May 11, 2022

Space For Humanity to Send its First Citizen Astronaut on Next New Shepard Flight (Source: Space Daily)
Space For Humanity (S4H) announced its selection committee has chosen Katya Echazarreta to become the organization's first ever citizen astronaut ambassador. Katya will become the first Mexican-born female to fly to space when she flies aboard Blue Origin's NS-21 flight. Katya, an electrical and computer engineer and online science educator, was selected from more than 7,000 applicants from over 100 countries to fly on New Shepard and experience the cognitive shift of the Overview Effect. (5/11)

DoD IG: No Improper Influence in Space Command HQ Decision (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon's inspector general concluded that the decision to move U.S. Space Command headquarters to Alabama was reasonable and not improperly influenced by politics. The review was requested last year by Colorado lawmakers who argued that the decision to move Space Command headquarters from Peterson Space Force Base to Redstone Arsenal, made in the waning days of the Trump administration, was politically motivated and counterproductive as most of Space Command's workforce and industrial base reside in Colorado.

The report released Tuesday, though, said the process was reasonable and followed best practices used by the Army in 2018 to select the headquarters of its Futures Command. A separate report on the basing selection process is expected to soon be released by the GAO. The IG did criticize the Air Force basing office personnel for poor record keeping. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) said he will continue to fight to reverse the decision. “With only a cursory review of the process itself, the DoD OIG’s conclusion that the previous basing decision was reasonable simply means that it was logical based on flawed evaluations,” he said. A forthcoming GAO report "did a much deeper review of the criteria and scoring in this basing decision,” said Lamborn.

Editor's Note: I've seen this situation before. When strong political factors are anticipated for a site decision, the staff reviewers can safely present multiple candidate sites as being roughly equal, allowing the executive decision maker to make the final selection based on whatever factors he/she believes are most important. My question is how close were CO and AL ranked, and--if they were ranked similarly--was the final decision made by someone who took political factors into consideration to break a notional tie. (5/11)

Virgin Orbit to Launch Nine Payloads From UK Spaceport (Source: Space News)
The NRO is partnering with the U.K.'s Ministry of Defence on a Virgin Orbit launch from England. U.K. defense procurement minister Jeremy Quin said Tuesday that the NRO will participate in the launch from Spaceport Cornwall scheduled for later this year. Virgin Orbit will fly nine payloads to orbit using the LauncherOne small launch platform deployed from a modified Boeing 747 aircraft. Virgin Orbit separately announced Tuesday an agreement with L3Harris to acquire and modify two other Boeing 747 aircraft to serve as additional launch platforms. (5/11)

Virgin Orbit to Expand 747 Carrier Aircraft Fleet (Source: Space Daily)
Virgin Orbit has contracted with L3Harris Technologies to acquire two Boeing 747-400 airframes to support the growing need for U.S. national security and allies' satellite launch demands. L3Harris will modify one of the newly acquired aircraft to serve as an additional airborne launch pad for Virgin Orbit's small satellite launch service, with delivery expected in 2023. L3Harris will also overhaul the platform with a new cargo configuration, which is expected to allow Virgin Orbit to deliver its rockets and ground support equipment in the same aircraft that will launch from foreign spaceports. (5/11)

Orbex Reveals First Full-Scale Microlauncher Rocket Developed in Europe (Source: Space Daily)
Orbex has unveiled the first full-scale prototype of the Prime orbital space rocket on its dedicated launch pad publicly for the first time. The unveiling of the first of a new generation of European launch vehicles - designed to launch a new category of very small satellites to orbit - represents a major step forward for the British rocket company as it prepares for the first ever vertical rocket launch to orbit from UK soil. Orbex's Prime rocket is the first 'micro-launcher' developed in Europe to reach this stage of technical readiness.

With the first full integration of the Orbex rocket on a launch pad now complete, the company is able to enter a period of integrated testing, allowing dress rehearsals of rocket launches and the development and optimisation of launch procedures. Orbex recently revealed their first test launch platform at a new test facility in Scotland. Prime is a 19-meter long, two-stage rocket powered by seven engines, that is being designed and manufactured in the UK and Denmark. Uniquely, Orbex Prime is powered by a renewable bio-fuel, bio-propane, supplied by Calor UK. This fuel allows the rocket to reduce carbon emissions significantly compared to other similarly-sized rockets being developed elsewhere around the world. (5/11)

Kepler to Use Ku-Band on Some Constellation Satellites (Source: Space News)
Spire Global is installing Ku-band antennas from fellow smallsat operator Kepler Communications on at least three satellites to offer higher capacity data services. The companies said Tuesday the antennas, on satellites planned for launch next year, will allow Spire to add high-speed Ku-band capabilities to its fleet in low Earth orbit under Kepler's existing regulatory licenses. The deal includes an option to add the antennas to up to 50 satellites. Spire currently uses UHF, S- and X-band antennas to provide weather and tracking services from its constellation of more than 100 cubesats. (5/11)

