August 2, 2024

SES Braces for Revenue Impact After Brazilian Customer's Bankruptcy (Source: Space News)
Satellite operator SES is looking to cut costs after a major customer of its video services went bankrupt. SES said Thursday it is bracing for a 5% hit to annual media revenue in 2025 after the bankruptcy of what the company only described as a broadcast customer in Brazil; that company is likely Oi, one of the largest telcos in Latin America. SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh said in an earnings call that the company will first look to mitigate the loss of the long-term broadcast contract through a cost-saving drive that he did not detail.

SES will also seek more revenues from its sports and events broadcasting business, where growth partially offset the video division's 6.7% year-on-year decline in the first half of 2024. SES will also lean on a networks division that grew 5% over the same period. (8/2)

Jablonsky Takes Helm at Ursa Major (Source: Space News)
A former CEO of Maxar is the new CEO of engine developer Ursa Major. Dan Jablonsky, former CEO of Maxar Technologies, will lead Usa Major, replacing co-founder Joe Laurienti, who held the position since the company's founding nine years ago. Laurienti said the change brings in a "new leader with the expertise and track record" to guide the company as it seeks to expand its work in space and defense. (8/2)

NASA to Resume Lunar Mission Contracting (Source: Space News)
NASA plans to soon resume issuing awards for commercial lunar lander missions after a hiatus of more than a year. The manager of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program said the agency was "very close" to awarding a task order for a lander mission to the south pole of the moon, with another to follow by the end of the year. NASA hasn't selected a company for a CLPS lander mission since March of last year, a pause the agency said was intended to incorporate lessons learned from the first two CLPS missions to launch earlier this year by Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines. NASA says it expects to continue to award an average of two lander missions a year through CLPS. (8/2)

DoD Panel Recommends Increased Adoption of Commercial Tech (Source: Space News)
A new report from a Pentagon advisory panel calls for increased adoption of commercial space technologies to bolster U.S. military capabilities. The Defense Science Board (DSB), a committee of civilian experts, recommended a comprehensive approach to integrating commercial space capabilities into national security architectures. The DSB report concluded that such commercial capabilities "are key to a resilient hybrid architecture." (8/2)

Japan's Military Seeks Space Domain Awareness (Source: Space News)
Japan is putting a greater focus on space domain awareness. A Japanese military official said at ASCEND this week that Japan's Space Operations Group is establishing a unit focused on space domain awareness under the command of a general. The first Japanese military spacecraft devoted to space domain awareness is scheduled to launch in 2026. That satellite includes sensors developed as part of a U.S.-Japan cooperative program to keep tabs on spacecraft and debris in geosynchronous orbit. (8/2)

China Launches Another Secret GEO Satellite (Source: Space News)
China launched the second of a new, secretive series of geostationary communications satellites Thursday. A Long March 3B lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The payload was High orbit internet satellite-02 (Weixing Hulianwan Gaogui-02), the second in a series after one launched in February. China has provided few details about the satellites or their capabilities. (8/2)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Satellites at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Florida Today)
SpaceX launched another set of Starlink satellites overnight. A Falcon 9 lifted off at 1:01 a.m. Eastern from the Kennedy Space Center and deployed 23 Starlink satellites. The launch is the fourth since the rocket's return to flight less than a week ago after an upper stage anomaly on another Starlink launch in mid-July. (8/2)

Space Industry Considers Implications of Harris as President (Source: Space News)
The space industry needs to prepare for a transition in space policy regardless of who wins November's presidential election. Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out last month, has been involved in space policy through her leadership of the National Space Council. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson called her a "space aficionado" at an event earlier this week, although some industry perceptions of her are mixed. One expert argues that while a Harris administration would not likely make major changes in space policy, there will still be a transition as personnel change. (8/2)

Booz Allen Brings AI to Space Station (Source: Space News)
Booz Allen Hamilton has tested AI models using a computer on the International Space Station. The company said it deployed a generative AI large language model (LLM) using Hewlett Packard Enterprise's Spaceborne Computer-2 there, an advanced computer intended for "edge computing" applications. The company says having an LLM trained on space station systems and their documentation could make it easier for astronauts to find the information they need to conduct repairs and maintenance. (8/2)

