October 6, 2024

Starfighters Space Plans Expansion to Texas Spaceport (Source: Midland Development Corp.)
The Midland Development Corporation is excited to announce the expansion of Starfighters Space to the Midland Spaceport Business Park. Starfighters Space plans to relocate aircraft to the Midland Spaceport by 2027. This expansion will also include the creation of 23 full-time jobs in Midland by 2033. This expansion highlights Midland's increasing prominence in the aerospace sector, reinforcing our position as a leading destination for high-tech industries. (10/4)

Iceland Has Its Sights Set On Mars (Source: Grapevine)
In September, Iceland took one giant leap closer to becoming an active partner in future Moon and Mars landings — so why is nobody talking about it?
A cold wind sweeps across the plain, gently teasing fine grains of volcanic sand and sodium from the riverbank. This landscape, carved by glacial flows millions of years ago, is stark, alien. But this isn’t Mars, nor the Moon.

For decades, visitors have travelled to Iceland to marvel at its unique geography, to bask in the warmth of its geothermal vents and to experience its seemingly alien geologies — and it’s not just tourists. For some time, this island has also drawn a very different kind of explorer: those plotting a course much farther off the beaten path. Use of Iceland as a base for space research and training is nothing new. As early as 1965, NASA was sending astronauts here in preparation for the Moon landings. But last month, an event took place that could change Iceland’s role in the space race forever. (10/4)

China, United States Also Battling Over the Time on the Moon (Source: Asia News)
With space exploration needing more coordination among multiple partners, imposing one's own time in outer space is the goal of both Washington and Beijing. For the White House, the Artemis Accords are “the basis of US leadership in space." The Asian superpower aims to establish time zones and lunar Internet by 2028.

Beijing and Moscow are not signatories to the Artemis Accords. Instead, they are engaged in a parallel effort known as the International Lunar Research Station, which aims to build a permanent base at the moon's south pole by 2035. Goswami noted that China also plans to create a timekeeping and navigation system for the Moon. (10/4)

Big Government’s License to Kill Space Travel (Source: National Review)
If the world’s richest man falls victim to government abuse of a regulatory tool, what chance do the rest of us have against it? Something strange is intercepting our trajectory into space. The obstacle isn’t space debris, old satellites, or meteors. Rather, it’s licensing. The FAA has not yet granted a license for the launch of Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship, and even the Fish and Wildlife Service is still evaluating whether to permit it. Licensing is thus delaying not only his rocket but also our interstellar progress. (10/4)

Brightness of First Chinese Broadband Constellation Satellites Alarms Astronomers (Source: Space News)
The first satellites of a Chinese broadband constellation are significantly brighter than those of Western systems, posing a new challenge for astronomers. In a paper posted on the arXiv preprint server Sept. 30, a group of observational astronomers reported on observations of a set of 18 Qianfan, or “Thousand Sails,” satellites launched in August. The satellites are the first of a constellation that may ultimately consist of more than 14,000 satellites. (10/5)

CesiumAstro Unveils Element: Industry’s Most Efficient and Flexible Integrated Phased Array Satellite (Source: CesiumAstro)
CesiumAstro announced Element, a groundbreaking fully integrated satellite platform set to revolutionize both defense and commercial space sectors. With adaptable, reconfigurable payloads, Element evolves with changing mission conditions, advancing satellite flexibility and capability. (9/30)

Standardized Launch, Reentry Regs Will Support a Growing Industry (Source: Payload)
Exponential growth in the number of rockets launched each year will have a significant impact on society. Just a little over a decade ago, roughly 60 rockets launched over the course of a year—about the same number of planes that take off daily from Napa Valley Airport. Next year, that’s expected to balloon five times that amount, to over 300 launches—the same number of planes that take off every day from LAX. 

In addition to the growing launch cadence, spaceflight will also begin to include regular Earth returns. We’ll have to adapt the regulatory regime to keep pace, and one action we can take now is to start defining standardized safety metrics. (10/3)

Japan's Interstellar Welcomes Talent from 7 Companies, Including 3 Toyota Affiliates (Source: Interstellar)
Interstellar Technologies Inc. (“Interstellar”), a leading space infrastructure company dedicated to addressing global challenges through space transportation and utilization, has welcomed new secondees from Smart Implement Inc., Toyota Auto Body Co., Ltd., and Kozo Keikaku Engineering Inc. With engineers from seven organizations, including three Toyota affiliates, Interstellar is leveraging Japan’s renowned manufacturing expertise—particularly from the automotive sector—to develop low-cost, high-frequency rockets that meet the demands of the global market. (10/1)

GomSpace Signs 3.6 MSEK Standard Platform Contract with UK University Partnership (Source: GomSpace)
The universities of Surrey, Portsmouth and Southampton, UK, three of the European leading Space Universities have selected GomSpace to supply a 3.6 MSEK platform kit for an upcoming express mission. The three universities, which are partners in the Space South Central region of Surrey and Hampshire in the UK, are collaborating on JUPITER – the Joint Universities Programme for In-orbit Training, Education and Research. Their first mission is Jovian-1, a satellite with five payloads, one of which will be entirely developed by students, building vital space skills and employability. (10/2)

AAC Clyde Space Completes Acquisition of Spacemetric (Source: Clyde Space)
AAC Clyde Space announced an agreement to acquire 100 percent of the outstanding shares in Spacemetric AB had been entered into with the shareholders of Spacemetric. AAC Clyde Space can now inform that the transaction has been completed and that the AAC Group is thus further expanded and strengthened. (10/1)