November 22, 2024

Vulcan NatSec Launch Likely to Slip After SRB Anomaly (Source: Space News)
The first national security launches by ULA's Vulcan rocket will likely slip into next year. The company had planned to perform two such launches this year after the second of two certification launches, Cert-2, in early October. However, an anomaly with one of two solid rocket boosters on Cert-2 has delayed certification of the rocket, Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, head of the Space Force's Space Systems Command, said Thursday.

It is now unlikely that either of the two national security missions that had been scheduled for this year, USSF-106 and USSF-87, will take place before the end of the year. Garrant said ULA was "making significant progress towards certification" but didn't offer an estimate of when that would be completed. He added that the Space Force is delaying awards for "Lane 2" of its NSSL Phase 3 procurement until after a final fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill is passed by Congress. (11/22)

Trump Concerns Europeans on Space Cooperation (Source: Space News)
The incoming Trump administration is causing concerns in Europe about the future of space cooperation with the United States. In sessions at the Space Tech Expo Europe conference this week, officials said they were worried that an "America first" approach Trump promoted during the election campaign could weaken transatlantic space cooperation. That could push European governments to increase spending on space to build up sovereign capabilities. Those concerns are particularly strong in Germany, with the country heading towards elections in February and with reports that the government had been considering significant cuts in space spending. (11/22)

NASA's LEO Strategy Concerns Commercial Station Companies (Source: Space News)
Commercial space station developers have mixed opinions about a potential change in NASA's low Earth orbit strategy. NASA said last month that its desire for a continuous human presence in LEO may not necessarily mean a "continuous heartbeat," or people continuously in space, but instead a "continuous capability" to have people work in space for limited durations.

At an investment conference this week, Axiom Space chief revenue officer Tejpaul Bhatia advocated to maintain a continuous heartbeat, calling a shift to continuous capability a potential step back in U.S. leadership. However, Vast Space CEO Max Haot said that requiring commercial space stations to be permanently crewed from the beginning will only delay their development. He said commercial stations could be crew-trended initially while operating in parallel with the International Space Station, later moving to be permanently crewed. (11/22)

Maxar Targets 2025 for Final WorldView Legion Launch (Source: Space News)
Maxar Intelligence is targeting early 2025 for the launch of its final pair of WorldView Legion imaging satellites. The company said itis  in talks with SpaceX to schedule the launch of the fifth and sixth satellites on a Falcon 9, although the timing remains fluid given SpaceX's packed manifest of customers. The company launched its first four WorldView Legion satellites in May and August, and the final launch would give the company the capability to revisit some locations as many as 15 times a day. (11/22)

Anduril Wins $100 Million for AI-Enhanced Space-Based Surveillance (Source: Space News)
Defense technology firm Anduril won a contract worth nearly $100 million to modernize the Space Surveillance Network (SSN). The company said Thursday it received the five-year contract with a maximum value of $99.7 million to develop artificial intelligence capabilities to enhance space domain awareness and threat detection. The company's Lattice software will autonomously process and distribute data from a global network of military space sensors, replacing legacy systems with a more advanced architecture. The contract builds on previous awards, including a $33.5 million series of contracts for SSN upgrades the company received over the past two years. (11/22)

ESA and JAXA to Expand Space Cooperation (Source: Space News)
ESA and JAXA have agreed to expand cooperation on a range of space projects. The agencies announced this week the signing of an agreement outlining new cooperation in areas including planetary defense, Earth observation, post-ISS low Earth orbit activities, space science and Mars exploration. That includes a role for JAXA on ESA's RAMSES planetary defense mission to the asteroid Apophis as well as potential collaboration on small lander missions to Mars in the 2030s. (11/22)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Mission at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX launched a set of Starlink satellites Thursday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 11:07 a.m. Eastern and placed 24 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was the seventh in the last week for SpaceX, including six Falcon 9 launches and the Starship/Super Heavy test flight. (11/22)

