May 14, 2024

Catalyzing a Lunar Economy: DARPA's Initial Findings from LunA-10 Study (Source: Space Daily)
The expansion of commercial space capabilities has transformed how we deliver mass and services to the Moon. These capabilities could create a real off-Earth economy if they operate jointly. An underlying analytical framework emphasizing integrated models of economic activity is needed to bridge current approaches to lunar system development and an integrated future lunar economy. This framework aims to reduce barriers to lunar surface entry and promote shareable, scalable, sustainable systems.

The DARPA 10-Year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) Capability Study seeks to encourage commercial companies to study the shift from self-supported systems to interoperable lunar infrastructure within the next decade. Click here. (5/14)

Tracing Organic Matter Origins in Martian Sediments (Source: Space Daily)
Scientists are investigating Martian sediments to understand early environmental conditions and potential signs of past life. Sediments collected by the Curiosity rover from Gale Crater, an ancient lake formed 3.8 billion years ago, revealed organic matter with a lower carbon-13 isotope content than Earth's, suggesting different formation processes on Mars. A study explains this finding. Researchers discovered that the photodissociation of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Martian atmosphere to carbon monoxide (CO) and subsequent reduction produces organic matter with depleted 13C content. (5/14)

World's First High-Definition Lunar Geologic Atlas Revealed by China (Source: Space Daily)
The first high-definition geologic atlas of the entire Moon, scaled at 1:2.5 million, was unveiled on April 21. The atlas, available in Chinese and English, consists of the Geologic Atlas of the Lunar Globe and the Map Quadrangles of the Geologic Atlas of the Moon (including explanatory manual). The Geologic Atlas of the Lunar Globe includes the Geologic Map of the Moon, the Lithologic Map of the Moon, and the Tectonic Map of the Moon.

The research team studied and compiled lunar rocks, geological structures, and geological ages, independently developing technical specifications and standards for lunar geological mapping. Using this intellectual property (IP), they completed a series of geological maps of the Moon at 1:2.5-million-scale. Based on data from China's Chang'e Project and other lunar geological information, this atlas provides basic information and a scientific reference for lunar exploration projects. (5/14)

Maritime Launch Secures Conditional $12.9M Term Sheet from Canadian Government (Source: Space Daily)
Maritime Launch Services Inc. has received a conditional term sheet for a $12.9 million contribution administered under the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF). The funding will support Maritime Launch in developing Spaceport Nova Scotia, preparing for a first orbital launch from Nova Scotia, Canada, in 2025. The term sheet from the Government of Canada proposes $12.9 million in project cost reimbursements, conditionally repayable, to support Maritime Launch's Spaceport Nova Scotia. This project aims to develop and commercialize Canada's first commercial orbital spaceport near Canso, Nova Scotia. (5/14)

SwRI Investigates Boiling Processes in Partial Gravity (Source: Space Daily)
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is examining how liquids boil under partial gravity in a series of parabolic flights. This internally funded project, conducted with Texas A&M University, aims to understand boiling on different surfaces in partial gravity, which is crucial for future space missions to the Moon or Mars. (5/14)

House Panel Advances Space Reserve Plan (Source: Breaking Defense)
The House Armed Services Committee's strategic forces subcommittee has approved the Defense Department's plan to create a commercial "space reserve" to enhance military satellite capabilities during wartime. The Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve will allow the DOD to contract qualified companies to provide additional space products or services as needed, ensuring the Pentagon can access and surge commercial capabilities. (5/13)

Sidus Space Begins Payload Activation Upon Successful Commissioning Phase of LizzieSat-1 (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus Space has begun payload activation upon successful completion of its commissioning phase of LizzieSat-1 (LS-1). LS-1 was successfully launched and deployed via SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg SLC-4 on March 4, 2024. The Sidus team successfully completed the Launch and Early Operations Phase (LEOP) on March 14th after establishing two-way communications with the orbiting spacecraft.

