April 13, 2022

Space Companies Investing in Small Satellite Production Capacity as Customers Shift to Hybrid Architectures (Source: C4ISRnet)
“Elastic” is the word Boeing’s President of Commercial Satellites Ryan Reid uses to describe the relationship between the company’s commercial, government and small satellite divisions. Here’s what he means by that. When his team used digital technologies to significantly shrink the size of its traditional satellite communications payload, they no longer needed as much room to build it. So, they shifted to a smaller space. That made room for Millennium Space Systems, a Boeing-owned small-satellite company that is expanding its manufacturing capacity, to move in. (4/12)

Moon Mining and Satellite Collisions Make List of DoD Concerns in Space (Source: FNN)
Outer space is becoming increasingly militarized as China, Russia, the US and other countries continue to vie for dominance in the domain and even consider mining off-planet assets. The Defense Department identified it’s two biggest competitors, along with increasing congestion in the area just outside the Earth’s atmosphere as some of the largest threats to the US’ space interests.

“China and Russia value superiority in space, and as a result, they’ll seek ways to strengthen their space and counterspace programs and determine better ways to integrate them within their respective militaries,” Kevin Ryder, Defense Intelligence Agency senior analyst for space and counterspace, said Tuesday at the Pentagon. “Both nations seek to broaden their space exploration initiatives together and individually with plans to explore the moon and Mars during the next 30 years. If successful, these efforts will likely lead to attempts by Beijing and Moscow to exploit the moon’s natural resources.”

In a new report from the DIA, the organization found that since 2019 competitor space operations have increased in pace and scope across nearly all major categories including communications, remote sensing, navigation, and science and technology demonstration. Looking to the future, the U.S. is now considering deep space operations and the challenges they will present for tracking and monitoring spacecraft. The Pentagon is increasing its investments in space capabilities. The 2023, budget request asks for $27.6 billion for space capabilities, command and control and resilient architectures. (4/12)

China and Russia Space Fleets Grow by 70 Percent in Two Years, DIA Report Says (Source: Air Force Magazine)
China and Russia have dramatically boosted their presence in space in the past several years, increasing security concerns for the U.S. now and in the future, according to a new report from the Defense Intelligence Agency. In particular, the “Challenges to Security in Space” report highlighted the dangers of China seeking to use counterspace operations to cripple U.S. military capabilities, and the potential military implications of China and Russia increasing exploration and use of cislunar space, the moon, and beyond. (4/12)

DoD is Searching for Better Ways to Work with Startups (Source: Space News)
Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks says the Pentagon has to find ways to work better with startups. Hicks told reporters Tuesday she recently visited SpaceWERX, a new organization created to match technologies developed by commercial space businesses with Space Force buyers. She said that while she liked what she heard about SpaceWERX and what it has done to attract startups, the Defense Department still has a long way to go to make its procurement process more suitable for the fast-moving commercial industry. Hicks last year created an "innovation steering group" precisely to look at this problem, which she said will be a focus for her in the coming months. (4/13)

Astranis Improvements to In-Space Propulsion Will Extend Satellite Lifetimes (Source: Space News)
Astranis said improvements in the propulsion systems of four small GEO satellites would extend their lives by at least a year. The company is building the four satellites for launch in 2023 on a Falcon 9 it procured last week. The company said it modified the electric propulsion system to use less propellant during the orbit-raising process for those satellites, giving them more propellant to use for station-keeping once in GEO and thus extending their on-orbit lifetime from seven years to eight. (4/13)

White House Strategy to Bolster In-Space Servicing and Manufacturing (Source: Space News)
A new White House strategy seeks to bolster the nascent in-space servicing and manufacturing field. The Office of Science and Technology Policy released last week a national strategy for in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing (ISAM), with six goals ranging from supporting R&D work for those technologies to establishing standards and providing a "demand signal" for satellite servicing and assembly. The strategy has broad support from industry, although they cautioned its success will depend on an implementation plan yet to be developed. (4/13)

