December 8, 2022

What the World’s Largest Liquid Mirror Telescope Means for Astronomy (Source: New Scientist)
Atop an Indian mountain sits a 4-meter-wide reflecting basin, its ripple-free surface mirroring everything above it. It is as if someone scooped up a piece of the Bolivian salt flats, the world’s largest natural mirror, and put it in the Himalayas. But unlike South America’s Salar de Uyuni, where the salt plains covered by water produce incredible reflections that draw many sightseers, the basin on the mountain is filled with liquid mercury. And this is no tourist hotspot: it can only be accessed by a small group of scientists who use it to observe the heavens.

The basin is part of a unique telescope. Situated in an observatory in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, the International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) uses the pool of shiny metal to gather light from the skies. The ILMT has finally started making observations. If it succeeds, we could one day put a much larger liquid telescope on the moon.

Such telescopes have benefits over conventional ones. Most importantly, they are much cheaper to build. But although the idea of a liquid telescope has been around for centuries, creating a viable one has proven fiendishly tricky. The ILMT was in the works for more than a decade. This year, it opened its eye for the first time. It is the largest of its kind, and the first built to carry out astronomical observations. (12/6)

Southern Launch and ATSpace to Launch Up To Two Kestrel I Rockets Before January in Australia (Source: Space Daily)
After a severe electrical storm damaged an ATSpace rocket on the launch pad in November, the company has announced that repairs have been completed and they will attempt another launch in the coming weeks, followed by another already planned launch of a second rocket. ATSpace CEO Dr Yen Sen Chen said they were pleased to discover that the repairs required to the VS03 rocket were less than first anticipated.

"We always planned to launch the VS02 rocket in 2022 and it is fantastic that we can attempt to combine the two missions to be consecutive launches," he said. Southern Launch and ATSpace have received permission from the Australian Space Agency to launch the VS02 and VS03 missions from the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. Both missions will test the two-stage, sub-orbital Kestrel I rocket's viability while gathering data on the noise and environmental impacts of conducting launches at the Whalers Way complex in anticipation of future commercial launches. (12/8)

Spirent Brings Realistic Testing to Emerging LEO Satellite Applications (Source: Space Daily)
Spirent Communications has announced availability of SimORBIT, the first high-accuracy orbital modelling software solution specifically developed for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite simulation. SimORBIT enables developers to calculate LEO orbits and their distinctive characteristics more precisely and realistically for GNSS/PNT testing.

Testing space-based applications in the field is extremely difficult and cost prohibitive, which is why accurate lab testing is vital. The new era of LEO satellites demands highly accurate modelling of the Low Earth Orbit environment to provide the realism needed for high-value testing, including representing the distinct gravitational and atmospheric impact LEO satellites will endure in space. (12/8)

Germany and the Future Market for Small Satellites (Source: Space Daily)
The German federal government has launched the Small Satellite Initiative with the aim of consolidating the German space industry and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), especially start-ups, actively involved in the small satellite sector. The Bundestag allocated 10 million euros for this purpose in 2022. On 6 December 2022, representatives from industry, research and politics met in Berlin to discuss how the field of small satellites in Germany can form part of the framework of the government's new space strategy.

The aim is to consolidate Germany's status as a location for small satellite technology through a programme with several focal points. This includes holding competitions for the development of new small satellite platforms and low-cost ride-along options, the targeted promotion of small satellite technology at universities, SMEs and start-ups, and the improvement of technology transfer from research institutes and universities to industry. Missions that test new technologies in space will also be carried out on a regular basis. (12/8)

From Shetlands to Azores, Europe's Space Launch Race Takes Off (Source: Space Daily)
Projects to develop space centers that can launch satellites into Earth's orbit are sprouting up around Europe, amid the soaring popularity of small rockets and the commercialisation of space. By the end of this year, Spanish start-up PLD Space expects to launch its Miura-1 mini-rocket from the El Arenosillo site in the southern region of Andalusia.

Satellites will also be launched "in the coming weeks for the first time in the UK", Britain's Innovation Minister George Freeman announced last month, with the first-ever Virgin Orbit rocket to be released from a repurposed Boeing 747 taking off from Cornwall. While Sweden has for decades been home to the Esrange spaceport near Kiruna in the country's far north, and Norway has had its own space centre on Andoya island, other spaceport projects are popping up on the continent.

