August 9, 2024

Chinese Rocket Stage Breakup Creates 700+ Debris Items in LEO (Source: Space News)
The breakup of a Chinese rocket stage has created more than 700 pieces of debris in low Earth orbit. The Long March 6A upper stage broke up shortly after it deployed a set of 18 Qianfan broadband satellites earlier this week. Space tracking company LeoLabs said it is tracking more than 700, and potentially more than 900, pieces of debris from the stage. The debris is about 800 kilometers high, meaning they will remain in orbit for potentially decades, creating hazards for other spacecraft. A November 2022 breakup of another Long March 6A stage created more than 500 pieces of debris, with other launches of the same rocket creating smaller clouds of debris. (8/9)

Viasat Shares Soar on Revenue Projections (Source: Space News)
Viasat's shares soared Thursday after it raised annual revenue expectations amid strong government and aviation broadband business growth. Shares in the satellite operator closed up 38% a day after the company raised its revenue projections for 2025. Revenues rose 6% in the quarter ending June 30 to $1.1 billion, driven by its Defense and Advanced Technologies business unit, comprising cybersecurity and ground equipment products, and communication services in the aviation market. However, its residential broadband business suffered an 18% loss, and the company now has only 257,000 U.S. fixed broadband subscribers, compared to 603,000 four years ago. (8/9)

Rocket Lab Tests Neutron's Archimedes Engine (Source: Space News)
Rocket Lab has test-fired a new engine for its upcoming Neutron rocket. The company announced Thursday a successful hot-firing of the Archimedes engine, including running it to 102% of its rated power. Rocket Lab said the test keeps development of Neutron on track for a first launch as soon as mid-2025. The announcement was tied to a company earnings call where it announced record quarterly revenues of $106 million in the second quarter. Rocket Lab acknowledged, though, that Electron launches will fall short of earlier projections of 22 launches this year, with 15-18 now expected because of customer delays. (8/9)

Phase 1 of Space Traffic Management System Ready for September Activation (Source: Space News)
The Commerce Department still expects to turn on the first version of a civil space traffic coordination system next month. In a presentation this week at the Small Satellite Conference, the Office of Space Commerce said phase 1.0 of the Traffic Coordination System for Space, or TraCSS, will start in September. That will provide conjunction data messages to a set of beta testers. The office is taking a "phased, agile development approach" to TraCSS, with plans to roll out improvements and new capabilities while bringing in more users over the next year. (8/9)

Logan Utah to Lose Economic Boost From Annual Conference (Source: Space News)
The town of Logan, Utah, is preparing for life after the Small Satellite Conference. The conference's organizers announced this week that the event, held for decades at Utah State University in town, would move to Salt Lake City in 2025 as the conference outgrows the city. Local officials, who heard about the conference's plan a few hours before they were publicly announced, said they had expected the conference to remain in town at least through 2026. The 2024 conference, which concluded Thursday, was projected to provide $6.4 million to the area, mostly through hotels and restaurants. (8/9)

California Coastal Commission Approves SpaceX Launch Plans, Space Force Rejects Environmental Conditions (Source: Noozhawk)
A California commission has approved plans for additional launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base, but not without environmental concerns. The California Coastal Commission voted Thursday to increase the number of SpaceX launches at Vandenberg form 6 to 36 per year. Commissioners had sought a number of conditions related to environmental monitoring of the launches, but the Space Force rejected some of them and declined to answer questions about its plans from commissioners. The service is planning a comprehensive environmental impact study to assess the effects of going to as many as 100 launches a year from the spaceport. (8/9)

India Prepares for Aug. 15 Earth Observation Satellite Launch on SSLV (Source: India Today)
India plans to launch an Earth observation satellite on a small launch vehicle next week. The Indian space agency ISRO said it has scheduled the launch of the EOS-08 satellite for Aug. 15 on its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). The 175-kilogram satellite carries an optical and infrared camera and an instrument for performing reflectometry using navigation satellite signals. It also carried a radiation dosimeter instrument to collect data for India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight program. The launch will be just the third for the SSLV, which failed in its debut two years ago but had a successful second flight in early 2023. (8/9)

