November 8, 2024

Virgin Galactic Falls on Lower Revenue, Share Issuance (Source: Bloomberg)
Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. declined after it reported third-quarter revenue short of expectations and a share issuance of as much as $300 million to pay for a new space tourism vehicle. The company reported revenue for the period ending Sep. 30 of $0.4 million, slightly below the $0.53 million consensus of analysts. That’s about a 77% plunge from the $1.7 million in the same period a year ago. Virgin also announced an at-the market equity program in which it would occasionally sell shares worth as much as $300 million. (11/7)

Space Florida Announces Launch of Florida University Space Research Consortium (Source: UCF)
Space Florida’s Board of Directors designated the Florida University Space Research Consortium, as the state’s official space research entity, which will facilitate the awarding of NASA research grants in partnership with Kennedy Space Center. The University of Florida, the University of Central Florida, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, formally requested that the board designate the consortium as the official research entity. Editor's Note: The Florida Institute of Technology and other universities are expected to be added. (11/7)

Thailand Hosts Southeast Asia's Largest Space Technology Event (Source: The Nation)
Thailand Space Week 2024, the region’s premier international space technology event, kicked off on Thursday at the Impact Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi province. The three-day event, organized by the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency, aims to bolster Thailand’s position as a regional space technology hub. (11/8)

Private Space Exploration May Be About to Get a Serious Boost (Source: Semafor)
Among the industries set to gain most from the reelection of Donald Trump as US president, commercial space may be on the cusp of a new era of innovation. In his first term, Trump made “pretty dramatic” space policy moves: He created the US Armed Forces’ Space Force; he reestablished Space Command to take charge of military operations in space; and he helped kickstart NASA’s program to return humans to the Moon.

His second term could go further: One of Trump’s biggest donors and supporters this cycle has been Elon Musk — his rocket company SpaceX already has multibillion-dollar contracts with NASA and other federal agencies, and could feasibly win far more over the next four years. And, if Trump’s pledge to let Musk cut costs out of the government comes to pass, Musk could erode some of the regulatory procedures that he argues are holding up SpaceX’s development of a rocket to take humans and cargo to Mars. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, one of SpaceX’s top rivals for NASA contracts, could also stand to gain. (11/7)

Boeing Finishing Expansion of NASA SLS Core Stage Production Facilities at KSC (Source: NSF)
NASA and Space Launch System core stage prime contractor Boeing are working to finish activating new production facilities at the Kennedy Space Center, to complete and deliver the next two units by the end of 2026. After summertime engine section hardware deliveries, the two SLS processing cells in the Space Systems Processing Facility are filled for the first time, and Boeing is preparing to check out new tooling in the Vehicle Assembly Building for the final assembly of the third and fourth stages.

While the Artemis II schedule is on hold due to decisions about what to do with the Orion spacecraft’s existing base heatshield, the mission’s SLS core stage will be installed in the new vertical platforms and tooling in VAB High Bay 2. The plan for next year is to begin the final assembly on the Artemis III unit; for now, the new VAB facility will allow Boeing to finish traveled work on the Artemis II stage while waiting to hear when stacking that vehicle might begin. (11/7)

Bridenstine Kicks Off Phase Four Investment Round (Source: Payload)
Former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine is making his first investment in a space company, backing the satellite propulsion company Phase Four’s latest fundraising round. Phase Four plans to raise at least $10M in a Series C round which is expected to close in the coming weeks; a special purpose vehicle organized by Bridenstine’s Artemis Group will contribute $2M to the deal. (11/8)

Bind Russia to a New Arms Control Treaty to Ban Nuclear Weapons in Space (Source: Space News)
The Space Force may not have been created to weaponize space, but it certainly sends a powerful signal to the rest of the world that the U.S. could. Russia is afraid of that outcome and of being left out. So let’s bind Russia to another treaty. Let’s set the precedent of behavior. By leading with diplomacy and stability, the U.S. can forge the end it desires. We can find a way to equalize the risk/reward ratio so that the taboo of nuclear space continues far into the future. (11/7)

China Advances Commercial Cargo Spacecraft to Cut Space Station Supply Costs (Source: Xinhua)
China has taken a significant step in space logistics and commercial space advancement with the introduction of low-cost cargo spacecraft, including a space cargo shuttle, tailored to meet the frequent supply needs of its space station. The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) revealed on Oct. 29 the winners of its solicitation for overall schemes aimed at the low-cost cargo transportation system, a crucial component of the space station's operations.

After two rounds of selection, schemes respectively from the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAMCAS) and from the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute under the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) finally won the contracts for the flight verification phase, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA. (11/7)

Nvidia Adds Ex-NASA Space Center Director Ellen Ochoa to Board (Source: Bloomberg)
Nvidia Corp., the world’s most valuable company, named NASA veteran Ellen Ochoa as a director, expanding the size of its board to 13 members. Ochoa, 66, previously ran the space agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and was the first Latina astronaut in space, Nvidia said in a statement Thursday. (11/7)

A Star Winked Out of Sight. Could it be a ‘Failed Supernova’? (Source: Science News)
Some massive stars may go out with a fizzle, not a bang. A star that winked out of view could be a “failed supernova,” a stellar explosion that petered out instead of fully detonating, a new study reports. If real, the failed supernova would mark the birth of a black hole. Visible light from the star, a supergiant spotted in the neighboring Andromeda galaxy, faded dramatically beginning in 2016, fully vanishing by 2023. (11/7)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Mission From Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched a set of Starlink satellites Thursday after several days of delays. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 3:19 p.m. Eastern and deployed 23 Starlink satellites. A problem with ground equipment supplying helium to the rocket's first stage scrubbed a launch attempt Sunday and the company postponed a launch attempt Wednesday. (11/8)