The UK has two, in addition to "Spaceport Cornwall", including a base in Sutherland, northern Scotland, where Britain's Orbex plans to run its future launches. The other is in SaxaVord, in the Shetland Islands, where French group Latitude and US group Astra Space plan to launch their small rockets. Other projects are underway in Iceland, Portugal's Azores, the Canary Islands and the North Sea, where a German consortium plans to launch small satellites from a ship. (12/8)

New Chinese Rocket Successfully Takes to Outer Space (Source: Space Daily)
Kuaizhou 11, the newest model of carrier rocket developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, carried out its first successful flight on Wednesday morning, lifting an experimental satellite into space, according to the company. The rocket blasted off at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and deployed the Xingyun Transport VDES Experimental Satellite, which is tasked with demonstrating very-high-frequency data exchange system technology, into its preset orbit, said CASIC, one of the nation's major space contractors.

A Kuaizhou 11 is 25 meters tall, and has a diameter of 2.2 meters. With a liftoff weight of 78 metric tons, the rocket is able to place a 1-ton payload into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 700 kilometer, according to designers. (12/8)

Karst Caves be Used as Terrestrial Simulation Platform to Test and Design Human Base in Lunar Lava Tube (Source: Space Daily)
Karst caves refer to the underground space formed by the dissolution, invasion, and collapse of soluble limestone under certain conditions. Taking karst caves in China as an example, they show now that Earth karst caves can be considered as good analogs of lunar lava tubes under three aspects: structure, environment, and insulation.

Structural aspects: karst caves and lava tubes have different formation mechanisms and environments, but they are comparable in size. They are both curved semicircular caves. The space it provides can meet the research needs at this stage. Because a lunar lava tube has a hard basalt roof, its internal environmental factors such as temperature changes, radiation doses, and the probability of being hit by meteorites are relatively limited. As such, it offers in theory an ideal human lunar habitat. Until now, more than 300 potential cave entrances have been identified on the moon. (12/8)

World's First Space Rice Seeds Back From Orbit (Source: Space Daily)
Chinese astronauts of the Shenzhou XIV mission have returned with the world's first rice seeds produced in orbit, a feat that will allow scientists to probe the effects of microgravity on rice growth and find a sustainable food source for long-term space explorations. On Sunday night, astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

They were in orbit for 183 days, during which they monitored the completion of China's Tiangong space station and several life science experiments. One such experiment involved reproducing the entire life cycle of rice for the first time in space, which begins with a seed germinating into a seedling and ends with a mature plant producing new seeds. The experiment began on July 29, and after 120 days in orbit, rice grains were successfully produced. (12/8)

Massive Eruption From Icy Volcanic Comet Detected in Solar System (Source: Space.com)
A bizarre, volcanic comet has violently erupted, spewing out more than 1 million tons of gas, ice and the "potential building blocks of life" into the solar system. The volatile comet, known as 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann (29P), is around 37 miles wide and takes around 14.9 years to orbit the sun. 29P is believed to be the most volcanically active comet in the solar system. It is one of around 100 comets, known as "centaurs," that have been pushed from the Kuiper Belt — a ring of icy comets that lurk beyond Neptune — into a closer orbit around the sun between those of Jupiter and Neptune, according to NASA. (12/5)

SpaceX Florida Launches and Booster Landings Delayed (Source: Florida Today)
Two SpaceX missions that were set to fly with less than 12 hours between them have been delayed to laterthis week and possibly beyond, scrubbing the likelihood of back-to-back launches – and booster landings – for the time being. Up first is OneWeb Launch 15, a mission slated to take 40 of the company's internet-beaming satellites from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport to low-Earth orbit. (12/6)

Embry-Riddle Alumna Engineer Served in Launch Room for Artemis I (Source: ERAU)
Alora Mazarakis had something unforgettable to be thankful for when she joined her family for Thanksgiving: a successful Artemis launch. On launch day, you might have heard Mazarakis. “When we’re counting down, when you hear, ‘All systems go,’ we say: ‘Communications and tracking, go for launch.’ That’s us.”

How did she get here, in the launch room for Artemis I, the first of several planned missions to the Moon and Mars? “I chose Embry-Riddle for my master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering because, growing up, I always knew that was where you go for aerospace,” she said. (11/17)

Florida Startup Novineer Takes 3D Printing to the Next Level (Source: ERAU)
A game-changing idea born at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University promises faster, more environmentally benign production of lightweight, high-quality aircraft and rocket parts, biomedical implants, and a host of other consumer products. The company, called Novineer for its novel engineering solutions, will also help create high-paying jobs in Volusia County. The company’s big idea — the brainchild of Embry-Riddle faculty member Dr. Ali Tamijani.

