August 28, 2024

Florida Tech Astrobiologist Explores Likelihood of Life Originating on Earth (Source: Space Daily)
Florida Tech astrobiologist Manasvi Lingam is creating his own models to explore complex topics such as the origin of life. He exchanged the pursuit of definitive answers for scholarly inferences, embracing the universe's uncertainties by exploring chance. According to Lingam, models - or simplified representations of reality - accomplish two main tasks: they help researchers make predictions and they offer an alternative to experiments that may be too costly or impractical. That was the case with Lingam's recently published analysis regarding the potential origin of life on Earth.

Together with other researchers he has compiled potentially urable sites - those viable for life to start - identified in previous research, each with different levels of conduciveness for the genesis of life. They included several different environments, ranging from underwater volcanoes to soap bubbles and tar to natural nuclear reactors akin to one that formed in Gabon two billion years ago. Two main questions shaped their models: from how many sites on Earth could life have emerged; and what is the probability of life actually emerging from one of those sites? The goal of the study was not to directly answer the questions but to find the most accurate way of interpreting the data the models generate. (8/27)

NASA Unveils New Pod to Enhance Autonomous Aircraft Vision (Source: Space Daily)
To prepare self-flying aircraft for safe operation, understanding and reacting to environmental challenges is crucial. NASA aeronautics researchers have created a new camera pod equipped with sensors designed to improve computer vision systems for autonomous aviation. The device, named the Airborne Instrumentation for Real-world Video of Urban Environments (AIRVUE), was developed at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The pod recently underwent initial testing aboard a piloted helicopter at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This technology aims to gather extensive visual datasets featuring weather patterns and various obstacles. The collected data will be made available to manufacturers of autonomous air taxis, drones, and similar aircraft. These datasets are intended to assist developers in assessing and enhancing the situational awareness of their aircraft. (8/28)

Global Investment Boosts Space Intelligence's Nature Mapping Initiative (Source: Space Daily)
Space Intelligence, a leader in high-precision nature mapping using satellite data, has announced the successful completion of its Series A funding round. The investment was led by new backers, AzurX Space Ventures (ASV), with participation from Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. The newly secured funds will be directed towards expanding Space Intelligence's global database of forest mapping, aimed at supporting the development and financing of forest carbon projects. Additionally, the investment will enhance the company's ability to monitor environmental impacts across corporate supply chains. (8/27)

Can China Challenge SpaceX's Starlink? (Source: IEEE Spectrum)
China launched its first batch of satellites for its Qianfan megaconstellation earlier this month. It now has 18 satellites in orbit, but much more will be needed to build out this network of nearly 14,000 satellites. Qianfan—”thousands sails” in Chinese and also referred to as Spacesail or G60—is a project run by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST).

Last February, the company announced it had raised 6.7 billion yuan ($943 million) in funding, with backing from Shanghai’s municipal government. This makes it a serious project, and one meant to catch up with SpaceX’s Starlink, providing global connectivity, including direct mobile connections, while also providing rural connectivity, supporting e-commerce, and bolstering national security within China. The aim, SSST says, is to launch all 13,904 satellites by 2030. That works out to launching an average of just over seven satellites per day, every day, until the end of the decade.

To put this in perspective, SpaceX, with its reusable Falcon 9 rocket, has launched 6,895 satellites since the Starlink constellation’s first launch in May 2019. Of these, around 5,500 are still in orbit and operational. That works out to about 3.5 satellites launched per day. To get off the ground, in other words, Qianfan will require both a boom in Chinese launch rates and a surge in satellite manufacturing. (8/27)

Lunar Outpost Establishes Lunar Dawn Science Council (Source: ASU)
Lunar Outpost has established the Lunar Dawn Science Council, naming Arizona State University (ASU) as the lead research organization. The Lunar Dawn team was awarded a Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services (LTVS) contract by NASA in April 2024 and is leading the way by implementing an experienced Science Council to maximize the scientific return of the Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV). This group of vetted, academic and industry professionals will provide input and guidance from the lunar science community to enhance the quality of science generated from the LTV through the 10+ years of operational life on the lunar surface. (8/27)

NASA IG Sees Ballooning Cost for SLS Launch Tower (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA's problems with the mobile launch tower that will support a larger version of its SLS rocket are getting worse rather than better. According to a new report from NASA's inspector general, the estimated cost of the tower, which is a little bit taller than the length of a US football field with its end zones, is now $2.7 billion. Such a cost is nearly twice the funding it took to build the largest structure in the world, the Burj Khalifa, which is seven times taller.