Sierra Space Plans NET May 2025 Dream Chaser Debut Flight (Source: Space News)
Sierra Space is targeting no earlier than next May for the first flight of its Dream Chaser spaceplane. The vehicle was scheduled to launch this year on the second flight of ULA's Vulcan Centaur, but delays in development and testing of the first Dream Chaser vehicle, Tenacity, meant it would not be ready in time for a launch by this fall as required by ULA. Sierra Space is working on a second Dream Chaser, Reverence, which the company estimated will be ready 18 months after the team supporting Tenacity testing at the Kennedy Space Center returns to the company's Colorado factory. (11/8)

Vast Signs Czech Republic for Space Station Use (Source: Space News)
Commercial space station developer Vast Space has signed an agreement with the government of the Czech Republic. The memorandum of understanding, announced Friday, will allow Vast to work with the Czech Ministry of Transport on potential partnerships that could involve flying a Czech astronaut on either a Vast-led private astronaut mission to the International Space Station or to Vast's Haven-1 commercial station. The agreement also covers support for the emerging Czech space industry. (11/8)

Intuitive Machines Unveils RACER Lunar Rover Prototype (Source: CollectSpace)
Intuitive Machines showed off a prototype of the lunar rover it is offering to NASA. The company unveiled the Moon RACER rover Thursday in Houston, driving it in the parking lot of Space Center Houston. Moon RACER, or Reusable Autonomous Crewed Exploration Rover, is one of three rover concepts being supported by NASA in the first phase of its Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services program to develop a lunar rover for use on future Artemis missions. NASA will use the rover on a services basis, and the company that provides the rover will be able to use it for other customers when not needed by NASA. The Moon RACER team, led by Intuitive Machines, includes several aerospace and automotive companies, from Boeing and Northrop Grumman to Michelin and Roush. (11/8)

Williams is Not Sick on ISS (Source: Space.com)
No, NASA astronaut Suni Williams is not sick on the International Space Station. NASA issued a statement Thursday announcing that Williams, on the station since June, is in "good health" and that the agency was not "tracking any concerns" with her health or those of other astronauts on the station. Several tabloids in recent days claimed that Williams appeared ill, based on a single doctor's assessment of one image of Williams where the doctor claimed she looked "gaunt"; those claims were later amplified by Indian media. (11/8)

Viasat May Purchase Lightspeed Constellation Capacity (Source: Space News)
Viasat is in negotiations with Telesat to purchase capacity on Telesat's future Lightspeed constellation. Viasat disclosed the talks in an earnings call this week after previously announcing a deal to use capacity from Eutelsat's OneWeb LEO constellation to provide low-latency broadband through its NexusWave multi-orbit service for the maritime market. Viasat faces mounting competition from SpaceX's Starlink network throughout its satellite communications business. In the call, Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg said the company is searching for financial and capital structure alternatives to help realize the value of assets that he argued are underappreciated on the stock market. (11/8)

BlackSky Takes Full Ownership of LeoStella (Source: Space News)
BlackSky has taken full ownership of the LeoStella satellite manufacturing joint venture. BlackSky announced in an earnings call Thursday that it acquired the 50% of LeoStella it did not already own from Thales Alenia Space. The companies did not disclose financial terms of the deal. BlackSky and Thales Alenia created LeoStella in 2018 to build satellites for both BlackSky and other customers. BlackSky, though, has remained the largest customer for LeoStella's smallsats, and BlackSky said taking full ownership of LeoStella will give it greater control over the production of its new Gen-3 imaging satellites. The first Gen-3 satellite is in final testing ahead of a launch on an Electron rocket, but BlackSky did not disclose a specific launch date for the spacecraft. (11/8)

Export Reforms to Continue in Next Administration (Source: Space News)
Government officials said space export control reforms will proceed through the upcoming presidential transition. At a public meeting this week to discuss export control rule changes announced last month, officials said that there is bipartisan support for the changes to improve the competitiveness of U.S. companies, and thus they don't believe there will be any significant changes to them. The Commerce and State Departments are currently soliciting comments on proposed rules to move some space technologies from the U.S. Munitions List to the less restrictive Commerce Control list, a process that will continue until Nov. 22. (11/8)

NASA Defends Controversial Astrophysics Selections (Source: Space News)
NASA defended the selection of two proposals for an astrophysics mission for further study despite concerns from the scientific community the two are not on an equal footing. NASA announced last month it awarded study contracts with $5 million each to teams that proposed an X-ray observatory called AXIS and far-infrared telescope called PRIMA, allowing them to refine their designs ahead of a NASA decision in 2026 to select one of them for development as the first probe-class mission, with a projected cost of $1 billion.

At a meeting Thursday of the Astrophysics Advisory Committee, NASA defended the selection of the two concepts amid questions from the committee and broader astrophysics community about whether those missions were the highest ranked ones in the evaluation process, with specific concerns about the technical maturity of AXIS. Mark Clampin, director of NASA's astrophysics division, said AXIS and PRIMA "were the best science investigations, so that's why they were picked." (11/8)

Musk Lobby's Trump to Appoint SpaceX Executives Within DoD (Source: New York Times)
Elon Musk is lobbying the incoming Trump administration to hire SpaceX executives at the Defense Department. Even before this week's election, Musk asked Trump to consider two SpaceX executives for unspecified positions at the Pentagon. The Trump transition team and SpaceX did not comment on the claims. Musk's support for Trump in the campaign is widely expected to translate into benefits for SpaceX and Musk's other companies. (11/8)