June 8, 2024

Defining Dynamic Space Ops: What it Means to Stay Dominant in Orbit (Source: C4ISRnet)
For the U.S. to remain dominant in space, it must be able to sustain dynamic operations on a scale we never thought necessary. The U.S. Space Force understands that and has started positioning itself appropriately, initiating the technologic and cultural shifts necessary to enable this leap. The Space Force must take a more expansive view of DSO to include several other principles of warfare — starting with concentration of force and flexibility — in order to protect U.S. interests and achieve military objectives in space.

Put simply, DSO gives spacecraft the ability to move from a static role to one where they can act in real time to defeat any threats, assure combat effectiveness, or provide alerts about any anomalies outside of their regular mission. Click here. (6/7)

Space Rapid Capabilities Office Slates $1B for Dynamic Space Ops C2 (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Rapid Capabilities Office (SpRCO) has tapped 20 firms to compete for up to $1 billion in task orders for command and control software to manage future highly maneuverable satellites.

The indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract for SpRCO’s Rapid Resilient Command and Control, nicknamed R2C2, project “will develop, integrate, and demonstrate capabilities for an end-to-end satellite operations (SatOps) ground system with the capability to fly Dynamic Space Operations (DSO) missions, leveraging a commercial cloud architecture,” an SpRCO spokesperson told Breaking Defense in an email. (6/7)

Here's How Aliens Will Actually Make First Contact with Humanity (Source: Science Focus)
According to Michael Garrett, our knowledge of intelligent alien life is more likely to come from an observatory receiving an extraterrestrial signal rather than the sudden arrival of a ship. In that scenario, organisations signed up to SETI have their own first contact protocol. “The first step is verification of the signal by an independent observatory,” says Garrett, who explains that the discovery should be kept secret until wider verification takes place.

The discoverer’s government, and eventually the United Nations, should then be informed, with the news of the contact announced to the public soon after. That is, at least, how it is meant to go. “Whether the protocol would actually be adopted, I have some doubts,” says Garrett. “If the signal is information-rich, for example, I think that has much larger consequences than a signal that just points towards there being an intelligent civilisation somewhere out there.

Depending on the nature of the alien signal, or whether we would even be able to understand or translate it, there is also the question of whether we would respond. “It is very difficult to stop people transmitting signals into space,” says Garrett. “And if you had a really advanced civilisation out there, it might not take a lot to transmit a signal that they could detect. (6/4)

Hide and Seek: Despite Sharper Eyes on the Heavens, Sneaky Sats Can Still Find Shadows (Source: Breaking Defense)
Keeping something hidden in space forever is pretty much impossible because the laws of physics on orbit dictate that, sooner or later, something will trigger today’s modern sensors, according to experts.

Still, there are both technological and operational methods for making it harder to keep a satellite in sight 24/7 — and closely co-orbiting a smaller spacecraft with a larger mothership, as Shenlong apparently did, is only one of the ways that on-orbit operations can endow a satellite some measure of unpredictability, both as to where it is at certain times and as to what its real mission is.

Technologies to minimize trackability include using radar absorbent materials and shaping to reduce a satellite’s radar cross section (just like stealth aircraft do); using non-reflective materials to present a dimmer target for a telescope to see; and dampening signals emissions. (The European Defense Fund is funding a research project to develop an stealthy inspector satellite in GEO, called NAUCRATES, using all three of those techniques.) (6/7)

U.S., Germany Double Down on Space Exploration (Source: UPI)
U.S. and German officials this week met in Berlin to discuss ongoing and future collaborations in space exploration and Earth science. Leaders at the inaugural U.S.-Germany Space Dialogue highlighted a shared commitment to continue ongoing cooperation in space exploration and research, including through NASA's Artemis campaign. (6/7)

Space Tourism Dreams Live On (Source: Space News)
SpaceShipOne was built to win the $10 million Ansari X Prize, intended to stimulate the development of reusable vehicles that would reduce the cost of space access. It primarily led to the creation of Virgin Galactic and its SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle. Virgin Galactic announced months ago that it would phase out Unity less than a year after its first commercial flight so it could focus its resources on its next-generation suborbital vehicle, the Delta class.