Russia Commemorates Gagarin's Flight, Presses Ahead with Lunar Lander Plan (Source: TASS)
Russia used the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight to reiterate its support for its space program but made few new announcements. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East for the anniversary, known as Cosmonautics Day, accompanied by Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus. Putin said Russia would press ahead with the launch of the long-delayed Luna-25 lunar lander mission later this year. Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, acknowledged that sanctions imposed by Western nations after Russia's invasion of Ukraine had caused problems but insisted there would be no major disruptions to Russian programs. (4/13)

ESA Drops Collaboration with Russia on Lunar Lander, Mars Projects (Source: ESA)
Following the Russian aggression against Ukraine, ESA’s Director General has initiated a comprehensive review of all activities currently undertaken in cooperation with Russia and Ukraine. The objective is to determine the possible consequences of this new geopolitical context for ESA programs and activities and to create a more resilient and robust space infrastructure for Europe. The ESA Council on 13 April acknowledged the following findings and took the following decisions.

ESA will discontinue cooperative activities with Russia on Luna-25, -26 and -27. As with ExoMars, the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the resulting sanctions put in place represent a fundamental change of circumstances and make it impossible for ESA to implement the planned lunar cooperation. However, ESA’s science and technology for these missions remains of vital importance. A second flight opportunity has already been secured on board a NASA-led Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) mission for the PROSPECT lunar drill and volatile analysis package (originally planned for Luna-27). An alternative flight opportunity to test the ESA navigation camera known as PILOT-D (originally planned for Luna-25) is already being procured from a commercial service provider. (4/13)

US and India to Cooperate on Space Situational Awareness (Source: Space News)
The United States and India have agreed to cooperate on space situational awareness. The agreement was reached Monday by officials of the two countries on the sidelines of the U.S.-India 2+2 ministerial dialogue in Washington that included the U.S. secretaries of defense and state and their Indian counterparts. In a statement, the Pentagon said the countries "signed a Space Situational Awareness arrangement, which lays the groundwork for more advanced cooperation in space," but didn't elaborate on the details of that agreement. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the U.S. and India will start "defense space exchanges" later this year between U.S. Space Command and India's Defense Space Agency. (4/13)

Aerospace Corp. and TriSept to Test Satellite Cyberattack Detection (Source: Space News)
The Aerospace Corp. and TriSept Corp. are preparing separate flight tests of software to alert satellite operators of anomalies detected onboard that could be signs of cyberattacks. Aerospace plans to test an approach called "Defense in Depth" to provide multiple layers of cybersecurity on a cubesat called Slingshot scheduled for launch in September. TriSept is working on software called TriSept Security Enhanced Layer that it will test on a suborbital launch in May and an orbital flight later this year. (4/13)

Texas Governor Pledges Support to Keep SpaceX at Boca Chica (Source: Rio Grande Guardian)
The governor of Texas says he will work to ensure SpaceX can perform Starship orbital launches from Boca Chica. Greg Abbott says he will work with SpaceX founder Elon Musk "very closely, every step of the way in Boca Chica for the future of SpaceX." Musk suggested at a February event that the company could shift test launches of its Starship vehicle from Texas to Florida if it ran into extended delays for environmental reviews needed for a launch license there. It's unclear what steps Abbott could take to affect a licensing process that involves several federal government agencies. (4/13)

China Enters Search for Exoplanets (Source: Nature)
Chinese scientists are developing a mission to search for exoplanets. The proposed Earth 2.0 mission is in its early design phase by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and, if it passes a review in June, could proceed into development for launch by the end of 2026. The spacecraft will build on previous NASA missions like Kepler and TESS, looking at wider fields of view and observing dimmer stars than those spacecraft. That mission could include looking at some of the same star fields that Kepler observed, creating a combined data set that could help astronomers find more Earth-like exoplanets. (4/13)