China Tests Expandable, Inflatable Module (Source: Space News)
China tested out a small expandable module in orbit during the recent Shijian-19 mission. The Shijian-19 retrievable satellite launched on a Long March 2D rocket from Jiuquan Sept. 27 and landed Oct. 10 after performing a suite of experiments. That included, the China Academy of Space Technology revealed Thursday, deployment of an "inflatable flexible sealed module" by the spacecraft while in orbit. Inflatable modules could play a role in planned expansion of China's Tiangong space station. (11/22)

China's Lingkong Tianxing Plans Spaceplane Prototype Tests (Source: Space News)
A Chinese startup is planning flight tests of a spaceplane prototype next year. Space Transportation, or Lingkong Tianxing Technology, said flight tests of the Cuantianhou near-space reusable spaceplane prototype could begin in the second half of 2025. The prototype, about 12 meters long and weighing 4,500 kilograms, will be capable of flying to Mach 4 and altitudes of 20 kilometers. Space Transportation aims to have a passenger craft ready by 2027, a company executive said. (11/22)

Incoming FCC Chair: Starlink Subsidy Unlikely (Source: Reuters)
The next chairman of the FCC says it is unlikely that the commission will reinstate a Starlink broadband subsidy. Brendan Carr, a current FCC commissioner tapped to chair the FCC by President-elect Trump, said Thursday that while he was critical of the FCC's decision to revoke nearly $900 million in rural broadband subsidies previously awarded to SpaceX, he did not expect the commission to restore the award. He noted that SpaceX had not appealed or sought reconsideration of that decision. (11/22)

Artemis 2 SLS Rocket Taking Shape (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA is preparing to start stacking the Space Launch System rocket that will be used on the Artemis 2 mission. Work started this week to begin assembling the two solid rocket boosters for the SLS, a process that starts a one-year clock on the certification of the rocket, although NASA waived that certification for the Artemis 1 mission after extensive delays. The start of the stacking process implies that NASA has determined what it will do to address heat shield erosion on the Orion spacecraft seen on Artemis 1, and suggests that extensive changes to the Orion heat shield for Artemis 2 that would significantly delay the launch are not necessary. (11/22)

Astronomers Take Image of Star Outside Our Galaxy (Source: Science News)
Astronomers have taken the first image of an individual star outside of the Milky Way galaxy. The European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope Interferometer combined four telescopes to provide the image of WOH G64, a star in the Large Magellanic Cloud just outside the Milky Way, 160,000 light-years away. The massive star, weighing 1,500 times more than the sun, is surrounded by a halo of gas and dust that may be material ejected from the star. Astronomers said the star is on the verge of a supernova explosion, although it may still be up to 100,000 years from now. (11/22)

Planet and Global Fishing Watch Advance Ocean Monitoring with Expanded Collaboration (Source: Space Daily)
Planet Labs announced an expanded partnership with Global Fishing Watch, a nonprofit focused on ocean governance through increased transparency of human activities at sea. The newly signed six-figure agreement enhances their existing collaboration, allowing Global Fishing Watch to leverage PlanetScope satellite data and Machine Learning (ML) technologies to promote better compliance and accountability across maritime sectors.

The enhanced partnership broadens Global Fishing Watch's use of PlanetScope's 3-meter optical imagery, covering vast stretches of global coastlines. This increased capability will enable the organization to track small vessel activities across millions of square kilometers of ocean, including areas far from shorelines. With these tools, Global Fishing Watch aims to identify small vessels that operate without Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) or Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), bolstering efforts to monitor fishing practices and enforce ocean governance globally. (11/21)

Aalyria and iSEE Join Forces to Advance Space Traffic Management (Source: Space Daily)
Aalyria announced a strategic partnership with Impact Space Expedition and Exploration Global (iSEE) to deliver an advanced space traffic management solution. By combining iSEE's cutting-edge space domain awareness tools with Aalyria's powerful network routing software, the collaboration aims to enhance satellite operations, improve asset protection, and streamline constellation management. (11/21)

Sierra Space Advances Certification for LIFE 10 Space Habitat Technology (Source: Space Daily)
Sierra Space announced the successful completion of its sixth stress test and fourth Ultimate Burst Pressure (UBP) test for the LIFE 10 commercial space station module. These milestones bring the Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE) platform closer to certification for human habitation, meeting NASA's stringent Factor of Safety (FOS) recommendations.

