December 17, 2024

Japan, India Startups to Study Laser-Equipped Satellite to Tackle Space Debris (Source: Reuters)
Space startups in Japan and India said on Tuesday they had agreed to jointly study using laser-equipped satellites to remove debris from orbit, an experimental approach to the increasingly imminent problem of orbital congestion. Tokyo-based Orbital Lasers and Indian robotics company InspeCity said they would study business opportunities for in-space services such as de-orbiting a defunct satellite and extending a spacecraft's life.

Carved out from Japanese satellite giant SKY Perfect JSAT this year, Orbital Lasers is building a system that will use laser energy to stop the rotation of space junk by vaporizing small parts of its surface, making it easier for a servicing spacecraft to rendezvous. Orbital Lasers plans to demonstrate the system in space and supply it to operators after 2027. (12/17)

Musk Has Security Clearance Problems (Source: The Guardian)
The space entrepreneur Elon Musk is unlikely to receive government security clearances if he so applied, even as his SpaceX launch company blasts military and spy agency payloads into orbit. The billionaire, a close ally of Donald Trump, who is set to join the incoming administration as an efficiency expert and recently became the first person to exceed $400bn in self-made personal wealth, is reported by the Wall Street Journal to have been advised by SpaceX lawyers not to seek highest-level security clearances owing to personal drug use and contacts with foreign nationals.

Musk currently holds a “top-secret” clearance that took years to obtain after he discussed use of marijuana on a 2018 podcast. But that may not be enough to have access to information about US government payloads in his rockets. While “top secret” is the government’s top level of security clearance, rising above “confidential” and “secret”, it does not automatically confer special authorization access to classified programs. More than 400 SpaceX employees have permissions to access “sensitive compartmented information”, but not the company CEO. (12/16)

SpaceX Launches O3b mPower-E Satellite From Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Sources: Florida Today, NasaSpaceFlight.com)
SpaceX has launched the latest mission for SES at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, delivering the O3b mPower-E satellite to space on Tuesday. The first stage booster completed its first landing on Just Read the Instructions drone ship situated downrange. It was the 90th orbital launch from the Florida spaceport in 2024. (12/17)

SpaceX’s 31st Dragon Cargo Capsule Returns to Earth with Splashdown Off Florida Coast (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX's 31st robotic cargo mission has made it back to Earth. SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule splashed down off the Florida coast at 1:39 p.m. on Dec. 17, a day after undocking from the ISS. (12/17)

Silent NASA Lander Gives Insight Into Martian Dust (Source: The Register)
Two years after NASA retired the InSight lander, scientists are continuing to use the vehicle to learn more about Mars. InSight was retired in 2022 after it stopped communicating with Earth. The silence started during the lander's extended mission and was expected. Dust had been building up on the lander's solar arrays, preventing its batteries from recharging and eventually leading to its demise. Hopeful that a passing dust devil might clean the arrays, NASA has been listening for a signal from the lander, but with not a peep from InSight over the last two years, that effort will end at the close of 2024. (12/17)

NASA Artemis II Crew Shows SLS Rocket Progress (Source: Florida Today)
Faced with growing uncertainty over the future of Artemis, NASA this week showed off the progress of the Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) moon rocket to journalists, bringing out the crew and saying the rocket was ready to be stacked. On Monday, the Artemis II astronauts sat in front of the core of their rocket as they spoke about progress toward their future mission. "Progress is being made across the board. An investment in Artemis is an investment in America," said Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman. (12/17)

Sidus Space Announces $14 Million Private Placement (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus Space announced that it has entered into definitive securities purchase agreements for shares of stock on a brokered private placement basis, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $14 million. The company intends to use the proceeds from the offering for working capital and general corporate purposes. (12/17)

Musk and SpaceX Face Reviews After Violations of Security Reporting Rules (Source: New York Times)
Elon Musk and his rocket company, SpaceX, have repeatedly failed to comply with federal reporting protocols aimed at protecting state secrets, including by not providing some details of his meetings with foreign leaders, according to people with knowledge of the company and internal documents.

Concerns about the reporting practices — and particularly about Mr. Musk, who is SpaceX’s chief executive — have triggered at least three federal reviews, eight people with knowledge of the efforts said. The Defense Department’s Office of Inspector General opened a review into the matter this year, and the Air Force and the Pentagon’s Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security separately initiated reviews last month.

The Air Force also recently denied Mr. Musk a high-level security access, citing potential security risks associated with the billionaire. Several allied nations, including Israel, have also expressed concerns that he could share sensitive data with others, according to defense officials. (12/17)

Space Force Plans Billions in Spending on Launch Infrastructure (Source: Air and Space Forces)
From wastewater treatment to maintenance services to a common operating picture software platform, the Space Force is working on hundreds of projects worth several billion dollars to upgrade its launch facilities. Brig. Gen. Kristin L. Panzenhagen noted that these efforts may not seem “super sexy” compared to programs for new rockets, satellites, and advanced technologies, but with the number of launches projected to keep increasing in the years ahead and the nation’s main spaceports showing their age, the improvements are critical for the Space Force’s ability to project warfighting power into the domain.

