July 16, 2024

How SpaceX Conquered the Launch Industry (Source: Launchpad)
In 2008, SpaceX nearly went bankrupt. Now, the company is considering a share sale that could value it at roughly $200 billion. Let’s break down the incredible rise of one of the most impactful companies of the 21st Century. Although it is easy to remember the company’s many successes, looking back, SpaceX’s early history was defined by its failures. Click here. (7/16)

Innovative Stochastic Model Revolutionizes Interplanetary Supply Chain Planning (Source: Space Daily)
The Beijing Institute of Technology has unveiled a groundbreaking study that seeks to reshape how we plan and manage supply chains between Earth and Mars. Using a Multi-Stage Stochastic Programming (MSP) model, the researchers have addressed the complex uncertainties inherent in interplanetary logistics, providing fresh insights into the infrastructure and operational requirements for supporting a Martian base.

The research team, led by experts from the Beijing Institute of Technology, developed a layered network model to depict the interplanetary supply chain (ISC). This model consists of two primary networks: the Propellant Network (PN) and the Supply Network (SN). PN focuses on delivering cargo from Earth to Mars, while SN handles the propellant supply necessary for these missions. Despite sharing common nodes, each network has distinct arcs tailored to its specific function. (7/16)

HyPrSpace Successfully Conducts First Test of its Hybrid Rocket Engine (Source: HyPrSpace)
HyPrSpace, a startup specializing in hybrid propulsion, announces the success of the first bench test of its engine at DGA Missile Tests on its site in France. This marks a crucial step in validating its patented hybrid propulsion technology and demonstrates the successful transition from theoretical models to full-scale applications. The tests of the Terminator engine aimed to verify that the propulsion technology developed by HyPrSpace, supported by the General Directorate of Armament (DGA) and the Defense Innovation Agency, achieves the predictive performance of their theoretical models. (7/16)

Space Startup’s Moon Mining Plans Get a Boost With NASA Grant (Source: The Information)
Seattle-based Interlune will use a $346,000 NASA grant to test a critical part of its technology that it will ultimately use to prepare lunar regolith for the extraction of helium-3, an isotope scarce on Earth but abundant on the Moon. (7/16)

SpaceX Making 'Important' Design Changes To Starship Ahead Of Its Fifth Test Flight (Source: Benzinga)
The forward flaps of the vehicle have been moved leeward towards the nose of the vehicle in the new version of the vehicle, in a bid to improve reliability and ease of manufacturing. “This is an important design improvement,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said. During Starship’s last test flight in early June, Starship sustained damage to its flap while also losing many heat-shield tiles designed to protect against the extreme heat of reentry to Earth's atmosphere. (7/15)

To Win the Space Race with China, the US Needs These Budgetary Reforms (Source: Breaking Defense)
Congress and the Defense Department can boost the US edge in space if they take seriously the need to reexamine how the nation allocates resources to space-based activities supporting national defense. Among potential areas of reform, the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) process merits distinct scrutiny as one traditional mechanism for funding, developing, and delivering major space systems.

PPBE is the calendar-driven resource allocation process underpinning how the United States funds its national security priorities, so its efficiency is a big deal. Anybody who has worked in defense budgeting can tell you how important PPBE is, but they are also likely to tell you that it is a major headache. Since the 1960s PPBE has helped the DoD incorporate data-driven analysis and manage massive Pentagon shopping lists, but its rationalistic principles are too “one-size-fits-all” for DoD’s wildly diverse acquisition needs — especially for the nature of a space race.

In support of the efforts of the congressionally-directed Commission on PPBE Reform, some observations suggested that program budgeting is too often wielded as a vehicle for congressional power plays and military service budget battles. Through PPBE, program offices draft spending plans which cross multiple thresholds of vetting authority, which, when combined with the usual Congressional process, means it can be two and a half years from conception to execution. PPBE often tends to favor five-to-seven-year programs for space, even when capabilities could or should be delivered into orbit in rapid fashion. (7/15)

Bizarre Tachyons May Be Able to Send Data Back in Time (Source: The Debrief)
Tachyons, a mysterious variety of hypothetical particles capable of exceeding light speed, could play a more significant role in our understanding of the universe and its causal structure than scientists previously realized. Not only have tachyons been revealed to be potentially compatible with Einstein’s special theory of relativity, but now, according to researchers, these curious particles could also help shed light on remaining questions regarding our understanding of the quantum world.

Tachyons are theorized to exist under conditions where their minimum speed would be the speed of light. This effectively means that they should only be capable of traveling at velocities that exceed this universally recognized speed limit. As Einstein’s theory of relativity dictates, the universal laws of physics prevent anything from being capable of accelerating to the speed of light from a slower speed. The same isn’t necessarily true for tachyons, though, since they are theorized to be born at speeds that already exceed light. Hence, hypothetically should be incapable of slowing down to light speed or slower speeds. (7/15)

More Issues with Boeing's Beleaguered Starliner (Source: The Conversation)
Four of the five thrusters have been repaired while Starliner has been docked to the ISS, but it raises concern for other thrusters cutting out during the return journey to Earth. On Starliner’s return, re-entering Earth’s atmosphere requires a very specific “angle of attack” to ensure there is not too much friction heating up the vessel.