Hubble Spies Huge Comet (Source: Space.com)
The Hubble Space Telescope has confirmed a distant comet is the largest ever seen. Hubble observations of C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein) found that the comet's nucleus is more than 120 kilometers in diameter, making it significantly larger than the previous record-holder, comet C/2002 VQ94, which is less than 100 kilometers across. The comet is in the outer solar system and will get no closer than the planet Saturn in the year 2031. (4/13)

Florida High School Team Enters NASA Culinary Contest (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The final test before the big cooking competition came down to packing. Could the team from Wekiva High School stuff into their suitcases most of the equipment needed to cook a three-course meal? Yes, they could, and Monday the three 11th graders, along with their teacher and a chaperone, flew to Houston to compete in the finals of NASA-sponsored student culinary contest. Each student took two suitcases, one packed with an assortment of bowls, cake molds, cutting boards, knives, measuring cups, mixers and sauté pans.

They will shop for their ingredients Tuesday and compete Wednesday as a Top 10 finalist. The three teenagers will cook tandoori chicken, curried vegetables and a “lemon dream cake” for NASA’s judges, hoping their spread is tasty and meets all the strict nutritional requirements of a pre-flight, quarantine meal for astronauts. “I think it’s really fun, honestly,” said Erick Hendrickson, 17, as the Wekiva trio did a final practice run of their meal after school Friday. “We like food, and we like NASA because it’s cool.” (4/12)

NASA Gets New Crew Transport Vehicles at KSC (Source: NASA)
When astronauts leave their crew quarters at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for their lunar mission, NASA’s Artemis II crew will ride in a new set of wheels: A fleet of shiny crew transportation vehicles provided by Canoo Technologies will take them to Launch Pad 39B for their historic ride aboard the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The fleet will consist of three vehicles designed to take the fully suited astronauts, their support team, and their equipment on the nine-mile stretch of road from the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building to the launch pad.

The new transports will be based on the company’s all-electric LV models, customized for NASA’s unique needs. For example, the vehicles are required to seat eight, including four fully suited crew members. The futuristic transports with pod-shaped exteriors will be an environmentally friendly solution, using zero-emissions technology for the next generation of explorers. They are replacing the agency’s Astrovan fleet, the gleaming silver 1983 Airstream vehicles that carried space shuttle crews to the launch pad. Canoo will deliver the fleet to the spaceport no later than June 2023 to support these operations. (4/13)

Georgia County Still Pursuing Spaceport Development (Source: WTOC)
Camden County leaders say plans to develop a spaceport are still moving forward, even though a court ruling and a popular vote are blocking the county from buying the land to build it. Monday, the Camden County administrator spoke to a group in Savannah about why they are still fighting to establish a spaceport, and why he believes it will positively impact the whole region.

Camden County Administrator, Steve Howard, says despite the results of a referendum early last month, the county, along with private companies are meeting and planning the future of the spaceport project. “The referendum said ‘yes’ meant ‘no’ and ‘no’ meant ‘yes,’ so very confusing. It wasn’t a ballot question that the county created, and still today I don’t think anyone’s come forward to say ‘I wrote it.’ We have our thoughts on potentially who that could be, but they need to actually talk about that and be transparent and bring that forward,” Howard said.

Howard says the county is appealing to the state Supreme Court, adding legal advisors for the County Commission are confident the referendum will be overturned. Those opposing the spaceport say they’re worried about how it will impact the environment. Editor's Note: The spaceport's opponents say the confusing wording on the referendum actually worked in favor of the spaceport's supporters. (4/11)

Virginia’s Space Economy (Source: Virginian-Pilot)
With Rocket Lab’s selection of Wallops Island in Accomack County as the site for its $160 million rocket manufacturing and operations center, Virginia continues to build its reputation as a leader in space exploration and travel. The new center, expected to be ready by the end of 2024, promises to take things to a new level. The 250,000-square-foot facility will build and launch larger Neutron rockets that could eventually support human spaceflight.