The main thrust of the improvements started this year with what the service is calling its “spaceport of the future” program. Funded by Congress to the tune of $1.3 billion from fiscal 2024 to 2028, the Space Force is essentially one year into the effort. We’ve got 192 projects across the two coasts that are defined,” Panzenhagen said. The projects run the gamut, including:

Burying power lines at Cape Canaveral, expanding roads to accommodate larger rockets, wastewater treatment facilities to handle the large amount of water used for deluge operations, electrical and HVAC generators and systems that corrode faster in the humid, salty conditions along the coasts, and developing more land and relocating administrative facilities and warehouses so that they won’t be inside the “clear area” that people need to leave while rockets are fueled. (12/16)

Astrophysicists Capture Gamma-Ray Flare From Supermassive Black Hole M87 (Source: Space Daily)
The first-ever photo of a black hole rocked the world in 2019, when the Event Horizon Telescope, or EHT, published an image of the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy M87, also known as Virgo A or NGC 4486, located in the constellation of Virgo. This black hole is surprising scientists again with a teraelectronvolt gamma-ray flare - emitting photons billions of times more energetic than visible light. Such an intense flare has not been observed in over a decade, offering crucial insights into how particles, such as electrons and positrons, are accelerated in the extreme environments near black holes.

The jet coming out of the center of M87 is seven orders of magnitude - tens of millions of times - larger than the event horizon, or surface of the black hole itself. The bright burst of high-energy emission was well above the energies typically detected by radio telescopes from the black hole region. The flare lasted about three days and probably emerged from a region less than three light-days in size, or a little under 15 billion miles. (12/15)

Equatorial Launch Australia Shifts Focus to New Queensland Spaceport Site (Source: Space Daily)
Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA) has announced the immediate cessation of operations at the Arnhem Space Centre in the Northern Territory, citing unresolved lease negotiations. The company will relocate its spaceport to a new site in Queensland, marking a significant shift in its operational strategy. The decision stems from the Northern Land Council's (NLC) repeated delays in approving a Head Lease essential for expanding the Arnhem Space Centre. Formal negotiations began in January 2022, yet the NLC missed self-imposed deadlines for approval four times within the past year.  (12/13)

Indian Navy and ISRO Conduct Astronaut Well Deck Recovery Trials for Gaganyaan Mission (Source: Space Daily)
The Indian Navy and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) have advanced preparations for Gaganyaan's recovery operations by conducting "Well Deck" recovery trials on December 6, 2024. The exercise took place under the Eastern Naval Command using a well deck-equipped ship off the coast of Visakhapatnam. A ship's well deck can be flooded to allow docking of smaller vessels, landing crafts, or recovered spacecraft. This capability is critical for efficient and safe retrieval operations after the Gaganyaan Crew Module splashes down at sea. (12/13)

Seaspan Signs Agreement with KVH for OneWeb LEO Satellite Solution (Source: Space Daily)
Seaspan Corporation, a global leader in independent containership leasing, has entered an agreement with KVH Industries to equip its fleet with OneWeb's advanced low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite technology. This initiative underscores Seaspan's commitment to delivering shore-like internet capabilities at sea as part of its broader digital transformation strategy, complementing the fleet's existing LEO services. Seaspan is the first major containership operator to adopt KVH's OneWeb solution, marking a significant step in the maritime industry's adoption of advanced satellite technologies. (12/13)

Honeywell Mulls Aerospace Spinoff Following Investor Push (Source: Reuters)
Honeywell is considering a spinoff of its aerospace unit, the company's top profit generator, supplying major aviation companies like Boeing and Airbus. The move comes after activist investor Elliott Investment Management urged Honeywell to separate the aerospace unit, potentially creating a standalone company valued at up to $120 billion. (12/16)

Secret Payload to Launch Atop Falcon 9 at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
The mission, according to SpaceX and the FAA is being referred to as “RRT-1.” The Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission, tail number B1085 in the SpaceX fleet, will launch for a fourth time. It previously supported the launches of Crew-9 as well as Starlink 10-5 and Starlink 6-77. Roughly 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1085 will touchdown on the SpaceX droneship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas.’ If successful, it will mark the 90th booster landing on ASOG and the 383rd booster landing to date.