Novineer is poised to advance aviation, space exploration, manufacturing and the global 3D printing market, which reported $10.6 billion in revenue in 2021 and is expected to grow to more than $50 billion by 2030, according to the market research firm SmarTech Analysis. The company was born out of three research projects: multi-metal 3D printing for NASA, composite 3D printing technology for the U.S. Navy and what is known as latticework for the National Science Foundation. The variety of projects reflects the diverse ways in which 3D printing can be used, each of which requires an optimized design for the application — which is where Novineer comes in, Tamijani said. (12/5)

Mars Sports Massive Hidden Plume of Searing Rock (Source: Space.com)
A plume of searing hot rock as wide as the continental U.S. is rising up from near the core of Mars and might help explain recent volcanism and earthquakes seen at the Red Planet, scientists say.

Most volcanism on Mars occurred during the first 1.5 billion years of its history, leaving behind giant monuments such as Olympus Mons, the tallest mountain in the solar system. However, scientists had largely thought Mars cooled since then, becoming essentially dead for the past 3 billion years or so. But in recent years, scientists have seen hints of geologic activity after all, and now scientists have found a mushroom-shaped pillar of scorching, buoyant rock below a region called Elysium Planitia that might explain recent findings. (12/5)

Scientific Experimental Samples from China's Space Station Return to Earth (Source: Xinhua)
The third batch of space scientific experimental samples from China's Tiangong space station arrived in Beijing on Monday, following the return of the Shenzhou-14 crew. The returned experimental samples include three cold packs of rice and Arabidopsis, and a bag with four boxes of container-free materials. They were delivered to the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. (12/6)

Starlink is Delaying its Daytime Data Caps (Source: The Verge)
Starlink’s upcoming daytime data caps will be going into effect in February instead of December, according to revised language on the company’s website. When Starlink first announced the caps in November, the company had said they’d kick in sometime this month. Now, they’ll be in place a little bit later than originally planned.

The terms of the data caps otherwise seem to be the same. As part of Starlink’s new “Fair Use Policy,” customers will have a dedicated amount of “Priority Access” data every month. Any data used from peak hours, which Starlink defines as 7AM to 11PM, will be pulled from that Priority Access pool. If you go over your Priority Access allocation, you can pay for more data or fall back on “Basic Access” data, which is deprioritized and may be slower, for the rest of your billing cycle. (12/5)

NASA Mars Rover Snags 'Hodgepodge of Martian Minerals' Sample (Source: CNET)
Sure, Mars has a lot of rocks, but have you noticed all the sand? It's a key part of the Martian landscape, and now a little bit of it is packed up into the Perseverance rover's sample system. NASA said on Monday the rover had successfully collected its first sample of regolith -- loose, sandy material that's seen all over the place on Mars.

Up to this point, Percy has been focused on drilling for rock samples, but it has a special hollow drill bit for picking up regolith. The bit has small ports on the side for the sandy material to fall into so it can be placed into a sample tube for safekeeping. Perseverance is exploring an ancient river delta region in the Jezero Crater, which has a fascinating history of water. (12/5)

Choppy Ride for Virgin Orbit (Source: Dot.LA)
The last few months have been a choppy ride for Richard Branson’s SpaceX competitor Virgin Orbit. Since going public last December, Virgin’s stock has tanked nearly 70%. It’s currently sitting at just over $2, prompting this reporter to worry if they might face a delisting warning from the SEC sometime soon. To date Virgin Orbit’s pushed 33 satellites into space across four launches, all from Virgin’s outpost at the Mojave Air and Space Port.

Local rival Long Beach-based Rocket Lab launched its 152nd satellite in November. Granted, Rocket Lab was founded nearly a decade before Virgin Orbit, so if Virgin Orbit continues its trajectory of at least 33 satellite launches per year for the same time period, it could actually end up outpacing Rocket Lab.

That said, Virgin did say it plans to double its 2022 launch rate next year. The company also implied that there’s a handful of customers queued to use its satellite launch services, noting it will “expand backlog” in launch and international space ports. One such spaceports is in Cornwall, U.K., where its equipment is awaiting regulatory approval. In October the company also expressed interest in expanding to Australia, Brazil, Japan, Poland and South Korea. It’s currently working to establish an outpost in Belgium. (12/5)

These Companies are Developing Cleaner Rocket Fuel Alternatives to Protect Earth (Source: Fortune)
Burning liquid hydrogen is far from perfect: Producing it is usually a fossil-fuel–intensive process. But green hydrogen projects are attempting to improve its sustainability through the use of renewables. While green rocket fuel isn’t a planet saver, it’s one small step humankind can take toward achieving a net-zero future.

