May 16, 2024

France May Join US Space Effort (Source: Breaking Defense)
France is weighing whether to join a U.S.-led effort to defend space assets. Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of U.S. Space Command, said last month he invited France, along with Germany and New Zealand, to join Operation Olympic Defender, an effort to share intelligence about space threats and deter hostile actions. Gen. Philippe Adam, head of France's Space Command, said the country was still considering whether to accept the invitation but added that, if the country did, it would retain control of its military space assets. (5/16)

Patrol Spacecraft Are Urgently Needed, French Space Commander Says (Source: Aviation Week)
As France continues to see unfriendly maneuvers of Russian spacecraft around its own satellites, the Yoda demonstration program for space patrol missions and the follow-on Egide operational satellites have become pressing needs, Gen. Philippe Adam, the French Air and Space Force space commander, said May 14.

The Yoda program has been devised for the protection of valuable spacecraft, such as military communications or observation satellites, against hostile visits. As a demonstration, two nano-satellites will validate close maneuvers in geostationary orbit. Yoda stands for “in-orbit eyes for an agile demonstrator” in French. (5/14)

‘No Silver Bullet:’ Military Will Need Multiple Systems to Back Up GPS (Source: Breaking Defense)
As Defense Department concern grows about the increasing ability of adversaries to disrupt GPS satellite signals, experts warn that there is no one-size-fits-all alternative to meet military needs for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities. Radio-frequency (RF) signals broadcasted from Global Positioning System satellites can be used by a wide variety of platforms for almost an infinite number of military missions — ranging from helping a soldier navigate an all-terrain vehicle in an unfamiliar landscape to steering an airborne missile to its target.

The Pentagon, the Space Force, the Army and the other military services have been scrambling to find alternatives for when (not if) GPS stops working on the battlefield. The difficulty, however, is that each technique available now or in the foreseeable future for what is often called “alt-PNT” comes with a need to make size, weight, power and cost trade-offs based on what type of platform is being used, as well as the nature duration of the mission, according to experts. (5/14)

DoD Space Tracking Technology a Top Priority, but Commercial Opportunities are Limited (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon's growing interest in space domain awareness (SDA) may not translate into many new commercial opportunities. SDA technologies are used to detect, track and characterize objects orbiting the Earth in order to prevent collisions, identify threats and determine the ownership and intent of satellites. A report by Booz Allen Hamilton identified SDA as one of the top 10 impactful technologies for national security in the coming years, but offered an uncertain outlook for commercial SDA businesses. It concluded that regulatory hurdles, dominance by established defense primes and existence of free public data services all pose challenges to SDA companies. (5/16)

Amazon's Kuiper Constellation to Bring Infrastructure, Launches and Jobs to Space Coast (Source: Florida Today)
Expect ecommerce giant Amazon to quickly become a major player in the Space Coast's commercial space industry when it begins building its Project Kuiper broadband satellite constellation. "Our satellites, we're making all those in-house in Kirkland, Washington. We're going to have the capability, when that's up and running at full capacity, to make up to five satellites a day. And then they'll be shipped here," Brian Huseman, vice president of public policy and community engagement, told the National Space Club Florida Committee.

Huseman delivered updates on Amazon's $10 billion Project Kuiper satellite initiative Tuesday during a fireside chat-style discussion at the committee's monthly luncheon. Satellite manufacturing is underway at Project Kuiper’s 172,000-square-foot Kirkland factory, Amazon announced Monday. At NASA's Kennedy Space Center, construction continues on Amazon's $120 million satellite processing facility to prep those satellites for launch into low-Earth orbit.

Huseman said Amazon is advertising to hire 50 full-time employees at KSC with average salaries of at least $80,000, including skilled workers, logistics personnel, mission managers and engineers. (5/15)

ULA Penalized for Vulcan Delays (Source: Bloomberg)
The US Air Force is imposing financial penalties on the United Launch Alliance, the Lockheed Martin Corp.- Boeing Co. joint venture, over delays of two military satellite launches this year, according to the service. “The government is holding ULA accountable for delays in accordance with the terms” of its contract, the Air Force said in a statement.

