March 11, 2022

Soyuz Stoppage Leaves Customers in Lurch (Source: Space News)
The removal of the Soyuz rocket from the global commercial launch market has left more than a dozen missions looking for rides, and with few options. With Soyuz no longer an option for launching Western satellites after Russia invaded Ukraine, OneWeb has lost the launches of its final six batches of satellites, and several European and Japanese customers are also in need of new rides. No single launch provider appears to have the available capacity to deploy OneWeb's remaining satellites in the short term with the possible exception of SpaceX, an option that may be unpalatable at best to OneWeb as the two companies are competitors in the satellite broadband field. Several other launch providers are in the midst of shifting to a new generation of vehicles, with no capacity left on their existing rockets. (3/11)

Slingshot Aerospace Raises $25 Million for "Beacon" Collission Avoidance System (Source: Space News)
Slingshot Aerospace, which develops space situational awareness technologies, raised $25 million. The company said the Series "A-1" round was co-led by Draper Associates and ATX Venture Partners, with participation from several other investors. Slingshot will use the new funds to accelerate the commercialization of Slingshot Beacon, a space collision avoidance platform where commercial and government satellite operators can share space traffic information. It expects to hire 40 people over the next year. (3/11)

China Should Increase Situational Awareness and International Coordination in Space (Source: Space News)
A Chinese official is recommending the country increase space situational awareness capabilities and improve international coordination. Yang Mengfei, an academician at the China Academy of Space Technology, advocated for constructing a space debris environment monitoring system and accelerating projects such as space debris removal. He also called for establishing a coordination mechanism between China's space agencies and other national-level agencies to communicate the orbits and deployment plans of megaconstellations and collision warning information. The Chinese government formally complained in December about two close approaches of Starlink satellites to its space station and a lack of communication about the encounters with the U.S. government. (3/11)

China Welcomes Commercial Activities on Space Station (Source: Space News)
China would welcome commercial activities on its space station. Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's human spaceflight program, said China would also encourage the private sector to participate on the station "through various ways." He added that China would actively promote having foreign astronauts visit the station. Both international and commercial activities on that station would likely wait until after the station's construction is completed later this year with the addition of two lab modules. (3/11)

BridgeComm and Space Micro Win DoD Satellite Laser Comm Work (Source: Space News)
Two companies have won a Defense Department contract to demonstrate laser communications terminals that can connect to multiple satellites at once. SDA last month awarded BridgeComm and Space Micro a $1.7 million Small Business Innovation Research contract to demonstrate the technology over the next two years. Such "point-to-multipoint" systems could reduce the cost of satellite constellations that plan to use inter-satellite laser links by requiring fewer terminals on them. (3/11)

Canada Provides $210.6 Million to MDA for Gateway Robotic Arm (Source: CSA)
The Canadian Space Agency awarded a contract to MDA Ltd. for the next development phase of a robotic arm for the lunar Gateway. The $210.6 million contract covers the design phase of Canadarm3, a robotic arm that will be Canada's contribution to the Gateway. MDA separately announced building a Space Robotics Centre of Excellence at its Ontario headquarters to work on Canadarm3 and commercial space robotics products. (3/11)

Acme AtronOmatic Plans Cubesat Constellation (Source: Space News)
A company best known for a weather radar app is planning a cubesat constellation. Acme AtronOmatic, vendor of the MyRadar weather app, received approval from the FCC to launch a series of technology demonstration satellites for a future constellation. The satellites, scheduled to launch in April on a Rocket Lab Electron from New Zealand, are intended to test and validate hardware for its Hyperspectral Orbital Remote Imaging Spectrometer (HORIS) constellation. Those satellites will be the precursors to a 250-satellite cubesat system to collect hyperspectral, thermal and optical imagery for weather applications. (3/11)

