July 15, 2022

SpaceX Launches ISS Mission From Florida, Setting Stage for Another This Weekend (Source: Florida Today)
SpaceX vaulted thousands of pounds of cargo from Florida to the International Space Station on Thursday, making way for yet another Falcon 9 mission set for liftoff before the week is out. A 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket shot off Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A at 8:44 p.m. ET, taking more than 5,800 pounds of cargo, science experiments, and supplies to the orbiting laboratory some 250 miles above Earth. It's scheduled to dock at 11:20 a.m. ET Saturday, July 16.

Along its northeast trajectory, Falcon 9 broke away from darkness on the ground and into sunlight's path high above Earth, illuminating its cold-crystallized exhaust plume in what's informally known as the "jellyfish effect." It illuminated the eastern sky for more than 10 minutes. The 162-foot first stage wrapped up its fifth flight to date after landing on the Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. It should sail into Port Canaveral before the end of the week.

On tap before the week is out is yet another Falcon 9, this time slated to launch SpaceX's 51st batch of Starlink internet satellites from nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Liftoff from Launch Complex 40 is set for a two-hour window that runs from 10:20 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Sunday, July 17. If successful, it will mean SpaceX has launched roughly 3,000 of its internet satellites to date, continuing to solidify its dominance as the largest constellation in orbit. (7/14)

South Korea Augments GPS with the Launch of the KASS Satellite (Source: SatNews)
South Korea has successfully launched a precision aviation satellite to improve the accuracy and reliability of global positioning system (GPS) signals and better ensure flight safety, the government said. The satellite for the Korea Augmentation Satellite System (KASS), the country’s first precision GPS location augmentation system, lifted off from Kourou on July 14. The system can improve the GPS position error to 1.0 to 1.6 meters from the current 15-33 meter level in real time to ensure information reliability throughout the country. (7/13)

NASA Division Proposing Program to Send Scientists to ISS (Source: Space News)
A NASA science division is seeking funding for a program that could fly scientists to the International Space Station on private missions to conduct research that could then be handed off to NASA astronauts. Craig Kundrot, director of the NASA’s biological and physical sciences division, said the agency is seeking funding starting in fiscal year 2023 for an initiative that could allow “hyper-specialized” scientists go to the ISS and future commercial space stations. (7/14)

National Reconnaissance Office Seeks Proposals From Commercial Providers of RF Space Imagery (Source: Space News)
The National Reconnaissance Office has released a request for proposals from commercial providers of space-based radio frequency (RF) imagery. Companies in this emerging sector of the remote sensing industry use low-orbiting satellites to track ships, vehicles or any devices that emit radio frequency signals. The new solicitation is part of a broad NRO program rolled out in October called Strategic Commercial Enhancements. The agency said it wants to assess how commercial RF could play in the larger signals intelligence overhead architecture. (7/14)

Procter & Gamble Launches Tide Laundry Detergent Research on SpaceX CRS-25 (Source: CASIS)
Here on Earth, environmental challenges like water scarcity and climate change are a growing concern. Procter & Gamble (P&G), a brand of household products used by more than half of the world’s population, has committed itself to making eco-friendly and sustainable products for consumers on Earth. To that end, P&G has turned its gaze to space.

As part of SpaceX’s upcoming 25th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission, P&G has launched an investigation that will evaluate how its Tide to Go Pens and Tide to Go Wipes work in space. The study, sponsored by the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory, is a continuation of P&G’s space-based research, which has already taken initial steps toward improved products for consumers. (7/12)

Ingenuity Postpones More Mars Flights Until August (Source: NASA)
It’s now dust season and winter on Mars, meaning there’s more dust in the air and less sunlight to help recharge Ingenuity’s batteries. Dust levels are expected to subside later in July, so the team has decided to give the helicopter’s batteries a break for a few weeks and build their daily state of charge back up. Weather permitting, Ingenuity is expected to be back in the air around the start of August. (7/13)

NASA Enters into Multi-Faceted Contract with Vaya Space (Source: Vaya Space)
Vaya Space, Inc. the vortex-hybrid engine rocket company and emerging leader in sustainable space access, today announced that NASA has entered into a multi-faceted contract with Vaya Space to demonstrate the Company's technologies and industry-leading engine performance at both the Stennis Space and Kennedy Space Centers.