An inability to adjust the orientation of the craft or the orbital parameters for re-entry could in the worst-case scenario result in massive heat build up and the destruction of the spacecraft with two astronauts on board. The next problem is that Starliner returns and jettisons its service module on re-entry as it returns to the surface on land rather than at sea. This means that the bit of the spacecraft with all the vital information on will be burned up, making it very difficult to determine what actually went wrong. (7/15)

Scientists Discover Underground Cave on the Moon That Could Shelter Astronauts (Source: CBS)
Scientists have confirmed a cave on the moon, not far from where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago, and suspect there are hundreds more that could house future astronauts. An Italian-led team reported Monday that there's evidence for a sizable cave accessible from the deepest known pit on the moon. It's located at the Sea of Tranquility, just 250 miles from Apollo 11's landing site. The pit, like the more than 200 others discovered up there, was created by the collapse of a lava tube. (7/15)

Airbus and Thales Consider Space Business Merger (Source: Reuters)
Airbus and Thales are considering a combination of their space businesses. Sources said the companies have started preliminary discussions on a combination of at least parts of their space units, such as satellite manufacturing. One report called the discussions "low-key" and "exploratory in nature,"and any combination could face objections from national governments in Europe as well as antitrust concerns by the European Commission. Airbus executives said last month they were considering strategic options for its space business after taking a charge of nearly one billion euros because of cost and schedule overruns on space projects. (7/16)

DoD's Nuclear Command/Control Sats Need Hardening (Source: Space News)
Satellites used by the U.S. military for nuclear command and control need hardening from attacks. A report Monday by the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security concluded that satellites in low Earth orbit used for nuclear command, control and communications (NC3) need protection from attacks that could include a nuclear detonation in orbit that could cripple unprotected satellites. The military uses satellites in geostationary orbit for NC3 missions, but is considering a shift to proliferated constellations in LEO. The report recommends accelerating deployment of radiation-hardened satellites and other protective measures for next-generation NC3 systems. (7/16)

China Doesn’t Need Expensive Super-Satellites to Track US Warships (Source: South China Morning Post)
Chinese naval scientists have unveiled a method to identify and track US warships around the globe using low quality satellite images that are free and available to anyone. The satellite photos potentially have a resolution of tens, or even hundreds, of meters, meaning that a large ship may only occupy a single pixel, or even less, making it invisible to the naked eye.

However, a team led by Hong Jun of the Dalian Naval Academy, said it had discovered a US Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser and an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer from these images. Their method focuses on analyzing the waves behind the ships, a simple technique that could be used by almost any country or organization. Different ships create distinct wave patterns on the sea surface, similar to fingerprints. (7/15)

China Plans Planetary Defense Demo Mission (Source: Space News)
China is now planning to launch a planetary defense demonstration mission in 2027. The revised schedule for the unnamed mission, discussed at the COSPAR Scientific Assembly on Monday, involves launching two spacecraft on a single Long March 3A, one to orbit a near Earth asteroid and another to collide with the asteroid, altering its orbit. The mission was proposed to launch in 2025, but a representative of China's National Space Science Center did not disclose the reason for the delay. The center is also evaluating other missions to test asteroid deflection technologies and to deploy a space telescope to look for near Earth asteroids, but with no schedule yet for those concepts. (7/16)

CAPSTONE Testing Autonomous Flight Tech in Lunar Orbit (Source: Space News)
A NASA-funded cubesat in lunar orbit is now testing autonomous flight technologies. The CAPSTONE spacecraft, run by Advanced Space, has been in a near-rectilinear halo orbit around the moon for more than a year and a half, demonstrating operations in that orbit that will later be used by the lunar Gateway as well as testing navigation technologies. The spacecraft is now in an extended mission as a software test platform, including optimal maneuvers for autonomous station-keeping and spacecraft health monitoring. (7/16)

Firefly Aerospace Investigates CEO’s Alleged Inappropriate Relationship (Source: Payload)
Rocket-maker Firefly Aerospace is investigating allegations of an inappropriate relationship between CEO Bill Weber and a female employee after a departing executive reported the situation to the board. Lloyd McMullen, a VP of IT at the firm, resigned this month because he lost confidence in leadership at the company after reporting the issue. Contacted by Payload, McMullen declined to comment. (7/15)

SpaceX Fires Starship Engines Ahead of Next Test Flight (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX performed a static-fire test of the Starship booster that will be used for the vehicle's next test flight. The booster performed the test firing at Starbase on South Texas on Monday as part of preparations for an upcoming test flight, which could take place as soon as next month. SpaceX is considering having the booster fly back to the launch site where it would be "caught" by mechanical arms attached to the launch tower. (7/16)

