March 9, 2022

NASA's Angie Jackman Works to Develop Rocket That Will Bring Mars Samples to Earth (Source: Space Daily)
Right now, some 182 million miles separate the red clay of Alabama from the dusty red planet Mars. But groundbreaking flight hardware developed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, will soon close that distance. The new hardware is an integral component of the Mars Sample Return campaign, a historic endeavor that will, for the first time, retrieve and deliver samples of that faraway alien terrain for intensive study in laboratories on Earth. A strategic partnership of NASA and ESA, Mars Sample Return also will bring us closer to human exploration missions to the Red Planet.

Angie Jackman - who has spent more than 35 years leading some of the agency's most advanced propulsion and engineering projects, state-of-the-art launch vehicle development programs, and complex space science missions - is the Mars Ascent Vehicle project manager. Jackman's team includes structural, thermal, mechanical, systems, and propulsion engineers, as well as analysts and technologists - a diverse team of NASA veterans alongside innovative newcomers - all of them deeply familiar with the vital intersection between flight hardware and scientific progress. (3/9)

NASA to Share Tools, Resources at Upcoming Agriculture Conference (Source: Space Daily)
NASA will participate in the 2022 Commodity Classic conference, America's largest farmer-led, farmer-focused educational and agricultural experience. Agency representatives will discuss information, tools, and resources, drawn from the NASA's Earth observation satellites and science research. Farmers and others regularly make decisions about water management, planting, and market decisions based on NASA data delivered by partner agencies and organizations, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (3/4)

Japan's ElevationSpace Raises $2.7M in Seed-Funding (Source: Space Daily)
ElevationSpace develops a space environment utilization and recovery platform to replace the International Space Station (ISS). The company has raised seed funding of $2.7 million from six investors. Adding pre-seed funding, the total amount is approximately $3 million. In addition, Mr. Masafumi Kawai, Partner/Chief ESG Officer of Genesia Ventures, Inc. has been newly appointed as an outside director to strengthen the management structure and corporate governance.

With this funding, we will accelerate the development of the ELS-R100, a technical demonstration satellite that is scheduled to be launched in 2023, and focus on building an organizational structure for the research and development and business development of the ELS-R1000, a service providing satellite scheduled for 2026. (3/9)

P&W, Raytheon Developing Rotating Detonation Engine Tech with Air Force Lab (Source: Aerospace Manufacturing)
The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has awarded Pratt & Whitney a contract for a ground test demonstration program for a novel engine architecture. The design will use a rotating engine detonation concept to be jointly executed by Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Missiles & Defense, and Raytheon Technologies Research Center.

The AFRL Program Office is a key partner enabling the joint Raytheon Technologies team to work in sprints to mitigate the highest risks for an advanced product while accelerating technology maturation. The engine is being designed to fly at higher Mach speeds, enabling broadening future vehicle designs and applications. (3/8)

Six Space Technologies the USSF Needs in Order to Maintain the US Advantage (Source: Air Force Magazine)
The Space Force’s chief technology and innovation officer, Lisa Costa, outlined the critical space-security activities underway now: 1) Securing freedom of action in space—through artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and advanced analytics. 2) Improving survivability and resilient architectures. 3) Digital engineering throughout the processes of acquisition, training, and operations. 4) Adopting responsible AI and ML that Guardians can trust. 5) Improving space access, mobility, and logistics. 6) Enhancing current services, including search and rescue; space commerce; and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. (3/8)

Congress Readies $24 Billion for NASA (Source: Space News)
An omnibus spending bill released by Congressional appropriators overnight will provide $24 billion for NASA in 2022. The funding for NASA, part of an overall federal government spending bill, is $760 million less than what the administration proposed for the agency last spring. The bill includes full funding for the Human Landing System program as well as its commercial LEO development initiative.

The bill also fully funds the SOFIA airborne astrophysics observatory, which NASA sought to cancel in its proposal. The report accompanying the bill restricts spending on some advanced exploration programs to 40% of allocated levels until NASA provides Congress with a multiyear Artemis plan. The House is expected to vote on the bill today, as well as on a four-day extension of the current stopgap funding bill set to expire Friday to give the Senate enough time to take up the bill. (3/9)

Space Command Chief: Starlink is an Example of LEO Capabilities DoD Can Access (Source: Space News)
The head of U.S. Space Command sees Starlink as an example of the capabilities of low Earth orbit constellations. Gen. James Dickinson, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday, pointed to SpaceX starting service in Ukraine after Russia's invasion as proof of "what a megaconstellation or a proliferated architecture can provide in terms of redundancy and capability." Asked if there was a "legal framework" for companies like SpaceX that face jamming or other interference, Dickinson said the Space Command's commercial integration cell, a group of 10 commercial satellite operators, works with the military on those issues. (3/9)

US Intel Community Warns of Risks to Space Systems (Source: Space News)
The risk that conflicts on Earth will extend to space will grow as China and Russia step up developments of anti-satellite weapons. In its annual report on worldwide threats released Tuesday, the U.S. intelligence community warned of growing space capabilities by both China and Russia, including ASAT development. The report concluded that multilateral discussions on space security "have taken on greater importance as a way to reduce the risk of a confrontation that would affect every state's ability to safely operate in space." (3/9)

