December 15, 2020

Microsoft and Viasat are Using Satellites to Bring 10 Million People Online (Source: The Verge)
As a variety of organizations and companies are working to expand (and sometimes restore) electricity to the hundreds of millions of people who don’t have it, tech companies are working to make sure that people will have internet as soon as they get devices that can access it. Microsoft and Viasat are partnering to expand internet access to 10 million people living in places like Africa and North and Central America.

The move is part of Microsoft’s Airband Initiative, which has used old TV spectrum and other tech to connect millions of people — though this will be the first time that a satellite internet company is getting involved. The Viasat partnership will cover 5 million people in Egypt, Senegal, Angola, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as another 5 million people in Guatemala, Mexico, and the US. (12/14)

Chinese Rocket Stage Now a Cloud of Orbital Debris After Disintegrating in Space (Source: Gizmodo)
On November 12, China’s Long March 6A rocket broke apart after launch, scattering debris in low Earth orbit. Now, reports suggest that the disintegrated upper stage of the rocket has grown to a cloud of 350 pieces of space debris. The U.S. Space Force’s 18th Space Defense Squadron tracked 50 pieces of space debris resulting from the rocket’s break up at an estimated altitude of 310 miles to 435 miles. (12/14)

Space Startup Wants to Build a Manufacturing Platform in Low Earth Orbit (Source: Gizmodo)
ThinkOrbital has big plans for low Earth orbit, designing an orbital platform that could be used to manufacture products in space, as well as remove and recycle space debris.The spherical structure, which was named the ThinkPlatform, would be a free-flying, non-pressurized platform that would either operate as part of a larger commercial station or it could dock with a spacecraft like SpaceX’s Starship. (12/13)

Space Debris Expert: Orbits Will Be Lost—and People Will Die—Later This Decade (Source: Ars Technica)
Moriba Jah says today's approach to launching satellites is not sustainable. "Many people don't like this whole "tragedy of the commons" thing, but that's exactly what I think we're on a present course for. Near-Earth orbital space is finite. We should be treating it like a finite resource. We should be managing it holistically across countries, with coordination and planning and these sorts of things. But we don't do that...

"I think we are going to lose the ability to use certain orbits because the carrying capacity is going to get saturated by objects and junk... So if we're trying to minimize having to move out of the way or bumping into each other, and no matter what we do we can't avoid that, that means that for all intents and purposes, that orbit highway is no longer usable.

"I also predict that we will see a loss of human life by (1) school-bus sized objects reentering and surviving reentry and hitting a populated area, or (2) people riding on this wave of civil and commercial astronauts basically having their vehicle getting scwhacked by an unpredicted piece of junk. I predict that both those things are going to happen in the next decade." (12/14)

7 Things We Learned From NASA's Wildly Successful Artemis 1 Mission (Source: Gizmodo)
NASA’s Artemis 1 mission concluded with Orion’s immaculate splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday. Seemingly a billion years—and most assuredly a few billion dollars—in the making, the mission ended far too quickly for space junkies like me. But in those short few weeks, it managed to nail all its primary objectives. Click here. (12/14)

Coolant Leak in Russian ISS-Docked Soyuz Scrubs Cosmonaut Spacewalk (Source: Space News)
A Soyuz spacecraft docked to the International Space Station suffered a coolant leak late Wednesday, scrubbing a spacewalk. Two Russian cosmonauts, Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, were preparing to start the spacewalk when controllers noticed the leak around 7:45 p.m. Eastern. Controllers delayed, then canceled, the spacewalk as the leak continued for several hours. It's unclear what caused the leak or how severe of a problem it is. In a worst-case scenario, the Soyuz would be unable to safely return its three-person crew, which includes NASA astronaut Frank Rubio along with Prokopyev and Petelin, but could potentially be replaced by launching a new Soyuz without a crew. (12/15)

Landspace Launch Attempt Fails in China (Source: Space News)
The first launch of the Zhuque-2 rocket by Chinese company Landspace failed Wednesday. The rocket lifted off from newly constructed facilities at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at around 3:30 a.m. Eastern, and its first stage appeared to perform as expected. However, leaked footage suggests that a problem with the rocket's second stage resulted in the failure of the mission. An expected burn of that stage's vernier thrusters, intended to carry the stage and payloads into orbit after a burn by the main engine, did not occur as planned. The launch was the first attempt of a privately-developed Chinese liquid propellant launch vehicle, and the first orbital launch attempt worldwide of a rocket that uses methane fuel. (12/15)

Chokepoint in the Launch Market (Source: Space News)
Falcon 9 issues are magnified by a chokepoint in the launch market, with few other options for launching payloads by the U.S. and other Western nations. The withdrawal of Russian launch vehicles from the market after the invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing transition to a new generation of vehicles by several providers means there are few other options beyond SpaceX for launching satellites in the near term. The U.S. government has to face the prospect that until these new vehicles are available, there might be a period when it will only have access to a single provider, one expert said in a panel discussion this week. (12/15)

