November 2, 2024

Relativity Space Faces Cash Drain, Exploring Options (Source: Bloomberg)
Relativity Space Inc., the privately held US maker of 3D-printed rockets that once soared to a $4.2 billion valuation, is running low on cash, raising questions about the future of its launch business, people familiar with the matter said. The company has faced challenges raising additional capital, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is confidential. Relativity, which last launched a rocket in March 2023 and has plans to launch its larger Terran R in 2026, hasn’t reached a decision on a path forward.

In 2021, Relativity received a valuation of $4.2 billion after closing a Series E funding round of $650 million. The company then went on to launch its first rocket, the Terran 1, in March 2023. The rocket, which Relativity said was roughly 85% 3D printed, successfully launched and made it to space, but failed to reach orbit. Weeks after that flight, Relativity announced that it was abandoning further test launches of Terran 1 to focus solely on development of a larger rocket called Terran R that would compete more directly with SpaceX’s Falcon 9.

The company also announced plans to incorporate more traditional manufacturing methods with Terran R, moving away from using 3D printing. Relativity claimed that Terran R would be ready to start launching in 2026. However, the company has been relatively quiet about its progress throughout 2024. Relativity also “debuted” a picture of Terran R’s nose cone in August, but later confirmed the image was of one made for Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket, indicating that the company would be outsourcing the manufacturing of its nose cone to an outside company. (11/1)

The Uber-Optimistic History and Prolonged Future of Space Tourism (Source; Popular Science)
The space tourism industry may still suffer from a supernova-sized helping of hype, as it did twenty-five years ago, but today there are many more companies with more resources, and a growing track record of successful commercial flights.

If there’s a silver lining to the excessive hype, Americans have no expectation that they’ll be shuttling off to space resorts anytime soon, or taking luxury tours of the Moon. Besides Space Adventures, travel companies are just not clamoring to enter the space tourism business. And while a 2023 Pew Research Center poll found that 55 percent of Americans do expect space tourism to become routine, they don’t expect it to be available to the masses for another half century. Unless you have a $100 million or so to spare, off-world vacations still seem, well, a long way off. (11/1)

What is Happening with Boeing’s Starliner Spacecraft? (Source: Ars Technica)
Boeing has been steadfastly silent about the fate of Starliner. In lieu of speaking publicly, Boeing issued a terse statement early on the morning of September 8, attributing it to Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of Boeing's commercial crew program. "We will review the data and determine the next steps for the program," Nappi said, in part. And since then? Nothing. Requests for comment from Boeing have gone unanswered.

The simple explanation is that the storied aviation company, which has a new chief executive named Kelly Ortberg, remains in the midst of evaluating Boeing's various lines of business. NASA will also have a say in what happens to Starliner. In particular, if the space agency wants to have a second crew transportation system, it probably will need to find a way to help Boeing defray some of the costs of certification of Starliner for operational crew missions to the station.

One way of doing this may be to pay Boeing to fly a cargo mission to the International Space Station. That is, the space agency and Boeing could test the company's repairs to its propulsion system and the leaks in its helium pressurization system by flying food, water, science experiments, and other cargo to the station. Success on an uncrewed mission would help pave the way toward certification. (11/1)

Launch: The Fundamental Prerequisite for Space Superiority (Source: Bloomberg)
Despite having three providers in NSSL and 12 in OSP-4, more launch providers are needed. Because the Vulcan and New Glenn are new boosters, challenges will likely emerge through continued testing and operations. Reliance on the same rocket engine for both raises concerns that problems with one could ground both; the fact that only six of 12 OSP-4 providers have conducted successful launches is also a concern. 

