October 25, 2024

Starfighters Space Hopes to Launch Small Satellites From Wings of F-104 Supersonic Jets (Source: Florida Today)
A Space Coast company wants to accelerate its rare supersonic aircraft to twice the speed of sound, climb up to 45,000 feet, and fire wing-mounted rockets up into low-Earth orbit, deploying small payloads of pint-sized satellites. Straight out of science fiction? Starfighters Space, a small company that flies seven vintage Lockheed F-104 Starfighter jet interceptors at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, is testing the cost-saving concept now.

"We could actually launch these nanosats in orbit. The aircraft's capable of speeds in excess of Mach 2 — twice the speed of sound," said pilot Rick "Comrade" Svetkoff, founder and CEO. "Right now, the military doesn't have any aircraft to expend because they're all tied up. The military's using every piece of hardware that it has, not to mention the cost factor in trying to get these fighters for any length of time. Whereas, we have aircraft to do this on a regular basis," Svetkoff said. Click here. (10/25)

Blue Origin New Glenn Closer to Debut Launch with Booster Engines Now Installed (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
With a November debut launch target from Cape Canaveral still in play, Jeff Bezos' company Blue Origin has installed the seven engines that will power the massive New Glenn rocket's first-stage booster. Blue Origin has not announced a target launch date beyond November, though. When it does launch, the 322-foot-tall rocket aims to lift off from Launch Complex 36. (10/24)

3D Printing ‘World’s Largest’ Carbon Composite Rocket on Rocket Lab’s 90-ton 3D Printer (Source: 3D Printing Industry)
Californian space launch company Rocket Lab is using a 90-ton 3D printer to build what are said to be the ‘largest carbon composite rocket structures in history.’ The company’s 3D printer, a custom-built automated fiber placement (AFP) machine, is reportedly the biggest system of its kind in the world. Made in the United States by Electroimpact, the robotic 3D printer is 39 ft tall, and can lay down 328 ft of continuous carbon fiber composite per minute.

Rocket Lab has implemented the large-scale AFP machine at its Space Structures Complex in Middle River, Maryland. It is designed to automate the production of all major composite structures for the company’s reusable Neutron launch vehicle. These include panels for the 91-foot (28-meter) interstage and fairing, the 22.9-foot diameter first stage, and the 16.4-foot diameter second stage tanks. According to Rocket Lab, while it takes several weeks to build a stage 2 dome using conventional, manual methods, the AFP machine can produce one in just 24 hours. (10/21)

Scientists Demand FCC Test Environmental Impacts of Satellites (Source: The Register)
One hundred and twenty astronomy researchers on Thursday sent a letter asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to end the "absurd" environmental review exemption given to SpaceX's Starlink and other firms launching large constellations of satellites. The letter [PDF] notes that the FCC was advised in November 2022 by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) to rethink its environmental review process for satellite swarms. The comms watchdog has been approving applications to launch satellite mega-constellations without considering requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act, the GAO found. (10/24)

Proteus Space and SAIC Partner to Accelerate AI-Designed Satellites (Source: Space News)
Proteus Space is gearing up to launch its first AI-designed satellite in 2025, thanks to a new partnership with government contractor SAIC. This partnership, backed by an investment from SAIC, will accelerate the development of Proteus’ Mercury platform, which autonomously designs custom satellite buses tailored to specific payloads. The collaboration aims to reduce the time from satellite design to launch, providing increased precision and flexibility for both government and commercial space operators. (10/24)

Blue Origin Is Being Suspiciously Vague About Its Rocket Launch (Source: Futurism)
After some minor setbacks, Blue Origin finally launched its latest model of a New Shepard spacecraft on Wednesday. The mission, NS-27, lifted off around 11:30 AM in West Texas, marking the debut flight of the second New Shepard vehicle designed to carry human passengers high off the Earth but not into orbit, though for this test it was uncrewed.

