February 1, 2023

D-Orbit Launches ION's First Mission Into a Mid-Inclination Orbit (Source: Space Daily)
Space logistics and orbital transportation company D-Orbit launched Starfield, the eighth commercial mission of their proprietary orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) ION Satellite Carrier (ION), and the first one in a midinclination orbit. The OTV lifted off January 31 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, and was successfully deployed 57 minutes later into an approximately 340km altitude and 70-degree inclination orbit. (2/1)

Researchers Complete First Real-World Study of Martian Helicopter Dust Dynamics (Source: Space Daily)
Mars is a dusty planet. From tiny dust devils to vast storms that shroud the planet, dust is a constant challenge for research missions. That was especially true for Ingenuity, the rotorcraft that since February 2021 has been exploring Mars alongside NASA's Perseverance rover. Now, researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology, the Space Science Institute, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have completed the first real-world study of Martian dust dynamics based on Ingenuity's historic first flights on the Red Planet, paving the way for future extraterrestrial rotorcraft missions. (2/1)

SwRI Investigations Reveal More Evidence That Mimas is a Stealth Ocean World (Source: Space Daily)
When a Southwest Research Institute scientist discovered surprising evidence that Saturn’s smallest, innermost moon could generate the right amount of heat to support a liquid internal ocean, colleagues began studying Mimas’ surface to understand how its interior may have evolved. Numerical simulations of the moon’s Herschel impact basin, the most striking feature on its heavily cratered surface, determined that the basin’s structure and the lack of tectonics on Mimas are compatible with a thinning ice shell and geologically young ocean. (1/31)

Two Nearby Exoplanets Might Be Habitable (Source: Space Daily)
Two planets about as massive as Earth orbit a red-dwarf star only 16 light-years away - nearby in astronomical terms. The planets, GJ 1002 b and c, lie within the star's habitable zone, the orbital distance that could allow liquid water to form on a planet's surface if it has the right kind of atmosphere. Whether red-dwarf stars are likely to host habitable worlds is a subject of scientific debate. On the minus side, these stars - smaller, cooler, but far longer-lived than stars like our Sun - tend to flare frequently in their youth. Such flares could potentially strip the atmospheres from closely orbiting planets, and the two planets orbiting GJ 1002 are close indeed. (2/1)

NASA Spinoffs Bolster Climate Resilience, Improve Medical Care, More (Source: Space Daily)
When it comes to NASA, most people look to the skies as rockets, rovers, and astronauts push the boundaries of space exploration. But the benefits of going above and beyond can be found here on Earth through products and services born from NASA innovation. The latest edition of NASA's Spinoff publication features dozens of new commercialized technologies that use the agency's technology, research, and/or expertise to benefit people around the globe. It also includes a section highlighting technologies of tomorrow. Click here. (2/1)

NASA Announces Finalists in Challenge to Design Future Astronaut Food (Source: Space Daily)
NASA has selected 11 finalists in Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge, a public competition to extend the limits of humans in space - through food. A first-of-its-kind coordinated effort between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the Deep Space Food Challenge aims to kickstart future food systems for pioneering missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The multiphase technology competition invites problem-solvers around the world to design, build, and test new ways to sustain astronauts in space for months or even years at a time.

Editor's Note: Two finalists are Florida-based: Kernel Deltech USA (Cape Canaveral) produces inactivated fungal biomass using a continuous cultivation technique. Interstellar Lab (Merritt Island) produces fresh microgreens, vegetables, mushrooms, and insects to provide micronutrients for long-tern space missions. Click here. (2/1)

India Considers Budget Cut for ISRO (Source: India Today)
The Indian government is proposing a budget cut for its space agency. A budget released Wednesday by the country's finance minister allocated approximately 125 billion rupees ($1.5 billion) to ISRO, an 8% decrease from last year. It's unclear how the reduced funding might affect major ISRO programs, including its Gaganyaan human spaceflight effort. (2/1)