US Space Strategy Stresses Constellation Resiliency (Source: Space News)
A recently completed U.S. space strategy stresses the need to deploy resilient constellations that can operate under attack. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb outlined the strategy, conducted jointly by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence, in a talk Wednesday. He said the Defense Department is making a "fundamental shift in how we think about things" in space because of growing threats, pushing it towards constellations that are more survivable than traditional large satellites. The full strategy document is classified and will not be released. (12/15)

Rocket Lab Electron Finally Ready for Virginia Launch (Source: Space News)
NASA and Rocket Lab say they are finally ready for the first Electron launch from Virginia's Wallops Island. The launch from the company's new Launch Complex 2 at Wallops is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. Eastern, with an 85% chance of acceptable weather. The company originally planned to start launching Electrons there in 2020 but was delayed by problems NASA encountered in the development of a new autonomous flight termination system that was required for Electron launches there. That system has now received FAA approval for the launch. Rocket Lab previously stated it expects to perform four to six Electron launches next year from Wallops, out of the 14 launches overall projected by the company for 2023. (12/15)

China Launches Reconnaissance Satellite on Long March 2D (Source: Xinhua)
China launched a reconnaissance satellite Wednesday. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 1:25 p.m. Eastern and placed a Yaogan-36 satellite into orbit. Chinese media described the payload as a remote sensing satellite, but it is believed to be a military reconnaissance satellite. (12/15)

Report Recommends Policies to Ensure US Broadband Constellation Competitiveness (Source: Space News)
A new report recommends that the U.S. government enact policies to ensure American broadband satellite constellation operators are competitive globally. The study, funded by Amazon and SpaceX, argues that economic and regulatory issues are creating competitive pressures for U.S. industry. A proposed Chinese constellation "may fall somewhere in the gray zone between commercial and governmental," the report advises, putting American commercial systems at a disadvantage. The report argues U.S. companies need more agile regulatory practices so they can compete internationally. (12/15)

Eutelsat Ordered to Halt Russian Propoganda Broadcasts in France (Source: Space News)
France's TV regulator ordered Paris-based satellite operator Eutelsat to stop broadcasting three Russian propaganda channels. Arcom said Wednesday it gave Paris-based Eutelsat a week to stop broadcasting Rossiya 1, Perviy Kanal and NTV via its satellites. Russia-based service providers NTV Plus and Trikolor currently use Eutelsat satellite capacity to broadcast these Russian-language channels to the west of the country. Eutelsat said it would comply with the request. (12/15)

Belt Tightening in Space Sector (Source: Space News)
Space sector entrepreneurs are moving out of facilities, freezing hiring and cutting travel budgets to make the money they've raised last longer.
While people don't share news of cutbacks as readily as they broadcast expansion plans, the economic slowdown is affecting companies throughout the space sector. SpaceWorks NewSpace Index, focused on publicly traded firms, declined 19.3 percent in the last 30 days. Promus Ventures' New Space index, which includes aviation startups like Joby and Archer Aviation, sank 23.1 percent in a month.

In general, the economic climate is making people afraid, said one founder. At the end of the day, though, companies with good business models can succeed. They just have to be smart about it, he said. (12/14)

Cailabs Raises $27.6 Million for Laser Comm (Source: Space News)
Cailabs raised 26 million euros ($27.6 million) to expand the French company's laser communications and optical ground station business. Luxembourg-based NewSpace Capital led the investment round. Additional funds came from Definvest, an equity fund established by the French military, Starquest, Innovacom, Safran Corporate Venture and the investment arm of French investment bank Crédit Agricole. (12/14)

EOI Space Teams with NTT Data on VLEO Constellation for Imagery (Source: Space News)
EOI Space, formerly known as Earth Observant, forged a strategic distribution agreement with Japan's NTT Data Corp. With its Stingray constellation of satellites in very low Earth orbit, EOI Space plans to collect imagery with a resolution of 15 centimeters per pixel. NTT Data, the first official partner for a program that grants priority access to EOI Space satellite content and services, also acquired 2.5 percent of EOI Space. (12/24)

Euroconsult Projects Big Growth in Satellite Launches (Source: Space News)
Euroconsult expects the average number of satellites launched annually in the next decade to quadruple with more than 2,500 satellites launched annually from 2022 to 2031. Commercial constellations outside geostationary orbit will account for 83 percent of satellites launched but only 30 percent of the industry's manufacturing and launch revenue, according to Euroconsult's annual "Satellites to be Built & Launched" report. Meanwhile, civil government and defense customers will spend an average of $29 billion per year and provide three-quarters of the manufacturing and launch revenues. (12/24)

US Needs a New Immigrant Visa for the Space Industry (Source: The Hill)
We are in a new golden age of space exploration. A time period defined by weekly commercial and government technological achievements, from the NASA-led Artemis return to the moon program to commercial space start-ups focused on tourism and trade. To promote innovation in the space industry, the United States must reform its immigration system and update archaic export regulations contained in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) that inhibit multinational cooperation, and there has never been a better time to do so than now.