SatixFy Plans SPAC Merger (Source: Space News)
SatixFy, a manufacturer of satellite communications equipment, said Tuesday it will go public through a SPAC merger. Israel-based SatixFy expects to raise up to $230 million in gross proceeds by merging with Endurance Acquisition Corp., a SPAC established last year by New York-based private equity firm Antarctica Capital. SatixFy develops satellite antennas, terminals and modems that are based on semiconductors it develops in-house, and has deals with OneWeb and Telesat. The announcement came a day after Tomorrow.io, a company developing a weather satellite constellation, backed out of its own SPAC merger deal, citing market conditions. (3/9)

County Residents Reject Georgia Spaceport Land Purchase (Source: AP)
Voters in Camden County, Georgia, rejected a proposed spaceport in a referendum Tuesday. Unofficial results show that 72% backed a proposal to terminate a purchase agreement between the county government and Union Carbide for property that the county planned to use for the spaceport. The special election came after residents filed a petition seeking to invoke a little-used provision of the state constitution allowing a referendum like this. The county is appealing a judge's decision to allow the referendum in state court. The FAA approved a license for the spaceport in December, but the project's future is in doubt if it cannot acquire the land for it. (3/9)

Space Forge to Launch Satellite on First UK Virgin Orbit Mission (Source: The Telegraph)
Welsh space startup Space Forge will launch its first satellite on a Virgin Orbit mission this summer from a U.K. spaceport. The company signed a contract to launch a satellite to test technologies for space manufacturing on the first LauncherOne mission from Spaceport Cornwall in England. That launch is scheduled for this summer, pending licenses for both the spaceport and the launch from the British government. (3/9)

ESA Picks Thales Alenia-Led Team for Lunar Oxygen Production Demo (Source: ESA)
ESA has selected an industrial team led by Thales Alenia Space to develop a payload that will demonstrate the ability to produce oxygen from lunar regolith. The payload has the goal of extracting at least 50 to 100 grams of oxygen from lunar regolith at an efficiency of 70%, doing so within 10 days. Thales Alenia's UK business will lead the project with several other organizations. No launch date was announced for the payload, which is designed to go on a range of landers such as ESA's proposed European Large Logistics Lander. (3/9)

NASA Expands Research Into Mining Lunar Ice, Minerals to Sustain Humans on the Moon (Source: Space Daily)
NASA's desire to mine ice and minerals on the moon is driving new research on Earth into how astronauts could use moon materials to make machine parts, pave roads and construct living quarters. Scientists have studied lunar rocks brought back from Apollo missions, and NASA has confirmed the existence of water ice in craters on the moon's South Pole. University scholars and engineers at NASA are now trying to perfect uses for those resources.

NASA wants to be ready to mine whatever it finds when it lands, probably on the South Pole of the moon, for upcoming missions. NASA currently plans to land humans on the lunar South Pole in 2025 if the agency receives adequate funding from Congress. A rover mission, Viper, is expected to map resources and lunar ice deposits around the South Pole in 2023. Lunar ice could be used not only to drink and grow crops, but also to convert into hydrogen or oxygen fuel. Minerals could also be extracted to feed 3D printers for manufacturing - all without the lengthy delivery time from Earth. (3/8)

China's Space Station to Host 6 Astronauts by End of 2022 (Source: Space Daily)
China's space station is expected to host six astronauts from two spaceships by the end of 2022, according to the chief designer of the country's manned space program. The Shenzhou-13 crew has been in orbit for 140 days. They are in good health, and have so far completed all planned or added tasks as needed. They are expected to return to Earth in mid-April, Zhou Jianping said.

This year, China will launch two lab modules for the space station, two manned spacecraft and two cargo spacecraft. The Shenzhou-14 crew will witness the arrival of two lab modules during their stay in orbit, said Zhou, who is also a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top political advisory body. (3/8)

Challenges Await Chinese Sample-Return Expedition to Mars (Source: Space Daily)
Chinese scientists and engineers will need to solve a host of technological challenges to accomplish an ambitious sample-return mission to Mars, said Wu Weiren, a key figure in the country's deep-space exploration program and also a top political adviser. A senior scientist with the China National Space Administration and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Wu said the mission, which is being planned, will likely involve several steps that resemble procedures in China's Chang'e 5 lunar mission.

First, a landing capsule will touch down on the Martian surface and collect and seal samples. Next, it will lift an ascender to transfer the samples to a spacecraft orbiting Mars, and then the orbiter will release a reentry craft to carry the samples back to Earth. (3/8)

SpaceX Launches More Starlink Satellites From Florida (Source: Space News)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off at 8:45 a.m. on March 9 from Cape Canaveral carrying 48 Starlink satellites. The rocket's first stage landed nine minutes after liftoff on a droneship in the Atlantic. The launch was the tenth Falcon 9 mission this year, maintaining a pace of one launch a week. More than 2,000 Starlink satellites are in orbit with this latest launch, including 1,564 in their operational orbits. (3/9)