November 24, 2024

NASA Marshall Thermal Engineering Lab Provides Key Insight to Human Landing System (Source: NASA)
NASA’s Human Landing System (HLS) will transport the next astronauts that land on the Moon, including the first woman and first person of color, beginning with Artemis III. For safety and mission success, the landers and other equipment in development for NASA’s Artemis campaign must work reliably in the harshest of environments. Engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, are currently testing how well prototype insulation for SpaceX’s Starship HLS will insulate interior environments, including propellant storage tanks and the crew cabin. (11/22)

Can Blue Origin and Rocket Lab Ever Compete Against SpaceX? (Source: The Hill)
Recent progress with New Glenn and Neutron rockets are welcome news to the world of commercial launches. While SpaceX has revolutionized space launches, vastly decreasing their cost and increasing their reliability, the company founded by Elon Musk has become a de facto monopoly. It has not been acting as one, but it is good that SpaceX has started to acquire viable competitors. Both Blue Origin and Rocket Lab have not only created viable launch vehicles, they have acquired customers, a prerequisite to becoming profitable businesses.

However, while both the New Glenn and Neutron rockets are competitors to the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, SpaceX is not resting on its laurels. The company is developing the Starship monster rocket, which recently underwent its sixth test flight. Starship, when it is fully operational, will be several orders of magnitude more capable than any rocket that has come before it. It can launch 150 metric tons to low Earth orbit and, with refueling, to the moon, Mars and beyond. It is fully reusable.

Long March 9 will be a two-stage, reusable launch vehicle that can loft 100 metric tons to low Earth orbit and 50 metric tons to a lunar transfer orbit. The rocket could be used to build a Chinese lunar base and launch heavy payloads such as a solar power station to low Earth orbit. The Chinese get the future of launch vehicles. Does anyone else, outside of SpaceX, understand that future? (11/24)

Musk Gets a Leg Up From Trump in Space Battle vs. Bezos (Source: Politico)
As Musk spends weeks palling around with Trump at Mar-a-Lago after the election, their proximity has the space industry fearing that Musk could rig the space race in his favor by diverting billions of dollars in government funding to SpaceX. The chief threat to SpaceX’s peers is that Musk will aim to create a monopoly in the private space industry.

“People are concerned what’s in place to stop it,” said one space industry lobbyist granted anonymity to discuss private conversations about Musk’s influence. “You’re talking about two of the most unpredictable people in the world getting together. It’s not like chocolate and peanut butter, and you get a great combination. You’re talking about world dominance here.”

Bezos has seemingly changed his tune on the president-elect. In the lead up to the election, the Washington Post owner killed a planned endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris. And after Trump won, Bezos quickly congratulated him. Blue Origin CEO David Limp met with Trump the same day the Post announced it would not endorse a candidate. But Bezos has a long way to go to make nice with Trump. Few companies have felt Trump’s ire like Amazon, which he accused of not paying taxes and ripping off the U.S. Postal Service. Trump has condemned the “Amazon Washington Post” as Bezos’ “lobbyist newspaper.” (11/24)

Starlink Internet Speeds Could Skyrocket to 2 Gigabits Per Second (Source: Cord Cutters)
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell has announced ambitious plans to dramatically increase Starlink internet speeds, potentially reaching a blazing-fast 2 gigabits per second. This would be a significant leap from the current average speeds experienced by users, marking a major milestone for the satellite internet service. (11/22)

How Sunita Williams Maintains Her Health in Space Overtime (Source: Economic Times)
Her original mission aimed to test the capabilities of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft and conduct scientific experiments aboard the ISS. However, due to unforeseen technical difficulties with the spacecraft, NASA decided to delay the astronauts' return to avoid risking their safety.

Sunita Williams addressed concerns about changes in her appearance, particularly the noticeable weight loss. She explained that the changes were not caused by weight loss but by ‘fluid shift,’ where bodily fluids shift upwards toward the face and upper body. “When you don’t have gravity pulling your fluids down, everything moves upwards. Your face puffs up, your limbs tend to get thinner,” Williams explained. Despite these changes, Williams noted that she has gained muscle mass, especially in her legs, thanks to regular exercise. (11/21)

Sidus and Reflex Team to Improve Satellite Development (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus Space announced a strategic partnership with Reflex Aerospace, a cutting-edge European satellite manufacturing startup. This partnership combines Sidus’ expertise in satellite manufacturing and mission operations with Reflex Aerospace’s rapid, custom satellite design capabilities. Together, the companies aim to deliver flexible, cost-effective, and high-performance solutions to meet diverse customer needs while strengthening their presence in global markets. (11/21)

