September 21, 2024

Space Forge Moves into Florida and Signs on New President (Source: Orbital Today)
UK-based space manufacturer Space Forge is entering the U.S. market. The company is opening a new office near Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In particular, the move “underscores Space Forge Inc.’s commitment to revolutionizing the U.S. semiconductor industry and solidifying its role in the national semiconductor supply chain.”

The addition of the U.S. site targets the country’s space and semi-conductor markets. Moreover, the Florida location was selected with the area’s skilled workforce in mind. The firm is welcoming aerospace industry veteran Michelle Flemming as its newly appointed president. Along with cutting-edge project management under her belt, the company notes that her “extensive client list includes US Space Force, NASA, Collins Aerospace, JAXA, JPL, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, and many more.” (9/16)

Webb Space Telescope Reveals a “Galaxy Killer” Black Hole (Source: SciTech Daily)
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have uncovered that supermassive black holes can exhaust the resources necessary for star formation in their host galaxies, effectively starving them. This was observed in a galaxy similar in size to the Milky Way, located in the early universe. The discovery reveals that the black hole is actively preventing star formation by expelling essential star-forming gas at high velocities. (9/16)

Pentagon Making 'Significant Push' for Money to Upgrade Satellite Control Network (Source: Breaking Defense)
Military commanders and Pentagon officials are pushing for extra funds to speed up the Space Rapid Capabilities Office’s Satellite Communications Augmentation Resource (SCAR) program to field modernized antennas for the antiquated Satellite Control Network (SCN), according to Space RCO Director Kelly Hammett. (9/20)

Space Force Touts Plans for Part-Time Service, Even as Opposition and Space National Guard Proposal Loom (Source: Military.com)
Gen. Chance Saltzman, the top military leader of the Space Force, highlighted five former Air Force reservists during a keynote speech at an annual conference this week, revealing they were among the first service members to transfer into jobs in his service. For now, the initiative allowing such reservists to transfer to the Space Force is accepting only those who are willing to serve full time as Guardians on active duty. The service is hoping to eventually allow part-time Space Force service as an option to those in the Air Force Reserve.

But many of the basic details of a part-time model -- most notably, making sure newly transferred Guardians would get paid -- still need to be worked out, Saltzman said during an Air and Space Forces Association conference in the Washington, D.C., area. The effort also comes amid a national debate over a potential alternative, the creation of a Space National Guard manned by part-time troops. (9/19)

SEC Criticizes Musk for Missing Trial to Attend SpaceX Launch, Plans Sanctions (Source: Live Mint)
The Securities and Exchange Commission has criticized Elon Musk for missing his trial over the 2022 acquisition of Twitter to attend a SpaceX rocket launch, according to a filing in the San Francisco Federal Court. The filing showed that Musk's lawyer, Alex Spiro, informed the court that Musk missed the hearing on Sep. 10 because he was at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport for a launch.

The report added that Musk had previously ignored demands to complete a deposition in Los Angeles, and the September date was set after US District Judge Jacqueline Corley ordered him to cooperate. In May, Judge Corley directed Musk to appear again for an investigative deposition by the US SEC and warned him about delaying or rescheduling the testimony, barring any he “did not create and could not avoid”. (9/21)

Space Perspective Prepares for Tourist Balloon Rides to Edge of Space (Source: WFTV)
Space Perspective’s Marine Spaceport Voyager arrived at Port Canaveral carrying the Spaceship Neptune after a successful uncrewed flight test off the coast of St. Petersburg, on Thursday. On Sunday, Neptune floated up thousands of feet near the edge of space beneath a giant Space Balloon. Space Perspective co-founder Jane Poynter told us, “We were able to send a fully operational Spaceship Neptune through its full flight launched from M.S. Voyager at sea, went up to 100,000ft, got this most amazing view of the planet from up there, gently came down and splashed in the Gulf of Mexico.” (9/20)

SASC Tees Up Extension of FAA Learning Period and Third Party Indemnification (Source: Space Policy Online)
The Senate Armed Services Committee released a collection of 93 amendments to the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act today. The NDAA is considered one of a very few “must pass” bills for Congress to complete before the 118th Congress ends, making it an attractive legislative vehicle for a wide range of issues. In this case, it extends the deadlines for FAA regulations that would expire in January and September 2025 including the “learning period” for commercial human spaceflight and third-party indemnification for commercial space launches. (9/19)

Intuitive Machines Appears to be Thriving as Part of NASA’s Return to the Moon (Source: Ars Technica)
The Houston company, with its IM-1 mission, made a largely successful landing on the Moon in February. A second lunar landing mission, IM-2, is scheduled to take place in late December or January, a few months from now. Funded largely by NASA, the IM-2 mission will carry a small drill to the South Pole of the Moon to search for water ice in Shackleton Crater.

