment that DoD says is increasingly congested, contested and constrained. Vernita Harris, the director of the electromagnetic spectrum enterprise policy and program office in DoD’s office of the chief information officer, said the new spectrum builds on and advances the 2013 and 2017 strategies.

"Everything that you do today from your mobile device, most people don’t realize that their mobile device whether you have Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile — that’s different frequencies. It’s all different frequency bands and it is not the same spectrum. So it’s important not just to DoD and how we protect our warfighter and the national defense, but it’s also for an economic stability in the U.S.” (1/4)

Aerodyne and Jacobs TOSC Workers Honored by National Space Club (Source: Brevard Business News)
Two Aerodyne Industries employees were joined by  partners on the Test and Operations Support Contract (TOSC) at Kennedy Space Center for honors by the National Space Club–Florida Committee. Elhanon “EW” Hall III was inducted into the Space Worker Hall of Fame while Joseph Jones was named Rising Star during the 2021 Celebrate Space Awards Banquet held Dec. 10. Four TOSC teammates for Jacobs were also inducted into the Hall of Fame: Randle Clay, Jennifer Hall, Jeff McAlear and Vijai Prabhudial. “We are very proud of our 2021 inductees into the prestigious National Space Club Hall of Fame and our first Rising Star honoree,” said Andy Allen, Aerodyne CEO.

Aerodyne Industries is a subcontractor on TOSC at the Kennedy Space Center. The contract provides overall management and implementation of ground systems capabilities, flight hardware processing and launch operations at KSC. These tasks support the International Space Station, Exploration Ground Systems, the Space Launch System, Orion Multi–Purpose Crew Vehicle and Launch Services programs. (12/10)

Irish Startup Involved in Historic Launch of James Webb Space Telescope (Source: Independent)
An Irish company designed and manufactured cameras used in the Christmas Day launch of the €8.8bn James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. The event was watched by a global audience. Réaltra Space Systems Engineering, based in Dublin 17, provided the Independent Video Telemetry Kit (VIKI) that produced the live video seen globally from onboard the Ariane 5 rocket during the launch of the Webb telescope from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. (1/1)

China Plans Missions to Moon's South Pole (Source: Space Daily)
China has approved the fourth phase of its lunar exploration program, including a basic model of a research station built on the moon over the coming decade, according to the China National Space Administration. Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the administration, said China would carry out lunar exploration in the future Chang'e-6, Chang'e-7 and Chang'e-8 missions. As planned, Chang'e-7 probe will be launched to the south pole of the moon first.

Since Chang'e-6 is a backup of Chang'e-5 sample-return mission, it will be launched after Chang'e-7 to bring back samples on the lunar south pole. Chang'e-6 mission will be followed by Chang'e-8, a step toward building a model of a lunar scientific research station. "We also prepare to work with Russia to build the basic model of the lunar research station," Wu said in a recent interview. "The construction of the station will lay a solid foundation for us to better explore the lunar environment and resources, including how to use and develop lunar resources peacefully." (1/4)

China to US: With Great Space Power Comes Great Responsibility (Source: Space Daily)
A manned spacecraft in orbit experiences a close shave with a satellite appearing out of nowhere. This is no scene from a sci-fi blockbuster, but a real event experienced by China's Tiangong space station in 2021. The near miss highlighted the need for the US government to oversee the activities of its satellites in humanity's final frontier. A SpaceX Starlink satellite maneuvered its orbit from 555 km down to 382 km, and in July, it had a close encounter with Tiangong carrying three astronauts. Thankfully, Tiangong narrowly averted disaster, before the incident was replayed in October.

Since the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the country's watchdog for satellite services, approved SpaceX's ambitious Internet constellation project, about 1,800 satellites have been put into near-Earth orbits. The private company is aiming to build a 42,000-strong satellite network capable of providing broadband Internet services. Entrepreneurs are tasked with innovating, and the authorities should be responsible for overseeing.

The United States, as a party of the UN's Outer Space Treaty, bears the responsibility to prevent orbital risks from its satellites throughout their lifespans. As near-Earth space has become much more crowded than when the treaty was first introduced in the 1960s, extra caution is required to prevent any cosmic disaster. The United States, a space powerhouse who has long spoken of the threat posed by other countries, has displayed a seeming disregard for the welfare of latecomers. (1/3)

China: Outer Space is Not the US' Backyard (Source: Space Daily)
After close encounters between China's international space station and two of the 1,600 Starlink satellites launched by Elon Musk's company SpaceX, Musk responded saying there is enough space around the Earth's orbit to accommodate "tens of billions" of satellites. However, he said nothing of the high risks of satellite collisions in space. According to a United Kingdom-based research team, 90 percent of close encounters are likely to involve Starlink after it launches its planned 12,000 satellites. Besides, the brightness of the Starlink satellites in the night sky could affect the working of observatories on Earth.

