Israel's Starburst Announces ASTRA
Accelerator for Next-Generation of Space Startups (Source: CTech)
Starburst Aerospace, an Israeli aerospace accelerator, which connects
startups with investors and government support, announced the launch of
its first cohort, termed ASTRA, which will be focused exclusively on
startups who develop innovative technologies for space applications.
The three startups that were selected to participate are Tehiru
Technologies, CrystalEn Semiconductor, and CSpace.
The startups will begin a 7-month program, which includes technical
support in building their technologies, fundraising assistance, expert
mentoring, and a 13-week bootcamp to prepare for their Seed round, as
well as business introductions for pilot opportunities, access to a
global network of space and aerospace industry leaders, academic labs,
and investors. (5/23)
Shotwell Defends Musk, Stresses Zero
Tolerance for Sexual Harassment (Source: New York Times)
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell defended company CEO Elon Musk over
sexual harassment charges. In a company memo, Shotwell said SpaceX has
a "ZERO tolerance" policy towards sexual harassment and that every
report is thoroughly investigated. She added, though, that she did not
believe a published report last week that Musk harassed a flight
attendant on a SpaceX corporate jet. "I have worked closely with him
for 20 years and never seen nor heard anything resembling these
allegations," she wrote. (5/24)
NASA Armstrong Center Chief Retiring
(Source: NASA)
The director of NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center is retiring.
NASA said Monday that David McBride will retire June 30 after 35 years
at the agency, the last 12 as director of the center located at Edwards
Air Force Base in California. Brad Flick, deputy center director, will
serve as acting director after McBride's departure. NASA also announced
Monday that Jimmy Kenyon, director of the Advanced Air Vehicles Program
at NASA Headquarters, will serve as acting director of the Glenn
Research Center after the previously announced retirement of its
director, Marla PĂ©rez-Davis, in June. (5/24)
Solar Activity Tracks with Predictions
for Cycle (Source: Sky & Telescope)
The sun is following predictions for increased activity. After a
minimum of activity in its 11-year cycle in 2018 through 2020, there
has been a recent increase in sunspots and solar flares. Scientists
said the increase in activity is tracking predictions that the sun
reaching a peak in the middle of the decade. That peak will be higher
than the previous cycle, which peaked in 2012 through 2014, but is
still below average historically. (5/24)
UK Company Reveals Micro-Launcher
Rocket (Source: Space Daily)
Orbex's Prime rocket reaching technical readiness represents a
significant achievement that brings together key elements of the ground
infrastructure and prototype launch vehicle for the first time and is a
major step forward for the company and for the UK launch industry. The
UK Space Agency supported the development of Orbex's Prime rocket with
5.5 million pounds of funding, as part of the government's plans to
enable small satellite launch from UK spaceports.
With the first integration of a full scale Orbex prototype launch
vehicle on a launch pad now complete, the company will 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
Kinloss, a few miles from the company's headquarters at Forres in
Moray, Scotland. (5/24)
Space Force Completes ISR-Focused
Industry Day (Source: Space News)
The US Space Force completed its inaugural industry day event last
week, meeting with 35 companies in an event that focused on space-based
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. "It was really an
opportunity to have a conversation about what is available and what's
out there," said John Galer of the Aerospace Industries Association.
"It was also an opportunity for Space Systems Command to talk about how
they're trying to do business in a different way." (5/23)
Boeing's Starliner Wraps Up Test at ISS
(Source: Space News)
Boeing's CST-100 Starliner will wrap up its brief uncrewed test flight
to the International Space Station this week. NASA confirmed Monday
plans for the spacecraft to undock from the station Wednesday at 2:36
p.m. Eastern, landing in White Sands, New Mexico, a little more than
four hours later. Astronauts will close Starliner's hatches later today
ahead of the undocking. Before the launch of the spacecraft on the
OFT-2 test flight, agency officials said they would set a schedule for
the next test flight, which will be the first to carry astronauts,
sometime this summer. NASA will also wait until then to formally assign
astronauts to the mission. While two astronauts were previously
assigned to that crewed flight, NASA said it will make crew assignments
depending on the timing of the test flight and other missions to the
station. (5/24)
President Biden Agrees to
US/Japan/South Korea Space Cooperation During Summits (Source:
Space News)
President Joe Biden promised to expand space cooperation with Japan and
South Korea during back-to-back summits with the leaders of those
nations. During a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in
Tokyo Monday, Biden agreed to put the first Japanese astronaut on the
moon as part of the NASA-led Artemis program. In a later joint
statement, the two committed to fly a Japanese astronaut to the lunar
Gateway as well. Earlier, Biden met with South Korean President Yoon in
Seoul, where they agreed to strengthen cooperation in all space-related
sectors. That included U.S. support for South Korea's development of a
satellite navigation system. (5/24)
Russia's War in Ukraine is Threatening
an Outpost of Cooperation in Space (Source: NPR)
Russian President Vladimir Putin falsely claims the U.S. is working
with Nazis in Ukraine, while President Biden calls Putin a "war
criminal." Aboard the jointly controlled International Space Station
(ISS), however, the tone is very different: American astronauts live
side-by-side with Russian cosmonauts; they regularly check in with
mission control centers in both countries; and supplies arrive aboard
Russian and U.S. spacecraft alike.