This is a remarkable explosion in costs as, only five years ago, NASA awarded a contract to the Bechtel engineering firm to build and deliver a second mobile launcher (ML-2) for $383 million, with a due date of March 2023. That deadline came and went with Bechtel barely beginning to cut metal.

According to NASA's own estimate, the project cost for the tower is now $1.8 billion, with a delivery date of September 2027. However the new report, published Monday, concludes that NASA's estimate is probably too conservative. "Our analysis indicates costs could be even higher due in part to the significant amount of construction work that remains," states the report, signed by Deputy Inspector General George A. Scott. (8/28)

UK University Breaks Ground on New £2.5M Optical Ground Station (Source: HW.AC.UK)
Work has started on a new Quantum Communications Hub Optical Ground Station (HOGS), a state-of-the-art telescope which is being built on Heriot-Watt University’s Research Park. The new facility will demonstrate and test satellite quantum secure communications, maintaining and growing the UK’s strength in the field of quantum technologies. It is scheduled to be fully operational by late Autumn [2024].

As well as helping to tackle future cyberattacks by researching methods to send secure transmissions via satellites, it will unlock new research on space environmentalism alongside innovative R&D activities for future laser communication networks. These provide high bandwidth communications services like 6G and beyond. (8/28)

Vanderbilt Doctor Wins Space Sweepstakes for Flight on Blue Origin Rocket (Source: The Tennessean)
Sure, the trip is only 11 minutes, and yes, the rocket-capsule will barely cross the 68-mile-high line into space. The space tourism flight is suborbital and sub-optimal in a way for a Vanderbilt University cardiologist who has spent a lifetime dreaming of — and, lately, training for — walking on the moon. Or orbiting Earth in the ISS, anyway. "I see the Blue Origin flight as an opportunity to do something amazing," Jahangir told The Tennessean last week. (8/28)

Whisper Aero is Working with NASA to Bring its Ultra-Quiet Tech to Outer Space (Source: Tech Crunch)
Crewed spacecraft, whether that be a transportation vehicle or a station module, are made noisy by life support systems, electronic fans, radios and crew activity. NASA has long been concerned about the effects of this acoustic environment on its astronauts, and the agency has introduced a number of modifications over the years to make the International Space Station a quieter place.

But there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Whisper Aero, a Tennessee-based startup best known for its ultra-quiet electric propulsor for aircraft, drones and even leaf blowers, scored a new NASA contract to design the quietest possible fan that’s suitable for crewed space environments. At the end of the six-month effort, the startup is aiming to have prototype parts to show to NASA; if the agency deems this Phase 1 project successful, Whisper would likely move on to test a design prototype next year.

In Phase 2, NASA and Whisper would compare the acoustic and aerodynamic estimates from this Phase 1 small business and innovation research (SBIR) contract with the measurements of its fan and a baseline NASA Spacecraft Cabin Ventilation Fan. (8/27)

SpaceX Starship Flotillas Could Outrace NASA To Create Moon Base Alpha (Source: Forbes)
SpaceX, with its rapidly expanding squadron of Starship rockets and super-capsules, looks poised to dominate the creation of humanity’s first base camp on the Moon. As it ramps up producing Starship upper stages that can double as Moon-orbiting space stations or as spectacular lunar resorts, SpaceX is positioned to speed past NASA’s plans for Spartan astronaut habitats on the orb’s South Pole.