The US administration is not doing any better than the Musk company. In 2014, the United States Air Force launched the first of four satellites of the Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program to monitor other countries' satellites in geosynchronous equatorial orbit. Outer space is open to all, but it seems the US administration and private companies want to treat it as their own backyard. Therefore, it's absurd that US politicians are blaming China for "militarizing space". Space should be used in a peaceful, orderly way. (1/4)

China Launched Final Rocket of 2021 (Source: Space Daily)
China launched a Long March 3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province early on Thursday morning, marking the completion of the country's annual launch schedule. The rocket blasted off at 12:43 am and carried an experimental satellite, named Communication Technology Demonstrator 9, into a geosynchronous orbit, according to a statement published by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, the nation's leading space contractor. It was the 48th flight of the Long March rocket family and the 55th of China's launch vehicle fleet in 2021. (1/1)

Chinese Scientists Invent Lead-Free Composite Shielding Material for Neutron and Gamma-Rays (Source: Space Daily)
Dr. HUO Zhipeng and his student ZHAO Sheng from the Hefei Institutes of physical science (HFIPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently developed a lead-free neutron and gamma ray composite shielding material that has high shielding properties and is environmentally friendly. Their results were published on Nuclear Materials and Energy.

The composite, modified-gadolinium oxide/boron carbide/high density polyethylene (Gd2O3/B4C/HDPE), was tested safe and effective to shield neutron and gamma rays through a series of intricate and comprehensive experiments. Neutron, as an electrically neutral particle, has a strong penetrability and always emits secondary gamma rays during particle collision process. The scientific and efficient scheme of shielding neutron is to select high Z (atomic number), low Z materials, and neutron absorbing materials simultaneously for combined shielding. However, lead-containing materials are restricted in application with biological toxicity. (1/1)

Webb Deployment Successes Continue (Source: Space News)
NASA celebrated the completed deployment of the James Webb Space Telescope's sunshield Tuesday. Controllers tensioned the final two layers of the five-layer sunshield Tuesday morning, stretching them into their final shape, after doing the same for the other three layers on Monday. Project officials said that the deployment went "better than we could have hoped" with no serious issues. With the sunshield now in place, NASA is turning its attention to the telescope itself, with plans today to move a secondary mirror into position. (1/5)

After Starlink Difficulties in India, Executive Steps Down (Source: Space News)
SpaceX's lead executive for Starlink in India resigned as the company refunded pre-orders for the satellite broadband service there. Sanjay Bhargava said in a LinkedIn post Tuesday that he stepped down as head of Starlink in India for personal reasons, declining to elaborate. He started the job in October when he stated a goal of having 200,000 terminals in service in the country by the end of 2022. SpaceX, though, had run into problems with the Indian government, which directed the company to stop pre-orders of the service because SpaceX did not yet have a license to operate in India. The company has stopped taking pre-orders and is issuing refunds to those who did sign up. (1/5)

Orion Could Integrate Amazon Alexa Voice Assistance (Source: Space News)
The upcoming Artemis 1 Orion mission will test a technology famliar to millions of consumers: Alexa. Lockheed Martin said it's working with Amazon and Cisco on a project called Callisto, which will use Amazon's Alexa voice assistant and Cisco's Webex teleconferencing platform to test how those technologies could be used to support future crewed missions. Callisto will be able to respond to commands to access and analyze spacecraft data, control lighting and interact with teams on the ground. Since Artemis 1 is an uncrewed mission, "virtual crew members" in mission control will test Callisto during the flight. (1/5)

Former Spaceport America CFO Files Whistleblower Lawsuit Over Bond Refinancing (Source: Santa Fe New Mexican)
The former chief financial officer of Spaceport America is suing New Mexico state officials. Zach DeGregorio alleges that state agencies covered up efforts to allow the New Mexico Finance Authority to refinance the spaceport's bonds rather than allow a private business to refinance them at a savings of potentially tens of millions of dollars. DeGregorio, who filed the suit without legal representation, resigned from the spaceport in mid-2020 after complaining of financial misconduct by the then-head of the spaceport, Dan Hicks, who was later fired by the spaceport's board after an investigation. State officials declined to comment on the suit. (1/5)

37% of Americans Would Travel to the Moon (Source: Axios)
A poll finds that 37% of Americans would go to the moon, if money was no object. The poll found interest in going to the moon strongest among those 18 to 34 years old, with 52% interested, versus just 18% among those 65 and older. The poll also found that 53% think SpaceX is "leading the push into space," ahead of Blue Origin, Boeing and Virgin Galactic. (1/5)

Another Florida Aerospace Company Plans High Altitude Balloon Rides (Source: WMBB)
Another company says it plans to offer people space-like views of the Earth from a high-altitude balloon. Florida-based Skyborne Technology plans to adapt an airship it had been building for disaster relief to take 15 to 20 people to an altitude of about 20 kilometers. The company says it will charge $50,000 for the flights, which could begin in as soon as three and a half years. the company didn't disclose how it planned to finance development of the system. Space Perspective and World View have already started work similar balloon systems designed to give passengers a taste of spaceflight while remaining in the stratosphere. (1/5)

UFOs, the Channel Islands and the Navy's 'Drone Swarm' Mystery (Source: The Hill)
The Navy has a perplexing mystery on its hands. For several weeks in 2019, unknown objects stalked U.S. warships off the coast of southern California. While the bizarre "drone" encounters remain unsolved, the incidents occurred in an area with a long history of UFO sightings, including two of the most credible encounters on record. The reports sparked a sweeping, high-level investigation. The Navy, working with the FBI and Coast Guard, now appears to have ruled out civilian activity or U.S. military operations as plausible explanations for the encounters.