Blue Origin, however, has been uncharacteristically stingy with some of the details surrounding the launch. The Jeff Bezos-owned company didn't release flight statistics to the public as it normally does. Furthermore, the vehicle appeared to have reached an altitude nearly two miles short of what it typically achieves, based on the launch's livestream. Blue Origin confirmed that the spacecraft's capsule hit an altitudinal peak of 63.6 miles — whereas a previous flight reached 65.4 miles. (10/24)

SpaceX Launches Next-Gen US Spy Satellites on 100th Falcon 9 Flight of 2024 (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket just hit the century mark for the year. A Falcon 9 launched a batch of next-gen spy satellites for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) on Oct. 24 from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base. The clandestine mission, known as NROL-167, was the 100th Falcon 9 liftoff of 2024. (10/24)

Firefly Aerospace Onboarded as Vendor for Space Development Agency HALO Program (Source: Firefly)
Firefly Aerospace, an end-to-end space transportation company, today announced it was selected as a vendor for the Space Development Agency (SDA) Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated LEO (HALO) program. Firefly is now eligible to support rapid, end-to-end demonstration missions for SDA’s military satellites utilizing Firefly’s Elytra orbital vehicles. (10/23)

Apex Selected for SDA HALO Program (Source: Apex)
Apex, a provider of productized satellite bus platforms, has been selected to participate in the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated LEO (HALO) program, SDA Director Derek Tournear announced today. HALO creates a pathway for SDA to solicit and award rapid feasibility demonstrations. As a HALO participant, Apex will be eligible to compete for future SDA prototype orders. (10/23)

Crew Dragon Splashes Down Off Pensacola (Source: Space News)
A Crew Dragon spacecraft returned to Earth this morning after a record-setting mission. The Crew Dragon spacecraft Endeavour splashed down off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, at 3:29 a.m. Eastern to end the Crew-8 mission, bringing back three NASA astronauts and one Roscosmos cosmonaut from the International Space Station. The mission spent 235 days in space, the longest for a crewed American spacecraft thanks to delays in both the launch of the Crew-9 mission and nearly three weeks of weather-related delays for splashdown.

The Crew Dragon performed well despite that extended stay in orbit. NASA, in a statement several hours after splashdown, said the four-person crew was taken to a local medical facility for additional evaluation but did not explain why; the four appeared to be in good health when exiting the capsule after splashdown. (10/25)

Guetlein Lays Out Space Force Obstacles (Source: Space News)
The vice chief of the U.S. Space Force offered a blunt assessment of the obstacles his service is facing. Speaking by video at the MilSat Symposium this week, Gen. Michael Guetlein laid out the Space Force's top concerns, from rival powers developing anti-satellite weapons to the difficulties of working with private companies in an increasingly militarized space environment. He addressed industry frustrations over conflicting messages from different parts of the U.S. government and the assumption that the Pentagon has limitless funding. "There are no big buckets of money that sit behind my desk, contrary to popular belief," he said. (10/25)

NRO Changes Contracting to Allow Continuous Remote Sensing Capabilities (Source: Space News)
The NRO will invite companies to propose remote sensing capabilities on an ongoing basis. The agency had previously used Broad Area Announcements with defined timelines for commercial imagery services, but starting next year the NRO will use a contracting mechanism called Commercial Solutions Opportunity. The NRO will invite companies to submit proposals for electro-optical, radar, hyperspectral and other remote sensing modalities the agency has previously investigated, allowing companies to submit proposals when they meet requirements laid out in the solicitation. (10/25)

DIU Backs Astra with $44 Million for Rocket 4 (Source: Space News)
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) awarded Astra a contract to support work on its Rocket 4 launch vehicle. The contract, announced Wednesday, is valued at up to $44 million, although only about $2 million is currently funded. Astra said that the contract will provide the company with additional financial support to develop Rocket 4, which offers a mobile launch capability of interest to DIU. Astra hopes to have Rocket 4, with an initial payload capacity of up to 600 kilograms, ready for a first launch by the end of 2025. The company is also looking to raise about $50 million in funding after completing a deal in July to take the company private. (10/25)

NASA to Decide in 2025 on Telescope Cuts (Source: Space News)
NASA is deferring a decision on any cutbacks to operations of two major space telescopes. At a town hall meeting this week, the agency said it will wait until after Congress passes a final spending bill for fiscal year 2025 before deciding what changes, if any, it will make to operations of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope. NASA had proposed a 10% cut in Hubble funding for 2025 and a 40% cut for Chandra, although a review panel this summer concluded that Chandra could not be operated at that proposed lower level. (10/25)

