March 10, 2022

If Russia Hacks a U.S. Satellite, Then What? (Source: NextGov)
Russia’s senior space official recently warned that any tampering with the nation’s satellites is grounds for war, underscoring how reliant modern communications and military operations are on the orbiting tools. Whether America views satellite hacking or attacking as basis for a war declaration, though, isn’t so cut and dry.

“The United States has an abiding interest in a secure, safe, sustainable and accessible space domain for the benefit of all humanity,” a State Department spokesperson told Nextgov on Thursday. “We urge all space actors to abide by their international obligations.” That response came after inquiries to multiple federal entities, including the Space Force, Defense Department and other federal components regarding whether it would be considered an act of war if U.S. satellites were targeted. (3/3)

How to Save the International Space Station and Prevent the Dreaded “Gap” (Source: Ars Technica)
Virtually every diplomatic and economic tie between Russia's space industry and Europe and the United States has been severed but one—the International Space Station. In addition to these actions, Russia's chief spaceflight official, Dmitry Rogozin, has been bombastic since the war's outbreak, vacillating between jingoistic and nationalistic statements on Twitter and threats about how the ISS partnership could end.

But Rogozin has not crossed any red lines with his deeds. Although the intemperate space chief has taken every punitive and symbolic step that Roscosmos can in response to Western sanctions, he has stopped short of huge, partnership-breaking actions. If the Russian and US ISS segments were to unlatch and the power and communications cables linking them were severed, the most immediate need for ISS would be maintaining the station's proper altitude. This likely could be accomplished by the Northrop Grumman-built Cygnus vehicle. Click here. (3/7)

NASA Expanding Heat Shield Technology (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
As humanity prepares to face the extreme challenges of deep space, NASA engineers are hard at work researching new and innovative ways to safely land large payloads, including astronauts, on Mars. In a recently shared video from NASA, a giant set of inflatable rings can be seen being expanded in what can almost be described as a Christmas tree shape, forming a conical structure that very much resembles a traditional heat shield seen on many spacecraft.

Known as the Bernard Kutter Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID, this technology is being designed to improve the safety and efficiency of landing humans on Mars. According to NASA, the aeroshell will be about 20 feet in diameter when fully deployed, which is nearly five times its size when stowed. For comparison, the Orion spacecraft that is set to return humans to the Moon has a traditional rigid heat shield with a diameter of 16.5 feet. (3/10)

DoD Prioritizes Space Funding (Source: Space News)
Space funding will be an increasing priority in the future for DoD as its 2022 funding grows. DoD comptroller Mike McCord said space is emerging "as the most important foundational area for everything that we are doing and everything that we need to be doing" because of the increasing reliance on space for military operations. SECAF Frank Kendall said the upcoming 2023 budget proposal will increase the Pentagon's emphasis on "more resilient space capabilities." The FY2022 omnibus spending bill increased funding for the Space Force and the Space Development Agency, including $50 million for a responsive launch program and $260 million for a GPS satellite not included in the Space Force's budget request. (3/10)

Budget Bill Cuts NOAA Weather Satellite Budget (Source: Space News)
The omnibus reduced requested funding for a future weather satellite program. The bill provides $1.29 billion for NOAA weather satellite development compared to the agency's request of $1.68 billion. Most of the cut is absorbed by the GeoXO program to develop a new generation of geostationary weather satellites, which received less than a third of its requested $490 million. The bill did increase funding for NOAA's Office of Space Commerce from $10 million to $16 million to support its work on space traffic management. It also fully funded the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation. (3/10)

UK Blocks Space Exports to Russia (Source: Space News)
The British government is blocking space exports to Russia. The sanctions announced Wednesday by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss cover aviation and space-related items, including insurance. The sanctions are aligned with those announced in February by the European Union that covered space technologies and insurance. (3/10)

