September 22, 2022

Space Archaeologists Offer First Consultancy Firm for Orbital Habitats (Source: Space Daily)
Three well-known space archaeologists have opened a new consultancy firm, offering advice to builders and designers of any future space stations or other off-planet living arrangements. The goal of Brick Moon is to help clients "create orbital or planetary habitats that improve productivity, reduce costs, and support crew well-being," according to its mission statement.

The newly minted venture is run by Justin Walsh and Alice Gorman, both of whom work on the International Space Station Archaeological Project. The two are considered world leaders in the field of space archaeology. Fred Shearman, a designer, researcher and historian of the theory of space architecture, rounds out the joint venture. Walsh is a professor at Chapman University in Orange, Calif. Gorman teaches at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia. (9/19)

FY23 Budget Request for Space Force Reflects 36% Increase From Enacted FY22 Funding (Source: FNN)
An analysis by The Aerospace Corp.’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy shows that the Biden administration sought a budget of $24.7 billion for the U.S. Space Force for fiscal year 2023, up 36 percent or $6.5 billion from the enacted funding for FY 2022. The budget request for the upcoming fiscal year highlights the consolidation of defense space activity within the Space Force and growth in missile warning and tracking programs, according to the report.

The center said the transfer of military personnel to the Space Force and the integration of the Space Development Agency with the new service branch represent approximately 53 percent of the requested budget increase for the Space Force. According to the analysis, the Space Warfighting Analysis Center established by the Space Force in 2021 recommended the development of a constellation of 136 satellites in low-Earth orbit and 16 spacecraft in medium-Earth orbit for missile warning and tracking operations to help the service prepare for advanced missile threats and defend the architecture from such threats. (9/21)

Maritime Launch and Skyrora Partner to Launch Skyrora XL From Spaceport Nova Scotia (Source: Space Daily)
Maritime Launch Services and Skyrora are pleased to announce that they have signed a Letter of Intent to launch Skyrora XL from Spaceport Nova Scotia. Maritime Launch is developing and operating Spaceport Nova Scotia, Canada's first orbital launch complex and the first commercial spaceport in North America. Headquartered in Edinburgh with facilities located across Europe, Skyrora designs, manufactures, and deploys launch vehicles for small satellite manufacturers looking to access space.

The primary goal of this agreement is for Skyrora to supply launch vehicles for Maritime Launch satellite clients as well as to host their own satellite clients under a lease agreement. Skyrora XL is a three-stage, small class launch vehicle intended to place payloads into Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) between a range of 500km and 1,000km in altitude with a maximum payload of 350 kg to LEO. The vehicle is also intended to place payloads into Polar Orbit between a range of 200km and 1,000km in altitude. (9/22)

NASA Completes Artemis 1 Fueling Test (Source: Space News)
NASA said it achieved all the objectives of a tanking test of the Space Launch System Wednesday despite some hydrogen leaks. NASA filled the core and upper stages of the vehicle with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen during the day-long test. There was initially a hydrogen leak at the start of fueling of the core stage, but controllers were able to bring it within acceptable limits by warming and then cooling a connector. Another hydrogen leak took place late in the test, but fell within limits on its own. While NASA said it carried out all the work planned for the test, officials were not yet ready to say they could proceed with a Sep. 27 launch, a date that still requires Eastern Range approval. A tropical storm expected to form in the next few days in the Caribbean could also complicate launch plans. (9/22)

L3Harris Picks Maxar to Build 14 Chassis for Missile Tracking Satellites (Source: Space News)
Maxar will supply the bus for 14 missile-tracking satellites L3Harris is building for SDA. Maxar CEO Daniel Jablonsky said the bus selected by L3Harris is a new product the company designed for low Earth orbit constellations, and is slightly smaller than the Legion model the company designed for its next-generation imaging satellites. L3Harris and Northrop Grumman each received SDA contracts to build 14 satellites for the Tracking Layer Tranche 1 constellation. The agreement with L3Harris is Maxar's first major defense satellite contract. Jablonsky said he views it as a validation of the company's strategy to diversify its mostly commercial satellite manufacturing business. (9/22)

Maxar Gets Regulatory OK for Earth Imaging Satellites (Source: Space News)
Maxar has received regulatory approval to use its Earth imaging satellites to monitor the space environment and sell that data commercially. Maxar's license from NOAA for non-Earth imaging will allow it to image spacecraft and other objects in orbit that could be used for tracking objects, analyzing their characteristics and discriminating benign from aggressive activities. Before the license, Maxar had to get permission from NOAA to use one of its satellites to take an image of another Maxar satellite to inspect it for damage after it was hit by a untracked piece of debris. (9/22)

Kayhan Space and Precious Payload Team to Boost Access to Space Traffic Management (Source: Space Daily)
With satellite and mission operators grappling with unprecedented congestion in space, Kayhan Space and Precious Payload has announced a strategic partnership to provide more access to breakthrough spaceflight safety solutions. As part of the collaborative agreement, Precious Payload will offer Pathfinder - Kayhan's collision avoidance and conjunction assessment software - to satellite operators and space systems developers and integrators who are utilizing its comprehensive online workflow and solutions portal to build space mission capabilities.

