April 16, 2023

Astronomers Have Directly Detected a Massive Exoplanet. Method Could Transform the Search for Life Beyond Earth (Source; The Conversation)
I and my international team of colleagues have combined different search techniques to discover a new giant planet. It could change the way we try to image planets in the future. Our direct imaging of a new planet, named HIP99770b, reveals a hot, giant and moderately cloudy planet. It orbits its star at a distance that falls somewhere between the orbital distances of Saturn and Uranus around our Sun.

Direct imaging involves attaching a powerful camera to a large telescope and trying to detect light emitted, or reflected, from a planet. Stars are bright, and planets are dim, so it’s akin to searching for fireflies dancing around a spotlight. It’s no surprise only about 20 planets have been found with this technique to date.

We reached our findings by first detecting hints of a planet via indirect detection methods. We noticed the star was wobbling in space, which hinted at the presence of a planet in the vicinity with a large gravitational pull. This motivated our direct imaging efforts; we were no longer searching in the dark. The extra data came from the European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft. (4/13)

Newborn Earth Made its Own Water, Study Suggests (Source: Space.com)
Contrary to a popular theory that icy comets or asteroids delivered water to a dry newborn Earth, the planet itself may have produced its earliest water supply, a new study suggests. This water would have stemmed from chemical interactions between an atmosphere rich in hydrogen, which researchers think enveloped the young Earth, and massive oceans of magma on the planet's surface. In these conditions, "water forms as a natural byproduct of all the chemistry that takes place," said study co-author Anat Shahar. (4/14)

Space Force To Award Blue Origin New Glenn NSSL Phase 3 Study (Source: Aviation Week)
The U.S. Space Force plans to award a sole-source contract to Blue Origin for early integration studies for upcoming National Security Space Launch (NSSL) missions to be competitively awarded during fiscal 2025-26, according to a presolicitation notice posted April 13. (4/14)

Orbex CEO Resigns (Source: Space News)
The chief executive of European small launch vehicle developer Orbex stepped down April 14 so that company can go to the “next level” ahead of its first launch. Orbex said that Chris Larmour, who led the company since its founding in 2015, was leaving the company “to allow a focus on new goals,” according to a company statement. (4/14)

SpaceX Launches Rideshare Mission From Vandenberg Space Force Base (Source: KSBY)
SpaceX successfully launched its Transporter-7 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base Friday night. The rocket launched at 11:48 p.m. Following stage separation, the rocket's first stage booster landed back at Vandenberg Space Force Base. That was 8 minutes after lift off. Transporter-7 is SpaceX's seventh dedicated smallsat rideshare mission, carrying 51 payloads. (4/14)

Rocket Lab Unveils New Constellation-Class Star Tracker for Commercial Use (Source: LA Business First)
Rocket Lab announced a new class of star tracker, the ST-16HV, is now available for commercial use, expanding the company’s Space Systems catalogue of products for the global satellite market. The new star tracker can be mass produced to meet the short lead times of commercial and government satellite constellation projects. (4/13)

Mojave Air and Space Port has New Director of Operations (Source: Mojave Desert News)
The Mojave Air and Space Port announced in their April newsletter that they have a new director of operations; meetin Mrs. Arielle Sewell. Mrs. Sewell hold a MS in Aeronautics with a focus on Aerospace Safety Program Management; she also has a BS in Technical Management and several other certifications in SMS, Emergency Management, Accident Investigation and Human Factors. (4/14)