February 8, 2022

UCF Lands DOD Award for Advance Hypersonic Propulsion Research (Source: Space Daily)
A new race to harness hypersonic speed for travel and defense has started, and University of Central Florida researchers are helping the U.S. stay ahead of the pack with a new $1.5 million U.S. Department of Defense award to develop high-performance fuels for hypersonic propulsion. The race, which includes competition from Russia and China, recently intensified when it was reported that China may have tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile in August. Hypersonic speeds are those that are Mach 5 and higher, or five times greater than the speed of sound.

The three-year award to UCF is one of 18 research projects the Department of Defense recently announced it was funding in order to advance the state of applied hypersonics research and build a hypersonics-focused scientific and industrial workforce. (2/7)

Biden's Science Adviser Resigns After Staff Mistreatment Complaints (Source: Politico)
Eric Lander, President Biden's science adviser, resigned Monday evening after reports he mistreated staff. Lander resigned after a report early Monday that the White House found "credible evidence" he bullied his former general counsel and other staffers. At the start of his administration, Biden said he would have zero tolerance for any disrespectful behaviors among staff but had not asked for Lander to resign. Lander was director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, which works on space policy issues, although Lander himself did not publicly talk about space. (2/8)

SciTec Gets $5 Million Space Force Contract to Process Data From Missile-Warning Satellites (Source: Space News)
SciTec won a $5 million Space Force contract to develop software that analyzes data from U.S. missile-warning satellites. The Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC), run by the Space Systems Command, selected SciTec and two other companies to develop apps to process infrared sensor data from Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellites. The $5 million nine-month contract to SciTec is to process data from SBIRS sensors in highly elliptical orbit. (2/8)

Russia Has Given its Space Chief a Series of Huge Raises (Source: Ars Technica)
Nearly four years have passed since Dmitry Rogozin became director general of Roscosmos, the state-run corporation that manages the country's human and civil spaceflight programs, rocket production, and space technology development. Roscosmos is a sprawling entity, with about 170,000 employees at its various companies, and it is effectively charged with carrying on the legacy of the once-dominant Soviet space program that launched the world's first satellite, first astronaut, and more than half a dozen space stations.

However, under Rogozin's tenure, Roscosmos has seen its fortunes diminish. There have been public embarrassments aplenty. In December, a state-aligned newspaper published a devastating essay on the performance of Roscosmos since Rogozin took over as its leader in May 2018. It characterized a wasteful, increasingly decrepit enterprise where almost no money is being invested into the present or future. Instead, the focus seems to be providing high-paying jobs for a handful of technocrats, with Rogozin at the top.

The article cited "serious leadership weakness" at Roscosmos and said the country's once glorious space program is "rotting from within." For all of this, however, Rogozin's salary has increased substantially during his time at Roscosmos. His salary information comes from Transparency International and is based on conversion rates at the beginning of each year. During the most recent year for which salary data is available, 2020, Rogozin was paid $1.3 million—and this does not include perks of the job, such as four vehicles, real estate holdings, spousal pay, and possibly off-the-books income. (2/7)

Astra Scrubs Second Florida Launch Attempt (Source: Space News)
Astra scrubbed a launch attempt Monday afternoon after a last-second engine abort. The company halted the countdown for the launch of its Rocket 3.3 vehicle just as the rocket's first-stage engines ignited. The company later scrubbed the launch attempt for the day, blaming the abort on a "minor telemetry issue." The company has not announced a new launch date, which is expected to be no earlier than Wednesday. Shares in Astra closed down 13.7% Monday after the scrub. (2/8)

LynkGlobal Succeeds with Satellite-to-Phone Test (Source: Space News)
Lynk Global says one of its satellites successfully connected with thousands of mobile phones and other devices in a recent test. Lynk offered direct two-way connectivity between its satellite and smartphones, tablets, internet-of-things devices, cars, trucks and tractors in the Bahamas, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Those devices, the company said, required "zero modifications" and did not even know they were participating in the test, seeing the satellite as just another cell tower. Lynk plans to start offering a "cell-towers-in-space" service later this year. (2/8)

Lockheed Martin to Build Mars Sample Return System (Source: Space News)
Lockheed Martin will build the rocket that will transport samples collected by the Perseverance rover off the surface of Mars. NASA announced Monday it awarded a contract worth up to $194 million to Lockheed to develop the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), a small solid-fueled rocket. The MAV will be sent to Mars on a future lander mission to pick up samples cached by Perseverance. Once the samples are loaded in the MAV, it will launch into Mars orbit, releasing the sample container to be picked up by an orbiter to return to Earth. NASA is still working on other details for the overall Mars Sample Return campaign, including schedules. (2/8)