NASA Selects SES Government Solutions to Support Near-Earth Communications (Source: Space News)
SES Government Solutions, in partnership with Planet Labs, has been awarded a Funded Space Act Agreement from NASA's Communications Services Project (CSP) to support the development and demonstration of near-Earth communication services in support of the agency's future mission needs. They will develop a real-time always-on low-latency connectivity solution enabled by SES's geostationary (GEO) and medium earth orbit (MEO) constellations, including O3b mPOWER, to further NASA missions. (5/10)

Space Force Considers Modernization of Satellite Testing (Source: Space News)
A Space Force document calls for the service to invest in infrastructure and a skilled workforce to support the testing of new satellite designs and other systems. The "Space Test Enterprise Vision" report, released Tuesday, concludes that the traditional methods for testing hardware and software are no longer adequate to evaluate future systems. That includes the ability to test the ability of space systems to survive threats like anti-satellite weapons. The Space Force requested $89 million in fiscal year 2023 to begin the design and development of a National Space Test and Training Complex that will include a digital environment for virtual testing and some hardware for real-world tests. (5/11)

Maxar Selling Mobile Terminals for Direct Imagery Access (Source: Space News)
Maxar is seeking customers for its mobile terminals that give users direct access to the company's imaging satellites. The company offers a terminal that military units could deploy in the field to downlink electro-optical imagery from the company's satellites and radar imagery from Radarsat-2. The company says it's seeing "strong demand signals" from the U.S. government for such systems that could offer more growth for the company. The company added in an earnings call this week that the first two WorldView Legion imaging satellites, delayed by supply chain and logistical issues, are now scheduled for launch in September. (5/11)

Colombia Signs Artemis Accords (Source: Space News)
Colombia is the latest country to sign the Artemis Accords. Colombian Vice President and Foreign Minister Marta Lucía Ramírez signed the Accords Tuesday at NASA Headquarters, making Colombia the 19th country, and third in Latin America, to sign the agreement regarding best practices for safe space exploration. The signing continues a steady stream of countries, many of which are not traditional spacefaring nations, that have joined the Accords. (5/11)

India and France Agree on Space Cooperation (Source: Space News)
India and France have agreed to cooperate to tackle "contemporary challenges that have arisen in space," including secure access to outer space. During a summit meeting last week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to establish a strategic dialogue between the countries on space issues, with the first meeting later this year. Those discussions will include space security and economic issues, such as norms and principles. The countries also agreed to step up efforts to connect their startup ecosystems and bolster public-private engagement. (5/11)

NASA's New Astrovan Maker in Financial Distress (Source: Space News)
An electric vehicle company that won a NASA contract to provide a new version of the "Astrovan" issued a financial warning Tuesday. Canoo said there was "substantial doubt" it could continue operations given its losses and limited cash. The company won a NASA contract earlier this year to provide three electric vans that the agency will use to transport astronauts to the launch pad for Artemis missions. Canoo executives acknowledged the financial warning in an earnings call but said it is working on lining up as much as $600 million in new investment to keep the company, which has yet to begin large-scale production of vehicles, going. (5/11)

Students Compete to Improve Everyday Life on ISS (Source: Space Daily)
Textbooks teach concepts, but hands-on learning is the pathway to understanding, especially in careers that involve science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. Connect that to real projects on the International Space Station and you've got NASA's HUNCH (High school students United with NASA to Create Hardware) program.

The sheer excitement of creating solutions for astronauts on the space station, has been inspiring high school students interested in STEM careers for almost 20 years. Recently, student teams from all over the country gathered at NASA's Johnson Space Center to present ideas in six categories to see if they were chosen to fly to the station. Those categories include design and prototyping, software, hardware, sewn flight articles, culinary, and video and media. (5/11)

Quebec Plans Use of Starlink for Rural Broadband (Source: Canadian Press)
The government of Quebec will spend $50 million Canadian ($39 million) to provide rural broadband services using SpaceX's Starlink network. The provincial government will use the money to provide services to more than 10,000 homes out of reach of terrestrial broadband services. The services are scheduled to be in place by the end of September. (5/11)

Private Crew Dragon Mission to Feature Spacewalk (Source: Spaceflight Now)
Training will begin this month for the private astronauts scheduled to fly on, and conduct a spacewalk from, a Crew Dragon spacecraft. In an interview, Jared Isaacman said the four people, including himself, flying the Polaris Dawn mission planned to start training this month after SpaceX completed a series of Crew Dragon launches and splashdowns. Polar Dawn is the first of three missions Isaacman announced earlier this year to test technologies for commercial human spaceflight, and will include the first spacewalk from a Crew Dragon spacecraft. Polaris Dawn is scheduled to launch no earlier than November. (5/11)

