May 4, 2022

Senators Press Space Force to Plan for Space Dominance (Source: Space News)
Senators pressed Space Force leadership on plans to acquire next-generation technologies and develop the future workforce. At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday, members called on the Space force to design its warfighting objectives similar to the process of other services. Gen. John Raymond, chief of space operations, said the "number one mission" is to modernize the missile-warning space architecture to defend against increasingly advanced hypersonic missiles and glide vehicles being developed by U.S. adversaries. Another priority is to keep track of objects orbiting in space and identify potential threats. To help prepare its next generation of leaders, the Space Force is assigning new officers who graduate from the Air Force Academy to work at commercial companies and gain experience in the private sector. (5/4)

Nelson Decries "Plague" of Cost-Plus Contracts, Pointing to Artemis Platform at KSC (Source: Space News)
At another Senate hearing Tuesday, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson sharply criticized the use of traditional "cost-plus" contracts. Nelson told members of an appropriations subcommittee that such contracts were a "plague" on the agency, preferring where possible the use of fixed-price contracts and competition, such as in development of lunar landers for the Artemis program. Nelson specifically criticized Bechtel for cost overruns on its contract to build a second SLS mobile launch platform, but said that there was little the agency could do other than meeting with company leadership. (5/4)

Cosmic Shielding to Test Plasteel Radiation Shielding Aboard Space Forge Satellite (Source: Space Daily)
Cosmic Shielding Corporation (Cosmic Shielding), the leading space radiation management company and creator of Plasteel technology, today announced an agreement with European in-space manufacturing tech start-up Space Forge to test Cosmic Shielding's radiation shielding technology aboard Space Forge's new small class vehicle. The ForgeStar-0 will be launching on Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne this Summer from Spaceport Cornwall. Space Forge recently announced that, along with partners, it is developing a world-first service incorporating both launch and return of a new small class of vehicle - the ForgeStar - that can be deployed from conventional launchers to provide rapid, reliable and reusable in-space infrastructure. (5/3)

AST SpaceMobile Licensed for Prototype Satellite (Source: Space News)
AST SpaceMobile has received an experimental license for a prototype satellite. The license, awarded this week by the FCC, permits the company to connect unmodified cellular devices in Texas and Hawaii with its BlueWalker 3 satellite for up to several minutes daily. That satellite is scheduled to launch later this year on a Falcon 9, and is a prototype for the company's planned constellation that will provide connectivity directly to mobile phones. (5/4)

Satellogic Announces Multiple Launch Agreement with SpaceX (Source: Satellogic)
Satellogic has signed a new Multiple Launch Agreement (“MLA”) with SpaceX reserving launch capacity for its next 68 satellites. This new MLA follows the current MLA covering 2022 launches, and confirms that SpaceX continues to be Satellogic’s preferred vendor for rideshare missions, meeting the capacity demands of Satellogic’s constellation roadmap and providing shorter periods between satellite development and deployment.

“Today’s announcement ensures that we will be able to continue to launch our satellites as they are produced and that we remain on track to collect every square meter of the Earth’s surface every week in 2023, providing our customers with the most up-to-date, reliable high-resolution data source on a global scale. Expanding our capacity is crucial to making Earth Observation data affordable and accessible for everyone.” (5/4)

ExoMars Unlikely to Launch Before 2028 After Russia's Exclusion (Source: Space News)
An ESA scientist says the agency's ExoMars mission, postponed because of Russian sanctions, is unlikely to launch before 2028. Speaking at a Mars science meeting Tuesday, Jorge Vago said that the work needed to build a new lander to replace the Russian-provided lander for the ExoMars rover means the launch, previously planned for this September, will be postponed to at least 2028. Meeting that date, he added, will require assistance from NASA in the form of lander engines, radioisotope heating units and a launch vehicle. He added that ExoMars might be combined with the Mars Sample Return campaign "in sort of a holistic way" but did not elaborate. (5/4)

South Korea's NaraSpace Raises $7.88 Million for Optical Nanosatellites (Source: Space News)
South Korean startup NaraSpace Technology said Tuesday it had raised $7.88 million in a Series A financing round to pursue the development of optical remote-sensing nanosatellites. The company plans to launch its first two technology demonstration satellites, Observer-1A and -1B, into low Earth orbit on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets in the first half and second half of 2023, respectively. The smallsats are designed to produce imagery with a resolution of 1.5 meters per pixel. (5/4)

South Korea's InnoSpace to Launch Suborbital Rocket at Brizilian Spaceport (Source: Space News)
Another South Korean startup, InnoSpace, will perform its first suborbital launch in December from Brazil. The launch of a single-stage hybrid-engine rocket from the Alcântara Space Center will carry a Brazilian military payload. The vehicle is a precursor to the company's planned commercial satellite launcher Hanbit-Nano, a two-stage small satellite launcher designed to carry up to  50 kilograms to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. (5/4)

150K Starlink Users in Ukraine (Source: Insider)
A Ukrainian government minister says there are 150,000 Starlink users in the country. Mykhailo Fedorov, vice prime minister and minister for digital transformation, said that many people are using Starlink daily, mitigating disruptions in other communications services since Russia's invasion. SpaceX started service in Ukraine in February, shortly after the start of the war. (5/4)

