September 30, 2024

Anomaly During Crewed Flight Halts Falcon 9 Missions (Source: Space News)
SpaceX has halted launches of its Falcon 9 rocket after an anomaly at the end of its most recent mission Saturday. SpaceX said that the upper stage "experienced an off-nominal deorbit burn" that caused the stage to reenter outside of its designated zone in the South Pacific Ocean east of New Zealand.

The company did not disclose additional details about the incident but said that it would resume launches only "after we better understand root cause." The FAA did not immediately comment on the incident and whether SpaceX will have to complete a mishap investigation before resuming launches. The incident comes as SpaceX prepares for two time-sensitive launches, of ESA's Hera asteroid mission and NASA's Europa Clipper mission, which must lift off by late October. (9/30)

China Unveils Lunar Spacesuit (Source: Space News)
China unveiled the spacesuits it plans to use for future lunar missions. The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) unveiled the extravehicular lunar suit Saturday in Chongqing, southwest China, and is seeking names for the suit. The suit is described as having a comprehensively protective fabric that shields against the harsh thermal environment and lunar dust. The helmet features a panoramic, anti-glare visor as well as cameras. The suit is being developed as one element of China's goal of landing astronauts on the moon before 2030 that also includes a new launch vehicle, the Long March 10, as well as a deep space crewed spacecraft and lander. (9/30)

China Launches Reusable Spacecraft (Source: Space News)
China launched what it called its first reusable and returnable spacecraft Friday. A Long March 2D lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 6:30 a.m. Eastern and placed the Shijian-19 satellite into orbit. The satellite will host microgravity and life sciences experiments in orbit, returning them to Earth, with the spacecraft designed to then be reused. The announcement of the launch did not disclose how long Shijian-19 would remain in orbit. (9/30)

Russia Reduces ISS Leak on Zvezda Module (Source: Space News)
NASA says Russia has reduced the leak rate from one part of an ISS module. A report from NASA's Office of Inspector General last week stated that NASA raised the risk from the ongoing leak in a vestibule of the Zvezda service module to its highest level after the leak grew to a new peak in April. NASA officials said Friday, though, that recent repair work on the leak reduced the leak rate by one third.

The cause of the leak, first detected in 2019, appears to involve internal and external welds, the report said. Station crews keep the hatch to that vestibule closed when not in use to mitigate the leak, and in a worst-case scenario could seal off the vestibule permanently, but that would deprive access to a docking port. (9/30)

Xona Expanding to Canada (Source: Space News)
Xona Space Systems, a startup developing a constellation of navigation satellites, is expanding to Canada. The California-based startup is opening its first international office in Montréal that will be primarily focused on developing user equipment for its Pulsar PNT service and potentially satellite payloads. That service will use a constellation of smallsats in LEO to provide navigation services as an alternative or backup to GPS. Xona plans to launch its first satellite next year and ultimately operate a constellation of 250 to 300 satellites. (9/30)

Cislunar Debris Could Disrupt Lunar Plans (Source: Space News)
Researchers warn of the risks of cluttering cislunar space with debris. A recent study by two Purdue University researchers caution that space domain awareness is lacking at a time when cislunar activity is intensifying. A single fragmentation event, they argue, is risky since the debris would travel well beyond their original orbits. What's needed, they conclude, is better appraisal of the behavior of possible cislunar clutter. (9/30)

ESA Supports Spain's Deimos Draco Destructive Reentry Mission (Source: ESA)
ESA is planning to launch a spacecraft to see what happens when it reenters. The agency has provided initial funding to Spanish manufacturer Deimos for the Destructive Reentry Assessment Container Object (Draco) mission, slated to launch in 2027. Draco will reenter hours after its launch, and a capsule onboard will collect data on the satellite as it breaks up during reentry. The capsule itself is designed to survive the reentry and transmit the data it collects before splashing down. (9/30)

Researchers Underscore Need for Tracking of Orbital Debris (Source: Space News)
Experts are increasingly concerned about the growing presence of space hardware in cislunar space and around the moon, which poses significant risks to future lunar exploration. Purdue University researchers stress that the lack of space domain awareness, particularly regarding debris characterization in cislunar space, could lead to dangerous fragmentation events. (9/27)

