January 7, 2023

Some Details Have Emerged About Blue Origin’s “Blue Ring” Project (Source: Ars Technica)
Blue Origin on Wednesday posted a job opening for a position titled "Blue Ring Senior Program Manager." However, the posting to the company's Workday "Careers" page was taken down less than 24 hours later—perhaps because it contained details about an advanced program the company does not yet want to discuss publicly. Asked about the short-lived post, a Blue Origin spokesperson told Ars on Friday that, "We’re updating the job requisition for this position."

"As the Program Manager, you will lead the development, manufacturing, and operations of a multi-mission, multi-orbit platform." ... "There is a critical need for rideshare and hosting solutions for small satellites for commercial and government purposes." The significance of this is that it represents one of the first times the company has publicly discussed its Blue Ring program, albeit perhaps inadvertently given the rapid removal of the job posting.

According to two sources, Blue Ring is one of the projects being worked on at Blue Origin as part of the company's Advanced Development Programs. A number of these initiatives seek to augment Blue Origin's forthcoming New Glenn rocket, a heavy-lift vehicle that may make its debut in 2024. These programs include Project Jarvis, which Ars first disclosed in July 2021, to develop a fully reusable upper stage for the launch vehicle. The Blue Ring project combines two basic features: an EELV Secondary Payload Adapter, or ESPA ring, and a space tug. (1/6)

Can the UK's Race to Space Take Off? (Source: BBC)
The ambition is to turn the country into a global player in space - from manufacturing satellites, to building rockets and creating new spaceports. But can the UK carve out a place in an increasingly crowded market - and why try to reach for the stars? "We are the guinea pigs," says Melissa Thorpe. "It is the first time any of us have done this, so it's been quite a learning experience."

Melissa is in charge of Spaceport Cornwall, which is about to attempt its very first foray into space. She's showing me around their base at Newquay Airport. There's all the usual hubbub of activity: passengers arriving, suitcases being loaded, planes being fuelled. But there's also something more surprising on the tarmac: a 21m-long rocket. A team is busy prepping it for the first ever launch from UK soil that will take satellites into orbit around the Earth.

But this is a blast off with a difference. There won't be a vertical launch from the ground. Instead, the rocket is fixed underneath the wing of a modified jumbo jet. Once the plane is mid-air, the rocket will be released and fire its engines to head into space. Setting up the UK's first spaceport has taken years and a lot of hard work, plus an entirely new regulatory framework to ensure these launches are safe. The hope is it will make a difference to the local area, one of the poorest in the UK, by bringing in new companies and creating new jobs. (1/6)

Impulse Space Will Hitch a Ride on SpaceX’s Transporter-9 for First Mission Later This Year (Source: Tech Crunch)
In-space transportation startup Impulse Space will head to orbit aboard a SpaceX ride-share mission later this year, as it seeks to prove out its orbital maneuvering and servicing technology for the first time.

While there’s always major pressure before an inaugural demonstration, there will likely be more eyes on Impulse’s mission than usual. That’s not least because the startup is headed by Tom Mueller, SpaceX’s former head of propulsion, a formidable engineer who led the development of the Merlin engine that powers the Falcon 9 rocket — the very rocket Impulse will use to reach space.

Impulse has also raised a notable amount of capital — including $20 million from Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund and $10 million from Lux Capital — and has swelled to about 60 employees, with nearly a third joining in the past six months. To top it all off, the company announced last summer that it was teaming up with Relativity Space for a very ambitious mission to Mars — yes, Mars — as early as 2024. (1/4)

Taiwan's Space Agency Rebrands as TASA After Official Upgrade (Source: Focus Taiwan)
Taiwan's national space agency officially unveiled its new name Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) on Friday after it was upgraded earlier in the week by being placed under the Cabinet-level National Science and Technology Council (NSTC).

The Hsinchu City-based entity, previously called the National Space Organization in English, has been renamed the Taiwan Space Agency to improve readability and international recognition by having "Taiwan" added to its designation, according to the NSTC. (1/6)

Starlink’s Performance in Ukraine Has Ignited a New Space Race (Source: Economist)
The next space race has been triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It is happening closer to Earth. And it is one which America, thanks largely to a single company, is winning. The company is SpaceX. In three years SpaceX has launched around 3,500 Starlink satellites, roughly half the total number of active satellites now in orbit. It plans to launch as many as 40,000.

Early in the war Ukraine’s government asked SpaceX to send it the small, portable dishes that allow users to connect to the network. It has since become vital to the Ukrainian war effort. Soldiers use it to communicate, identify targets and upload footage for PR purposes. Starlink represents a step-change in two ways. One is the sheer amount of capacity it offers, the other is its resistance to attack. Previously, satellite links were largely reserved for senior officers, headquarters and drone pilots. Starlink provides the sort of tactical agility vital to modern warfare.

Starlink has, so far, survived attempts to jam or hack it. Russia has said that its use in Ukraine makes it a legitimate military target. The number of satellites, and the speed with which SpaceX can replace them, make trying to shoot them down futile. America’s friends and rivals have taken note. As with GPS, which proved so useful that many other countries decided they must have sovereign systems of their own, Europe, China and Russia are all racing to build their own mega-constellations. (1/5)