September 26, 2022

SpaceX Breaks Pad Turnaround Record with Two Falcon 9 Launches in Six Days (Source: Teslarati)
SpaceX has completed its 43rd launch of 2022 and 62nd dedicated Starlink launch overall, breaking a launch pad turnaround record in the process. That pad – Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) Launch Complex 40 (LC-40) – is the single most important cog in SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch machine, significantly increasing the significance of what might otherwise be ‘just’ another broken record for a company that is famous for never settling.

Following several delays linked to another weather-plagued Starlink launch (4-34) that flew out of the same pad, a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from LC-40 on SpaceX’s Starlink 4-35 mission at 7:32 pm EDT, Saturday, Sep. 24. As usual, the mission used a flight-proven Falcon 9 booster (B1073), two flight-proven payload fairing halves, and an expendable second stage. As usual, all four components performed flawlessly, and a new batch of 52 Starlink V1.5 satellites was deployed about 15 minutes after liftoff. (9/25)

See How NASA's New Lunar Mega-Rocket Sizes Up to Past and Future Astronaut Launch Systems (Source: Business Insider)
The Space Launch System (SLS) is 17 years and an estimated $50 billion in the making. It's designed to fly astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972, when astronauts conducted the last moonwalk of the Apollo era. Now NASA is kicking off a new program, called Artemis, to build a space station orbiting the moon and set up a permanent human presence on the surface of the lunar south pole. Eventually, the agency wants to mine resources there to send astronauts to Mars.

NASA needs a powerful rocket to carry out such a long-distance mission. The current iteration of SLS, called Block 1, stands taller than the Statue of Liberty at about 30 stories. To understand just how large that is, and just how much power it takes to fly to the moon, let's compare it to other astronaut-flying rockets. SLS is huge, but it's small for a moon rocket. Click here. (9/26)

International Astronautical Federation Elects First Saudi Woman as Representative (Source: The National)
The International Astronautical Federation (IAF) on Sunday announced that Saudi Arabia's representative has been elected as one of the federation's 12 vice presidents. Aerospace engineer Mishaal Ashemimry is the first Saudi woman to hold a leadership position at the IAF. She was selected for the because of her vision for the development of the space sector globally, her contribution to the development and consolidation of the federation’s directions, and her role in strengthening the kingdom’s leadership position in the aerospace sector, the Saudi Press Agency reported. (9/26)

Aiming Too High: the Advent Military Communications Satellite (Source: Space Review)
Complex military space programs that run behind schedule and over budget are nothing new. Dwayne Day explores the history of an overly ambitious military communications satellite program from the early years of the space age. Click here. (9/26)
 
Space for (Mostly) All (Source: Space Review)
The International Astronautical Congress last week had a record turnout of more than 9,000 people from 110 countries. However, Jeff Foust reports that a lot of attention was on two major spacefaring nations, China and Russia, that had little or no presence at the event. Click here. (9/26)
 
An Analysis of Chinese Remote Sensing Satellites (Source: Space Review)
China has developed a wide array of remote sensing satellites for civil, commercial, and military applications. Henk H.F. Smid examines what is known about this growing fleet of spacecraft. Click here. (9/26)

Spanish Startup Could Enter Direct-to-Cell Market (Source: Space News)
Spain’s Sateliot has thrown its hat into the ring for providing connectivity from satellites directly to standard mobile phones. The Spanish startup says satellite technology it is developing for small internet of things (IoT) devices could also be used to send and receive SMS messages from a regular handset. While providing direct-to-cell services was always part of the company’s strategy, according to Sateliot CEO Jaume Sanpera, he said the venture went public with the plan last week following a spike in interest for the capability.