Space Force Invites Industry Ideas for Satellite Cybersecurity (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force is seeking industry ideas for cybersecurity of satellite systems. The Space Systems Command last week issued a request for information on industry capabilities to combat cyber attacks and protect critical networks during wartime. Companies are asked to submit by March 3 what technologies and capabilities they can offer to defend space-based networks, ground stations and infrastructure the Space Force relies on to send and receive data. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall has made cybersecurity of space systems a top priority because of the military's increasing reliance on satellites. (2/8)

Florida Congressman: China-Argentina Collaboration [Including in Space] a Threat to US Security (Sources: NenRoll, The Interpreter)
Republican congressman Matt Gaetz warned on Monday that the agreement reached with China for Argentina to join the Silk Road represents a “threat to national security” of the United States. “China’s purchase of influence and infrastructure in Argentina in order to collaborate in space and nuclear energy is a direct challenge to the Monroe Doctrine, and far more significant to US security than our latest flirtation with NATO in the plains of Eastern Europe.”

The space context here was not immediately clear. In 2014 Argentina agreed to host a deep-space satellite communications ground station in Patagonia, providing substantial autonomy to China for operating the station. The station falls under leadership of China's military "Strategic Support Force" and is of concern to the US for its potential use in spying and the militarization of space. (2/8)

Toyota Heading to Moon with Cruiser, Robotic Arms, Dreams (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Toyota is working with Japan’s space agency on a vehicle to explore the lunar surface, with ambitions to help people live on the moon by 2040 and then go live on Mars, company officials said late January. The vehicle being developed with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is called Lunar Cruiser, whose name pays homage to the Toyota Land Cruiser sport utility vehicle. Its launch is set for the late 2020′s.

The vehicle is based on the idea that people eat, work, sleep and communicate with others safely in cars, and the same can be done in outer space, said Takao Sato, who heads the Lunar Cruiser project at Toyota Motor Corp. Gitai Japan Inc., a venture contracted with Toyota, has developed a robotic arm for the Lunar Cruiser, designed to perform tasks such as inspection and maintenance. Its “grapple fixture” allows the arm’s end to be changed so it can work like different tools, scooping, lifting and sweeping. (2/7)

Defining European Space Ambitions (Source: Space Review)
Representatives of the European Union and European Space Agency will gather next week for a one-day “space summit” to discuss potential future space projects. Jeff Foust reports on what will be on the agenda, from a European human spaceflight program to a broadband constellation. Click here. (2/7)
 
FROG: The Film Read Out GAMBIT Program (Source: Space Review)
An alternative to the KH-11 reconnaissance satellite briefly considered by the NRO was a version of the GAMBIT satellite called FROG. Dwayne Day examines what has come to light about FROG in declassified documents. Click here. (2/7)
 
What to Really Worry About When a Rocket Stage Crashes on the Moon (Source: Space Review)
An upper stage from a Falcon 9 launch several years ago will crash on the far side of the Moon next month, an event that’s attracted considerable public attention. David Rothery argues that the concern is not with this particular impact but with planetary protection issues with other objects crashing onto the Moon. Click here. (2/7)
 
Are Space Movie Studios Sci-Fi Fantasies? (Source: Space Review)
Last month, two ventures announced plans to develop studios on commercial space stations for producing movies and other entertainment. Jeff Foust wonders if there’s enough demand for space-based entertainment to hold the plots of those plans together. Click here. (2/7)

Arianespace to Serve OneWeb's Ambitions, Will Orbit 34 Additional Satellites with Soyuz (Source: Space Daily)
After the successful launch of NASA's Webb Space Telescope on December 25 with Ariane 5, Arianespace is back to the Guiana Space Center (CSG) with Soyuz for a February 10 lift-off. The first Arianespace mission of the year will orbit 34 additional OneWeb satellites. With this mission, Arianespace will exceed 100 satellites launched on Soyuz from the CSG, while OneWeb's fleet will be brought to 428 satellites on Low Earth Orbit. (2/4)

Search is On for Young Space Entrepreneurs Ahead of First UK Rocket Launches (Source: Space Daily)
With Britain's first satellite launches set to take place this year, the SatelLife Competition is looking for the best new ideas for how to use data collected from space to benefit daily life, from supporting local communities and the NHS, to monitoring the environment and tackling climate change. The competition is now in its fifth year, with previous winning ideas including drones carrying medical supplies, a pin badge to monitor air pollution and an app to track abandoned shopping trolleys.

The SatelLife Competition is deigned to inspire the next generation of British space scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs, by helping our young innovators unleash their imaginations and turn their ideas into real-life proposals that could eventually transform our lives - from supporting our transition to Net Zero, to improving local healthcare services. The UK Space Agency is committed to championing the power of space to inspire people and to offer greener, smarter solutions for businesses, supporting a more sustainable future. (2/4)