October 13, 2022

First Skyrora Space Launch Ditches in the Sea Off Iceland (Source: BBC)
The British rocket company Skyrora's first attempt to get to space has ended shortly after lift-off with the booster ditching in the sea. The Edinburgh-headquartered company was aiming to get its Skylark L vehicle above 100km in a flight from the Langanes peninsula in Iceland. But a technical problem saw the 11m-long rocket fall back into waters no more than 500m from the launch pad. Skyrora is aiming to start orbital launches from Scotland next year. These will occur at the Saxavord Spaceport being developed on Shetland. They'll use a much bigger vehicle, the Skyrora XL. (10/13)

Bigger, Better, Cheaper: How India Is Building a Private Empire in Space (Source: Vice)
The same month, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned Digantara in his monthly radio show as part of India’s cutting-edge space companies that the world should look out for. By 2021, Digantara had raised millions in seed funding. It is India’s first private company that’s ready to send 40 satellites to identify and potentially clean up space junk. Space junk moves 15 times the speed of a bullet, and can smash spacecraft into pulp. The space junk monitoring market is, by one estimate, worth $2.9 billion this year.

The space program in the world’s biggest democracy has existed since 1969, with the formation of the government’s Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). But in 2020, Modi announced that the country is going to put its heart – and money – into the private sector. This could, one government official ambitiously told the Indian media, lead to India’s own “SpaceX-type ventures.”

Sharma says Indian private space companies are, in fact, growing faster than SpaceX, the American billionaire techie Elon Musk’s space empire, which is valued at over $100 billion. “Other countries are recognising that India is going to be huge in space, and it will continue to grow,” he added. India currently makes up a mere 2 percent of it. But experts say things are changing at a pace that makes the country the next big thing in outer space. (10/12)

First Space Tourist to Visit ISS Back for a Weeklong SpaceX Cruise to the Moon (Source: Space News)
The first space tourist to visit the ISS plans to return to space on a Starship flight around the moon. SpaceX has signed up Dennis Tito and his wife, Akiko, for the company's second Starship circumlunar flight. Tito, who flew to the ISS in 2001, said SpaceX's progress in recent years prompted him to consider a second spaceflight, but he was not interested in returning to the ISS. The Titos will be joined by up to 10 other people on the mission, with SpaceX saying it's seeing "a lot of interest" in the flight. The mission would go after the "dearMoon" trip around the moon on another Starship, but SpaceX did not disclose a schedule for the mission, the launch site for it or the price of tickets. (10/12)

Viasat and Inmarsat Confident Their Combination Benefits Consumers (Source: Space Daily)
Viasat and Inmarsat remain committed to working with the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to demonstrate how their planned transaction will benefit airline, passenger, and enterprise users of In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) in aviation businesses. The proposed transaction has already secured several key regulatory approvals, most recently with the UK Government's clearance of the proposed transaction under the National Security and Investment Act, and over the summer from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. (10/10)

Eutelsat Expects Big Sales Growth with OneWeb Merger (Source: Space News)
Eutelsat expects its sales to nearly double to around $2 billion in five years if its merger with OneWeb is approved. The companies disclosed the financial details of the proposed transaction Wednesday, with Eutelsat arguing that OneWeb is key to competing in a satellite connectivity market that is projected to triple to $16 billion by 2030. Eutelsat announced plans in July to take over OneWeb in an all-share transaction valuing the British startup at $3.4 billion, a deal that requires shareholder approval as well as permission from foreign investment authorities.

OneWeb, which has recorded $50 million in revenues from limited commercial sales through mid-2022, expects to roll out services globally in 15 months after launching its remaining satellites. OneWeb separately announced Wednesday an Innovation Challenge competition that allows individuals, companies and academic organizations to propose applications for its constellation. Winners will have opportunities to collaborate with OneWeb on developing those applications. (10/13)

Artemis 1 Set for Nov. 14 Launch, Following (or Followed By) Launch of Japanese Lunar Lander From Florida (Source: Space News)
NASA's Artemis 1 mission and a Japanese lunar lander are now scheduled to launch days apart from Florida next month. NASA announced Wednesday it was planning a Nov. 14 launch of the SLS, sending the Orion spacecraft into cislunar space. NASA has backup launch opportunities on Nov. 16 and 19. NASA is proceeding with those launches, which would take place in the middle of the night, despite previously stating that it preferred a daytime launch for the first SLS.

