May 11, 2024

Archimedes 3D Printed Engine Will Send the Neutron Rocket Into Space at Least 20 Times (Source: Auto Evolution)
A single Archimedes engine is capable of developing 165,000 pounds of thrust. Given how no less than nine of these things will power the Neutron rocket's first stage alone, that's a total of 1.45 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. A version of the Archimedes will be used to power the rocket's second stage, the one meant to operate in space. Optimized for use in a vacuum, this powerplant can develop on its own 202,300 pounds of thrust.

The engines have been designed to be able to withstand multiple restarts. In the case of the vacuum version, for instance, power can be turned on and off for up to six times, allowing for the spacecraft to change its orbital position depending on needs. The stage one Archimedes, on the other hand, will allow for up to 20 launches to be performed using the same setup. That's because the rocket engine "is intentionally designed to operate within medium-range capability, a choice that lowers thermal and operational strains." (5/10)

NASA's Strategy for Space Sustainability (Source: Space News)
The risks posed by orbital debris and collisions in Earth orbit are not new: after all, the idea of the Kessler Syndrome, a runaway cascade of collisions that would render orbits unusable, is decades old. There have been many solutions posed over the years to deal with that debris, from lasers that would be at home in science fiction to concepts like nets and harpoons that instead seem like something from Moby Dick. Surely the right technology is out there somewhere.

But Melroy, in a speech unveiling NASA’s first Space Sustainability Strategy, argued the focus on technology is premature. “That’s the part everyone jumps to first. We think it comes third,” she said. What she and the agency offered was a more deliberative approach to the issue of space sustainability, one that argues that the problem needs to be better defined and understood before attempting to create any solutions for it. “I’m really picky about strategy,” she said in a later briefing. “I really wanted them to diagnose the problem in a way that got to why it’s so hard to do this.”

“NASA defines space sustainability as the ability to maintain the conduct of space activities indefinitely into the future in a manner that is safe, peaceful, and responsible to meet the needs of the present generations while preserving the outer space environment for future activities and limiting harm to terrestrial life,” the strategy states. (5/10)

Looking for Life on Enceladus: What Questions Should We Ask? (Source: Phys.org)
Does life exist beyond Earth? One of the most compelling places to consider this possibility is Enceladus, a moon of Saturn with a liquid water ocean encased in a frozen shell. There, plumes of water spray from ice fractures into space, and spacecraft observations of these geysers suggest that Enceladus has all the chemical building blocks necessary for life.

It is no surprise that robotic missions to search for life on Enceladus are in development. On the brink of this new era of space exploration, Davila and Eigenbrode propose a strategic research framework for studying Enceladus and similar ocean worlds. Instead of simply asking whether Enceladus is inhabited, the researchers propose asking, "What is the extent of organic chemical evolution in Enceladus's ocean?" This shift in focus could allow for deep learning regardless of whether Enceladus is currently inhabited, on its way to developing life, past a time when it held life, or on a path unlikely to lead to life. (5/9)

Dragonfly: The Billion-Mile Mission to Explore Saturn's Biggest Moon (Source: Big Think)
We’re sending a flying laboratory to an alien, haze-covered moon that’s about 1 billion miles away. This is nothing short of science fiction, yet the mission is well along already. It’s slated to launch in just four years and should arrive at Titan in 2034. At this stage, however, the technical challenges, the solutions NASA scientists are finding, and the possibilities of what Dragonfly will achieve are what left my head spinning. Click here. (5/10) https://bigthink.com/13-8/dragonfly-mission-to-titan/

A Skeptic’s Take on Beaming Power to Earth from Space (Source: IEEE Spectrum)
With the flurry of renewed attention, you might wonder: Has extraterrestrial solar power finally found its moment? As the recently retired head of space power systems at ESA—with more than 30 years of experience working on power generation, energy storage, and electrical systems design for dozens of missions, including evaluation of a power-beaming experiment proposed for the International Space Station—I think the answer is almost certainly no.