The symbiotic relationship has endured even as things on the Earth have
deteriorated: Wars, assassination attempts and allegations of political
meddling have not been enough to send the space station off course. But
a mix of geopolitical and technical factors are now bringing rapid
change to the collaboration. In 2020, SpaceX officially began
transporting NASA astronauts to the station, ending America's reliance
on Russian rockets.
The end of that vital tie was big at the time, but it pales in
comparison to Russia's decision to invade Ukraine. The war has strained
almost every aspect of U.S. and Russian relations, and it has already
ruptured another long-standing Russian collaboration with the European
Space Agency, or ESA. "It would be politically very costly for Russia
not to have human spaceflight," Zak says. The space program "has a huge
role in Russian propaganda and Russian politics." NASA astronaut Scott
Kelly says the U.S. should start thinking about how to keep the station
operating without the Russians. (5/23)
Psyche Launch on Falcon Heavy Delayed
from August to September (Source: Space News)
The launch of NASA's Psyche mission has slipped more than a month and a
half because of a software problem. NASA confirmed Monday that Psyche,
previously scheduled to launch Aug. 1 on a Falcon Heavy, has been
delayed to no earlier than Sept. 20. The agency said an unspecified
issue is preventing engineers from confirming the spacecraft's software
is functioning as expected but provided no additional details. Psyche
will travel to the metallic main-belt asteroid of the same name,
thought to be the remnant of a core of a protoplanet. (5/24)
Lockheed Martin and Filecoin
Foundation Plan Blockchain Interplanetary File System (Source:
Space News)
Lockheed Martin is working with the Filecoin Foundation to demonstrate
a blockchain network in space. The organizations announced the
Interplanetary File System (IFPS) project Monday to provide better
access to data in space. IFPS uses a decentralized network, such that a
spacecraft would not necessarily have to contact Earth for data but
instead another node in the network that is closer. Over the next
several months, Lockheed Martin and Filecoin will work to identify a
spacecraft platform to host an IPFS payload that will relay data to and
from Earth, and other spacecraft. (5/24)
UK's Space Forge Picks Benchmark Space
Systems for Propulsion (Source: Space News)
Benchmark Space Systems announced plans Tuesday to produce engines in
the United Kingdom and work with U.K. space manufacturing startup Space
Forge. Benchmark will provide propulsion for ForgeStar-1, Space Forge's
first in-space manufacturing and return demonstration. Space Forge will
serve as the anchor customer for Benchmark's first U.K. manufacturing
and testing facility at the Satellite Applications Catapult at Westcott
Venture Park in Aylesbury, England. Vermont-based Benchmark has seen
strong demand for its thrusters, which use high-test peroxide, after
demonstrating the technology last year on an undisclosed government
satellite mission. (5/24)
Key Air Force, Space Force Leaders Set
to Retire (Source: Air Force Magazine)
The Department of the Air Force announced the retirements of several
key leaders within the Air Force and Space Force on May 23 while also
unveiling more than a dozen new assignments for current or future
one-star generals. Lt. Gen. Joseph T. Guastella Jr., deputy chief of
staff for operations, is exiting the service after nearly 35 years and
roughly 22 months in his current position. During his term, the Air
Force developed a new deployment model in which Airmen will cycle
through four “bins,” each lasting six months for a 24-month cycle.
Patricia Mulcahy, the Space Force’s chief human capital officer, is
also leaving after more than 40 years of service in the Army and as a
civilian. As the Space Force’s first deputy chief of space operations
for personnel, she was responsible for helping to craft the service’s
first human capital plan, “The Guardian Ideal.” (5/23)
Making Space for Australian Satellites
(Source: Cosmos)
Australia’s space industry is getting off the ground with a slew of
rockets and satellites poised to be sent into orbit. Fleet Space
Technologies has been progressively launching its networking
NanoSatellites since November 2018. It currently has six of its planned
constellation of 140 in low Earth orbit. The next NanoSatellite is
scheduled to be launched aboard the SpaceX Transporter-5 at Cape
Canaveral on May 26. Named Centauri-5, the NanoSatellite provides
low-power internet-of-things connectivity between remote ground
stations for regional industry and mining operations. (5/24)
Self-Cleaning Spacecraft Surfaces to
Combat Microbes (Source: ESA)
Astronauts live and work in orbit along with teeming populations of
microorganisms, which could present a serious threat to health – and
even the structural integrity of spacecraft. To help combat such
invisible stowaways, an ESA-led project is developing microbe-killing
coatings suitable for use within spacecraft cabins.