L3Harris Delivers New Generation of RL10 Rocket Engines (Source: L3Harris)
L3Harris Technologies has delivered the first RL10 engine that features a 3D-printed copper thrust chamber to United Launch Alliance (ULA). The latest iteration, called the RL10E-1, uses 3D printing to enable a 98% reduction in the number of parts that make up the thrust chamber. The engine is set to fly on a ULA Vulcan rocket next year. (11/21)

Dawn Aerospace Achieves Historic Flight - Breaks Sound Barrier and Global Records (Source: Dawn Aerospace)
Dawn Aerospace has made history with the successful supersonic flight of its Mk-II Aurora rocket-powered aircraft, making it one of the fastest privately-developed aircraft on the planet. The company, operating as Dawn Hypersonics, achieved the milestone on 12 November 2024, with the Aurora surpassing the speed of sound for the first time, reaching Mach 1.1 and climbing to an altitude of 82,500 feet. (11/19)

Arianespace Will Launch Exotrail’s Spacevan with Ariane 6 (Source: Arianespace)
Arianespace will launch Exotrail’s spacevan on board an Ariane 6, as an auxiliary passenger. This spacevan is the geostationary version of Exotrail’s Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV), due to be placed in Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) in the second half of 2026. This first “GTO to GEO” mission for the spacevan, will demonstrate a new capacity to bring small satellites up to the geostationary arc, for Exotrail’s customer, the French space agency CNES. (11/19)

ispace-U.S. and Volta Space Technologies Agree to Collaborate on Future Development of Survive the Night Capability (Source: ispace)
ispace Technologies U.S. and Volta Space Technologies have reached an agreement for a strategic collaboration to leverage Volta’s optical laser power technologies and ispace-U.S.’s lunar transportation and infrastructure technologies to develop “Survive the Night” capability for lunar missions. The two companies reached the agreement prior to The Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) 2024 Fall meeting. (11/14)

Central Florida Nonprofit SpaceKids Global Puts Kids to Work as Space Reporters (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
SpaceKids Global CEO Marryann Barry, who took over the role from Sharon Hagle about two months ago, said she’s been passionate about space for four decades, and putting together the program for these kids may have required a lot of moving parts, but it has been worth it. “What we did here in these past few days, with these kids from all over the country, the press squad has been one of the most impactful experiences that I’ve seen on children,” Barry said.

“It was a curated experience for kids who were already showing an interest, but lived in places (where their) ability to be exposed and immersed in the environment is limited.” The approach of teaching the kids skills and putting them amid major space industry and space tourism storylines was a novel approach, with results that have left her emotional, she said. (11/23)

DirecTV Ditches Dish Deal (Source: Variety)
The U.S.’s two satellite TV providers aren’t getting hitched anymore, at least anytime soon. DirecTV on Thursday formally announced that it was nixing the agreement with EchoStar to buy Dish Network. The deal is being terminated effective as of 11:59 p.m. ET on Nov. 22, DirecTV said. DirecTV’s official termination of the agreement follows Dish DBS bondholders’ rejection of the proposed exchange debt offer terms issued by EchoStar, which was a condition of DirecTV’s obligations to acquire Dish. (11/21)

Space Vacations and Retiring on Mars: SpaceX COO Shares 3 Visions for the Company’s Future (Source: CNBC)
“I think Elon wants to retire on Mars. I’m not interested in Mars,” Gwynne Shotwell, the SpaceX president and COO told Baron Capital founder Ron Baron at his firm’s annual investment conference last week. “I don’t like camping, and I think it will be a long time before Mars is nice enough — probably not in my lifetime.” Nevertheless, like her boss, Shotwell’s visions for SpaceX remain stratospheric: accessible space travel for all, global proliferation for satellite internet, and yes, eventually, interplanetary travel and living. Click here. (11/22)

Will Musk Be the Death of NASA? (Source: New York Times)
With all that the agency has done for SpaceX, what would it mean for Musk’s business were he to eliminate, or even simply shrink, NASA? Arguably, he’d be protecting SpaceX’s interests — and making it harder for more companies to emulate its blueprint for success. Since the turn of the century, every new administration in the White House has urged NASA’s leadership to nurture a commercial space industry. SpaceX is the poster child for that effort, but now a large number of space startups are vying for a NASA contract that could help them get off the ground (in some cases, literally).