Space exploration and travel play an increasingly important role in building a strong, diverse and forward-looking economy in Virginia — and especially here in Hampton Roads and on the Eastern Shore. NASA’s Langley Research Center has been a vital part of life in Hampton and greater Hampton Roads for decades. Scientists at Langley do crucial, ground-breaking work and continue to forge ahead in a range of fields including supersonic commercial flight and more efficient spaceflight technologies that enable spacecraft to travel farther.

Wallops Island hosts work by the Navy, NOAA, and increasingly in recent years, commercial companies. As more ventures into space are launched from the Eastern Shore, space tourism should also flourish. Across Virginia, according to a 2020 economic impact study, NASA’s work is responsible for more than 27,000 jobs, more than $5 billion in economic output and more than $200 million in tax revenue. Virginia’s leaders deserve praise for having the vision to do what it takes to make the commonwealth a choice site for aerospace activities now and in coming years. That includes more money to help Virginia Space build facilities to lease to Rocket Lab as well as funds for needed infrastructure and operational systems. (4/11)

Space Florida's DiBello Inducted Into Space and Satellite Professionals Hall of Fame (Source: Florida Today)
Frank DiBello, president and chief executive officer of Space Florida, recently was inducted into the Space & Satellite Professionals International Hall of Fame. DiBello was one of six honorees. The Space & Satellite Hall of Fame recognizes the invaluable contributions of the visionaries who transform life on planet Earth for the better through space and satellite technology.

Members of the Hall of Fame are recognized pioneers in communications, aerospace, scientific research, or the development and delivery of space and satellite applications for business, institutions and government. DiBello has had a 50-year plus career in the business of space and aerospace, the last 13 years with Space Florida. (4/7)

Companies Build Teams to Compete for Artemis Lunar Rover (Source: Space News)
Companies are adding to or creating new teams in anticipation of a NASA competition for a lunar rover to support later Artemis missions to the moon. Lockheed Martin announced April 4 that it was adding Canadian company MDA to its partnership with General Motors to develop a rover. MDA, which developed robotic arms for the shuttle and International Space Station, will provide a robotic arm for the Lockheed-GM rover.

Another industry group has unveiled plans to develop a lunar rover. Teledyne Brown Engineering announced April 5 that it is working with Sierra Space and Nissan North America to propose an Artemis lunar rover. Teledyne Brown will lead the work on the rover, with Sierra Space providing flight software and components and Nissan its experience in automotive design and autonomous driving. (4/11)

UCF Group Working to Revolutionize Aviation Industry with Green Emission Fuel (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Green-fueled planes could be soaring blue skies in the future as a University of Central Florida research group takes off with experimental fuel and equipment to revolutionize the aviation industry. Earlier this year, the group won a $10 million, five-year NASA grant to create its environmentally friendly, ammonia-based fuel as well as jet engine components capable of running it. The grant came just months after President Joe Biden’s administration set a goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. aviation sector by 2050. (4/10)

The Space Weapons Race is Here (Source: Washington Times)
Americans rarely think about space as a real place where humans and their important equipment go to work. They don’t usually think of it as a place that is not only home to the vital satellites that allow for our advanced society to exist but a zone of strategic competition between the great powers of Earth. As the ultimate strategic high ground in modern warfare, space provides unprecedented military advantages for the nation that dominates this zone.

For decades, Washington took its position as the dominant space power for granted. Yet, beginning in 2010, the Chinese and Russians both started reorganizing their militaries to be able to fight — and win — a space war against the United States. With the Russo-Ukraine War in high gear and not having an end in sight, American leaders must recognize the importance of space … and take bold action to secure America’s collapsing position in space.