Precious Payload offers operators a broad range of customized tools to design and deploy their tailored mission requirements, including Launch.ctrl marketplace for satellite launches, mission analysis, launch licensing, ground station development, insurance procurement, operations, and now a full suite of space traffic management software solutions. (9/22)

NASA Officials Play Down JWST Problem (Source: Space News)
NASA officials Wednesday played down an issue that has taken part of an instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope offline. NASA said Tuesday that one of four observing modes on JWST's MIRI instrument is unavailable after controllers noticed increased levels of friction in a mechanism. Agency officials said at the International Astronautical Congress Wednesday that they don't expect the problem to be a long-term issue for MIRI and that it is studying it "out of an abundance of caution." (9/22)

Amazon and Telesat Coordinate Spectrum for Their Constellations (Source: Space News)
Amazon and Telesat have coordinated spectrum between their planned LEO constellations to avoid interference. The companies informed the FCC Wednesday of that coordination that will "ensure the coexistence" of the two satellite networks. Both constellations plan to use Ka-band spectrum to provide broadband services to user terminals. They said their coordination agreements also cover the Canadian operator's existing fleet of satellites in geostationary orbit. (9/22)

UK's Open Cosmos Plans Smallsat Constellation (Source: Space News)
British small satellite startup Open Cosmos announced plans Wednesday for a shared smallsat constellation. The OpenConstellation system will include 25 satellites with sensors offering varying spatial and spectral resolutions. OpenCosmos invited countries, institutions or companies around the world to contribute their satellites to OpenConstellation, and in return gain access to data over their areas of interest. Space organizations from the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal are among the partners who have made commitments for the first six OpenConstellation satellites, with the first launch scheduled for November. (9/22)

Arksys Plans Flight Demonstrations for Spacecraft Interface Adapter (Source: Space News)
Arkisys is preparing for a spaceflight demonstration of a key technology next year. Arkisys plans to launch Applique, a universal interface adapter designed to connect any spacecraft payload using a variety of common interface standards and protocols. Funding for the mission comes from the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit, which awarded Arkisys $17.5 million in other transaction authority in 2020 for a series of projects. Arkisys designed Applique after discussions with companies focused on various element of on-orbit servicing, including refueling, robotic arm manipulation, and rendezvous and proximity operations. (9/22)

Arabsat Picks SpaceX for Launch (Source: Arabsat)
Arabsat has selected SpaceX to launch its Arabsat 7A satellite. The regional operator announced the launch contract this week, although terms were not disclosed, nor was a launch date. It is the third contract between the companies after the launch of Arabsat 6A in 2019 and the BADR-8 satellite scheduled to launch next year. (9/22)

Virgin Orbit's UK Debut Slips to November (Source: The Telegraph)
The first Virgin Orbit launch from the United Kingdom has slipped again. The LauncherOne mission from Spaceport Cornwall is now expected no earlier than November. The launch was previously planned for August and September, but has been delayed in part due to work needed to get a launch license from the U.K. government. That launch will carry several smallsats for customers that include the U.S. and U.K. militaries. (9/22)

Maison Mumm Designs Champagne Bottle for Axiom (Source: Axiom Space)
Axiom Space will fly a specially designed champagne bottle from Maison Mumm. The companies announced the agreement Wednesday, with Axiom carrying the bottle on future missions to the ISS starting with Ax-2 next year. Mumm worked with the French space agency CNES to design the bottle to ensure it would be safe on a crewed spacecraft. While the bottle will start flying next year, the companies did not say when the champagne itself would be consumed given restrictions on alcoholic beverages on the station. (9/22)

Iridium announces Operation Pacific Waves (Source: Space Daily)
Iridium announced Operation Pacific Waves (OPW), a series of partnership-driven field exercises involving more than 20 organizations. Focused on the Indo-Pacific region, OPW will deploy Iridium and Iridium Connected equipment in live scenarios highlighting the Iridium network's resilient, real-time and truly global capabilities. The event will take place between Wednesday, Sep. 28 and Friday, Sep. 30, 2022.