It is imperative as we move forward in this new era, to create and foster a community where talented individuals from around the globe can contribute ideas to help push humankind deeper into space exploration, travel, trade and beyond. All while creating a future based on global cooperation instead of the entrenched spirit of competition. (12/13)

Paso Robles, Cal Poly Move Forward on Spaceport Initiative (Source: Paso Robles Daily News)
On Dec. 6, the Paso Robles City Council unanimously approved an agreement with Cal Poly to accelerate the City of Paso Robles’ pursuit of a spaceport license for the Paso Robles Airport. The agreement will activate Cal Poly’s Aerospace Engineering Department, along with undergraduate and graduate students from several other departments to develop the spaceport license application for submittal to the Federal Aviation Administration by Summer 2023.

Cal Poly’s proposal includes working with the city on developing a proposed tech corridor and engaging with other local education institutions, such as Cuesta College, on workforce development training programs to help create a hiring pipeline for students interested in any aspect of aerospace from welding to marketing to engineering. (12/14)

Historic NASA Dish Set for $10m Refurbishment After Decades of Dormancy (Source: ABC.net.au)
A Canadian space company will sink at least $10 million into a historic dish in coastal Western Australia that was once used for NASA missions. Carnarvon's large 29.6 meter dish was used by NASA after the first moon landing for communication on missions. ThothX has signed a 20-year renewable lease to operate and maintain the Overseas Telecommunications Commission dish 900 kilometers north of Perth in Carnarvon. The dish will be repurposed for deep space radar tracking of satellites and spacecraft. (12/13)

India Studies Feasibility of Missions to Venus, Aeronomy (Source: Live Mint)
The Indian Space Research Organization has taken initiatives for feasibility studies on missions to Venus as well as aeronomy studies, said minister of state for science and technology Jitendra Singh. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, the minister said that both these missions are being conceptualized. “The scientific scopes are being deliberated nationally with participation of science community."

The term aeronomy was coined and introduced about 60 years ago. It refers to the scientific study of the upper atmospheric regions of the Earth and other solar system bodies. It covers the chemistry, dynamics and energy balance of both neutral and charged particles. ISRO will send a spacecraft to orbit Venus to study what lies below its surface. It is expecting to launch the mission by December 2024 with an orbital maneuver planned for a year after that. The orbital maneuver is the use of propulsion systems to change the orbit of a spacecraft. It enables a spacecraft to enter a planet’s orbit. (12/14)

How Do You Prove There’s Ice on the Moon? With a Lunar Flashlight (Source: WIRED)
NASA is serious about getting people back to the moon. That means it’s time to find out where all the water is. The agency launched a briefcase-sized satellite called Lunar Flashlight that will search for frost in the shadowed regions of the lunar South Pole and begin to build a rough map of where it can be found. It’s a step toward understanding where that water came from, and whether it’s a renewable resource that astronauts could drink or convert into rocket fuel for the trip back to Earth.

Lunar Flashlight is about “learning to live and work off-planet, and really establishing that we can work in a remote location without umbilical cords—without the constant need to resupply everything,” says Barbara Cohen, a NASA Goddard Space Flight Center planetary scientist and the mission’s principal investigator.

The moon, like Earth, formed in an extremely dry environment, so any ice that’s present today had to have gotten there later. Most likely, it came from comets and asteroids bombarding the surface, leaving behind small amounts of H2O in their impact craters. Outgassing from active volcanoes may have also deposited water onto the lunar regolith. Some researchers even think that the solar wind—streams of hydrogen ions that flare from the sun—could be interacting with oxygen in the moon’s soil to create water. (12/13)

Sierra Space Tests Pressure Limits of Inflatable Crew Module (Source: Space.com)
Sierra Space deliberately exploded a small prototype for an inflatable astronaut habitat to get ready for spaceflight. The company conducted what it calls the "ultimate burst pressure test" (UBP) as it progresses along the long road to helping develop a private replacement to the ISS. The inflatable module, called Large Integrated Flexible Environment, or LIFE, will form part of the larger Orbital Reef space station led by Blue Origin. NASA seeks to replace the aging ISS in the 2030s with industry-led private stations, and Orbital Reef is among them.

The recent test was the second in 2022 to explode a Sierra Space module prototype for Orbital Reef, following a similar procedure in July. Simply put, by testing a smaller prototype of the module to its literal limit, engineers can make spaceflight safer for future astronauts. The Sierra Space team blew up the module on Nov. 15 inside the flame trench of a Saturn 1 and 1B test stand at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. (12/13)