April 28, 2022

Bahrain Licenses Starlink Services (Source: Reuters)
Bahrain is the latest country to grant a license to SpaceX for Starlink services. Bahrain's Telecommunications Regulatory authority announced Wednesday it awarded a license for Starlink services in the country. Bahrain is the first country in the region to allow SpaceX to provide broadband services through its growing satellite constellation. (4/28)

DoD: Biden's "Gutsy" Intel Decision Nixed Russian False Flag Plans (Source: Space News)
The Defense Department's intelligence chief said the president made a "gutsy" decision to publicly release sensitive intelligence about Russia's plans to invade Ukraine. That decision, said Ronald Moultrie, undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security, was intended to counter "false flag" operations by Russia in its attempt to justify an invasion.

He said concerted efforts by the U.S. government and commercial Earth observation companies to share information globally "has helped turn the tide." Moultrie said he would like to see DoD and intelligence agencies build on the partnership they already have established with the commercial geospatial intelligence industry, but acknowledged his view isn't held by some others in government. (4/28)

China Plans Lunar Satellite Constellation for Comms and Navigation (Source: Space News)
China plans to set up a constellation around the moon to provide communication and navigation services for future missions. The first launch for the small constellation could take place in 2023 or 2024, a Chinese official said earlier this week, adding that countries around the world are welcome to jointly build it. No further details were provided, but such a system would likely be needed to support missions landing in the south polar regions of the moon. China's next two lunar missions, Chang'e-6 and 7, are expected to launch in the middle of the decade and land at the south pole. (4/28)

GAO Finds Shortfalls in Space Command HQ Location Process (Source: Colorado Springs Gazette)
A GAO investigation reportedly found "significant shortfalls" in the process used to select the permanent headquarters of U.S. Space Command. While the GAO will not publicly release the report for at least a month, a "senior-level source" familiar with the report said it found flaws in the Pentagon's process used to select Redstone Arsenal in Alabama as the headquarters. Keeping the command in Colorado could allow it to reach full operational capacity several years earlier than if it is moved to Alabama. The Pentagon's inspector general is conducting its own revenue of the basing decision, expected to be completed soon. (4/28)

Orbital Assembly Announces the Pioneer Space Station for Gravity Enabled Tourism and Commercial Use (Source: OAC)
Orbital Assembly Corp. is developing the first commercially viable, space-based business park with gravity. The "Pioneer-class" station will be the first free-flying, habitable, privately-operated facility in orbit. These customizable environments  will feature five spacious modules built around OAC’s rotating Gravity Ring architecture. Pioneer’s artificial gravity features will enhance the level of comfort in space.

A basic station model that accommodates 28 guests will provide a hybrid environment of microgravity and variable levels of gravity up to .57-G. Custom configurations are possible to accommodate more people or meet specific commercial equipment specifications. Each Pioneer module will offer up to 14,000 cu. ft. of space. (4/28)

Inflatable Space Station to Make Space Accessible (Source: ASME)
With the ISS being decommissioned by NASA by 2030, there will soon be a lot of “space” for new business in Earth’s lower orbit. Nanoracks, an aerospace company with bases in Houston and Washington DC in the USA, Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates, and Turin, Italy, is developing Starlab — a continuously crewed, free-flying commercial space station that will one day serve as a hub for research, manufacturing, and entertainment.
 
The company currently operates the George Washington Carver (GWC) Science Park aboard the ISS, which Nanoracks named in 2021. The GWC Science Park is the first-ever designated science park in space, and Nanoracks plans for it to serve as the core of Starlab’s mission. Smith admits that the 2027 timeline to launch the first Starlab into orbit is a bit tight, but it’s necessary if the company wants to be a leader in the low-Earth orbit economy. So far, the team has developed a comprehensive design plan that includes three major components: an inflatable structure, metallic structure, and a propulsion system. (4/6)

