September 25, 2022

Enceladus Shown to Have All Six of the Essential Elements for Life (Source: New Scientist)
Reanalysis of icy rock grains from a ring of Saturn – fed by ice plumes from its moon Enceladus – has revealed the presence of phosphorus, the only key essential element for life that hadn’t already been spotted. Saturn’s moon Enceladus is producing phosphorus, meaning that this icy moon holds all the essential building blocks for life as we know it. Every life form on Earth contains six key elements: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulphur. The known existence of these, bar phosphorus, on Enceladus, combined with a liquid ocean and a warm core, had already made the moon one of the most likely places for life in the solar system. (9/21)

NASA Delays Moon Rocket Launch as Storm Approaches (Sources: GeekWire, SpaceFlight Now)
With Tropical Storm Ian approaching the Florida coast, NASA has decided not to go forward with its third attempt to launch its heavy-lift Space Launch System moon rocket on Tuesday. Yet to be decided: whether the rocket will stay on the pad to ride out the storm, or whether it will be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

If mission managers decide to move the rocket inside the building for safety’s sake, that could delay the start of NASA’s Artemis 1 round-the-moon mission until November. Liftoff had already been postponed twice due to technical issues with the rocket’s fueling system — issues that NASA says have now been resolved. The crawler transporter is making its way up the ramp at launch pad 39B as NASA gets ready to move the Artemis 1 moon rocket should that become necessary because of the threat from Tropical Storm Ian. (9/25)

Historic Vandenberg Launch Pad Faces Uncertain Future After Final West Coast Delta 4 Mission (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
ULA will move out of historic Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California following the flight of a Delta 4 Heavy rocket set for Saturday, leaving the military to find a new tenant for the launch pad once intended to host space shuttle missions on the West Coast. The Delta 4-Heavy rocket launched Saturday from the SLC-6 launch site, nestled on a remote hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean near the southwestern edge of Vandenberg Space Force Base, roughly 140 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

The launch of NROL-91 was the final flight of ULA’s powerful Delta 4 Heavy rocket from California. It was also the 95th and final Delta rocket overall to launch from Vandenberg. ULA is retiring the Delta 4 rocket family in favor of the next-generation Vulcan Centaur launcher. There are two more Delta 4-Heavy rockets left to launch from Cape Canaveral in early 2023 and 2024 before the Delta rocket family is retired for good. (9/23)

SpaceX Launches Another 52 Starlink Satellites, Lands Rocket at Sea (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX launched another 52 of its Starlink internet satellites to orbit Saturday evening (Sept. 24) and also aced a rocket landing at sea. A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 52 Starlink spacecraft lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Saturday at 7:32 p.m. EDT. Just under nine minutes later, the Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth for a pinpoint touchdown on the SpaceX "droneship" A Shortfall of Gravitas, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the fourth liftoff and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. (9/24)

In Major Step, Space Force Takes Over All Military Satellite Communications (Source: The Gazette)
The Space Force has taken over all of the Department of Defense's military satellite communication functions, a major step in building the new service. The Navy and the Army have transferred major satellite communication operations to the Space Force in an effort to consolidate training, operations, acquisition and other activities, according to a news release. The transfer marks the first time all military satellite communication functions have been consolidated under a single military service.

The Army's transfers were expected to include $78 million in operations, maintenance and 500 positions, the release said. As part of the consolidation, the Army transferred the Wideband Global SATCOM and Defense Satellite Communications System to the Space Force in August. The Wideband Global SATCOM system is considered the "backbone of the U.S. military's global satellite communications," according to the Space Force. (9/24)