Vaya Space conducted its inaugural launch earlier this year and has been rapidly expanding its operations and technology suite since that time.  The Company received notification of its first patent award earlier this year and has multiple additional patents in progress on its breakthrough technologies that it believes will transform the Commercial Space sector in cost, reliability and safety.

NASA has now entered into a multi-faceted contract and Space Act Agreement with Vaya Space for the Company to demonstrate the performance of its engines showing greater than 22,000 lbs. of thrust per engine.  Vaya has already conducted more than 100 engine-test fires totaling more than 10 minutes in cumulative duration and will now be conducting a number of demonstrations and additional tests with NASA at their Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. (7/14)

International Space Station National Lab Sponsoring Diverse Set of Experiments Launching on SpaceX CRS-25 (Source: CASIS)
A wide variety of research and technology development payloads sponsored by the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory have launched to the orbiting laboratory. These payloads are among the more than 4,700 pounds of cargo onboard SpaceX’s 25th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission. Payloads include research in the areas of biomedical and physical sciences, advanced materials, and fluid dynamics, along with technology demonstrations and student-led investigations. Click here. (7/6)

Rogozin Dismissed From Roscosmos (Source: Kremlin)
The Kremlin has fired Dmitry Rogozin as head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos. In a decree issued Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he was dismissing Rogozin, effective immediately. Yuri Borisov, deputy prime minister, will take over as head of Roscosmos. The announcement came days after Rogozin, upset about the European Space Agency's decision to formally terminate cooperation with Russia on the ExoMars mission, said he would forbid use of a European robotic arm on the Russian Nauka module on the International Space Station. (7/15)

House Passes Defense Authorization (Source: Space News)
The House passed its version of a defense authorization act Thursday. The bill, approved on a 329-101 vote, authorizes $839 billion for military spending, or $37 billion more than the administration requested. The bill includes several space-related amendments, such as increases in funding for space launch and requirements for the Pentagon to stand up a "tactically responsive space" program focused on rapid launch of small satellites. The bill also establishes a Space National Guard, which the Biden administration firmly opposes. (7/15)

NRO RFP Seeks RF Remote Sensing (Source: Space News)
The National Reconnaissance Office has released a request for proposals from commercial providers of space-based radio frequency (RF) data. Companies in this emerging sector of the remote sensing industry, such as HawkEye 360, Kleos and Spire, use satellites in low Earth orbit to track ships, vehicles or any devices that emit radio frequency signals. The commercial RF data program would follow the model used by the NRO to work with commercial providers of space-based synthetic aperture radar data. (7/15)

NOAA Picks GeoOptics, PlanetIQ, and Spire for Weather Data Pilot Program (Source: Space News)
NOAA awarded contracts to three companies to provide space weather data. The contracts announced Thursday to GeoOptics, PlanetIQ and Spire are part of a pilot program to test the value of the commercial observations for monitoring space weather. Under the contracts, the three companies will provide NOAA with radio occultation datasets that reveal weather conditions in Earth's ionosphere. After the one-year pilot program, NOAA may opt to purchase commercial space weather data to support operational forecasting. (7/15)

China to Launch Another Tiangong Space Station Module (Source: Space News)
China is preparing to launch the next module for its space station in a little more than a week. A Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket will launch the roughly 22-ton Wentian experiment module July 24, according to recently announced area clearance notices. Wentian is expected to rendezvous and join Tianhe, the similarly-sized core module for the Tiangong space station that launched in April 2021. It features crew quarters and an airlock cabin that will become the main exit-entry point for spacewalks. (7/15)

