July 29, 2024

Space Coast-Based Vaya Space Builds an Environmentally Friendly Rocket (Source; Florida Today)
Vaya Space, an aerospace manufacturer based in Cocoa, Florida, is developing an environmentally friendly rocket using rocket engines made from recycled plastics. Click here. (7/24)

US Team Places 2nd in International Rocketry Challenge (Sources: WAFF, WZDX)
Alabama's Tharptown High School rocketry team narrowly missed placing first in the International Rocketry Challenge in London, coming in behind the UK team. The team made it to London as the US representative after winning the 2024 American Rocketry Challenge. (7/26)

The Sun Could Capture Rogue Planets From 3.8 Light Years Away (Source: New Scientist)
The sun’s gravitational pull may be able to capture incoming objects from as far as 3.8 light years away, including interstellar comets and even rogue planets. That would make our solar system much bigger than previously thought. The extent of our sun’s gravitational influence into the galaxy is unclear, but it seems to stretch at least to the Oort cloud, a sphere of trillions of icy objects that surrounds the sun at a distance of more than 1 light year. (7/29)

A Calculated Move: SpaceX Dragon Splashdowns Go West (Source: Space News)
Since the introduction of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and its cargo variant, the trunk section has been released before the deorbit burn, reentering passively weeks to months later. But on several occasions sizable pieces of debris from Dragon trunks have survived reentry and landed in Australia, Saskatchewan and North Carolina, among other places. The debris falls caused no damage or injuries but illustrated the risk the posed.

Earlier this year, Steve Stich, NASA commercial crew program manager, said the agency was working with SpaceX on ways to better control the debris created by reentering trunks. One option being studied, he said then, would be to jettison the trunk after Dragon performs its deorbit burn, which would allow the trunk to reenter around the same time along the reentry corridor for the capsule.

SpaceX said that is the approach that the company is taking. It ruled out alternatives that included a complete redesign of the trunk or addition of a propulsion system to it for a controlled reentry. That will require a splashdown off the California coast, rather than near Florida. “Moving trunk separation after the deorbit burn places the trunk on a known reentry trajectory, with the trunk safely splashing down uprange of the Dragon spacecraft. (7/28)

Sierra Space Won't Stop Blowing Up Inflatable Space Station Modules (Source: Space.com)
Sierra Space has announced the completion of another full-scale burst test in which the company exploded one of its inflatable modules being developed as part of efforts to build a commercial space station.

Sierra Space's "Ultimate Burst Pressure test" was conducted on June 18, 2024 and involved an inflatable space station module built to full scale at more than 20 feet tall (6 meters). The test unit, which compares to the size of a typical family home, is about one-third the volume of the International Space Station (ISS) at 10,600 cubic feet (300 cubic meters) and has enough room to house four astronauts, plus exercise and scientific equipment, Sierra Space says. (7/28)

Senate's NASA Funding Bill Would Reverse Project Cancellations (Source: Space News)
A Senate appropriations bill closely follows NASA's request for fiscal year 2025 but pushes back on some proposed mission cancellations and cuts. Senate appropriators released Friday the bill and report for the commerce, justice, and science (CJS) spending package approved by the appropriations committee on Thursday.

The bill offers $25.434 billion for NASA, $50 million above the agency's request. However, the report is critical of NASA plans to cancel the OSAM-1 satellite servicing mission and GDC heliophysics mission, while also setting higher funding levels than requested for the Chandra and Hubble space telescopes. The report does not mention the VIPER lunar rover that NASA announced earlier this month it will cancel, but Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) said at the markup Thursday she was "very disappointed" in NASA's decision. (7/29)

Taiwan's TiSpace Wants to Launch Suborbital Rocket From Japan (Source: Reuters)
A Taiwanese company is seeking permission to conduct a rocket launch from Japan. TiSpace is hoping to win approval from the Japanese government to conduct a launch of a suborbital rocket from Hokkaido by early next year. The request is a test of Japanese policies that seek to grow the country's commercial space sector while also encouraging foreign companies to set up operations in the country. (7/29)

Starlink Satellites Made 50,000 Collision-Avoidance Maneuvers in the Past 6 Months (Source: Space.com)
Satellites in SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation made nearly 50,000 collision-avoidance maneuvers in the last six months, about double the number made in the previous half-year. Although experts praise Elon Musk's space compay for its commitment to transparency, they warn about the implications of the soaring orbital traffic.

SpaceX revealed the increase in its latest Semiannual Constellation Status Report, which was filed with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on July 1. According to the report, on average, each Starlink satellite fired its thrusters 14 times between Dec. 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024, to dodge orbiting objects, such as other Starlink satellites, spacecraft owned by other operators and pieces of space debris. Within that same six-month period, the Starlink constellation grew from around 5,100 operational satellites to 6,200 spacecraft. (7/23)

FAA Invites Comments on Draft Environmental Assessment for Increased SpaceX Texas Launch/Landings (Source: FAA)
The FAA announced the availability of the Draft Tiered Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) concerning SpaceX’s proposal to increase up to 25 the number of launches and landings of its Starship/Super Heavy Vehicle at the Boca Chica Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas. The FAA is holding public meetings and seeking public comments. Click here. (7/29)