That all-in move, though, requires ending SpaceShipTwo flights now, creating a hiatus in commercial service that will last until at least 2026, when Virgin currently predicts it can start flying customers on Delta vehicles. Virgin’s pause comes as Blue Origin finally resumed crewed flights of its New Shepard vehicle in May, more than 21 months after the previous launch with people on board. But increasing New Shepard’s flight rate is unlikely a high priority at the company.

So, the door to a new spaceflight era that SpaceShipOne appeared to open 20 years ago is barely ajar today. It’s a disappointment given the optimistic predictions of the mid-2000s when people expected thousands a year would be flying by now at prices similar to a high-end cruise. But the true believers of space tourism still believe. The one-day Space Tourism Conference, held in Los Angeles May 22, attracted a few hundred people working in the field or wanting to get involved. (6/7)

Tools for Space Sustainability Watchdogs (Source: Space News)
Privateer is now weeks away from publicly deploying an ITU Compliance Assessment Monitor with Wayfinder to identify satellites that have strayed from their orbital slots. Semantic networking tools have made great strides over the past decade, and advances in large-language models promise to significantly improve their ability to piece together disparate datasets into something a space enforcer could use. But the right tools are only part of the equation.

David Meza, head of analytics for human capital at NASA, is using similar tools to identify the potential skill gaps the agency has to get back to the Moon and on to Mars. The trouble is much of what gets sent to orbit is highly proprietary, and not everyone is comfortable being part of a global public database. And while the FCC has made a landmark foray into space junk enforcement, it’s unclear how it and other regulators would translate greater visibility into non-compliant objects into action. (6/7)

William Anders, Apollo 8 Astronaut, Dies in Plane Crash (Source: CBS)
Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders, who snapped one of the most iconic images of the space age — a mesmerizing view of the blue-and-white globe of Earth rising above the moon's cratered horizon in the deep black of space — died Friday when a small plane he was piloting crashed off the coast of Washington state. He was 90 years old. (6/7)

UK Space Agency Expected Launch Infrastructure Spend Cut by 66% (Source: New Civil Engineer)
The UK Space Agency (UKSA) plans to spend just £38M on launch-related activities by 2025, down 66% from the £112M it initially committed to in its 2022 corporate plan. The figures were revealed in its Updated May 2024: Finance summary table which was published on 24 May.

The table details its spend from 2022 to 2025. In the original figures from 2022, the agency said it planned to spend £544M in 2022/23, £600M in 2023/24 and £606M in 2024/2025. The recently released figures have revised these figures upwards, with a budget of £647M in 2022/23, £641M in 2023/24 and £611M in 2024/25. (6/7)

Hubble Telescope has Gone Into ‘Safe Mode’ Here’s NASA’s Plan to Keep it Alive (Source: CNN)
The Hubble Space Telescope will transition to a new way of operating that aims to prevent the space observatory from experiencing lapses in its ability to observe the universe, according to NASA officials. The storied telescope, which has captured breathtaking images of the cosmos for 34 years, has traditionally operated using six gyroscopes. These gyroscopes, or gyros, are part of a system that controls and determines the direction the telescope is pointed in, said Mark Clampin.

The team has long considered shifting the telescope to one-gyro mode to prolong its lifespan after developing the plan more than 20 years ago. “We believe this is our best approach to support Hubble science through this decade and into the next since most of the observations in space will be completely unaffected by this change,” Clampin said. (6/7)

US Awards Contract to Build Prototype Sea-Based Space Launch Infrastructure (Source: Maritime Executive)
The Defense Innovation Unit, an office within the U.S. Department of Defense, issued awards to develop a novel method for sea-based space launch. According to The Spaceport Company which received the awards, the prototype is intended to demonstrate the launch capabilities to orbit and test autonomous-like features of the sea launch vessel after the company completed the first-ever launch in U.S. waters just a year ago. (6/7)

SpaceX Achieves 300th Falcon 9 Booster Landing After Friday Florida Launch (Source: Florida Today)
When a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket first-stage booster returned to Earth's atmosphere Friday night and settled atop the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean, it marked the 300th booster landing for the company's workhorse Falcon 9 program. Friday's Starlink mission marked that first-stage booster's 16th flight. (6/7)

Competing With Uncle Sam's Free Space Offerings (Source: Space News)
At first glance, attempting to sell something that the government provides for free seems like a doomed business strategy. But a recent report by the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton finds that both space domain awareness and Alt-PNT are among the most vibrant sectors of the space economy developing impactful technologies for national security.