SpaceX to Build Three New Rocket Landing Sones on Space Coast as Starship Planning Proceeds (Source: Florida Today)
SpaceX plans to construct three new rocket landing zones on Florida's Space Coast, upping the number of missions the company can launch in the coming years — and presumably able to accommodate Starship-Super Heavy mega-rocket systems. The Space Florida board of directors briefly discussed the $27 million SpaceX undertaking, which was listed on the agenda as Project Liftoff. Construction will occur at the company's two rocket sites: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

"The project will enable higher cadence of flights, reduce pad down time, and enable job growth. Without these improvements, flight cadence at launch complex 39A and 40 would remain capped at current rates," Howard Haug, Space Florida executive vice president, treasurer and chief investment officer, told board members. Haug said the project is estimated to create 300 jobs with average annual wages of $89,000. The Florida Department of Transportation and SpaceX will each contribute more than $13.3 million. (8/8)

Space Command Signals Need for Offensive Weapons (Source: Air & Space Forces Magazine)
US Space Command Gen. Stephen Whiting has called for "space fires" to establish space superiority, signaling a growing comfort within the Pentagon in discussing offensive space weapons. This term refers to weapons capable of disrupting or destroying adversaries' satellites, and is a priority in the command's future budget planning. (8/8)

Virgin Galactic Boosts Sales, Cuts Costs as It Builds New Fleet (Sources: Bloomberg, Aviation Week)
Virgin Galactic beat Wall Street’s expectations in the second quarter, fueled by its space tourism and research flights, and payments from future astronauts. VG reported second-quarter revenue of $4.22 million, above the $3.36 million analysts expected. The company aims to resume passenger flights with the first of the new vehicles in 2026, and says revenues are expected to grow rapidly in the following years to around $450 million annually when both spaceplanes are flying.

With a project turnaround time between flights of three days compared to a month for the previous spaceplane Unity, which made its seventh and final commercial flight in June, the Deltas are expected to deliver a steady-state operating capacity of approximately 125 spaceflights per year, carrying around 750 passengers. At the current pricing of $600,000 per seat, this translates to annualized revenue of around $450 million, Virgin Galactic says.

With plans to add two additional spaceplanes and a second carrier aircraft around 2030, it adds that flight capacity is expected to increase to roughly 275 flights with more than 1,600 passengers per year. Virgin Galactic believes the total addressable space passenger market is a global population of around 30,000 high-net-worth individuals with liquid assets of at least $10 million. (8/7)

Türkey’s R&D Spending on Space Soars 146-Fold in Decade (Source: Turkey Today)
Türkiye’s overall R&D expenditures have increased 13-fold over the last ten years, reaching ₺98.7 billion ($4.14 billion) in 2023, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). One of the most striking increases is in the field of space exploration, where R&D spending has ballooned 146-fold. The budget allocation for this sector rose from just over ₺9 million ($4.7 million) in 2013 to nearly ₺1.5 billion ($63 million) in 2023, with projections suggesting it will surpass ₺2.2 billion ($65 million) in 2024. (8/8)

RFA Complete Second First Stage Static Fire Test (Source: European Spaceflight)
German launch startup Rocket Factory Augsburg has completed a second static fire test of the first stage of its RFA ONE rocket. The RFA ONE rocket is a three-stage rocket that will be capable of delivering payloads of up to 1,300 kilograms to low Earth orbit. SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland will host the company’s maiden launch and up to 30 RFA ONE rocket launches per year. The company has also secured access to a new commercial launch facility being built on the grounds of the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. (8/8)

Report Finds Boeing’s Rockets are Built with an Unqualified Workforce (Source: Ars Technica)
The NASA program to develop a new upper stage for the Space Launch System is seven years behind schedule and significantly over budget, a new report from the space agency's inspector general finds. Beyond these headline numbers, there is also some eye-opening information about the project's prime contractor, Boeing, and its poor quality control practices.

