April 19, 2024

Boeing Layoffs Possible on Space Launch System Program (Source: Ars Technica)
Boeing is considering laying off some workers involved in NASA's Space Launch System program. A company spokesperson said it is evaluating potential reductions in the workforce for SLS because of "external factors unrelated to our program performance." Those factors could include delays in the next two Artemis missions, which slipped because of issues with the Orion spacecraft and development of the Starship lunar lander. (4/19)

ISS NICER Instrument Fix to Require Spacewalk (Source: NASA)
Astronauts will repair an astronomical instrument on the ISS later this year. NASA said this week that astronauts will perform a spacewalk to fix the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer, or NICER, instrument that has been on the ISS since 2017. Astronomers discovered a problem with NICER last year where sunlight would leak into the instrument, dazzling its X-ray sensors. On the spacewalk, astronauts will apply patches to the spacecraft's sunshield and areas where damage has been spotted in a bid to block the light leaks. NASA has not set a specific date for the spacewalk, and the repair materials will be launched to the station on the next Cygnus cargo spacecraft. (4/19)

L3Harris Sues Moog for Smallsat Bus Delays (Source: Space News)
Supply chain problems in the small satellite industry have resulted in a lawsuit. L3Harris Technologies filed suit in late March against Moog, which was supplying satellite buses for a contract L3Harris had with the Space Development Agency. L3Harris alleges Moog repeatedly missed delivery deadlines, with satellite buses arriving 11 to 13 months late, putting its SDA contract at risk.

The lawsuit underscores the challenges facing the space supply chain as it tries to ramp up production to meet soaring demand from the military and the intelligence community. Experts say companies in the defense industry, long accustomed to building a few large, complex satellites, are adapting to the new reality of producing larger quantities of smaller, cheaper spacecraft, exposing weaknesses in segments of the space industrial base. (4/19)

Astra Considered Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 Bankruptcy (Source: Space News)
Astra flirted with filing for bankruptcy several times in recent months as the company struggled to stay afloat. In recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the spacecraft propulsion and launch vehicle company said that it had considered "and even begun preparations" to file for either Chapter 11 reorganization or Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy in the second half of 2023 and earlier this year. In some cases the company came within days of furloughing staff and filing for bankruptcy.

Astra announced last month that it accepted a proposal by the company's founders to take the company private at $0.50 a share, a deal still scheduled to close in the second quarter. Astra reported Thursday a net loss of $178.4 million in 2023 on $3.9 million in revenue. (4/19)

MDA Space Wins Canadian Contract for ISS Robotic Arm Support (Source: Space News)
MDA Space won a contract from the Canadian Space Agency to provide continued support for the International Space Station's robotic arm. The $182 million contract extension, announced Thursday, covers robotics flight controller duties, in addition to the operational readiness support, through 2030, the scheduled retirement of the station. MDA Space announced last week a new product line of modular robotic technologies and services called Skymaker, which the company hopes will help it secure emerging commercial opportunities following decades of government work. (4/19)

China Plans Commercial Launches for Proposed Megaconstellations (Source: Space News)
China plans to rely on commercial launch companies to help deploy its proposed megaconstellations. China has outlined plans for two separate low Earth orbit communications megaconstellations, called Guowang and G60 Starlink, with Guowang alone featuring 13,000 satellites. A recent report notes that new launch capacity being developed by commercial actors in the country will play a pivotal role in getting the planned satellites into orbit. The move will help traditional state-owned players focus on civil and military programs, including human spaceflight, military and lunar plans, while also boosting China's overall launch and space capabilities and meeting national strategic goals. (4/19)

Virgin Galactic Considers Reverse Stock Split (Source: Space News)
Virgin Galactic will ask shareholders to approve proposals for a reverse stock split. The company released a proxy statement Thursday for its annual general meeting of shareholders, scheduled for June. That statement includes a proposal to allow the board to implement a reverse split of between 1-for-2 and 1-for-20 shares. The reverse split would boost the share price, which the company said would have various benefits, including compliance with requirements to remain listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Shares in the company closed Thursday at $0.97. (4/19)

Ghaffarian Sets His Sights on the Stars with a Range of Space Companies (Source: CNBC)
Jeff Bezos wants to build permanent outposts on the moon and colonize space. Richard Branson wants to make spaceflight as commonplace as air travel. Elon Musk wants to settle on Mars to make humanity multi-planetary. IBX’s Kam Ghaffarian wants to go even further: the stars. “The vision for IBX is protecting our home, our planet, and then finding new homes and stars and everything involved to do that. So, on the space side, if we say that the ultimate destiny for humanity is interstellar travel, and going to the stars, then we need to take a lot of intermediary steps to do that.”

