November 8, 2022

France's Safran Acquiring Syrlinks (Source: Space News)
French aerospace giant Safran is acquiring Syrlinks, which manufactures radio-frequency satellite equipment. Safran is paying an undisclosed sum for Syrlinks, a French company specializing in radiocommunications and radio navigational technologies for the space sector. With the acquisition, Safran says it can now offer integrated technologies "fully adapted" for uplink and downlink communications. (11/8)

PCX Aerosystems Acquires Timken Aerospace Drive Systems (Source: Space Daily)
PCX Aerostructures, a leading manufacturer of highly engineered, precision, Flight Critical aerospace components and complex assemblies for rotorcraft and fixed wing aerospace platforms, has completed the acquisition of Manchester, CT based Timken Aerospace Drive Systems (ADS), a proven source for aerospace transmission assemblies, gearboxes, Flight Critical components and overhaul and repair services. ADS will be rebranded as "PCX Aerosystems - Manchester LLC." (11/8)

Phase Four Achieves Electric Thruster Operation on Air Force Green Propellant ASCENT (Source: Space Daily)
Phase Four, the creator of the radio-frequency thruster (RF thruster) for satellite propulsion, has successfully demonstrated operation of its RF thruster using the Air Force Research Laboratory's green propellant, ASCENT (formerly AF-M315E). The achievement, made under a U.S. Space Force contract awarded at the 2021 Space Force Pitch Day, enables multi-mode propulsion capability, which combines the high thrust capabilities of liquid chemical propulsion with the high efficiency capabilities of electric propulsion operating on a single common propellant. (11/8)

Gilmour Space Completes Final Qualification Test of Sirius Rocket Engine (Source: Space Daily)
Australian rocket engineers at Gilmour Space Technologies have successfully completed the final qualification test of its main Sirius hybrid rocket engine, paving the way for the country's first orbital launch attempt of an Australian-made rocket next year. The Queensland-based rocket company is developing Eris, a three-stage launch vehicle that will be a cost effective and greener alternative to traditional liquid and solid propulsion rockets. (11/8)

India's Human-Rated Launch Vehicle 'Practically' Ready (Source: Times of India)
The human-rated launch vehicle that will carry Indian astronauts to space and back is part of the human spaceflight mission -- Gaganyaan -- is "practically" ready and work on other key technologies is making progress. ISRO has been human-rating the GSLV-Mk3 for the Gaganyaan mission. (11/6)

Indian Space Tech Should Now Build Small Satellites, Forge Big Global Partnerships (Source: The Print)
The Indian Space Research Organization, or ISRO, launched 36 satellites of OneWeb last week. OneWeb, a joint venture between the UK government and India’s Bharti Enterprises, had been scampering to secure a launch of its satellites after its original partner, the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, backed out following the war in Ukraine. There seemed to be no backup available for OneWeb, with analysts citing SpaceX as the only possible option.

Given India’s increased capability and an enhanced appetite to undertake launches for overseas customers, is it possible to expand the scope of these activities? Could India not just launch small satellite constellations but also build them? Could it do this not just for private enterprises but also countries as well? India should use its capabilities in space infrastructure to undertake deft space diplomacy, with a focus on small satellites. This may fulfil a variety of objectives. (11/7)

India Plans to Explore Far Side of the Moon with Japan, Venture Toward Venus (Source: India Today)
ISRO is planning to explore the dark side of the moon and is in talks to launch a lander and rover combination with the Japanese space agency, JAXA. The information was shared by Anil Bhardwaj, Director of the Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory at the Akash Tattva conference held in Dehradun.

The Indian space agency is already in the final stages of launching a mission to the Moon. The Chandrayaan-3 mission will follow in the footsteps of the Chandrayaan-2 mission and is expected t launch in 2023. Meanwhile, Isro wants to explore the Permanently Shadowed regions (PSR) on the Moon, which experts believe are time capsules that hold numerous secrets.