There are several efforts afoot to produce rocket fuel in a more environmentally friendly way. Energy startup Green Hydrogen International is developing a green hydrogen project in South Texas. Researchers at the German Aerospace Center are working on a fuel that only produces nitrogen, oxygen, and water when heated. Canadian company Hyox is developing technology for production of net-zero aviation fuel and rocket propellants that will use low-cost solar power and electrolysis to produce methane and kerosene, both of which can propel rockets into space.

New York–based Air Company is working with direct air capture, a technology that removes carbon dioxide from the air. The company mixes that CO2 with hydrogen made with renewable energy to create Rocket Propellant-1 (RP-1), the type of kerosene used by Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket. The process to make the kerosene is not only carbon negative but could one day be replicated on Mars. (12/5)

South Korea Sees Space Exploration as Shaping Global Economy (Source: Bloomberg)
Space development can reshape the world economic order, a South Korean official said, as Seoul works to expand its prowess among a small group of countries capable of developing and launching their own space vehicles. Titanium, platinum and rare-earth materials are among commodities South Korea should be able to independently excavate in space missions given their importance for future economic growth, Kwon Hyunjoon, director-general of the Science Ministry’s space and nuclear bureau, said in a briefing Tuesday. (12/6)

Abu Dhabi Space Debate: Global Tension Threatening Sector (Source: The National)
Global tension affecting the space sector may create challenges that have an impact of people’s daily lives, a major space conference in Abu Dhabi has been told. Officials at the Abu Dhabi Space Debate spoke on Monday about how the world is in a “new space age”, with private companies playing a crucial role. Delegates from more than 50 space agencies and authorities attended the two-day event.

Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Future Technology and chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency, said in her welcoming remarks that the sector was seeing many challenges. There are growing concerns including mega-constellations of satellites that are crowding low-Earth orbit and countries increasingly looking to militarise space. Experts are also concerned over whether there are the right regulations in place to police private companies aiming to commercialize low-Earth orbit. (12/5)

UAE Space Agency Signs MoU with Philippines Counterpart to Enhance Cooperation (Source: Gulf Business)
The UAE Space Agency has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Philippine Space Agency (PhiSA) to enhance cooperation in scientific research, space exploration and knowledge exchange. The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Space Debate by Salem Butti Salem Al Qubaisi, director general of the Space Agency, and Joel Joseph S. Marciano Jr., director general of the Philippine Space Agency. This partnership comes as part of the UAE Space Agency’s goals to strengthen cooperation with international partners in space science and peaceful exploration of the outer space. (12/6)

Israel’s President Hails ‘New Era’ in Space Exploration at UAE Conference (Source: World Israel News)
Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed a space conference in the United Arab Emirates Monday, as he continues his tour of Gulf Arab states. President Herzog arrived in the UAE Monday morning, following a state visit to Bahrain, and was received on the tarmac by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Ahead of his meeting with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the royal palace, Herzog addressed the Abu Dhabi Space Debate, delivering the keynote speech. (12/5)

Saudi Arabia in Talks Over Plans for Next-Generation Space Stations (Source: The National)
Saudi Arabia is in talks with other nations over plans for the next generation of space stations, which could one day serve as floating hotels among the stars. Mohammed bin Saud Al Tamimi, governor of the Communications, Space and Technology Commission, said he sees space commodities as a “huge opportunity”. He was speaking remotely on the first day of the Abu Dhabi Space Debate, a major conference that addressed the new geopolitics of space and emerging trends. Mr Al Tamimi said that the Kingdom would be announcing its national space strategy early next year. (12/5)

What’s the Economic Benefit of NASA Programs? (Source: FNN)
We begin today with looking at the economic impacts of NASA’s programs. Not just in states where major facilities exist; the agency says the benefits can be felt in every state in the U.S. To show its work, NASA has released its second ever Economic Impact Report. To learn more about what it contained this time around I spoke with Margaret Vo Schaus, NASA’s chief financial officer. Click here. (12/7)