NASA Beams Song to Venus (Source: NASA)
Missy Elliott has gone to space — or, at least, one of her songs has. NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) beamed the hip-hop star's "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" to Venus last week, the agency announced Monday. It's only the second time that the DSN, operated by NASA for communicating with spacecraft across the solar system, has been used to transmit music. NASA beamed the song to Venus at Elliott's request because the planet "symbolizes strength, beauty, and empowerment," she said. (7/16)

NASA Meatball is 65 (Source: Collect Space)
NASA's "meatball" logo is 65 years old but is not headed for retirement. The logo, so named because of its blue circle, was formally unveiled by NASA on July 15, 1959, and was the agency's primary logo until 1974 when NASA replaced it with the red "worm" logotype. NASA restored the meatball logo in 1992 and it remains in use to this day, although in recent years NASA has also brought back the worm logo for special missions. (7/16)

NASA Issues Sudden Warning as 100ft Asteroid Races Toward Earth (Source: WION)
A warning was issued by NASA after they spotted a 100-foot asteroid named 2024 NB2 which made an extremely close flyby Earth on July 13. The asteroid is traveling at a stunning speed of 47,921 kilometers per hour. The astronomers spotted asteroid 2024 NB2 racing towards Earth at the Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson, Arizona. (7/13)

What it Would Take to Terraform Mars (Source: The Conversation)
To live on Mars, humans will need liquid water, food, shelter and an atmosphere with enough oxygen to breathe and thick enough to retain heat and protect against radiation from the Sun. But the Martian atmosphere is almost all carbon dioxide, with virtually no oxygen. And it’s very thin – only about 1% as dense as the Earth’s. The less dense an atmosphere, the less heat it can hold on to. Earth’s atmosphere is thick enough to retain enough heat to sustain life.

Although Mars has no active volcanoes now – at least as far as we know – scientists could trigger volcanic eruptions via nuclear explosions. The gases trapped deep in a volcano would be released and then drift into the atmosphere. But that scheme is a bit harebrained, because the explosions would also introduce deadly radioactive material into the air.

A better idea: Redirecting water-rich comets and asteroids to crash into Mars. That too would release gases from below the planet’s surface into the atmosphere while also releasing the water found in the comets. NASA has already demonstrated that it is possible to redirect asteroids – but relatively large ones, and lots of them, are needed to make a difference. (7/15)

Satellite Data and Machine Learning to Predict Typhoon Intensity (Source: Phys.org)
Amidst the challenges posed by climate change in predicting typhoons, a team of researchers has developed a technology that leverages real-time satellite data and deep learning capabilities to predict typhoons with greater precision. The research team has unveiled a deep learning-based prediction model that combines geostationary weather satellite data and numerical model data in real-time. (7/15)

Thought Experiment Suggests We Are Likely Alone In Our Galaxy (Source: IFL Science)
"Consider an ensemble of Earth-like planets across the cosmos - worlds with similar gravity, composition, chemical inventories and climatic conditions," the team writes in their paper. "Although small differences will surely exist across space, one should reasonably expect that life either emerges nearly all of the time in such conditions, or hardly ever. As before, it would seem contrived for life to emerge in approximately half of the cases - again motivated from the fine-tuning perspective." (7/15)

When a Workhorse Falters (Source: Space Review)
After more than 300 consecutive successful launches, a Falcon 9 suffered an in-flight anomaly last week, dooming its payload of Starlink satellites. Jeff Foust reports on the failure and its implications for a space industry that had become increasingly reliant on that vehicle. Click here. (7/16)
 
Carriers From Space (Source: Space Review)
Starting in the 1960s, US spy satellites took images of American aircraft carriers as a test of its ability to track Soviet ships. Dwayne Day examines some of those images have have been released from government archives. Click here. (7/16)
 
Chevron Deference, its Repeal, and the Effect on Regulation of Orbital Debris (Source: Space Review)
One of the major rulings by the US Supreme Court last month was to repeal a practice known as “Chevron Deference” regarding the ability of agencies to enact regulations. Michael Listner examines what it means for orbital debris rules. Click here. (7/16)
 
The Significance of Bulgaria Joining the Artemis Accords (Source: Space Review)
When Bulgaria signed the Artemis Accords last year, it was more than the country signaling its interest in sustainable space exploration. Svetoslav Alexandrov explains how it also showed that the country was signaling a break from its history in spaceflight. Click here. (7/16)

Dark Matter and Dark Energy Duel Over Universe's Evolution (Source: Space Daily)
The universe, at 13.8 billion years old, has evolved from tiny initial asymmetries into vast structures visible through telescopes: galaxies, galaxy clusters, and larger formations. This evolution is influenced by a cosmic struggle between dark matter, which holds matter together through gravity, and dark energy, which pushes the universe apart.

The primary goal of mapping galaxies at various distances is to understand the cosmic struggle between dark matter and dark energy. "To really see what's happening, you have to be able to observe the individual rounds of this match," says Grun. Dark energy may eventually halt the formation of larger cosmic structures. Understanding this interplay will help scientists discern the nature and ultimate influence of dark matter and dark energy. (7/16)