July 17, 2024

Space Force Revamps GA-EMS Weather Demo Contract: $380M Through 2030, Second Bird (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force has restructured its contract with General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) for a prototype weather imaging satellite as a gap filler between the dying Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) constellation and a follow-on — to include buying a second “operational demonstration” bird and extending the systems on-orbit lifetime. The new contract includes five years of GA-EMS support to keep the satellites functioning through 2030. (7/16)

Falcon 9 Rocket Failure Forces NASA to Evaluate Astronaut Launch Schedule (Source: Space.com)
NASA is waiting to see if there will be "schedule impacts" for its next astronaut mission aboard SpaceX after a rocket failure last week, the agency said in a recent statement. Falcon 9 is also used to send NASA astronaut missions to the ISS aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft. The next scheduled effort, known as Crew-9, was supposed to send four astronauts aloft in mid-August. (7/15)

SpaceX Seeks FAA's Quick Approval for Falcon-9 Return-to-Flight (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
SpaceX is asking the FAA for an early safety determination to allow it to resume Falcon 9 launches. The company formally requested the FAA Monday to conclude that the upper stage anomaly experienced on a launch last week does not impact public safety, which would allow the company to resume launches even while it continues a formal mishap investigation. The FAA said it was reviewing the request. (7/17)

Local Reaction to SpaceX Moving Headquarters to Brownsville (Source: KRGV)
Elon Musk says he's moving SpaceX headquarters to Starbase facility in Cameron County. "I'm not surprised. I mean, he has his Tesla headquarters [in Austin]. He moved from California to [Texas]," owner of the SpaceX Boca Chica Facebook Group Alex Balderas said. "He's helped the Valley as well, with the also bringing local jobs to here too." (7/16)

Here is the Real Reason Elon Musk is Moving SpaceX and X to Texas (Source: Market Watch)
SpaceX already has a launch facility, control center and rocket production site near Brownsville, Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX refers to the site as Starbase and has been expanding it over the past few years. The company’s headquarters are currently in Hawthorne, Calif., outside Los Angeles. It’s not clear how many people would move, or if it would just involve a small office staff to support top executives and the board.

Musk has plenty of business reasons to make these moves. He sees California as too expensive, too litigious, and too friendly to employees and their rights. He wants to pay lower taxes and lower employment costs. California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom fired back at Musk on Tuesday, tweeting that he “bent the knee” to Trump.

But Musk’s followers and fans just used the opportunity to decry the current state of California, its homelessness problem and what they perceive as lax laws. Musk has become increasingly conservative over the past few years. And remember he exaggerates about almost everything — like Tesla’s robotaxi capabilities. The reasons for moving to Texas are no different. There is always hyperbole when it comes Musk. (7/16)

Next SLS Core Stage Ready for Delivery to Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space News)
The core stage for the second Space Launch System rocket is ready to go to Florida. NASA rolled out the core stage Tuesday from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, loading it on a barge for transport to the Kennedy Space Center. Once at KSC, it will undergo final outfitting and then be integrated with its boosters, upper stage and Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 2 mission, launching no earlier than next September. Boeing, the prime contractor for the SLS core stage, said assembly of the second core stage went more smoothly as it implemented changes like use of lean manufacturing. (7/17)

Aerojet Updates Engines for SLS (Source: ThomasNet)
Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed updates to its RS-25 engines for NASA's Artemis IV mission, marking the first use of the Space Launch System Block 1B enhanced configuration. These engines, equipped with modern flight computers, can withstand high temperatures and will enable the SLS Block 1B to deliver significant increases in payload. (7/15)

NASA's Vogel Departs Early (Source: Space News)
The head of NASA's space technology mission directorate has left the agency just six months after taking the job. NASA announced Tuesday that Kurt "Spuds" Vogel has retired from the agency, effectively immediately. Vogel took the job in January after serving as director of space architectures at NASA, spearheading work on the Moon to Mars Architecture. He will be replaced on an interim basis by Clayton Turner, director of the Langley Research Center. (7/17)

Europa Clipper Headed Toward October Launch, Despite Concerns (Source: Space News)
The head of NASA science is optimistic Europa Clipper will still launch this October despite spacecraft and launch concerns. The $5 billion mission to Jupiter's icy moon Europa features transistors that NASA said last week may not have the expected tolerance to radiation as required. It is also slated to launch on a Falcon Heavy, a vehicle grounded after a Falcon 9 upper stage anomaly last week. Nicky Fox, NASA associate administrator for science, said after a COSPAR conference session Tuesday that she was optimistic those problems could be overcome and that the mission was pushing ahead for an October launch. (7/17)

