December 29, 2022

New Rockets, More Spacecraft to Take Flight in 2023 From Space Coast (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
It’s slated to be a busy year of rocket launches from the Space Coast with a pace that could introduce some new names and set new records. Launch pads at both Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station have been hitting a pace of more than one launch a week, finishing up 2022 with 57 rockets that made it to space. That pace could be in line to nearly double as more launch service providers set up shop in Brevard County, said Frank DiBello, President and CEO of Space Florida, the state’s aerospace economic development agency.

“How many can we sustain? We’re building and investing, not just us alone, but the Space Force and NASA,” he said. “And commercial contractors are investing in infrastructure that should be able to support 100 launches a year. That was our plan. I think we want the capability to be able to do two, two-plus a week.” A big chunk of that will come from SpaceX, which continues to roll out its Falcon 9 rockets like dominoes, but 2023 should also treat the Space Coast to several appearances of the powerhouse Falcon Heavy. Click here. (12/29)

SpaceX, Blue Origin and ULA Plan to Launch Huge New Rockets in 2023 (Source: New Scientist)
A new class of heavy-lift rockets is getting ready to launch from the US in the coming year, including the largest rocket the world has ever seen. These behemoths will be able to easily loft huge satellites into orbit, and even fly to the moon and beyond.

The smallest of the giants, at nearly 62 meters tall, is the Vulcan Centaur developed by the United Launch Alliance. Its first flight, scheduled for early 2023, will go straight to the moon. (12/28)

Fifteen Times Black Holes Surprised Us in 2022 (Source: Space.com)
Black holes are giant warps in space and time whose pitch-black nature keeps them mysterious. Yet scientists continue to push their understanding of the objects in deep space. Over the past year, astronomers have gleaned new insights into black holes across the universe. Here is a list of 15 times black holes surprised us in 2022. Click here. (12/28)

If You Must Cry Over a Space Robot, Make It This One (Source: The Atlantic)
Here is the happy part: For more than four years, a funky-looking spacecraft did something remarkable. It was in many ways just another robot, a combination of hardy materials, circuits, and sensors with a pair of solar panels jutting out like wings on an insect. But this particular robot has listened to the ground shake on Mars. It has felt marsquakes beneath its little mechanical feet.

NASA and European space agencies designed the spacecraft to study these Martian quakes in detail. Mission managers, in their seemingly endless capacity to invent twisty acronym names for space-bound projects, called it Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport—or InSight, for short. Once on Mars, InSight couldn’t go anywhere; it was a lander, not a rover, so the mission was rooted to the spot where it touched down.

Here is the sad part: InSight stopped calling home this month. The mission, NASA concluded last week, had run out of energy. (Who says space exploration isn’t relatable?) Dust has been accumulating on those bug-like solar panels all year, diminishing the lander’s power supply until it couldn’t even wake up. The end of InSight prompted a round of doleful news coverage, with sweet praise for the little lander. (12/28)

Dreams Priced In: The Weird Connection Between Space Flights and Bear Markets (Source: WCCF Tech)
Back in July 2021, when one of the longest bull markets in history was still very much alive, Jawad S. Mian penned an interesting article to explore the connection between hyped-up space flights and the health of the financial markets. Of course, some would say that a correlation does not imply causation, and rightly so. Nowhere does Mian infer that space flights somehow affect the underlying market dynamics. Rather, the space flights that garner quite a lot of buzz are usually a symptom of the underlying euphoria in society as a whole, with bull markets merely representing that ecstatic impulse.

Remember that a high-stakes space race was all the rage back in 2021 as Blue Origin’s Jeff Bezos and Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson competed to become the first billionaire to enter space? Virgin Galactic completed its fourth rocket-powered spaceflight and first fully crewed one In July 2021, carrying Branson into space. However, Blue Origin contended that Branson did not actually enter space as the space flight did not cross the Karman line – a theoretical boundary 100 kilometers above sea level. Of course, Bezos’ own foray into space took place just a few days later. Predictably, the S&P 500 peaked on the 31st of December 2021. So far in 2022, the index is down over 20 percent. (12/29)

31 Hours Inside SpaceX Mission Control (Source: New York Times)
Journalists typically are not allowed in the room where SpaceX guides its rockets to space and back to Earth. The company has been operating such missions with increasing frequency; in 2022, SpaceX has launched its Falcon 9 rockets 60 times, and sometimes multiple rockets the same day or on consecutive days. It is a cadence that is among the engineering feats that have transformed an industry and made SpaceX a central player in American spaceflight. And, the company was attempting something it had never done: launching three missions in less than 31 hours.