NASA’s “lunar surface  habitat concepts are currently in early conceptual stages or pre-formulation,” said NASA's Corinne Beckinger. Next-generation Starships will be colossal, mobile habitats that can host up to 100 explorers during the trip to the Moon, and after touching down around its ancient impact craters, SpaceX says in its Starship Users Guide. (8/27)

New UK Spaceport Collaboration Signed (Source: Business Cornwall)
Spaceport Cornwall, alongside Cornwall Airport Newquay, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Wholeship Ltd, which operates the National Drone Hub at Predannack. With access to over 5,500 square kilometers of segregated airspace, the partnership will provide the opportunity for UK flight trials of sub-scale air systems and test operating procedures to be conducted at the drone hub, enabling Spaceport Cornwall to gather evidence in support of future operational flights from Newquay.

The MoU highlights a number of other potential areas for collaboration, including the ability for Spaceport Cornwall to demonstrate Cornwall’s combined future air and space offer to prospective customers and clients, and to investigate possible partnerships with UK industry and the Ministry of Defense (MoD). (8/27)

MDA Space Expands Aurora Supply Chain Adding Beyond Gravity (Source: SpaceQ)
Beyond Gravity, a Swiss space industry supplier, has been selected by MDA Space as part of its supply chain for MDA Aurora, the companies software-defined digital satellite product line. Beyond Gravity said it “will provide 252 ‘constellation On-Board Computers (cOBCs)’ with integrated navigation receivers and antennas for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations.” Beyond Gravity will begin providing the cOBCs this year and they will be used in Telesat’s Lightspeed constellation. (8/26)

Mattel Rolling Out Matchbox Toy of SpaceX's Tesla Astronaut Transport (Source: Collect Space)
As SpaceX's next commercial astronaut mission rolls out for launch, Mattel is counting down to the release of its latest Matchbox toy based on the space company's vehicles. Unlike Mattel's earlier sets, which were modeled after spacecraft and rockets, this upcoming issue is more of a natural fit for the iconic line of die-cast cars. Matchbox's 1:64 scale version of SpaceX's Crew Transport Vehicle is set to arrive in U.S. stores on Oct. 1 for $1.25 each. (8/26)

Impulse Space Selected for $60M STRATFI Award to Support Development of Helios for Responsive GEO Capabilities (Source: Impulse)
Impulse Space announced its selection by SpaceWERX, sponsored by U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command’s (SSC) Space Safari Office, for a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) award with the value of $60M between government funds, matching Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funds, and private funds.

The work will focus on the company’s high-performance kick stage, Helios, to address pressing challenges in geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO) for the Department of the Air Force (DAF). This award builds on Impulse’s momentum in the government sector, having previously been selected in January for two SBIR Phase II contracts via the 2023 SpaceWERX Tactically Responsive Space Challenge. (8/27)

US Leaders Have Been Warned to Focus on GPS and PNT to Protect the Nation (Source: Space News)
In Ukraine and the Middle East, smart weapons are degraded or neutralized. Drones and missiles are deflected or turned back on attackers. In the Baltic, South China Sea and elsewhere, denial and manipulation of satellite navigation signals has become a daily part of great power competition. These stark demonstrations of vulnerabilities have highlighted long-standing concerns about the capability of GPS and other American positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) capabilities. (8/28)

Chinese GF-7 Satellite Enhances Forest Height Measurement Accuracy (Source: Space Daily)
Scientists have introduced a new technique to measure forest heights using advanced satellite technology, reducing the reliance on traditional, labor-intensive fieldwork. A recent study, published on July 29 in the 'Journal of Remote Sensing', involved an international team of researchers who used high-resolution satellite imagery from China's GF-7 satellite and historical images from Google Earth to achieve precise forest height measurements.

The GF-7 satellite, known for its very high-resolution (VHR) stereoscopic images, captures detailed views of the Earth's surface, including forests. Historically, measuring forest heights with such images required ground control points (GCPs) obtained through extensive and costly fieldwork, posing challenges in remote or mountainous regions. (8/27)

Guidelines Proposed for Evaluating Solar Geoengineering Research (Source: Space Daily)
Scientists have been exploring the potential of injecting sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere as a method to reflect solar heat and mitigate the effects of global warming. However, there is a growing need to ensure that these solar geoengineering strategies are assessed not only for their cooling potential but also for their technical viability and possible ecological and societal impacts.