Prior to the launch, neither SpaceX nor the mission’s customer made a public statement about what payload was onboard the Friday night Falcon 9 flight. Some speculated online that it was a third-generation Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite manufactured by Lockheed Martin. A point of rationale is the mission timeline for RRT-1 is strikingly similar to that of the last GPS 3 Space Vehicle to launch, GPS 3 SV06, which launched on Jan. 18, 2023. Another data point is that the hazard warnings are also reminiscent of the SV06 launch. (12/17)

Starlink Generating $12 Billion in 2024 (Source: Space News)
A new report concludes that SpaceX will generate nearly $12 billion in revenue this year from its Starlink constellation. The report by Quilty Space said its forecast of $11.8 billion in Starlink revenue is driven by strong consumer demand and growing U.S. military contracts. In a report in May, Quilty Space projected $6.6 billion in Starlink revenue this year. The revised forecast includes a previously undisclosed $537 million Pentagon contract to provide services for Ukraine's military forces through 2027. (12/17)

T-Mobile Signing Customers for Starlink Direct-to-Device (Source: Space News)
T-Mobile is starting to sign up customers for direct-to-device services from Starlink satellites. The free beta program is available to all T-Mobile customers with compatible devices and postpaid voice plans, although first responders will receive priority access. T-Mobile expects to begin offering text messaging using the service early next year, offering connectivity in "dead zones" with no terrestrial service. Unlike Apple's space-enabled messaging for iPhones, introduced in 2022 via Globalstar's constellation, T-Mobile said Starlink-powered connectivity will not require users to point their phones skyward in search of a signal. (12/17)

Thailand Joins Both Artemis Accords and China's ILRS Project (Source: Space News)
Thailand has signed the Artemis Accords, becoming the first country to be a part of both the Accords and a Chinese counterpart. Thailand's space agency GISTDA signed the Accords in a ceremony in Bangkok Monday attended by the U.S. ambassador, making Thailand the 51st nation to join. The signing comes eight months after the country signed a memorandum of cooperation with China on its International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), which includes a set of principles analogous to the Artemis Accords. U.S. officials have long stated there was no obstacle for an ILRS signatory to also join the Artemis Accords. (12/17)

NASA LEO Microgravity Strategy Endorses Sustained Human Presence (Source: Space News)
The final version of a NASA low Earth orbit microgravity strategy endorses keeping people in orbit continuously. The strategy, released Monday, backed a concept called "continuous heartbeat" by NASA where it would maintain people in space continuously as it transitions from the International Space Station to commercial stations. The agency had been weighing continuous heartbeat against "continuous capability" that opened the door to gaps in human presence in LEO. NASA said science needs, including planning for future human missions to Mars, led it to adopt continuous heartbeat, along with maintaining an industrial base of companies operating in LEO. (12/17)

China Launches SAR Satellites (Source: Xinhua)
China launched a set of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging satellites Monday. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off at 1:50 p.m. Eastern and placed four PIESAT-2 satellites into orbit. The spacecraft are part of a planned constellation of 16 SAR satellites. (12/17)

New Mars Strategy Calls for More Small Missions (Source: Space News)
A new NASA strategy for the robotic exploration of Mars calls for flying small missions to the planet frequently. The strategy, published last week, focuses on flying small missions with focused science objectives at every Martian launch window, supplemented with some larger missions as well as missions of opportunity that fly payloads on other nations' spacecraft. The strategy also endorses use of commercial capabilities, particularly for infrastructure like communications and imaging. The 20-year strategy has three science themes that include the search for life, comparative planetology and preparing for human missions to Mars. (12/17)

Saturn's Rings Older Than Thought? (Source: AP)
Saturn rings may be much older than previously thought. Studies of the famous rings based on data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft led scientists to conclude that they were between 100 million and 400 million years old based on the lack of darkening of the icy material that makes up the rings. However, a study published Monday by Japanese researchers suggests that the rings may be "dirt-resistant" and do not darken as they are hit by rocky micrometeoroids. That could mean that the rings are far older, perhaps several billion years old. (12/17)

The Future of Robotic Mars Exploration (Source: Space Review)
Last week, NASA unveiled a long-term plan for robotic exploration of Mars, including work to prepare for later human missions. Jeff Foust reports on the plan as well as ongoing efforts to revamp the Mars Sample Return program. Click here. (12/17)
 
Countering Threats to US Commercial Space Systems (Source: Space Review)
As the US military makes growing use of commercial space capabilities, those commercial systems become targets for adversaries. Marc Berkowitz examines that challenge and potential measures to protect commercial satellites. Click here. (12/17)

Canada’s First Moon Rover Will Soon Have a Name as it Prepares to Explore a Hostile Lunar Region (Source: Space Review)
A contest is wrapping up this week to select the name for Canada’s first lunar rover. Gordon Osinski discusses the significance of this project and Canada’s history of rover development. Click here. (12/17)