Sierra Space, Others Study Satellite Disposal for SDA (Source: Space News)
The Space Development Agency plans to launch hundreds of satellites into low Earth orbit to track missiles and aid targeting missions in the coming years. It is also working with Sierra Space and others to study how these satellites can be disposed of after their service life. (9/28)

Astronomers Discover Key Factor Limiting the Birth of Super-Earths in the Universe (Source: SciTech Daily)
A recent study by astronomers presents new evidence on the boundaries of planet formation, revealing that planets larger than Earth struggle to form around stars with low metallicity beyond a certain threshold. Using the sun as a baseline, astronomers can measure when a star formed by determining its metallicity, or the level of heavy elements present within it. Metal-rich stars or nebulas formed relatively recently, while metal-poor objects were likely present during the early universe. (9/29)

The Curiosity Mars Rover's Wheel Looks Absolutely Wrecked (Source: Futurism)
NASA's Curiosity rover has spent over 4,400 Earth days exploring the desolate surface of Mars. It set its six wheels down on the planet's Gale Crater, the suspected dried-out remains of an ancient lake, back in 2012, and it's covered over 20 miles since then.

Through it all, the harsh terrain has done an absolute number on the rover's wheels. As seen in a recently shared image taken by Curiosity's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), giant gashes can be seen in the rover's middle right wheel. The poor wheel is "still holding up well despite taking some of the worst abuse from Mars," according to a NASA update. (9/25)

Webb Telescope Detects Mysterious Object That is Course Correcting! Congress Briefed (Source: MSN)
Our own Pavel has made some news this week when he heard from a source that hints that the big event that is supposed to happening the 2027+ range that Lue Elizondo and others have spoken about is indeed an object in space headed towards Earth. It is not organic and it is course correcting apparently. What do we make of this? (9/25)

Xona Scales Up LEO Navigation Constellation Plans in Canada (Source: Space News)
California-based Xona Space Systems is expanding to Canada ahead of deploying the first in a proposed constellation of small navigation satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) next year. The five-year-old venture said Sept. 27 it has opened its first international office in Montréal, Québec, as it prepares to deploy a commercial positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) service as an alternative or backup to the GPS. (9/28)

SpaceX Shuts Down Launches After Problem with Crew-9 Mission’s 2nd Stage (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
SpaceX celebrated the first human spaceflight from its Cape Canaveral launch site on Saturday, and while the two humans aboard the Crew Dragon Freedom are safely on their way to the International Space Station, a problem arose with the rocket's second stage that prompted the company to shut down future launches for now. (9/29)

Your Consciousness Can Connect With the Whole Universe (Source: Popular Mechanics)
A groundbreaking experiment in which anesthesia was administered to rats has convinced scientists that tiny structures in the rodents’ brains are responsible for the experience of consciousness. To pull it off, microscopic hollow tube structures, called “microtubules,” don’t rely on our everyday flavor of classical physics. Instead, experts believe, microtubules perform incredible operations in the quantum realm. Citing the work of earlier researchers, the study infers that the same kind of quantum operations are likely happening in human brains.

During their rat brain experiments, scientists at Wellesley College in Massachusetts gave the rodents isoflurane, a type of inhaled general anesthetic used to induce and maintain unconsciousness for medical procedures. One group of drugged rats also received microtubule-stabilizing drugs, while the other did not. The researchers discovered that the microtubule-stabilizing molecules kept the rats conscious for longer than the non-stabilized rats, which more quickly lost their “righting reflex,” or the ability to restore normal posture.

The Wellesley study is significant because the physical source of consciousness has been a mystery for decades. It’s a major step toward verifying a theory that our brains perform quantum operations, and that this ability generates our consciousness—an idea that’s been gaining traction over the past three decades. (9/26)

NASA Astronaut Nick Hague Boosts Human Health Research in Space (Source: NASA)
NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov docked with the ISS as part of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, a venture which will enhance scientific research and bolster the knowledge about how people can live and work in space. During the planned five-month mission, Hague’s mission tasks will include participating in a variety of research projects for NASA’s Human Research Program.