NASA's $5 Billion Europa Clipper Mission May Not be Able to Handle Jupiter's Radiation (Source: Space.com)
A highly anticipated NASA astrobiology mission is troubleshooting a serious issue just months before its planned liftoff. Mission team members have discovered a problem with Clipper's transistors, devices that control the flow of electricity on the probe. "The issue with the transistors came to light in May when the mission team was advised that similar parts were failing at lower radiation doses than expected," NASA officials wrote. (7/12)

Introducing Ramses, ESA’s Mission to Asteroid Apophis (Source: ESA)
The Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses) probe will rendezvous with the asteroid 99942 Apophis and accompany it through its safe but exceptionally close flyby of Earth in 2029. Researchers will study the asteroid as Earth’s gravity alters its physical characteristics. Their findings will improve our ability to defend our planet from any similar object found to be on a collision course in the future. (7/16)

US and Saudi Arabia Agree on Space Cooperation (Source: NASA)
The United States and Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement regarding space cooperation. The agreement, signed by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and the CEO of the Saudi Space Agency, created a legal framework for cooperative projects between the nations in space. The agreement also acknowledges the importance of the Artemis Accords, which Saudi Arabia signed two years ago, but does not mention any specific projects the two space agencies plan to collaborate on. (7/17)

Boryung and KARI Forge Partnership to Advance South Korea’s Space Ambitions (Source: Korea Biomedical Review)
Boryung Inc. and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance Korea's space research foundation and develop advanced space exploration capabilities. The two parties aim to activate testing and research in the Korean space environment and jointly identify and promote various cooperation projects to advance the national space industry. (7/16)

Ramon.Space Expands to UK (Source: Space News)
Ramon.Space is setting up an engineering hub in the United Kingdom to help grow its space computing technology business globally. The California-based company said Tuesday that its newly created British subsidiary will focus on developing hardware and software for its radiation-resilient processors. The 80-person company plans to also use the U.K. office as a way to sell more in Europe. (7/17)

Rocket Lab Celebrates CHIPS Act Funding in Preliminary Agreement (Source: KOB4)
A top space manufacturing company is bringing in more jobs to New Mexico. Rocket Lab, a global leader in launch and space systems, is celebrating their signed preliminary agreement under the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act. The investment would allow Rocket Lab to further expand in the state and increase manufacturing capacity of space grade solar cells. (7/15)

KBR to Acquire LinQuest for $737 Million (Source: Space News)
KBR announced Tuesday it is acquiring defense and space contractor LinQuest for $737 million. LinQuest, owned since 2018 by a private equity firm, focuses on engineering, data analytics and digital integration for national security space missions. It has secured several major contracts with the U.S. Space Force, including a $500 million, five-year deal in 2021 for analysis support, and a potential nine-year, $200 million contract to advise and assist the Space Force's Space Operations Command. The deal, expected to close in the fourth quarter, would allow KBR to bolster its footprint in the national security space sector. (7/17)

NorthStar Earth & Space Gets New Financing, CFO and Demonstrates Concept of Operations (Source: SpaceQ)
It’s been a busy start to July for Montreal-based NorthStar Earth & Space who announced today new financing as well as formalizing their acting Chief Financial Officer, and last week said it demonstrated their Concept of Operations (CONOPS). In a news release NorthStar said it had secured and undisclosed amount of shareholder financing from Telesystem Space, a Montreal based founding partner in the company. The other founding partner was KinetX from Arizona. (7/15)

Leonardo Hopes to Work Closely with Combined Airbus/Thales Space Business (Source: Reuters)
Leonardo says it wants to work with Airbus and Thales on any combination of their space businesses. Roberto Cingolani, CEO of Leonardo, said his company was "working hard" on joint strategies with Thales and Airbus, a day after reports that those two companies were talking about combining at least part of their space businesses. Leonardo and Thales already collaborate on the satellite services joint venture Telespazio. (7/17)

I’m the First Mexican-Born Woman to Travel to Space (Source: San Diego Union-Tribune)
I was 7 years old when I began saying I would one day become an astronaut. In high school, I decided to combine my love for space with my love for electricity and landed on electrical engineering as my major. Life, however, isn’t always so simple. When my parents divorced, I found myself at a crossroads. Click here. (7/15)

Seiko Pays Colorful Tribute to Skylab-Flown 'Pogue' with New Watch (Source: CollectSpace)
A new wristwatch pays tribute to the first automatic chronograph that was worn in space. Seiko has revealed its new Prospex Speedtimer SSC947 with a colorway based on the golden yellow, red and blue watch that NASA astronaut Bill Pogue launched to the Skylab orbital workshop in 1973. Unlike the Seiko 6139, which was later nicknamed the "Pogue" after the astronaut, the new watch has a solar-powered movement with a six-month power reserve. (7/15)