Satellogic and Astraea Enable Direct Collection Access for Emergency Response in Ukraine (Source: Space Daily)
Satellogic announced a collaboration with Astraea, a geospatial and AI analysis software company, to distribute critical Earth Observation ("EO") data directly to the Ukrainian government, allied governments, and humanitarian organizations on the ground. This service delivers a direct stream of high-resolution satellite imagery collections over Ukraine's sovereign territory as well as neighboring areas of interest.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has spread across the country, targeting multiple cities and critical infrastructure. High-resolution satellite imagery offers detailed visibility at scale to monitor military movement, assess post-event damage, plan civilian evacuation routes, and evaluate effective distribution of resources. (3/9)

Canada's MDA Provides Radar Satellite Imagery to Ukraine (Source: Space News)
Canada's MDA Corp. will provide radar satellite imagery to the Ukrainian government. The company said this week it secured special authorization from the Canadian government to collect synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery over Ukraine using its Radarsat-2 satellite, which it will combine with other data sources "to develop comprehensive near real-time intelligence reports for Ukrainian government officials." Ukrainian officials have sought SAR imagery, in particular, to track invading Russian forces at night and in cloudy conditions. The Canadian government is separately planning to buy $780,000 of high-resolution satellite imagery to provide to Ukraine. (3/10)

Momentus Space Tug Set for June Launch on SpaceX Rideshare Mission (Source: Space News)
Momentus says the first launch of its Vigoride tug remains planned for June, but the schedule for making that launch is tight. In an earnings call this week, the company said the technical work on the Vigoride 3 tug is on track to make a June launch on a SpaceX Transporter rideshare mission but that there is little margin in that schedule. In addition to completing the tug,

Momentus is still working on regulatory approvals, issues that postponed two launches last year. The company said it had signed agreements for several more SpaceX rideshare missions, including a second port on the June launch that the company will use to carry satellites that don't need the propulsion that the Vigoride tug can provide. (3/10)

Motiv Space Systems and Blue Origin Announce ModuLink (Source: Space Daily)
Motiv Space Systems reports it has been awarded a contract under the Defense Innovation Unit's (DIU's) Modularity for Space Systems Program (M4SS) together with sub-contractor Blue Origin. The contract leverages Motiv's advanced space robotics technology to enable a new age of space utilization in which deployed spacecraft can be repaired, augmented, or modified to make them more resilient and modular.

The ModuLink robotics applique, with its two robotic arms, sensors, and modular interfaces, can be installed on a wide variety of spacecraft making robotic space missions available to a broad user base. This commercially available product will enable both the US Government and the commercial space industry to robotically retrieve and deliver payload modules, repair or replace aging or failed components, refuel satellites, remove space debris, reposition satellites, and assemble spacecraft in space.

Motiv and Blue Origin plan to use a version of the Robot Operating System (ROS) called Space ROS to serve as the ModuLink software architecture which Blue Origin is developing in collaboration with NASA. ModuLink will enable a user to select any number of elements from its ecosystem and apply them to their spacecraft - turning that platform into a customized robotic spacecraft. (3/10)

AST SpaceMobile Plans Launches with SpaceX (Source: AST SpaceMobile)
AST SpaceMobile announced Wednesday new launch agreements with SpaceX. The agreements cover the launch of its first operational BlueBird satellite and a reservation for a future satellite. The company is paying $22.75 million for those agreements as well as a modification to its existing contract to launch its BlueWalker 3 demonstration satellite on a Falcon 9 this summer. (3/10)

ULA Postpones USSF-12 Launch (Source: ULA)
United Launch Alliance says it's postponing its next Atlas 5 launch at the request of its Space Force customer. ULA said Wednesday that the USSF-12 mission, which had been scheduled for April, was postponed "due to a customer request." The mission is expected to launch the WFOV experimental missile warning satellite. ULA said its next launch will be the Orbital Flight Test 2 mission of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle, currently scheduled for May. (3/10)

Testing Ongoing for Emirati Lunar Rover (Source: The National)
An Emirati lunar rover was tested in the desert ahead of its launch later this year. The Rashid rover, developed by the U.A.E.'s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, completed tests recently in a remote desert area of Dubai. The 10-kilogram rover will fly on Hakuto-R lander built by Japanese company ispace, currently expected to launch in October on a Falcon 9. (3/10)