UNH Wins NOAA Contract for Solar Wind Sensors (Source: Space News)
The University of New Hampshire won a NOAA contract to develop a set of sensors to study solar winds. The $24.3 million contract announced Thursday covers work on Solar Wind Plasma Sensors for the Lagrange 1 Series project, part of NOAA's Space Weather Next Program. The sensors will be on spacecraft projected to launch in 2029 and 2032. (10/25)

NISAR Antenna Returns to India (Source: NASA)
An antenna for a joint NASA-ISRO Earth science mission is back in India. The antenna for the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) spacecraft arrived in India earlier this week after several months of work in the United States to mitigate the effects of higher-than-anticipated temperatures while stowed. The antenna, when deployed, is 12 meters in diameter and will be used for radar mapping of land and ice surfaces. NISAR is planned for launch in early 2025 from India. (10/25)

NASA's Economic Impact Released (Source: NASA)
A new report shows the economic impact of NASA on the U.S. economy. The report released Thursday found that NASA activities in fiscal year 2023 resulted in more than $75.6 billion in economic input across the country and supported nearly 305,000 jobs through both direct and indirect spending. That included eight states where NASA's economic impact was more than $1 billion. (10/25)

Scientists Discover Molecules That Store Much of the Carbon in Space (Source: Space Daily)
A team led by researchers at MIT has discovered that a distant interstellar cloud contains an abundance of pyrene, a type of large, carbon-containing molecule known as a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). The discovery of pyrene in this far-off cloud, which is similar to the collection of dust and gas that eventually became our own solar system, suggests that pyrene may have been the source of much of the carbon in our solar system. That hypothesis is also supported by a recent finding that samples returned from the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu contain large quantities of pyrene. (10/25)

Human Space Travel Could Pose More Severe Health Risks (Source: Space Daily)
Human space travelers may face more severe health hazards than previously recognized, according to a new report from The Guy Foundation, an independent UK research organization. The report highlights concerns that extended space travel could exacerbate conditions like accelerated aging, insulin resistance, early diabetes, and reproductive issues. These effects could become increasingly difficult to reverse as humans travel farther from Earth, raising doubts about the feasibility of deep space exploration. (10/23)

Capella Space Selected for Space Development Agency's Proliferated LEO Hybrid Acquisition (Source: Space Daily)
Capella Space Corp. has been chosen to participate in the Space Development Agency's (SDA) Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated LEO (HALO) procurement program. This procurement method allows Capella to compete for contracts related to building satellite systems for SDA through a prototype order bidding process. (10/24)

China Delivers Scientific Payloads from Reusable Satellite Shijian-19 to Users (Source: Space Daily)
The scientific payloads for space breeding and other technological experiments carried aboard China's first reusable and returnable satellite, Shijian-19, were delivered to both Chinese and international users on Thursday. During a ceremony held in Beijing by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the CNSA and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation formalized the transfer of the payloads, signing delivery certificates with domestic and international users from countries including Thailand and Pakistan.

Eutelsat America and OneWeb to Provide Enhanced Satellite Services for US Govt (Source: Space Daily)
Eutelsat America Corp. and OneWeb Technologies have partnered with Iridium Communications to deliver Iridium Certus and Iridium Satellite Time and Location (STL) services to U.S. government clients. The collaboration will allow EACOWT to offer a GNSS-resilient Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Ku-Band/L-band solution, enhancing its range of government services. This development ensures robust connectivity and out-of-band management for remote terminals. (10/24)

NASA Stennis Expands Range Operations with New Skydweller Aero Agreement (Source: Space Daily)
NASA's Stennis Space Center, located near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, has entered into a Reimbursable Space Act agreement with Skydweller Aero Inc., allowing the company to operate its solar-powered autonomous aircraft within the center's restricted airspace. This partnership marks a significant step in expanding the center's uncrewed systems testing and operational capabilities. (10/25)

NASA Reveals Prototype Telescope for Gravitational Wave Observatory (Source: Space Daily)
NASA has revealed the first look at a full-scale prototype for six telescopes that will enable, in the next decade, the space-based detection of gravitational waves - ripples in space-time caused by merging black holes and other cosmic sources. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission is led by ESA (European Space Agency) in partnership with NASA to detect gravitational waves by using lasers to measure precise distances - down to picometers, or trillionths of a meter - between a trio of spacecraft distributed in a vast configuration larger than the Sun. Each side of the triangular array will measure nearly 1.6 million miles, or 2.5 million kilometers. (10/23)

