While 2022 was a record year for the number of launches, some vehicles had trouble getting off the pad or reaching orbit successfully. Jeff Foust reports on the challenges several companies faced in the final weeks of the year, both technical and regulatory. Click here. (1/3)
M is for MONSTER ROCKET: the M-1 Cryogenic Engine (Source: Space Review)
During the first half of the 1960s, NASA embarked on a number of projects that looked beyond the initial Apollo lunar landings. Dwayne Day describes one of those projects, an effort to develop an engine that would have dwarfed those being produced for the Saturn V. Click here. (1/3)
The Critical Importance of Resiliency for US Missile Warning Satellites (Source: Space Review)
The US military is in the process of transitioning from a fleet of geostationary missile-warning satellites to a constellation in lower orbits. Brian Chow discusses why resilience must be a central tenet of that transition. Click here. (1/3)
Space Resilience and the Importance of Multiple Orbits (Source: Space Review)
Growing concerns about anti-satellite weapons have led some to propose alternative architectures like LEO constellations. Matthew Mowthorpe argues that resilience from such threats comes from having satellites in a variety of orbits. Click here. (1/3)
ispace Executes Second Orbital Control Maneuver (Source: Space Daily)
ispace reports that its HAKUTO-R Mission 1 lunar lander has successfully carried out its second orbital control maneuver in accordance with its mission operations plan. The maneuver was carried out shortly after midnight on Jan. 2, 2023 (Japan Standard Time) and operations were managed from ispace's mission control center located in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. This orbital control maneuver is the second maneuver to occur while the lander has been traveling to the moon. The first orbital control maneuver was completed on December 15, 2022. (1/3)
China is Expanding its Wenchang Spaceport to Host Commercial Launches and Crewed Moon Launches (Source: Space News)
China is aiming to expand the use of its coastal Wenchang spaceport to both allow a greater overall launch rate and establish new facilities needed for crewed lunar missions. The Wenchang Satellite Launch Center was completed in 2014 and has since allowed China to launch its new generation kerolox and cryogenic rockets. These have in turn enabled the country to launch interplanetary and lunar missions and construct and supply its Tiangong space station.
Now though the spaceport is being expanded to additionally facilitate commercial launches and the growth of China’s commercial space sector and, eventually, launch a new-generational crew launch vehicle and the super heavy-lift Long March 9 rocket. The development is an apparent part of long term plans for China to upgrade its overall space capabilities. (1/4)
Voyager Space and Airbus Announce International Partnership for Future Starlab Space Station (Source: Voyager)
Voyager Space and Airbus Defence and Space are partnering to develop and operate Starlab, a free-flying space station to serve NASA and a global customer base of space agencies and researchers. Starlab is planned to be launched in 2028 to ensure a continued human presence in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO).
Airbus Defence and Space will provide technical design support and expertise for the Starlab space station which will serve as an on-orbit laboratory for astronauts to conduct investigations and advance scientific discovery. Starlab is designed and architected to provide 100 percent of the International Space Station's payload capacity with the ability to conduct hundreds of experiments and technical investigations per year. (1/4)
Planet Launches 36 SuperDoves on Transporter 6 Mission (Source: Space Daily)
Planet Labs successfully launched 36 SuperDove satellites, its Flock 4y, to space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The Planet team has established contact with all 36 SuperDoves and has kicked off their automated commissioning process. This marks the company's 32nd successful launch, totaling over 500 satellites launched since its founding. These satellites were lofted into orbit from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, marking Planet's eighth flight with SpaceX. Once in orbit, contact with the 36 SuperDoves was established, holding the company's 100% successful contact rate with its satellites. (1/3)
NSLComm's BeetleSat LEO Satellite Launched on SpaceX Transporter 6 Mission (Source: Space Daily)
BeetleSat announced the successful launch of its second nanosatellite onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Now in Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at 550Km altitude, the nanosatellite will provide BeetleSat's public sector customer with store and forward, very high throughput satellite communication services. Today's launch is another step forward in the Company's strategy to become one of the world's leading satellite service operators through the creation of a groundbreaking low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellation that will enable secure, low-latency, high-throughput, and cost-effective point-to-point communications from anywhere on earth. (1/3)
Momentus Launches Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle on Transporter-6 Mission (Source: Space Daily)
Momentus has seen its second demonstration flight of the Vigoride Orbital Service Vehicle (OSV) launched into low-Earth orbit aboard the SpaceX Transporter-6 mission. Momentus established contact with its Vigoride vehicle on its first orbital pass and confirmed that both solar arrays are deployed, and the vehicle is generating power and charging its batteries. The Vigoride OSV is designed to support a range of transportation and in-space infrastructure services.