The rocket company and its 10,000 employees soared to new heights week after week in 2022, presenting what appeared to be a parallel universe governed by precision as chaos roiled the other ventures of Elon Musk, its founder and chief executive. But those problems felt far away in mission control, where one crew member tabbed between 12 open windows on his screens. Meanwhile, at a console on the front row, Gwynne Shotwell, the president and chief operating officer of SpaceX known for keeping the company stable, scanned the overhead display, pointed and whispered to an employee next to her. It was time for the rocket and its astronauts to fly on a mission called Crew-5.

For all of SpaceX’s achievements, the privately held company’s accounting is murky to the public, said Pierre Lionnet, the research and managing director of Eurospace, a nonprofit devoted to studying the space industry. “Nobody really knows anything about the financials of SpaceX,” said Mr. Lionnet. “No balance sheet or financial report is available. We have a very large company of 10,000 people — a main contractor to NASA and the Defense Department — and there is absolutely no information available on its financial health.” Click here. (12/29)

Ryugu Results: How “Killer” Asteroids Saved Planet Earth (Source: OU News)
Governments take the asteroid threat so seriously that they have funded the NASA DART and ESA Hera missions to test ways to divert potential “killer” asteroids. But now the results from a new international study published today (19 December 2022) in the journal Nature Astronomy confirm that asteroids are life givers too. Earth formed in the dry inner Solar System. It would have remained inhospitable and lifeless, had water not been transported to it by asteroids that originated in the outer Solar System.

Using world-class oxygen isotope analysis facilities,  an international team (Team Kochi) has been studying precious samples returned to Earth in 2020 from asteroid 162173 Ryugu by the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) Hayabusa2 spacecraft. The results clearly show that the Ryugu particles are a very close match to a rare group of water-rich meteorites known as the CIs. CIs are extremely fragile materials and normally fragment during atmospheric entry and so, generally, fail to make it to the Earth’s surface as recoverable samples. Identification of asteroid Ryugu as a CI-type body suggests that this group is much more widespread amongst the asteroid population than its limited presence in our meteorite collections suggests.

This new finding has important implications for how Earth got its water, because CIs are also the most water-rich meteorite group we know of. "Earth formed in the dry inner Solar System. It would not have been a place where water was abundant. Scientists generally agree that Earth’s water was delivered by wet asteroids that originated in the outer parts of the Solar System and were then flung inwards, perhaps in response to the movement of the giant planets. Our results demonstrate that the material collected from asteroid Ryugu is closely similar to the composition of those early hydrated asteroids that brought life-giving water to Earth." (12/19)

China Launches Classified Satellite (Source: Space News)
China launched a classified satellite Thursday. A Long March 3B rocket launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 11:43 p.m. Eastern Wednesday carrying the Shiyan-10 (02) satellite. Shiyan-10 (02) is a classified spacecraft which could be sent to join the earlier Shiyan-10 satellite in a highly elliptical Molniya orbit to provide greater operational coverage of the northern hemisphere. Chinese media described the satellite only as one that will be "used for in-orbit verification of new space technologies, such as space environment monitoring." The launch was the 64th this year by China, a record for the country, and expected to be the final one of the year. (12/29)

SpaceX Dragon Considered for ISS Crew Return After Soyuz Leak (Source: Reuters)
NASA has contacted SpaceX about its ability to return space station crew members in place of a damaged Soyuz. A NASA spokesperson said the agency has "asked SpaceX a few questions" about how it could transport back to Earth two Russian cosmonauts and one American astronaut who went to the station on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft that suffered a coolant leak earlier this month. It was not clear if that would involve flying them back on the Crew Dragon currently at the station or flying another Crew Dragon there. NASA added that the use of Crew Dragon is not its "prime focus" as it supports the Roscosmos investigation into the leak. (12/29)

Malfunctioning Artemis Cubesat LunaH-Map Has Until Mid-January (Source: Space News)
A cubesat launched on Artemis 1 has until mid-January to get its propulsion system working to carry out its intended mission. LunaH-Map was designed to go into orbit around the moon to look for evidence of water ice at the lunar south pole, but its main thruster did not work shortly after launch. At a recent conference, the mission's principal investigator said it appears a valve in the thruster is partially stuck, but could be opened by heating it. If the thruster is restored by mid-January, the spacecraft can fly an alternative trajectory that would allow it to go into lunar orbit in about a year. If not, the spacecraft could instead visit a near Earth asteroid. LunaH-Map was one of 10 cubesats launched on Artemis 1, and several others also suffered technical problems. (12/29)

Chinese Astronomers Propose Asia's Largest Telescope (Source: Space.com)
Chinese astronomers are proposing to build the largest telescope in Asia. The Expanding Aperture Segmented Telescope (EAST) would start with a six-meter primary mirror, using hexagonal segments like the James Webb Space Telescope. Additional segments could be added later to increase its diameter to eight meters. EAST would be built on a mountain in Tibet with the initial version completed as soon as 2024. (12/29)

