July 2, 2024

Private Astronaut Jared Isaacman Gives 'Unbelievable' Donation to Brevard Space Force Museums (Source: Florida Today)
Inspiration4 astronaut and billionaire Jared Isaacman is giving the U.S. Space Force Historical Foundation the largest private donation in the nonprofit's 35-year history, funding the future meticulous restoration of rare missile-related artifacts and other museum upgrades in Brevard County. "This is exciting for the museum, a great move forward for preserving the rich history of the Cape and offering it to many generations to come," said Jamie Draper, director of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum. (5/22)

‘Oumuamua: Can We Catch an Interstellar Interloper? (Source: Astronomy)
‘Oumuamua was discovered in October 2017; shortly after, it was determined to be the first object ever seen inside the solar system that had come from beyond it. But by the time its origins had been discerned, the interstellar interloper had already rounded the Sun and was speeding away at some 85,700 mph. Just an estimated 1,300 feet across, it faded from view of even the most powerful telescopes within weeks. The only way to gather more data and uncover its true nature would be to send a spacecraft to study it up close.

Several groups of researchers have been working to find ways of reaching this increasingly distant object. They have come up with a variety of proposals that could lead to a close-up encounter with ‘Oumuamua within decades. And if that doesn’t work out, others are working on a mission to rendezvous with the next interstellar object that comes wandering by. Adam Hibberd, who has worked on the trajectory optimization software for the ESA's Ariane 4 rocket, was already developing software of his own for designing interplanetary trajectories when he learned of ‘Oumuamua’s discovery.

He was testing the software by recreating historical missions, he says, “when this strange object appeared in our heavens that was the first interstellar object to be discovered. … I decided to solve missions to this object with my software, which seemed like an obvious thing to do.” He soon found some workable trajectories. Shortly after, he joined a group called Project Lyra, which had formed within months of ‘Oumuamua’s discovery. The team has devised and published a variety of flight plans that could make the rendezvous possible. One such scenario, using a launch date in 2030, would be able to reach ‘Oumuamua within about 22 years, he says. (6/1)

SpaceX Plans to Launch 90 Rockets from Vandenberg Space Force Base by 2026 (Source: Santa Barbara Independent)
SpaceX plans to launch 90 rockets into space from Vandenberg Space Force Base by 2026, tripling the amount of sendoffs rattling nearby coastal communities. At the May 10 California Coastal Commission meeting, concerns were raised over wildlife endangerment, sonic booms, the impacts of launches on coastal access, and the power these federal allotments are giving to a single company. (6/1)

Indian Mission Shows Commitment to Startups (Source: Times of India)
Isro Saturday said it has demonstrated its commitment to nurturing a vibrant space ecosystem in India by providing extensive technical support and expertise to Agnikul Cosmos, the IIT-incubated start-up, for its recent suborbital mission, Agnibaan SOrTeD. (6/2)

UK and European Space Scientists Urged to Join NASA Mission to Uranus (Source: The Guardian)
European space scientists have been urged to join forces with Nasa to ensure the success of one of the most ambitious space missions planned for launch this century. Joining a robot spaceflight to the mysterious planet Uranus would offer “the opportunity to participate in a groundbreaking, flagship-class mission”, astrophysicists have said. The mission will take 10 years to develop and 12-15 years to reach Uranus after launch. (6/1)

A New Space Plane Gets Ready for Launch From Florida (Source: NBC Miami)
There’s a new spaceship in town. It will remind you of the space shuttle because it takes off on a rocket and lands like a glider. The newest space plane program is called Dream Chaser, built by a company called Sierra Space and designed to make cargo runs to and from the International Space Station. The first model is named Tenacity. It arrived at the Kennedy Space Center last week, and will make its debut launch in September. (6/1)

Space Development Agency Opens Door to New Vendors with ‘HALO’ Satellite Program (Source: Space News)
The Space Development Agency (SDA) wants to give commercial space companies a chance to prove their mettle for future military satellite contracts. The agency on May 31 released a solicitation for its “Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated LEO” (HALO) program, which aims to establish a pool of pre-approved vendors eligible to compete for upcoming demonstration projects.