Canadian Space Agency Joining in Partnership to Observe Effects of Climate Change (Source: FNN)
NASA has been one of the agencies at the forefront of observing the effects of climate change, and thanks to a collaboration of several space agencies around the world, predicting extreme weather events may be getting more and more accurate. One of the participants in the Atmosphere Observing System mission is the Canadian Space Agency. To discuss the role it will be playing in this project, I got a chance to talk to Thomas Piekutowski, who is head of the AOS mission delivery office at CSA. Click here. (12/7)

SpaceX Footprint Getting Larger in Aerospace Contracting World (Source: FNN)
When you say Elon Musk, many think of electric cars, or more recently what’s he doing with his new company, Twitter. However Space X should be part of that conversation as well, with the impact it’s had on the commercial space industry, accounting for several of NASA’s contracts. To discuss this trend, I spoke to Caleb Harshberger who has been covering SpaceX’s footprint on the space industry for Bloomberg Government. Click here. (12/7)

Sidus Space Announces International Expansion and Plans to Open a Netherlands Office (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus Space announced plans to increase its presence in Europe by opening a new office in the Netherlands. Sidus plans to expand its reach in the European market to engage the rapidly growing space ecosystem and promote space-based data adoption by democratizing access to space. As part of its international expansion, Sidus Space previously announced agreements with Dawn Aerospace, GTM and Dhruva Space and continues to explore opportunities with other international customers in the government and commercial sectors. (12/8)

Splashdown! Here's How NASA Will Recover the Artemis I Orion Capsule in the Pacific Ocean (Source: Florida Today)
Florida Institute of Technology professor J. Travis Hunsucker has reported to the Navy amphibious transport ship USS Portland in San Diego. On Sunday, he'll help forecast and analyze wave dynamics to guide NASA officials as they retrieve the rocket's bobbing Orion capsule after it splashes down into the Pacific Ocean. Concluding its 25½-day mission, Artemis' Orion capsule will slow from a dizzying 25,000 mph – roughly a dozen times faster than a rifle bullet – to 300 mph after entering the Earth’s atmosphere. The capsule's heat shield should reach a roasting 5,000 degrees, or twice the temperature of molten lava.

After a series of parachutes deploy, NASA engineers predict the 11-by-16½-foot capsule should slow to about 20 mph before gliding earthward and striking the sea's surface within eyesight of the recovery ship's crew, 50 to 60 nautical miles off the San Diego coast. Upon splashdown, Melissa Jones, NASA's Artemis I landing and recovery director, said “we’re frantically trying to get to the capsule” to recover pieces of jettisoned hardware that could sink into the ocean’s depths. This includes the spacecraft's ring-shaped forward bay cover, which protects the parachutes and other soft goods during reentry.

Comprised of about 95 people, the Orion landing and recovery team includes Navy amphibious specialists piloting inflatable boats; NASA engineers and technicians from KSC and Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas; Air Force weather specialists; and Lockheed Martin Space Operations personnel. A helicopter squadron from nearby Naval Air Station North Island will provide aerial spotting. The Portland will approach the bobbing Orion, and divers will use sensors to conduct “sniff checks” for leaking hydrazine or ammonia from the capsule, Jones said. Then Navy personnel will attach tending lines to Orion and flood the ship’s well deck with about 6 feet of seawater, and a cable will tow the floating spacecraft through the ship's lowered stern gate into a specially designed cradle. (12/8)

UK Civil Aviation Authority Response to Virgin Orbit’s Status Update: Start Me Up Mission (Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority)
Tim Johnson, Director for Space Regulation, said “The UK space regulation process is not a barrier to a UK space launch. Virgin Orbit has said in its statement this morning that there are some technical issues that will need to be resolved before launch. These in no way relate to the timing of when a licence will be issued by the Civil Aviation Authority. “Effective licensing forms an integral part of UK space activity. Spaceport Cornwall’s licence already permits Virgin Orbit to undertake its testing programme prior to launch. Our dedicated team has been working closely with all partners to assess applications and issue the remaining licences within the timelines we set at the outset." (12/8)

NDAA Directs DoD to Strategize for Satellite Protection (Source: Space News)
A compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) calls on the Pentagon to develop strategies for protecting satellites in orbit. The latest version of the bill, developed after negotiations between the House and Senate, requires the Defense Department to lay out a "strategy and requirements for the protection of DoD satellites." that strategy would be developed by the Chief of Space Operations and Director of National Intelligence. The bill also supports "tactically responsive space" demonstrations with commercial launch providers where satellites would be deployed on short notice, and requires a report on the resiliency of current launch sites and spaceports. It does not, however, authorize the creation of a Space National Guard. (12/8)