The field demonstrations will support existing customers like the U.S. Department of Defense, coalition partners and scientific research organizations. OPW is focused on the operational need for Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) communications and mission command across a vast Area of Responsibility (AOR). It will highlight capabilities that directly support Indo-Pacific mission sets enabled by Iridium's Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS) contract with the United States government (USG). The EMSS contract provides unlimited narrowband subscribers and usage over a secure USG gateway. (9/22)

Senate Pulls SBIR Back From Brink of Sunsetting (Source: FNN)
The Small Business Innovation Research program is a big step further away from ending. The Senate passed a three-year authorization of SBIR and the Small Business Technology Transfer Research program by unanimous consent on Sep. 20. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), chairman of Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, introduced and the full body passed the SBIR and STTR Extension Act of 2022 on Wednesday after several months of delay because of concerns from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) about companies abusing the program. The House is expected to take up the Senate’s bill on Sep. 28, according to a spokesman for the Small Business Committee. (9/21)

Rocket Lab Selects NASA Stennis Space Center for Neutron Engine Test Facility (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab revealed it has selected NASA’s historic Stennis Space Center in Mississippi as the location of its engine test facility for its reusable rocket, Neutron. The Archimedes Test Complex will be located within the larger A Test Complex at Stennis Space Center across a 1 million square foot area for 10 years, with an option to extend the lease for an additional 10 years.

The Archimedes Test Complex will include exclusive use and development of existing industrial NASA infrastructure and the Center’s A-3 Test Stand to develop and test Neutron’s Archimedes reusable engines. Rocket Lab has also secured a capital investment incentive from the Mississippi Development Authority to further develop the facilities and infrastructure at Stennis for Neutron. By expanding Stennis Space Center to include the Archimedes Test Complex, Rocket Lab is expected to create dozens of new jobs and make significant capital investments in the state of Mississippi. (9/21)

Russian-American Soyuz MS-22 Crew Arrives at Space Station (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
Three new crew members arrived at the International Space Station following their launch in Soyuz MS-22 from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin, and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio launched on Sep. 21. They reached orbit less than 10 minutes later to begin a three-hour chase of the ISS. Soyuz MS-22 docked with the Earth-facing port of the Rassvet module at 1:06 p.m. EDT. After several hours of leak checks, the trio entered the space station to begin their six-month stay aboard the orbiting outpost. (9/21)

Spaced Ventures Crowdfunding a Speculative Funding Tranche for SpaceX (Source: Space News)
In a little over a week, the crowdfunding platform Spaced Ventures has obtained pledges of $11.4 million from 758 individuals eager to invest in SpaceX. The target is $25 million. That’s the figure Spaced Ventures executives think might attract the attention of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, said Aaron Burnett, Spaced Ventures CEO. Neither Musk nor his company, which has a valuation of $127 billion, has backed the campaign to allow retail investors to buy shares. "It's totally a long shot," Burnett said. (9/21)

Redwire Signs MOU with Bradford Space and Swedish Space Corp. to evelop Commercial Orbital Debris Removal Service (Source: SpaceRef)
Redwire Corp. signed an agreement with both Bradford Space and the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) to develop a commercial orbital debris removal service. Through this collaboration, Redwire will expand the development team and add extensive space robotics and guidance, navigation and control (GN&C) experience to enhance the commercial offering.

The orbital debris removal services will address the issue of common orbits becoming increasingly congested as more actors are accessing space, creating a hazard to other spacecraft using these orbits. Redwire will contribute both robotic hardware and GN&C capabilities for proximity operations and the capture of both cooperative and non-cooperative objects. A Bradford Space satellite bus with significant delta-V capability, named Square Rocket, will be inserted into orbit to then rendezvous with and deorbit the debris. The target orbits are high-inclination polar, including the common Sun synchronous orbit. (9/21)

Arkisys Announces Flight of First Payload Support Test in Space (Source: Arksys)
Arksys announced our first Space mission to fly and demonstrate key technology in a space environment. The mission is to specifically test, validate, and mature its Applique design and architecture, that will be used for all future space missions to and from its Port Modules to support a set of payload and customer goals. This mission is funded through the continuation of its contract with the US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), in which Arkisys was initially awarded a multi-phased Other Transaction Authority (OTA) contract. (9/21)

DoD to End Procurements of Geosynchronous Missile-Warning Satellites (Source: National Defense)
The Pentagon plans to end procurements of very large geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) infrared satellites that provide initial warning of ballistic missile launches anywhere on the globe. Over the coming years DoD will start transitioning to a proliferated architecture of smaller satellites in lower orbits, officials said Sep. 21. (9/21)

