October 21, 2024

Further Delays and Hurdles for EU Space Law (Source: Space News)
It’s not yet clear what form the European Union’s “Space Law” will take. The widely anticipated proposal could include regulations or directives, or it could be “just a set of policy principles that would apply to space activities in the EU internal market,” said Maria Elena De Maestri, University of Genova international law professor. Another question is timing. The EU Space Law, previously expected in early 2024, is not likely to be published until at least 2025, according to legal experts at IAC.

Ten of the European Union’s 27 member states “have a full-fledged national space law addressing private-sector operation,” Von der Dunk said. The national laws cover authorization and supervision of commercial activities under Article VI of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. The EU’s authority to promote scientific progress and the industrial competitiveness of member states comes from the 2007 Lisbon Treaty. That authority is limited, though. “The commission has to make an argument why [space law] should be treated at the EU level, as opposed to the national level,” Frans Von der Dunk said. (10/18)

Space Coast Poised to Break its Yearly Rocket Record Before Halloween (Source: Florida Today)
Few people believed the rocket launch ecosystem on Florida's Space Coast could accelerate at such record-shattering speed in recent years — with more unprecedented launch growth forecast in the upcoming decade, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro said. Indeed, KSC and neighboring Cape Canaveral Space Force Station [together, the Cape Canaveral Spaceport] may already tie the all-time annual record of 72 orbital launches on Monday. The Cape's record-breaking 73rd launch of 2024 will likely happen before Halloween. And November and December remain ahead on the calendar. (10/20)

Gravity Can Exist Without Mass, Researcher Shows (Source: Tech Explorist)
Dark matter is a theoretical type of matter that scientists believe exists because of gravitational effects that can’t be explained by current theories of gravity unless there is more unseen matter in the universe. This idea has been around for nearly a century, first suggested by Dutch astronomer Jan Oort in 1932 to explain the “missing mass” needed for galaxies to form and hold together.

Dr. Richard Lieu from the University of Alabama in Huntsville has proposed a new theory that explains gravity without needing dark matter. He argues that gravity can exist without mass, which could challenge the current understanding of dark matter. Dr. Lieu’s research focuses on finding alternative solutions to the equations of general relativity. He suggests that the extra gravity required to hold galaxies and clusters together might come from shell-like structures known as topological defects, which were likely formed during a significant change in the state of matter in the early universe. (10/14)

Boeing Seeks to Sell Off Assets in Desperate Attempt to Stay Aloft (Source: New York Post)
Boeing is exploring asset sales in a bid to boost its fragile finances by shedding its non-core or underperforming units, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. The planemaker last week reached an agreement to offload a small defense unit that makes surveillance equipment for the U.S. military, the paper reported, citing people familiar with the deal. Boeing has lurched from crisis to crisis this year, ever since Jan. 5 when a door panel blew off a 737 MAX jet in mid-air.

In recent financial-performance meetings, new CEO Kelly Ortberg asked the heads of the company’s units to lay out the value of those units to the company. Boeing’s board recently met to discuss the next steps for the company, where directors questioned division heads and combed through reports to examine the state of each unit, a report said. (10/20)

Perseverance Just Keeps Roving Across Mars (Source: Space Daily)
Throughout the past week, Perseverance has continued marching up the Jezero crater rim. This steep ascent through the Martian regolith (soil) can prove to be slow driving for the rover, as the wheels can slip on the steepest areas. This is like trying to run up a hill of sand on a beach - with every step forward, you also slip back a little way down the hill! This just means the Science and Engineering teams work together closely to plan slow and steady drives through this tricky terrain.

Driving through the Mount Ranier quadrangle, the team identified a relatively obstacle-free path to reach the crater rim which they designated Summerland Trail, aptly named from a very popular hiking trail that ascends Mount Ranier. Perseverance is trekking to the next waypoint near an outcrop of rocks called Pico Turquino, where the science team hopes to perform its next proximity science investigations with its instruments PIXL and back-online SHERLOC. (10/18)

SpaceX Launches OneWeb 20 Mission From California Spaceport (Source: Space Daily)
A set of satellites for the European internet provider EutelsatOneWeb were successfully launched by SpaceX late Saturday night.
The satellites were launched by a Falcon 9 rocket from SLC-4Eat the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California around 10:13 p.m. local time. The rocket's first-stage booster landed on a landing pad about eight minutes after the launch. (10/2O)

Space Force Funds $35M Space Propulsion Institute Led by U-M (Source: Space Daily)
To advance the development of versatile spacecraft propulsion systems, the U.S. Space Force has awarded $35 million to a national research initiative headed by the University of Michigan. The new Space Power and Propulsion for Agility, Responsiveness and Resilience Institute aims to integrate rapid-response chemical rockets with efficient electric propulsion driven by a nuclear microreactor. The institute unites eight universities and 14 industry partners, forming one of the largest collaborations in the U.S. to enhance space power and propulsion, addressing key national defense and exploration needs. (10/17)

Hydrosat Wins $1.9 Million Contract from US Air Force to Boost Thermal Imagery Capabilities (Source: Space Daily)
Hydrosat, a climate tech firm specializing in thermal imagery for monitoring water stress in agriculture and mitigating climate change impacts, has secured a $1.9 million contract with the US Air Force. The agreement will enable Hydrosat to provide its thermal satellite data to tackle key challenges within the Department of the Air Force (DAF), aiming to enhance the nation's defense capabilities.