Japanese lunar lander company ispace said Wednesday its HAKUTO-R M1 lander mission is scheduled for launch between Nov. 9 and 15 on a Falcon 9 from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The commercial lander is carrying a variety of payloads, including a small rover from the UAE. (10/13)

#MeToo in space: We Must Address the Potential for Sexual Harassment and Assault Away From Earth (Source: The Conversation)
A new dawn of space exploration is upon us. NASA aims to land the first woman and person of colour on the moon by the end of 2025, and send a crew on a year-and-a-half long mission to Mars in the 2030s. To ensure a safe and pleasurable journey to the final frontier, national agencies such as NASA and private companies such as SpaceX must address both the technical and human factors associated with working and living in space. Yet, the realities of sexuality and intimacy in space are mostly omitted. (10/12)

NASA's TESS Spacecraft Enters Safe Mode (Source: NASA)
A NASA exoplanet spacecraft is in safe mode. NASA said Wednesday that the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) went into safe mode Monday after a flight computer suffered a reset. Engineers are working to restore normal operations of the spacecraft, a process expected to take several days. NASA launched TESS in 2018 to monitor the full sky, looking for exoplanets as they pass in front of, or transit, their host stars. Astronomers have used TESS data to find more than 250 exoplanets. (10/13)

China Launches SAR Satellite (Source: Space News)
China launched a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite Wednesday. A Long March 2C rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China at 6:53 p.m. Eastern and placed into orbit the S-SAR01 satellite, also named Huanjing-2E. The spacecraft provides S-band SAR imagery at a resolution of five meters for environmental monitoring. (10/13)

Russian Proton Rocket Launches Satellite for Angola (Source: TASS)
A Proton launched a communications satellite for Angola on Wednesday. The Proton-M launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11 a.m. Eastern and deployed Angosat-2, a satellite built by Russia's ISS Reshetnev for the government of Angola. The satellite will provide C-, Ku- and Ka-band services from 23 degrees east in GEO. The launch was the first this year for Proton, once a workhorse for both commercial and Russian government satellites. (10/13)

Lockheed Embracing New Partnerships to Improve Responsiveness (Source: Space News)
The head of Lockheed Martin's space division is emphasizing partnerships so it can work more quickly. Speaking at the Satellite Innovation conference Wednesday, Robert Lightfoot said that while his company has the capability to develop the spacecraft its customers are asking for, it needs to work with partners to be able to meet those customers' schedules. He said the company is looking at offering services in addition to products, such as developing a lunar communications network. (10/13)

JPL Embracing New Partnerships, New Flight Opportunities (Source: Space News)
The new director of JPL is working to adjust how the lab works as the space ecosystem changes. In an interview, Laurie Leshin said she is looking at how the lab can take advantage of new partners and new flight opportunities as the industry changes with more new companies and other potential partners. She said JPL is also working to better estimate mission costs and deal with cost overruns but added that it is not an easy problem to resolve. (10/13)

Slovakia Seeks Full ESA Membership (Source: ESA)
Slovakia moved a step closer to becoming a full member of the European Space Agency. The country formally became an associate member of ESA Thursday as a seven-year agreement concluded earlier this year took effect. Slovakia has been working with ESA through a cooperating states agreement since 2016. As an associate member, Slovakia can vote on issues related to programs it subscribes to, and the country intends to participate in technology, Earth observation and space safety programs at next month's ministerial meeting. (10/13)

Chinese Astronauts Give Lecture From Space Station (Source: Xinhua)
The third live class from China's space station was held Wednesday afternoon, delivered by Shenzhou-14 crew members Chen Dong, Liu Yang, and Cai Xuzhe to students on Earth. The main classroom is located at the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The class is also being attended by students from other three classrooms in Yunnan, Henan, and Shandong. (10/12)

Japan Becomes First in Asia to Get Starlink Connection (Source: Space.com)
Japan on Tuesday became the first country in Asia to receive Internet access from the Starlink satellite system from the SpaceX company. Starlink is led by SpaceX, which envisions the system as part of a constellation of satellites that would deliver broadband Internet across the globe. A service map from Starlink shows most of central and northern Japan is now covered by the technology, including Tokyo. The rest of the country could see full coverage by the fourth quarter. South Korea, to Japan's west, is expected to get service early next year. (10/11)

Second Batch of Airbus' Sparkwing Solar Panels Selected by Aerospacelab (Source: Space Daily)
An additional six of Airbus' Sparkwing solar panels have been selected by Aerospacelab to accommodate their ramp up towards higher satellite production volumes. The panels are designed and produced at Airbus' Dutch site in Leiden. The ordered configuration, consisting of two single panel wings, each measuring 1070x570mm, is identical to the set recently delivered by Airbus for the first flight model of Aerospacelab's Very High Resolution (VHR) mission. (10/13)

Mexico Denies Russia Space Deal Will Aid Spying (Source: Space Daily)
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday denied that a space cooperation agreement signed with Russia last year would help Moscow spy on North America. The pact was inked before Russia's invasion of Ukraine and "now a scandal is being made because there's talk that Mexico is allowing Russian satellites to be used to spy on Mexican and North American airspace," Lopez Obrador told reporters. (10/10)

Space Florida, Florida Venture Forum Award $100,000 to Early Stage Companies (Source: Space Forida)
Space Florida and the Florida Venture Forum, Florida’s largest statewide support organization for investors and entrepreneurs, are pleased to announce EVQLV, Novineer, Inc., and Revterra Corporation as the award winners at the 2022 Florida Early Stage Capital Conference in Tampa. A panel of investor judges reviewed each eligible company’s presentation and supporting materials. Grand Prize Winner EVQLV will receive $40,000 of Space Florida’s Accelerating Innovation (AI) Award, while 1st Runner-Up Novineer, Inc. will receive $30,000 and 2nd Runner-Up Revterra Corporation will receive $20,000.  A total of 19 companies presented this year.