India Considers Near-Term Venus Mission (Source: India Today)
The head of the Indian space agency ISRO said it's possible for the country to send a mission to Venus in a "very short" time. Speaking at a meeting about Venus science in India Wednesday, S. Somnath said the plans and capabilities exist in India for a Venus orbiter mission. However, he did not offer a specific schedule for the proposed mission, which has been discussed for years or its cost other than "money is identified" for it. (5/4)

UFOs Left 'Radiation Burns' and Other Conditions, New Pentagon Report Claims (Source: LiveScience)
Encounters with UFOs have reportedly left Americans suffering from radiation burns, brain and nervous system damage, and even "unaccounted for pregnancy," according to a massive database of government reports made public through a FOIA request. The documents include more than 1,500 pages of UFO-related material from the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) — a secretive DoD program that ran from 2007 to 2012. One standout document is a report titled Anomalous Acute and Subacute Field Effects on Human and Biological Tissues, dated March 2010.

The report describes alleged injuries to "human observers by anomalous advanced aerospace systems," some of which may be a "threat to United States interests," according to the document. It describes 42 cases from medical files and 300 "unpublished" cases where humans sustained injuries after alleged encounters with "anomalous vehicles," which include UFOs. In some cases, humans showed burn injuries or other conditions related to electromagnetic radiation, the report said — some of them appearing to have been inflicted by "energy related propulsion systems." The report also noted cases of brain damage, nerve damage, heart palpitations and headaches related to anomalous vehicle encounters. (4/8)

MDA Sells Canadarm3 Technology to Axiom Space (Source: MDA)
MDA announced the first commercial sale of its Canadarm3 technology to Axiom Space. The contract is for the delivery of 32 external robotic interfaces for Axiom Space’s Axiom Station which is now under construction and on schedule to be the world’s first commercial space station in orbit. The MDA technology destined for Axiom Station includes commercial variants of Canadarm3 interfaces destined for the Artemis Gateway, providing opportunities for efficiencies for commercial users that will help to enable a sustainable and competitive marketplace in space. (5/3)

QuantX Labs and SmartSat CRC Accelerate the Development of an Orbiting Space Clock (Source: Space Daily)
SmartSAT CRC announced $1 million to assist QuantX Labs in the development of its optical atomic clock satellite payload that will deliver the heart of a future Australian sovereign navigation and timing capability. This partnership will accelerate the space-qualification and commercialization of a new type of atomic clock. QuantX's clock improves timing performance by using high-precision lasers to interrogate a specially prepared vapor of Rubidium atoms. (5/3)

GomSpace to Supply Mission Control System for KSAT Arctic Satellites (Source: Space Daily)
GomSpace signed a contract to develop, deliver and support the Mission Control System that KSAT will use to operate the Arctic Weather Satellite mission. The contract value is 10 MSEK and the majority of work will be done this year and next year. The Arctic Weather Satellite is a project funded by the European Space Agency with the purpose to gather atmospheric data for meteorology in the Arctic region. The prime contractor is OHB Sweden and Thales is responsible for the ground segment. The first satellite is planned to be launched in 2024. (5/3)

SpaceX is Expanding the Solar Farm at its South Texas Launch Facility (Source: CNBC)
SpaceX is expanding the solar farm at its Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, according to documents obtained by CNBC from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The FWS documents, known as a draft biological conference and opinion (BCO), reveal that SpaceX is increasing the size of its on-site solar farm by 1.7 acres, or about 30%, making the solar array a total of 7.1 acres. The company has begun clearing and leveling for construction at the site already.

Elon Musk’s space company already uses solar panels and big batteries at the South Texas vertical launch facility to provide electricity for day-to-day operations. It also operates a natural gas power plant in Boca Chica. The expansion underway, with construction expected to take place over two years in all, would add 750 kilowatts of power for a total of 1.6 MWs of energy, and an additional battery system enabling up to 8 MW-hours of storage, the documents said. (5/3)

New Dream Chaser Spacecraft Takes Shape Ahead of 1st Space Coast Launch (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
By this time next year, the Space Coast could see the launch of what looks like a mini space shuttle as Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser continues to come into focus. For now, the Dream Chaser spacecraft, which is about 1/4th the size of the space shuttle orbiters, will be limited to cargo missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract, which the company won in 2016.

It will join SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for bringing cargo to the International Space Station, but the company is already planning to build out a human-rated version that could become one of the players to launch crew to the ISS or other private space stations, including their own, this decade. While construction continues, it also awaits the completion of its ride to the ISS, which comes in the form of United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket. When mated, Vulcan will take Dream Chaser to orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. (5/3)

NASA, Boeing Set to Try Again This Month for Starliner Launch to Space Station (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Boeing is set to complete a goal years in the making this month: launching its CST-100 Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station. The uncrewed flight dubbed Orbital Test Flight-2 is targeting liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday, May 19 at 6:54 p.m. The spacecraft rolled out to Space Launch Complex-41 to be mated to the rocket on Wednesday, and a launch readiness review is coming up on May 11. (5/4)