June 19, 2023

Space Florida, Israel Innovation Authority Funded $20 Million Into Research and Development Projects Over a Decade (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida and the Israel Innovation Authority, an independent publicly funded agency dedicated to fostering innovation ecosystems, announced the award recipients of the tenth round of funding from the Space Florida-Israel Innovation Partnership Program. The program, with $2 million available in funding, has supported the research, development, and commercialization of aerospace and related technology projects for the benefit of Florida’s and Israel’s economy over the past 10 years.

This year’s joint award recipients are: Sidus Space and Maris-Tech; Arralis Space and Ayecka Communications Systems; Guident Autonomous Intelligence and Novelsat Limited; ETA Space and Helios Project; and Sidus Space and Lulav Space. The joint funding program established in 2013 has provided crucial support for projects that have transformative implications for the aerospace industry. Through this collaboration, Florida-based companies have gained access to Israeli technological prowess and innovation, while Israeli companies have benefited from the state's thriving aerospace ecosystem. Click here. (6/19)

Boeing Expects More Defense Losses, Addressing Fixed-Price Program Issues (Source: Aviation Week)
Boeing’s defense unit expects to report additional losses for the second quarter of this fiscal year as it works through continued struggles on major firm-fixed-price development contracts and looks ahead to growth in Europe and for increased space business. Boeing Defense and Space CEO Ted Colbert said the second quarter will look like the earnings of the first, which included a $212 million operational loss on $6.54 billion in revenue, in part due to another $245 million charge on the KC-46 tanker program.

While the top fixed-price contracts—KC-46, T-7, the uncrewed MQ-25 refueling tanker for the U.S. Navy and the Starliner crewed space capsule—are all in the red, Colbert said the company is still investing in improving their performance because they are significant to the company. Going forward, however, the company has said it wants to avoid these contracts in the future to not have a repeat of the losses. (6/18)

If Betelgeuse Goes Supernova, Earth Will Have Neutrino Rain — That's Just the Start (Source: Inverse)
The bright, red star Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion has shown some unexpected behavior. In late 2019 and 2020, it became fainter than we had ever seen it — at least in records going back more than a century. Briefly, it became fainter (just about) than Bellatrix, the third brightest star of Orion. This event became known as the “great dimming.” New models have been run, with some suggesting that a supernova could happen within a few thousand years, while others put this event at 1.5 million years into the future.

The star is around 500 light years away. Following an explosion, we first would detect a rain of massless particles called neutrinos, which would be harmless to us. After that, the star would quickly brighten. After one or two weeks, it would shine with about the same brightness as the Full Moon. Betelgeuse would then fade over the next several months but remain visible in the daytime for six to 12 months. At night, you should be able to see it with the naked eye for another one or two years. But after that, we would never see it again — Orion would forever lose its red sparkle.

Is there any danger to us? Supernovas produce high-energy particles called cosmic rays, which can get past the shield of the Earth’s magnetic field. But the amounts would be small compared to other radiation we receive for all but the nearest supernovas. A supernova explosion would also create radioactive iron. In fact, this substance has been found in Earth’s seabed and on the Moon, believed to have formed in a supernova explosion between 2 and 3 million years ago. That supernova was perhaps 300 light years from us, closer than Betelgeuse, but far enough to cause no major problems for life on Earth. (6/16)

Space Coast Aerospace Projects Avoid DeSantis Veto List (Source: Florida Today)
Florida Institute of Technology's Aerospace Cybersecurity Engineering Development program received $5 million in state grants. The program ― which is being launched in collaboration with Florida Tech's L3Harris Institute for Assured Information ― is designed to accelerate the education and development of engineering students skilled in cyber engineering for industry and government. Separately, Florida Tech's Biomedical Aerospace Manufacturing program received $2 million in the state budget.