NASA Picks Crew for ISS Mission (Source: NASA)
NASA has announced crew assignments for an ISS mission launching next year. The Crew-10 mission will be commanded by NASA's Anne McClain, with Nichole Ayers as pilot. JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov will be mission specialists. Ayers is the first member of NASA's most recent astronaut class to receive a flight assignment. Crew-10 is now scheduled for launch in February 2025 after NASA announced last week it was delaying the first operational mission of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner, called Starliner-1, from February to August 2025. (8/2)

Exploring the Movement of Tiny, Engineered Particles in Space for Applications From Drug Delivery to Water Desalination (Source: CASIS)
Researchers from Florida International University (FIU) and Colorado Mesa University will leverage the ISS National Laboratory to explore the potential of tiny particles engineered to extract and use energy from their surroundings for self-propulsion. These particles, called active colloids, could lead to valuable innovations, ranging from targeted drug delivery and disease screening to improved water desalination and cutting-edge photothermal therapies to treat cancer and other diseases. (8/2)

Starliner's Extended ISS Stay a NASA Opportunity (Source: Space.com)
The Boeing Starliner spacecraft, currently on its Crew Flight Test mission, has remained at the International Space Station longer than initially planned, though Boeing and NASA have confirmed the crew is not "stranded." Rather, NASA and Boeing are taking the opportunity to assess Starliner in orbit. (7/31)

Space Perspective Unveils First Marine Spaceport (Source: Space Daily)
Space Perspective, the world's first carbon-neutral spaceflight experience company, has announced the completion and arrival of Marine Spaceport (MS) Voyager, the world's only marine spaceport for human spaceflight, to its home base in Florida. In collaboration with Guice Offshore, the 294-foot vessel is outfitted for launch and retrieval operations, positioning Space Perspective as the first space travel company to offer marine-based global launch experiences.

MS Voyager's innovative and patented launch system utilizes a series of rollers that work together to maneuver balloons upright on the vessel's 200-foot deck. This design significantly reduces the launch footprint compared to traditional balloon launches, eliminating the need for an aircraft carrier. (8/2)

Omega Propulsion Service Enhances Satellite Operations (Source: Space.com)
The Omega service allows customers to purchase and integrate ready-to-use propulsion systems for their satellites, offering support from launch to end-of-life deorbiting. The Boost! contract aims to further develop the propulsion-as-a-service concept, progressing it to a full hardware system and prototype testing phase. The contract includes euro 390,000 in co-funding from ESA and involves Dawn Aerospace from the Netherlands and New Zealand, UARX Space from Spain, and Spherical Systems from the Netherlands. (8/2)

Graphene Discovered in Lunar Soil Sample from Chang'e 5 Mission (Source: Space.com)
A recent study published in National Science Review has identified the presence of naturally formed few-layer graphene in a lunar soil sample. This remarkable finding comes from a team of researchers led by Professors Meng Zou, Wei Zhang, and Senior Engineer Xiujuan Li from Jilin University, along with Wencai Ren from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Metal Research. The sample, an olive-shaped piece of lunar soil measuring approximately 2.9 by 1.6 millimeters, was collected during China's Chang'e 5 mission in 2020. (8/2)

Skylo and Particle Enhance IoT Development with Satellite Connectivity (Source: Space Daily)
Skylo Technologies, a leader in non-terrestrial network (NTN) communications, has joined forces with Particle, a prominent provider of edge-to-cloud IoT infrastructure, to simplify satellite connectivity, management, and deployment for developers. By integrating Skylo's satellite connectivity with Particle's IoT platform, developers now have access to a comprehensive, multi-radio solution for building and deploying IoT products without the need for cellular coverage. (8/2)

Space Florida Aims to Boost Aerospace Workforce with K-12 Academies (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida announced partnerships with 23 school districts across Florida to begin implementation of the Space Florida Academy Program within those districts. The program aims to connect students with high-demand credentials and skills necessary to work in the aerospace industry; credentials that may not have been traditionally associated with the aerospace industry.

In collaboration with industry leaders, the Florida Department of Education, the Florida Department of Commerce, the REACH Office (Reimagining Education and Career Help), and CareerSource Florida, the Space Florida Academy Program will focus on reframing aerospace job characterization by focusing on target areas to meet current and future industry demand: Aviation/Aerospace, Advanced Manufacturing, Construction, Cybersecurity/IT, Logistics, and Semiconductors. (8/1)

After ISS: The Private Space Station Era is Dawning (Source: Space.com)
There are continual, creaky reminders that the International Space Station is showing its age. Hissy-fit pressure leaks in the Russian segment, loss of attitude control on two separate occasions in 2021. To remain safe and sound for human occupants, the massive structure requires continuous maintenance, a flow of replacement parts, and upgrades to many of the station's systems.