It might sound farfetched if it wasn’t for his track record. Ghaffarian has been instrumental in ushering in the new space economy, having co-founded and invested in a cadre of commercial space ventures. Publicly traded Intuitive Machines, where Ghaffarian is co-founder and executive chairman, recently made history when its Odysseus spacecraft successfully landed on the moon. Ghaffarian is also the co-founder and chairman of Axiom Space, which now regularly sends private astronauts on commercial missions to the ISS as it works to build its own space station.

With Quantum Space, where he’s also the executive chairman, the focus is on deep space commerce and communication through a superhighway of satellites stretching from Earth’s orbit to the moon and beyond; X-Energy, which he founded, has developed operating nuclear reactors that, according to the company, are “designed to be intrinsically safe,” as well as nuclear propulsion capabilities. His family office, IBX, which stands for “Imagine, Believe, Execute,” sits at the center of this space exploration constellation. Click here. (4/18)

SwRI Begins Work on 'Spacecraft Bus' (Source: KSAT)
outhwest Research Institute has won a position on Denver-based Astroscale U.S.’s contract with the U.S. Space Force to build and test a small demonstration spacecraft as part of a $25.5 million Space Mobility and Logistics prototyping project. The spacecraft, called the Astroscale Prototype Servicer for Refueling, will refuel other compatible vehicles while in geostationary orbit. “It’s a servicing mission; It’s a demonstration mission. It’s intended to provide a service that the Space Command really wants to have in orbit,” said Michael Epperly, senior program manager within the SwRI Space Systems Directorate. (4/17)

Plasma Physicist Warns That Elon Musk's Disposable Satellites May Be Damaging the Earth's Magnetic Field (Source: Futurism)
Dead satellites and other debris are constantly burning up as they fall out of Earth's orbit. Conventional wisdom is destroying all that space junk is good, because it keeps orbit less cluttered. But it may have harmful effects on our planet's magnetic field, as plasma physicist and former Air Force research scientist Sierra Solter contends.  "After studying the problem for over a year, I have no doubt that the sheer vastness of this pollution is going to disrupt our delicate plasma environment in one way or another," Solter wrote, arguing that big money in "commercial space ventures" could stop us from "discussing this potential crisis." (4/17)

Pluto Gained a ‘Heart’ After Colliding with a Planetary Body (Source: CNN)
A huge heart-shaped feature on the surface of Pluto has intrigued astronomers since NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft captured it in a 2015 image. Now, researchers think they have solved the mystery of how the distinctive heart came to be — and it could reveal new clues about the dwarf planet’s origins. The heart is not all one element, scientists say. For decades, details on Tombaugh Regio’s elevation, geological composition and distinct shape, as well as its highly reflective surface that is a brighter white than the rest of Pluto, have defied explanation.

After an analysis involving numerical simulations, researchers concluded a planetary body about 435 miles in diameter, or roughly twice the size of Switzerland from east to west, likely collided with Pluto early in the dwarf planet’s history. (4/18)

Enceladus Can Support Life − My Research Team is Working Out How to Detect Extraterrestrial Cells There (Source: The Conversation)
Saturn has 146 confirmed moons – more than any other planet in the solar system – but one called Enceladus stands out. It appears to have the ingredients for life. From 2004 to 2017, Cassini – a joint mission between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency – investigated Saturn, its rings and moons. Cassini delivered spectacular findings. Enceladus, only 313 miles in diameter, harbors a liquid water ocean beneath its icy crust that spans the entire moon. Click here. (4/17)

The Strange Theory That There Is Only One Electron In The Universe (Source: IFL Science)
According to a theory proposed by theoretical physicist John Wheeler, who outlined his thoughts in a conversation with fellow physicist Richard Feynman, there is only one electron – it just looks like there are a lot more because it is moving forward and backward in time. As odd as this sounds, it is itself a response to the incredible weirdness of electrons. Electrons, like other elementary particles, are indistinguishable from each other. They have the same negative charge, the same mass, and the same spin. Swap one electron for another, and you won't be able to tell.