Despite mounting buzz around the concept, I and many of my former colleagues at ESA are deeply skeptical that these large and complex power systems could be deployed quickly enough and widely enough to make a meaningful contribution to the global energy transition. Among the many challenges on the long and formidable list of technical and societal obstacles: antennas so big that we cannot even simulate their behavior. (5/9)

Shining a Light on Untapped Lunar Resources (Source: Phys.org)
Near the moon's south pole lies a 13-mile wide, 2.5-mile-deep crater known as Shackleton, named for Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton—and craters like it—may contain untapped resources that can be accessed with lunar mining.

Solar energy is the optimal energy source to power lunar mining since it does not need to be transported from Earth, but rather is beamed straight from the sun. The problem with using solar energy within craters is that even during the lunar day, some craters may be in complete shadow. Researchers at Texas A&M have partnered with NASA Langley Research Center to engineer a solution using solar reflectors to get solar power to the bottom of lunar craters. (5/6)

The Moon's Far Side Has Scientists Interested (Source: INFORUM)
Because it faces out away from our planet, the other side of the moon has been struck by many more asteroids and other random space objects than the side we see. In fact, it likely has blocked asteroids from hitting Earth. A Chinese rocket mission recently launched is designed to gather rocks from the far side and return them to Earth for further study. (5/10)

In Race to Space, One Startup Is Betting on Candle Wax (Source: Bloomberg)
Companies are trying all kinds of things to find their way in the increasingly competitive space industry. A German startup is adding candle wax to that list. HyImpulse Technologies last week launched a sounding rocket powered by a combination of liquid oxygen and solid paraffin – a petroleum byproduct that’s a key ingredient in candles.

Mario Kobald, who co-founded the company in 2018, is taking this approach because he saw too many young companies trying to develop rockets similar to SpaceX, which uses liquid oxygen and kerosene to fuel its workhorse Falcon 9 rockets. Instead, HyImpulse says its mission is to make access to rocket trips more affordable and environmentally friendly with “space-grade candle wax” as a key part of its strategy. The material is “cheap compared to kerosene,” Kobald says.

Paraffin also is “non-toxic and very safe to handle,” he says. The material’s stability allowed the company to transport a rocket — complete with the paraffin fuel — as ordinary cargo on a container ship from Germany to Singapore to Australia, without the need for expensive restrictions to prevent explosions. (5/10)

Mysterious Objects in Space Could Be Giant Dyson Spheres, Scientists Say (Source: Science Alert)
One group of scientists thinks that we may already have detected technosignatures from a technological civilization's Dyson spheres, but the detection is hidden in our vast troves of astronomical data. A Dyson sphere is a hypothetical engineering project that only highly advanced civilizations could build. In this sense, 'advanced' means the kind of almost unimaginable technological prowess that would allow a civilization to build a structure around an entire star.

The research is titled "Project Hephaistos – II. Dyson sphere candidates from Gaia DR3, 2MASS, and WISE." This is the second paper presenting Project Hephaistos. The first one is here. "In this study, we present a comprehensive search for partial Dyson spheres by analyzing optical and infrared observations from Gaia, 2MASS, and WISE," the authors write. "This second paper examines the Gaia DR3, 2MASS, and WISE photometry of ~5 million sources to build a catalogue of potential Dyson spheres," they explain. (5/11)

China Raises Stakes in SpaceX Internet Rivalry, Claims Higher Orbit for SkyNet (Source: South China Morning Post)
The first satellite in China’s ambitious Smart SkyNet broadband internet constellation – part of an effor to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink – was launched into medium Earth orbit on Thursday. The satellite, known as Zhihui Tianwang-1 01 or Smart SkyNet-1 01, left the Xichang spaceport atop a Long March 3B rocket. CASC said the satellite will test high-speed, user-friendly communication technologies from 20,000km (12,400 miles) above the Earth. (5/10)