Bhardwaj said it was in talks with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for sending a lunar rover to explore the permanent shadow region and as per the initial plans, while the lunar lander and rover will be built by Isro, it will be put into orbit by a Japanese rocket with a planned landing near the south pole of the moon. (11/7)

Cellbox-3 Launches Biomedical Experiments to the ISS (Source: Space Daily)
The uncrewed Cygnus spacecraft NG-18 is scheduled to launch from the Wallops Island spaceport in Virginia to the International Space Station on 6 November. Molecular biology experiments for biomedical research from Charite Berlin and Goethe University Frankfurt will be on board as part of the 'Cellbox-3' mission. (11/8)

In the Shadows of Lunar Landers (Source: Space Review)
In Texas, SpaceX is getting closer to the first orbital launch attempt of Starship, a milestone in its plans to develop an Artemis lunar lander for NASA. Jeff Foust reports that neither NASA nor SpaceX will share many details about those efforts, while other companies bidding on a second lander are also keeping quiet. Click here. (11/8)
 
Does the Moon Mean Mars is Next? (Source: Space Review)
For more than half a century, a human return to the Moon has been presented as a logical precursor for human missions to Mars. Roger Handberg, though, argues that even a successful return to the Moon is no guarantee that people will soon be ready to go on to Mars. Click here. (11/8)

Intelsat Buying Small GEO Satellite From Swissto12 (Source: Space News)
Intelsat is buying a small geostationary satellite from 3D printing specialists Swissto12. Intelsat said Monday it ordered Intelsat 45 based on Swissto12's HummingSat satellite platform, which, at about the size of a dishwasher, is one-tenth the size of conventional GEO satellites. Intelsat 45 will have 12 Ku-band transponders, about a fourth as many as a classic mid-sized Intelsat satellite, and will complement existing Intelsat satellites at an orbital slot to be determined closer to its 2025 launch.

Swissto12 claims that its HummingSat is at least three times cheaper than conventional GEO satellites. Other startups, like Astranis, see opportunities for small satellites in GEO that can help operators plug regional gaps in their constellations or provide targeted services in specific areas. (11/8)

Cygnus Solar Array Glitch Complicates ISS Cargo Delivery (Source: Space News)
One of two solar arrays on a Cygnus cargo spacecraft launched Monday failed to deploy. The Cygnus, bound for the International Space Station, has sufficient power to operate with just one of its two circular UltraFlex arrays deployed, Northrop Grumman said. NASA said it's studying any issues that would pose for capturing the spacecraft and berthing it to the ISS using the station's robotic arm. The spacecraft is due to rendezvous with the ISS early Wednesday. (11/8)

Inmarsat Wins $410 Million Army Contract (Source: Space News)
Inmarsat Government announced Monday it won a $410 million, five-year contract extension to provide connectivity for U.S. Army devices. The contract, awarded by the Defense Information Systems Agency, is for the Army's Blue Force Tracker network services. Blue Force tracker devices display friendly force tracking information on tens of thousands of Army platforms. (11/8)

Space Force: "Absolutely Vital" That Commerce Department STM Succeeds (Source: Space News)
A Space Force general says it's "absolutely vital" that the Commerce Department succeed at taking over civil space traffic management (STM) work. Maj. Gen. DeAnna Burt, special assistant to the vice chief of space operations, said at a conference Monday that the Defense Department supports handing over civil STM responsibilities to the Office of Space Commerce, with discussions underway on issues such as interoperability of data. She said a civilian agency should manage routine space traffic and the Defense Department would be called up when there's something suspicious or nefarious going on. (11/8)

Judge Allows Virgin Galactic Shareholder Lawsuit to Proceed (Source: Reuters)
A federal judge will allow parts of a shareholder lawsuit against Virgin Galactic to proceed. U.S. District Court Judge Allyne Ross dismissed most claims in a class action lawsuit filed by shareholders who argued they were defrauded by Virgin Galactic, but will allow parts of the suit to proceed that claim Virgin Galactic did not disclose problems with development and testing of its SpaceShipTwo vehicle. Shares in the suborbital spaceflight company are trading more than 90% below their peak in early 2021. (11/8)