Its antiparticle – the positron – are also indistinguishable from each other, identical in their charge, mass, and spin. Strangely, they are identical to electrons, aside from their positive charge. It was these factors that led Wheeler to suggest that electrons and positrons were actually just one particle, negatively charged as it goes forward in time, and positively charged as it goes backward in time. (4/18)

Physicists Suggest Universe is Full of Material Moving Faster Than Light (Source: Futurism)
New research suggests that the universe is filled with particles capable of traveling faster than light, LiveScience reports — and that this scenario holds up as a potentially "viable alternative" to our current cosmological model. The idea is a little far-fetched, sure, but it's worth hearing out. These hypothetical particles, known as tachyons, aren't likely to be real — but they're not some hokey bit of sci-fi, either. The potential for their existence is something physicists have been giving serious thought for decades, raising fundamental questions about the nature of causality. (4/18)

Northrop Grumman Working with SpaceX on U.S. Spy Satellite System (Source: Reuters)
Aerospace and defense company Northrop Grumman is working with SpaceX, the space venture of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, on a classified spy satellite project already capturing high-resolution imagery of the Earth, according to people familiar with the program. The program, details of which were first reported by Reuters last month, is meant to enhance the U.S. government's ability to track military and intelligence targets from low-Earth orbits, providing high-resolution imagery of a kind that had traditionally been captured mostly by drones and reconnaissance aircraft.

The inclusion of Northrop Grumman, which has not been previously reported, reflects a desire among government officials to avoid putting too much control of a highly-sensitive intelligence program in the hands of one contractor, four people familiar with the project told Reuters. "It is in the government's interest to not be totally invested in one company run by one person," one of the people said. (4/18)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Satellites on Company's 40th Mission of 2024 (Source: Space.com)
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 of the company's Starlink internet satellites lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport in Florida on April 18. The Falcon 9's first stage came back to Earth about 8.5 minutes after launch as planned, making a vertical landing on the SpaceX droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. (4/18)

Lack of Standards Slows Allied Tech-Sharing, Space Force Official Says (Source: Defense News)
As the U.S. military deepens its technology development and sharing partnerships with international allies, a dearth of government standards for components and interfaces threatens to impede cooperation, according to the Space Force. Chief Master Sergeant Ron Lerch, who serves as the senior enlisted leader for Space Systems Command’s Intelligence Directorate, said that while the issue is often raised by industry, it’s a growing concern from foreign allies as well. (4/17)

FAA to Require Reentry Vehicles Licensed Before Launch (Source: Space News)
The FAA is revising its licensing regulations to prevent a repeat of a situation last year where a spacecraft launched without approvals to return. In a notice published in the Federal Register April 17, the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation announced it will no longer approve the launch of spacecraft designed to reenter unless they already have a reentry license. The office said that it will, going forward, check that a spacecraft designed to return to Earth has a reentry license as part of the standard payload review process. (4/18)

Orbex Secures £16.7m Investment to Accelerate Rocket Development (Source: Orbex)
The UK spaceflight company Orbex has received £16.7m from a group of six significant investors in an update to its Series C funding round. The funding takes the total funds raised by the business to £102 million. With pre-launch testing underway, the funding will help Orbex ramp up the development of Prime, its 19-meter long, two-stage rocket designed to transport small satellites into Low Earth Orbit. The aim is to ensure full readiness and scalability for its launch period.

Orbex now has 2 active patents in a number of European countries and the United States covering various parts of its rocket technology. It is powered by a renewable biofuel, which allows the rocket to reduce carbon emissions significantly compared to other similarly sized rockets being developed elsewhere around the world. (4/18)

NASA Has Greenlit Plans to Send a Giant Drone to Saturn’s Largest Moon (Source: The Verge)
NASA has been given the go-ahead to send a flying drone-like lander to explore Titan, the largest of Saturn’s 146 moons. Targeting a July 2028 launch, the agency announced on Tuesday that it can now complete the final design for Dragonfly — a Mars rover-sized rotorcraft that will be used to detect “prebiotic chemical processes common on both Titan and the early Earth before life developed.” If all goes according to plan, the eight-rotor drone is scheduled to arrive at Titan in 2034. (4/17)

Mutated Strains of Unknown Drug-Resistant Bacteria Found Lurking on ISS (Source: Gizmodo)
The ISS is home to crews of astronauts conducting research in low Earth orbit, but it also hosts a group of mutated bacteria that are thriving under the harsh conditions of space. A group of researchers took a closer look at bacterial strains on board the ISS and found that they had mutated to a different form that’s genetically and functionally distinct from their Earthly counterparts. In a new study published on PubMed, scientists suggest that bacteria in space becomes more resistant to treatment or drugs, and are able to openly persist in the microgravity environment in abundance.