NASA Test Flights Prove eVTOL's Low Noise Levels (Source: AIN)
Results from recent NASA-backed flight tests with Joby’s eVTOL prototype demonstrate that noise from the four-passenger air taxi vehicle would be barely audible from city streets below. On May 10, Joby published findings from a two-week trial as part of NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign. During the flights, the Joby aircraft registered the equivalent of 45.2 dBA while cruising at an altitude of 1,640 feet at a speed of 115 mph. Recordings made by NASA engineers also demonstrated an acoustic profile for the aircraft while taking off and landing that was below 65 dBA, which Joby said represented a noise level comparable to a normal conversation at a distance of 330 feet from the flight path. (5/10)

Entrepreneurs Create a Space “Academy” as Commercial Space Flourishes (Source: Ars Technica)
A group of astronauts, engineers, and business executives is betting on a vibrant space economy by launching a new initiative called "Star Harbor." Among several planned activities, this spaceflight campus would train future astronauts and make facilities such as a neutral buoyancy laboratory and high-gravity centrifuge publicly available.

Star Harbor has already acquired 53 acres in Lone Tree, Colorado, for about $25 million, said Star Harbor founder and Chief Executive Maraia Tanner in an interview. The company plans to open the mixed-use development campus, just south of Denver, beginning in 2026. The centerpiece of the new development will be Star Harbor Academy, Tanner said, estimating its development cost at $120 million. The Academy will include the capability for microgravity flights, a neutral buoyancy facility, high-gravity centrifuge, land based and underwater habitats, hypobaric and hyperbaric chambers, a human performance center, and more.

Initially, Star Harbor will seek to serve research and development customers, such as university groups, startup companies, and other ventures that don't have access to facilities to test their payloads. There are only a handful of facilities around the world with some of the amenities built to mimic spaceflight conditions, such as a centrifuge or large pool, Tanner said, and most of those are reserved for government use. Tanner said she expects that about 60 percent of Star Harbor's revenue will come from such research and development efforts, with a much smaller segment initially derived from commercial astronaut training. (5/10)

House Panel to Hold Public Hearing on Unexplained Aerial Sightings (Source: New York Times)
A House subcommittee is scheduled to hold next week the first open congressional hearing on unidentified aerial vehicles in more than half a century, with testimony from two top defense intelligence officials. The hearing comes after the release last June of a report requested by Congress on “unidentified aerial phenomena.” The nine-page “Preliminary Assessment” from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence focused on 144 incidents dating back to 2004 and was able to explain only one.

The report declined to draw inferences, saying that the available reporting was “largely inconclusive” and noting that limited and inconsistent data created a challenge in evaluating the phenomena. But it said most of the phenomena reported “do represent physical objects.” The assessment concluded that the objects were not secret U.S. technology and that “we currently lack data to indicate any UAP are part of a foreign collection program or indicative of a major technological advancement by a potential adversary.” (5/10)

Canadian Military Suddenly Takes Notice of UFOs (Source: National Post)
The Canadian Armed Forces appear to be taking UFOs a bit more seriously after the U.S. military admitted publicly last year that its pilots kept seeing “unidentified aerial phenomena” they couldn’t explain. Last June, the U.S. intelligence community released a long-awaited report confirming there had been 144 incidents of inexplicable phenomena. In advance of the U.S. release, the top echelons of the Canadian military called in Chris Rutkowski, Canada’s most prominent ufologist, for a briefing.

Canada has one of the world’s largest proportions of alleged UFO sightings. Roughly 1,000 such sightings are annually phoned in to Ufology Research, the organization operated by Rutkowski since 1989. While the majority of these reports are easily explained as aircraft or astronomical phenomena (such as a passing satellite), there have been a handful of incidents in which credible sightings of unexplained shapes or lights have been recorded by trained pilots. (5/10)

Financier Wins Blue Origin Spaceflight Auction, Donating Two Seats to NYC Teachers (Source: CNBC)
Ken Griffin, billionaire founder and CEO of hedge fund Citadel, placed the winning $8 million bid in an auction Monday for a seat on a spaceflight with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Bezos’ company donated two seats on its New Shepard rocket for a “buy one give one” auction at the non-profit Robin Hood’s annual benefit for New York City, with the second seat going to a NYC teacher.

But Griffin will not launch to space himself, instead giving back his seat so that two educators can fly. A Robin Hood spokesperson told CNBC that the organization will partner with Griffin, Blue Origin and New York City’s Department of Education to select the two teachers for the spaceflight, saying an announcement about the “process and timeline” is coming soon. (5/10)

Blue Origin to Send First Mexican-Born Woman to Space (Source: Bloomberg)
Blue Origin says the crew flying on its NS-21 mission will include six customer astronauts, including the first Mexican-born woman to visit space, Katya Echazarreta. Echazarreta formerly worked as a NASA test lead and is pursuing a Master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering at Johns Hopkins University. She also co-hosts the YouTube series “Netflix IRL” and “Electric Kat” on the CBS show “Mission Unstoppable.” (5/9)