Kenyon Takes Director Role at NASA Glenn (Source: NASA)
The acting director of NASA's Glenn Research Center will take the job permanently. NASA named Jimmy Kenyon as the next director of Glenn Monday after serving as acting director since June. He joined NASA in 2019 after working for Pratt & Whitney and the Defense Department, and had been a director in NASA's aeronautics mission directorate at NASA Headquarters before being naming acting director of Glenn. (11/8)

Japan Tests First Stage of New H3 Rocket (Source: Yomiuri Shimbun)
Japan's space agency JAXA conducted a static-fire test of the first stage of its new H3 rocket. The H3's two engines fired for 25 seconds in the test at the Tanegashima Space Center on Monday. The test is one the key final steps before the first flight of the H3, projected to take place by the end of March 2023. (11/8)

India's Skyroot Plans Suborbital Launch (Source: Business Today)
An Indian launch startup is preparing for a suborbital flight this month. Skyroot Aerospace plans to launch its Vikram-S rocket between Nov. 12 and 16 from the Indian space agency ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre. The launch will test key technologies for the Vikram series of small launch vehicles Skyroot is developing. (11/8)

Japan Issues License for Lunar Surface Operations (Source: ispace)
Lunar lander company ispace has secured a license for its upcoming mission from the Japanese government. The company said Tuesday it obtained a license to conduct business activity on the moon from Japan's Cabinet Office under provisions of the Act on the Promotion of Business Activities for the Exploration and Development of Space Resources. That license authorizes ispace to launch its M1 lander mission later this month, as well as transfer lunar resources it collects after landing to NASA under a contract it won from NASA in 2020. (11/8)

How Much Does NASA Return to the American Economy? (Source: The Hill)
The economic benefit created by NASA is spread out over all 50 states. Considering that NASA’s fiscal 2021 budget was $23.3 billion, the space agency seems to have a hefty return on investment. However, as impressive as these figures are, do they represent the true value of the part of the federal budget that NASA spends? That is only the case if one thinks of the space agency as a jobs program, something that may impress members of Congress but likely doesn’t excite the rest of us.

The number of jobs NASA generates is a bad metric for determining the space agency’s value. NASA is first and foremost a science agency. Knowledge has its own inherent value and is worth spending some money pursuing. The recent test NASA conducted to divert the path of an asteroid is one example of science that has a direct benefit to the world.

The Artemis program will also lead to lunar and asteroid mining that will feed space-based industries later in the 21st century. A space industrial economy will be decades in the making, but it will generate many trillions of dollars in wealth. The Artemis program is as great an instrument for American soft political power as the Apollo program was. The difference is that NASA has reached out to America’s allies to form a coalition to explore space beyond low-Earth orbit. The potential benefits of the Artemis Alliance to extend the world’s economic sphere to the moon, Mars and beyond consists of creating a prosperous, peaceful world. (11/6)

Russia's Amur Methane-Fueled Launch Vehicle Design to be Reviewed in November (Source: TASS)
The review of the conceptual design of the Amur methane-fueled launch vehicle with the reusable first stage are scheduled for the second half of November. "The review of the conceptual design of Progress RSC by the state customer is scheduled for the second half of November of this year at a meeting of the Research and Technical Council of the Roscosmos state corporation," the press service said. The rocket will be launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur Region. (11/6)

Scientists are Working on an Official 'Alien Contact Protocol' for When ET Phones Earth (Source: Space.com)
If extraterrestrial life sent us a message tomorrow, how would humanity respond? According to researchers, we don't know yet — and that's a problem. That's why, for the first time in 35 years, a team of policy experts and scientists have united to establish a set of alien-contact protocols for the entire world to follow in the event of a sudden encounter with E.T.