Space Force Leverages Launches to Recruit Guardians (Source: Military.com)
The Space Force hopes a relaunched website, featuring a launch, will attract more recruits. The new SpaceForce.com recruiting site includes an interactive video showing a Vulcan Centaur launch of a GPS satellite, illustrating the various missions of the service. The Space Force expects the new website will lure more potential recruits, although it did not experience the problems other military branches had in meeting recruiting goals this year. (12/29)

Canada Preparing for the Artemis II Mission (Source: SpaceQ)
As the longest serving astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency — he was selected in May 2009 — former CF-18 fighter pilot Col. Jeremy Hansen has fulfilled many duties in support of the CSA and NASA. “My role has kind of evolved over time,” Hansen told SpaceQ. Due to his many public appearances in Canada, the US and the world as a Canadian astronaut, “I feel like I’ve become a bit of a Space Ambassador to help people understand what’s possible [and] to share different strategies that are working with respect to commercialization in space,” he said. “This has become a passion project for me.”

Beyond spreading the good word about space, Hansen is involved in the development of ‘Connected Care Medical Modules’ to take care of astronauts in flight. He is also training to be an Artemis mission CAPCOM (Capsule Communicator, the direct radio link between Mission Control and astronauts in space). This role allowed him to have a front seat during the recent unmanned Artemis I mission to the Moon. “It’s very exciting for us at the Canadian Space Agency because we know we’re going to have a Canadian astronaut on Artemis II, which is amazing,” he said. “And I think what’s really important is for Canadians to understand that they should be really proud that we were invited to participate in Artemis II.” (12/28)

Three Time Dimensions, One Space Dimension (Source: Space Daily)
What happens when we assume - at least theoretically - that the world could be observable from superluminal frames of reference? There is a chance that this would allow the incorporation of the basic principles of quantum mechanics into the special theory of relativity. Scientists have considered the simplified case of space-time consisting of two dimensions: one spatial and one time dimension. In their latest publication "Relativity of superluminal observers in 1 + 3 spacetime", a group of 5 physicists goes a step further - presenting conclusions about the full four-dimensional spacetime.

The authors start from the concept of space-time corresponding to our physical reality: with three spatial dimensions and one time dimension. However, from the point of view of the superluminal observer, only one dimension of this world retains a spatial character, the one along which the particles can move. - The other three dimensions are time dimensions," explains prof. Andrzej Dragan. - From the point of view of such an observer, the particle "ages" independently in each of the three times. But from our perspective it looks like a simultaneous movement in all directions of space, i.e. the propagation of a quantum-mechanical spherical wave associated with a particle - comments prof. Krzysztof Turzynski, co-author of the paper. (12/27)

Chinese Commercial Space Company to Launch Stackable Satellites (Source: Space Daily)
China's private company GalaxySpace is accelerating the research and development of flat-panel stackable satellites, for rapid construction of a satellite internet constellation. GalaxySpace said the design enables dozens of satellites to be stacked on top of each other like tablet personal computers and be launched at the same time on a single rocket. It can greatly improve the use efficiency of a rocket and shorten the construction period of a constellation.

Satellite internet will provide extensive broadband connection with satellite communication technology. It is to use the satellites in space playing the role of the base station on the ground for the terrestrial network connection. Under this context, each satellite is a mobile base station in space. It can provide users worldwide with high bandwidth, flexible, and convenient internet access service. In addition, each stackable satellite can carry a flexible solar wing, which features small size, lightweight, and modularization, to help save mass and launch costs, the company told Xinhua. (12/27)

2023 Anniversary and Events List (Source: Roger McCormick)
Just in time for the New Year, here is a list of anniversaries and special events for the coming year.  Anniversaries for 2023 include only those occurring in multiple of five-year increments---so only those that occurred in a year ending in a "3" or an "8".  Most of the entries are related to space or rocket and missile launches, but some also deal with other aspects of Cape Canaveral history as well as a few beyond the local area. Click here. (12/28)

Russian Space Program Facing Challenges Ahead of Ambitious 2023 (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
In the new year, Russia plans to launch its first probe to the Moon since 1976, debut a new member of the Soyuz rocket family, and launch the new Soyuz GVK resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS). 2022 proved to be a slow year for the Russian launch cadence, with one Proton-M launch, two launches of the new Angara rocket, and 19 launches of the Soyuz rocket. Compared to 2021, when Soyuz launched 22 times, launching 11 commercial payloads, this marks a turn in the international launch market which Soyuz once held a grasp on. Click here. (12/28)

Thales Alenia Space Studying Uncrewed Reusable Spacecraft for In-Orbit Manufacturing (Source: Space World News)
Uncrewed rather than crewed spacecraft will be key to realizing an emerging in-orbit manufacturing industry, according to a European venture that has tasked Thales Alenia Space to develop a vehicle called REV1 for missions starting in late 2025. Thales Alenia Space signed a first phase contract for the REV1 reusable and pressurized “space factory” in early December with REV, an eight-year-old Luxembourg-based venture seeking funds to develop a microgravity research and manufacturing business.

