October 3, 2022

Firefly, Millennium Space Selected for U.S. Space Force Rapid-Launch Demonstration (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Systems Command announced Sep. 30 it selected Firefly Space Transport Services and Millennium Space Systems to conduct a demonstration of a rapid-response space mission to low Earth orbit in 2023. The companies will perform a Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission as part of a broader effort by the U.S. Space Force to accelerate the timeline for deploying payloads to orbit.

Firefly will be responsible for launch services, and Millennium for the delivery of the space and ground systems. The order includes the spacecraft bus, sensor payload, space vehicle integration, ground segment, and on-orbit operations. The command did not disclose the value of the task orders. (10/1)

Georgia Spaceport Issue Goes Before State's Supreme Court (Source: Spaceport Facts)
This Thursday at 10AM, high-priced attorneys will represent Camden County's Commissioners in the Georgia Supreme Court as they sue to nullify their overwhelming defeat in the March 8 Special Election. Commissioners hope the Supreme Court judges will choose to interpret our Constitution as preventing voters from correcting legislative action by county commissioners who are refusing to engage with or represent the interests of the electorate that put them in office.

Caught up in the hype from a traveling spaceport salesman, Camden Commissioners failed to ask these “hard” questions while they spent millions after millions on "consultants" and promoters. Commissioners believed the hype and misguided advice rather than the overwhelming contrary evidence.

Essentially, our Commissioners want to be given unchallenged authority that can only be revoked when, and if, those decision-makers seek reelection. In other words, they seek the power to be unaccountable! Even if the Commissioners receive a favorable Supreme Court decision, multiple, expensive legal battles lay ahead – all while the hard questions voters care about remain unanswered. Several additional lawsuits and economic reality will keep ‘spaceport’ Camden in limbo for years to come. (10/3)

After Big Pentagon Contract Wins, L3Harris Eyes More Growth (Source: Defense One)
When L3 Technologies and Harris Corp. merged in 2019, executives touted lofty goals of competing against the largest defense firms. Three years later, L3Harris Technologies is winning Pentagon deals worth billions of dollars, and its CEO Chris Kubasik envisions even more growth. In a two week period this past summer, L3Harris won three high-profile contacts with more than $4 billion. The largest came on Aug. 1 when L3Harris—in partnership with crop duster maker Air Tractor—beat out other established planemakers to secure a U.S. Special Operations Command contract that could be $3 billion for up to 75 attack planes.

A few weeks before it won the SOCOM contract, L3Harris won a $700 million Pentagon contract to build missile tracking satellites that can track fast-flying hypersonic weapons. It also won a $380 million Navy deal to provide a key system that lets ships know what’s around them so they can track and strike a target.

L3Harris, headquartered on Florida's Space Coast, is the sixth largest U.S. defense contractor behind Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and General Dynamics—also known as the “Big 5” or “primes contractors.” When L3 and Harris merged, Kubasik and Harris CEO Bill Brown, who was CEO of the combined company for its first two years, hoped to create a “sixth prime.” (9/28)

Viasat Sells Tactical Data Communications Business to L3Harris for $1.96 Billion (Source: Space News)
L3Harris has agreed to acquire Viasat’s tactical data link business for $1.96 billion. Satellite operator Viasat is selling the portion of its military communications business known as Link 16, an encrypted tactical data network used by the U.S. military and NATO allies to exchange data between ships, aircraft and troops on land. Viasat’s Link 16 product line employs 450 employees. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2023, subject to regulatory approvals.

Viasat CEO and Chairman of the Board Mark Dankberg said the sale of Link 16 allows the company to invest in its satellite business and increase its focus on space-based networks. The proceeds from the sale also are expected to reduce the company’s debt following the closing of its acquisition of Inmarsat. The Link 16 business generates about $400 million in annual sales, or about 35% of Viasat’s Government Systems revenue, according to Viasat. There are more than 20,000 Link 16 terminals currently installed in U.S. and allied weapons systems and platforms. Viasat’s major competitor in this sector is Rockwell Collins. (10/3)

NASA Assigns Two Astronauts to Starliner Crew Mission in February (Source: NASA)
NASA assigned two astronauts to the first operational Boeing Starliner commercial crew mission. The agency announced Friday that Scott Tingle and Mike Fincke will be the commander and pilot, respectively, of the Starliner-1 mission, which could launch as soon as the fall of 2023, pending the outcome of a crewed Starliner test flight scheduled for February. They will join Jeanette Epps, previously assigned to the flight as a mission specialist, although NASA noted she is cross-training on Dragon for other possible flight opportunities. The fourth seat on the mission has not yet been assigned. (10/3)

Space Commerce Chief Says FCC Pushing Limits with Debris Regulations (Source: Space News)
The head of the Office of Space Commerce said Friday that the FCC was pushing the limits of its authority with its new orbital debris regulations. Speaking at the AMOS Conference Friday, Richard DalBello praised the FCC's "depth of their intellectual work" in the development of the new rule requiring LEO satellites to be deorbited within five years of the end of their life, but said the commission "pushed the boundaries of their authorities pretty aggressively" on that rule. DalBello said that cooperation with the Defense Department on transfer of civil space traffic management responsibilities was going well, but cautioned that work will be  a gradual process that will happen in phases. (10/3)