With this milestone achieved, the Sidus MCC team will now focus on activating payloads onboard LS-1 and executing critical mission activities to meet or surpass payload mission success criteria. (5/14)

Dummy Payload Considered for Vulcan Validation Mission (Source: Space News)
DoD is considering allowing ULA to launch a dummy payload on the second Vulcan Centaur mission if its planned payload is delayed. A Pentagon official said it would consider the switch to speed up the launch of the rocket, clearing the way for it to be certified for national security missions. The current payload for that launch is Sierra Space's Dream Chaser spaceplane, and ULA says it still expects to launch Dream Chaser by Oct. 1, but has unspecified "backup plans" if that spacecraft is not ready in time.

Meanwhile, Frank Calvelli, assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition, sent a letter to ULA's corporate parents, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, asking them to evaluate ULA's ability to carry out a backlog of 25 national security missions currently on its manifest through 2027. (5/14)

Lockheed Martin Picks Terran Orbital to Develop 18 Tranche 2 Buses (Source: Space News)
Lockheed Martin has awarded Terran Orbital a contract for 18 more satellite buses. The contract, announced Monday, is for the Space Development Agency's Tranche 2 Tracking Layer satellites. Lockheed announced its intent in January, when it won the $890 million SDA contract, to use Terran Orbital buses, but had not finalized the contract at that time. Terran Orbital announced the contract just before it releases its first quarter financial results today, and the timing of the announcement is seen as a way to reassure investors after Lockheed dropped its proposed acquisition of Terran Orbital earlier this month. (5/14)

OHB Moving to Go Private (Source: Space News)
European space company OHB says it expects to complete a deal to go private in the coming weeks. In an earnings call last week, executive said the final milestones to the deal are regulatory approvals in Belgium and Germany, which OHB expects to secure by late June. OHB announced a deal with investment company KKR last August where KKR would buy publicly traded shares not owned by the Fuchs family, which owns a controlling stake in OHB, effectively taking the company private.

OHB executives are also optimistic that both Ariane 6 and Rocket Factory Augsburg's RFA ONE rocket will make their debut launches this summer, and downplayed concerns about delays in the European Commission's award of a contract for the IRIS² constellation to an industry consortium that includes OHB. (5/14)

NASA Picks Four New Earth Science Missions for Study (Source: Space News)
NASA has selected for Earth science mission proposals for further study while awarding a contract for a smaller tech demo mission. NASA announced last week it selected four proposals for its Earth System Explorer program of competed Earth science missions. The proposals will each receive $5 million for one-year mission concept studies, after which NASA plans to select two for development to launch in 2030 and 2032.

The Earth science decadal survey recommended NASA pursue a line of competed missions that would be less expensive than larger directed missions. NASA separately selected an Earth science smallsat mission called GRATTIS for development. The $12 million mission will test new sensors for mapping the Earth's gravitational field. (5/14)

SpaceX Slow to Pay Bills at Starbase (Source: Reuters)
While SpaceX is rapidly building out its Starbase site in South Texas, the company is slow to pay contractors. Construction companies hired by SpaceX to build facilities at Starbase say that the company is slow to pay its bills, requiring them in some cases to place liens against SpaceX properties to force the company to pay. Some contractors say they will no longer do business with SpaceX because of those payment issues, but others are willing to put up with the delays in the hopes of securing more work. (5/14)

Turkish Astronaut Among Flyers on Next Virgin Galactic Mission (Source: Axiom Space)
One of the people flying on the next Virgin Galactic suborbital flight will be a Turkish astronaut. Axiom Space said that Tuva Atasever will be the research astronaut previously announced by Virgin as one of the four customers on the Galactic 07 mission, scheduled for June 8. Atasever was the backup to Alper Gezeravcı, who flew to orbit on Axiom's Ax-3 mission to the International Space Station earlier this year. Atasever will perform seven experiments during the suborbital flight. (5/14)

India Seeks Commercial Developer for LVM3 Launcher (Source: ThePrint)
India's space agency is seeking proposals for commercial development of its largest current rocket. NewSpace India Ltd., the commercial arm of the space agency ISRO, announced it is seeking proposals for "large scale" development of the LVM3 rocket, also known as GSLV Mark 3. India is hoping to attract private partners to scale up development of LVM3 and offer it commercially for launches of geostationary satellites and low Earth orbit constellations. (5/14)

NASA Names Salvagnini as AI Chief (Source: NASA)
NASA has named its first chief AI officer. The agency said Monday that it has designated David Salvagnini, the current chief data officer of the agency, as its first chief AI officer. He will be responsible for planning use of AI tools and technologies across the agency. NASA created the position in response to an executive order last October that required federal agencies to designate a chief AI officer. (5/14)