SpaceX is on top right now, and presumably Musk wants to keep it that way. Were NASA programs to be cut, there would be fewer opportunities to award more money to a wider group of SpaceX competitors. Slashing spending might also force the agency to hand off more of its operations to already reliable contractors — such as, you guessed it, SpaceX. The DOGE plan for efficiency, if fully realized, might just happen to benefit one of its architect’s biggest business interests. (11/22)

Relativity, Amazon, and NASA Continue Infrastructure Development at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: NSF)
In addition to SpaceX’s work, Cape Canaveral has been busy with Relativity Space focusing on its reusable Terran R rocket, which is being developed at Space Launch Complex-16. Upgrades to this site, including new infrastructure, were documented during a recent NSF flyover.

NSF also documented advancements at Amazon’s Kuiper facility, now nearing completion to support broadband satellite launches, as well as progress on NASA’s Mobile Launcher 2 and Blue Origin’s preparations at LC-36. Emerging projects like Space Prep’s processing center further underscore the rapid expansion of Florida’s spaceport infrastructure.

Relativity is working on its partially reusable Terran R, after launching the Terran 1 rocket on its sole test flight in March 2023. The Terran 1, which had 90 percent of its mass made up of 3D-printed components, initially succeeded in its first stage flight, but the second stage failed. Click here. (11/22)

Schriever Space Force Base Chosen as the Final Location of Space Delta 15 (Source: KRDO)
Schriever Space Force Base has been picked as the final location for Space Delta 15. According to officials, Space Delta 15 is one of five service components reporting directly to U.S. Space Command. With the base coming to El Paso County, officials believe it will employ roughly 250 staff. The Department of the Air Force expects the location will be fully operational by 2027. (11/22)

USSF Accepting Proposals for Fourth Research Opportunity Under the USSF University Consortium (Source: USSF)
In partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory, the United States Space Force is currently accepting proposals for USSF University Consortium/Space Strategic Technology Institute 4, focused on Advanced Remote Sensing. The USSF posted a Request for Information Nov. 14, inviting universities and their partners to submit white papers for collaborative research projects by Jan. 10, 2025.

This SSTI effort, which is the fourth in a series of research opportunities under the USSF University Consortium, will facilitate advanced remote sensing research, enabling the USSF to gather information globally at the speed of relevance about our environment, verify the actions and intentions of our competitors and facilitate commerce and economic prosperity. (11/21)

One Contractor is on the Space Force’s Naughty List (Source: Defense One)
The Space Force has put a defense contractor on a blacklist intended to hold companies accountable for poor performance and program delays. “There is a company on the watch list today. I won't say who it is,” said Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, commander of Space Systems Command, told reporters at a Defense Writers Group event.

The Contractor Responsibility Watch List, or CRWL, was created in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act to give Space Systems Command the power to stop underperforming contractors from getting new contracts. Until today, the service has never confirmed if it has used the list. The list “has absolutely worked as intended. We've seen significant improvement in performance and attention at the most senior levels of the corporation,” Garrant said. (11/21)

Former Orion Manager Has Surprisingly Credible Plans to Fly European Astronauts (Source: Ars Technica)
It would be easy to be cynical about a German-French startup named The Exploration Company, which aims to build an increasingly sophisticated lineup of spaceships that could one day launch astronauts into orbit. After all, European space startups don't have the greatest track record, and even with billions of dollars, one of the world's leading aerospace companies, Boeing, has failed so far to deliver a fully space-worthy human vehicle.

Space is hard; human spaceflight is harder. So when a European startup shows up with grandiose plans, one's natural inclination might be to dismiss them. Founder of The Exploration Company, Hélène Huby, was surprisingly frank about the difficulties in pulling this off and shrewd about her political assessment of why now might just be the time for a new generation of European spacecraft.

An economist by training, Huby joined the European aerospace firm Airbus in 2013, working various jobs, including space strategy, before becoming the company's vice president for the Orion spacecraft's service module. As part of NASA's Artemis Program to return humans to the Moon, Europe is building the service module that provides power and propulsion to the Orion capsule. Click here. (11/22)

ESA Awards Hemeria €9.8M Contract for Space Weather Nanosatellite (Source: European Spaceflight)
The European Space Agency has awarded a €9.8 million contract to French aerospace and defense firm Hemeria to design, build, and operate the agency’s first space weather nanosatellite. Called Swing (Space Weather Ionosphere Nanosat Generation), the space weather nanosatellite will be tasked with monitoring the Earth’s ionosphere. This layer of the Earth’s atmosphere is of interest because of its effects on communication and navigation services. (11/22)