NASA's New Mobile Launcher Stacks Up for Future Artemis Missions (Source: NASA)
The foundation is set at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launching crewed missions aboard the agency’s larger and more powerful SLS (Space Launch System) Block 1B rocket in support of Artemis IV and future missions. On May 9, 2024, teams with NASA’s EGS (Exploration Ground Systems) Program and contractor Bechtel National Inc. transferred the primary base structure of the mobile launcher 2 to its permanent mount mechanisms using the spaceport’s beast-mode transporter – the crawler. (5/10)

Don’t Panic—At Least, Not about a Nearby Supernova (Source: Scientific American)
There are quite a few ways a supernova can dish out cosmic catastrophe. The most dangerous is high-energy radiation such as x-rays or gamma rays. Although our planet’s atmosphere would act as a buffer to absorb some of the deadly blast, doing so would literally change the chemistry of Earth’s air—and not in a good way.

The ozone layer could be devastated by such an event, for example, allowing harmful ultraviolet light from our sun to reach Earth’s surface unfiltered for years. This may lead to increased cancer rates in animals and, even worse, more fundamentally disrupt ecosystems by killing off microbes at the base of the planet’s food chains. Smog could be another atmospheric side effect from a nearby supernova. Molecular nitrogen, the principal component of our air, can be broken down by high-energy radiation to then recombine with oxygen, forming nitrogen dioxide, a dark reddish-brown (and poisonous) gas.

Astronomers have done a lot of research into this possibility, and the good news—sort of—is that a supernova would have to be less than about 160 light-years from Earth to inflict this sort of damage. That’s decently close on the vast scale of our galaxy, but it’s vanishingly unlikely to happen over a human lifetime. Are there any stars close enough to affect us should they go kablooey? Well, kind of. Spica is one of the brightest stars in the sky, easily visible in the constellation Virgo, and it’s massive, probably a dozen or so times the sun’s heft, so it fits the bill. It’s just now starting to run out of fuel, beginning its long journey to becoming a red supergiant. (5/10)

Air Force Secretary Rebuffs Pleas From Governors over Space Force National Guard Plans (Source: Washington Examiner)
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall maintained his support for a proposal that would take some National Guard units and reassign them to the Space Force despite widespread opposition from the governors who have authority over those service members. The secretary refused to withdraw his support for the controversial proposal during a discussion with governors on Wednesday, according to Gov. Spencer Cox (R-UT), who serves as the chairman of the National Governors Association. (5/10)

Good Progress Made on Building ‘Floating’ Road to Sutherland Spaceport Site (Source: Northern Times)
Good progress is being made on the construction of an access road to Sutherland Spaceport, according to developer Orbex. More than 600 metres of “floating road” have now been installed along with the first bridge over a watercourse. An Orbex spokesperson said: “With over 600 metres of road already completed, it won’t be long before it facilitates the movement of the launch vehicle and its payload to the launch pad.” (5/10)

ISRO Tests ‘Made-in-India’ 3D-Printed Rocket Engine (Source: Hundustan Times)
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) achieved a major feat on Thursday as it successfully tested a liquid rocket engine made with additive manufacturing technology. The test lasted 665 seconds and used the PS4 engine from the upper stage of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket, ‘the Workhorse of ISRO,’ which has a stellar track record of delivering satellites to Low-Earth Orbits. (5/11)

Mars is Blasting Plasma Out of its Atmosphere Into Space (Source: New Scientist)
Mars appears to be blasting material out of its atmosphere, much as the sun launches explosive coronal mass ejections, even though the Red Planet has no overall magnetic field. The Red Planet launches large bursts of plasma into space from its upper atmosphere, much like the sun’s coronal mass ejections, despite not having a global magnetic field. (5/9)

Plans for Las Vegas Spaceport in Desert Outskirts Move Forward (Source: News2LV)
Clark County has given the first stage of plans for the Las Vegas Spaceport in the desert outskirts a green light. Commissioners this week unanimously approved construction permits for the Las Vegas Executive Airport, which would be located at a 240-acre site near Pahrump, north of Highway 160. Developers say the executive airport would be the cornerstone of the ambitious Spaceport, a complex serving as a hub for both commercial and private space tourism. (5/10)

Musk Bashes Historic Boeing Astronaut Flight, SpaceX Did it First (Source: Business Insider)
Elon Musk soured the day of Boeing's first astronaut flight to space by lobbing criticism at the company on X. "SpaceX finished 4 years sooner." Boeing did not immediately respond.