DIU Seeks Commercial Responsive Access to Cislunar Space (Source: Space News)
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is seeking proposals for commercial services to deploy and operate payloads in cislunar space. DIU said in a solicitation released Wednesday it is looking for "responsive access" to the vast region of space that begins at geosynchronous Earth orbit and extends out to the Earth-moon Lagrange point on the far side of the moon. Vendors are asked to propose satellite concepts that can operate a suite of payloads or instruments in one or more of the five Earth-moon Lagrange points and lunar orbits. DIU wants commercial technologies that can be prototyped within 12 to 18 months from contract award. (12/8)

NASA Loses Contact with ICON Spacecraft (Source: Space News)
NASA has lost contact with a space science mission in Earth orbit. NASA said Wednesday that it last heard from the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) spacecraft Nov. 25, and efforts to restore contact with the satellite have been unsuccessful. The spacecraft is intact, according to observations by the Defense Department's Space Surveillance Network, and engineers believe there is a problem with the spacecraft's avionics or communications subsystems. ICON launched in 2019 to study the interaction of space weather and terrestrial weather in the ionosphere, and was on an extended mission after completing its two-year prime mission in late 2021. (12/8)

Astrobotic Tests Peregrine Lunar Landerr Ahead of 2023 Launch (Source: Space News)
Astrobotic says its Peregrine lander has successfully completed some of its pre-launch testing. The company said Thursday the lander wrapped up vibration and acoustics tests ahead of schedule, and is now going into electromagnetic interference and thermal vacuum tests. Once those tests are complete, the spacecraft will ship to Cape Canaveral for launch on ULA's Vulcan Centaur rocket, currently planned for the first quarter of 2023. (12/8)

TriSept and SpiderOak Partner on Satellite Cybersecurity (Source: Space News)
TriSept and SpiderOak are partnering to provide "end-to-end" cybersecurity for satellites and ground systems. To address growing cyberthreats, TriSept is pairing its satellite security software, TriSept Security Enhanced Layer (TSEL), with SpiderOak's OrbitSecure zero-trust software. TSEL protects the satellites themselves while OrbitSecure protects data between the spacecraft and the ground. The partnership is intended to respond to threats to satellites and their terrestrial networks that are growing. (12/8)

Absolut Group Plans Satellite for Methane Gas Leak Detection (Source: Space News)
Absolut Group, a French cryogenic technology provider, has ordered a smallsat to test technology for detecting greenhouse gas leaks. The company's newly created Absolut Sensing subsidiary ordered the chassis for a 16U satellite it calls Gen1 from Lithuania's NanoAvionics for a launch in early 2024. Gen1 would test a cryogenic sensor Absolut is developing for detecting smaller methane leaks, typically from oil and gas companies, to help in the fight against climate change. It is a precursor to a proposed constellation of at least 24 satellites. (12/8)

Rocket Lab's First Virginia Launch Delayed to Dec. 13 (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab's first launch from Virginia will be delayed several days by weather. The company said it is postponing the Electron launch from Launch Complex 2 at Wallops Island from Friday to next Tuesday, citing weather conditions forecast over the next several days. The launch will carry three satellites for HawkEye 360, with backup opportunities through Dec. 20. (12/8)

Relativity Nears Florida Launch Debut (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Relativity Space has rolled out its first Terran 1 rocket for final tests. The rocket rolled out Tuesday at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 16 and went vertical on the pad Wednesday. The company plans a series of tests of the rocket, including a static-fire test of the first stage, before the rocket's inaugural launch. While the company had planned to conduct that launch before the end of the year, a company executive acknowledged that the launch is likely to slip until after the holidays. (12/8)

India Pushes for Crewed Launch Before 2024 Elections (Source: New Indian Express)
ISRO is reportedly being told to conduct its first crewed launch before elections in 2024. Senior scientists with the agency said they had been instructed by the Indian government to carry out the first crewed Gaganyaan mission before parliamentary elections planned for May 2024. The agency has to conduct two uncrewed tests of the spacecraft first, including an abort test planned for February 2023 and an orbital test flight in December 2023. ISRO originally had a goal of carrying out a first crewed flight by August 2022 to mark the 75th anniversary of India's independence, but suffered delays due at least in part to the pandemic. (12/8)