Although astronauts tend to travel light, they do unintentionally bring their microbes with them to space. As a result, a unique microbial population has grown on the space station. In 2019, researchers conducted the first extensive survey of bacteria and fungi on board the ISS, and found a whole bunch of microorganisms living among the astronauts. The bacteria that live on the ISS are influenced by factors like microgravity, radiation, elevated CO2, ventilation, humidity, air pressure, as well as the number of astronauts on ISS. As a result, the microorganisms have to adapt in order to survive.

The study found that under stress, E. bugandensis mutated to become more resistant to antimicrobial treatment. Also, the bacterial species was found to coexist with multiple other microorganisms, and in some cases may have helped those other organisms survive. E. bugandensis is associated with the human gastrointestinal tract, and the species is known to be highly adaptable and can take advantage of unusual conditions to infect a host. (4/18)

Unidentified Submerged Objects Are What We Should Really Worry About (Source: Jalopnik)
Officially, the U.S. government has no proof that sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena are the result of alien activity. Apparently, though, they have been observed operating unidentified submerged objects in our oceans. They fly, too, but when they want, they just disappear beneath the waves without a trace. Retired Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet is sounding the alarm on UFOs that can disappear into the water without a splash and without leaving any wreckage behind. (4/18)

This Advanced Quake Detector Will Land on the Moon With Artemis Astronauts (Source: Gizmodo)
NASA is building a compact seismometer for its upcoming Artemis 3 mission to the Moon, hoping to learn more about the internal structure of the dusty satellite from its lunar tremors. The Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) was selected as one of the first three potential payloads for Artemis 3, which is scheduled for launch in 2026. LEMS is an autonomous, self-sustaining station that’s designed to withstand the cold lunar night and operate during the day, continuously monitoring ground motion from moonquakes. (4/17)

After Success of Chandrayaan-3 Mission, ISRO Chief Somanath Makes Big Claim on India's Lunar Mission (Source: DNA)
The chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), S Somanath, said India's commitment to continue lunar missions until an Indian astronaut sets foot on the Moon. Speaking at an event organised by the Astronautical Society of India in Ahmedabad, Somanath emphasised ISRO's dedication to the Chandrayaan series of missions and probes until this significant milestone is achieved.

India's Moon mission Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the lunar south pole in August 2023, making it the first country to land on the uncharted surface. Chandrayaan 3 module seperated from the rocket 16 minutes after launch and orbited the Earth six times, reaching a maximum distance of 36500 km before the first orbit-raising move on July 15, taking it to a distance of 41,672 km.

Meanwhile, Somanath also revealed plans for an uncrewed Gaganyaan mission, a test vehicle flight mission, and an airdrop test scheduled for 2024. The airdrop test, slated for April 24, is a significant step towards realising India's human spaceflight capability. Somanath outlined a roadmap comprising additional uncrewed missions in the following year, leading up to the manned mission by the end of next year, contingent on successful progress. (4/18)

Engineering India's Lunar Ambitions with AI (Source: DaijiWorld)
Artificial intelligence has been a pivotal technology in ensuring the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. It has significantly enhanced planning, navigation, data analysis, and overall operational efficiency. The integration of artificial intelligence has played a crucial role in the accomplishments of Chandrayaan-3. Let's explore how artificial intelligence has contributed to the mission's triumph. Click here. (4/17)

Air National Guard Transfer Proposal Would Put America Behind in Space (Source: C4ISRnet)
On March 19, the secretary of the U.S. Air Force sent a legislative proposal to Congress that calls for the transfer of Air National Guard space missions, equipment, and personnel to the U.S. Space Force. The proposal, known as LP 480, also includes language that overrides the section of the law that requires governors to consent to changes to their National Guard units.

As an adjutant general, LP 480 presents a multitude of concerns. It would set a precedent for moving state forces to a federal chain of command without the governor’s consent and would reduce a state’s capability to respond to state emergencies without any input from the state. It would also create unnecessary costs for American taxpayers. And LP 480 would degrade America’s space capabilities.

