May 29, 2023

NASA Spacecraft Documents How Jupiter's Lightning Resembles Earth's (Source Reuters)
Hidden below the brownish ammonia clouds blanketing Jupiter are clouds that like on Earth are made of water. And like on Earth, lightning often is generated within these clouds - an eerie sight spotted by various spacecraft that have visited our solar system's largest planet, including NASA's Juno probe. Data obtained by Juno is providing fresh information on how the lightning processes on Jupiter are similar to those on Earth despite the dramatic differences between the two planets, according to scientists. (5/24)

North Korea Notifies Japan of Plan to Launch Satellite (Source: Reuters)
Japan put its ballistic missile defences on alert on Monday and vowed to shoot down any projectile that threatens its territory, after North Korea notified it of a planned satellite launch between May 31 and June 11. The nuclear-armed North says it has completed its first military spy satellite and leader Kim Jong Un has approved final preparations for the launch.

It would be the North's latest step in a series of missile launches and weapons tests in recent months, including one of a new, solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile. Tokyo expects North Korea to fire the rocket carrying its satellite over Japan's southwest island chain as it did in 2016, a defence ministry spokesperson said. (5/29)

Japan Says it Will Destroy North Korean Rockets After Satellite Launch Alert (Source:UPI)
Japan said Monday that it will shoot down North Korean missiles that enter its territory after Pyongyang notified Tokyo of its plan to launch a satellite between May 31 and June 11. "In order to prevent damage to human life and property ... we will implement destructive measures against ballistic missiles and other missiles that have been confirmed to fall on our territory," Japan's Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry issued the order to Japan's Self-Defense Forces after North Korea notified Tokyo of a plan to establish a maritime danger zone during the May 31-June 11 launch period. Japanese forces will use Patriot PAC-3 missiles stationed on islands around Okinawa or Aegis-equipped warships to destroy the missiles, the ministry said.

"North Korea's forced launch of a ballistic missile purported to be a 'satellite' is a serious provocation to Japan's security," Matsuno said. "Such launches also violate relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions that prohibit any launches using ballistic missile technology by North Korea, even if they are called 'satellites.'" (5/29)

South Korea Slams North Korea's Planned Satellite Launch, Warns of Consequences (Source: Yonhap)
South Korea on Monday "strongly warned" against North Korea's plan to launch a satellite in the coming weeks, vowing to make Pyongyang pay "due prices" if it goes ahead with the launch. "We strongly warn against North Korea's announcement of provocative actions that threaten regional peace and urge them to immediately withdraw their illegal launch plan," said Lim Soo-suk of Seoul's foreign ministry. Lim warned the North will be made to pay "due prices" and suffer "pain" if the launch goes ahead. (5/29)

India Launches GSLV-F12 Carrying Navigation Satellite (Source: Deccan Herald)
India’s GSLV F12 rocket on Monday successfully launched NVS-O1, a second-generation navigation satellite series that will ensure continuity of legacy NavIC services and provide new service in L1 band. This is the 15th flight of India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) and the 9th flight with Indigenous Cryo stage. (5/29)

China Sets Sights on Crewed Lunar Landing Before 2030 (Source: Space News)
China’s human spaceflight agency has stated its goal to land astronauts on the moon before the end of the decade. “Recently, the moon landing phase of China’s crewed lunar exploration program has started. The main goal is to send Chinese astronauts to land on the moon for the first time by 2030,” Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), told media at a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center May 29.

“Focusing on this goal, the CMSA has started planning, research and construction work on the basis of previous key technical breakthroughs and solution verifications,” Lin said. “This includes the development of a new generation manned carrier rocket, namely the Long March 10 launch vehicle, a new generation crew spacecraft, a lunar lander, a moon suit and other spaceflight products. The construction of a new launch site and tests on related launch facilities are also underway.” (5/29)

Astrophysicist Propose Warp Drive for Superluminal Space Travel (Source:
Of course, in theory, moving at a speed higher than the speed of light is possible, if the dark energy in outer space around the craft is redistributed, so that there is an excess of it behind it, and a region of negative energy in front of it. Astrophysicist Erik Lentz proposes a way to create one of these “warp bubbles” from positive energy sources. While studying previous warp drive suggestions, Lentz realized there were specific configurations of spacetime bubbles that had been overlooked. These bubbles took the form of solitons, compact waves that travel at a constant velocity without losing their shape.

