SpaceX kicked off Memorial Day weekend with an overnight launch Saturday from Cape Canaveral, boosting a nearly five-ton communications satellite into orbit for Arabsat, a multinational consortium providing TV and video broadcast services across the Middle East. SpaceX's first stage booster -- numbered B1062 -- landed on a drone ship more than 400 miles downrange. This was the 14th flight of this booster. (5/27)
Have Space Command HQ Requirements Changed? Investigations Underway (Source: AL.com)
The secretary of the Air Force, authorized with making the final decision on the permanent home for Space Command headquarters, is investigating changes made in the command’s mission of which the secretary was not aware. That’s according to a letter released Thursday by Alabama Congressman Mike Rogers, who announced a probe looking into those changes as well by the House Armed Services Committee that he chairs. The Armed Services Committee has oversight of the armed forces.
It’s the first indication that changes have been made to the evaluation process and goes beyond the stepped-up rhetoric in recent months from Alabama’s representatives in Washington as well as Montgomery. Gov. Kay Ivey said last week that Alabama “would not take ‘no’ for an answer” on Space Command. Those changes, Rogers’ letter said, could alter the requirements previously outlined for the Space Command headquarters. (5/25)
Russian Soyuz Rocket Launches Reconnaissance Satellite (Source: NSF)
A Soyuz 2.1a rocket launched from Site 1S at Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia. Onboard the Soyuz was the Kondor-FKA n°1 satellite, which was lofted to a Sun-synchronous orbit. The Kondor satellites are a series of Earth observation satellites that provide reconnaissance services for the Russian military. (5/26)
Former NASA Science Director Joins ETH Zurich (Source: ETH Zurich)
From 2016 to 2022, Thomas Zurbuchen was responsible for research at NASA, the US space agency. From August this year, he will become director of ETH Zurich Space. This initiative aims to promote space research and teaching at ETH and to expand and strengthen cooperation with the space industry. Considered to be one of the most influential scientific leaders in the world, Thomas Zurbuchen has had a decisive influence in space science. After more than 20 years in the USA, he returns to his home country. From August, he will lead ETH Zurich Space as a Professor of Space Science and Technology. (5/25)
Port Canaveral Expansion to Balance Cruise, Space, Cargo, Military, Fishing, Entertainment, and Other Users (Source: WFTV)
The port is growing in several areas, including industrial, space, cargo, and cruising. Balancing all the bustling areas is becoming a delicate balancing act. “We’ve got aggregates, road building materials, fuels, so you know, gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, we keep the airports flying. So, there’s a lot that we do that isn’t quite as boutique as cruising,” Canaveral Port Authority CEO Capt. John Murray said.
But Port Canaveral is now considered the world’s busiest cruise port surpassing the Port of Miami. And this week, port commissioners gave the go-ahead to review a potential location for a seventh cruise terminal. “We’re not a large port. We only have 1,100 acres that is usable for port operations,” Murray said. “And we have a recreation component and a cargo component, space component, marinas, even an entertainment venue with our restaurants and so forth. So we have to balance it all.” (5/25)
Report Takes NASA to Task Over Multibillion-Dollar SLS and Artemis Cost Increases (Source: Florida Today)
A new report by NASA's inspector general took the agency to task, challenging the need to overspend – to the tune of billions of dollars – for Artemis program engines and boosters. In the 56-page analysis, auditors said NASA continues to see cost increases and delays related to the two main components of the SLS rocket's propulsion: four RS-25 main engines and two solid rocket boosters. The moon-focused program will burn through four main engines and two boosters.
Early in the program, NASA had hoped to see significant cost savings by refurbishing former space shuttle main engines (RS-25) and reusing them on the SLS rocket. The engines were built by Aerojet Rocketdyne; it's also responsible for the refurbishment of old engines and, because there aren't enough left from the shuttle program, production of new ones. The company was awarded two contracts by NASA – one for refurbishment, one for production of new engines – for a combined total of $5.7 billion. The $6 billion cost increases mentioned in the report are on top of the contract prices.
"The complexity of developing, updating, and integrating new systems along with heritage components proved to be much greater than anticipated, resulting in the completion of only 5 of 16 engines under the Adaptation contract and added scope and cost increases to the Boosters contract," the OIG said. The boosters are built by Northrop Grumman, which has been awarded $7.6 billion so far. "The cost impact from these four contracts increases our projected cost of each SLS by $144 million through Artemis IV, increasing a single Artemis launch to at least $4.2 billion," the OIG said. (5/26)
Space Development Agency to Launch 13 Satellites in Late June (Source: Space News)
The Space Development Agency is preparing to launch at least 13 satellites in late June, the agency’s director Derek Tournear said May 26. This will be SDA’s second launch of Tranche 0 satellites for its proliferated low Earth orbit constellation. Tranche 0 is a 28-satellite demonstration constellation. The first 10 spacecraft — eight communications satellites made by York Space and two missile-detection satellites made by SpaceX — launched April 2 on a SpaceX Falcon 9. SDA initially planned to launch all 18 remaining in June but made some late changes to the manifest, Tournear said. (5/26)
Desantis Holding Budget Items Hostage for Campaign Endorsements and Donations? (Source: Mediaite)
Staffers for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) have been soliciting donations to his presidential campaign from lobbyists while the state budget sits on the governor’s desk and each line item is facing the threat of his veto pen, according to a new bombshell report. These are staffers who work directly for the governor’s official, taxpayer-funded office and agencies, not the campaign, and that this activity is “a breach of traditional norms that has raised ethical and legal questions and left many here in the state capital shocked.”