Last year, Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, the chief of Space Operations, told Congress that the Air National Guard’s roughly 1,000 space professionals make more than 30% of American space capability and a whopping 60% of the nation’s electromagnetic warfare capability. LP 480 would move about 1,000 positions (known in the military as billets) from the Air National Guard to the Space Force. However, because the service members that occupy those positions signed contracts with the National Guard, they cannot be forced to transfer to the Space Force and must do so voluntarily. (4/17)

Inversion’s State-of-the-Art Ray Reentry Demonstrator Capsule to Launch This Fall (Source: Inversion)
Inversion, founded in 2021 to build re-entry vehicles to deliver cargo anywhere on Earth in under one hour, announced today that Ray, the company’s technology test platform, will be launching on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 as part of the Transporter-12 Rideshare mission, no earlier than October 2024. The purpose of Ray’s mission for Inversion is to test key technologies for the yet-to-be-announced next generation vehicle that Inversion is developing. (4/17)

SpaceX's Latest $14M South Texas Expansion Adds Rec Center, Sushi (Source: My San Antonio)
SpaceX's South Texas headquarters, located along the coast, is continuing to build its island of resources for its community of space innovators. The astronautics company has now added multi-million dollar projects to its slate of upcoming restaurants and centers. The company plans to build an over $13 million recreation center and a nearly half-million-dollar sushi restaurant. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations filings show that the projects will take full form in over a year of construction. (4/17)

Axiom, LambdaVision, and the Great Commercial Takeover of Low Earth Orbit (Source: MIT Technology Review)
A lot of people are betting that there are fortunes to be made in LEO, and because of that, the US taxpayer is not paying for Axiom Station. Though NASA intends to eventually rent space on Hab One, and has already awarded tens of millions of dollars to kick off early development, the commercial station is being built by hundreds of millions of private dollars. The cultivation of commercial research and manufacturing is ongoing, which was NASA’s aim going all the way back to Dan Goldin’s tenure as administrator.

Axiom built the mock-up to solve an almost comically fundamental challenge that any project such as this faces: turning the pressure shell and the myriad subsystems and components into a human-safe spacefaring vehicle. You can’t just drill holes in the pressure shell, any more than you can punch a hole in a balloon and expect it to keep its shape. Axiom must build the module inside and around it. “It is a spaceship-in-the-bottle problem,” Baine said. “You basically have to feed all your systems through a 50-inch hatch and integrate them into the element.”

As part of its push to encourage companies to develop their own space stations, NASA has committed to leasing space on those that meet the agency’s stringent human-spaceflight requirements. Just as with a major shopping center, an “anchor tenant” can offer financial stability and attract more tenants. To help this along, a US national laboratory based in Melbourne, Florida, is specifically funding and supporting non-aerospace companies that might benefit from microgravity research. Click here. (4/17)

ESA Selects Four New Earth Explorer Mission Ideas (Source: ESA)
From the 17 submissions, which were all thoroughly evaluated, ESA’s Advisory Committee for Earth Observation (ACEO) recommended that four of the ideas should go forward to the assessment study phase. Today, ESA’s Programme Board for Earth Observation formally accepted this recommendation, which means that the proposed CryoRad, ECO, Hydroterra+ and Keystone mission ideas will now be fully assessed and, in effect, take the first competitive steps towards becoming ESA’s twelfth Earth Explorer.

CryoRad would provide direct measurement of low-frequency passive-microwave brightness temperatures using a novel broadband radiometer. ECO would measure the difference between incoming solar radiation and outgoing radiation, which defines Earth’s energy ‘imbalance’, and which fundamentally controls Earth’s climate system. Hydroterra+ would deliver data twice a day over Europe, the Mediterranean and northern Africa to understand rapid processes tied to the water cycle and tectonic events in these regions. And Keystone would provide the first direct observations of atomic oxygen in the altitude range of 50–150 km using a unique combination of limb-sounding techniques. (4/17)

Lunar i-hab Mockup Completes Acceptance Review at Thales Alenia Space (Source: Space Daily)
The European Space Agency's Lunar I-Hab initiative has achieved a significant milestone at the Thales Alenia Space facility in Turin with the completion of the Acceptance Review of the mockup, delivered by Liquifer Space Systems. This event underscores the advancement toward a sustained human presence in lunar orbit. The mockup, a full-scale version of the intended flight module, includes a structural representation of the living space and a cabin equipped with volumetric models of actual flight hardware. (4/16)

NASA Seeks Community Input to Refine Space Technology Priorities (Source: Space Daily)
NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) is revising its approach to technology development as it aims to enhance its missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The agency has identified nearly 190 national space technology needs and is soliciting input from the American aerospace community to prioritize these for future endeavors.

Dr. Kurt Vogel, associate administrator for Space Technology at NASA Headquarters, emphasized the shift towards a more collaborative process to tackle the challenges posed by future missions. "STMD is developing many key technologies, but this open approach helps us better prioritize and align with stakeholder needs, ensuring efficient investment," he explained. (4/17)