The IIT team has begun work on titanium oxide, also known as ‘titania’,
used for example in self-cleaning glass down here on Earth, as well as
in hygienic surfaces. When titanium oxide is exposed to ultraviolet
light, it breaks down water vapour in the air into ‘free oxygen
radicals’, which eat away whatever is on the surface, including
bacterial membranes. (5/23)
Scientist Look to Fake Space to
Understand Immune System (Source: Arizona Republic)
Three humans. A tank full of brine shrimp. A teddy bear named Svetlana.
These are some of the things that greeted Lauren Cornell on Oct. 1,
when she set out on a 45-day journey as a fake astronaut. Cornell, a
research scientist with the Air Force, joined a NASA Human Exploration
Research Analog (HERA) simulation in fall 2021 along with three
crewmates.
While HERA is a mission to improve space travel, one of Cornell’s
motivations for joining the experiment wasn’t outer space at all. It
was something tiny, from Earth – and actually inside of her. HERA
provides the chance to study not only space travel but the reactions of
its test astronauts. It’s a place for researchers, including a team
from Arizona, to examine biology, physiology and immunology in a
controlled environment. And in Cornell’s mission, scientists were
building on research that investigated how viruses that live dormant
inside our bodies may be triggered to reemerge, based on the stresses
of space travel. (5/23)
Lawsuit Blames FAA For Georgia
County's Misguided Spending (Source: Spaceport Facts)
“Plaintiff(s) also questioned Spaceport Camden’s commercial viability
given the potential risk to the public, cost, and operating
restrictions that would be required. In the presence of his colleagues,
former [FAA] Associate Administrator (General Wayne) Monteith responded
that Spaceport Camden was not a commercially viable launch site and
that ‘some spaceports just want to sell hats and t-shirts.’” The bottom
line is Camden taxpayers have “invested” $11,000,000 for a spaceport
license the FAA states cannot launch rockets in the “foreseeable
future.” The Spaceport Camden license serves no purpose for the space
industry. (5/23)
For Starliner, Better Late Than Never
(Source: Space Review)
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner launched last week on its second uncrewed
test flight to the ISS, nearly two and a half years after a truncated
first mission. Jeff Foust reports on that launch and docking, and the
road ahead for the commercial crew vehicle. Click here.
(5/23)
Barnstorming the Moon: the LEM
Reconnaissance Module (Source: Space Review)
During the early years of the Apollo program, NASA considered a variety
of approaches to scout potential landing sites. Philip Horzempa
examines one proposal that would have turned the Lunar Module into a
reconnaissance satellite. Click here.
(5/23)
How the India and France Space
Strategic Dialogue Can Address Multi-Dimensional Concerns in 2020s
(Source: Space Review)
Earlier this month the governments of France and India agreed to start
a formal dialogue on space policy issues. Harini Madhusudan examines
how this fits into the longer history of space relations between the
two countries and what topics they may discuss. Click here.
(5/23)
Large Asteroid to Pass Near Earth
(Source: Daily Mail)
Measuring just over a half a mile (2,722ft) tall, the Burj Khalifa has
been the tallest building in the world since it was built in 2004. But
Dubai's enormous building pales in comparison to an asteroid that's set
to pass Earth this week. The asteroid, named 7335 (1989 JA) measures a
whopping 1.1 miles in diameter, and will pass by our planet on Friday.
While NASA has classed the asteroid as 'potentially hazardous', it's
extremely unlikely to pose a threat to our planet, passing by at a
distance of about 2.5 million miles. (5/23)
Gogo Business Aviation, OneWeb
Announce Satellite Broadband Offering (Source: Aviation Week)
Gogo Business Aviation plans to launch a global broadband service for
business aviation connecting to the new low-Earth-orbit satellite
constellation under construction by OneWeb. The new inflight broadband
service will access OneWeb’s constellation using a new electronically
steered antenna that Gogo has designed in conjunction with Hughes
Network Systems, which is itself an investor in OneWeb. The antenna
assembly will be small enough to install on business aircraft ranging
from light jets and large turboprops to ultra-long-range large cabin
jets. (5/22)
European Innovation Council Supports
Space Debris Mitigation Project (Source: Sener)
The E.T.PACK-Fly consortium, coordinated by the Universidad Carlos III
de Madrid (UC3M) and made up of the University of Padova, the Technical
University of Dresden (TU Dresden), the Spanish company SENER
Aeroespacial and the German start-up Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), has
received €2.5 million from the European Innovation Council (EIC) to
develop a device based on a space tether to deorbit space debris.
Due to the high cost involved, most satellites are not removed after
their mission is completed. This fact, together with spontaneous
explosions in orbits as a result of the harsh space environment, has
caused the accumulation of a high number of space debris in Low Earth
Orbit. They represent a threat since, when a collision occurs between
two objects in orbit, a cloud of dangerous shrapnels for operational
satellites is generated. (5/17)
No comments:
Post a Comment