While Texas-based Axiom Space closes in on a sizable investment round to develop a crewed commercial space station, Space Cargo Unlimited says an uncrewed system like REV1 could be more flexible and cheaper by avoiding the numerous safety measures needed to support human activities. “Safety measures on space stations will rightfully always protect human lives to the detriments of the payload at stake,” Space Cargo Unlimited CEO and co-founder Nicolas Gaume told SpaceNews. “To scale in-space manufacturing, we do not believe in multipurpose vehicles with humans on board,” Gaume added. “In fact, we believe that the approach to in-space manufacturing should be driven from the payload, not the vehicle.”

Thales Alenia Space is responsible for designing, engineering, and developing REV1, which is about the size of a compact car and would be owned and operated commercially by Space Cargo Unlimited. The first phase contract gets Space Cargo Unlimited up “to the ability to start manufacturing,” a spokesperson for the venture said. REV1 is being designed to carry up to 1,000 kilograms of payload for several months in low Earth orbit, where it would dock with a Reusable Orbiting Service Module that Thales Alenia Space is also developing. (12/28)

Dueling Space Stations (Source: Space News)
An uncrewed space station will be more flexible and less expensive to operate than a crewed one, according to Space Cargo Unlimited, the startup that hired Thales Alenia Space to develop a compact-car-size factory for low-Earth orbit. “To scale in-space manufacturing, we do not believe in multipurpose vehicles with humans on board,” said Nicolas Gaume, Space Cargo Unlimited CEO and co-founder. “In fact, we believe that the approach to in-space manufacturing should be driven from the payload, not the vehicle.” (12/28)

Saturn Satellite Networks Aims to Manufacture Small Satellites (Source: Space News)
Saturn Satellite Networks is close to securing funds for its small geostationary satellite manufacturing business. Equity investors have promised to fund nearly half of its $500 million Space BroadbandNetworks-1 program, which comprises six identical satellites destined for geostationary orbit in 2025. Backers include German investment firm EMP Structured Assets and an unnamed U.S. defense contractor. Saturn is counting on the U.S. Export-Import Bank to cover the rest of the project financing. (12/28)

Ten Space Missions to Watch in 2023 (Source: Observer)
There is a lot to look forward to in 2023, with a mix of government-backed science missions and privately funded rocket launches on the calendar. Several new rockets are set to make their debuts, and space tourism is expected to finally go mainstream with Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic slated to begin commercial operation in spring and SpaceX flying another all-civilian crew to Earth’s orbit. Here are 10 of the most-anticipated space missions in 2023. (12/27)

Roscosmos Reveals 99% Successful Launches Over Past Five Years (Source: TASS)
Russia’s successful space launches equaled 99% in the past five years and 100% during the last four-year period, the Russian space agency Roscosmos told TASS. "The annual success rate of carrier rocket launches reached 100% in the past four years. The average success rate over the five-year period reached 99%. Domestic delivery vehicles ensure successful spacecraft launches at the level meeting the best world standards," Roscosmos said. (12/27)

The Plot to Build the World’s Most Ambitious Alien Detector (Source: Daily Beast)
A lot of serious scientists are searching for signs of alien life. Most of them are looking really, really far away—often in other star systems. But Harvard physicist Avi Loeb is looking nearby, in the air and space around Earth. As part of his two-year-old Galileo Project, Loeb is steadily building a global network of telescopes and other sensors specifically for monitoring the atmosphere and near-space in order to detect visiting alien craft—a prerequisite for sending our own craft to meet E.T.

Loeb is also organizing expeditions to recover any pieces of alien spacecraft that have already crashed on Earth. “The Galileo Project is a scientific search program for potential astro-archaeological artifacts or remnants of extraterrestrial technological civilizations, or potentially active extraterrestrial equipment near Earth,” Loeb told The Daily Beast. Click here. (12/28)

What’s Next in Space (Source: MIT Technology Review)
We’re going back to the moon—again—in 2023. Multiple uncrewed landings are planned for the next 12 months, spurred on by a renewed effort in the US to return humans to the lunar surface later this decade. Both private space companies and national agencies are set to make the 240,000-mile trek to our celestial neighbor, where they will test landing capabilities, look for usable water ice, and more.

Previous years were “all about Mars,” says Jill Stuart, a space policy expert from the London School of Economics in the UK. “Now we’ve shifted back to the moon.” That is not all 2023 has in store. We’re also likely to see significant strides made in private human spaceflight, including the first-ever commercial spacewalk, compelling missions heading out into—or back from—other solar system destinations, and new rockets set to take flight. Here’s what the next year has lined up for space. Click here. (12/22)