This leaves two possibilities, each with extraordinary implications. Either a foreign adversary is spying on Navy ships around the Channel Islands, or devices of truly unknown origin are operating with impunity around U.S. (and allied) vessels. The implications of a foreign power deploying drones to spy on American warships just off the California coast are immense. For starters, this scenario suggests a monumental U.S. counterintelligence failure. Moreover, such a brazen and technically complex intelligence operation amounts to an enormous gamble for a hostile nation. Any shoot-down - as the Navy reportedly attempted - of a foreign surveillance drone so close to U.S. shores would invite sweeping geopolitical repercussions.

If the UFOs that stalked the Navy warships were part of an adversarial intelligence collection effort, the objects' operators made little effort to conceal their presence. Videos taken aboard one U.S. vessel show the mysterious craft displaying bright and flashing lights. At the same time, Navy radar operators tracked the objects with apparent ease, even expressing surprise as the craft engaged in anomalous maneuvers. In another video, a spherical object (which has noteworthy parallels to UFOs observed by fighter pilots off the U.S. east coast) appears to descend slowly into the ocean. (1/4)

Space, The Final Frontier Of Housebuilding (Source: TechLive)
When architect Sebastian Aristotelis arrived in Greenland late last year, he was toting a tent of his own design. The co-founder of the Copenhagen-based practice Saga had devised an origami-inspired structure, one he describes as a “black pineapple in an icy environment”. He was due to spend two months living in it with colleague Karl-Johan Sorensen for an unusual experiment. This was no prototype aimed at extreme sports enthusiasts, however, but far more otherworldly: Aristotelis is one of the world’s only space architects and this was a mock-up for a building on the Moon and beyond.

Frontier-chasing billionaires such as SpaceX’s Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos with Blue Origin have renewed interest in an endeavour that had fallen from favour since NASA’s glory days, when the cold war was waged by proxy in the even colder reaches of space. Much attention is now being paid to making rockets and shuttles more sustainable, affordable and profitable for these private companies. What, though, of the permanent structures that they predict?

Whether hotels set in orbit around the Earth like Orbital Assembly’s 280-guest Voyager Station, planned to open in 2027, or the colonisation of Mars? There are now courses in such construction — the University of Houston offers an MSc in space architecture, for instance — but only a handful of people are pursuing it. Aristotelis is one of them, and his tent allows him to collect data useful for replicating such structures in space. Click here. (12/25)

A Beginner’s Guide to Investing in European Spacetech (Source: Sifted)
VCs aren’t just investing in space, they are actually going into space — Chris Boshuizen, partner at DCVC, a California-based investment fund, was one of the passengers that flew on the same Blue Origin spaceflight that saw actor William Shatner become the oldest human to go to space. But then, everyone is going into orbit these days — more than 600 people have now been, and a large proportion of those trips took place in the past year.

When billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Richard Branson massively reduced the cost of launching things into space this completely changed the rules of the game, making it possible for a whole new set of companies and countries to join the space race — including in Europe. Some $7.7bn of private investment went into spacetech globally in the first nine months of 2021, according to Seraphim’s Space Index, which tracks spacetech deals. It makes 2021 already a record year. Click here. (12/16)

Space Tourism is Just a Tiny Piece of a Risky New Asset Class (Source: Yahoo! Finance)
“Space tourism is an exciting first step but it’s not where the big market opportunity lies,” says Sam Korus, an analyst overseeing the Ark Investments Ark Space Exploration and Innovation ETF (ARKX), rolled out in March of this year. Jeffrey Manber, co-founder of Nanoracks, one of the first companies to operate commercially on the ISS, puts it this way: “A great space faring nation should not pin its hopes on tourism.” Other companies are emerging, leveraging the launch infrastructure to sell the same product much in demand here on Earth: data.

Earth observation is big and growing, and additional opportunities like on-orbit space services and privately owned space stations are just over the horizon. There is growing consensus that space will indeed be big. Launch costs have come down by a factor of four in recent years and are heading lower while satellites have seen a 100-fold increase in capabilities over the last five to 10 years, creating a whole new world of opportunities. As a result, Morgan Stanley estimates that the industry may generate as much as $1 trillion in global revenue by 2040. More and more, space is starting to look like an asset class, albeit a risky one. (12/6)

Discover 5 Top Space Activity Management Startups (Source: StartUs)
Staying ahead of the technology curve means strengthening your competitive advantage. That is why we give you data-driven innovation insights into the space industry. This time, you get to discover 5 hand-picked space activity management startups. The insights of this data-driven analysis are derived from the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 1.379.000+ startups & scaleups globally. The platform gives you an exhaustive overview of emerging technologies & relevant startups within a specific field. Click here. (12/30)