By continuing to pursue multiple launch providers, the Space Force can increase confidence and cadence to meet the resulting demand. Alternate providers should also expand supply chains and diversify manufacturing processes, reducing the risk that one failure grounds all or most space launches. Click here. (11/1)

Flyover Video at Cape Canaveral Spaceport Reveals Hints at Starship's Move to Florida (Source: NSF)
In this month’s KSC Flyover, we explore the Space Coast’s bustling activity! SpaceX is stirring excitement with new hardware that hints at upcoming Starship plans in Florida, and Blue Origin is closing in on the debut launch of New Glenn. We’ll also take a look at the damage from Hurricane Milton and how it’s affected facilities across Kennedy Space Center. Click here. (10/29)

Tactically Responsive Space Bolsters US Defense (Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies)
The Tactically Responsive Space program is a promising initiative aimed at enhancing the Defense Department's ability to quickly respond to on-orbit threats, such as potential antisatellite weapons from adversaries. The program has demonstrated success with the Victus Nox mission and plans to conduct a more complex mission, Victus Haze, in 2025, writes expert John Plumb. (10/31)

Starship Preparations to Return to Cape Canaveral Spaceport Facility (Source: NSF)
SpaceX is laying the groundwork for expansion at its Roberts Road facility in Florida. These developments include new buildings, property expansions, and Starship’s production in Florida. SpaceX has already made two attempts to bring Starship to Cape Canaveral but both have stalled out. In the area already acquired by HangarX, where Falcon 9’s boosters are refurbished, a second larger building, originally planned to be a Starfactory, was created with the belief that it would be used for Starship production.

Space was also cleared around what became HangarX2 for the first mega bay in Florida to stack starship parts from the facility. However, only the foundation of the mega bay was completed. A new tent is beginning to be raised on the ground of the Roberts Road facility in place of where the SLC-40 tower was built, stretching the whole way to what was the intended mega bay foundation. This tent is roughly 40 meters wide and 140 meters long — this is longer than the old tents at the Starbase build site, which were 35 meters wide and 114 meters long.

This new tent could be used for various reasons, like building the new tower sections or orbital launch mount components in a controlled environment, or it could be the beginning of bringing Starship production back to Florida. If Starship is to return, SpaceX would likely first bring the most essential parts of the process to KSC. This tent has around 40% more ground space than the old tents at Starbase, and it has the benefit of being taller on the edges, which could make building nosecones or beginning stacking ring sections much more manageable. (11/1)

Multimode Propulsion Could Revolutionize How We Launch Things to Space (Source: Universe Today)
In a recent NASA-supported study, a team of researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign investigated a new method of sending spacecraft to the Moon. It is known as “multimode propulsion,” a method that integrates a high-thrust chemical mode and a low-thrust electric mode – while using the same propellant. This system has several advantages over other forms of propulsion, not the least of which include being lighter and more cost-effective. With a little luck, NASA could rely on multimode propulsion-equipped spacecraft to achieve many of its Artemis objectives. (11/1)

Hypersonic Program At Risk After Reaction Engines Goes Belly Up (Sources: New Atlas, Breaking Defense)
A major player in aerospace innovation has bitten the dust. Reaction Engines, a developer of hypersonic engine technology since 1989, has gone into administration and its closure is having a major impact on the hypersonic weapons program of Britain and others. Reaction Engines focused on developing advanced space propulsion systems. Its primary goal was to one day build the company's Skylon spaceplane, though it also farmed out its key technologies to other projects and conducted tests for customers, including the US Air Force.

The company's Synergetic Air Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE), with its regenerative cooling system that could protect a hypersonic jet engine by instantly cooling the incoming air using liquid hydrogen, attracted investors such as BAE Systems, which purchased 20% of Reaction Engines stock in 2015, and led to funds coming from Boeing, Rolls-Royce, and others. However, this year, the company found itself in major financial difficulties due to unexpectedly slow growth and the inability to secure an additional £150 million (US$193 million) in funding, followed by BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce being unwilling to put up bail-out capital.

The UK Ministry of Defense said it will continue to “closely monitor all our supply chains” as it reels from the collapse of Reaction Engines, the high speed propulsion manufacturer and industry lead on London’s quest to develop a reusable Mach 5 and beyond aircraft under the Hypersonic Air Vehicle Experimental (HVX) program. (10/31)

Apple Commits $1.5 Billion to Globalstar for Expanded iPhone Satellite Services (Source: CNBC)
Apple committed about $1.5 billion to satellite communications company Globalstar to fund the expansion of iPhone services, the companies disclosed in a securities filing on Friday. The tech giant’s deal with Globalstar includes $1.1 billion in cash, of which $232 million will go toward the satellite company’s current debt, and a 20% equity stake. The deal is expected to close on Tuesday.

