October 2, 2022

Blue Origin Opens in Colorado's Highlands Ranch (Source: The Gazette)
Blue Origin, the space company founded by Amazon Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos, opened an expansion office in Highlands Ranch Friday. The Colorado operation would be involved in all of Blur Origin’s ventures, including the New Shepard rocket that has already carried 31 people to outer space over the past year, said Laura Maginnis, a company vice president and its Denver area site leader. On hand to celebrate the opening were Colorado's public policy leaders, who expressed pride in the new aerospace arrival. (9/30)

Commander of Next SpaceX Crew Dragon to be 1st Native American Woman in Space (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA and SpaceX are about to send another quartet for a months-long mission to the International Space Station, but among them will be the first Native American woman in space. Col. Nicole Aunapu Mann will command the Crew-5 mission slated to launch as soon as noon Wednesday from KSC on board the Crew Dragon Endurance atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Pad 39-A.

Mann, who previously trained to fly on Starliner switched over to SpaceX after delays in the Starliner program, but she’s also one of 18 NASA astronauts announced in 2020 to fly on potential Artemis missions to the moon. “I am very proud to represent Native Americans and my heritage,” she said. “It’s interesting, we’re all from very unique, different backgrounds.” (10/1)

Mangalyaan Quietly Bids Goodbye: India's Maiden Mars Mission Runs Out of Fuel (Source: India Today)
Over a decade after it was launched, India’s maiden mission to Mars — Mangalyaan — has completed its journey. The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) has, reportedly, run out of propellant, making it difficult to be revived in the Red Planet’s orbit. This development is fuelling speculation that the mission is finally over. The Indian Space Research Organization, which operates the spacecraft around Mars, is yet to say anything on the matter of whether the probe can be revived or not. (10/1)

NASA’s Artemis I Launch has Officially Been Delayed Until November (Source: Verge)
The long-anticipated launch of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket has been pushed back to mid-November after NASA waved off its September 27th launch plans in the wake of Hurricane Ian (via Space.com). The space agency announced on Friday that it’s aiming to squeeze in the Artemis I launch between November 12th and November 27th. (10/1)

Musk to Provide Florida with Starlink Satellite Terminals in Response to Hurricane Ian (Source: Reuters)
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk agreed to provide the company's satellite internet service, Starlink, for help in response to Hurricane Ian in areas of Southwest Florida still without connectivity. "We are working with Elon Musk and Starlink satellite. They are positioning those Starlink satellites to provide good coverage in Southwest Florida and other affected areas," DeSantis told reporters on Saturday. "We are expecting 120 additional large Starlink units to deploy to Southwest Florida." (10/1)

Florida’s Space Coast on Track After Ian, Set for 3 Launches in 3 Days (Source: Ars Technica)
Hurricane Ian cut a devastating swath across Florida this week, and its core passed directly over the Cape Canaveral Spaceport on Thursday. However, by then, Ian had weakened to become a moderately strong tropical storm. Damage to NASA's launch facilities at Kennedy Space Center, and the Space Force launchpads at Cape Canaveral, was minimal. Accordingly, by Friday, work was already underway at facilities along Florida's Space Coast for a rapid-fire succession of three launches in three days.

First up on Oct. 4 at 5:35 pm EST is a commercial mission on ULA's Atlas V rocket to launch SES-20 and SES-21 satellites from LC-41. Next up in Florida is NASA's Crew-5 mission, which will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket to the ISS. NASA officials confirmed this mission remains on schedule for noon EST on Oct. 5 from LC-39A. Finally, on Oct. 6, SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 from LC-40 to deliver Intelsat's Galaxy 33 and 34 satellites. The launch is set for 7:07 pm EST. (9/30)

Firefly’s Alpha Rocket Launches Successfully in Second Attempt (Sources: Bloomberg, Tech Crunch)
Firefly Aerospace launched its first rocket into orbit, advancing the private space startup’s bid to become a reliable partner for NASA. The Alpha rocket took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California early Saturday and successfully put three small payloads into Earth orbit, including one for the US space agency. A previous launch attempt failed in September 2021 when the debut Alpha rocket veered off course and had to be exploded shortly after takeoff.

This is a major achievement for Firefly, which has been a lot to get here: The company originally began operations as Firefly Space Systems, which went bankrupt, and was then reborn as Firefly Aerospace after its assets were acquired by Max Polyakov’s Noosphere ventures in 2017.

Tom Markusic, who founded the company and led it as CEO, also departed the post in June. Markusic shifted into a technical advisory and full-time board member role, but his departure was preceded by the very public leaving of Max Polyakov, who in February shared a post pointing the finger at the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the Air Force and other U.S. agencies for his forced exit. Polyakov is a UK citizen but was born in Ukraine. (10/1)

NASA Selects Pioneer Astronautics to Test Dust Repellent Coating for Lunar Surface Missions (Source: Voyager Space)
Pioneer Astronautics, powered by Voyager Space (Voyager), today announced the company has entered into a Space Act Agreement with NASA to test the effectiveness of Clear Dust Repellent Coating (CDRC) technology on an upcoming Lunar mission. This will help expand the scientific understanding of Lunar dust interaction with modern materials, which is critical for a broad range of exploration technologies.