Space Force Effort Targets Integrated C2 Networks (Source: Breaking Defense)
The US Space Force's Space Systems Command has launched the Joint Enterprise Integrated Federated C2 for Space effort to create integrated command and control networks for four classified weapon systems. "It's really all about being ready for contested space by 2026 and having the people, the processes, the tools, the doctrine, everything in place so that we can operate effectively," said Claire Leon of the Space System Integration Office. (10/23)

NASA Testing Deployable Solar Array on Pathfinder Mission (Source: Space Daily)
NASA has begun analyzing initial flight data and images from the Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-4 (PTD-4), which recently completed system checks, including evaluations of onboard electronics and payload support systems. One of the first images captured by the small payload camera shows Earth, marking the start of the mission's technology demonstration.

The PTD-4 mission is focused on testing a new power and communication technology called the Lightweight Integrated Solar Array and anTenna (LISA-T). The LISA-T experiment has successfully begun deploying its central boom, which will support four solar and communication arrays known as petals. These petals will eventually extend from the spacecraft bus to generate power and enable communication. Currently, the mission team is addressing a challenge with the full extension of the central boom before the petals can be fully deployed for operation. (10/24)

NASA's Quiet Space Fan Technology Could Enhance Future Commercial Space Stations (Source: Space Daily)
NASA researchers have developed a Quiet Space Fan aimed at reducing noise in crewed spacecraft, with plans to share the advancements with industry for possible use in future commercial space stations. Reducing noise in spacecraft is crucial for effective communication, clear alarms, restful sleep, and reducing the risk of hearing loss. Most noise comes from ventilation systems and equipment cooling fans, making it essential to reduce it at the source. (10/24)

Human Adaptation to Spaceflight Explored in Latest NASA Nutrition Book (Source: Space Daily)
NASA has released its third comprehensive review of the role of nutrition in astronaut health, building on previous works published in 2009 and 2014. The latest book, *Human Adaptation to Spaceflight: The Role of Food and Nutrition - 2nd Edition*, updates and expands on the physiological and nutritional challenges that astronauts face during space exploration. (10/24)

Chinese Private Rocket Company Completes Static Fire Test of ZQ-2E Rocket (Source: Space Daily)
LandSpace, one of China's leading private aerospace companies, has successfully completed a static fire test for the second stage of its Zhuque-2E (ZQ-2E) carrier rocket. The test, conducted on Monday, marks a significant milestone in the development of the ZQ-2E rocket, positioning LandSpace closer to future launch missions.

The static fire test was designed to simulate typical flight conditions and verify both the overall and subsystem design of the ZQ-2E's second stage. The company reported that the test also ensured the compatibility of the interfaces and operations between different systems, which is crucial for ensuring reliable flight performance. (10/24)

GITAI Inchworm Robotic Arm Passes Key Lunar Simulation Test, Achieves TRL6 (Source: Space Daily)
GITAI USA announced that its Inchworm-type Robotic Arm has successfully completed testing and achieved Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL6). The tests were conducted in a thermal vacuum chamber designed to replicate the harsh environment of the lunar South Pole. GITAI is working to significantly reduce space operation costs by developing advanced robotic technologies such as robotic satellites for on-orbit services, lunar rovers for infrastructure projects, and versatile inchworm-type robotic arms. These innovations are developed internally at the company. (10/24)

Physicists Discover First Black Hole Triple (Source: Space Daily)
In a study appearing in Nature, physicists at MIT and Caltech report that they have observed a "black hole triple" for the first time. The new system holds a central black hole in the act of consuming a small star that's spiraling in very close to the black hole, every 6.5 days - a configuration similar to most binary systems. But surprisingly, a second star appears to also be circling the black hole, though at a much greater distance. The physicists estimate this far-off companion is orbiting the black hole every 70,000 years. (10/24)

Amanda Hendrix Selected to Lead Planetary Science Institute (Source: Planetary Science Institute)
The Planetary Science Institute is pleased to announce that Amanda Hendrix, a PSI Senior Scientist for 12 years, will become the Institute’s Deputy CEO effective January 1, 2025, and will become CEO on January 1, 2026. Hendrix will succeed Mark V. Sykes, who has led PSI since 2004. (10/23)