NASA gave Boeing $4.2 billion to design, build, and test its spaceship. Not only did SpaceX do it faster — its spaceship was also cheaper, costing NASA just $2.6 billion. Since its first crewed flight in 2020, the company has flown seven astronaut crews to and from the ISS for NASA, with its eighth currently living on the station. It has also flown four private missions. (5/6)

Solstorm's Nimbus Could Drag Space Junk Down (Source: Bloomberg)
A satellite the size of a milk carton may show a way to prevent Earth’s neighborhood from turning into a junkyard. The Nimbus, scheduled to soar on an Elon Musk rocket 280 miles (450 kilometers) above the planet in late 2024, will have a lifespan of just a few months, after which it could join the collection of man-made objects that are still in orbit years — sometimes decades — after their sell-by dates. Norwegian startup Solstorm plans for tiny Nimbus to move itself out of the way by deploying a drag sail that will slow the satellite, helping it fall into the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up harmlessly within a year. (5/9)

Regulations Create Opportunities for Space Junk Cleanup (Source: Bloomberg)
The nascent space-junk industry is nearing a turning point as companies move their ideas beyond the drawing board and into space, taking advantage of a growing awareness of the dangers junk poses. The Biden administration has unveiled new regulations to reduce risks of unintentional collisions, with the FCC requiring operators deorbit their satellites within five years of their expiration dates. Previously there was no rule, just a non-enforceable guidance of 25 years.

In April 2023, the FCC created a new Space Bureau responsible for the regulation of satellites and space debris, and in October the FCC issued its first debris penalty, fining Dish Network Corp. $150,000 for leaving a retired satellite parked in the wrong orbit. The Federal Aviation Administration in September proposed rules for companies to dispose of discarded rocket parts, including moving them toward an orbital graveyard in less congested parts of space. (5/9)

NASA Stuck in the Middle of Starliner Contractors' Valve Fight (Source: Payload)
The loser of a court battle over valve designs went scorched earth this week, with ValveTech CEO Erin Faville publicly urging NASA to cancel the launch of Boeing’s crewed Starliner “due to the risk of a disaster.” NASA had already made the decision to delay the mission to replace a valve in the second stage of the ULA Atlas V rocket. Engineers determined that the valve, which had been “buzzing” before launch, exceeded the number of cyclings it had been qualified to perform.

ValveTech’s surprising allegations stem from a long-running court battle that came to an end this week. The dispute: In 2011, Aerojet Rocketdyne, a division of L3 Harris—hired ValveTech to build valves for the Starliner’s propulsion system. After disputes over design between the two firms, Aerojet ended the relationship in 2017; ValveTech sued the company for violating NDAs and misusing its trade secrets to design new valves.

After years of motions, depositions, and a trial, a jury found in November that Aerojet had violated NDAs with ValveTech, but hadn’t misappropriated any trade secrets. ValveTech was awarded $850,000 in damages, but it sought further restrictions on Aerojet and court fees. On May 6, a judge denied those motions and closed the case. Boeing said the valves “meet all NASA and Boeing requirements,” and "ValveTech’s speculation about the cause of the scrub on Monday night is inaccurate and irresponsible.” (5/10)

Satellite Images Show Progress at World's Biggest Construction Site (Source: Newsweek)
In the northwest corner of Saudi Arabia, construction is underway on a megaproject that promises to one day house more people than New York City, spread across a vertical skyscraper taller than the Empire State Building and stretching the length of Manhattan to Philadelphia. The project ultimately will include two 105-mile long skyscrapers housing nine million people. New satellite imagery shows the state of progess at Neom, the brainchild of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Click here. (5/10)

Invisible 'Dark Radiation' May Explain a Big Problem with Dark Energy (Source: New Scientist)
There are hints that the universe may be behaving unexpectedly, and astrophysicists are racing to explain why. Their ideas to account for the surprising result include allowing dark matter and dark energy to interact, and arguing for the existence of strange “dark radiation” that is similar in nature to regular light but invisible.