Approximately 15 months from now, the company is planning to launch another lander, IM-3. This mission is likely to carry the first data-relay satellite. Two of the satellites will go into polar orbits and serve NASA's Artemis needs at the South Pole. Two more are likely to go into halo orbits, and a fifth satellite will be placed into an equatorial orbit. This will provide full coverage of the Moon not just for communications, but also for position, navigation, and timing.

NASA is expected to award a ground-based component of this network for large dishes to receive signals from near space, taking some of this burden off the Deep Space Network. Intuitive Machines has bid on this ground component contract. Steve Altemus founded Intuitive Machines in 2013 along with Kam Ghaffarian and Tim Crain. The company went public in 2023, at the tail end of the SPAC mania. Many space companies that went public this way have struggled mightily, and Intuitive Machines has faced similar pressures. (9/20)

China Successfully Launches 6 New Satellites (Source: Xinhua)
China sent six new satellites into space on Friday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The Jilin-1 Kuanfu 02B 01-06 satellites were launched at 12:11 p.m. (Beijing Time) aboard a Long March-2D carrier rocket and entered the preset orbit successfully. The launch marks the 536th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series. (9/20)

SpaceX Launches 20 Starlink Satellites From Vandenberg Space Force Base (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
SpaceX sent 20 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit on a Friday morning Falcon 9 rocket departing from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Onboard the Starlink 9-17 mission were 13 satellites that include the Direct to Cell capability. The booster landed successfully on a droneship downrange. (9/20)

Evolving Artificial Intelligence Capabilities in Space (Source: Space News)
Executives discussing emerging space-based computing capabilities Sep. 20 called for stronger collaboration between policymakers and technology leaders to accelerate artificial intelligence’s societal benefits. Clint Crosier, director of aerospace and satellite at Amazon Web Services, told the conference how the cloud computing behemoth partnered with French geospatial analytics company Alteia in November to assess global infrastructure from space for the World Bank.

Using AI-based prediction capabilities, he said the companies were able to provide the World Bank with a set of areas that need to be targeted for infrastructure improvements, particularly in underdeveloped nations, to help grow their economies. (9/20)

Demand Outstrips Radar Satellite Supply (Source: Space News)
Synthetic aperture radar constellations are expanding in response to growing public and private demand. In August, Finland-based Iceye launched four radar satellites. Japan’s Synspective sent aloft its fifth SAR satellite. And U.S.-based Capella Space added two satellites to its constellation. National security and defense organizations remain the dominant customers for SAR imagery and data. Increasingly, civil government agencies and companies are recognizing the value of SAR, which provides data during the day, at night, through clouds and smoke. (9/20)

Europe's Hera Probe to Launch Oct. 7 to Inspect Asteroid NASA Smacked in 2022 (Source: Space.com)
Europe's highly anticipated Hera mission to catalog the wreckage of the asteroid Dimorphos has arrived at its Florida launch site for final checks ahead of its planned liftoff early next month. The main Hera spacecraft and its two partner cubesats, named Milani and Juventas, are set to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Oct. 7. They'll arrive at Dimorphos in late 2026, on a mission to study the aftermath of NASA's planetary defense test, which intentionally smashed a spacecraft into the asteroid in September 2022, shortening its orbit by 33 minutes and permanently altering its shape. (9/20)

NASA Has a Fine Plan for Deorbiting the ISS—Unless Russia Gets in the Way (Source: Ars Technica)
While the clash between Russia and Western governments over the war in Ukraine has not cooled, the threats against the International Space Station (ISS) ended. The program remains one of the few examples of cooperation between the US and Russian governments. Last year, Russia formally extended its commitment to the ISS to at least 2028. NASA and space agencies in Europe, Japan, and Canada have agreed to maintain the space station through 2030.