Space Force Faces Technical Challenges for Common Satellite Ground System (Source: Space News)
The Space Force says it's running into technical challenges developing a common ground system for military satellites. The Space Force set a goal to replace custom-built ground stations with a common system that can be used with multiple types of satellites, saving money and simplifying training. However, Claire Leon, director of the Space Systems Integration Office at the Space Systems Command, said Thursday the effort is running into roadblocks due to the technical and management challenges of integrating satellites with a new ground architecture. Leon said the command continues to push for a shift to a common ground system but there is still a lot of work to be done. (7/15)

Georgia Approves Starlink Service (Source: Space News)
The country of Georgia is the latest to approve Starlink services. Starlink applied for permission to provide services in Georgia July 8 after meeting regulatory officials at the end of June, the Georgian National Communications Commission said Thursday in its announcement approving Starlink services. According to the company's availability map, SpaceX expects Starlink will be available across much of Georgia next year, apart from areas near the northern border the country shares with Russia. (7/15)

Virgin Galactic to Assemble New Spaceplanes in Phoenix (Sources: Space News, AZ BigMedia)
Virgin Galactic will assemble a new line of suborbital spaceplanes at a factory in a suburb of Phoenix. The company said Thursday it selected Mesa, Arizona, as the location of the facility where it will perform final assembly of Delta-class vehicles. The factory will be completed late next year, and the first Delta-class vehicles, designed for higher flight rates than current SpaceShipTwo vehicles, will start carrying private astronauts in 2026. Virgin Galactic announced last week a contract with Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing subsidiary, to produce components for two new carrier aircraft that Virgin will assemble at an existing facility in Mojave, California.

Virgin Galactic disclosed few details about the new factory, such as its size, but said it construction of it was in progress. It is located adjacent to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, enabling completed spaceplanes to be transported by air to Spaceport America in New Mexico. The company said the factory will support “hundreds” of jobs and produce up to six spaceplanes a year. Based on current schedules, the first of these ships is expected to commence revenue-generating payload flights in late 2025, progressing to private astronaut flights in 2026.

Virgin Galactic did not go into details about why it selected Mesa, Arizona, for the factory, but the company previously said it was considering several locations. “We’ve been in contact with multiple municipalities about locations and have received interest from at least three states,” Colglazier said in a November 2021 earnings call about plans for the Delta-class factory. “We expect interest to grow as we estimate we’ll be creating more than 1,000 new jobs. We are looking forward to the new opportunities and community relationships that our expanded footprint will bring.” (7/14)

Cash-Strapped Masten Space Furloughs Employees, Moon Landing Mission at Risk (Source: Parabolic Arc)
One of the companies NASA has awarded contracts for commercial lunar lander missions is reportedly in financial distress. According to a report, Masten Space Systems has furloughed all its staff for the month of July and stopped work on XL-1, a lunar lander it was developing for a NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) mission launching in late 2023. The company lost a key private customer for that mission and had struggled to find a replacement or other financing. (7/15)

NASA Reviewing Software Testing Problems That Caused Psyche Mission Delay (Source: NASA)
NASA has started an independent review of the Psyche mission after software testing issues caused it to miss its launch window. NASA said Thursday a 15-member review board, chaired by industry veteran Tom Young, will start work next week on its review of the asteroid mission. Psyche was to launch in August but is now delayed until at least mid-2023 because of problems developing a testbed for the spacecraft's software. The review board will present its results in late September to support an agency decision on the mission's future. (7/15)

ESA Swarm Spacecraft Dodges Orbital Debris (Source: ESA)
An ESA space science spacecraft had to dodge debris on short notice recently. ESA said one of its three Swarm spaececraft, called Alpha, had to maneuver June 30 to avoid an unidentified piece of debris whose collision threat was detected just eight hours in advance. The maneuver was a success, but it interrupted a series of maneuvers Alpha and another Swarm spacecraft, Charlie, were performing to raise their orbits to reduce atmospheric drag. (7/15)