US Moves Toward Commercial Satellite Data as First Option (Source: Space News)
The US federal government is working to match its satellite imagery needs with commercially available services, and US intelligence services are expected to seek commercial data analysis of information from satellites monitoring climate change. "We need to really start collaborating and coordinating procurements of commercial solutions, and think of commercial as the first solution that we should be looking at, rather than government developed solutions," says Frank Avila of the National Geospatial-intelligence Agency. (4/27)

Will Musk's Twitter Buy Impact SpaceX? (Source: Quartz)
SpaceX is privately held. Investors I’ve spoken to say one reason it has been able to raise so much cash—in the neighborhood of $7 billion since 2002—has been confidence that Musk is the ultimate backstop for his beloved rocket company. If Musk’s fortune is stressed by his need to finance Twitter and maintain his Tesla ownership, it could prove more difficult to fundraise for SpaceX.

One potential consequence could be a faster-than-expected spin-out of Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet network. It’s Musk’s most marketable corporate asset, and likely to be generating hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue. What isn’t clear is if the operation is in the black, due to significant losses on user terminals. (4/28)

Aerojet Board Split Intensifies As Chair Sues CEO (Source: Law360)
Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc.'s board executive chair launched the latest legal missile in an ongoing board dispute Wednesday, suing the company's CEO and her allies in California federal court for allegedly going "rogue" and making bogus accusations against him. (4/28)

South Africa’s Space Journey Charts a Course for the Continent (Source: Space News)
Five billion years ago, two galaxies collided, mixing astronomical gas clouds that produced a radio-wavelength laser called a megamaser. That laser traveled for billions of parsecs, crossing intergalactic space as all of Earth’s history played out. And in April 2022, it was detected by the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa.

It was the farthest megamaser of its kind ever detected, and researchers dubbed it Nkalakatha, the isiZulu word for “big boss.” This was an international achievement by researchers from South African universities, observatories and partners in 12 other countries. (4/26)

AFRL'S New Lab to Accelerate Hybrid Space Architecture (Source: Space Daily)
The Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, Space Vehicles Directorate held a ribbon cutting ceremony April 12, 2022, to herald its newest facility, the Rapid Architecture Prototyping and Integration Development, or RAPID, laboratory that will provide better, faster and smarter space technology to our nation's warfighters.

The $7,326 million lab is nearly 14,000 square feet and will develop satellite technology using advanced modeling and simulation to enable streamlined acquisition. It brings together space organizations at Kirtland - the Space Rapid Capabilities Office, Space Systems Command, AFRL - with the Space Warfighting Analysis Center, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and will offer a collaboration venue for government, industry and academia experts to gather for the advancement of space technology development. (4/22)

Canada's First Commercial Spaceport Lists on the NEO Exchange as Maritime Launch Services (Source: Space Daily)
NEO is proud to welcome Maritime Launch Services Inc., a Canadian-owned commercial space company, as they list today on the NEO Exchange. Maritime Launch is now available for trading on NEO under the symbol MAXQ.

Maritime Launch is building a Spaceport in Nova Scotia, which is positioned to become a world-class commercial launch complex. The first of its kind in Canada, Spaceport Nova Scotia will be the only pure play, commercially operated launch site in North America. Led by Stephen Matier, a mechanical engineer, former NASA contractor engineering manager, and entrepreneur, Maritime Launch aims to offer state-of-the-art, low technical risk launch alternatives for placing global client satellites into low Earth orbit, at competitive prices. (4/27)

Could the Blueprint for Life Have Been Generated in Asteroids? (Source: Space Daily)
Using new analyses, scientists have just found the last two of the five informational units of DNA and RNA that had yet to be discovered in samples from meteorites. While it is unlikely that DNA could be formed in a meteorite, this discovery demonstrates that these genetic parts are available for delivery and could have contributed to the development of the instructional molecules on early Earth. The discovery, by an international team with NASA researchers, gives more evidence that chemical reactions in asteroids can make some of life's ingredients, which could have been delivered to ancient Earth by meteorite impacts or perhaps the infall of dust.