In April, researchers using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) in Arizona released the biggest 3D map of the universe ever created, and it hinted that we may have been wrong about dark energy – the still-mysterious force causing the accelerating expansion of the universe. The data contained tentative indications that dark energy may be changing over time, meaning the rate of expansion of the universe isn't accelerating as smoothly as we thought. (5/9)

SpaceX Conducts a Successful Static Fire of Starship (Source: Teslarati)
SpaceX is moving rapidly with the Starship program. They have now conducted the first static fire of the Starship, which will be flying the fifth mission. Firing all 6 Raptor engines, Starship 30 began its test campaign. The company is waiting for approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct the fourth flight of Starship, potentially in a month or so. (5/9)

Air Force Study Recommends Moving Guard Units to Space Force as Opposition Mounts (Source: FNN)
The Air Force’s in-depth report to Congress says moving all National Guard space units to the Space Force is the best path forward. But the Air National Guard, governors in all 55 states and territories and a bipartisan group of 85 lawmakers are pushing back against the Pentagon’s plan.

The study that’s been in the works for quite some time examines three possible courses of actions. It lays out the feasibility and advisability of giving the Space Force its own Guard component, leaving things as they currently are and moving Guard space functions and personnel to the Space Force. The study looks into risks, costs and benefits of each course of action.

The overall costs for all options are roughly the same, the study concludes, and the Air Force can execute any course of action if required. The study’s recommendation — transferring all space functions from the Guard into the Space Force. (5/9)

Virgin One Step Closer to Rolling the World's First Mass Production Line for Spaceships (Source: AutoEvolution)
Virgin Galactic is working on a new ship design called Delta class. It will be larger and capable of accommodating more people (six instead of four on the Unity), but more importantly, it will be tailored to support high-production volumes. Virgin plans to complete the Delta ships at a production facility in Phoenix, Arizona. In fact, plans were for the factory to be up and running back in 2023, but that, obviously, did not happen. The company did take a step in the right direction this week, opening a new system integration facility in Southern California.

The new facility will put Delta's main components through their paces before clearing them for flight. To do that the crews of engineers rely on a test platform known as the Iron Bird. The system allows elements such as avionics, feather actuation, pneumatics and hydraulics to be tested before going into the actual ships. Iron Bird's subsystems have already been installed and Virgin says the rest of the components will be added over the course of the year. But it's not the only test rig the company will use in the Delta program.

Another piece of hardware, a static test article, will be used to verify the structural integrity and load limits of the ships, but also to determine the final design. Using this method has the company's higher-ups confident that they'll shave “years off the development timeline" when compared to the VSS Unity. (5/9)

FAA to Begin Environmental Review of Starship Launches From Kennedy Space Center (Source: Space News)
The FAA is preparing to start an environmental review of SpaceX Starship launches from a pad at the Kennedy Space Center, reflecting changes in the vehicle since a 2019 assessment. In a notice published in the Federal Register May 10, the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation announced it was starting the process for an environmental impact statement (EIS) for Starship launches from KSC’s Launch Complex 39A.

That EIS is needed as part of FAA’s work to approve a launch license for Starship from that pad. The process will start with a series of in-person and virtual scoping meetings for the public, scheduled for June. Those meetings will allow the FAA to discuss their plans for the EIS and accept public comment on the issues they should consider in that environmental review.

The EIS will be the second environmental review involving SpaceX’s plans to use LC-39A for Starship launches. NASA completed an environmental assessment (EA) in 2019 of the company’s plans at the time to build launch infrastructure at LC-39A for Starship, finding it would have no significant impact. At the time SpaceX was planning up to 24 Starship launches from that pad annually. (5/10)