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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