It's this two-year disparity that concerns NASA officials plotting the final days of the ISS. NASA awarded SpaceX a contract in June to develop a deorbit vehicle based on the company's Dragon spacecraft to steer the more than 450-ton complex toward a safe reentry over a remote stretch of ocean. "We do have that uncertainty, 2028 through 2030, with Roscosmos," said Robyn Gatens, director of the ISS program at NASA Headquarters, in a meeting of the agency's advisory council this week. "We expect to hear from them over the next year or two as far as their follow-on plans, hoping that they also extend through 2030." (9/20)

NASA Awards $1.5 Million at Watts on the Moon Challenge Finale (Source: NASA)
NASA has awarded a total of $1.5 million to two U.S. teams for their novel technology solutions addressing energy distribution, management, and storage as part of the agency’s Watts on the Moon Challenge. The innovations from this challenge aim to support NASA’s Artemis missions, which will establish long-term human presence on the Moon. The winning teams are: HELPS of Santa Barbara CA ($1 million), and Orbital Mining Corp. of Golden, CO ($500,000). (9/20)

2 Russians Set Record for Longest Single Stay on ISS (Source: ABC)
Two Russians on Friday set a record for the longest continuous stay on the ISS, according to Russia's space agency. Roscosmos said Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub broke the old record of 370 days, 21 hours and 22 minutes, which was set in September 2023 by Russians Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitry Petelin and American Francisco Rubio. Chub and Kononenko will add several days to their total before their scheduled return to Earth on Monday. (9/20)

Head of Boeing's Defense and Space Business is Out as Company Tries to Fix Troubled Contracts (Source: ABC)
Boeing on Friday replaced the head of its troubled defense and space business, which has struggled with money-losing government contracts and embarrassing setbacks involving its Starliner space capsule. The company said Theodore “Ted” Colbert III was removed immediately as president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security and replaced temporarily by the division's chief operating officer, Steve Parker. A search is underway for a permanent replacement. (9/20)

Astronauts May Need Medical Evacuation From One-Third of Moon Missions (Source: New Scientist)
One in three missions to the moon is at risk of requiring an astronaut to be medically evacuated back to Earth. This process would be difficult and costly – a medical emergency in space is an altogether tougher situation than one on Earth – but a new tool to calculate the probability of such crises could help us prevent them. (9/20)

NASA Data Helps Protect US Embassy Staff from Polluted Air (Source: NASA)
United States embassies and consulates, along with American citizens traveling and living abroad, now have a powerful tool to protect against polluted air, thanks to a collaboration between NASA and the U.S. State Department.

Since 2020, ZephAir has provided real-time air quality data for about 75 U.S. diplomatic posts. Now, the public tool includes three-day air quality forecasts for PM2.5, a type of fine particulate matter, for all the approximately 270 U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide. These tiny particles, much smaller than a grain of sand, can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing respiratory and cardiovascular problems. (9/20)

Infosys Invests in Indian Earth-Observation Startup GalaxEye (Source: Space News)
GalaxEye is preparing to launch in 2025 what it calls “the world’s first” multi-sensor Earth-observation satellite. The satellite will be equipped with a synthetic aperture radar and a multispectral sensor. GalaxEye has demonstrated the performance of the sensors on drones. (9/20)

New Bipartisan Caucus Will Focus on Defense Modernization, Including Space-Based Capabilities (Source: Sen. Cramer)
Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) announced the formation of the bipartisan Senate Defense Modernization Caucus to promote defense investments and innovative capabilities, including space-based capabilities and missions, to counter foreign adversaries. (9/11)

Launch Communications Act to Modernize FCC Spectrum Licensing for Launch Activities (Source: Space Foundation)
Congress passed the Launch Communications Act (S.1648), by voice vote, which would modernize the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) process for licensing spectrum for commercial space launches. The bill now advances to the President to be signed into law. (9/18) 

Liftoff at Musk’s SpaceX Base Was Fueled by Wheeling-Dealing Texas Politicians (Source: Reuters)
SpaceX’s breakneck development, and fast-changing local regulations that facilitated it, disrupted her quiet retirement and halted much of the beach traffic. It also raised her property taxes, inflated by soaring values all around her as neighbors sold land to SpaceX.