All DNA and RNA, which contains the instructions to build and operate every living being on Earth, contains five informational components, called nucleobases. Until now, scientists scouring extraterrestrial samples had only found three of the five. However, a recent analysis by a team of scientists led by Associate Professor Yasuhiro Oba of Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan, identified the final two nucleobases that have eluded scientists. Nucleobases belong to classes of organic molecules called purines and pyrimidines, which have a wide variety. However, it remains a mystery why more types haven't been discovered in meteorites so far. (4/27)

DalBello to Lead Office of Space Commerce (Source: Space News)
The Commerce Department has hired a veteran of government and industry to be the next director of the Office of Space Commerce (OSC). Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced April 27 that Richard DalBello will be the next director of the office, effective May 9. The office, located within NOAA, is responsible for a range of commercial space policy activities, from the licensing of commercial remote sensing systems to development of civil space traffic management capabilities.

“He brings the experience and leadership needed that is critical right now as the OSC works closely with the Commerce leadership team, White House, Department of Defense, NASA and the private sector to advance U.S. leadership in the global commercial space industry,” Raimondo said in a statement. (4/28)

L3Harris to Accelerate Tech Development (Source: L3Harris)
L3Harris Technologies announced the launch of our new innovation accelerator and collaboration initiative - Agile Development Group (ADG) - to rapidly address near-peer, national security threats. The ADG includes 2,500 dedicated engineers, program managers, technicians and operations professionals focused on advanced, front-end and rapid capability development. Initial focus areas include advanced sensors, mission systems, unmanned systems and weapons systems, which align with customers’ critical needs and where the company has existing differentiated technologies. (4/27)

China Starts Engineering Development of Lunar Exploration Program's Fourth Phase (Source: Space Daily)
China will start engineering development of the fourth phase of its lunar exploration program this year, according to a senior official of the China National Space Administration on Sunday. The Chang'e 6, Chang'e 7 and Chang'e-8 lunar probes will be launched successively, and the country will endeavor to make breakthroughs in key technologies and build an international lunar research station. He said the Chang'e 6 will take samples from the far side of the moon. (4/26)

Scottish Spaceport Begins Recruitment Drive (Source: Insider.co.uk)
Aberdeen recruitment agency Cammach Bryant has won an initial 12 month contract with SaxaVord - the UK’s first vertical launch spaceport - to lead a recruitment drive at the launch site on Shetland and head office in Grantown-on-Spey.

The countdown has already begun for the UK Space Agency’s UK Pathfinder launch at SaxaVord, to be delivered by Lockheed Martin and ABL Systems, in the fourth quarter this year. Cammach Bryant will initially assist SaxaVord with recruiting for key new roles, including chief financial officer, quality document controller, HR manager, health and safety manager and head office support.

With a current team of 24 people across sites in Unst, Grantown-on-Spey and Germany, rapid growth to more than 100 people by 2023 is anticipated, increasing to double that number by 2024, with technical, sales, commercial and domestic and ground roles in Shetland to be fulfilled. (4/27)

Inmarsat CEO Issues Warning Over Risks to Sustainability and Innovation Posed by ‘Unmanaged Expansion’ in Space Industry (Source: Inmarsat)
Rajeev Suri, CEO of Inmarsat, issued a stark warning that unmanaged space sector expansion could exacerbate environmental damage, stifle innovation and undermine the long-term capability of satellites to help combat climate change. Mr Suri focused attention on major factors threatening long-term environmental and economic sustainability.

The Inmarsat CEO told the conference: “Space is increasingly important for the creation of a sustainable world. While the role of new players – with new investment and innovations - is to be welcomed, space is too important an asset to be driven by short-term thinking. To protect our shared future, there must be a common approach and common rules that protect the space environment too. (4/26)

Not So Easy Washing Your Hair in Space (Source: Tri-City Herald)
Some of the frequent questions that NASA astronauts get are about how everyday tasks area accomplished, says NASA astronaut Kayla Barron on Facebook. The astronaut from Richland, Wash., shared a video on Facebook showing how she washes her hair, with droplets of water floating off her head, as she lives in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station.

