June 23, 2022

Disrupted by SpaceX, ULA Was in ‘Serious Trouble.’ Now it’s on the Road Back (Source: Washington Post)
By 2014, ULA wasn’t the rocket industry stalwart it had been since its founding almost a decade earlier, when it had a monopoly on lucrative Pentagon launch contracts. Instead, the company was under intense pressure — Elon Musk and SpaceX were on the prowl, disrupting the industry and threatening to take a large chunk of ULA’s government business. Congress was moving to ban the Russian-made engine the company used in its workhorse rocket. ULA’s parent companies, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, were growing desperate, and there were fears that they might want to cut their losses and move on from the company.

So when Tory Bruno accepted the offer to lead the faltering company, which had recently ousted its CEO, he knew what he’d be getting into. Now, about eight years later, after enduring what Bruno called a quest “to completely transform the company”— laying off hundreds of workers, including 40 percent of executives, streamlining processes, shedding surplus real estate — the company, once in a downward spiral, is experiencing a remarkable transformation.

After years of delays, it says it is close to flying a next-generation rocket with a new, American-made engine built by Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin (Bezos owns The Washington Post.) Perhaps most significantly, it recently signed a contract for 38 launches to help install Amazon’s Kuiper internet satellite constellation into orbit as part of the largest commercial launch contract ever. That was on top of nine launches it had previously won and gives ULA a new line of commercial business that could sustain it for years as Bruno seeks to give ULA a solid footing for the future. (6/22)

Universities Space Research Association Elects Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as its Most Recent Member (Source: USRA)
USRA officially admitted Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to its ranks of prestigious universities on June 10, 2022, bringing the membership of the Association to a total of 116  members. As the largest fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, Embry-Riddle serves nearly 33,000 students and offers more than 100 degrees at the associate, bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. level, in the areas of aviation; applied science; business; computers and technology; engineering; security, intelligence, and safety; and space. (6/22)

Redwire Sells Space-Grown Crystal to University (Source: Quartz)
A special crystal grown onboard the International Space Station by Redwire Corporation was sold to Ohio State University. The company says it is the first ever transaction involving goods made in space. Professor John Horack purchased a two gram sample of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystal, which is used to make high-powered lasers involved in everything from medicine to quantum computing, for about $4,000, a price equivalent to $2 million per kilogram.

It arrived in a FedEx box in a vial the size of a bottle of eyedrops. While samples of Moon rocks have been sold at auction, and Redwire has made 3D-printed components on the ISS for NASA and others, this is the first time a product manufactured by leveraging the space environment has been sold back on Earth. Researchers and students at the university’s Center for Electron Microscopy and Analysis will now slice the crystal into thin segments and examine its properties up close. Redwire expects the analysis will show that growing the crystal in microgravity resulted in fewer defects and a more useful product. (6/23)

China Launches Reconnaissance Satellite (Source: Xinhua)
China launched a set of reconnaissance satellites Wednesday night. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 10:22 p.m. Eastern and placed the three Yaogan-35 satellites into orbit. Chinese media describe the satellites as performing science experiments and civil applications, but Western observers believe these are military reconnaissance satellites. [Xinhua]

DoD Plans $13 Billion Investment in Communications Satellites (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon plans to spend nearly $13 billion over the next five years to develop and acquire military communications satellites. This plan includes funding for the Pentagon's first-ever low Earth orbit broadband constellation and smaller numbers of bespoke communications satellites to augment or replace existing systems. Industry officials say those procurements appear to run counter to government claims that the Defense Department is poised to transition away from traditional satellite procurements toward greater reliance on commercial space services. One Space Force general said that the satellite industry could expect more commercial satcom opportunities in the coming years. (6/25)

Plasmos Testing 3-D Printed Engine (Source: Space News)
Propulsion startup Plasmos is testing its first rocket engine thanks to a $250,000 in-kind investment from additive-manufacturing startup Velo3D. Plasmos said that Velo3D's technology could print 95% of its chemical-electric engine, including its complicated cooling mechanism. Velo3D has worked with SpaceX and other aerospace companies on producing space components. (6/25)