Today, the US certainly has the technology to do this. It simply lacks the political will and strategic foresight to do so. Why is Space Force not publicly calling for Congressional leaders and the Biden administration to give a greater budget to the new military branch so that Space Force may create adequate defensive capabilities both for existing satellite constellations as well as for the continental US to protect itself from either nuclear or hypersonic attack? Where is Space Force with its doctrine of space dominance? There is an arms race in space today — and the United States is currently losing. (4/11)

Blue Origin Is Latest Space Company To Launch In Denver (Source: BisNow)
Blue Origin, the rocket and space company launched by Jeff Bezos, is the latest aerospace company to set up shop in metro Denver, taking two floors in a suburban office building to expand its footprint in Colorado. Kent, Washington-based Blue Origin reportedly leased space at 8744 Lucent Blvd. in Highlands Ranch, with tenant improvements underway. The company began recruiting workers in Colorado earlier this year with the intention to open an office in the Denver area. (4/11)

NASA Science Chief States He ‘Prefers’ Flight Proven Falcon 9 Boosters Over Brand New Ones (Source: Space Explored)
If you would go back to 2014 and say NASA would be pro-flying reflown boosters in the future, I think many people would find you crazy. However, after the booster that flew Axiom-1 to space landed for its fifth time, NASA’s Thomas Zurbuchen tweeted his preference for these reused boosters.

In a tweet, Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s Associate Administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, stated he “now prefers previously used boosters over totally new ones for most science applications.” It was crazy to think only a few years ago, NASA was a big reason why SpaceX had to build new Falcon 9 boosters as it didn’t allow reflown boosters for its missions. (4/12)

Astra Wins Order for Electric Thrusters From LeoStella (Source: Space News)
Astra Space announced April 12 an order of electric thrusters by LeoStella, part of the company’s efforts to move beyond launch. Astra said it sold “multiple” Astra Spacecraft Engines to LeoStella, the Seattle-based smallsat manufacturer. The companies did not disclose the value of the agreement or even the number of thrusters ordered, but Astra said those thrusters will be delivered starting later this year and continuing into 2023.

Astra obtained the engine technology from Apollo Fusion, an electric propulsion startup that Astra acquired in 2021. That thruster was originally marketed as the Apollo Constellation Engine and was successfully demonstrated on a Sherpa tug by Spaceflight last summer. The thruster can use krypton or xenon propellants, producing between 18 and 25 millinewtons of thrust with an input power of 400 watts. A “Max” version of the thruster, using 1,450 watts, can produce 54 to 60 millinewtons of thrust with five times the total impulse as the baseline model.

The sale of thrusters to LeoStella is part of a second phase of Astra’s long-term strategy that company founder and chief executive Chris Kemp discussed in a March 31 earnings call. Phase 1, he said, was the development of small launch vehicles and selling those launch services. Phase 2, he said, is “focused on productizing core space technologies.” Those core technologies include propulsion and solar power. (4/12)

UK to Build Software Brain for Giant Radio Telescope (Source: BBC)
A group of UK institutions is going to build a prototype "brain" to control the world's biggest radio telescope. The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) will initially comprise 197 dishes and 130,000 antennas spread across South Africa and Australia. All will be linked and need to work in perfect harmony. The software now being developed for the purpose will be trialled on a small subset of the infrastructure before being rolled out across the network.

The SKA is an immense computing challenge, says Dr Chris Pearson, astronomy group leader at RAL Space, based on the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire. "We're talking something like 600 petabytes (600 million gigabytes) per year of data coming out of the SKA, to be delivered to astronomers worldwide," he told BBC News. (4/11)

Alignment of Military/Commercial Standards for On-Orbit Refueling/Servicing Needed (Source: Defense Daily)
The U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command (SSC) wants to help define standards for future on-orbit refueling and repair of satellites–two areas that the White House National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) touched upon this month. (4/12)

Space Perspective Unveils Look of its Reconfigurable 'Space Lounge' (Source: Florida Today)
The cramped quarters of the earliest space capsules were so tight, astronauts were sometimes referred to as "Spam in a can." But by 2025, you'll be able to float to the edge of space in a capsule decked out with a wet bar, mood lighting and even wi-fi. Of course, those early astronauts weren't ponying up $125,000 each for their rides. Space Perspective isn't relying on rockets to send passengers to space. Instead, it will use a balloon to carry its roomy pressurized "Spaceship Neptune" capsule up to 100,000 feet from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport before gently splashing into the Gulf of Mexico.