Currently, the only alien contact protocol that humans have was established by the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI) community in 1989. The protocol, which was last revised more than a decade ago, is vague when it comes to the international response to extraterrestrial communication; it mainly focuses on the importance of sharing discoveries with the public and broader scientific community. In the event of confirmed alien contact, the protocol's main practical tip for scientists is to seek instruction from the United Nations or another governing body. (What the United Nations should do is another open question.)

Rather than focusing on sending messages to aliens, the new SETI Detection Hub will scan signals for potential messages sent from alien lifeforms and will develop a framework for attaching meaning to those signals. They'll also create impact assessments; deliver reports that outline the implications of specific policies; and develop protocols and treatises for responding to hypothetical alien messengers. (11/6)

Array Labs Raises $5M for 3D Image Constellation (Source: Seraphim)
Silicon Valley startup Array Labs raised $5 million in pre-seed funding. Array Labs are an alumni of the Seraphim Accelerator mission 8. With the infusion of capital, Array Labs is developing a constellation of radar satellites to fly in formation and gather global 3D imagery. We have previously invested in 11 Earth-observation and satellite-communications but not seen anyone contemplate 3D datasets in a cost effective manner like Array Labs. This technology will massively increase the amount of affordable, high-quality 3D data, enabling a host of new applications across an array of industries, including AR/XR/Autonomy, Defense, Climate/ESG. (11/7)

Antenna Disconnection - NXT Sells Off Assets (Source: Space News)
A distressed asset sale has been set up next week for NXT Communications Corp., the Georgia-based electronically steered antenna startup that had gained some traction in the defense market before going south. Equipment, investment property, and other collateral are being auctioned off after the startup could not meet its debts. NXTComm announced plans to test its multi-orbit flat-panel antenna with a Eutelsat satellite [SpaceNews] in 2020 after opening a production facility in Cherokee County, Georgia.

The startup later said it had a contract with L3Harris Technologies to deliver antennas in the first quarter of 2022 to support U.S. Department of Defense warfighters. In an April 7 blog post update, NXTComm said it expected to bring its antenna “into production later this year.” However, component shortages, supply chain delays, and rocky financial markets have made life difficult for antenna developers racing to meet demand from incoming constellations in low Earth orbit. It is also a crowded market with well-funded competitors. (11/7)

The EU’s Galactically Bad Space Programme (Source: The Spectator)
Europe is lost in space. Ever since the Soviets orbited Yuri Gagarin and America landed men on the moon, Europe has proclaimed the ambition to compete on the final frontier. More than half a century later, Europe is unable to compete even with India, as in October it became incapable of launching its own payloads into space.

Protected by political and bureaucratic omertà, and with little curiosity on the part of politicians and journalists, Europe’s clumsy space exploration efforts have forced it to turn for launch services to the Twitter and Tesla tycoon, the anarchist squillionaire Elon Musk. Europe’s space agency (the UK remains a member) is an example of European chauvinism at its absolute worst, its failures a masterclass in how not to be globally competitive, while spending billions on institutional grandiosity.

Let’s start with the sine qua non of space activity ­– transportation. Europe’s ability to launch its own payloads into orbit and beyond is currently absolutely zero. The European Space Agency, the insanely obsolete organisation of 22 nations able to agree only on the most ill-conceived plans, divvies up projects driven by politically favoured laboratories and contractors. But it can’t get much off the ground. With a budget of €7.2 billion and a staff of 2,200, the ESA, which was founded 50 years ago, has admitted that it cannot launch its forthcoming space telescope and an asteroid mission. It’s had to beg Elon Musk for his reusable Falcon rockets. (11/3)

3, 2, 1… MSG Sphere Goes to Space (Source: MSG Entertainment)
Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. announced that it has partnered with Nanoracks, LLC, a Voyager Space company, to send state-of-the-art immersive camera equipment to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Northrop Grumman’s 18th Commercial Resupply Services mission (NG-18), which took off from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Capture and technology teams from the Company’s MSG Sphere Studios will collaborate with Nanoracks and the ISS National Lab, to work with astronauts on the space station across three missions to validate custom camera technology being developed for the state-of-the-art MSG Sphere venues. (11/7)