Eastern Florida State College received $3.6 million for its Advanced Technologies Center. That project will transform an underused library building on its Cocoa campus to a career and educational training center, with the library being moved elsewhere on campus. The Advanced Technologies Center will provide students with the skills needed for local industry, particularly in manufacturing and aerospace. Originally, EFSC had planned to build a brand-new building for its technology center, but since revised the plans. (6/19)

Raytheon Injecting Collins Aerospace Unit with $2.7 Billion JADC2 Jolt (Source: C4ISRnet)
Raytheon Technologies, the world’s second largest defense contractor by revenue, is reorganizing Collins Aerospace, giving its subsidiary a greater volume of work related to Joint All-Domain Command and Control. The shuffle, effective July 1, will shift 4,700 positions and $2.7 billion in business to Collins, which will also continue its commercial aviation programs. Leadership at Collins is not expected to change. (6/19)

New Link Discovered Between Dark Matter and Clumpiness of the Universe (Source: SciTech Daily)
Researchers propose in a new study that the universe’s lack of clumpiness suggests dark matter is composed of hypothetical, ultra-light particles called axions. If confirmed, this could have broad implications for our understanding of the universe and could even provide support for string theory. Researchers at the University of Toronto reveal a theoretical breakthrough that may explain both the nature of invisible dark matter and the large-scale structure of the universe known as the cosmic web.

The result establishes a new link between these two longstanding problems in astronomy, opening new possibilities for understanding the cosmos. The research suggests that the “clumpiness problem,” which centers on the unexpectedly even distribution of matter on large scales throughout the cosmos, may be a sign that dark matter is composed of hypothetical, ultra-light particles called axions. (6/19)

NASA’s Obstacles to Commercializing the Space Launch System are Mounting (Source: The Hill)
NASA is urging Boeing and Northrop to commercialize the Space Launch System (SLS). On the surface, it’s a good strategy. The SLS is horrendously expensive to process and launch. If the monster rocket’s two main contractors can find other customers, the launch cost will decline. Cost cutting is an important consideration, thanks to the pressure on NASA’s budget because of the debt ceiling deal. The planned House Appropriations Committee 2024 spending levels could be devastating to the space agency.

Currently, the Space Launch System costs about $2 billion to launch. The goal is to bring the costs down to $1 billion per launch. But who would want to spend a billion dollars to launch anything on NASA’s monster rocket except for the space agency? The Space Force certainly doesn’t want anything to do with the Space Launch System. Colonel Douglas Pentecost, a senior rocket acquisition official with the Space Force, is quoted as saying, “It’s a capability right now that we, the DoD, don’t need. We have the capability that we need at the affordability price that we have, so we’re not that interested in some partnership with NASA on the SLS system.” (6/18)

Global Collaboration Drives Record-Breaking Advances in Small Satellite Industry (Source: Space Daily)
In a great week for NewSpace, global collaborations have led to record-breaking achievements across the small satellite sector, with a focus on autonomous technology, enhancing global internet connectivity, and ever increasing commercial applications. First up, China has set a new national record by successfully launching 41 satellites into orbit on a single mission via their Long March 2D carrier rocket. This development comes as nations around the world compete to push the boundaries of what's achievable in space exploration and technology.

The satellites were successfully placed into preset orbits, adding further momentum to China's ambitious space goals. Not to be outdone, Exolaunch, in collaboration with SpaceX, facilitated the launch of 32 customer satellites through SpaceX's Falcon 9 as part of the Transporter-8 mission, marking a significant milestone for the company. The participation of Exolaunch customers from diverse locations across Europe, Asia, and North America underscores the increasingly global nature of space ventures. Click here. (6/18)

Satellite Internet Fills Holes in Global Connectivity, But Cost Remains an Issue (Source: Space Daily)
Satellite Internet is helping to fill digital deserts, but roughly half the world's population still lacks online access as many remain priced out. The United Nations has set a goal that "every person should have safe and affordable access to the Internet, including meaningful use of digitally enabled services" by 2030.

But the U.N.'s International Telecommunication Union notes that a majority of the 3.7 billion people who remain without regular or high-speed Internet access live in the world's least developed countries. That number could drop a bit after U.S. aerospace company SpaceX launches a $540 million Satria communications satellite for Indonesia to provide broadband Internet and communications capacity for schools, hospitals and other public facilities in rural regions. (6/18)

UK Nuclear Fusion Company Announces Space Rocket US Partnership (Source: Space Daily)
UK-based company Pulsar Fusion, specializing in nuclear fusion, has announced a collaboration with the US firm, Princeton Satellite Systems. The collaboration will employ artificial intelligence (AI) in the design of a space rocket, aiming for a notably increased speed. This improvement could significantly decrease the mission time to Saturn's moons, reaching them in approximately two years.