Apple has already been spending hundreds of millions for Globlastar services, which enabled the 2022 rollout of iPhone emergency satellite texting. It is one of several efforts in the direct-to-device, or D2D, satellite connectivity market. (11/1)

Father-Daughter Team Decodes 'Alien Signal' from Mars (Source: Live Science)
A father-daughter team has decoded a mock "alien" message after a year of trying. Now, citizen scientists are trying to figure out what the decoded missive truly means for Earth. According to the European Space Agency (ESA), Ken and Keli Chaffin from the U.S. were the first to crack the code, which was sent from ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter as part of a citizen science project in May 2023. Three radio observatories on Earth heard the message, and the data were made available to the public. The first step was to extract the signal from the raw data, and the second was to decode it.

The message is part of "A Sign in Space," a science/art project that explores how humanity might react after receiving a real alien message. It took only 10 days for an online community to extract the message from the raw data, but decoding it was more difficult: That wasn't achieved until June 7, 2024, when the Chaffins messaged Daniela de Paulis, the founder and artistic director of the project, with the solution. ESA publicly announced their success on Oct. 22. (10/31)

Join the Commercial Space Reserve: Get Longer Contracts, In-Depth Threat Briefs; Play Wargames (Source: Breaking Defense)
When the Space Force contracts commercial companies to provide “reserve” capabilities that could be “surged” in times of conflict — and possibly denied to non-US customers for a period of time — those joining can expect a number of peacetime benefits in exchange for their willingness to serve, according to the head of the Space Force’s Commercial Space Office (COMSO).

Speaking to reporters on Thursday during Space Systems Command’s annual Space Industry Days conference, Col. Rich Kniseley said these benefits could include: longer funding periods; in-depth threat briefings based on a firm’s security clearance status; and opportunities to participate in Pentagon wargames. (11/25)

Blue Origin’s 2024 Lobbying Figures Lag Behind Competitors as Space Race Heats Up (Source: Open Secrets)
Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’s rocket company aiming to make space travel accessible, spent $1.23 million on lobbying in the first nine months of 2024 — a year marked by the unveiling of an upgraded New Shepard suborbital vehicle and a historic flight for America’s first Black candidate for NASA’s early astronaut corps.

Despite those milestones, Blue Origin’s lobbying spending for the first nine months of 2024 has dropped to its lowest level since 2019, marking a five-year low. The company’s lobbying efforts peaked in 2022, with a record $2.1 million spent on 11 bills and issues related to defense, aerospace and federal budget appropriations. (10/31)

Can Axions Save the Universe? (Source: New York Times)
The hunt for dark matter is shifting from particles to waves named after a laundry detergent. The search is on for some of the flimsiest lumps of matter and energy ever dreamed up by physicists. They are darker than night, barely more substantial than a thought, and named after a laundry detergent. But axions, as they are called, could constitute most of the matter in our universe, forming the unseen skeletons of galaxies and chains of light that adorn the skies of astronomers. Confirmation of their existence would upset some of the deepest theories of nature.

The Axion Dark Matter eXperiment, or ADMX, in Seattle, is trying to conjure axions with powerful magnetic fields. Astronomers, too, are hunting for hints that axions exist, by analyzing how black holes spin and the shapes of infant galaxies that the James Webb Space Telescope has brought to light. But so far, nobody has found them. Success would provide a big clue to one of the grandest mysteries in the cosmos: What is the universe made of? (11/1)

ULA Closing Production of Atlas V in Alabama (Source: NSF)
United Launch Alliance (ULA) will soon close out production of its Atlas V rocket, completing a stock of 15 boosters set to fly on contracted missions. With ULA’s future focus on the Vulcan rocket, Atlas V will aim to end on a high, adding to over one hundred successful launches. The last Atlas V Common Core Booster will shortly be completed in Decatur, Alabama, at the United Launch Alliance (ULA) manufacturing plant.