ILS President Stepping Down as Sanctions Lock Proton Put of Markets (Source: ILS)
The president of International Launch Services (ILS) is resigning. The company said Tuesday that Tiphaine Louradour was leaving the company after nearly three years. Thomas P. Tshudy, special counsel to the ILS Board of Directors, will take over management of the company. ILS markets the Proton rocket to Western customers, but sanctions triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine have made it virtually impossible to sell the rocket. (2/1)

Mynaric Adds Veziroglu as Co-CEO (Source: Mynaric)
Optical communications company Mynaric announced Tuesday it had appointed Mustafa Veziroglu as its co-CEO, a title shared with Bulent Altan. Veziroglu joined Mynaric, which sells optical terminals for satellites and other applications, as president last August. (2/1)

GHGSat to Launch CO2 Emission Tracker This Year (Source: BBC)s
GHGSat says it will launch its first satellite later this year devoted to tracking carbon dioxide emissions. The Canadian company said Tuesday its GHGSat-C10 will launch later this year to detect carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and other major industrial sources. The company currently operates several satellites that monitor emissions of another greenhouse gas, methane. (2/1)

Xplore to Launch Remote Sensing Satellite This Year (Source: Space News)
Xplore says it will launch its first remote sensing satellite later this year. The company said Tuesday it secured a commercial remote sensing license from NOAA for its first Xcraft smallsat, slated to launch on a SpaceX rideshare mission in the fourth quarter. The Xcraft will carry multiple sensors for Earth observation, space domain awareness and astronomy, the company said, including offering hyperspectral imagery at resolutions of two and five meters. (2/1)

Add a Dozen More Moons to Jupiter's Orbit (Source: Sky & Telescope)
Astronomers have discovered another dozen moons orbiting Jupiter. The moons are small and orbit far from Jupiter, taking more than 340 days to complete one orbit. Nine of them are in retrograde orbits that suggest they were captured by the planet's gravitational field. The discoveries bring the total number of confirmed moons orbiting Jupiter to 92, ahead of Saturn's 83. (2/1)

Future Uses of Space Out to 2050 (Source: Rand)
Recent years have witnessed major changes in how humans are utilising space. Access to and use of space has become essential to modern digital society and many aspects of everyday life. The number of space-related activities conducted by government, military and commercial actors around the world is increasing. This second 'space race', brings both threats and opportunities to the UK's economy, security, interests, values and way of life.

To help the UK navigate this landscape of threats and opportunities, RAND conducted a study for the UK Space Agency to explore the variety of possible future uses of space out to 2050, as well as to identify potential 'game-changers' and the implications for the UK space sector. The research explored how the way we use space will change, who the key space actors will be, and how well-placed the UK is to address these future trends in the space economy. Click here. (2/1)

Space Force Anticipates Novel Threats to Satellites (Source: Space News)
The head of the U.S. Space Force says the service needs new ways to prepare for complex and unpredictable threats to satellites. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, U.S. chief of space operations, told reporters Tuesday that one of the lessons from the war in Ukraine is that space systems are increasingly essential to military operations, and that satellites and the ground systems used to control them are being targeted. Space Force operators, he said, have not been trained for this new era of anti-satellite warfare. Saltzman said the Space Force will seek funding in its fiscal year 2024 budget for what he calls an "operational test and training infrastructure" to address those issues. (2/1)

Axiom Foresees Governments as Main Customers for Commercial ISS Spaceflights (Source: Space News)
Axiom Space says most of its customers for upcoming private astronaut missions to the International Space Station will be from governments, not the private sector. In a briefing this week, Axiom executives said the planned Ax-3 and Ax-4 missions will fly primarily government astronauts, with perhaps one private individual, although the company did not disclose which countries would likely participate on thise missions. Two Saudi astronauts are expected to be part of the Ax-2 to fly to the station as soon as May, but have not yet been named. Axiom said it agrees with a NASA requirement established last year that private astronaut missions to the station be commanded by a former agency astronaut, a practice the company had already adopted. (2/1)