SWISSto12 Provides RF Products to Northrop Grumman for GEOStar-3 Satellite Program (Source: Space Daily)
St12 RF Solutions, the US-based division of SWISSto12, has successfully developed, qualified, and delivered three integrated RF Antenna Feed Chains for the Northrop Grumman commercial GEOStar-3 satellite. The qualification was completed in January 2024, with the delivery of these feed chains marking a key milestone in payload integration for the satellite. (5/13)

Russian Research on Space Nukes and Alternative Counterspace Weapons (Source: Space Review)
US government officials revealed in February that Russia was developing a nuclear anti-satellite weapon of some kind, but offered few details. Bart Hendrickx examines the state of Russian research on the potential use of nuclear weapons in orbit as anti-satellite devices. Click here. (5/13)
 
Is it Time for Space to Come Out From Under the FAA’s Wings? (Source: Space Review)
As commercial launch activity continues to increase, the FAA office regulating launches is straining to keep up. Jeff Foust reports that some in industry, as well as an FAA advisory committee, think part of the solution is to move that office out of the FAA. Click here. (5/13)
 
Spaceplanes: Why We Need Them, Why They Have Failed, and How They Can Succeed (Source: Space Review)
Launch vehicles that can take off from and land on runways have long been a dream for space engineers and enthusiasts, but have never gotten off the ground. John Hollaway describes why they remain essential and how they might be developed. Click here. (5/13)

NASA Details Plans for Railway System on the Moon (Source: Voice of America)
The lunar rail proposal is called the Flexible Levitation on a Track, or FLOAT. NASA said such a railway system will be “critical to the daily operations” on the moon. The system aims to provide a “robotic transport system” for carrying loads of lunar soil and other materials to different areas of the lunar surface.

The other main use of the proposed railway would be to transport larger loads of materials and equipment to and from the areas where spacecraft land. Drawings by NASA suggest the plans call for flat, magnetic panels, called robots, to float, or levitate, over a flat rail line, or track. The robots have no moving parts and are unpowered. They are pushed along the track by electromagnetic energy.

NASA said the simple design of the carrier robots should help them last a long time and require little ongoing care. The system’s tracks can be placed directly on the lunar surface, avoiding the need to build a complex, permanent structure. They could also be moved around to change the transportation path. (5/12)

Meridian International Center Honors Space Diplomacy Visionaries (Source: Meridian)
Meridian International Center announced the selection of four honorees for the Meridian Global Leadership Award for Space Diplomacy. Recipients honored at the annual Meridian Diplomacy Forum in Washington, D.C. include: Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden Jr. (USMC-Ret.), Administrator, NASA (2009-2017); Michael Suffredini, Co-Founder and CEO, Axiom Space; Kam Ghaffarian, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Axiom Space; and His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States. (5/2)

Solar Storm Crashes GPS Systems Used by Some Farmers, Stalling Planting (Source: New York Times)
The powerful geomagnetic storm that cast the northern lights’ vivid colors across the Northern Hemisphere over the weekend also caused some navigational systems in tractors and other farming equipment to break down at the height of planting season, suppliers and farmers said. (5/13)

Estonia Summons Russian Envoy Over GPS Jamming (Source: Space Daily)
Estonia on Wednesday summoned Russia's charge d'affaires over GPS interference, which the NATO member said was Russian "hybrid activity" that had disrupted civilian air traffic. Estonia and fellow Baltic states Latvia and Lithuania last month warned that widespread Russian GPS jamming increased the threat of an aviation accident. (5/8)

Pakistan Sends Cubesat to Lunar Orbit with China's Assistance (Source: Space Daily)
In a significant advancement in lunar exploration collaboration, China has transferred satellite data from the Chang'e 6 mission to Pakistan. The data, collected by a cube satellite named ICUBE-Q, was formally handed over during a ceremony in Beijing. Zhang Kejian, the director of the China National Space Administration, presented the data package to Khalil-ur-Rahman Hashmi, the Pakistani Ambassador to China, signaling a deepened cooperative effort in space technology between the two nations. (5/11)