In response, an international team of researchers, led by the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR), has released a set of recommendations for evaluating proposals involving stratospheric aerosol intervention (SAI)-a technique involving the injection of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. The published guidelines also suggest criteria for discontinuing projects that face insurmountable scientific, technical, or societal challenges. (8/26)

NASA Supports Research to Enhance Astronaut Health on Extended Space Missions (Source: Space Daily)
NASA has committed funding to 11 new research projects aimed at improving the health and performance of astronauts during long-duration space missions. These studies will be conducted on Earth and do not require direct data or samples from astronauts in space. The research will explore various physiological and psychological responses to the unique challenges of space travel, including team performance, communication, living environments, decision-making, blood flow, and brain health.

The findings are expected to help NASA reduce risks and safeguard astronaut well-being during future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Selected from 123 proposals in response to the 2024 Human Exploration Research Opportunities, the 11 studies represent 10 different institutions and have a combined award value of approximately $14.6 million. The duration of these projects ranges from one to five years. (8/27)

Solar Panels for Roman Space Telescope Complete Testing (Source: Space Daily)
The solar array sun shield for NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has successfully passed a series of crucial tests, ensuring that the assembly remains on track for timely completion. These solar panels are essential for powering and shading the observatory, enabling mission-critical observations while maintaining optimal instrument temperatures. (8/27)

UAH HERC rover team makes STEM outreach trip to Dominican Republic (Source: Space Daily)
Winning the 2024 Human Rover Explorer Challenge (HERC) provided an engineering student team at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Alabama System, the opportunity to perform STEM outreach in the Dominican Republic (DR) this summer. UAH rover team THESEUS members traveled to the DR capital to give presentations to attendees at the Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo, or INTEC University, at the invitation of DR rover team Apolo27. UAH was the overall winner of the NASA competition in April, and the DR team took home second place in the same division. The two squads bonded when UAH hosted visits to the UAH team's rover design and construction facilities. (8/26)

NASA Advances Solar Sail Deployment Efforts After Initial Delay (Source: Space Daily)
NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) has initiated deployment operations for its innovative solar sail. However, during the initial attempt to unfurl the sail, the process was paused when an onboard power monitor detected higher-than-expected motor currents. Despite this, communications, power, and attitude control for the spacecraft all remain normal. Mission managers are now focused on analyzing data from the spacecraft to understand and resolve the cause of this interruption. (8/27)

SETI Launches Low-Frequency Search for Extraterrestrial Technology in Distant Galaxies (Source: Space Daily)
The SETI Institute, in collaboration with the Berkeley SETI Research Center and the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, has initiated a pioneering study using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in Western Australia. Led by Dr. Chenoa Tremblay of the SETI Institute and Prof. Steven Tingay of Curtin University, this research marks the first search for alien technology in galaxies beyond our own, specifically targeting low radio frequencies (100 MHz). The MWA's extensive field of view (FOV) allowed the research team to examine approximately 2,800 galaxies in a single observation, with known distances for 1,300 of these galaxies. (8/27)

Relationships with Space Colonists (Source: Space Daily)
One day soon we may have long-term orbiting colonies circling the planet in microgravity space stations with complete, self-sustained ecosystems, governance bodies and a completely independent society that operates as a sovereign entity. The relationship between on-Earth societies and colonists would likely be complicated. Several factors would shape this relationship, including the very different living environment, economic dependencies, cultural differences, governance structures, and technological advancements. Let's speculate on these differences. Click here. (8/26)

Might Boeing Cancel Starliner? (Source: Futurism)
When we asked Boeing whether Starliner might get canceled, the company didn't exactly jump to defend the project. "Boeing continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft," a spokesperson said. "We are executing the mission as determined by NASA, and we are preparing the spacecraft for a safe and successful uncrewed return."

