July 27, 2024

NASA Reportedly Considering Rescuing Stranded Astronauts Using SpaceX Spacecraft (Source: Futurism)
NASA has yet to announce a return date, showing that the problems are clearly ongoing. In fact, the agency is reportedly preparing a contingency plan that involves making room for Wilmore and Williams on an upcoming SpaceX Crew Dragon launch to the ISS. (7/26)

ULA Prepares for Final Atlas 5 National Security Launch (Source: Spaceflight Now)
United Launch Alliance is preparing for a seminal moment for its Atlas 5 rocket. The launch vehicle is preparing to launch its 58th and final national security mission on Tuesday. The United States Space Force-51 (USSF-51) mission will also be the 100th national security mission launch for ULA. ULA rolled the rocket to the launch pad at LC-41 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Liftoff is targeting Tuesday, July 30 at 6:45 a.m. (7/27)

World's Largest Telescope Continues Taking Shape on Chilean Mountain (Source: Space.com)
The dome enclosing the world's largest telescope is taking shape, with the installation of protective siding and supports for the primary mirror. The European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is currently under construction on the Cerro Armazones mountain in Chile's Atacama Desert and is expected to see its first light by 2028. (7/27)

Space Force Mulling Nuclear Protection for Missile-Tracking Satellites (Source: Defense News)
The Space Force has launched a study to consider what capabilities to host on future satellites that detect and track advanced, high-speed weapons. Col. Rob Davis, who oversees space sensing acquisition efforts for the service, said Thursday that as part of that work, the Space Force is weighing the right approach for ensuring such spacecraft can survive a nuclear threat. (7/26)

New Astrophysics Research Supports the Existence of an Unknown Influence (Source: UC Riverside)
A University of California, Riverside, study has expanded our knowledge of the structure of the universe and supports the existence of a new physical effect, such as a particle that has never been observed before. (7/26)

Economic Impact of Tourism on Brevard in 2023 Was $4.6 Billion, Visitor Spending $2.95 Billion (Source: Space Coast Daily)
Florida saw a statewide tourism economic impact of $121.5 billion last year, creating 2 million tourism jobs. In Brevard County [where space launches and the KSC Visitor Complex attract many visitors] the tourism impact was  $4.6 billion. (7/27)

NASA-Funded Hypersonic Breakthrough Can Eliminate Deadly "Shock Train" at the Speed of Light (Source: The Debrief)
A NASA-funded team of researchers has announced a breakthrough in hypersonic flow technology, allowing operators to control airflow at the speed of light when a deadly ‘shock train’ occurs.

A shock train is a condition that normally precedes engine failure within a scramjet engine. Now, for the first time, researchers based at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science have demonstrated the ability to monitor airflow through a supersonic combusting jet engine using an optical sensor instead of a pressure sensor. (7/26)

Will We Ever Reach Alpha Centauri, Our Closest Neighboring Star System? (Source: Live Science)
NASA estimated that using a space shuttle would take close to 150,000 years to reach Alpha Centauri. If humans could travel at the speed of light, we could reach Alpha Centauri in four years flat. Marshall Eubanks, CEO of the startup Space Initiatives Inc and a fellow at NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts, is researching remote methods for visiting Proxima Centauri using swarms of picometer-sized spacecraft.

While small spacecraft are easier to accelerate than larger probes, traditional fuel sources alone are not powerful or plentiful enough to push these craft to near light speed. Instead, Philip Lubin at the University of California says these craft will likely rely on light instead. "The system is basically a gigantic flashlight — it's a giant laser array [on Earth]," Lubin said. If the spacecraft are sailboats, then the laser light is the wind in their sails.

"I think that we will reach the Alpha Centauri system, with small probes launching in the decade of the 2040s, and thus arriving in the 2060s," Eubanks said. (7/27)

SpaceX Returns to Flight with Florida Starlink Launch (Source: Florida Today)
Ending a rare 16-day stand-down between launches, SpaceX officials launched a Falcon 9 rocket early Saturday morning at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The ascending upper stage delivered another 23 Starlink internet-beaming satellites into low-Earth orbit. (7/27)

Space Force Offers Up to $180,000 for Select Guardians to Re-enlist (Source: Air and Space Forces)
The Space Force is offering up to $180,000 for Guardians in certain career fields to reenlist, an $80,000 increase over previous years. The move is part of a wider Department of the Air Force effort to make reenlisting easier and offer more incentives to do so. The seven Space Force specialty codes on the Fiscal Year 2024 Selective Retention Bonus list are the same as the 2023 list. (7/26)

With Elon Musk All-In for Donald Trump, What Might That Mean for US Space Policy? (Source: South China Morning Post)
Former US president Donald Trump’s complicated relationship with Elon Musk, America’s most mercurial billionaire and chief executive of the commercial rocket launch company SpaceX, could wield a profound influence on US space policy in the years ahead.