Pulsar Fusion, located in Oxfordshire, and Princeton Satellite Systems, are set to harness AI machine learning simulations to develop a deep space rocket engine. The anticipated speed of this engine is around 500,000 mph, reducing the travel time to Mars to roughly 30 days. The announcement comes shortly after the signing of a UK/US defense sharing deal by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Washington. (6/18)

NASA’s DEIA Efforts Could Use a Boost (Source: FNN)
NASA may have been voted the best place to work for the last 11 years, it may still have some work to do in diversifying its workforce. According to a recent report from the agency’s inspector general, it’s made little progress in increasing the representation of women and minorities in its civilian workforce or leadership ranks. To discuss some of the IG’s findings and what NASA’s doing to fix it, I spoke with Tekla Colon, director-Mission Support Audits in the IG office. Click here. (6/16)

SpaceX Launches Indonesian Satellite From Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
SpaceX launched an Indonesian communications satellite Sunday evening. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:21 p.m. Eastern and placed the Satria satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit. The satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space for an Indonesian consortium, weighed 4.6 metric tons and will operate from 146 degrees east in GEO, providing Ka-band internet connectivity. (6/19)

Spain's PLD Space Aborts Suborbital Launch Attempt (Source: AFP)
Spanish launch vehicle startup PLD Space aborted a launch of its Miura 1 suborbital vehicle last Friday night. The rocket ignited its engines at about 8:45 p.m. Eastern but immediately shut them down, staying on the pad at a military base in southwestern Spain. PLD Space said that not all of the umbilical lines between the rocket and ground equipment separated as intended, triggering the abort. The company has not set a new launch date. Miura 1 is a suborbital prototype of the company's Miura 5 orbital small launch vehicle. (6/19)

Government Interest in Imagery Hasn't Yet Increased Business (Source: Space News)
Growing interest by U.S. government agencies in commercial satellite imagery has not translated into increased business. The Ukraine conflict has been a prominent use case for commercial imaging satellites and their power to deliver crucial intelligence, but industry observers note that has not resulted in growing demand for such imagery outside of the crisis itself. Planet, for example, lowered its revenue projections for the year in its quarterly earnings report earlier this month. One former government official said that the industry developed capabilities faster than the government could respond to it, especially in emerging areas like synthetic aperture radar imagery. (6/19)

Russia to Fly Cosmonaut on Next Commercial Crew Mission to ISS (Source: NASA)
A Russian cosmonaut has been officially assigned to the next commercial crew mission to the International Space Station. Konstantin Borisov will go the station on the Crew-7 mission in August, joining NASA's Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA's Andreas Mogensen and JAXA's Satoshi Furukawa. Borisov, who joined Russia's cosmonaut corps in 2018, will be on his first spaceflight with this mission. (6/19)

Pence Says of Space Command HQ ‘there’s Only One Place it Should Be’ (Source: AL.com)
Former Vice President Mike Pence, seeking the Republican nomination for president next year, added his voice to the ongoing dialogue about moving the headquarters of U.S. Space Command from Colorado to Alabama. Pence, in town to speak to the Gridiron Men’s Conference at Von Braun Center, gave his blessing to Huntsville. “There’s only one place it should be, and that’s right here in the hub of the American space program, Huntsville, Alabama,” Pence said. (6/18)

NASA Overestimated Apollo Lunar Quarantine Containment (Source: Space.com)
When astronauts first returned from the moon in 1969, NASA officials were concerned that they might carry some weird space microbes back to Earth with them. At the time, neither the U.S. nor the U.S.S.R. had successfully returned a probe from the moon — let alone one with soil samples and actual humans aboard. As a result, nobody knew for sure whether or not the moon harbored microscopic life.

NASA set up a quarantine facility in Houston known as the Lunar Receiving Laboratory in order to counteract the possibility of any hitchhiking alien germs escaping onto Earth. When the Apollo 11 crew returned from their mission, they were immediately ushered into this state-of-the-art, multimillion dollar facility, where they spent three weeks. Twenty-four NASA employees who were exposed to lunar material as they helped the astronauts disembark were quarantined as well, the New York Times reported.

On its face, the quarantine protocol looked sensible. But the new research suggests that despite the money and resources invested in it, NASA's "planetary protection" efforts were largely for show. "The quarantine protocol looked like a success only because it was not needed," study author Dagomar Degroot, a historian at Georgetown University, wrote in the new paper. (6/15)