Eric Lo, head of commercial space integration programs at Booz Allen, noted that traditional defense contractors dominate the military space domain awareness business. However, the Commerce Department’s Office of Space Commerce (OSC) is poised to play a significant role in defining the market. A civilian space traffic management system currently in development by OSC is being structured with tiers of services. This system will allow users to choose the basic free data but also give companies an opportunity to sell additional value-added services.

As space domain awareness and Alt- PNT providers chart a path to greater adoption, they could take a page from the playbook of Anduril Industries, the defense technology startup that takes an almost consumer tech approach, Rhoten suggested. Anduril designs products proactively, betting that the innovative capabilities will resonate with military customers eager to get a competitive edge over adversaries. (6/7)

Boeing Starliner Docks with ISS (Source: Space News)
Boeing's CST-100 Starliner docked with the ISS despite thruster problems and new helium leaks. Starliner, with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on board, arrived at the ISS at 1:34 p.m. Eastern, more than an hour later than planned. Controllers spent time diagnosing five thrusters that had gone offline, and were able to get four of them working again, allowing the docking to proceed.

Officials they said they are not sure why the spacecraft's software was rejecting the thrusters. A fourth helium leak was also detected on the spacecraft, although the spacecraft has plenty of helium needed for the propulsion system to undock Starliner from the station and perform a deorbit burn at the end of the mission. (6/7)

Space Force 2025 Budget Reveals Satellite Priorities (Source: Space News)
A new report says the Space Force is demonstrating its support for a new approach to military satellite architecture through its budget request. A report released Thursday by The Aerospace Corporation concluded that the service's proposed 2025 budget demonstrates that approaches like proliferated networks of smaller satellites in low Earth orbit are  a priority, with strong funding despite a constrained topline. The budget also boosts funding for integrating commercial satellite communications into military networks, which the report argues complements the proliferation focus. (6/7)

Seraphim Sees Modest Value Increase (Source: Space News)
Seraphim Space Investment Trust says the value of its early-stage space investments has grown slightly in the first three months of the year. London-listed Seraphim said it saw a 1.4% increase in the value of those investments to $257 million despite one of the companies it has a stake in, Astroscale, going public at a lower value than a recent private round as well as a decline in the share price of AST SpaceMobile. The trust saw increases from recent funding rounds by D-Orbit and Xona Space Systems. (6/7)

40 Sign Zero-Debris Pledge (Source: ESA)
More than 40 companies and organizations have signed ESA's Zero Debris Charter. ESA held a signing ceremony Thursday at the ILA Berlin air show for the charter, which calls on signatories to take steps to reduce the creation of new debris. Among those signing the charter are Airbus, Amazon, OHB, Redwire and Thales Alenia Space. Last month ESA announced a dozen European countries had signed the charter. (6/7)

Spaceport America Hosts Seventh Virgin Galactic Flight, Boosts University Opportunities (Source: KFOX TV)
Virgin Galactic successfully completed its seventh suborbital flight at Spaceport America. Four passengers were onboard VSS Unity including three private astronauts and one Axiom Space-affiliated researcher astronaut from Turkey. The Turkish astronaut conducted experiments during the flight.

The Executive Director of Spaceport America said launches like these attract people from all over the country and present greater opportunities for universities in our area like the University of Texas at El Paso. (6/8)

Simulations Dampen Excitement About Liquid Water on Mars (Source: Cornell Chronicle)
Cornell researchers have provided a simple and comprehensive – if less dramatic – explanation for bright radar reflections initially interpreted as liquid water beneath the ice cap on Mars’ south pole.

Their simulations show that small variations in layers of water ice – too subtle for ground-penetrating radar instruments to resolve – can cause constructive interference between radar waves. Such interference can produce reflections whose intensity and variability match observations to date – not only in the area proposed to be liquid water, but across the so-called south polar layered deposits. (6/7)