Meteor Lights Up Manhattan (Source: ABC)
A meteor startled residents of New York City on Tuesday. The meteor flew over the city and broke apart about 46 kilometers above Midtown Manhattan. Some people reported hearing the meteor and feeling a shaking, but with no reports of damage or injuries. It was not clear if those sounds and vibrations were from the meteor or other activities. (7/17)

What is the Shape of the Heliosphere? (Source: Space.com)
The plasma coming off the sun expands through space, along with the sun’s magnetic field. Together they form the heliosphere within the surrounding local interstellar medium – the plasma, neutral particles and dust that fill the space between stars and their respective astrospheres. Heliophysicists like me want to understand the heliosphere and how it interacts with the interstellar medium. Scientists don't really know what the heliosphere's shape is.

Models range in shape from spherical to cometlike to croissant-shaped. These predictions vary in size by hundreds to thousands of times the distance from the sun to the Earth. Scientists have, however, defined the direction that the sun is moving as the “nose” direction and the opposing direction as the "tail" direction. The nose direction should have the shortest distance to the heliopause – the boundary between the heliosphere and the local interstellar medium. We found that rather than exiting close to the nose direction, a trajectory intersecting the heliosphere’s flank toward the tail direction would give the best perspective on the heliosphere’s shape. (7/16)

Universe’s "Timekeepers" Hint At Invisible Structures Floating In The Milky Way (Source: IFL Science)
Pulsars are some of the best clocks in the universe, surpassed only by the most advanced timekeeping pieces we have invented. They are the product of a supernova explosion, living behind a neutron star rotating rapidly and releasing pulses of light. Those are the beats of these cosmic clocks. And they might be used to find invisible stuff floating about in the Milky Way.

The crucial idea behind the research comes from general relativity. Being inside a gravitational field affects the passing of time. So Professor John LoSecco reasoned that it could be measurable as long as you know very well how often these pulsars are flashing at us. The goal is the creation of the Pulsar Timing Array. Using the pulses and knowing them with enough precision, it is possible to use these stellar objects as a gravitational wave observatory, spanning thousands of light-years. (7/16)

Moon of Saturn Has an Equivalent of Freshwater Rivers and Salty Oceans (Source: New Scientist)
Our most detailed look yet at the strange lakes of Saturn’s moon Titan has revealed a diverse seascape, similar to Earth’s combination of freshwater rivers and salty oceans. Unlike Earth’s water oceans, Titan’s lakes consist of methane and ethane, which are liquid at the planet’s average surface temperatures. The liquid hydrocarbon seas, lakes and rivers on Titan have varying compositions and signs of active tides or currents. (7/16)

West Virginia's First Female Astronaut (Source: WDTV)
A Morgantown native is set to become the first female astronaut from West Virginia. Emily Calandrelli has announced that she will be flying to space on a future flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard launch vehicle. Calandrelli is an engineer, an Emmy-nominated TV host, and a number one New York Times best-selling author known as @TheSpaceGal to her nearly three million followers. She graduated from West Virginia University with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and received master’s degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics and Technology and Policy from MIT. (7/16)

The Unexpected Revival of Supernova 1181 (Source: SciTech Daily)
A supernova remnant from 1181, resulting from two colliding white dwarfs, was analyzed using historical records and modern astronomy. The discovery in the constellation Cassiopeia reveals a complex structure with new stellar winds, possibly indicating a reignition of the remnant star. This interdisciplinary approach provides deeper insights into the dynamics of stellar phenomena. (7/15)

Satellites Could Be Put to Work Tracking Ocean Trash (Source: Washington Post)
Satellites can now track ocean garbage from space, marking a potential “game changer” for tracking the vexing problem of marine litter, new research suggests. The study, published in Nature Communications, suggests that even satellites that haven’t been specially designed to detect floating trash may be useful in the battle against a rising tide of ocean pollution. (7/14)

CareerSource Brevard to Host Aerospace Job Fair in Cape Canaveral Aug. 14 (Source: Space Coast Daily)
Individuals seeking career and training opportunities in the aerospace and aviation industry are invited to attend a job fair offered by CareerSource Brevard Flagler Volusia. An initiative of the Florida Atlantic Workforce Alliance, the event is hosted in partnership with the World Innovation Network and will take place August 14 at Sands Space History Center: 100 Spaceport Way, Building 90328, Cape Canaveral, FL, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. (7/17)