The company unveiled details about the cabin's trademarked "Space Lounge" interior. The cabin can hold up to eight guests and a pilot, and features: deep, reclining seats, which can be reconfigured to accommodate a more intimate dinner for two or special event; light weight, dark and tactile sustainable materials throughout its interior; food and beverage service capabilities, customizable, mood lighting; a telescope and interactive screens – including a scrolling display to share key information as the journey unfolds; and a luxurious restroom featuring huge windows too so passengers never miss the views. (4/12)

NASA Embraces Rocket Reuse, Switches SWOT Launch to Reused Falcon 9 (Source: Teslarati)
NASA has modified a contract with SpaceX to allow the company to launch the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission on a flight-proven Falcon 9 booster. NASA announced its original decision more than half a decade ago. The agency awarded SpaceX an unusually expensive $112 million contract in November 2016 to launch SWOT on a Falcon 9 rocket in April 2021.

SWOT is expected to weigh less than two tons (~4400 lb) and is headed to a simple low Earth orbit (LEO), meaning that the launch won’t be particularly challenging or performance-intensive for SpaceX or Falcon 9. Most importantly, the company will almost certainly be able to recover the mission’s Falcon 9 booster and may be able to perform a return-to-launch-site landing for even greater cost-efficiency. (4/11)

Mars Has Two Speeds of Sound (Source: Science News)
On Mars, the speed of sound depends on its pitch. All sound travels slower through Mars’ air compared with Earth’s. But the higher-pitched clacks of a laser zapping rocks travels slightly faster in the thin Martian atmosphere than the lower-pitched hum of the Ingenuity helicopter, researchers report. These sound speed measurements from NASA’s Perseverance rover are part of a broader effort to monitor minute-by-minute changes in atmospheric pressure and temperature, like during wind gusts, on the Red Planet. (4/11)

China Launches Three Space Missions, Debuts New Rocket Configuration (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
China launched three more space missions in recent weeks, debuting the country’s first rocket to be fitted with strap-on solid-fueled boosters and deploying satellites to image planet Earth and calibrate orbit prediction models. A new version of China’s Long March rocket family, the Long March 6A, launched for the first time March 29 with two satellites. The Long March 6A is China’s first satellite launcher to feature solid rocket boosters, a thrust configuration commonly used on U.S., European, and Japanese rockets. The new rocket variant is designed to haul payloads up to 8,800 pounds, into a polar sun-synchronous orbit. (4/11)

Brazilian Space Chief Says Nations Should Think Long-Term, Keep Space Out of Geopolitics (Source: Sputnik)
Countries should think long-term about space cooperation, as there are many things on which they could work together regardless of geopolitical tensions, Carlos Moura, the president of the Brazilian Space Agency, told Sputnik.

"I believe that, especially in space, we should think long term cooperation, scientific cooperation," Moura said on the sidelines of the Space Symposium. "There are some fields where we can work together, for example, to study the space weather, some other things, it is something that you can do aside from the geopolitical problems." When asked whether Russian sanctions in connection with the Ukraine war had had any impact on cooperation between the two countries in space, Moura stated: "Not for the moment." (4/8)

Colorado Lawmakers Briefed on GAO Report Investigating Space Command HQ Move to Huntsville (Sources: Space Policy Online, SPACErePORT)
Colorado's two US Senators and two of its Representatives issued the following statement after the GAO briefed them on its draft report on the basing decision for Space Command: "We have said before that the US Space Command basing decision was the result of a flawed and untested process that lacked transparency and neglected key national security and cost considerations. After reviewing the draft GAO report, we are even more concerned about the questionable decision to move US Space Command from Colorado to Alabama."

The decision to place Space Command's headquarters in Huntsville followed a controversial process that Coloradoans and others say was rooted in political considerations by then-President Donald Trump. Despite its public portrayal as an objective internal DoD process, Trump bragged after the decision that he single handedly decided to place Space Command headquarters in Alabama, a state that he subsequently won in his failed bid to secure a second term in the White House. (4/12)