The LIFE 10 module underwent its final UBP test on October 29th at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, achieving a rupture pressure of 255 psi - the highest recorded in the three-year restraint layer certification campaign. This result significantly exceeds NASA's 4x safety factor requirements for both Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and lunar applications. The LIFE 10 module, approximately the size of a 10-ft-long moving truck, is particularly suited for lunar surface missions. (11/21)

Space Research Accelerates Gene Therapy for Neurological Disorders (Source: Space Daily)
Biotechnology startup Axonis Therapeutics has leveraged the unique microgravity environment of the International Space Station (ISS) to develop and test advanced neurological treatments. The company reprogrammed a harmless virus to deliver gene therapy directly to neurons, addressing conditions such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and spinal cord injuries. Axonis used the ISS to create mature 3D human brain organoids for testing, overcoming challenges faced on Earth. (11/22)

NASA Prepares Tiny Robotic Swimmers for Deep Space Ocean Exploration (Source: Space Daily)
Engineers recently tested prototypes of NASA's SWIM (Sensing With Independent Micro-swimmers) concept, showcasing a revolutionary approach to searching for life on icy moons like Europa. These tiny, autonomous robots are designed to explore subsurface oceans potentially harboring signs of life. NASA's Europa Clipper mission, set to arrive at Jupiter's moon Europa in 2030, aims to scan the moon's icy surface and subsurface ocean for clues about its habitability. However, scientists are already looking ahead to advanced exploration tools, including SWIM robots that could one day dive directly into Europa's hidden seas. (11/21)

JSC Tests Lunar Solar Technology in Thermal Vacuum Chamber (Source: Space Daily)
Designing technology to endure the Moon's harsh environment for up to a decade is a critical task for NASA's Artemis missions. To meet this challenge, three companies have been selected to develop self-sustaining solar array systems that will supply continuous energy at the lunar South Pole.
In 2022, NASA awarded contracts to these companies to create and test their designs at Johnson Space Center's Space Environment Simulation Laboratory (SESL) in Houston. Testing has been conducted in the facility's Chamber A, located in building 32, to verify that these technologies can function effectively in the Moon's extreme conditions. (11/21)

NASA Research Uncovers New Clues About Life's Molecular Handedness (Source: Space Daily)
The origins of life's preference for left-handed amino acids, a defining trait of life on Earth, remain unresolved following new NASA-supported research. The study found that RNA, a critical molecule in early life theories, can drive protein building blocks toward either left- or right-handed configurations, adding complexity to the mystery of why life exclusively uses one orientation. The findings, published in 'Nature Communications', offer insights into the origins of life.

Proteins, essential molecules in biological systems, are formed from amino acid building blocks. Amino acids can exist as mirror-image forms, similar to left and right hands, but life on Earth consistently utilizes the left-handed variety, a phenomenon called homochirality. Scientists have long puzzled over the reasons for this uniformity, as theoretically, life could function with right-handed amino acids just as effectively. (11/22)

Space Force Ready to Sign with Commercial Reserve Satellite Partners (Source: Air & Space Forces)
The Space Force is finalizing its first contracts for the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve and plans to award them early in 2025—giving the service access to commercial satellites and other space systems in times of conflict or crisis—officials said Nov. 21. The idea for CASR, often described as a space version of the Air Force’s Civil Reserve Airlift Fleet, was first raised publicly by then-Lt. Gen. Nina M. Armagno in October 2022 as a way to “surge” capability when needed. Since then, officials have spent the better part of two years refining the concept. (11/21)