August 27, 2022

SpaceX and ULA Set to Launch Robots Into Orbit Next Year That Will Grab Space Junk and Fix Satellites (Source: Business Insider)
A US startup plans to launch four robots onboard SpaceX and ULA rockets next year. Rogue Space Systems' robots will carry out different tasks, like fixing satellites and tackling space debris. Rogue is contracted with Exolaunch for two launches on SpaceX rockets that will each take two robots onboard. Later, there will be one launch on a ULA spacecraft through a partnership with the US Space Force, and another launch with SpaceX, both with one of the robots onboard. (8/27)

Protecting Artemis and Lunar Explorers From Space Radiation (Source: ESA)
While solar flares and small to medium-sized coronal mass ejections are unnervingly spectacular, these phenomena alone are unlikely to pose much risk to Artemis I or future crewed Moon missions. When it comes to the Artemis missions, much of the radiation from a particle event would be blocked by the walls of the space capsule – Orion and its European Service Module were designed to ensure the reliability of essential systems during radiation events.

But the event could interfere with communications between the crew and teams on Earth, and the astronauts could have to seek refuge in a makeshift storm shelter, as happened on the Space Station in September 2017. Yet, the Space Station was still well within the protection of Earth’s ‘magnetosphere’ – a protective bubble of magnetic field that the Moon doesn’t have. “Leaving the magnetosphere is like leaving a safe harbour and venturing out into the open ocean…”  says Melanie Heil.

“Radiation exposure for astronauts at the Moon can be an order of magnitude higher than on the Space Station and several orders of magnitude higher than on Earth’s surface. Future astronauts will face higher risks from solar particle events: it is very important that we study the radiation environment beyond the magnetosphere and improve our ability to predict and prepare for solar storms.” (8/26)

While NASA Gets Set for First Artemis Moon Mission, Aerojet is Working Ahead (Source: GeekWire)
At Aerojet Rocketdyne’s Redmond facility, where hardware for Artemis 1 was built years ago, engineers are already working years ahead. “We have delivered Artemis 1 and 2, and we’re just finishing up Artemis 3 right now so that acceptance testing will finish this summer,” said Erica Raine, the Aerojet program manager who’s overseeing work on the Orion capsule in Redmond.

And she’s just talking about the reaction control thrusters for Artemis 3’s Orion crew module. Some of the components currently being assembled in Redmond are destined to become part of the Artemis 5 moon mission, set for 2028. Aerojet’s production schedule goes to show how long it takes to put together the millions of pieces for the SLS rocket and the Orion capsule that are due for launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday.

Aerojet’s Redmond operation, which has more than 400 employees, focuses on the smaller thrusters: for instance, the 12 reaction control thrusters for the Orion crew module, and the eight auxiliary engines for the European-built service module. The Redmond team also works on the reaction control thrusters on the SLS’s upper stage, also known as the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage. Other Aerojet facilities work on larger propulsion system components, such as Orion’s main engine. (8/27)

Groundbreaking CAPSTONE Spacecraft Makes its Way to the Moon (Source: Parabolic Arc)
NASA’s innovative Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) mission is in the midst of a four-month long voyage to the moon after launch aboard a Rocket Lab rocket from New Zealand on June 28.

CAPSTONE’s mission is to test out the near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) that the human-tended lunar Gateway station will be placed into later in the decade. The Gateway will serve as a kind of base camp for astronauts exploring the moon. (8/26)

Inmarsat Revenues Take Off Thanks to Air Travel Recovery (Source: The Times)
Revenues at Inmarsat rose by 6 percent to $711 million in the first half of the year after its aviation business benefited from the post-Covid recovery in global travel. Revenue from installing wi-fi on aircraft for companies such as Lufthansa and British Airways rose by 60 per cent, while for communication services to the cockpit it grew by 20 percent. (8/27)

Artemis a Leap Into a New Tracking Domain for Space Command (Source: Defense One)
It will be up to U.S. Space Command, whose area of responsibility is anything above 100 kilometers, to keep an eye on Artemis and other international lunar missions, said Kaitlyn Johnson. The area around the moon is a current blind spot for the military, which could leave officials with a lack of awareness about both the operation of American satellites and what adversaries are doing near or on the moon.

“This is fairly imminent,” Johnson said. “I’d like personally to [start work on programs]...to detect and track satellites and objects passing through cislunar space by the end of the decade…because of the sheer amount of activity...We’re a little delayed in being able to have situational awareness of what is going on…[and] until we have that, we can’t think about what other security implications there might be.”

Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond said the space domain must be secure and stable for NASA to conduct science and exploration missions, and acknowledged an uptick in activity around the moon will require the military to keep an eye on the cislunar space. “I would say in…the next five to 10 years, we’re going to have to have some capability to be able to support those operations.” (8/26)

ATLAS Space Operations Secures $26M (Source: ATLAS Space Operations)
ATLAS Space Operations announced $26 million in Series B Funding led by Mitsui & Co., Ltd. The investment round reaffirms confidence in ATLAS’ Ground Software as a Service approach as a critical solution within the space economy. For Mitsui, its investment in ATLAS further demonstrates the corporation’s commitment to its space portfolio. Mitsui has identified an area of focus for innovative companies that provide services to satellite operators. (8/25)

Rocket Lab Vs. SpaceX: Buy 2nd Place For 98% Less (Source: Seeking Alpha)
The market cap of Rocket Lab is roughly $2B, while SpaceX commands a valuation of $125B on the private market (about 60x higher). No doubt SpaceX is the leader, miles ahead in the space race. However in distant 2nd place is Rocket Lab, even beating out Bezo’s Blue Origin. When it comes to defense contractors, the government prefers oligopolies, not monopolies. The dominance of SpaceX for manned travel and low earth orbit won’t last forever. Rocket Lab’s Neutron vs. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is a closer race than you may think. If they can continue on their current trajectory, Rocket Lab offers an asymmetric risk/reward at current valuation. (8/2)

Garver on Artemis: Not a Sustainable Path (Source: Scientific American)
"I am conflicted. I want to embrace this point in history that so many people have worked for—to have the capability to again go to the moon. But for me, the opportunity cost in time and in dollars, competing with programs that would be so much more efficient, and the recognition that I do not see a realistic, sustainable path for this program—all that makes it hard. For the past 30-plus years of my career, when we were talking about going back to the moon, we were always going back to stay. Because we were going to reduce the cost. And it was going to be sustainable. And we were going to have worthy things to do there. I don’t feel like those pieces are in place yet." (8/26)

Krispy Kreme to Launch 'Artemis Moon Doughnut' for NASA Mission (Source: CollectSpace)
Krispy Kreme is celebrating NASA's Artemis I launch with a new, limited edition doughnut inspired by the mission's destination. Set to go on sale the same day that NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket lifts off with an Orion spacecraft to fly around the moon, Krispy Kreme's one-day-only "Artemis Moon Doughnut" is a Cheesecake Kreme-flavored filled doughnut dipped in "Cookies 'n Kreme" icing with a swirl of cookie pieces.

"The Artemis I mission is a proud moment, and we are in awe of the amazing Americans behind the world's most powerful rocket. So, we created these delicious doughnuts to enjoy while you watch the launch," Dave Skena, global chief brand officer for Krispy Kreme, said in a statement issued on Friday (Aug. 26). "The Orion spacecraft atop the rocket will stay in space longer than any ship for astronauts has done without docking to a space station, but our Artemis Moon Doughnut will be available only Monday, so start the countdown and don't miss it! (8/26)

Preventing a Bad Day for SLS (Source: Aerospace America)
Engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center received a challenging assignment in 2011: Design a barrier to keep propellant gases from accumulating near Orion astronauts before and during their ride atop a Space Launch System rocket. Now, a decade later, an updated version of this Langley design is poised to be demonstrated on an SLS rocket for the first time in the uncrewed Artemis I mission. Once NASA begins crewed Artemis flights, the barrier’s role will be one of life and death, and its development story is fittingly complex given those stakes.

The story begins with the hydrogen and oxygen propellant gases that, as with other rockets, must be vented off SLS on the launch pad and during the first seconds of liftoff. This venting avoids overpressurization of the propellant tanks in the core and upper stages given that some of the propellant inside them inevitably warms and turns to gas.

Without a barrier above the upper stage, called the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, any gas from below that was not vented off board could leak into the sections above. Those sections are the Orion Stage Adapter cylinder that joins the core and upper stages to the Orion service module and Orion crew spacecraft. Even separately, oxygen or hydrogen gases present a fire or explosion hazard, but if they mix together they’re a particularly combustible brew. The dome-shaped barrier — known as the Orion Stage Adapter diaphragm — creates a space within the adapter that will be purged of gases by blowing nitrogen gas into it. (11/2021)