Worse yet, NASA's inspector general released a damning report earlier this month, finding that Boeing's contributions to NASA's Moonbound Space Launch System are also many years behind and way over budget. And that's not to mention years' worth of controversies plaguing Boeing's passenger jet business and executive shakeups. (8/27)

Earth’s Temperature Could Increase by 25 Degrees: Research Reveals CO2 Has More Impact Than Previously Thought (Source: SciTech Daily)
Analysis of Pacific Ocean sediments shows doubling atmospheric CO2 might raise Earth’s temperature by up to 14 degrees, exceeding IPCC predictions, with historical data indicating significant future climate impacts. Doubling the atmospheric CO2 levels could raise Earth’s average temperature by 7 to 14 degrees Celsius (13 to 25.2 degrees Fahrenheit), according to sediment analysis from the Pacific Ocean near California.

The researchers developed a new approach to derive past atmospheric CO2 content by using the chemical composition of two specific substances commonly found in algae: chlorophyll and cholesterol. This is the first study to use cholesterol for quantitative CO2 and the first study to use chlorophyll for this time period. To create these substances, algae must absorb CO2 from the water and fix it via photosynthesis. (8/27)

MIT's Rocket Horizon Project Reimagines SpaceX Starship HLS as Sustainable Lunar Habitats (Source: DesignBoom)
Rocket Horizon, led by a team from MIT, represents a pioneering interdisciplinary effort to create sustainable lunar habitats. This project blends architectural innovation with advanced technology and robust engineering solutions, drawing on the expertise of MIT’s Department of Architecture, Media Lab, AeroAstro, and the Sloan School of Management. Central to Rocket Horizon is the principle of reusability—adapting SpaceX‘s Starship HLS (a lunar lander variant of the Starship spacecraft that is slated to transfer astronauts from a lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon and back) not only for transport but also as a core component of lunar infrastructure. Click here. (8/27)

Into The Field With NASA: Valley Of Ten Thousand Smokes (Source: NASA)
In June 2024, the Goddard Instrument Field Team (GIFT) hiked deep into the backcountry of Alaska’s Katmai National Park to study the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, site of the largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century. The team’s task: traverse a vast volcanic debris field layered with glacier ice, gathering data and samples to help us better understand this place on Earth and similar terrain on other worlds. Click here. (8/22) https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/into-the-field-with-nasa-valley-of-ten-thousand-smokes/

When Boeing's Starliner Comes Back Empty, It'll Destroy the Malfunctioning Thrusters, Making It Impossible to Study What Went Wrong (Source: Futurism)
Before the mission even launched, engineers noticed several gas leaks affecting the capsule's propulsion system. The affected thrusters are attached to Starliner's service module, which is designed to separate from the crew module during re-entry and burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. That could make it far more difficult for Boeing to figure out what went wrong, as that won't leave any hardware behind for engineers to inspect. (8/26)

SpaceX Competitor Emerges With A Larger Rocket That Could Challenge Musk's Dominance (Sources: Benzinga, Seeking Alpha)
Peter Beck believes that offering businesses a rocket that can compete with the Falcon 9 will provide valuable choices, especially for companies building rivals to SpaceX’s satellite internet service, Starlink. Beck revealed his plans to launch a new, larger rocket, named Neutron, in mid-2025. The Neutron is expected to be a direct competitor to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, offering partially reusable transportation of cargo into orbit at a fraction of the cost of traditional rockets. (8/27)

Rocket Lab informed investors that the entirety of Neutron is now in production and qualification. Given Rocket Lab’s years of experience with the Electron rocket, the company does have a good track record with carbon fiber manufacturing, flight computers, software, etc. As such, I would say that these elements of Neutron’s design and production are somewhat less worrisome than the (totally new) engine design. Of course, there are a lot of pieces to the puzzle and Rocket Lab could still run into problems here, but for now, they seem to be on track to meet their target of a 2025 launch. (8/26)

Starlink, OneWeb, Amazon Want Indian Gateways to be Open for the World (Source: Financial Express)
Satellite communication service providers such as OneWeb India, SpaceX-owned Starlink and Amazon’s Kuiper Systems, have urged the government to allow them to use their gateways in India to service other nations also. It remains to be seen whether the government accepts their demand or not because in this case data of Indian users will be sent out of the country. Usually in such cases, for security reasons the government insists that consumer data should be stored within the country itself. (8/27)

