August 27, 2024

Mynaric Fires CEO, Loses CFO (Source: Space News)
Laser communications terminal manufacturer Mynaric fired its CEO because of production problems. The company announced Monday it had dismissed CEO Mustafa Veziroglu after announcing last week its revenue fell far short of productions because of slow production of satellite laser communications terminals. The company's chief financial officer also resigned last week. Mynaric did not disclose who would replace Veziroglu as CEO but did announce the hiring of Andreas Reif as chief restructuring officer, tasked with reducing costs and addressing cash flow issues while maintaining customer deliveries. (8/27)

More Work Needed to Integrate Commercial Capabilities for Military Space (Source: Space News)
More work is needed to integrate commercial capabilities into national security space systems. Mandy Vaughn, an industry consultant and co-chair of a recent study by the Defense Science Board, said the Defense Department has yet to institutionalize processes that prioritize commercial capabilities early in the budgeting cycle. Real change, she said, would require a significant cultural shift within the government that entails not merely using contractors for support but potentially replacing government-owned systems with privately developed services. She cited as an example of such a shift NASA's use of commercial cargo and crew transportation services. (8/27)

More Work Needed to Improve Military Space Domain Awareness (Source: Space News)
The military needs to improve its space domain awareness (SDA) capabilities. Retired general John Shaw, a former deputy commander of U.S. Space Command, said at a SpaceNews webinar Monday that development of SDA technologies has fallen behind expectations. It remains limited to basic cataloging of objects and does not provide the predictive and analytical capabilities needed in an increasingly congested and contested space environment. Those capabilities, he argues, have changed little in the last five to seven years. He emphasized the need to move beyond simple cataloging to "dynamic tracking of hard to detect and track targets in non-standard orbits." (8/27)

ABL's Engine Problems Led to Fuel Leaks That Led to Fires That Destroyed Rocket (Source: Space News)
ABL Space Systems said fuel leaking from damaged engines fed a pad fire that ultimately destroyed its RS1 rocket last month. The company released details Monday about the July 19 incident that took place after an aborted static-fire test ahead of a second launch of the RS1. ABL said after the test was stopped, fuel leaked from two engines to keep a fire going on the pad. When supplies of water at the pad used to contain the fire were exhausted, the fire spread and eventually led to the destruction of the vehicle. An initial analysis found that 2 of the 11 engines in the first stage suffered combustion instabilities at startup that damaged components, which may be linked to changes in the propellant feed system in the Block 2 version of the RS1 compared to the initial version that made a single, unsuccessful launch attempt last year. ABL did not offer a timeline for attempting another launch. (8/27)

Firefly Tests Lunar Lander (Source: Space News)
Firefly Aerospace's first lunar lander is beginning environmental testing ahead of a launch late this year. Firefly said Monday it shipped its Blue Ghost lander from its Texas headquarters to JPL, where it will undergo thermal vacuum, acoustic, vibration and other tests. If the lander passes those tests, it will go to Florida for final preparations for  a launch on a Falcon 9, currently scheduled for the fourth quarter this year. The lander, intended to touch down at Mare Crisium in the northeastern quadrant of the near side of the moon, is carrying 10 payloads for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. (8/27)

Trump Supports Creation of Space National Guard (Source: Stars and Stripes)
Donald Trump says he backs the creation of a Space National Guard. Speaking at the annual meeting of the National Guard Association on Monday, the Republican presidential nominee said that he supports the establishment of a Space National Guard as the "primary combat reserve" of the Space Force. The National Guard Association has advocated for a Space National Guard as well as members of both parties in Congress. The Pentagon, though, has opposed that proposal, instead seeking to allow people to serve part-time in the Space Force. (8/27)

Chinese Constellation Satellites Brighter Than Starlink, to Astronomers' Dismay (Source: Sky & Telescope)
Observations of the first satellites launched for a Chinese broadband constellation show they are brighter than SpaceX Starlink satellites. Amateur astronomers have monitored the first set of Qianfan, or "Thousand Sails," satellites since their launch early this month. Those observations show that the satellites can be as bright as magnitude 4 when passing directly overhead, bright enough to be seen by the naked eye. They are considerably brighter than Starlink satellites despite being in higher orbits, suggesting a lack of measures to mitigate their brightness. Without such measures, astronomers warn the Qianfan satellites would pose a major problem for astronomers. (8/27)

LeoLabs Tracks Chinese Rocket's Debris in Orbit (Source: Wall Street Journal)
The breakup of a Chinese Long March 6A rocket after launching satellites on August 6 created over 300 pieces of debris in low-Earth orbit, raising concerns about space junk. US Space Command and LeoLabs estimate the debris could include up to 700 fragments, potentially remaining in orbit for decades. (8/23)