$9M Aerojet FCA Settlement Could Embolden Whistleblowers (Source: Law360)
Aerojet Rocketdyne's $9 million deal to end a False Claims Act suit alleging that it misled the government about its cybersecurity could spawn similar cases if the Justice Department is committed to backing up whistleblowers, industry attorneys say. The settlement announced last week includes $2.61 million payout to a former cybersecurity executive who accused the company of misrepresenting its digital defenses to win contracts with DoD and NASA. (7/14)

Appraiser Says Florida Homes Lost Value After Cancer Cluster Related to Pratt & Whitney Plant (Sources: Law360, SPACErePORT)
A real estate appraiser told jurors Thursday that he calculated homeowners in a Palm Beach County neighborhood lost a significant amount of property value after news got out about a cancer cluster in the area, which the homeowners claim was caused by a water supply contaminated by Pratt & Whitney. Pratt & Whitney (now Aerojet Rocketdyne) for decades built and tested rocket engines at the West Palm Beach factory. A similar cancer cluster is associated with chemicals allegedly contaminating the ground water from decades ago at what now is Patrick Space Force Base. (7/14)

Momentus, SPAC Left On The Hook For Investor Suit (Source: Law360)
A California federal judge on Wednesday kept the majority of claims that space industry startup Momentus and blank-check company Stable Road Acquisition Corp. inflated stock prices with misstatements about projected revenue and the successful testing of its space technology, dismissing a handful of claims against some company officers. (7/14)

Dawn Aerospace Granted €1.4 Million by EU for Green Propulsion Technology (Source: SpaceWatch Global)
Green propulsion system supplier, Dawn Aerospace, has been awarded €1.4 million from the European Commission to help develop its transformative, green in-space propulsion technology, the company said. The grant was awarded by the European Innovation Council’s Accelerator programme. The funding be invested in hydrazine-replacement technology which has the same size and performance as a hydrazine-based system. The new system, however, will avoid toxicity, supply chain and regulatory risks. (7/15)

The Most Significant Industrial Revolution in History is Underway in Space and the U.S. Must Lead It (Source: Washington Post)
Humans who bore witness to the advent of steam power, the mass production of steel, electricity and the internet could not have predicted, in real time, what a profound impact those innovations would have on our civilization. Only hindsight and history reveal the spark, the key players, the milestone moments and the breakthrough products that define ages of innovation from the industrial revolution to the information age and beyond.

However, at this moment, there is a palpable sense that we have already entered the next and most profound period of innovation in human history. American preeminence in science and technology got us here, and the United States needs to lead the world into the burgeoning era of space commercialization or fall behind the fiercest of competitors. This is an urgent call to the collective American enterprise to step up in space or lose out at a pivotal time. Click here. (7/13)

Pacific Northwest National Lab’s Microbe Study Could Blaze a Trail for Future Farmers on Mars (Source: GeekWire)
An experiment that’s on its way to the International Space Station focuses on a subject that’s as common as dirt, but could be the key to growing crops in space. The NASA-funded experiment — known as Dynamics of Microbiomes in Space, or DynaMoS — is being conducted by researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. DynaMoS makes use soil and bacteria that were collected at a Washington State University field site in Prosser, Wash. (7/14)

North American Aerospace Industries Project Comes to Tallahassee Airport (Source: WTXL)
More details are emerging with Project Alpha, starting with the name of the company that is behind a proposed partnership with Tallahassee's airport--Project Alpha North American Aerospace Industries which focuses on aircraft breakdown and recycling aircraft parts. The project includes the possibility of creating 985 permanent jobs and just over one thousand temporary jobs. This is one of several projects the Tallahassee airport is working to secure. Burrell Aviation and Aero Center are also in the early stages. Between all three projects, airport officials estimate a total economic impact of 616 million dollars and more than 17 hundred jobs. (7/14)