September 10, 2022

It’s Time for Congress to Order the Nuclear Option (Source: Space News)
As NASA finally launches the first Space Launch System (SLS) mission, America is failing to invest in critical space propulsion technology needed to send astronauts to Mars. The United States must develop space nuclear propulsion technologies to enable 21st-century human missions to Mars. Congress should immediately direct NASA and the Department of Energy to partner with a University Affiliated Research Center or Federally Funded Research and Development Center to create a new National Space Nuclear Propulsion Laboratory.

It is naive and against national interests for the U.S. to rely on expensive, outdated, slow, single-use chemically propelled rockets like SLS to transport astronauts to Mars. Instead, America must aggressively invest in developing space nuclear propulsion systems. Nuclear technology, including nuclear electric propulsion (or “NEP”) and nuclear thermal propulsion (or “NTP”), will be a space travel game-changer with profound implications for deep space mission speed, agility and capability. (9/8)

Canadian Spaceport Expects to Evolve From Suborbital to Orbital Missions (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
If things go to plan, the first suborbital launch is scheduled for no earlier than the second quarter of 2023 with Quebec-based Reaction Dynamics and their suborbital vehicle. The rocket is called Aurora, and while the first launch will be suborbital, the rocket itself is part of a small-class launcher service from Reaction Dynamics, with the orbital version capable of taking 50-150 kg to low Earth orbit (LEO).

All of this is part of a phased expansion that will ultimately see the medium-lift vehicle, called Cyclone-4M, launching up to eight times a year from Spaceport Nova Scotia. The Cyclone-4M is derived from the Tsyklon-4 rocket and is a Ukrainian vehicle that has been modified from its original design to feature Zenit-derived kerolox first-stage engines to replace the Russian engines of the original design. (9/9)

Trump Pushed for Nuclear Testing on the Moon During Final Months of Presidency (Source: Salon)
In the final months of his presidency, Donald Trump ordered nuclear energy to be tested on the moon by 2027, as well as the development of nuclear-powered spacecraft that would orbit the Earth, the moon and outer space. He also ordered the development of micro nuclear reactors small enough that they could fit inside a typical shipping truck that zips cargo along the highway.

During this period, the media was busy reporting on the Jan. 6 riots, insurrection and false accusations of voter fraud — and few paid attention. However, these orders may offer clues about what was included in some of the 'Top Secret' folders squirreled away in Mar-a-Lago. On Dec. 16, 2020, Trump signed the "Space Policy Directive-6," which set the goal of testing nuclear energy on the moon by 2027. Then on Jan. 5, 2021, — the day before the Jan. 6 insurrection — Trump signed Executive Order 13972, which directed NASA, the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense to study the cost and technical feasibility of using nuclear-powered spacecraft and satellites. (9/8)

Vice President Harris Announces Commitments to Inspire, Prepare, and Employ the Space Workforce (Source: White House)
Today, at the second convening of the National Space Council, Vice President Kamala Harris is announcing new commitments from the U.S. government, private sector companies, education and training providers, and philanthropic organizations to support space-related STEM initiatives to inspire, prepare, and employ the next generation of the space workforce. In order to address the challenges of today and prepare for the discoveries of tomorrow, the country needs a skilled and diverse space workforce.

This is why the White House released the Interagency Roadmap to Support Space-Related STEM Education and Workforce. This Roadmap outlines the initial set of coordinated Administration actions to bolster our nation’s capacity to inspire, prepare and employ a diverse and inclusive space workforce, starting with increasing awareness of the wide range of space careers, providing resources and opportunities to better prepare jobseekers for the workplace, and placing a focus on strategies to recruit, retain and advance professionals of all backgrounds in the space workforce.

To magnify the Administration’s efforts, the Vice President is announcing a new coalition of space companies that will focus on increasing the space industry’s capacity to meet the rising demand for the skilled technical workforce. The new coalition’s work will kick off in October 2022 and be anchored by Blue Origin, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman. Other industry partners will include Amazon, Jacobs, L3Harris, Planet Labs PBC, Rocket Lab, Sierra Space, Space X and Virgin Orbit, and will be joined by the Florida Space Coast Consortium Apprenticeship Program and its sponsors, SpaceTEC, Airbus OneWeb Satellites, Vaya Space, and Morf3D. (9/9)

Space Coast Apprenticeship Program Nationally Recognized as Model for Space Industry (Source: SCCAP)
The Space Coast Consortium Apprenticeship Program (SCCAP) is an industry-led consortium of Space, Aerospace, Defense and Marine companies hosted by SpaceTEC Partners, Inc. (SPI). SCCAP’s programs are located near the Cape Canaveral Spaceport and are recognized nationally as an apprenticeship model that could be replicated in multiple high-value Advanced Manufacturing, Aerospace and Defense locations across the US.

A series of SCCAP events and successes in 2022 have led to SCCAP’s being recognized by the National Space Council, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Defense. (9/9)

New EFSC Apprenticeship Students Launch Their Futures (Source: EFSC)
Eastern Florida State College and a team of industry partners welcomed 11 new students into a growing apprenticeship program Tuesday that is playing an important role in providing area companies with high-tech workers. The Space Coast Consortium Apprenticeship Program — an industry-driven effort led by several advanced manufacturing companies in Brevard County — is spearheading the move in partnership with EFSC and programs on its Cocoa Campus. (9/6)

NASA Requests Space Force Waiver to Allow September Artemis Launch (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA has asked the U.S. Space Force if it would allow for two opportunities later this month to try again to launch the Artemis I mission to the moon, but to do so NASA would also need to sign off on fixes in the works to the $4.1 billion rocket on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. The rocket, specifically the batteries of its flight termination system, currently faces a 25-day limit from the Eastern Range, which is run by the Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45 and responsible for protecting the region from the danger inherent in rocket launches. A waiver by the Eastern Range would allow Artemis I to remain at the launch pad through the proposed launch opportunities. (9/8)

Surprise Finding Suggests 'Water Worlds' are More Common Than We Thought (Source: Space Daily)
Water is the one thing all life on Earth needs, and the cycle of rain to river to ocean to rain is an essential part of what keeps our planet's climate stable and hospitable. When scientists talk about where to search for signs of life throughout the galaxy, planets with water are always at the top of the list. A new study suggests that many more planets may have large amounts of water than previously thought-as much as half water and half rock. The catch? All that water is probably embedded in the rock, rather than flowing as oceans or rivers on the surface. (9/9)

Why Do We Always Need to Wait for Launch Windows to Get a Rocket to Space? (Source: Space Daily)
A launch window is like waiting for the stars to align. The rocket will be "thrown" off the surface of Earth. This toss must be timed perfectly so the craft's resulting path through space sends it - and everything it's carrying - towards the intended location at the right time. For Artemis I - a mission to send the Orion capsule into orbit around the Moon - the "right time" means waiting for the Moon to be as close to Earth as possible (known as "perigee") during its 28-day cycle. Hence why we'll now be waiting roughly four weeks for the next moonshot.

With much of the flight path relying on gravity assists (a "swing-by" that uses the momentum of a large body to increase or decrease the speed of a passing craft) from both Earth and the Moon, and because we want the Orion capsule to come back safely, the timing is crucial. Orion must slingshot past the Moon, not crash into it, so the positions of the rocket launcher, Earth, Moon and lunar capsule must all be known precisely at all times. (9/9)