China's CAS Space Plans Series of New Launchers (Source: Space News)
Chinese company CAS Space has outlined plans to develop a series of launch vehicles. The company held an opening ceremony last month for the first phase of its CAS Space Industrial Base rocket manufacturing facility in the southern city of Guangzhou. Its Lijian-1 solid-fuel rocket successfully launched six satellites last year, and the second is planned for launch in May. CAS Space showed plans for a series of solid- and liquid-propellant rockets that will incorporate reusability. The designs have been noted online for their apparent resemblance to the SpaceX Falcon 9, the triple-core Falcon Heavy and the Blue Origin New Shepard crew capsule. (2/1)

Orbital Sidekick Raises $10 Million for Hyperspectral Constellation (Source: Space News)
Hyperspectral imaging startup Orbital Sidekick announced $10 million in new funding this week. Energy Innovation Capital led the funding round, which the company will use to advance development of its six-satellite Global Hyperspectral Observation Satellite constellation, known as GHOSt. The first two GHOSt satellites are scheduled to launch on a SpaceX rideshare mission in the spring, with all six in orbit by the end of the year. Orbital Sidekick says the funding is a "massive validation" of its technology by the energy industry, which can use it to identify oil and gas leaks. (2/1)

Capella Federal Formed to Focus on Defense (Source: Space News)
Capella Space has formed a new subsidiary, Capella Federal, focused on the defense market. The company said the subsidiary will allow it to provide increased access of its synthetic aperture radar imagery to U.S. defense customers. Eric Traupe, a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer and former assistant director of the Central Intelligence Agency, was named head of Capella Federal. (2/1)

LA-Based Embedded Ventures Launches Inaugural Fund, with Focus on National Security and Space Tech (Source: CNBC)
Los Angeles-based Embedded Ventures kicked off an inaugural $100 million fund, the firm announced Tuesday, as it looks to back companies building for both commercial and national security customers, especially in the space sector. Embedded is led by general partners Jenna Bryant and Jordan Noone, the latter who came to the VC side after co-founding 3D rocket printer Relativity Space. The firm has previously made early investments in a half dozen aerospace startups, including satellite communications company Akash Systems and space data-focused Slingshot Aerospace, Embedded said. (1/31)

Starship First Orbital Flight Path! (Source: @Newsthink)
Here's a short video showing the planned flight path for SpaceX's upcoming (pending a lot of approvals) orbital flight test from Texas to somewhere near Hawaii. Click here. (1/31)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Mission From California (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
SpaceX launched another set of 49 Starlink satellites and a rideshare payload Tuesday. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base after two days of delays for additional pre-launch checks. The rocket deployed 49 Starlink satellites into orbit along with the ION SCV009 spacecraft from D-Orbit. That spacecraft, dubbed "Eclectic Elena" by D-Orbit, carries several payloads ranging from a drag sail to cremated remains. (2/1)

AI Will Help (and Maybe Already Has) Discover Alien Life (Sources: Breakthrough Listen, @Melodysheep)
Using machine learning techniques, astronomers have found 8 new potentially alien signals, by combing through an old data set. Machines can see patterns we cannot -- and may be the key to answering the age old question: are we alone? We implemented a novel β-convolutional variational autoencoder to identify technosignature candidates in a semi-unsupervised manner while keeping the false-positive rate manageably low, reducing the number of candidate signals by approximately two orders of magnitude compared with previous analyses on the same dataset.