To seek relief, Johnson wrote local officials, including Alex Dominguez, a state legislator who at the time represented her district. In a 2021 email reviewed by Reuters, Dominguez replied that he was “sympathetic.” He couldn’t “choose sides,” though, because it was a matter for the county government.

What Dominguez didn’t tell Johnson: He, too, owned land in the area, purchased years before SpaceX’s arrival. Dominguez received campaign contributions from SpaceX lobbyists. And as he voted on measures that spurred SpaceX’s local development, the value of his property soared more than 180-fold. Click here. (9/20)

Astranis Secures $13.2 Million U.S. Military Contract for Satellite Upgrades (Source: Space News)
Satellite communications startup Astranis has won a $13.2 million contract to make its communications satellites compatible with military terminals, the U.S. Space Force announced Sep. 19. The San Francisco-based firm, which builds small geostationary satellites for internet connectivity, received the contract through a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) agreement. This type of agreement is used by the military to help small businesses transition technologies from research and development to production. (9/19)

Cards Against Humanity Sues SpaceX for Allegedly Trespassing on Texas Land (Source: NBC)
The maker of the party game Cards Against Humanity has sued Elon Musk’s SpaceX accusing it of trespassing on and damaging company-owned property in Texas. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Texas court, asks for $15 million to cover damages including what the company calls the destruction of natural vegetation.

The dispute involves a plot of vacant land near Brownsville, Texas, far from the Cards Against Humanity corporate headquarters in Chicago. The game maker bought the land in 2017 in what it said was a stunt to obstruct the plan by then-President Donald Trump to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. No wall was ever built on the property, where the company keeps a “No Trespassing” sign, according to the company.

But the land is near SpaceX’s operations, known as Starbase, and according to the lawsuit, SpaceX has been using the land without permission for about six months as a staging area for construction: clearing vegetation, parking vehicles, storing gravel and running generators. “CAH acquired the Property for the sole purpose of ensuring that it would stay that way,” the lawsuit says. (9/20)

Former FAA Chief: FAA Is Not Fining Musk for Politics (Source: Tech Crunch)
Billy Nolen, the former acting administrator of the FAA in 2023, pushed back against Musk’s assertion that the FAA was unfairly targeting SpaceX because, as Musk implied, the billionaire’s choice of political candidates to support. As an agency, the FAA “is about as apolitical as it gets,” he told TechCrunch.

Nolen, who is now the chief regulatory affairs officer of aircraft company Archer Aviation, pointed out that FAA heads purposefully have five-year term limits. That means presidential administrations don’t automatically get to appoint a new FAA leader each time a new party is sworn in. “We don’t operate on behalf of Republicans or Democrats,” he said. (9/19)

National Academies Outlines Human Mars Exploration Priorities (Source: Aviation Week)
A committee assembled to develop a science strategy for the future human exploration of Mars outlined its priorities during its first virtual town hall on Sep. 19. The National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) panel also acknowledged the mission’s extreme challenges. Click here. (9/19) https://aviationweek.com/space/space-exploration/national-academies-outlines-human-mars-exploration-priorities

Bill Regulating Space Activity in Brazil Approved (Source: AeroFlap)
The Senate Plenary approved last Wednesday (10) the bill that encourages space activities with Brazilian participation. The text, which contains rules for space exploration, including investments from the private sector, is now awaiting presidential sanction. The bill had already been approved by the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee with a favorable opinion from senator Astronaut Marcos Pontes.

In addition to dealing with launch vehicles, the text regulates the transportation of personnel and material into space; the development of satellites, rockets, spacecraft, stations and their components and equipment; the exploration of celestial bodies such as the Moon, meteors, comets, asteroids or other planets; space tourism; and the removal of debris. (9/19)

Ocean Corporation Collaborates with UTHealth Houston on Space Medicine Fellowship Program (Source: UTH)
UTHealth Houston and The Ocean Corporation are collaborating on UTHealth Houston’s Space Medicine Training Fellowship program, which now includes a two-week intensive training focused on hyperbaric technologies and analog environments akin to those astronauts experience during extravehicular activities (EVAs), or space walks.

The training will enhance the hands-on learning experience of fellows in the Space Medicine Fellowship program, giving them a deeper understanding of physiological and medical challenges encountered in extreme environments. (9/16)