A key part of the Vigoride spacecraft is the Microwave Electrothermal Thruster (MET) that is designed to use water as a propellant. The MET is designed to produce thrust by expelling extremely hot gases through a rocket nozzle. Unlike a conventional chemical rocket engine, which creates thrust through a chemical reaction, the MET is designed to create a plasma and thrust using microwave energy. Using the MET, Momentus aims to offer cost-effective, efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly propulsion to meet the demands for in-space transportation and infrastructure services. (1/3)
Spire Global Launched 6 Satellites on SpaceX Transporter-6 Mission (Source: Space Daily)
successfully launched on the SpaceX Transporter-6 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station that blasted off Tuesday morning, sending more than 100 satellites into space. Spire's satellites will provide various services for agriculture, maritime monitoring and radio scrutiny. The satellites will demonstrate advancements and new capabilities for Spire's weather and aviation solutions.
Among the satellites Spire has launched are two demonstration satellites carrying next-generation Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) payloads, which collect aircraft position data. The satellites will expand Spire's existing ADS-B constellation and play an integral role in improving coverage and latency for the Company's aviation products. They will demonstrate sophisticated technology for global aircraft tracking, including an advanced antenna design based on years of in-orbit ADS-B payload experience and state-of-the-art inter-satellite links. (1/4)
Space Force Experimental Weather Satellite Launced on Transporter-6 Mission (Source: Space News)
One payload on Transporter-6 was an experimental weather satellite for the U.S. Space Force. The Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) Weather Systems (EWS) demonstration cubesat will carry out a one-year mission to assess the capabilities of an imaging cubesat made by Orion Space Solutions to provide timely weather imagery data from low Earth orbit. This is a priority for the Defense Department, which needs to fill a gap in weather coverage as aging DMSP weather satellites near the end of their lives. Another EO/IR weather prototype is being developed by General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems for delivery in 2025. (1/4)
AFRL Partnering with Industry on Satellite Servicing Tech (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is increasing partnerships with industry on technologies to support satellite servicing and related activities. AFRL says that work on rendezvous, proximity operations and docking, or RPOD, technologies is a priority for the lab, and has signed agreements with companies like Astroscale and Orbit Fab to cooperate on their development. The Astroscale agreement will give the company access to AFRL facilities to perform ground tests of hardware and software. (1/4)
Thailand Considers Spaceport Development (Source: Bangkok Post)
Thailand is considering building a spaceport. A study of a prospective Spaceport Thailand by a government committee will soon be submitted to the country's National Assembly for formal consideration. The study concluded that building a spaceport would benefit the Thai economy and could be attractive to launch companies given the country's low latitude. It is unclear how long it would take to build a spaceport, how much it would cost or who would use it, though. (1/4)
Pentagon Wary of Defense Industry Consolidation (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Stress on the US defense industrial base has prompted the Pentagon to revisit industry consolidation as smaller players struggle to keep up with demand. Expert Halimah Najieb-Locke says decades of mergers have made it difficult to surge production. (1/3)
BAE Increases Apprentice, Graduate Hiring by 43% (Source: The Manufacturer)
BAE Systems is significantly increasing hiring activity for new graduates and apprentices this year, with group Human Resources Director Tania Gandamihardja noting that it is " essential for businesses like ours to invest in the next generation to equip young people with the skills they need to achieve their full potential and support social mobility." (1/3)
L3Harris Completes Acquisition of Viasat Data Link Unit (Source: C4ISRnet)
L3Harris Technologies has officially closed on its $1.96 billion acquisition of Viasat's tactical data link unit. "We're looking, as a trusted disrupter, to really enable our Department of Defense customers and international partner customers to modernize and really build a whole connected, interoperable force, to allow them to operate in contested environments," said Brendan O'Connell of L3Harris. (1/4)
NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative Deploys 150th from Space Station (Source: Space Daily)
Astronauts aboard the ISS released four CubeSats into low-Earth orbit Dec. 29, marking the 150th deployment for NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative. The CubeSats, part of an educational launch satellite mission, include: MARIO from the University of Michigan; petitSat from NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center; SPORT from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center; and TJREVERB from the Thomas Jefferson High School for Sciences and Technology.