In 2021, the NASA Office of Inspector General reported that of the $3 billion that NASA spends on the ISS each year, $1.1 billion of that total covers annual ISS operations and maintenance costs. Also in 2021, NASA inked a trio of funded Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations, or CLD agreements. They are intended to support work on commercial space stations, outposts that can "transition" NASA from the ISS by decade's end. Those three CLD agreements went to Blue Origin and Sierra Space Partnership (Orbital Reef); a joint venture between Voyager Space, Airbus, Mitsubishi Corporation, and MDA Space (Starlab); and Northrop Grumman. Click here. (8/1)

SDA is Set to Award Satellite Servicing Contracts (Source: Space News)
The Space Development Agency is preparing to award contracts to companies focused on satellite servicing. Through the contracts, SDA, which is part of the U.S. Space Force, will not hire companies to conduct demonstration or to deorbit satellites. Instead, the agency will pay companies to share technical designs and business-case analysis. SDA leaders want to know whether there will soon be a commercial market for these services. If so, the agency wants to figure out how to work with the servicing companies. (8/1)

The Earthly Realities of Tying Space Exploration to the Mercurial Whims of Billionaires (Source: Philadelphia Enquirer)
Elon Musk’s decision to move SpaceX headquarters to Texas because he disagrees with a new California law that prohibits schools from informing parents when an LGBTQ child changes their name or pronouns is an embarrassing consequence to letting private companies take the lead in America’s space exploration efforts.

Musk isn’t the only space entrepreneur making controversial moves. Amazon owner Jeff Bezos said he is changing his residence from Washington state to Florida to be closer to his Blue Origin space company. But he didn’t mention the estimated $600 million in capital gains taxes he will avoid paying by moving from Seattle to Miami before a planned sale of 50 million shares of his Amazon stock. Click here. (8/1)

Boeing’s Problems Extend Into Orbit. Is Space Big Business For Them? (Source: Marketplace)
Boeing reports quarterly earnings on Wednesday morning. The company best known for airplanes has struggled to safely manufacture its 737 MAX passenger jets, but they’ve also struggled with one high-profile spacecraft. [Editor's Note: Actually two: Starliner and SLS. Two and a half with ULA's rockets.]

And space just isn’t a big moneymaker for Boeing, Nicolas Owens said. The company made $78 billion in total revenue last year. Owens estimates only 10% came from spacecraft. Plus, there’s not much room to grow, per Richard Aboulafia. “It’s the most vulnerable to disruptions of all of their businesses,” he said — thanks to upstart rocket companies, like Blue Origin and SpaceX.

For Boeing, “when they look at, you know, possible business units that might be disposed of to bring in cash, space is very high on that list,” said Aboulafia. Editor's Note: What's up with ULA's erstwhile sell-off? (8/1)

Growing Pains for Smallsat Propulsion (Source: Space News)
Astra Space seemed poised to dominate the smallsat propulsion landscape. Its 2021 acquisition of Apollo Fusion positioned the Northern California company as a favored partner among prime contractors building satellites for the U.S. Space Force Space Development Agency. Astra’s subsequent financial troubles have prompted a significant realignment within the smallsat propulsion industry.

Severe cash flow issues nearly drove the SPAC-funded rocket startup to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy this year, shaking investor confidence in the sector and prompting customers to scramble for new suppliers. The uncertainty has led to reduced investment for some companies, and forced competitors to adapt quickly. (7/31)

NASA’s First-Ever Quantum Memory Made at Glenn Research Center (Source: NASA)
Bringing bright minds together has once again proven to be the key to unlocking the mysteries of the universe. Researchers developed technology that will store information within a cloud of atoms. Together with Infleqtion Inc., researchers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland produced NASA’s first-ever quantum memory. This technology is NASA’s first step in creating a large-scale quantum network, which could lead to more secure space communications and, eventually, new scientific discoveries. (7/31)

NASA Public Engagement Specialist Loves to Inspire Kids with STEM (Source: NASA)
Careers at NASA were not on his radar growing up. But Jonas Dino, public engagement specialist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, ended up with his perfect job that involves connecting people with NASA. One of the best parts of his job is to learn first-hand about NASA’s cutting-edge research and translate these concepts to the next generation. “I’m excited about what NASA does and where we are going,” said Dino, “As an extrovert, I love interacting with the public, especially little kids.” (7/31)