Additionally, OverTheShoulder and Pet HealthCare Innovations were the recipients of the 13th annual 2022 Statewide Collegiate Startup Competition, attracting the “best of the best” in collegiate competitors from 11 of Florida’s leading innovation-focused colleges and universities.  They each will receive $5,000. (10/12)

Virgin Orbit, Spire Global Sign Multilaunch Agreement (Source: Virgin Orbit)
Building on their shared record for successful collaboration in responsive space, Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR), a global provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, has entered a binding Launch Service Agreement with leading launch provider, Virgin Orbit (Nasdaq: VORB), to purchase multiple launches over several years. The first launch is expected to take place in 2023.

Exemplary of the growing demand for the small satellite market, the launches will support the growth of Spire Space Services, a platform which offers customers fast and scalable access to space through a subscription model, and continual upgrades and enhancements to the company’s fully deployed satellite constellation. Spire will make full use of LauncherOne’s demonstrated flexibility by launching to a variety of orbits – from mid-inclination to polar – all out of Virgin Orbit’s first spaceport in Mojave, California. (10/12)

Space Memorabilia Auction Planned on Nov. 5 on Space Coast (Source: American Space Museum)
The American Space Museum will host a “Space Collectible Show” on Saturday, Nov. 5 from 9 am to 5 pm at Titusville Holiday Inn, I-95. Sponsored by Ken Havekotte's SpaceCoast Cover Service and Chuck Jeffrey of Space Memorabilia and Bid Again Auctions, with vendors selling space memorabilia and souvenirs that will include flown space items, autograph material, photographs, models, literature, books, cloth patches, postal covers, pins, badges, toys, and more. Throughout the space day show, free space memorabilia appraisals and evaluations will be conducted by Chuck Jeffrey of Orlando and Ken Havekotte of Merritt Island. Click here. (10/12)

Experience Delivers: Moving SLS with the Crawler-Transporter (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
Meet Bob Myers, an operations engineer on the Test and Operations Support Contract and one of NASA’s crawler drivers that transport rockets to and from the Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Complex 39B. Myers had a few jobs ahead of his NASA crawler days, starting off at Westinghouse, which had plans to build a floating nuclear power plant, however, investors ultimately backed out. During that time, the Space Shuttle Program started to gear up. Myers also has accumulated the most time driving the crawler, CT-2, up the 5-degree gradient slope to the platform of Launch Complex 39B with the shuttle and SLS rocket. (10/12)

Amazon to Launch First of its Kuiper Internet Satellites on ULA Rocket (Source: Washington Post)
The first two satellites of Amazon’s space-based internet constellation will be launched early next year on the maiden flight of a new rocket being developed by one of the U.S. Space Force’s biggest contractors. In an announcement Wednesday, Amazon said it would hitch a ride on the new ULA Vulcan rocket.

The prototype satellites, part of Amazon’s Kuiper system that would beam the internet to stations on the ground, were initially scheduled to launch by the end of this year by rocket start-up ABL Space Systems. But delays and the opportunity to launch with ULA, which was already contracted for 47 launches of satellites for Amazon, compelled the company to switch rockets, Rajeev Baydal, the vice president of technology for Project Kuiper, said in an interview. (10/12)

Mary Kay Awards Education Grant to Young Woman Aspiring to Become First Latin American Woman Astronaut to Visit Mars (Source: SpaceRef)
As a decades-long leader in women’s empowerment and innovative science, Mary Kay celebrates young women who are taking charge of their futures through leadership, innovation, and determination to excel in STEAM fields. Women make up only 28% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering, and math. [1] By offering continued support to young women in STEAM fields, they are continuing Mary Kay’s mission, which is to improve women’s lives everywhere. (10/12)

On Space Matters, Biden’s National Security Strategy Adopts a Less Combative Tone (Source: Space News)
The White House on Oct. 12 released a long-delayed national security strategy that lays out challenges the United States faces in a tripolar world, with China and Russia as the nation’s key competitors.  President Biden’s national security advisor Jake Sullivan said the United States is entering a “decisive decade” of strategic competition with major powers. At the same time, the U.S. will need to work closely with allies to address transnational challenges like climate change, food insecurity, pandemics, terrorism, energy shortages and inflation.

“We will leverage all elements of our national power to outcompete our strategic competitors; tackle shared challenges; and shape the rules of the road,” the strategy says. With regard to outer space and its role in national security, Biden’s strategy takes a less combative tone than the former Trump administration’s strategy released in 2017.

“Space exploration and use benefits humanity, from creating economic opportunities to developing new technologies and enabling climate surveillance,” Biden’s strategy says. “America will maintain our position as the world’s leader in space and work alongside the international community to ensure the domain’s sustainability, safety, stability, and security. We must lead in updating outer space governance, establishing a space traffic coordination system and charting a path for future space norms and arms control. (10/12)