They were shot into orbit via the Nanoracks CubeSat Deployer System. Acquisition of signal was quickly achieved from both SPORT and MARIO. ELaNa 49 launched on NASA's 26th commercial resupply services mission on Nov. 26. ELaNa, or the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites, was created by NASA to attract and retain students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. (1/4)
China Not in 'Space Race', Industry Insiders Say (Source: Space Daily)
All of China's activities in outer space are intended for the country's social, economic and technological development rather than for a "space race" with other nations, according to insiders in China's space industry. "We carry out spaceflights to develop high technology and improve economic growth and people's living standard. We don't take part in a space race with any other countries because competition in this regard is meaningless," said Yang Yuguang, a senior space industry observer in Beijing and vice-chair of the International Astronautical Federation's space transportation committee. (1/4)
Viasat Awarded 5 Year $325M IDIQ Contract by US Special Operations Command (Source: Space Daily)
Viasat has been awarded a contract award worth up to $325 million over a five-year period to support the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). This sole-source IDIQ is an extension of a $350 million IDIQ contract awarded to Viasat in 2017. Viasat will continue to provide advanced mission equipment, services and support to sustain and improve situational awareness, integration, terrestrial networking, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), tactical satellite communications, information assurance and network management capabilities of Special Operations Forces. (1/1)
Iridium Enters Service Agreement for Direct-to-Smartphone Satellite Service (Source: Space News)
Iridium has entered into a service provider agreement with a company widely expected to be Samsung to connect its satellites to smartphones. The U.S.-based satellite operator said it is due to be paid royalties, development and network usage fees from the deal in a Dec. 30 regulatory filing that provided no financial details or timings.
“To protect each company’s investment in this newly developed technology, the overall arrangements include substantial recoupment payments from each company for commercializing a similar capability,” Iridium said. The announcement comes after Iridium said in July that it had signed a development contract with a company to enable its satellite technology in smartphones. Iridium said both agreements are still contingent upon successfully developing the technology. (1/3)
NASA Apollo Astronaut Walt Cunningham Has Died at Age 90 (Source: NPR)
One of the early Apollo astronauts has died. Walt Cunningham died Tuesday after complications from a fall. He was 90. Walt Cunningham flew in space just one time. His flight in 1968 was an important — and often forgotten one — for the lunar program. Cunningham was the lunar module pilot of the first manned Apollo mission that went to space. Apollo 7's 11-day trip around the Earth was a key stepping stone to NASA's march to the moon. (1/3)
Private Human Spaceflight's Future Hangs on Looming Regulation (Source: Axios)
A ban on regulating private rockets is set to expire this year, opening up human spaceflight companies to safety regulations for those flying on their systems — and defining the future of the industry. The human spaceflight industry is growing, and while revenue is still relatively small, it's the most visible part of the space economy and the most influential for the public's understanding of space. Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic and SpaceX are currently sending private citizens to space, and Boeing will potentially enter human operations this year.
An accident for any of the operators could be disastrous for courting customers. The "learning period" banning the FAA from enacting regulations to protect the safety of private people flying to orbit or the edge of space absent an extreme, unplanned event like serious injury or death is set to expire in October. If Congress allows the moratorium on regulation to expire, the human spaceflight industry will be opened up to new regulations to protect the safety of people carried to space on their rockets.
“The FAA is taking action now to develop a safety framework if the moratorium expires," said FAA's Kelvin Coleman. "The safety framework should not stifle industry technology development but encourage innovation while guarding the safety of the crew, government astronauts, and space flight participant as well as the uninvolved public," the FAA wrote in a draft report to Congress released last year. The FAA also plans to create a transition plan that will move the industry toward regulation instead of enacting all regulations at once. (1/3)
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