Each study is designed to help address the health challenges that astronauts may face during future long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. A major focus for Hague’s time aboard the station is to study the suite of space-related vision disorders called Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS) which occur as body fluids shift toward the head in weightlessness. (9/28)

Musk Aims For Mars by 2030, But Experts Say Don't Count On It (Source: Benzinga)
While experts have labeled SpaceX’s timeline as ambitious and perhaps overly optimistic, they also acknowledge that this aligns with the company’s strategy of setting audacious goals to propel the industry forward, even if they don’t always meet them. Philip Metzger, a former NASA scientist and professor of planetary science at the University of Central Florida, stated, “We have never been so close to sending humans to Mars.”

“I think Musk’s timeline will prove a bit optimistic, but even accounting for that, we are on the threshold of a new era,” Metzger said. The main challenge with any Mars mission is timing. Space agencies plan their missions during windows when Mars and Earth are closest to conserve fuel and resources. Analysts suggest that crewed flights to Mars in 2031 or 2033 are more realistic for SpaceX. They also point out that the biggest hurdle Musk will face in achieving his timeline may be regulatory rather than technical. (9/28)

NASA, South Korea Plan Mission to Unexplored Region of Deep Space (Source: Space.com)
NASA and South Korea's space agency have agreed to deeper cooperation in space exploration, science and aeronautics, including collaboration on a pioneering mission. NASA and the Republic of Korea's newly created Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) signed a joint statement on advance cooperation on Sept. 19.

Areas of potential cooperation include NASA's Moon to Mars Architecture, space life sciences and medical operations, lunar surface science, utilization of Korea's deep-space antenna and future commercial activities in low Earth orbit, according to a NASA statement. (9/26)

BlackSky to Equip its Future Satellites with Military-Compatible Laser Terminals (Source: Space News)
Geospatial intelligence company BlackSky plans to make its future Gen-3 satellites compatible with military networks, aiming to expand its footprint in the defense sector. BlackSky operates a constellation of high-resolution small satellites that monitor global events and activities at high revisit rates. The company’s chief executive Brian O’Toole told SpaceNews that BlackSky intends to equip its future satellites with laser terminals to facilitate satellite-to-satellite data transmission in space and expedite data delivery to ground-based military users. (9/28)

Karman Industries Hopes its SpaceX-Inspired Heat Pumps Will Replace Industrial Boilers (Source: Tech Crunch)
Industrial heat, which is used by companies as diverse as breweries and food processors to chemical manufacturers and paper mills, is one of the last bastions of fossil fuels. After all, it’s pretty hard to beat a flame when you need to heat something up. But recently, a slew of startups have started exploring ways to make heat using electricity.

Heat pumps are particularly suited to supplying the not-quite-searing heat used by food and beverage manufacturers. New Belgium Brewing, for example, agreed last year to install a 650-kilowatt heat pump boiler from AtmosZero at its Colorado headquarters. That’s exactly the sort of installation targeted by Karman Industries, a heat pump startup that until now had operated in stealth. To replace industrial boilers, the company draws inspiration from SpaceX’s rockets, co-founder and CEO David Tearse told TechCrunch.

“On the technology side, what we’re building is much more akin to a Raptor engine in terms of speed, pressure, and temperature,” he said. Like other heat pumps, Karman uses compressors to transfer heat. But unlike the refrigerator in your kitchen, which uses a more prosaic compressor, Karman will use turbomachinery to get the job done. Turbomachinery, which can spin at incredible speeds, is widely used in rockets to pump fuel. Turbomachinery isn’t yet common in heat pumps, though another startup, Evari, is developing one for use in homes and electric vehicles. (9/19)

ISRO Developing Indigenous Space Debris Radar (Source: IDRW)
The Indian Space Research Organization is developing a Space Debris Radar with over 70% indigenous content, marking a significant step toward ensuring the safety of India's expanding space assets. This radar system is designed to track and monitor space debris, a growing threat to satellites, space stations, and other orbital installations. (9/28)