Florida law grants the governor line-item veto power over the state budget, meaning that DeSantis could potentially eliminate a program’s budget with one stroke of his pen. The 2023 legislative session ended earlier this month, and several bills still await DeSantis’ signature — including the record $117 billion pending in the state budget. For lobbyists who have spent the entire session advocating for a specific bill or program (and in some cases, multiple sessions to get something across the finish line), it’s essentially a hostage situation. The implied threat is clear: donate to DeSantis 2024 or risk your pet project ending up on the chopping block.
Editor's Note: Several aerospace-focused line items are awaiting approval or veto within the budget, including over $12 million for academic and workforce projects at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University ($3M), Florida Tech ($7M), and other K-12 and workforce organizations. (5/26)
NASA Pursues Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services for Artemis Missions (Source: NASA)
NASA is seeking industry proposals for a next-generation LTV (Lunar Terrain Vehicle) that will allow astronauts to go farther and conduct more science than ever before as they explore the south polar region of the Moon during Artemis missions. Artemis astronauts will drive to explore and sample more of the lunar surface using the LTV than they could on foot. NASA will contract LTV as a service from industry rather than owning the rover. Contracting services from industry partners allows NASA to leverage commercial innovation and provide the best value to U.S. taxpayers while achieving its human spaceflight scientific and exploration goals. (5/26)
DoD Space Test Program Eyes Satellite Contract Awards (Source: SpaceRef)
The US Space Force announced during a recent teleconference call with media that it expects to make awards in December under its Space Test Experiment Platform (STEP) 2.0 program, which will procure spacecraft to host Department of Defense (DoD) sponsored payloads designed to test and mature new technologies. Vendors selected for the DoD satellite contracts will build satellites, integrate payloads onto them and launch vehicles, and provide ground support for orbital operations, DoD officials said during the conference call on May 8. STEP 2.0 will award indefinite delivery/indefinite quality contracts. (5/26)
Terran Orbital Announces $37.1 Million Registered Direct Offering (Source: Space Daily)
Terran Orbital has entered into a definitive securities purchase agreement for the purchase and sale of 29,000,000 shares of the Company's common stock (or common stock equivalents) and warrants to purchase 29,000,000 shares of common stock at a combined purchase price of $1.28 per share of common stock (or common stock equivalent) and accompanying warrant in a registered direct offering. (5/26)
Bank of America Hits Spacecraft Builder Terran Orbital with Rare Double Downgrade (Source: CNBC)
Bank of America hit Terran Orbital with a rare double downgrade this morning, dropping its rating to underperform from buy, over concerns of the company's backlog and liquidity. (5/26)
The Search for Habitable Planets Expands (Source: Space Daily)
A University of Michigan astronomer and his team are suggesting a new way to expand the search for habitable planets that takes into account a zone not previously considered: the space between the star and what's called soot-line in planet-forming disks. Worlds that form in this region-a disk of dust rotating around a central star from which planets may be built-could have surfaces rich in volatile carbon compounds quite different from Earth's. These planets would also be rich in organic carbon, but water poor, according to Ted Bergin, who led the study that included geochemists, planetary scientists, astrochemists and exoplanet experts. (5/26)
Inmarsat's Expands Inflight Broadband Plans for Business Aviation Customers (Source: Space Daily)
Inmarsat has announced the next chapter of its market-leading Jet ConneX (JX) inflight broadband solution, with a new range of service plans introduced to redefine gold standard connectivity in the business aviation market and satisfy even the most data-hungry users for many years to come. Launched as part of Inmarsat's JX Evolution program, these latest service plans are available for new and existing customers to order today, marking a step-change in performance that is backed by guaranteed speeds and Inmarsat's hallmark consistent customer experience. (5/24)
NASA’s VIPER is Leading the Way for the Next Generation of Moon Rovers (Source: CNN)
With NASA’s Artemis mission planning to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972, there’s a new buzz about lunar exploration. Space agencies around the world are developing cutting-edge moon rovers with advanced capabilities, with NASA’s VIPER rover among the vanguard of new robotic explorers. VIPER, or Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, has now begun construction and is scheduled to land at the moon’s South Pole in 2024. Its mission is to search the lunar surface for water ice. Armed with a suite of scientific instruments, VIPER will collect and analyze samples and map the distribution of water ice beneath the surface – which could lay the foundation for sustained lunar exploration. (5/25)
Intuitive Machines Lunar Landing Site Moves to South Pole (Source: Space Daily)
NASA, in cooperation with Intuitive Machines, is moving the landing site for the first Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) mission to Moon's South Pole as an important first step in managing risks for future Artemis landings. One of the first lunar payload deliveries under NASA's CLPS initiative was awarded to Intuitive Machines in May 2019. The company's first flight, Intuitive Machines-1 (IM-1) will carry six NASA payloads on its Nova-C lunar lander to a site near the Malapert A crater. This relatively flat and safe region is within the heavily cratered southern highlands on the side of the Moon visible from Earth. (5/26)
SpiderOak Joins the Northern Virginia Space Hub (Source: Fairfax County EDC)
Cyber space resiliency company SpiderOak is reaching out for new horizons – not only has it segued its business operations from, well… Earth — to space on satellites — but has moved its headquarters from Chicago to Fairfax County, Virginia. SpiderOak’s CEO Dave Pearah sat down with the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority to talk about the company, its innovative technology and recent pivot to space, and why they chose to relocate from Kansas and Chicago to Fairfax County.
Officially opening the doors of its Reston office on April 10, 2023, SpiderOak is one of the latest of many space and satellite companies of all sizes to move to and set up shop in Northern Virginia, a burgeoning hub for space companies. SpiderOak’s relocation was also precipitated by the recent growth of the space industry in the Greater Washington region. While in past decades space companies were expected to be located next to launch pads in places like Florida and Texas, that is no longer the case, CEO Dave Pearah noted. (5/25)
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