The Space Development Agency (SDA), a U.S. Space Force organization tasked with deploying a military low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, is looking to bring in new blood from the commercial space industry. Through HALO, selected vendors will be eligible to compete for future demonstration prototype projects. According to a solicitation, SDA plans to award multiple contracts annually. (6/1)

Chang’e-6 Lands on Far Side of the Moon to Collect Unique Lunar Samples (Source: Space News)
China’s Chang’e-6 mission lander made a successful soft landing on the far side of the moon late Saturday and will soon begin collecting unique lunar samples. The Chang’e-6 lander made a soft landing at 6:23 p.m. Eastern June 1, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced shortly after the event. The lander targeted a southern portion of Apollo crater within the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on the lunar far side.

The landing is a critical step towards bringing unique and scientifically invaluable lunar samples to Earth for analysis. U.S. decadal surveys have highlighted an SPA sample return as a highest priority science objective. The Chang’e-6 lander used a variable 7,500-newton-thrust engine to slow its velocity in lunar orbit and begin its descent. (6/1)

Scrubbed Again! Boeing Starliner Countdown Halts in Final Minutes (Source: Florida Today)
NASA Commercial Crew officials announced that the launch scrubbed "due to the computer ground launch sequencer not loading into the correct operational configuration after proceeding into terminal count." ... "The ULA team is working to understand the cause," a tweet said. NASA officials said the next backup launch opportunity is 12:03 p.m. Sunday. If that date does not hold up, crews would stand down for a couple days ahead of launch opportunities Wednesday and Thursday. (6/1)

Why Telling Time on the Moon is a Conundrum for NASA (Source: CNN)
It’s easy to take the moon for granted as a silvery orb in the night sky, providing a soft light on most evenings. But have you ever pondered what time it is on the moon? As multiple countries race to establish a human presence on the lunar surface, experts say it’s time to establish a time scale for Earth’s natural satellite. Otherwise, things could get confusing.

Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity decades ago changed the way we understand time, and time even passes differently depending on where a clock is sitting on Earth. Determining a lunar time scale will be even more challenging. The new system of measurement that NASA and its international partners need to agree on will have to account for the fact that seconds tick by faster on the moon. Over time, those seconds add up. (6/1)

Boeing Can’t Afford to Fail (Source: The Atlantic)
The rocket stands tall on the launchpad, with the spacecraft, Starliner, perched on top. The weather forecast looks nearly perfect. This might be more exciting if we hadn’t seen it all before. Boeing’s first crewed launch was originally supposed to happen three weeks ago. The astronauts donned new Boeing-blue spacesuits, said goodbye to their loved ones, and strapped into a capsule perched on a rocket humming with fuel. Then a valve on the rocket malfunctioned, and the launch was called off and rescheduled.

Then engineers discovered a small helium leak within Starliner itself. While analyzing the leak, engineers stumbled upon a “design vulnerability” in the spacecraft’s propulsion system, further delaying the test flight. It’s surreal to imagine that this spacecraft might actually get off the ground—not only because of the recent trouble, but because these problems are just the latest in a string of issues. Click here. (5/31)

Japanese Billionaire Cancels Lunar Flight on Starship (Source: Ars Technica)
On Friday night the dearMoon project—a plan to launch a Japanese billionaire and 10 other 'crew members' on a circumlunar flight aboard SpaceX's Starship vehicle—was abruptly canceled. "It is unfortunate to be announcing that 'dearMoon', the first private circumlunar flight project, will be cancelled," the mission's official account on the social media site X said. "We thank everyone who has supported us and apologize to those who have looked forward to this project."

Shortly afterward the financial backer of the project and its 'crew leader,' Yusaku Maezawa, explained this decision on X. When Maezawa agreed to the mission in 2018, he said, the assumption was that the dearMoon mission would launch by the end of 2023.

"It’s a developmental project so it is what it is, but it is still uncertain as to when Starship can launch," he wrote. "I can’t plan my future in this situation, and I feel terrible making the crew members wait longer, hence the difficult decision to cancel at this point in time. I apologize to those who were excited for this project to happen." (6/1)