Can the Pentagon Get to the ‘Next Level’ of Space Domain Awareness? (Source: Air and Space Forces)
Retired Lt. Gen. John E. Shaw is often credited as the Pentagon’s trailblazer in advocating for dynamic space operations—maneuvering satellites in and between orbits and refueling them to better operate in a contested domain. Now, he wants the military to get more dynamic in how it monitors and tracks objects and threats in orbit, as part of a broader shift and upgrade in space domain awareness, he said Aug. 26.

The former Space Force general isn’t alone in calling for enhanced SDA, as space domain awareness is known. Earlier this year, Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said the service needs to invest in “actionable space domain awareness” that gives decision-makers more context and understanding of what’s happening in the domain. (8/26)

Securing US Space Assets is Busting the Air Force Budget, Kendall Says (Source: Defense News)
When Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall unveiled his seven no-fail mission priorities two years ago — dubbed operational imperatives — creating a resilient space architecture was at the top of the list. Kendall’s emphasis on resilience in space is underpinned by two ideas that have picked up traction across the Defense Department in recent years.

First, capabilities like GPS, satellite communications and space-based intelligence collection play an essential, enabling role in most U.S. military operations. And second, threats from adversaries like China and Russia have put those capabilities at risk. The creation of the Space Force in 2019 was a step toward strengthening the resourcing and organizational heft of the military space enterprise. In making space resilience central to the secretary’s operational imperatives, the push is expected to get top billing when it comes to divvying up scarce Air Force and Space Force budget dollars.

Kendall’s call for a larger space budget follows several years of steady funding growth for the Space Force. The service’s budget has nearly doubled in the five years since it was established, but that increase reflects mission consolidation more than it does new investment, as many space-focused personnel and programs from the Army and Navy as well as the Space Development Agency moved under the purview of the new service. (8/27)

VIPER’s Failure and the Future of Space Exploration (Source: AEI.org)
It’s clear that VIPER was just too big of a project for CLPS. The CLPS program was designed to support the Artemis moon mission through iterative progress, focusing on quickly demonstrating success for small payloads of 10kg to 15kg that could then be ramped up in size over time. But VIPER, at approximately 500kg, represented a massive leap in payload size. This significant increase necessitated considerable design changes, adding costs and risks to the project. Since VIPER was also a major project, NASA again added more testing, again raising costs. By way of comparison, the tally for the other 52 payloads in CLPS sums to $245.5 million.

In the end, NASA worried that VIPER’s additional costs would threaten “cancellation or disruption to other CLPS missions” and so VIPER was shelved. Ensuring that CLPS succeeds is the agency’s top priority, which was reiterated in the bill report for NASA’s 2025 budget. Still all is not lost. The agency solicited proposals from private companies on what to do with the rover, and at least a dozen have reached out. Among them is Intuitive Machines, a Houston-based firm that attracted significant attention this year with the successful lunar landing of its Nova-C spacecraft. (8/26)

DiBello Joins Florida Tech Board of Trustees (Source: Florida Tech)
Frank DiBello, former CEO of Space Florida, has been added to the Florida Institute of Technology's board of trustees. DiBello’s distinguished career spans civil and government work. After graduating from Villanova with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, he began working with aerospace businesses in the mid-1970s and in 1984 became founder and managing partner of the Space & Advanced Technology Division of KPMG Peat Marwick. He came to Brevard County in the early 2000s to serve as president and CEO of Florida Aerospace Finance Corporation.