Heavyweights SpaceX, Apple, and Chinese smartphone maker Huawei have recently announced their own direct-to-cell plans. However, on top of convincing smartphone makers to add a compatible chip into their designs, Sateliot also needs to secure more funds to deploy its planned constellation. The startup has enough funding to deploy its first five operational satellites next year, Sanpera told SpaceNews, and hopes to secure around $100 million for a full network of 250 satellites. (9/26)

Will Jewish Astronaut Jessica Meir Be NASA's First Woman on the Moon? (Source: Jerusalem Post)
As humanity reaches for the stars with renewed vigor, Jessica Meir is one of the leading astronauts at the forefront of our cosmic ambitions. Born in Maine to a Swedish mother and an Israeli-Jewish father, Meir has been enamored with space from a young age and has been involved with NASA for nearly two decades. Since then, she has made waves as a successful and accomplished astronaut, including being part of the first-ever all-female spacewalk.

Throughout that time, Meir has made no secret about her closeness to Judaism and Israel, proudly putting her Jewishness and Israeli ties on full display on social media and bringing an Israeli flag, Star of David socks, a commemorative coin honoring late Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon and other related items with her into space. (9/25)

Norwegian Space Industry Blasts Off with New Spaceport (Source: Business Norway)
After flying under the radar for decades, Norway’s space industry is rocketing into the limelight. In 2022, Norway will open the first launch base for satellites on the European continent. “Our commercial space activities will put Norway on the map as a strategic, European asset in the space sector,” says Christian Hauglie-Hanssen, Director General of the Norwegian Space Agency.

The spaceport is a part of Norway’s foray into New Space, the emerging commercial space industry. Andøya Space, a Norwegian aerospace company, is establishing a launch site for small satellites at Andøya in Northern Norway. This will make Norway one of the few countries worldwide to have a spaceport on their own territory. As a launch site operator, Andøya Space will provide the technical infrastructure including launch pads and buildings, while launch operators and launch service providers will bring their launch vehicles and payloads to the spaceport.

In addition, the Norwegian Government is fully behind the venture, allocating NOK 365.6 million (roughly USD 42 million) for development of the spaceport. Andøya’s remote location on the coast, 300 km within the Arctic Circle, is a perfect starting point to reach the polar and sun-synchronous orbits used by small satellites. (9/23)

Mars is Littered with 15,694 Pounds of Human Trash (Source: Space Daily)
People have been exploring the surface of Mars for over 50 years. According to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, nations have sent 18 human-made objects to Mars over 14 separate missions. Many of these missions are still ongoing, but over the decades of Martian exploration, humankind has left behind many pieces of debris on the planet's surface.

I am a postdoctoral research fellow who studies ways to track Mars and Moon rovers. In mid-August 2022, NASA confirmed that the Mars rover Perseverance had spotted a piece of trash jettisoned during its landing, this time a tangled mess of netting. And this is not the first time scientists have found trash on Mars. That's because there is a lot there. Debris on Mars comes from three main sources: discarded hardware, inactive spacecraft and crashed spacecraft.

A lot of small, windblown trash has been found over the years - like the netting material found recently. Earlier in the year, on June 13, 2022, Perseverance rover spotted a large, shiny thermal blanket wedged in some rocks 1.25 miles (2 km) from where the rover landed. Both Curiosity in 2012 and Opportunity in 2005 also came across debris from their landing vehicles. (9/21)

Avanti to Pool Ka-Band Capcity with Turksat (Source: Space News)
Satellite operator Avanti Communications has secured its first major deal to use another regional satellite operator's capacity. Avanti announced this month a five-year partnership with Turksat to pool Ka-band capacity on two Avanti satellites as well as Turksat-5B. Avanti said the deal is part of efforts to expand its services in Africa, including a new managed service to help mobile operator customers bring connectivity to remote and hard-to-reach areas across sub-Saharan Africa. (9/26)

China Launches Experimental Satellites (Source: Xinhua)
China launched two experimental satellites Saturday. A Kuaizhou-1A lifted off from a mobile launch platform at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at 6:55 p.m. Eastern and placed the Shiyan-14 and Shiyan-15 satellites into orbit. Chinese media said Shiyan-14 will be used for unspecified scientific experiments and technology demonstrations while Shiyan-15 will be used for Earth imaging. (9/26)