The more entrepreneurial and deregulated approach both men advocate for space comes as China builds on significant successes in its astronautics program, which some analysts say could further escalate the space race if Trump is re-elected president in November. “I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk declared. The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk was committing $45 million a month to a new political action committee backing Trump. (7/27)

Insurance for Space Tourism (Source: Insurance Business)
With the global market for space tourism estimated at $977.4 million in 2023 and projected to exceed $6 billion by 2030, the sector is poised to be a lucrative opportunity for insurance brokers too. As developments unfold, the reality of a mainstream space tourism insurance market might be closer than we think, making understanding the risks of space travel increasingly crucial.

When it comes to insuring small space satellites and launch vehicles, coverage is relatively straightforward, noted Rob Schenone (pictured), head of aerospace and underwriting manager, North America, at AXA XL. However, as commercial space travel develops and mankind prepares to venture farther into space, it is likely to open a whole new floodgate of insurance risks. Click here. (7/25)

Council Backs Controversial Plan to Install Sutherland Spaceport Antenna Park on Mountaintop (Source: Northern Times)
Ian and Rachel Broughton are upset and distressed over the plan to relocate the Sutherland Spaceport antenna park to the top of Ben Tongue. A North Sutherland community council is backing a controversial plan to move the antenna park for Sutherland Spaceport from the main spaceport site at the A’Mhoine peninsula to the top of Ben Tongue. (7/26)

2 Indian Astronauts to Undergo Training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (Source: Hindustan Times)
Two Indian astronauts will undergo training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center beginning in August, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said. President Joe Biden announced plans to send an Indian astronaut to the ISS in June 2023. One of the two astronauts earlier received basic training in Russia. SpaceX and Axiom are expected to execute the mission by the end of 2024 and help Indian astronauts gain the necessary expertise. (7/25)

Canadian Space Agency Issues $36M Lunar Utility Vehicle Opportunity (Source: SpaceQ)
The Canadian Space Agency issued a Letter of Interest (LOI) notification for a Lunar Utility Vehicle that would support astronaut operations on the lunar surface as part of the Artemis Program. A Lunar Utility Vehicle has been a hot topic of discussion for more than a year. Budget 2023 included a section titled Supporting Canadian Leadership in Space which included the news that Canada was going to contribute a “robotic lunar utility vehicle to perform key activities in support of human lunar exploration.” Budget 2023 proposed $1.2 billion over 13 years starting this year for the project. (7/24)

Vandenberg Space Force Base Initiates New Rocket Launch Notification System (Source: EdHat)
In a move to keep the public informed about its rocket launch activities, Vandenberg Space Force Base introduced a comprehensive notification system early this month. This new approach is designed to provide updates on a variety of launches, including those conducted for NASA and leading private aerospace companies like SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Firefly Aerospace, and Phantom Space Corp., with the latter planning its inaugural launch at Vandenberg next year.

The initiative has already garnered substantial interest, with over 5,000 individuals signing up for the updates, according to the Vandenberg Public Affairs Office. The base is actively promoting upcoming launches on its official website and through various social media platforms to ensure wide-reaching communication. The initiative coincides with Vandenberg’s ongoing efforts to secure approval for an increased number of SpaceX launches, a move met with mixed reactions due to concerns over sonic booms. (7/24)

Space Force Missile Warning Competition Robust Despite RTX Exit (Source: Defense News)
After canceling its contract with RTX to build three missile tracking satellites, cutting its existing contractor pool from three companies to two, the Space Force is confident it can retain competition on the program moving forward. The service made the decision in June to remove RTX, formerly Raytheon, from its Resilient Missile Warning and Tracking program due to underperformance from the contractor and concerns about schedule risk. The Space Force was worried about satellite design challenges and the potential for a future launch delay. (7/25)

Space Force Eyes On-Orbit Weather Monitoring Systems (Source: Aviation Week)
Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellites provide critical strategic and tactical meteorological and environmental data to military and civilian users around the world. The U.S. Space Force is mulling the potential role of commercial, off-the-shelf technology in a future space-based environmental monitoring architecture, the leader of the service’s space sensing directorate said. (7/26)