The final booster will be tested and then held in readiness for its eventual mission. ULA will then have fifteen complete Atlas V boosters in stock—all of which are already sold and assigned to a mission. The remaining missions are mostly allocated to Amazon for Project Kuiper and Boeing’s Starliner. It is conceivable that the ISS could be decommissioned before Boeing has had time to fly all of its expected missions to the Station. This situation could find ULA with several spare Atlas Vs. (10/31)

Calls for Further Regulation as Space Becomes Increasingly Commercialized (Source: Ibanet)
In September, two civilians took part in the world’s first commercial spacewalk. The trip – which featured four crew in total – was funded by American entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, who became the first non-professional astronaut to walk in space. With the voyage seen as helping to usher in a new era of stellar tourism, commentators have called for greater regulation to ensure space and its visitors are protected.

Space has so far been governed by international treaties, established in the 1960s and designed to mitigate against conflict as countries such as Russia and the US began exploring space. ‘It was more about keeping space from becoming a battlefield,’ says Souichirou Kozuka, Member of the IBA Space Law Committee’s Advisory Board and a professor of law at Gakushuin University, Tokyo. ‘[The treaties] regulate only the interstate relationship, so are not directly applicable to private activities.’

Yet increasingly, private sector companies are entering the spaceflight business. As such, there’s an emerging need for domestic laws to cover the activities of private companies in space, says P J Blount, Assistant Professor of Space Law at Durham University in the UK and Executive Secretary of the International Institute of Space Law.  (10/31)

Recruiting the World’s First Disabled Astronaut Doesn’t Mean Space Travel is Inclusive – Here’s How to Change That (Source: The Conversation)
Designing effective systems for the inclusion of disabled people is a longstanding challenge on Earth – and space presents a whole new paradigm. The very specific demands of spaceflight mean we can’t assume that traditional adjustments and assistive technology will work beyond Earth’s atmosphere. So, making spaceflight more inclusive requires looking at each step of going into space.

Astronaut training is a complex process, designed to simulate the space environment and enable candidates to perform well under a variety of conditions they may encounter in orbit. But in many cases, the training facilities are not well designed for individuals with physical or sensory impairments. Spacecraft and space suit design will be another key focus. The space suits onboard the ISS were originally designed with male astronauts in mind, meaning that female astronauts have to “make do” with what is there. This has caused challenges as the number of female astronauts has risen. Click here. (10/31)

Asia’s Space Ambitions and Canada (Source: SpaceQ)
The Asia Policy journal October 2024 issue is available and it includes a roundtable discussion titled Asia’s Space Ambitions: Driving the Next Chapter in Global Space Competition. Within this 90 page roundtable is a contribution by Brian Gallant and Jordan Miller on Canada. The issue is timely as the Canadian government has been putting more emphasis on the Asian Pacific region including releasing its Indo-Pacific Strategy on Sep. 3, 2024 and its Indo-Pacific engagement and priorities on Oct. 10, 2024.

The Asian Pacific region includes “four major space powers,” those being the United States, China, Japan and India. Canada is considered a “middle power” along with South Korea, Australia, and Singapore. Brian Galant, the CEO of Space Canada and the former premier of New Brunswick, is also a board member of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Galant and Jordan Miller write:

“Missing from Canada’s vision is a meaningful role for the commercial space sector. Most of the innovation for space is currently being driven by companies providing commercial capabilities. This is not an argument for less civil or defense investment. Instead, the salient point is how Canada’s current strategic vision and policies could be bolstered by finding a meaningful role for the commercial space sector, including in supporting civil and defense programs with dual-use and dual-purpose technologies.” (10/31)

NASA Technologies Named Among TIME Inventions of 2024 (Source: NASA)
As NASA continues to innovate for the benefit of humanity, agency inventions that use new structures to harness sunlight for space travel, enable communications with spacecraft at record-breaking distances, and determine the habitability of a moon of Jupiter, were named Wednesday among TIME’s Inventions of 2024. Click here. (10/30)

University of Hawai'i Preparing Next Generation Space Workforce (Source: Hawaii.edu)
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa students have more space workforce opportunities with two new undergraduate minors, one in Earth and Planetary Exploration and Technology (EPET) and the other in Human Space Flight Technology. Located in one of the most geographically isolated locations on Earth, UH Mānoa has established itself as a world-renowned leader in space-related programs.