The new Exploration Upper Stage, a more powerful version for the Block 1B SLS rocket. It is viewed by NASA as a key piece of its Artemis program to return humans to the Moon. However, for many reasons—including the readiness of lunar landers, Lunar Gateway hardware, a new mobile launch tower, and more—NASA is unlikely to hold that date. Now, based on information in this new report, we can probably add the Exploration Upper Stage to the list. There are some surprising details in the report about Boeing's quality control at the Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.

Federal observers issued a striking number of "Corrective Action Requests" to Boeing. "According to Safety and Mission Assurance officials at NASA and DCMA officials at Michoud, Boeing’s quality control issues are largely caused by its workforce having insufficient aerospace production experience," the report states. "The lack of a trained and qualified workforce increases the risk that the contractor will continue to manufacture parts and components that do not adhere to NASA requirements and industry standards." (8/8)

Space Force Guardian Among Crew for Next ISS Mission (Source: Space.com)
The upcoming SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station will see the U.S. Space Force notch a few significant milestones. When the mission launches, NASA astronaut, U.S. Space Force colonel and Crew-9 pilot Nick Hague will become the first active U.S. Space Force Guardian to launch into space. Another Guardian before him, NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, was sworn into the service in 2020 while already on the ISS. (8/8)

UK's Aerospace Partnership Between the RAeS, the IET and the IMechE (Source: RAeS)
The Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) on 24 July 2024 formalized an Aerospace Partnership with Terms of Reference (TORs) between IET and IMechE. This Aerospace Partnership will harmonize the strengths of the three organizations in devising and implementing joined up activities to support the aerospace community and wider aerospace industry.  The partnership will support further collaboration on aerospace engineering initiatives and events, strengthen joint engagement with government and industry, and recognize joined up efforts amongst all parties in supporting the sector. (8/8)

UK Startup Will Hitch a Ride with SpaceX to Harvest — and Sell — Star Data (Source: Quartz)
A London-based company said it will launch its satellite into orbit next year through SpaceX’s rideshare program, with the goal of eventually selling the data it collects. Blue Skies Space revealed it will launch its Mauve science satellite in 2025 as a payload aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. It’s the 10-year-old company’s first satellite ready for a launch into orbit, where it will observe hundreds of stars in Ultraviolet and visible wavelengths. That data will allow researchers to study and develop an understanding of their magnetic activity, flares, and the impact on planets that orbit stars. (8/8)

Boeing Starliner Could Brick ISS Docking Port If Crew Abandons It (Source: Jalopnik)
Boeing had removed the Starliner’s autonomous undocking feature from its software, but now wants to push a software update to the spacecraft in orbit. But NASA fears it could do more damage. Although the 2022 flight test was completed by a different Starliner vehicle, it clearly demonstrated the ability of the program’s flight software to autonomously dock and return to Earth. Boeing did not respond to a media query about why this capability was removed for the crew flight test.

NASA fears that Boeing’s software update could brick one of the two crewed-vehicle docking ports on the ISS. If the space agency decided to autonomously return the Starliner to Earth, it must be absolutely certain that it wouldn’t render the port inoperable. It should be noted that the root cause behind the Starliner thruster failures has yet to be found. (8/7)

First-Ever ISS Archaeological Survey Reveals Unexpected Findings (Source: Gizmodo)
The word “archaeology” conjures up countless images in the cultural imagination: ancient civilizations, lost artifacts, and—as much as we try to break away from cliché—Indiana Jones. But a recent archaeological survey was done differently than any other. It was done in space. The archaeological survey is the Sampling Quadrangle Assemblages Research Experiment, or SQuARE, and it’s comprised of six square survey areas aboard the ISS.