The service declined to disclose the amount of the “postponement fees,” saying only that they’re “assessed based on a variety of factors, including the duration of the schedule slip.” At issue are delays in executing a second non-military launch of the new Vulcan rocket powered by the BE-4 engine that’s intended to replace the Russian-made RD-180. The new engine is made by Blue Origin LLC, headed by Jeff Bezos. (5/15)

Another Nail in the Coffin for Failed Camden County Spaceport (Source: First Coast News)
After years of trying to bring a Spaceport to Camden County, Georgia Governor Kemp has signed legislation to end the authority responsible for purchasing the land. Representative Steven Sainz (R-St. Marys) introduced a bill to repeal the authority, which was signed into law this week. It comes after the Camden County Board of Commissioners voted to dissolve the authority in March of this year. (5/14)

Congress Passes FAA Bill with Learning Period Extension (Source: Space News)
Congress has passed an FAA reauthorization bill that includes another extension of the "learning period" restricting commercial human spaceflight occupant safety regulations. The House passed the FAA bill Wednesday after the Senate did so last week. One of the provisions of the bill is to extend the learning period only through the end of the year, leaving a long-term extension desired by much of industry to a dedicated commercial space bill. The FAA bill also directs the GAO to perform a study on the effects launches and other activities have on airspace congestion, and authorizes $10 million a year through 2028 for work on technologies to better integrate launches and reentries into the national airspace system. (5/16)

Intuitive Machines Wants to Help NASA Return Samples From Mars (Source: Tech Crunch)
Intuitive Machines is looking to help reshape the Mars Sample Return mission architecture with its own technology, based on architecture it has been developing for the moon, executives told investors during a quarterly earnings call Tuesday. It’s no surprise that Intuitive Machines is looking to become part of the program: The company made history when it became the first private company to land a spacecraft on the moon at the beginning of this year, so it makes sense to try to adapt that tech for Mars. It will likely be lucrative, too; contracts associated with MSR could easily top out at billions of dollars. (5/14)

Voyager Space to Develop New Airlock Concept for Mars Transit (Source: Space Daily)
Voyager Space (Voyager) announced it has received a Collaborative Announcement Notice (CAN) from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to develop an airlock for the Mars Transit Vehicle, also known as Deep Space Transport. This cooperative agreement aims to enhance technology development at MSFC while advancing Voyager's technology and infrastructure.

This 12-month study, starting this month, will involve resources from Voyager and MSFC's Habitation team to evaluate the Bishop Airlock design's suitability for the Mars Transit Vehicle. The new airlock, called "Red Knight," will build on the flight-proven Bishop Airlock to meet deep space challenges, support the Mars Transit crew, and provide unique science opportunities. (5/15)

Mars Agriculture Simulations Show Promise and Challenges (Source: Space Daily)
This study explored the feasibility of soil-based food production in Martian conditions using an intercropping system with pea, carrot, and tomato. The experiment involved different soil types, including Mars regolith simulant, and assessed factors such as biomass, yield, and nutrient content.

While intercropping showed potential advantages, challenges like the absence of necessary bacterial nodulation in Mars regolith highlighted the complexities of Martian agriculture. Intercropping was beneficial for tomatoes but less so for peas and carrots in the Martian simulant due to harsh soil conditions that hinder bacterial survival and function.

In lighter, more favorable soil conditions like sand, intercropping significantly exceeded the performance of monocropping. This finding suggests that with adjustments to enhance Martian soil conditions for bacterial nodulation, intercropping could become a viable strategy for efficient and sustainable agriculture on Mars. (5/2)

NASA's X-59 Passes Milestone Toward Safe First Flight (Source: NASA)
NASA has taken the next step toward verifying the airworthiness for its quiet supersonic X-59 aircraft with the completion of a milestone review that will allow it to progress toward flight. A Flight Readiness Review board composed of independent experts from across NASA has completed a study of the X-59 project team’s approach to safety for the public and staff during ground and flight testing. The review board looked in detail at the project team’s analysis of potential hazards, focusing on safety and risk identification. (5/15)

Lithuania Joins Artemis Accords (Source: Space News)
Lithuania is the 40th nation to sign the Artemis Accords. The country's minister of economy and innovation signed the Accords Wednesday in a ceremony in Vilnius. Lithuania is the seventh nation to sign so far this year and the 40th since the Accords were unveiled four years ago. At a recent event, officials with NASA and the State Department said they are seeing growing interest among countries to sign the Accords, which outline best practices for responsible space exploration and allow countries to discuss those issues in greater detail. Separately, the governments of Portugal and the U.S. said Wednesday they are starting discussions about Portugal signing the Accords. (5/16)

UK's SatVu Plans Two New Satellites to Replace One (Source: Space News)
British startup SatVu plans to launch two satellites next year to replace a thermal imaging satellite that failed several months ago. SatVu expects to launch its HotSat-2 in the first half of 2025 and HotSat-3 in the second half. Both carry thermal imaging payloads like the original HotSat, launched last June but which failed after just six months. An investigation into that failure is ongoing, with a power circuit malfunction the most likely cause of the loss of the satellite. (5/16)