Our work returned eight promising extraterrestrial intelligence signals of interest not previously identified. Re-observations on these targets have so far not resulted in re-detections of signals with similar morphology. This machine-learning approach presents itself as a leading solution in accelerating SETI and other transient research into the age of data-driven astronomy. (1/31)

Vote for Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral (Source: USA Today)
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has been nominated for the Best Science Museum by USA Today. Enjoy the many exhibits and interactive attractions at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, which includes an actual Apollo spacecraft, an astronaut training simulator, the Space Shuttle Atlantis, the Shuttle Launch Experience and more. If you're lucky, you may even get to witness a rocket launch while you're there. Click here. Individuals may vote once daily until February 13. (1/31)

U.S.-India Civil Space Joint Working Group Advances Bilateral Space Collaboration (Source: SpaceRef)
Officials from the US and India gathered on Jan. 30-31 at the Department of State for the eighth meeting of the U.S.-India Civil Space Joint Working Group (CSJWG). The meeting was co-chaired by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Jennifer R. Littlejohn and NASA's Associate Administrator for International and Interagency Relations Karen Feldstein for the United States, and Mr. Shantanu Bhatawdekar, Scientific Secretary of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for India.

The CSJWG discussions covered collaboration in Earth and space science as well as human space exploration, global navigation satellite systems, spaceflight safety and space situational awareness, and policies for commercial space. Participants also considered implementation of guidelines and best practices developed by the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space (COPUOS) to ensure the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. (1/31)

Rapidly Spinning Dead Star Slows Down, and Scientists Think They Know Why (Source: Cosmos)
A magnetar — or highly magnetic dead star — with the unassuming name of SGR 1935+2154 is attracting a lot of attention. Back in October 2020 it suddenly slowed down. A few days after that, there were three fast radio bursts (FBR), and pulsed radio waves for a month coming from the same area. A new study has looked into what could have caused this, and the team has come to the conclusion that a volcano-like rupture on the dead star’s surface could have caused the slow down or what’s known as a ‘spin-down glitch’. (1/31)

Law Firm Investigates Astra Space (Source: Parabolic Arc)
San Francisco-based Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP is investigating derivative claims on behalf of stockholders concerning potentially false and misleading statements involving struggling launch provider Astra Space’s decision to go public by merging with Holicity Inc.

Holicity’s investors were drawn to the company’s statements touting its ability to quickly scale its launch operations to meet the demand of a sizeable market,” the law firm said in a statement. “However, in December 2021, market researcher Kerrisdale Capital released a report alleging that Holicity and Astra may have issued several false and misleading statements concerning the company’s prospects and capabilities. (1/31)

Virgin Galactic Class Action Lawsuit (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Shareholders allege that Branson and company officials withheld material information about safety defects and other problems with SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo before and after Virgin Galactic went public in October 2019 after merging with Chamath Palihapitiya’s Social Capital Hedosophia. Plaintiffs allege that they lost money relying on the company’s false assertions while Branson, Palihapitiya and other defendants made more than $1 billion selling shares. Defendants have denied wrongdoing. (1/31)

Space Hiring Remains Strong in Seattle Area (Source: Alliance Velocity LLC)
Open space industry jobs in the Seattle area and Washington State are above 1,000 for the 18th month in a row. A rapid decline in open roles at Amazon's Project Kuiper propels AerojetRocketdyne to the number three spot for space hiring in the state after Blue Origin and SpaceX. Interestingly, SpaceX Starlink is not only looking to hire the usual mix of engineers, machinists, technicians and test specialists, but also seeks to add bilingual customer support associates at its Redmond, Washington location. (1/31)

University Finalists Selected for New NASA Balloon Challenge (Source: NASA)
Six university teams have been selected as finalists to advance to the next phase of NASA’s Formulate, Lift, Observe, And Testing; Data Recovery And Guided On-board Node (FLOATing DRAGON) Balloon Challenge. The challenge, sponsored by NASA’s Balloon Program Office (BPO) at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and managed by the National Institute of Aerospace, was developed to provide increased opportunities for academic research institutions to contribute to the NASA Science Mission Directorate’s (SMD) mission.

The FLOATing DRAGON Balloon Challenge finalist teams are: Princeton University; Purdue University; South Dakota State University; University of Texas at Austin; University of California, Davis; and University of Notre Dame. (1/31)