Under this new contract, Hydrosat will deliver advanced cloud and weather prediction services derived from its thermal data, helping to strengthen US national defense. The initiative includes using data from Hydrosat's VanZyl satellites for the first time, marking a significant milestone for the company. (10/18)

Southern Launch and Varda Secure Australian Approval for Spacecraft Re-entry at Koonibba Test Range (Source: Space Daily)
Southern Launch and Varda Space Industries, a U.S.-based company focused on microgravity-enabled life sciences, have been granted approval by the Australian Government for a series of spacecraft returns at the Koonibba Test Range. This marks the first time the Australian Government has authorized a spacecraft re-entry under the revised Space (Launches and Returns) Act 2018. Three pharmaceutical manufacturing capsules from Varda are set to return to Earth and land at the Koonibba Test Range.

This approval positions Varda as the first company authorized for spacecraft re-entry in both Australia and the United States, where they previously received a re-entry license from the U.S. AA. Varda aims to establish a future where spacecraft re-entries are as routine as launches, contributing to the growth of the orbital economy. Southern Launch and Varda are planning a series of missions, known as the W-Series, to highlight South Australia's potential as a global hub for spacecraft re-entry operations. (10/18)

NASA Targets Multiple Commercial Crew Missions in 2025 (Source: Space Daily)
NASA, alongside partners Boeing and SpaceX, is advancing its plans for next year's International Space Station (ISS) missions as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program. While preparatory efforts continue, NASA anticipates an active year of orbital operations with targeted mission timeframes, contingent on operational readiness and station scheduling.

The SpaceX Crew-10 mission is aiming for a launch no earlier than February 2025. This mission will see NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers serve as commander and pilot, respectively. Joining them will be mission specialists, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov. The next flight of Boeing's Starliner will be scheduled based on the progress toward system certification, which involves reviewing Crew Flight Test outcomes, final product approvals, and overall readiness. NASA is considering several potential timeframes for a Starliner mission in 2025. (10/21)

Intelsat GEO Satellite May Have Broken Apart (Source: Space News)
An Intelsat satellite has lost power and may have broken apart in geostationary orbit. Intelsat said Saturday that Intelsat 33e lost power and is unlikely to be recovered. The U.S. Space Force reported late Saturday that it is tracking 20 pieces of debris associated with the spacecraft. Boeing-built Intelsat 33e launched in August 2016 and entered service in January 2017 at 60 degrees east, about three months later than planned following an issue with its primary thruster. The spacecraft is the second in Intelsat's EpicNG (next-generation) series of high-throughput satellites; the first, Intelsat 29e, was declared a total loss in 2019 after just three years in orbit. (10/21)

Scotland's Skyrora Plans Suborbital Launch at SaxaVord Spaceport (Source: Space News)
Scottish launch startup Skyrora hopes to win U.K. government approvals next year for a suborbital launch from the country. Skyrora had hoped to conduct the Skylark L launch this year from SaxaVord Spaceport, but the company has been waiting more than two years for a license from the Civil Aviation Authority after initially being told it would take 18 months. The company currently expects its application to be processed by mid-December for a suborbital launch in spring 2025. Skyrora L, which failed in a first launch in 2022 from Iceland, is intended to demonstrate technologies for the company's Skyrora XL orbital launch vehicle. (10/21)

‘Time Capsule’ Lunar Samples Provide Missing Link Between the Moon’s Past and Present (Source: University of Glasgow)
Samples collected from the surface of the Moon by the crew of Apollo 16 more than 50 years ago have helped scientists reconstruct billions of years of lunar history. The research team’s findings, published in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science, are based on analysis of a distinct set of lunar breccias that have never been scrutinized in detail before.

Astronauts John Young, Charles Duke and Ken Mattingly brought more than 95kg of samples from the Moon back to Earth after their mission to the Moon’s Descartes highlands in 1972. Among those samples were ‘regolith breccias’, which form when Moon dust – or regolith – is fused into rock by asteroid impacts. Once fused into a rock, these breccias preserve the geochemical composition of the regolith at moment of their formation, which can be carefully analyzed for clues about how and when they were created. (10/21)

Satellite Monitoring Tool Shows Significant Underestimation of Methane Emissions From Fossil Fuel Sites (Source: Superpower Institute)
The Superpower Institute has released a list of Australia’s twenty methane hotspots, based on observations from Open Methane, a new online tool being launched today that uses satellite technology to measure methane emissions at a 10x10km resolution across Australia. Already in use in comparable countries, satellite technology offers a more accurate and detailed assessment of methane emissions compared to Australia's existing estimation methods. Preliminary results from Open Methane estimate that methane emissions may be around double what is currently being reported. (10/9)