Georgia Supreme Court to Uphold Spaceport Referendum (Source: The Current)
Georgia's Supreme Court won't block certification of a referendum that would terminate a purchase agreement for property planned for a spaceport. The court Thursday denied an emergency motion by Camden County to block certification of Tuesday's referendum but will separately review the county's argument that the referendum is not constitutional. Separately, a state legislator says he will introduce a bill to shut down a spaceport authority for Spaceport Camden out of concerns that the authority could be used as an alternative means of acquiring the property. (3/11)

RFA Selects "Helix" Name for Rocket (Source: RFA)
Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has selected a name for the engine that will power its small launch vehicle, thanks to the internet. The company ran a competition to solicit naming ideas, then held a vote for 10 finalists, with Helix emerging as the winner. The company's RFA ONE rocket will use nine Helix engines in its first stage and one in its second stage. (3/11)

Sidus Space Completes LizzieSat PDR (Source: Space Daily)
Sidus Space has completed the LizzieSat (LS) Preliminary Design Review (PDR). A PDR ensures the design and basic system architecture are complete and that there is technical confidence the capability need can be satisfied within cost and schedule goals. A successful PDR means that a satellite is on track and development is progressing as planned. The LS satellites are partially 3D manufactured Low Earth Orbit (LEO) microsatellites focused on rapid, cost-effective development and testing of upcoming innovative spacecraft technologies. (3/11)

Satellogic to Launch Five Satellites on SpaceX Transporter-4 Mission (Source: Space Daily)
Satellogic Inc. has shipped five satellites to be launched in early Q2 from Cape Canaveral. The launch will be part of SpaceX's Transporter-4 mission. The  launch includes the first deployment of Satellogic's new Mark V satellite model. This new generation of satellites enhances the company's constellation with improved cameras, radios, computers, and other subsystems compatible with all components from previous models, offering Satellogic's customers higher quality products. The remaining satellites are four updated NewSats Mark IV. These improved satellites contain increased onboard storage and upgrades to the propulsion and navigation systems. (3/11)

Satellites Could Beam Data To War Zones Under Senate Bill (Source: Law360)
Satellite providers could contract with the U.S. Departments of Defense and State to transmit signals into conflict regions, helping keep them connected to wireless and internet services in wartime, under a bipartisan Senate bill filed this week. The bill, referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, would authorize the Pentagon to provide satellite service for military aid purposes and the State Department to provide it for humanitarian aid. It would allow both departments to procure the endpoint infrastructure needed for service, such as satellite phones and receiver dishes. (3/11)

Massive Eruption on Dead Star Pushes Particles to Cosmic Speed Limit (Source: Space.com)
A burned-out stellar core produced a shockwave that pushed particles to their theoretical speed limit, scientists have reported. Astronomers used a gamma-ray observatory in Namibia called the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) to show how an eruption creates a shock wave that accelerates material around it super-fast speeds. The research focused on RS Ophiuchi, a nova that erupts every 15 to 20 years — most recently, in 2021. (3/10)

Astrolab Unveils Artemis Lunar Rover Design (Source: Space News)
A California startup has developed and tested a prototype of a lunar rover that it plans to offer to NASA for use on future Artemis missions. Venturi Astrolab revealed March 10 its work on a rover called Flexible Logistics and Exploration, or FLEX, that is intended to carry cargo or astronauts. The rover is designed to accommodate up to 1,500 kilograms of cargo, placed above or below a main deck, and either be driven remotely or by two astronauts on board.

Jaret Matthews, founder and chief executive of Astrolab, said in an interview that his company created FLEX to address a near future of lunar exploration where both crewed landers like SpaceX’s Starship and robotic landers for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program deliver large amounts of cargo. (3/10)

Celebrating Women’s History Month: Most Recent Female Astronauts (Source: NASA)
For Women’s History Month, NASA and the International Space Station celebrate the women who conduct science aboard the orbiting lab. As of March 2021, 65 women have flown in space, including cosmonauts, astronauts, payload specialists, and space station participants. The first woman in space was Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, who flew on Vostok 6 on June 16, 1963. The first American woman in space, Sally Ride, flew aboard the Space Shuttle STS-7 in June of 1983. Click here. (3/10)