The team found that the way spaces were assigned meaning didn’t always conform with the way they were actually used. In their 60-day survey, the maintenance area was hardly used for maintenance, and only lightly used for science purposes. “It was actually a storage area, like the pegboard in your garage or garden shed, in this case made possible by the tremendous amount of Velcro in this location,” said study lead author Justin Walsh, an archaeologist at Chapman University.

The project began in 2015 as a retrospective review of the way spaces on the ISS are used. But archival imagery only showed so much, so the team decided to conduct an archaeological survey on the station. Once the team got the nod from the ISS National Laboratory, it took less than a year to set the project up aboard the station. “I think we may have been one of the fastest payloads, from proposal to execution, in the history of the ISS,” Walsh said. (8/7)

UF: Newly Discovered Star Could Provide New Insights into the Evolution of Stars (Source: Phys.org)
A new study led by University of Florida researchers reports the discovery of a star that challenges astronomers' understanding of star evolution and formation of chemical elements, and could suggest a new stage in their growth cycle. It is widely accepted that as stars burn, they lose lighter elements like lithium in exchange for heavier elements like carbon and oxygen, but an analysis of this new star revealed that not only was its lithium content high for its age, but was higher than the normal level for any star at any age.

This star, named J0524-0336 based on its coordinates in space, was discovered recently by Ezzeddine as part of a different study that used surveying to look for older stars in the Milky Way. It is an evolved star, meaning that it is in the later stages of its "life" and is beginning to grow unstable. That also means that it is much larger and brighter than most other stars of its type, estimated to be about 30 times the size of the sun. (8/7)

Rocket Development Costs by Vehicle (Source: Payload)
In 2008, Falcon 1 became the first privately funded, fully liquid-fueled launch vehicle to reach orbit. Its development cost? Just $90M ($131M inflation adj.). Two years and $300M ($423M inflation adj.) later, Falcon 9 arrived on the scene.  The final cost to build Falcon 9 was just $390M ($554M inflation adj). In a now iconic 2011 NASA report, the space agency admitted that if they had attempted to develop the Falcon 9 rocket themselves, it would have cost them up to $4B.

Falcon 9’s development costs were multiple orders of magnitude less expensive than any rocket NASA had ever built. Apollo launch vehicles cost around $100B to develop, the Space Shuttle was in the $50B range, and SLS was $24B, all inflation-adjusted. SpaceX has invested over $5B in Starship R&D to date. Starship has proven its expendable capability, and the company is focusing on achieving full reusability, an endeavor that could require SpaceX to spend billions more.  Musk has previously said SpaceX could spend up to $10B on the program.

Commercial rocket development, fueled by billions in venture capital and rapid innovation, is proving to be much more cost-efficient. And it’s not just SpaceX; dozens of other launch startups like Rocket Lab, Firefly, Relativity, Stoke, and ABL are also attempting to prove out low-cost-to-develop rocket builds. Click here. (8/7)

Could Mars Become Habitable with the Help of Glitter-Like Iron Rods? (Source: New Scientist)
Releasing glitter-sized iron rods into Mars’s atmosphere could warm the planet enough to melt water and support microbial life. Making the surface of the Red Planet suitable for Earth life, a process called terraforming, would be a complex process, but a crucial part of this is raising its surface temperature above its current frosty median level of -65°C (-85°F).

Some people have suggested installing mirrors above Mars’s surface or pumping methane into its atmosphere, but these ideas are difficult to implement because the raw materials required would need to be sent from Earth.

Now, Edwin Kite at the University of Chicago in Illinois and his colleagues have found that relatively small dust clouds made from iron or aluminum rods – each about 9 micrometers long and 160 nanometers across – mined from rocks on Mars, could warm the planet by about 30°C in a period of a few months or over a decade, depending on how quickly the particles are released. (8/7)