Unseenlabs Plans Constellation of Larger Satellites for RF Emissions Tracking (Source: Space News)
Unseenlabs is planning a new constellation of larger satellites to track radio-frequency (RF) emissions. The French company currently operates 13 cubesats that track RF signals for maritime domain awareness applications. It recently announced a new generation of 150-kilogram satellites scheduled to begin launching in 2026 that will be used for maritime and other other markets. The new satellites will be able to operate individual to track objects, rather than work in clusters. (5/16)

Seraphim Picks Nine Startups for Accelerator (Source: Space News)
Seraphim Space has selected nine startups for its latest accelerator class. The startups from the United States, United Kingdom, Italy and India will participate in the three-month program, the 13th run by Seraphim. The startups are pursuing opportunities in propulsion, cybersecurity, space situational awareness, geospatial insights and in-orbit biotechnology manufacturing. Seraphim says that 93% of the companies that have completed the accelerator programs so far have secured funding. (5/16)

BepiColombo Propulsion System Lose Power (Source: ESA)
Engineers are troubleshooting a problem with the electric propulsion system on the BepiColombo mission. That spacecraft, a joint mission of ESA and JAXA, will go into orbit around Mercury after performing several flybys, using electric thrusters to adjust its trajectory. Those thrusters lost power last month just before the next scheduled maneuver. By last week the thrusters were back to 90% of their original power, but the spacecraft is still suffering from reduced electrical power. ESA said that BepiColombo should still be able to perform its next Mercury flyby in September as engineers work to determine how reduced power levels might affect future maneuvers if the problem cannot be fixed. (5/16)

Australia's Support for World View Draws Scrutiny (Source: Australian Broadcasting Corp.)
An Australian state government's investment in an American stratospheric ballooning company is drawing scrutiny. Breakthrough Victoria, a venture fund run by the Australian state of Victoria, has invested $37 million Australian ($24.7 million) in World View Enterprises, a company that develops stratospheric balloons for various applications, including eventually near-space tourism. World View will set up an Indo-Pacific headquarters in Melbourne and a manufacturing facility in the state, with long-term plans to perform tourism flights above the Great Barrier Reef. Some in Australia oppose the investment, saying that the state government should not be investing in speculative ventures when it is cutting funding for medical research and mental health services. (5/16)

Private Mission to Save the Hubble Space Telescope Raises Concerns, NASA Emails Show (Source: NPR)
Jared Isaacman, a private astronaut who has orbited Earth in a SpaceX capsule, basically has said he'd foot the bill to take a maintenance crew to Hubble if NASA would greenlight such a mission, potentially saving the space agency hundreds of millions of dollars. After initially fast-tracking a study of the idea in 2022, the space agency has remained mum. In response to repeated inquiries by NPR, a NASA spokesperson said in an email that "we expect to provide an update on this study in late spring/early summer."

Then, on Wednesday, the spokesperson said, "we're working to share something this week." Internal NASA emails obtained by NPR through a Freedom of Information Act request show that about a year ago, longtime Hubble experts were asked to weigh in. They expressed concerns about the risks of what was being proposed.

In a best-case scenario, a successful private mission could improve Hubble's ability to point at celestial objects and, by boosting its orbit, extend its life by years. In a worst-case scenario, however, an accident could leave the multibillion-dollar telescope broken — or, even more tragically, tethered to the dead bodies of the astronauts sent to repair it. (5/16)

AT&T + AST SpaceMobile Announce Definitive Commercial Agreement (Source: SatNews)
This summer, AST SpaceMobile plans to deliver its first commercial satellites to Cape Canaveral for launch into LEO. These initial five satellites will enable commercial service that was previously demonstrated with several key milestones. These industry first moments during 2023 include the first voice call, text and video call via space between everyday smartphones.

The two companies have been on this path together since 2018. AT&T will continue to be a critical collaborator in this innovative connectivity solution. Chris Sambar, Head of Network for AT&T, will soon be appointed to AST SpaceMobile’s board of directors. AT&T will continue to work directly with AST SpaceMobile on developing, testing, and troubleshooting this technology to help make continental U.S. satellite coverage possible. (5/15)

Space Coast Economic Development Group's Funding Renewed (Sources: Florida Today, SPACErePORT)
The Brevard County Commission voted to extend its relationship with the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast for another year by approving a $1.4 million grant with the private, not-for-profit corporation. The EDC has been an aggressive partner in attracting aerospace jobs and investment to the Space Coast, working closely with companies like Blue Origin, Embraer, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Space Perspective, and others. The EDC has also won state grant funding for various projects to support military growth on the Space Coast. (5/15)