CDRC is a clear coating that can be applied to many surfaces and components as a passive dust mitigation method with the potential to reduce technical and safety risks for Lunar elements including NASA's Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) spacesuit, Lunar Terrain Vehicle, pressurized rovers, and other future lunar surface assets. (9/29)

Aquarian Space and American Binary Plan to Bring Encrypted Internet to Solar System (Source: Space Daily)
American Binary is proud to announce that the company is working with Aquarian Space to bring post-quantum encrypted Internet to the Moon and greater Solar System. Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) is new encryption that is designed to be unbreakable by a future quantum computer. Post-Quantum Encryption is important because bad actor governments record encrypted data over their telecom networks. They do this so that in the future they can decrypt it with a future quantum computer.

They do this so they can steal the IP that belongs to the S&P 500 and greater tech community. They also do this so they can use private data to blackmail and extort executives and private citizens. Post-Quantum Encryption is our only solution to stop this potentially inevitable outcome. "Aquarian Space and American Binary will be first to offer enduring digital security via post-quantum encryption for the future of humanity in space." (9/27)

Bold New Thailand Space Policy Planned (Source: Bangkok Post)
The House Panel on Communications, Telecommunications, and Digital Economy and Society (DES House Panel) will seek expert assistance with plans to develop a space economy policy. Bhumjaithai Party MP Col Settapong Malisuwan, as vice chairman of the panel, said chosen digital business entrepreneurs will assist in assessing the potential for satellite-related commercial activities and other possible space missions. They will also contribute to the formulation of the country's first regulatory framework for commercial projects involving space travel and related industries, said Col Settapong. This sub-panel is to report the results of its study to the DES House Panel in 90 days. (10/1)

U.S. Space Surveillance Telescope in Australia Achieves Initial Operational Capability (Source: USSF)
The Australian Department of Defence and the U.S. Space Force declared initial operational capability for the Space Surveillance Telescope at Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt, Australia, Sep. 30, 2022. The SST is a military telescope that provides ground-based, broad-area search, detection and tracking of faint objects in deep space to help predict and avoid potential collisions, as well as detect and monitor asteroids. Commander Defence Space Command, Air-Vice Marshal Cath Roberts said this milestone was an important step for the Alliance and the future of space capability in Australia. (9/30)

Space Command, Commerce to Stage Commercial Space Tracking Pilot (Source: Breaking Defense)
Space Command and the Commerce Department will run a joint pilot project this fall to demonstrate live how commercial space monitoring data can be used to keep tabs on satellites and dangerous space junk, according to Richard DalBello, head of DoC’s Office of Space Commerce. (9/30)

In Colorado Senate Race, Joe O’Dea Criticizes Opponent Over Space Command (Source: CPR)
Republican businessman Joe O’Dea made his case for why he should replace incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet in the U.S. Senate. O’Dea criticized his opponent by saying Bennet should use his vote as a bargaining chip. He said Bennet should have held up legislation to force President Joe Biden to address moving Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama. (9/30)

Space Development Agency Transfers to USSF (Source: USSF)
he Space Development Agency, responsible for rapid delivery of space-based capabilities to the joint warfighter, transferred to the U.S. Space Force, Oct. 1, 2022, as part of a planned realignment mandated by Congress in the National Defense Authorization Act. SDA originally stood up in March 2019 under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering as an independent defense agency with the understanding that it would eventually become part of the USSF. (10/1)

DOD's Largest Telescope Receives Mirror Recoat, Preserves Space Domain Awareness (Source: Space Daily)
The Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing site's Advanced Electro-Optical System, or AEOS, the Department of Defense's largest telescope, measuring 3.6 meters or 11.9 feet, has received a face-lift. Located on the summit of the 10,023-foot volcano Haleakala, the telescope is part of a series of telescopes called the Maui Space Surveillance System, which the U.S. Space Force uses for space domain awareness, or SDA, recognizing space as a priority domain for advancing national security. (9/28)

NASA Awards Commercial Small Satellite Data Acquisition Agreement (Source: Space Daily)
NASA has selected GHGSat, Inc., of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to provide commercial small constellation satellite products for evaluation to determine the utility for advancing NASA's science and application goals. GHGSat will provide a comprehensive catalogue of Earth Observation data High Resolution Gas Detection Commercial Earth Observation Data products.

This is a fixed-price blanket purchase agreement and each call issued is not to exceed $7 million over a five-year period. The contractor shall be responsible for delivery of a comprehensive catalogue of its commercial Earth Observation data High Resolution Gas Detection Commercial Earth Observation Data products indicating at a minimum: the data sets, associated metadata and ancillary information; data cadence; data latency; area coverage; and data usage policy. (9/29)

ESA Business Boosts Small Space Companies (Source: Space Daily)
ESA continues to break down barriers and create more opportunities for small companies to get involved in space. Start-up companies and small enterprises offer agile and bespoke development adding value to Europe's future space economy. One of the greatest concerns for a startup entering the space domain is securing its first contract. However, by 2020 about 1800 small and medium-sized enterprises working with ESA and for EU space projects together achieved an annual turnover of euro 3.9 billion with a total of 33 000 employees.

Small and medium-sized enterprises bring innovative ideas and efficiency. ESA recognizes the value of disruptive technology, specialist skills and dynamic working practices. As a result, these enterprises are gaining ground in ESA programmes. This gives them the credibility they need to succeed. In turn, this enriches the European space industry by growing expertise in the workforce and making it more competitive. (9/29)

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