June 29, 2022

Swarm Of Tiny Swimming Robots Could Look For Life On Distant Worlds (Source: Astrobiology)
Someday, a swarm of cellphone-size robots could whisk through the water beneath the miles-thick icy shell of Jupiter's moon Europa or Saturn's moon Enceladus, looking for signs of alien life. Packed inside a narrow ice-melting probe that would tunnel through the frozen crust, the tiny robots would be released underwater, swimming far from their mothercraft to take the measure of a new world.

That's the vision of Ethan Schaler, a robotics mechanical engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, whose Sensing With Independent Micro-Swimmers (SWIM) concept was recently awarded $600,000 in Phase II funding from the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. The funding, which follows his 2021 award of $125,000 in Phase I NIAC funding to study feasibility and design options, will allow him and his team to make and test 3D-printed prototypes over the next two years.

A key innovation is that Schaler's mini-swimmers would be much smaller than other concepts for planetary ocean exploration robots, allowing many to be loaded compactly into an ice probe. They would add to the probe's scientific reach and could increase the likelihood of detecting evidence of life while assessing potential habitability on a distant ocean-bearing celestial body. (6/28)

China's Expace Raises $237 Million for Rocket R&D (Source: Space News)
Chinese launch service provider Expace has raised $237 million. The company, a subsidiary of giant state-owned missile and defense contractor China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), raised the Series B round after the return to flight last week of its Kuaizhou-1A solid-propellant rocket. Expace says the funds will be used for R&D and improvement of its Kuaizhou solid launch vehicle series and developing technologies for liquid propellant launchers. The funding follows a Series A round of $180 million in 2017 and surpasses the $200 million raised by Galactic Energy earlier this year, the previous apparent largest funding round for a Chinese commercial launch vehicle maker. (6/29)

Space Force Acquisition Chief Visits ULA Alabama Factory (Source: Space News)
The new Space Force acquisition chief says a top priority for him is an update on the status of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket. Frank Calvelli will visit ULA's factory in Decatur, Alabama, on Thursday for an update on the development of the vehicle and Blue Origin's BE-4 engine. Calvelli said Tuesday he expects Vulcan's first launch in December, and that he has no specific concerns about the program but believes it's important enough to merit a visit. (6/29)

Ovzon Looking for Launch Alternatives After Ariane 5 Bump (Source: Space News)
Ozvon is looking for a new Ariane 5 rideshare partner after being bumped from its original launch. The Ovzon-3 spacecraft was to launch late this year with Eutelsat's Konnect VHTS satellite, but Eutelsat wanted to launch its spacecraft earlier and worked out a deal with Arianespace for a dedicated Ariane 5 launch in September. Ovzon says it's talking with Arianespace to find a space on one of the three other remaining Ariane 5 launches, but is also considering other launch providers if that is not possible. (6/29)

Rocket Lab Ready for More Interplanetary Missions (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab says the successful launch of the CAPSTONE lunar cubesat on its Electron rocket opens the door for other interplanetary missions. Rocket Lab developed a high-performance kick stage, Lunar Photon, to send CAPSTONE to the moon. Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said in an interview that the company plans to use the same system for a privately funded mission to Venus. It could also enable other missions to Mars and asteroids at "ridiculously low cost." Beck said the company has "a stack" of Electron vehicles ready for launch, pending customer readiness, and will attempt another midair recovery of the booster soon. (6/29)

Dragon Cargo Mission Slips to Mid July (Source: NASA)
A delayed SpaceX cargo Dragon mission has slipped to mid-July. NASA said Tuesday it's planning no earlier than July 14 for the launch of the CRS-25 mission to the International Space Station. The spacecraft was to launch in early June, but SpaceX postponed the launch after detecting hydrazine vapors in the spacecraft's thruster system, suggesting a leak. The new launch date will give the company time to complete ongoing inspections and repairs to the spacecraft, as well as replacement of the main parachutes. (6/29)

SpaceX Asks Starlink Customers to Assist FCC Lobbying for Spectrum (Source: The Verge)
SpaceX is asking its Starlink customers to help lobby the FCC in its dispute with Dish Network. SpaceX sent an email to Starlink users Tuesday, warning that Dish's plans to provide 5G services at 12 gigahertz would interfere with Starlink. The SpaceX message included a link to a form where users could send letters to the FCC as well as members of Congress criticizing Dish's plans. (6/29)

Palazzo Loses Re-Election Bid (Source: Roll Call)
A congressman who served on the House space subcommittee and the appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA lost his reelection bid Tuesday. Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-MS) lost a runoff in the Republican primary for Mississippi's fourth district to Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell. Palazzo, first elected in 2010, had been involved in space policy first on the House Science Committee and later as a member of the commerce, justice and science appropriations subcommittee. Palazzo faced allegations of ethical lapses, including using campaign funds for personal expenses. (6/29)

China Studying Nuclear Mission to Neptune (Source: Planetary Society)
China is studying a concept for a nuclear-powered mission to Neptune. The concept, outlined in a paper, would use a nuclear fission reactor that could provide far more power than the RTGs conventionally used for outer solar system missions. The proposed mission would launch in 2030 on a Long March 5 and arrive at Neptune in 2040. It's unclear how seriously China's space establishment is considering this mission, but the paper is authored by several senior officials from major Chinese space institutions. (6/29)