NASA and ESA Affirm Lunar Cooperation (Source: Space News)
NASA and ESA signed a joint statement last week affirming current and future cooperation in lunar exploration. The statement, signed during the International Astronautical Congress, outlined current cooperation between the agencies on Artemis and "highlighted ongoing discussions on future collaboration," NASA said. ESA is seeking funding for new lunar programs, including a large cargo lander and a communications and navigation network, that it could offer NASA in exchange for additional seats on Artemis missions. (9/26)

NASA Updates Objectives for Exploration (Source: Space News)
NASA updated a list of objectives for its exploration architecture. NASA unveiled a revised list of 63 objectives for exploration of the moon and Mars last week, incorporating feedback from a draft list of 50 objectives published by NASA in May. The changes include revamping the list of science objectives as well as including a set of "recurring tenets" or common themes like the responsible use of space. The objectives are part of a broader approach by NASA to develop an architecture for human and robotic exploration, and use that to guide programs. (9/26)

FCC Aims To Cut Satellite Debris, But Can It Regulate Space? (Source: Law360)
The Federal Communications Commission's plan to narrow the time frame for de-orbiting defunct satellites by 20 years has support from industry experts who call it a necessary step to fuel space innovation, but it's also raising questions about the extent of FCC authority to regulate activities in space. (9/23)

L3Harris FCA Billing 'At Least Reckless,' 3rd Circ. Told (Source: Law360)
A former L3Harris Technologies Inc. employee told the Third Circuit on Friday that his dismissed whistleblower claims targeting $10 million worth of improper billings for work on a Royal Australian Navy contract showed at least reckless disregard sufficient to keep the case alive in a lower court. (9/26)

Lockheed, Airbus Tell 4th Circ. Satellite Deal Not Commercial (Source: Law360)
Lockheed Martin and Airbus have urged the Fourth Circuit to ignore a broker's argument that a recent shipwreck salvage ruling supports its ability to pursue claims over a $3.1 billion South Korean military satellite deal, saying that salvage dispute isn't relevant. (9/26)

ClearSpace Secures a Major UK Contract to Help Clean Up Space (Source: Astro Agency)
Following the successful completion of a feasibility study of the CLEAR mission to remove two UK-registered derelict objects from low Earth orbit, a consortium led by ClearSpace has been awarded a follow-up contract by the UK Space Agency to perform the preliminary design of the mission. The company’s solution responds to the pressing need to preserve the increasingly congested space environment and is a stepping stone towards other services in orbit. 

In 2021, the UK Space Agency (UKSA) commissioned the ClearSpace UK-based subsidiary to perform a feasibility study for a mission to remove at least two UK-registered derelict objects from low Earth orbit (LEO). In this study, the team explored different mission scenarios, defined the mission and system requirements and selected the technologies necessary for the implementation of the mission. In March 2022, ClearSpace and its partners successfully completed this first study phase.

ClearSpace has now been awarded a £2.2M contract by the UKSA to conduct the next phase of this mission. This design phase will last until October 2023 and will finish with the preliminary design review — an evaluation of the progress on the design and the technical adequacy of the proposed mission. The Clearing of the LEO Environment with Active Removal (CLEAR)mission, which will advance key technology building blocks, is a catalyst for the development of commercially viable disposal services. (9/26)

Artemis 1 SLS to Shelter From Hurricane Ian in Assembly Building (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
NASA has opted to return the Artemis 1 Space Launch System rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building to shelter from the potential effects of Hurricane Ian. The agency was hoping to fly Artemis 1 as early as Sept. 27 with a backup opportunity on Oct. 2 following the completion of repairs and last week’s tanking demonstration on the vehicle. However, the potential for tropical weather has caused NASA to call off its launch plans. (9/26)