Spaceflight and Rocket Factory Partner to Fly Sherpa OTVs on RFA Launches From Europe (Source: Space Daily)
Spaceflight Inc. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for upcoming launches with Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA). The agreement formalizes the plan for Spaceflight to fly its Sherpa orbital transfer vehicles and other rideshare payloads on upcoming RFA missions from a variety of European launch sites, including from facilities in the United Kingdom, French Guiana and others. The companies are targeting mid-2024 for their first launch. (9/21)

SpaceX Wants to Bring Satellite Internet to Iran (Source: Space Daily)
SpaceX will apply for an exemption from US sanctions against Iran in a bid to offer its satellite internet service to the country, owner Elon Musk said on Monday. "Starlink will apply for an exemption from sanctions against Iran," Musk said in response to a tweet from a science reporter. Iranian-born science journalist Erfan Kasraie had said on Twitter that bringing the service to Iran could be a "real game changer for the future" of the country, which elicited Musk's response. (9/20)

Space Florida Invites Proposals for Florida-Israel Aerospace Grants (Source: Space Florida)
The goal of the Florida – Israel program is to promote joint Research & Development collaboration among companies in the State of Florida and the State of Israel. Proposals will be accepted in innovative aerospace, aviation and related technological fields through February 20, 2023. Successful companies will receive funding directly from their country according to its regulations and procedures: companies from Israel will be funded by the Israel Innovation Authority, and companies from Florida will be funded by Space Florida. Click here. (9/20)

SpaceX Starlink Team Meets with Zambia Officials for Satellite Internet Services (Source: Teslarati)
SpaceX is talking with Zambia officials, offering Starlink’s internet services to the country. Recently, Jito Kayumba—the Special Assistant to the Republic of Zambia—tweeted about SpaceX and the country’s officials meeting about Starlink services. (9/19)

From Airport to Spaceport, Australia's Wellcamp Goes Into Orbit (Source: Brisbane Times)
Satellites could soon be launched into orbit from Toowoomba’s Wellcamp airport, but observers hoping to see rockets fired into the sky will be greeted by a more familiar sight — a jumbo jet hurtling down the runway before taking off. Albeit with a giant rocket attached to its underbelly. Virgin Orbit signed a memorandum of understanding with the Wagner Corporation on Tuesday to launch satellites from a modified Boeing 747-400, which would take off from the Wagner-owned airport. (9/20)

Garver: Artemis Delays, Overruns Were Entirely Preventable (Source: Click Orlando)
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has said the Artemis program is infinitely more advanced than the Apollo program and even the space shuttle when it comes to technology, but for more than a decade, one of the loudest critics of Artemis has been former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver. Garver said the Space Launch System (SLS), the giant rocket and rocket boosters, and Orion capsule that has become known as the Artemis I moon rocket, is not the best we can do.

More than a decade ago, Garver was among the loudest voices disagreeing with the SLS as the future of NASA’s deep space exploration. “My point is we’re now using engines that were developed in the 1970s and we recognized all throughout the shuttle program just how finicky they were and how difficult to operate,” Garver said. The SLS uses the same RS-25 engines that powered the space shuttle, upgraded at a cost of $110 million each. Effectively, taxpayers purchased the engines twice—once for the space shuttle and a second time to upgrade them. But when the SLS launches, the engines will not be recycled. Neither will the solid rocket boosters. Nor the external tank. (9/20)

Bridgestone Reinvents Tire for NASA’s Moon Mission (Source: Washington Examiner)
Bridgestone has long been known for designing tires for the track, but now the company is designing tires for the lunar surface too. Partnering with Teledyne, Nissan North America, Sierra Space, and Textron, Bridgestone is doing its part to help build the Lunar Terrain Vehicle for NASA's Artemis program, according to a report. The goal of the program is to return people to the moon this decade, the report noted. (9/20)

Space Force Boosting Numbers, Complexities of Training Exercises (Source: National Defense)
The Space Force has begun a series of exercises to better train its warfighters for conflicts in the space domain, starting with an electronic warfare exercise called “Black Skies.” Engaging in conflicts in space rather than on the ground requires a completely new approach to training, Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond said. “[The Space Force is] leading a fundamental rethink of what readiness means to a force that is primarily employed in place rather than waiting to deploy overseas,” Raymond said. (9/20)

Space Club Honors Florida Space Leaders (Source: NSCFL)
The National Space Club, Florida Committee, will host its 2022 Celebrate Space banquet on Oct. 8 at the Radisson Resort in Cape Canaveral. The event will honor Lifetime Achievement Awardees David McFarland and Raymond Polniak. Kolcum News and Communications Award winners will include Tariq Malik and Tina Leighty. This year's Rising Star Award winner is Alden Param. And 15 workers will be added to the Space Worker Hall of Fame. Click here. (9/21)