CAPSTONE Lunar Mission to Launch on June 27 (Source: NASA)
A lunar cubesat mission is now scheduled for launch early next week. NASA said late Wednesday it is targeting June 27 for the launch of the CAPSTONE spacecraft on a Rocket Lab Electron. The latest slip gives teams "more time for rocket preparations," NASA said. A launch any time between June 27 and July 27 would allow CAPSTONE to enter lunar orbit Nov. 13. (6/25)

Lunar Trailblazer to Launch with Intuitive Machines Mission Next Year (Source: Space News)
A lunar smallsat mission will launch earlier than expected after NASA found a new rideshare opportunity for it. Lunar Trailblazer was to launch as a secondary payload on the IMAP mission in early 2025, although the spacecraft itself will be ready for launch early next year. To avoid a two-year wait, NASA said this week it arranged for an alternative launch later next year as a secondary payload on the Intuitive Machines' IM-2 lunar lander mission. Smallsat missions like Lunar Trailblazer have run into issues with rideshare launches, and NASA says it is looking at ways to improve launch opportunities for them. (6/25)

Former DARPA Chief to Lead OSTP (Source: Science)
The White House has nominated a former head of DARPA to be director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Arati Prabhakar will immediately take over as science adviser to the president, but must be confirmed by the Senate to lead OSTP. Prabhakar served as head of DARPA during the Obama administration and led the National Institute of Standards and Technology during the Clinton administration. If confirmed, she would be the first woman and first person of color to be OSTP director. (6/25)

NASA Picks New Flight Directors (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected a new class of flight directors. NASA announced Wednesday the selection of seven people who, after training, will serve as flight directors for the International Space Station and Artemis missions. Some have already been working in flight operations, while others worked on NASA Mars missions or in industry. (6/25)

Arianespace Launches Two Satellites (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
The first Ariane 5 launch in nearly half a year placed two communications satellites into orbit Wednesday. The Ariane 5 lifted off from French Guiana at 5:50 p.m. Eastern and placed into geostationary transfer orbits the Measat-3d and GSAT-24 communications satellites for the Malaysian satellite operator Measat and the Indian space agency ISRO, respectively. The launch was the first Ariane 5 mission since the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope last December, with just four more launches remaining before the vehicle is retired. (6/25)

HASC Passes Defense Authorization (Source: Space News)
The House Armed Services Committee approved a defense authorization bill on a 57-1 vote after a 17-hour markup session. The committee approved an amendment by Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) to increase the defense budget by $37 billion, including $100 million for tactically responsive space, a program that funds small-satellite launch experiments and demonstrations, $25 million more than was recommended. Other amendments approved include use of commercial satellite communications and other services and requesting a plan from DoD on how it will use commercially available technologies for on-orbit services and debris removal. (6/25)

DalBello on Listening Tour for Space Traffic Management (Source: Space News)
The new head of the Office of Space Commerce says he has been on a "listening tour" with industry on space traffic management. In a conference speech Wednesday, Richard DalBello says he has been talking with satellite operators and others on how his office can improve civil space traffic management services as it works to take over that role. He said it is still the office's goal to have an open architecture data repository for space situational awareness data in service by 2024. The office is also examining potential future regulatory roles, such as filling the gaps in oversight of space activities. (6/25)

SpaceX Seeks to Expand Starlink Gateways in UK (Source: Space News)
SpaceX is seeking to deploy six more gateways in England to meet user demand and improve network resiliency for its Starlink network. British regulator Ofcom opened a public consultation this week under a recently strengthened licensing regime to consider Starlink's expansion plans. Ofcom said it does not think SpaceX's application will block potential gateways from other nongeostationary orbit satellite operators, and also presents few competition risks. (6/25)