Editor's Note: The state's creation of FAFC coincided with its creation of the Florida Space Research Institute (FSRI), both as spinoffs of the Spaceport Florida Authority. I moved from the Spaceport Authority to FSRI (under Sam Durrance) at the same time Frank led FAFC. Ultimately, both spinoff organizations were collapsed with the Spaceport Authority into a new organization, Space Florida, which hired Frank as CEO. (8/28)

SpaceX Loses Booster After Florida Starlink Launch (Source: Space News)
A Falcon 9 booster tipped over in a fiery landing after a launch early Wednesday morning. The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral and successfully deployed 21 Starink satellites into low Earth orbit. The booster landed on a droneship eight minutes and 20 seconds after liftoff, but upon landing flames erupted from the base of the booster and it tipped over within seconds. SpaceX said it was investigating what happened with the booster, which was making its fleet-leading 23rd flight, and postponed another Falcon 9 launch also scheduled for early today from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. (8/28)

US Falling Behind in Use of Commercial Satellite Imagery for Intelligence (Source: Space News)
Experts warn that the United States is falling behind in utilization of commercial satellite imagery for real-time intelligence. At a conference Tuesday, David Gauthier, the former head of commercial operations at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), said the commercial satellite industry has to innovate further to meet the U.S. military's needs for continuous monitoring of military activity, based on the experience from the war in Ukraine. He called for "virtual constellations" of satellites collecting different kinds of intelligence as well as crosslinks so that those satellites can provide data faster. He noted that while the NRO has committed to spending $4 billion over 10 years on commercial imagery, that is less money on an annual basis than what the government spent on commercial imagery in 2011. (8/28)

Faulty Valve Blamed for Astrobotic Lunar Lander Failure (Source: Space News)
Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander failed to make it to the moon because of a faulty valve. The company released Tuesday the results of an independent review into the mission, where the spacecraft had a propellant leak hours after launch that prevented a lunar landing attempt. That investigation found that a valve used to control the flow of helium into an oxidizer tank failed, over-pressurizing the tank and causing it to burst. The valve suffered "vibration-induced relaxation" missed in earlier tests of the spacecraft, causing a mechanical failure. The company is redesigning the valves and other parts of the propulsion system for its larger Griffin lander, scheduled to launch late next year. (8/28)

Hungary's 4iG Looks to Expand to Space (Source: Space News)
A communications company is trying to make Hungary into a major European space power. 4iG, a terrestrial telecoms and IT specialist that made nearly $1.7 billion last year, is looking to build out a vertically integrated space company following a series of investments inside and outside Hungary. It has sought to buy a controlling stake in Israeli satellite operator Spacecom while also establishing a joint venture that plans to order its own GEO communications satellite. The efforts to take over Spacecom, though, have been slowed by that company's financial problems as well as objections from the Israeli government. (8/28)

Europa Clipper Gets its Wings (Source: NASA)
NASA has installed solar arrays on the Europa Clipper spacecraft. The agency said Tuesday that the two arrays, each 14.2 meters long and 4.1 meters high, are now in place on the spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center as part of prelaunch preparations. The arrays, the largest used on a NASA planetary mission, are so big because of the relatively feeble sunlight at Jupiter's distance from the sun. Europa Clipper is scheduled to launch in a three-week window that opens Oct. 10, but NASA has not provided any recent updates on whether an issue with transistors on the spacecraft, reported in July, will affect those plans. (8/28)

ISRO Chief Hopes for Big Budget Boost (Source: Reuters)
The head of India's space agency is counting on big budget increases in the coming years. In an interview, ISRO chairman S. Somanath said he expects his agency's budget to grow by 20% to 30%, but over "a long period of time." ISRO is projected to get about $1.5 billion this year. He added that he believed that India's space sector is growing increasingly competitive on global markets, with the LVM-3 similar in price to Falcon 9, although that vehicle has captured few contracts from foreign customers. (8/28)

NASA ACS3 Solar Sail Deployment Stalls for Troubleshooting (Source: NASA)
NASA is troubleshooting a deployment problem with a solar sail on a smallsat. NASA reported this week that it attempted to unfurl the solar sail on the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) smallsat earlier this month, but paused the deployment of booms when the spacecraft reported higher motor currents than expected. ACS3 is designed to test new deployable structure technologies with booms that, when extended, would deploy a solar sail nine meters on a side. NASA said other systems on ACS3 are operating normally. (8/28)