Space Council Plans "Learning Sessions" With Industry (Source: Space News)
The National Space Council is planning "learning sessions" with industry to discuss how to develop a new regulatory framework for novel commercial space activities. Diane Howard, director of commercial space policy for the National Space Council, said at the AMOS Conference last week that one session will allow companies to discuss their planned missions that might not fit into the current regulatory framework, while a second will focus on how to implement supervision of those activities. The sessions are part of an effort started by Vice President Kamala Harris at last month's National Space Council meeting, where she called for recommendations on a new regulatory framework in 180 days. (10/3)

South Korea Seeks Launch Alternatives After Russia Sanctions Nix Soyuz Plans (Source: Space News)
South Korea's science ministry is requesting funding to launch satellites grounded by Russian sanctions. The ministry plans to include $32.9 million in its budget next year for launching the CAS500-2 remote sensing satellite and KOMPSAT-6 multipurpose satellite. Those satellites were to launch on Soyuz and Angara rockets this year but sanctions linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine halted those launch plans. The government is looking for  a "package deal" from a single company, such as Arianespace or SpaceX, for launching both satellites. (10/3)

New ITU Chief Started in Satellite Policy (Source: Space News)
The new head of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) started her career working on satellite policy in the U.S. government. Members of the ITU elected Doreen Bogdan-Martin as its next secretary general last week. The ITU facilitates the international coordination of satellites in their assigned orbits, assists the development of technical standards, and supports efforts to improve connectivity in underserved communities. Bogdan-Martin has worked at the ITU since 1993, most recently as director of its Telecommunication Development Bureau. She began her career in 1989 as a telecoms specialist at the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, receiving a medal from the Commerce Department for her work on satellite policy during her time there. (10/3)

Space Force Studying How to Maintain Cislunar Domain Awareness (Source: Space News)
The Space Force expects to know by next spring what capabilities it will need to carry out space domain awareness activities in cislunar space. In a talk at the AMOS Conference last week, Col. Marc Brock, commander of Space Delta 2, the unit responsible for space domain awareness for the Space Force, said a study is underway looking at what's needed to monitor activities beyond geostationary orbit and out to the moon. The study will look at requirements to create an "operational capability" for cislunar space domain awareness, but developing that capability, he added, will depend on those requirements and available resources. (10/3)

Starlink By The Numbers (Source: Quartz)
In February, Musk said there were 250,000 active terminals on the network, a number that has likely grown over the course of the year. That suggests revenues of at least $25 million a month, or $300 million a year. That’s likely a conservative estimate thanks to price hikes; new services like offerings for airlines, cruise ships, RVs, and boats; and Starlink receiving permission to come on-line in new markets like Brazil. Leaked financials during a fundraising round in 2017 revealed SpaceX expected to make billions of dollars from Starlink within three years of its launch, with those profits growing as high as $20 billion.

Now, Starlink’s challenge will be deploying all that capacity on a global scale to garner a return on its investment. The company says its service is currently available in 40 markets. Michael Puchol has built perhaps the most sophisticated tracker of the Starlink network. The tracker can simulate Starlink’s capabilities in different locations. Puchol says his calculations suggest Starlink could offer intermittent connectivity to people in Iran—if any of them can get their hands on user terminals and pay for their accounts.

Puchol’s simulations do confirm reports from US Starlink users that their service has been slowing as more people start using the system. The simulation suggests a ballpark estimate that, at current capacity, Starlink could offer 133,000 terminals in the US with about 10 mbps of connectivity each. With more US customers than that already, “you can see why some people are complaining about the throughput and capacity at peak times.” While future satellites will alleviate that problem, it also underscores the need for Starlink to gain customers and revenue abroad. (9/28)

This Australian-Designed Spacesuit Could Help NASA Take Humans to Mars (Source: ABC.net.au)
Science fiction's solution to the lack of gravity in long-term space travel is usually some kind of massive centrifuge creating artificial gravity as it spins. It's a clever and elegant solution, but it is also probably a few trillion dollars and many, many decades away from becoming a reality. Until then work is underway on the next best thing — keeping astronauts in zero gravity, but keeping their body (and mind) as healthy as possible. A team of Australian-based scientists has been working on a spacesuit that might be able to help.

It is essentially a full-body compression suit that can be worn for months in space, placing pressure right across the body. Dr James Waldie from Human Aerospace, who designed the suit, said it is basically playing a trick on the body and mind. "What it does is it reproduces the normal gravitational loading that we experience when we stand here on Earth," he said. "In that way, it tricks the astronauts body into thinking that they're actually standing on Earth, rather than floating in microgravity." The suit looks similar to regular compression clothing you might wear during exercise, but they are much more complex. (10/2)