Solitons in space--time capable of transporting time-like observers at superluminal speeds have long been tied to violations of the weak, strong, and dominant energy conditions of general relativity. The negative-energy sources required for these solitons must be created through energy-intensive uncertainty principle processes as no such classical source is known in particle physics. This paper overcomes this barrier by constructing a class of soliton solutions that are capable of superluminal motion and sourced by purely positive energy densities. (5/28)

Swiss Company Selects Arianespace to Launch First Space debris Removal Mission (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
Swiss-based in-orbit servicing startup ClearSpace has contracted Arianespace to launch its first debris removal mission to capture and deorbit a 100-kilogram (220-pound) piece of space debris. Europe’s Vega C will launch the ClearSpace-1 servicer spacecraft to low Earth orbit (LEO) from French Guaina in the second half of 2026 as a secondary passenger to a larger payload that has yet to be announced. The spacecraft will be injected into a sun-synchronous from where it will rendezvous, capture and deorbit a spent upper stage which was part of the Vega launcher’s second flight in 2013. (5/27)

Swiss/Monegasque Lunar Rover Unveiled (Source: Venturi)
On Saturday 27 May 2023, H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco visited Venturi Group’s Monegasque headquarters. Welcomed by the Group’s President, Gildo Pastor, the Sovereign was invited to take a historic first look at the lunar rover “FLEX”, developed by Venturi Astrolab (USA) in collaboration with Venturi Lab (Switzerland) and Venturi (Monaco). FLEX will be the largest and most advanced lunar vehicle ever made. It will be landed on the surface of the Moon by American firm SpaceX in 2026. (5/27)

Momentus to Deliver Lunasonde Technology Demonstration Payload to Orbit (Source: Momentus)
Momentus has signed a contract with Lunasonde to deliver the Picacho CubeSat to orbit. Lunasonde is a sub-surface imaging company with the goal of making underground resources – like water and minerals – easier to find. The Picacho CubeSat is a technology demonstration of Lunasonde’s sensors. It will measure the power spectral density of low-frequency radio signals in the ionosphere, which will help inform designs for the company’s future satellites. Picacho will fly on the Vigoride-7 spacecraft targeted to launch on the SpaceX Transporter-9 mission in October 2023. (5/25)

US ‘Ready to Fight in Space If We Have To’, Says Military Official (Source: The Guardian)
The US is ready for conflict in outer space, according to a senior military official, after developing anti-satellite technologies to counter the threats posed by “provocative” countries such as Russia and China. Brig Gen Jesse Morehouse at US Space Command, the arm of the military responsible for space operations, said Russian aggression and China’s vision to become the dominant space power by mid-century, had left the US with “no choice” but to prepare for orbital skirmishes. (5/28)

Orbit Fab Selects Impulse Space to Support GEO Refueling Mission (Source: Impulse)
Impulse Space, Inc. – a leader in the development of in-space logistics services for the inner solar system – today announced a landmark hydrazine refueling demonstration mission in geostationary equatorial orbit (GEO), where its Mira orbital service vehicle will serve as a hosting platform for the Orbit Fab fuel depot set to replenish Space Force Satellites in 2025. (5/25)

Sierra Space Trains NASA and JAXA Astronauts for Dream Chaser Spaceplane Mission to ISS (Source: Sierra Space)
Sierra Space has achieved another significant milestone in the journey to the first flight of Dream Chaser. The company hosted its first-ever official training for astronauts from NASA and JAXA to learn the inner workings of the world’s first commercial spaceplane. The astronauts – Jasmin Moghbeli (United States) and Satoshi Furukawa (Japan) – are two members of the upcoming SpaceX Crew-7 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). During their planned six-month stay, Dream Chaser will make its maiden voyage to deliver cargo to the ISS as part of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS-2) contract. (5/23)

Now that Blue Origin Has ‘Landed’ its Second Lunar Contract, What’s Next? (Source: The Hill)
NASA recently announced that the “national team,” led by Blue Origin will construct and operate the second human landing system (HLS), slated to serve on the Artemis V mission in the late 2020s or early 2030s. Blue Moon is divided into two parts. The first part is the actual lander, which will carry Artemis astronauts to the lunar surface. The second part is a refueling module that will carry propellant from Earth orbit to lunar orbit to top off the lander between missions.

The selection of the second human landing system sets up a contest between the two most famous billionaires on the planet, SpaceX’s Elon Musk and Blue Origin’s Jeff Bezos. As the Daily Mail reports, the rivalry between the two men goes beyond business considerations to the deeply personal. Both men will be driven to succeed, lest they be shown up by the other. NASA is counting on that spirit of competition to lower costs and ensure that Artemis returns humans to the moon sooner rather than later. (5/28)

Strange Star System May Hold First Evidence of an Ultra-Rare 'Dark Matter Star' (Source: Live Science)
Astronomers long thought that a peculiar star system observed by the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite was a simple case of a star orbiting a black hole. But now, two astronomers are challenging that claim, finding that the evidence suggests something far stranger: possibly, a never-before-seen type of star made of invisible dark matter. Their research, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, was published April 18 on the preprint server arXiv.

The system itself consists of a sunlike star and, well, something else. The star weighs a little less than the sun (0.93 solar mass) and has roughly the same chemical abundance as our star. Its mysterious companion is much more massive — around 11 solar masses. The objects orbit each other at a distance of 1.4 astronomical units, about the distance at which Mars orbits the sun, making a complete orbit every 188 days. (5/23)