ULA's Vulcan Centaur Ends US Reliance on Russian Engines (Source: Air Force Magazine)
United Launch Alliance and the US Space Force say that national security launches will proceed as planned despite Russia's move to cut off the US from buying its rocket engines. While national security launches will rely on Russian-made RD-180 engines for now, ULA's new Vulcan Centaur rocket is powered by Blue Origin BE-4 engines. (3/9)

ISS - RUS = ? (Source: Quartz)
Joanne Gabrynowicz, a professor who specializes in space law, says the agreements governing the ISS require a partner seeking to leave to obtain consent from the other partners. Without that permission, they would be in breach of the agreement. Practically speaking, “if the withdrawing partner decides to speak with the remaining partners, it’s all subject to negotiation.” Talks would be required because the space station is designed to be interdependent. “You just can’t take your football and go home,” Gabrynowicz says.

“If the Russians simply say ‘we’re leaving’, that might lead to legal and diplomatic action, but the issue of the engineering aspects, the integrity of the station, the viability, the sustainability, will have to be addressed by the remaining partners.” If Russia declined to participate in the ISS and went so far as to unhook its modules, could the rest of the nations involved keep the station in orbit? The answer is yes, but it might take time, money, and effort.

The US provides electricity and stability control, while Russian spacecraft regularly push the station up to its target orbit when it drifts lower. Replacing that function would be the top priority for any effort to maintain the station without Russia. The US has one spacecraft that can do the job, the Cygnus built by Northrop Grumman, but though the rocket that carries it depends on components manufactured in Ukraine, it could likely fly on the SpaceX Falcon 9. (3/10)

SpaceX and Blue Origin Construction Update at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Starship Launch Tower assembly jigs have been spotted at SpaceX's Roberts Road site at the spaceport, meaning tower construction is imminent. Also at Roberts Road, Hangar X expansion continues, and a new water tank has been installed on site. Meanwhile, Blue Origin's 2CAT facility gains another level. See the video here. (3/3)

With ULA’s Space Force Launch Tabled, Attention Shifts to Boeing Starliner (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
ULA announced in a press release Wednesday the plans to launch the USSF-12 mission for the Space Force’s Space Systems Command with an experimental missile warning system was delayed “due to a customer request.” No new date has been set. So that queues up the Starliner for its Orbital Flight Test-2 mission still “progressing toward a launch opportunity in May.” A Boeing spokesperson said the program is “hoping to provide more specific details next week” but launch opportunities are dependent on spacecraft readiness as well as availability of the Eastern Range as well as a parking spot at the ISS. (3/10)

Congress to Bump NASA Artemis Funds, But Requires Moon Lander Plan Within 30 Days (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Congress is set to approve a new federal budget nearly 10 months after President Biden’s original request, and while NASA isn’t getting as much as it wanted overall, its Artemis budget for missions to the moon is more than originally requested. The omnibus budget for 2022, which is expected to be approved as early as March 15 shows details on more than $24 billion in funding for NASA.

While more than the 2021 budget, it’s about $760 million less than what was asked for overall. But Congress opted to slide an extra $150 million over what was requested for the Space Launch System program that looks to return NASA to the moon. A lot of it is tied up for funds to the Human Landing System, which is the method in which astronauts will be ferried from the Orion spacecraft to the lunar surface. Last year, NASA awarded the sole contract for the Artemis III mission to SpaceX’s Starship rocket.

In its budget, Congress has set aside nearly $1.2 billion for HLS, but used language to wave its finger at NASA. “The agreement urges NASA to enable a routine cadence of human transportation services to and from the moon with multiple providers, as practicable.” It also puts a caveat stating that within 30 days of the budget’s enactment, NASA needs to deliver a public plan to explain “how it will ensure safety, redundancy, sustainability and competition in the HLS program.” (3/9)