“Now that took some doing!” one person posted in response. Another follower posted that it was enough of a hassle to consider going bald, after watching how Barron carefully wets and rinses her hair to keep the water on her head. Barron looked a bit like Medusa as her wet air waved and curled above her head, another person observed. (4/26)

NASA Chief Slams China's Refusal to Cooperate with US (Source: Space Daily)
China continues to display a lack of transparency and willingness to cooperate with the United States and other countries in space, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. "We want cooperation that has not been forthcoming from the Chinese government (but) it takes two to tango," Nelson said. "We simply haven't had any transparency from the Chinese."

When China launched its space station, the first stage of its booster space rocket landed in the Indian Ocean and Beijing did not share any tracking data either with the United States or other countries, Nelson said. "When they put up their space station they did not reserve enough fuel to control where it came down and thank the Good Lord it came down in the Indian Ocean. (But) it could have come down in Europe, it could have come down in Saudi Arabia. It could have come down in Greece," he said. (4/27)

New Geological Research Shows Mars May Have Been More Habitable Than We Thought (Source: Space Daily)
New research at Natural Resource Canada's Geological Survey could indicate a more habitable environment than previously thought for the red planet, Mars. Canada's Smoking Hills are a unique geological formation featuring auto-combusting mudstones (shales that burn naturally), producing hot sulphuric acid gas from vent holes surrounded by brightly coloured mineral deposits.

While the mudstones from Smoking Hills form some of the most acidic and toxic natural waters on Earth, new research suggests this environment can tell us more about Mars. Samples from this unique environment showed jarosite-rich layers, similar to those observed in mudstones on Mars. Its discovery as layers in rocks on Mars has suggested the planet was covered in acid ponds and lakes early in its history.

"The jarosite here on earth were formed in normal marine conditions, thriving with life," explains Dr. Grasby. "These findings could imply that the jarosite found on Mars did not necessarily reflect harsh acidic conditions, allowing for near-neutral pH waters on Mars more amenable to supporting life." (4/26)

Marsquakes Rock the Red Planet (Source: Space.com)
NASA's marsquake-hunting lander has detected its two largest seismic events to date — and on the far side of the planet, no less. NASA's InSight lander carries the most sensitive seismometer ever designed. Since its arrival in 2018, it has detected countless events dubbed marsquakes, using the signals to map the planet's interior. But the two newly announced quakes were something special, according to scientists on the mission.

"Not only are they the largest and most distant events by a considerable margin, [the event dubbed] S1000a has a spectrum and duration unlike any other event previously observed," lead author Anna Horleston, a seismologist at the University of Bristol in the U.K., said in a statement released by the Seismological Society of America, which published the new research. "They truly are remarkable events in the Martian seismic catalog." (4/26)

Japan Space Agency Heralds New Dawn in Interplanetary Expeditions (Source: Arab News)
Half a century after astronauts last walked on the Moon, a new age of space exploration is dawning with Japan among several nations, including Saudi Arabia, who are focused on gathering data about life beyond planet Earth. Japan’s Asteroid Explorer Hayabusa was the first to bring asteroid dust back to Earth after touching down on Itokawa in 2005.

On Feb. 22, 2019 the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2, the successor to the first mission, completed a touchdown on the surface of the asteroid Ryugu where it retrieved samples. The UAE launched its Hope Probe in 2020 and became the fifth space agency to reach the Red Planet in what was the first Arab interplanetary probe.

Saudi Arabia may also soon be represented by the Saudi Space Commission, or SSC, that was launched in 2018 by royal decree, which intends to accelerate economic diversification, enhance research and development, and raise private sector participation in the global space industry. (4/27)

VP Harris Congratulates NASA Astronaut on Record-Breaking Mission (Source: Space.com)
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris called NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei earlier this month to congratulate him on his record-breaking space mission. Vande Hei returned to Earth on March 30 after spending 355 straight days on the International Space Station (ISS) — the longest continuous spaceflight by an American astronaut to date. (4/26)