The two minors will be administered by the Hawaiʻi Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) in the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. The objective of these programs is to provide professional education in the expanding field of human space flight and broaden access to space system science and technology education for UH Mānoa students, with special emphasis on including historically underrepresented groups. (10/31)

China’s ‘Mind-Boggling’ Space Capabilities Worry US, Says Space Force Chief (Source: Politico)
China's rapid development of space-based military systems is more concerning to Washington than possible Russian space nuclear weapons, U.S. Space Force chief General B. Chance Saltzman said. He said attention has often focused on Russia and its development of a kind of space nuclear weapon as the "closest alligator to the boat" when it comes to European security, but the bigger challenge is posed by China.

"The pace with which they put counterspace capabilities into play is mind-boggling," Saltzman said in an interview, referring to systems deployed against satellites and spacecraft. He added it is "concerning" that Beijing is launching "hundreds of satellites" as part of a targeting system that can be used to aid missions on Earth. (10/31)

Starship Booster Catch Brings NASA, SpaceX Closer to Artemis 3 Moon Landing (Source: Spaceflight Now)
NASA’s plan to return humans to the surface of the Moon needs several puzzle pieces to come together in time, one of which is the lunar lander itself. For the first two planned crewed landings, that capability is coming from SpaceX and its Starship rocket. A variant of the rocket’s upper stage, referred to as Starship or just Ship, will be used on the Artemis 3 mission. The lander will dock with the Lockheed Martin-built Orion spacecraft and bring two astronauts down to the surface of the Moon and back up again.

or the architecture that SpaceX has proposed and is implementing, they’re going to have to do several launches in order to aggregate propellant in low Earth orbit prior to going to the Moon,” Dr. Kent Chojancki explained. “Being able to rapidly reuse the boosters allows demonstrates that cadence.” Chojancki was referring to SpaceX’s plan to first launch a tanker version of Starship into orbit and then over multiple successive flights, send other Starships to dock with it and offload its fuel to build up a reservoir.

Before either of those events happen though, there will be an uncrewed Starship landing demonstration on the Moon. “One of the requirements that NASA has prior to putting astronauts on the Starship is that they (SpaceX) have to demonstrate an uncrewed demo with a landing and then being able to leave the surface of the Moon,” Chojancki said. “We’re not asking for a full return, but they’re going to get off of the surface, demonstrate that they can start the engine.” (11/1)

Losing GPS Could Cost Billions, so the Space Force is Looking to Build a Backup Network (Source: CNBC)
The importance of the existing 31 GPS satellites in orbit, as well as the potential threat in space from U.S. adversaries like Russia and China, has led the Pentagon to prioritize building the alternative R-GPS network — and the Space Force has turned to the commercial space industry to do so. Last month, the branch awarded four companies with contracts for R-GPS design concepts: Astranis, Axient, L3 Harris and Sierra Space. (11/1)

New Aerospace Facility in Santa Rosa County to Bring Hundreds of Jobs, Boost Local Economy (Source: WEAR)
Northwest Florida's Santa Rosa County is on its way to becoming what commissioners call a cornerstone in the aerospace industry in the Gulf region. Leonardo Helicopters USA -- a manufacturer based in Philadelphia and global leader in the production of military and commercial rotorcraft -- is laying down roots in Santa Rosa County. The vision? Creating a customer support center adjacent to the largest air wing in the U.S. Navy -- NAS Whiting Field. (10/31)

Chinese Launch Startup Cosmoleap Secures Funding for Rocket Featuring Chopstick Recovery System (Source: Space News)
Chinese launch firm Cosmoleap has secured more than 100 million yuan for the development of its Yueqian reusable rocket and a recovery system inspired by SpaceX. Cosmoleap announced more than $14 million in funding Nov. 1. Shenergy Chengyi, a Shanghai-based state-owned enterprise focusing on innovative investments, Tiangchuang Capital, an investment firm with a focus on emerging technologies, venture capital firm Baiyan Fund, Legend Capital, a venture capital firm supporting technological advancements, and investor Zhang Chao participated in the funding round. (11/1)